Lily Morton

After Felix (Close Proximity Book 3) by Lily Morton: Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review & Giveaway

August 18, 2020 by Denise

Sometimes the best love stories come in two parts.

When Felix met handsome journalist Max Travers, it was lust at first sight. It was just his luck that he then had to develop a terrible case of feelings and got his heart broken. However, two and a half years later, he’s over all of that. His job is going well, he has good friends, and he doesn’t lack for male company. Which, of course, is when Max has to come bursting back into his life.

Felix Jackson will always be the one who got away to Max. He’s spent their time apart regretting his actions and hoping for a second chance. When an accident lands him in Felix’s less than tender care, Max is determined to grab this opportunity. The only problem is that Felix is equally determined that he doesn’t.

From bestselling author, Lily Morton comes a story of missed opportunities, second chances, and two very stubborn men.

This is the third book in the Close Proximity series, but it can be read as a standalone.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

So, you’re buying Charlie that book? Ooh, if it’s got pictures, take some photos of them for me.”

“I’m not taking photos of pictures in a boring old book so you can wank over them without having to pay the recommended retail price.”

A woman giggles, and I grimace apologetically at her. “He won’t,” I assure her. “He prefers his porn to be actually moving. This isn’t the dark ages.” She laughs and walks away.

“Are you going to have to do your usual thing with Charlie?” he says sympathetically.

I sigh. “Yep. I’ll have to read it too, so we can discuss it. Fucking hell, it’s huge. It’s going to take weeks of my life that I’ll never get back. I’m far too young for the wrinkles that reading this shit will give me.” I seize a copy. “Wow, it’s so fucking heavy too. Still, if Charlie doesn’t read it, he can always use it as a doorstop.”

A loud laugh comes from behind me, and when I spin around, I find a man leaning against the entrance to the travel section. He’s staring at me. He’s obviously the source of the laughter because it’s still flirting with the edges of his wide mouth and dancing in his dark eyes. He’s tall and broad-shouldered with thick black hair that falls in shaggy waves and frames a high-cheek-boned face.

I blink and consider rubbing my eyes because I have never in my life seen anyone this gorgeous in Waterstones before. I hope it’s a sign that my luck has changed. As I smile at him, I make a mental note to buy a scratch card on the way home.

“Can I help you?” I ask.

He straightens from his leaning position. I let my eyes roll down his body, and it’s well worth a slow pace. His ancient jeans cling to the long lines of his legs and catch on the edges of a pair of battered motorcycle boots. A white T-shirt and a leather motorcycle jacket with stripes down the arms complete the outfit.

“Just listening to your little book club,” he says casually, folding his arms over his chest. “It sounded lively.”

“Oh, really? Did you want to join? I have to tell you that there’s an admission price and you’ll have to learn the password and the group theme song.”

“What’s the theme song?”

“Pink Floyd’s ‘We Don’t Need No Education’,” I say.

He laughs.

“Oh my God,” Tim hisses in my ear. “That’s your sexy, snarky voice, Felix. You’re flirting with someone, you dirty bitch.”

“Bye, Tim,” I say, clicking End on the sound of his laughter.

Wow. Felix definitely wins the snarkiest of snarky awards. Lily Morton always has sharp witted dialogue, dripping sarcasm and usually a lot of laughs. But Felix might have been a bit TOO snarky. Especially in part 2.

Anyway…this is book 3 of a series but can easily be read as a stand alone. We met Felix in book 1 as the personal assistant of Zeb. He easily stole scenes he was in and I was looking forward to his story and happily every after.

Felix is the classic one off, no strings, no relationships guy. Until his sarcastic comments get noticed by a guy in a book store. Their “one off” turns into a mutually beneficial friends with benefits (but no strings!) deal.

Felix and Max definitely play off of each other. Max zings Felix right back and they can’t keep their hands off of each other. After a few months Max ends up bringing Felix to the wedding of his former work partner, best friend and sex buddy. Fans of Lily Morton will recognize a lot of characters. But that ends up being a BIG mistake. I was MAD at Max. MAD. He was a jerk. There was no innocent miscommunication here. Felix was justified in his hurt and anger.

Max realizes the error of his ways. TOO LATE BUDDY! (I told you I was mad right?) Everyone moves on. But Felix and Max keep running into each other. Of course it is by design of someone they are both connected to. Ultimately, months later (maybe a year? I’m a little fuzzy) Max and Felix are thrown together again and Felix is guilted into helping Max with his book tour. Cute, right?

And I get it, Felix was still hurt, but still cared for Max. But really, he was a jerk. And Max laughed him off. It’s in his nature to do that and the whole defense mechanism thing but ugh. I wanted to slap him.

Ignoring Felix’s beastly behavior, Max works on winning him over again. And it was swoony. He definitely redeemed himself. And in the process showed Felix that it is ok to love and be loved.

I really enjoyed how the book was split in 2. Felix and Max as friends with benefits, big break up. Then Felix and Max as tentative friends, big wooing romance.

4 Pieces of Eye Candy

Lily writes contemporary romance novels, and specialises in hot love stories with a good dose of humour.

Lily lives in sunny England with her husband and two children, all of whom claim that they haven’t had a proper conversation with her since she bought her first Kindle.

She has spent her life with her head full of daydreams and decided one day to just sit down and start writing about them. In the process she discovered that she actually loved writing, because how else could she get to spend her time with hot, funny men!

She loves chocolate and Baileys and the best of all creations – chocolate Baileys! Her lifetime’s ambition is to have a bath in peace without being shouted by one of her family.

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Gideon (Finding Home Book 3) by Lily Morton: Audiobook Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

August 6, 2020 by Denise

Gideon Ramsay is so far in the closet he should be a talking faun.

A talented, mercurial, and often selfish man, Gideon has everything he should want in life. Fame, money, acting awards – he has it all. Everything but honesty. At the advice of his agent, Gideon has concealed his sexuality for years. But it’s starting to get harder to hide, and his increasingly wild behaviour is threatening to destroy his career.

Then he’s laid low by a serious illness and into his life comes Eli Jones. Eli is everything that Gideon can’t understand. He’s sunny tempered, friendly, and optimistic. Even worse, he’s unaffected by grumpiness and sarcasm, which forms ninety percent of Gideon’s body weight. And now Gideon is trapped with him without any recourse to the drugs and alcohol that have previously eased his way through awkward situations.

However, as Gideon gets to know the other man, he finds himself wildly attracted to his lazy smiles and warm, scruffy charm that seem to fill a hole inside Gideon that’s been empty for a long time. Will he give in to this incomprehensible attraction when it could mean the end of everything that he’s worked for?

From the bestselling author of the Mixed Messages series comes a story about a man who needs to realise that being true to yourself is really just a form of finding home.

This is the third book in the Finding Home series but it can be read as a standalone.

Gideon by Lily Morton

Narrated by Joel Leslie

A Finding Home Novel, Book 3

Audible US

Audible UK
Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

Eli grins at me happily before turning round and mounting the stairs in his characteristic long-legged strides. I’ve noticed that he never seems to rush anywhere, but somehow he seems to get to places quicker than anyone else. I follow a bit more slowly, and when I round the deck, I look around curiously.

The sky is a clear, pale blue and there’s every sign that it’s going to be a scorching-hot day. However, the breeze blowing across the deck has ensured that it’s still cool at the moment. Set along the deck are padded mats in bright colours, and a group of people dressed in colourful yoga gear chat happily amongst themselves.

As Eli comes onto the deck, a slender dark-haired woman detaches herself from the group and comes over with a huge smile. “Eli, you came,” she exclaims with as much enthusiasm as if Eli were her long-lost brother. “I’m so pleased.”

My eyes narrow. When did he meet this woman?

He grins lazily at her, oblivious to the fact that she’s currently eye-fucking him so hard I’ll need a cigarette when she finally looks away. “I said I would,” he says happily, the Welsh lilt very evident in his early-morning voice.

I shoot him a look of total incomprehension. As far as I know, he’s been ensconced in the suite with me for the last few days, insisting that I sleep and relax. Yet every time we’ve left the cabin since then, people have hailed him left, right, and centre. How is this possible?

I come back to the conversation as Eli pats my arm. “This is Gideon.”

I bite my lip because his tone of voice and gestures are currently suggesting that rather than being a famous actor, I am, in fact, a raggedy old sheepdog. She gives me a cursory glance and smiles before returning to eye-fucking my nurse.

I can actually feel my mouth drop open. I’m not being conceited but… Oh, okay, I am being conceited but goddammit, there aren’t many people that overlook me. I’m too famous. I pause. Or infamous. I shrug. Either fucking way, I’m bloody memorable. Apart from on this fucking ship where my nurse appears to be the headline act.

I wonder whether I should be annoyed, but I’m far too amused to bother with that, so I stand, trying not to smile as she engages Eli in a very animated conversation while he shoots me occasional glances to check whether I’m okay or if I’ve died from boredom. Finally, when the group starts shifting about like sheep getting bored, she breaks away from the conversation and heads back to the front of the deck.

I turn to face Eli, leaning my elbows on the rail. “She seems very…” I pause, searching for words. “Very awake.”

He starts to laugh. “It’s usually better for the back and forth of conversation that both parties are conscious.”

I shake my head. “I’m not sure about that. Sometimes I think it would be better for people if they were asleep when I spoke to them. Less chance of them taking offence.”

He nods solemnly. “You might be right. Either that or dead.”

I’ll start by saying, I really love Lily Morton’s books. I haven’t been able to read the first two books in this series, because…well, I really don’t know why at the moment, because now I have to go back. 🙂 But when I saw this, I knew that I needed to listen to it. Between Lily’s love of snark, and Joel’s absolutely amazing ability to voice the character’s so authentically, there was zero chance this was going to be anything but fantastic!

These two main characters could not have presented more oppositely. Gideon was simply a sarcastic cynic who had been around the block so many times that the reader would get dizzy by proxy. Meanwhile, Eli was nothing but calm and patient with his patient. No matter what Gideon gave Eli, he simply gave it right back or moved on. It wasn’t love at first sight as much as learning to love yourself, and someone else as a side benefit. Gideon’s trials brought tears to my eyes more than once, yet he made me laugh out loud even more often.

I really loved how realistic some of this book was. Giving Gideon time to find himself is very adult, and really shows that Eli cared more about Gideon than Gideon cared about himself. And Gideon taking that time and knowing that it was what he needed in order to be what Eli needed. That is as it should be in life.

Then there’s Joel’s narration. What can I say…each time I listen to one of the books he narrated, I initially am concerned that I will somehow associate his voice with another book I passionately loved that he narrated. This has happened to me with a few other narrators (don’t worry, I get into them either way usually). However, that never happens with Joel. I am always immediately immersed into the story and know that I will hear that voice in my head as that person forever. Joel has an amazing ability to not only create a distinct voice for each character, but manages to flip back and forth instantly within a book. Perfect example…towards the end, the entire group of men, including a few side characters, are all in one room near the end of the book, gathered around to see what Gideon does (no spoiler here!), and everyone speaks at some point, and yet, the listener could immediately tell who was speaking by the voice, and not just by the words. It’s amazing to me the range that Joel has. I’d also be willing to bet that if I went back to listen to Oz (Book 1) and Milo (Book 2) (and by if, I actually mean, I am going back right now to listen to them-just grabbed Oz 🙂 ), the voices are exactly the same as what I just listened to with Gideon (Book 3). Joel is a master at his craft, and listening to his narration is simply about immersing yourself into the story and letting go.

*Side note* I generally take about 2 weeks to listen to an audio book this length, because I can’t multitask very well. I soaked this one up in 4 days…that says SO MUCH!!!!

Anyway, the story is great, with the good guys getting the happy endings (epilogue is awesome!) and the bad guy getting his comeuppance. My perfect way to end a book. Give this one a shot, listen and enjoy!

Story: 4.5 pieces of eye candy

Narration: 5 pieces of eye candy

Lily writes contemporary romance novels, and specialises in hot love stories with a good dose of humour.

Lily lives in sunny England with her husband and two children, all of whom claim that they haven’t had a proper conversation with her since she bought her first Kindle.

She loves chocolate and Baileys and the best of all creations – chocolate Baileys! Her lifetime’s ambition is to have a bath in peace without being shouted by one of her family.

About the Narrator

Joel Froomkin, a eight-time Earphones Award-Winning narrator, is a UK transplant, growing up with American parents in a British commonwealth. A classically trained actor with an MFA in theatre from USC, he is often cast for his unique ability to deliver native, authentic combinations of British and American sounds. His great range and ability to bring characters to life with honesty, wit and versatility delights producers and listeners alike. He has won Earphones Awards for 1st person British, American and Australian narrations.

He was the winner of three 2020 Independent Audiobook Awards, including Best Male Narrator. He has nearly 300 full-length audiobooks to his credit and over 25,,000 five star reviews on audible. His narration of JJ McAvoy’s Ruthless People was a #1 Romance Best-Seller on audible. He served as Director of Drama at Manchester University and has been a Theatre Professor at Indiana/Purdue University.

He is a dialect specialist and has taught accents and speech at NYU, Tisch School of the Arts as well as coached accents for major regional theaters, Broadway stalwarts and national tours.

He has had the pleasure of working with Audible Studios, Penguin Random House, Dreamscape, Scholastic, Podium, Blackstone, Harper, Bee Audio, Brilliance, Deyan Audio, Tantor, Punch and Hachette.

Joel also records in the romance genre as ‘Joel Leslie’ and has developed a very strong following and garnered many awards including m/m Audiobook Narrator of the Year 2018 from openskyebookreviews and numerous Audiobook of the Year-winning titles.

Joel has consistent access to his home studio for all production needs. When not in the booth he spends his time chasing after two loquacious wiener dogs.

Connect with Joel:
Facebook | Joel’s Facebook Group
Twitter | Instagram
Website

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Charlie Sunshine (Close Proximity Book 2) by Lily Morton: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

April 30, 2020 by Denise

Sometimes love is a lot closer to home than you think.

Charlie Burroughs can’t keep a man. All he wants is a good relationship like the ones he sees his friends having, but none of the men he picks ever work out. Despite him trying to be the perfect boyfriend, the men are either threatened by his looks or his epilepsy or a combination of the two. It’s lucky that he has his best friend Misha to turn to. The two of them are closer than peas in a pod and fiercely loyal to each other. He can’t imagine his life without Misha in it.

Misha Lebedinsky is the complete opposite of his best friend. Being the support system for his mum and twin sisters leaves Misha with neither the time nor the inclination for a relationship. Quick and frequent hook-ups are his favourite means of communication and any other pesky emotional needs he has are met by Charlie, who he’s devoted to. He lives a life of happy compartmentalization with no intention of ever changing.

All of this changes when the two best friends move in together. Being in close proximity means that they suddenly start to see each other in a very different light. But Charlie struggles when his drive to be the perfect partner clashes with the fact that he’s in love with a man who knows every little thing about him. And even if he can get past that, can a relationship ever work with a man who’d need a dictionary to tell him what love means?

From bestselling author Lily Morton comes a love story about a sunny librarian who has relationship written all over him and a cynical banker who doesn’t even have it in his blurb.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

Misha comes to stand next to me and looks at his own family home, which is a mirror image of mine. He sighs, and there’s something weary in the sound. He’s always like this when a family meeting is called. Probably because he feels a lot of responsibility for his mum and the girls since his dad died. I rub his arm, feeling how tight the muscles are.

“You okay?” I ask, concerned.

He scrubs his hand down his face. “Just mentally preparing myself for what’s coming.”

“They’re teenage girls,” I say consolingly. “How bad could it be?”

He looks at me incredulously. “I’m sorry, have you met them? The trouble could be anything on a scale between staging a sit-in outside the council buildings or robbing a mail train.”

“When did they become cowboys? Surely I should have been told about these developments?”

He snorts and shakes his head. Then he bounces on his toes for a few seconds, shaking out his arms like a boxer readying himself for a fight. It looks rather odd in a man wearing a three-piece suit. He finishes and nods. “Okay, I’m ready.” I go to walk towards his front door and he grabs my arm. “Wait,” he says. I look at him enquiringly. “Have you got any alcohol on you?”

I start to laugh. “No, of course I haven’t. Because I’m a librarian and not Colin Farrell.”

“More’s the pity.”

From the moment that I discovered my first Lily Morton book, she has never let me down. Quirky, fun characters who can laugh at themselves and are just fun. Even the grumpy ones end up being fun.

Charlie is the perennially happy guy. Even after a freak accident that left him with epilepsy, he still won’t be anything but happy. In front of people. He is always that “I’m fine!” guy. But his best friend since he was 6 years old can see through it.

Misha is the opposite of Charlie. Hedge fund manager, snappy suits, fancy car, the right address. But together, they are perfect. How could they not be after 20 something years of friendship?

Charlie loses his last roommate and instead of looking for another, Misha invites him to be HIS roommate. No big deal, right? HA! HA I say! Since they each have crushes on each other but won’t do anything about it because 1. best friends and 2. they want different things. Charlie is the settle down, white picket fence with a chocolate lab kind of guy. But Misha is only about the one night stand.

Plus Charlie has a boyfriend, who works with Misha and they hate each other. And he really doesn’t treat Charlie well. The last straw was when Charlie started having a seizure and the evil boyfriend didn’t catch him before he fell. In fact, he moved away. Bastard.

Now everyone is single and tip toeing around each other’s hot selves and ignoring the giant condom shaped elephant in the room.

Of course they end up together! It is a romance with a happily ever after. But watching them discover the love they have that is beyond best friend love is wonderful. And it isn’t just Charlie who changes Misha from a one off guy to a happily in love buy. But Misha also changes Charlie. From always having a happy face on to finally asking for help when he needs it and letting people know that sometimes he isn’t great.

They were just super adorable and I LOVED Charlie’s parents- mom, step dad, father and step father. Do the math.

If you are a Lily Morton fan, don’t miss this one.

4 Pieces of Candy

Lily writes contemporary romance novels, and specialises in hot love stories with a good dose of humour.

Lily lives in sunny England with her husband and two children, all of whom claim that they haven’t had a proper conversation with her since she bought her first Kindle.

She loves chocolate and Baileys and the best of all creations – chocolate Baileys! Her lifetime’s ambition is to have a bath in peace without being shouted by one of her family.

To celebrate Lily’s new release, we are giving you the chance to win 1 of 3 copies of a book of your choice from Lily’s Backlist!
Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to win!

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Charlie Sunshine by Lily Morton: New Release Review * 2

April 23, 2020 by Denise

Sometimes love is a lot closer to home than you think.

From bestselling author Lily Morton comes a love story about a sunny librarian who has relationship written all over him and a cynical banker who doesn’t even have it in his blurb.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Never judge a book by its cover… because this cover reminds me of the old Geico caveman, but I adored this story so, so, so much!

Charlie is beautiful (despite the cover) and he’s inherently chipper and happy and good-hearted, and friendly and funny and just beautiful inside and out. I loved him, sure, but probably not as much as I loved his best friend Misha.

Misha is Charlie’s complete opposite, but they’ve been best friends since they were kids. Where Misha is a very successful banker, Charlie works in a library. Where Charlie is a serial monogamist, Misha doesn’t know the word relationship. It works for them though, they make each other better. What I loved the most though was the way Misha takes care of Charlie… Even from the beginning, even when Charlie had a very short-term, very condescending boyfriend that you’ll hate, even then, Misha took care of him. It gets frustrating, the level of cluelessness they both share, but it makes it that much sweeter when they both realize that aside from being best friends, they care about each other like no one else ever would.

I loved their banter and the way were best friends before anything else. Both men were so selfless and there for each other, they truly just wanted each other to be safe and happy. Everyone knew they were soulmates, their friends and families were so supportive and encouraging, it was almost a relief when they realized they were meant to be more. I don’t want to give everything away because it’s honestly such a low-angst, feel-good read. Everything I read from this author is, she’s an instant buy for me. This one was no different. Loved the ending, I can’t wait to see who’s next and where these guys go from here. Perfect ending.

5 pieces of eye candy

From the moment that I discovered my first Lily Morton book, she has never let me down. Quirky, fun characters who can laugh at themselves and are just fun. Even the grumpy ones end up being fun.

Misha is the opposite of Charlie. Hedge fund manager, snappy suits, fancy car, the right address. But together, they are perfect. How could they not be after 20 something years of friendship?

Now everyone is single and tip toeing around each other’s hot selves and ignoring the giant condom shaped elephant in the room.

They were just super adorable and I LOVED Charlie’s parents- mom, step dad, father and step father. Do they math.

If you are a Lily Morton fan, don’t miss this one.

4 pieces of eye candy

Best Man by Lily Morton: Release Blitz, Excerpt and New Release Review

October 3, 2019 by Denise

Zeb Evans doesn’t do messy.

The product of a disorganised and chaotic childhood, Zeb likes order and control, and as the boss of his own employment agency he can give that to himself. Life runs along strict lines and he never mixes business with pleasure. Everything in his life lives in neat, alphabetized boxes. Until Jesse.

Jesse Reed is Zeb’s complete opposite. He’s chaos personified. A whirling cyclone of disorder. He’s also charming and funny and a very unwanted distraction.

Which is why it comes as a complete surprise to Zeb to find himself asking Jesse to pose as his boyfriend for a few days in the country at a wedding.

Zeb doesn’t do impulsive, but as the time away progresses, he finds himself increasingly drawn to the merry and irreverent Jesse. But can he bring himself to break the hard-won lessons he’s learnt in life? And even if he can, how could Jesse be attracted to him anyway? He’s so much older than Jesse, not to mention being his boss.

From the bestselling author of the Mixed Messages and Finding Home series comes a warm and funny romance about one man’s fight for control and another man’s determination to circumvent it.

This is the first book in the Close Proximity series, but it can be read as a standalone.

Best Man

Close Proximity Series Book 1

Lily Morton

M/M Romance

Release Date: 10.03.19

Amazon US – Kindle Unlimited

Amazon UK – Kindle Unlimited

He looks at me and sighs wearily. “Do you think you could possibly behave?” he finally says.

I bite my lip. “I don’t think it would be entirely honest of me to promise that,” I say slowly. “Especially if people keep treating you like you’re some sort of desperate stalker. It’s not fair.” I frown. “You’re doing bloody Patrick a favour. They should be thanking you, not treating you like an unexploded bomb from the war that might go off in suburbia and wreck someone’s lavender bush.”

He blinks. “Where the hell did that come from?” He pauses. “And why am I the unexploded relic from the war?”

I smile at him sympathetically. “You have a lot of pent-up aggression,” I inform him.

We first meet Jesse when he’s interviewing at an employment agency. He’s kind of a jack of all trades and a master of none, he can’t seem to keep himself out of trouble long enough to hold something down. That is until he meets Zeb, who lives with the tightest control on himself and his routine than anyone Jesse’s ever seen.

They’re complete opposites, but somehow, they work.
Cut to, three years later, where Jesse is thriving though thoroughly entertaining in the jobs he does and what can always be described as hilarious mishaps, though he’s completely charming and very well-liked with his clients.

When Zeb’s ex of five years is getting married to the woman he was cheating with only a year after they’ve split, he asks Zeb to be his best man and Zeb stupidly agrees. He needs a fake boyfriend/distraction for the weeklong activity schedule his exes fiancé has for them on the getaway they’re all going on together. Insane? ABSOLUTELY!

Now, once you get to know Zeb, you’ll understand a little about him that maybe let him say yes to the request of being the exes best man, but I didn’t buy it. Nothing would’ve made me take the abuse from the ex and their families, they not only openly treated Zeb like garbage, he just smiled and took it. They openly said awful things to him and treated him terribly, and he was just as nice and polite as could be. That part made me sick to my stomach, I HATE when bad people get away with being bad people.

Now, Jesse, even though Zeb wants to think of him as this young kid (20 years his junior), he gets to know Jesse on this week long trip together. They have fun together and Jesse is the only one who seems set to stand up for Zeb against this terrible, evil, entitled, foul-mouthed, bigoted family. He goes out of his way to put them off and show his support for Zeb, so it isn’t long before they fall into bed together.

Of course, it can’t be that easy… Zeb is still in a bad place, mentally… he’s still got his reasons of why he is the way he is and though Jesse realizes it, it isn’t enough to stop him from getting hurt by Zeb’s actions. And I don’t blame him…. I wanted to come through and knock Zeb out for the way he pushed Jesse away, not only that, but the way he picked the stupid ex and his wedding over Jesse and his feelings, when Jesse is the only one who’s ever been supportive of him and stuck up for him. My heart broke for Jesse and I thought he forgave Zeb far too easily. We had this angst the whole time and then it was like.. in a few paragraphs, all was forgiven. Blah.

Overall though, I enjoyed Jesse. He really is such a likeable character and was so very charming and witty. I liked him for Zeb, even though Zeb didn’t deserve him a lot of the time. I’m glad they got their HEA, though, I’m a sucker for those… and it was very entertaining, nonetheless.

Would love to see what happens between Felix and Zeb’s stepbrother… looking forward to that!

4 pieces of eye candy

Lily writes contemporary romance novels, and specialises in hot love stories with a good dose of humour.

Lily lives in sunny England with her husband and two children, all of whom claim that they haven’t had a proper conversation with her since she bought her first Kindle.

She loves chocolate and Baileys and the best of all creations – chocolate Baileys! Her lifetime’s ambition is to have a bath in peace without being shouted by one of her family.

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Gideon (Finding Home Book 3) by Lily Morton: Release Day Review * 2

May 13, 2019 by Denise

Gideon Ramsay is so far in the closet he should be a talking faun.

From the bestselling author of the Mixed Messages series comes a story about a man who needs to realise that being true to yourself is really just a form of finding home.

This is the third book in the Finding Home series but it can be read as a standalone.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

These books are just so fun. All of her books are. This one wraps up this series, with the final friend/brother getting his happily ever after.

Gideon is Milo’s brother. He is also an asshole. An actor since he was 17, he is used to demanding and getting his way, treating people like crap and never forming relationships. Part of that issue is that he is gay and his manager hasn’t let him come out in the over 20 years he has been in the public eye.

And then he meets his match with the nurse hired to help him as he takes a cruise ship back home after being in the hospital with pneumonia.

Eli and Gideon together are amazing. At first Eli is kind of hesitant of Gideon because of his razor sharp tongue. Until he started giving it right back. I adore banter like that in a book. But they also didn’t rely on JUST that witty banter. Being stuck on a cruise ship for seniors, they really got to know each other and honestly became friends.

But it isn’t just his relationship with Eli that grows- but also with his brother Milo and his childhood best friends, Silas and Niall. Watching Gideon realize that people really do love him no matter how acerbic he is is just so awwww…

Gideon went from being a man child to a man confident in himself and the relationships he has with people. But he never loses that wicked tongue.

4 Pieces of Eye Candy

Ahhh, Gideon…

The one that was hardest to love. I can say that I hadn’t liked him at all. Selfish, self-absorbed, self-important, self-indulgent, all the selves… He was entitled and bratty and didn’t really care what he did or who he hurt, as long as it benefited him. He was disgusting and I really didn’t think I’d care to read about him.

But, I haven’t read a Lily Morton story and not loved it, so I wanted to give him a chance. Especially because I could see that he was somewhat remorseful when it came to Niall and Milo. So… I dove in. I was NOT disappointed.

As you should know by now, that Gideon is one of movies biggest actors. Like so many of them, with unlimited money and power that brings, he was spiraling down a dangerous road, not taking care of himself. Drugs, alcohol, random guys… as long as they stayed quiet about his sexuality, he didn’t care about much else but himself. So, when a night of too much of all of that, topped with a nice bout of pneumonia, he nearly dies and ends up in the hospital.

Milo isn’t having it, and takes charge of his wellbeing, especially since Gideon nor his manager seem all that concerned. And let me take a second to warn you about this manager, Frankie. You will hate him. It made me sick to my stomach to think that anyone would let ANYONE treat him the way that Frankie treated him. Gideon was so stuck up to so many people, but Gideon, he let use him, talk down to him, treats him like absolute garbage, and for what?? I didn’t understand. I literally stopped reading so many times, because I hated this Frankie business and the way it was played out. He was outwardly homophobic, outwardly abusive towards Gideon, and nobody did anything about it??? WHY???

So, with a collapsed lung, Gideon can’t fly, so Frankie hires who he thinks is a female nurse to take care of Gideon, but he turns out to be a male nurse. A gay, good-looking male nurse, and since he can’t fly back home, Milo sends them on an oldies cruise to get him back to his place. Days with Gideon and his nurse Eli…. What could go wrong?…. or what could go right?

Eli is a nurse to the stars, mainly old folks, or addicts like Gideon, but he’s often jetting around with them, taking care of them for months until their better and then he’s off to the next location and celebrity. He’s never had a problem not falling for his clients, but the surly, bratty Gideon is different. They challenge each other and it’s fun for Eli to rile Gideon up… and Gideon finds himself someone that doesn’t cater to him and become his Yes Man. He cares about his wellbeing and doesn’t let him get away with things. It’s quite entertaining. Their banter is cute.

When their time is up, they’ve both realized that they’ve got something together, though other than a few kisses, they don’t act on, because Eli is worried about Gideon’s health and wellbeing, and it wouldn’t be right as he was just his employer.

So, they take the time they need to figure things out while keeping in touch, and I liked that Eli wanted Gideon to make sure that he was sure he wanted something with him and it wasn’t out of gratitude or some sort of obligation.

I fell in love with Gideon when he fell in love with Eli. I loved that he let his walls break down and let Eli take care of him in all the ways he was used to taking care of everyone else. I loved the way he worked things out with Milo and Niall, and I loved that he finally booted the hateful manager, though I’d have treated him much worse for all the things he put him through over the years.

Overall though, I just love this series, (and the mention of Asa, from Deal Breaker)…. I loved seeing Oz and Silas, and Milo and Niall… it was such a sweet story and I felt that Gideon turned such a big corner that it was so satisfying to see him by the end.

Loved it!

4 pieces of eye candy from me!