For Real

Is it weird to say that I wasn't old enough to appreciate this book when I first read it eight years ago? Even though I was already in my fifties at the time?

Oh my god, so good and so incredibly hot. Completely different from [b:Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake 55533831 Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake (Winner Bakes All, #1) Alexis Hall https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1610495934l/55533831.SY75.jpg 86199564] and [b:Boyfriend Material 50225678 Boyfriend Material (Boyfriend Material, #1) Alexis Hall https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1575987260l/50225678.SX50.jpg 73590298], in heat level and overall tone, but I just love Alexis Hall's writing. If there's a writing equivalent of “I'd listen to them read the phone book,” that's how I feel about him.

Laurence and Toby are just so damn sweet together. To be honest, I don't like age gaps because there's always risk of manipulation and abuse by the older person, but ... well, this is fiction and not real life and since we can see exactly what's going on in everyone's heads, things are all good. This is a sweet love story and I'm glad I went along for the ride. I've read 3 books by Alexis Hall now and I'm going to get every other thing he's written because he's fast becoming one of my favorite “comfort read” authors.

Well written, enjoyable, but not in the way I'd expected/hoped for. The characters have a weird dynamic that kind of hurt my brain, but it made the book interesting. Personal reasons that I didn't really connect with the book were that I hate Toby's name (I blame The Office) and it was such a turnoff every time Laurie said “Toby, oh Toby,” and I also hate poetry, which features rather prominently in this book. I am now off to reread Power Play: Resistance, which offers more of what I was hoping for when I decided to read this one.

Wow... I really liked it!!! It is the perfect combination of a love story and bdsm. I am fairly new to the bdsm world, so I really liked the uncertainty of Toby. I definitely recommend it!