Close to Home

Beyond White Hot. In this book, Jasper and Harrison finally get their story. But as always with a Carly Marie book, there is a kink involved here - and it involves Greg Joseph, one of the Navy SEALs introduced in Book 2 of the series. Complete tale in regards to Jasper finally becoming comfortable with himself, but several unresolved - and set up on a silver platter - issues remain for a blatant sequel, the first chapter of which Marie provides at the end of this book.

I've really enjoyed Lily Morton's Finding Home series, but this book ends it with a whimper, not a bang (although I guess both of those are in the sex scenes). First of all, the Gideon we meet here is nothing like the one we encountered in [b:Milo 43971325 Milo (Finding Home #2) Lily Morton https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1549960921s/43971325.jpg 68263282]. I'm all for character reformation, but while the Gideon in the previous book was a callous dick, this one is more of a hissing kitten - kind of cute in his grumpiness. They felt like two completely different people. I'm usually up for a low-angst romance, but there is almost no conflict or barriers to the MC's HEA at all. They meet, Gideon is grumpy and Eli is wonderful, they can't get together because Eli is Gideon's nurse, and then once that is no longer the case they get together. There is one obstacle, Gideon's homophobic, selfish manager Frankie, but he is such a cartoon villain that it is obvious that he doesn't stand a chance of winning.Morton's writing is lovely as ever, Gideon and Eli do spar delightfully, and we get to see Milo/Niall and Silas/Oz being all blissful together, so it was not a chore to read. I just wanted a bit more to the plot than two people meeting and being perfect for each other. Not sure we needed the cavity-inducing epilogue either. Ah well, looks like Eli's flatmates could be next up for a spin-off series. I'm sure I'll be on board, but I hope their stories have a bit more tension.

When I read Milo, I hated the character of Gideon and I wasn't sure I was gonna read this book. But some of my trusted reviewers mentioned that this was good and I also can never resist a Lily Morton book, so I decided to pick and I'm so happy that it didn't disappoint.

Gideon is a 39 year old popular actor who is on a self destructive path, probably because he feels very lonely and due to the distress of being so long in the closet. He is grumpy, unwilling to let anyone help him, and has a very toxic relationship with his manager Frankie. Despite believing that he is unlovable, he actually wants a relationship with his brother Milo and I loved seeing them together. Milo has also changed so much and his love and worry for his brother, the way he decided to take matters into his own hands managed to melt even the cranky heart of Gideon. Eli on the other hand is a private nurse, who is used to snarky privileged clients and knows exactly how to put them in place. He is also sweet, charming and very optimistic in nature - basically a complete opposite of Gideon.

The first half of the book is hilarious. Gideon hates being on a senior cruise without drugs or alcohol while Eli is very strict about what his client can and cannot do. And this means we get a lot of Lily Morton's usual snarky banter. They go back and forth teasing each other and I had such fun reading it. The attraction is kinda inevitable but I loved how Eli was very principled and wanted to make sure that they acted on it only when both were very sure. The second half of the book is very very sweet but I enjoyed that part of their relationship development too. They really are very good for each other.

The best part of Lily's books are meeting the other characters again and I was so happy to see all of them. Milo is such an awesome brother and exactly what Gideon needed. Niall is funny as usual and it was nice to see him on better terms with one of his oldest best friends. Silas, Oz and Cora make an appearance too and the whole gang together was just delightful. When there seems to be an issue towards the end, I loved how they all stuck by both Gideon and Eli and encouraged them to be true to themselves. This really is an awesome friend group. We've never had a real negative character in this series before but Frankie is one and I hated him from page 1. I cringed every time he came on page and hated how much he was able to manipulate Gideon. But I'm glad how he was handled towards the end and wouldn't have minded something more punishing either.

What can I say about Lily's writing that I haven't already. Her books always manage to bring a huge smile on my face and this book was no different. The banter is the best and the friendship and found family dynamics are absolutely amazing. I really didn't think I could like Gideon but the author manages to give him a good and believable redemption arc and I appreciate it. As the story progresses, it turns from snarky to sugary sweet but I've come to expect it and like it that way. But the best part of this series has been the setting and it's still the case. I've no clue where Cornwall is or what kind of region it is, but the author brings it to life in such a beautiful way that I feel transported there and just want to visit the place. I've never felt connected so much to a fictional home before but Chi An Mor is the best and I want to live there 😂😂

Overall, this book was a lot of fun - full of banter, sweet and sexy moments, beautiful settings and even more wonderful group of characters. If you have enjoyed the previous books in the series, you should definitely pick this up. If you haven't read Lily Morton before but love reading books featuring sassy characters, pick up any book of hers and you won't be disappointed - but I would definitely recommend starting with Rule Breaker. Reading this book made my day better and I can't wait to see what the author comes up with next.