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Running in Circles #1
Make You Mine
“To love and be loved, it’s all that matters. In the end.”
Socially awkward Noah Leib knows he wants more from life than being a forty-year-old virgin who’s got a failing bakery, a strained relationship with his brother and sister-in-law, and an empty apartment. He just doesn’t know how to change things. Living in Savannah, trying to keep his head above water, Noah is single-minded and plans to stay that way.
And then Noah’s favorite Deaf adult film star’s life falls apart in a very public spectacle on Twitter.
Noah doesn’t expect anything from the ASL message he sends to Adriano Moretti, but when a shadow appears in his bakery doorway one afternoon, he finds Adriano standing there with a small smile on his lips and a hello on his hands. It’s at that moment Noah realizes his life is about to change forever.
Adriano is a force of nature, and Noah is quickly swept up in his wake.
But fantasy has never been Noah’s reality, and there can’t be a happily ever after on that horizon.
Can there?
Running In Circles is the former series On The Market, and this novel was previously titled Love Him Free. It has been completely revamped and re-written with names, places, characters, and major plot points changed.
It contains wild Savannah, GA summers, a nervous virgin baker, a Deaf adult film star who likes to make people fall apart with the flick of his fingers, long nights, perfect mornings, and a steamy happily ever after.
Socially awkward Noah Leib knows he wants more from life than being a forty-year-old virgin who’s got a failing bakery, a strained relationship with his brother and sister-in-law, and an empty apartment. He just doesn’t know how to change things. Living in Savannah, trying to keep his head above water, Noah is single-minded and plans to stay that way.
And then Noah’s favorite Deaf adult film star’s life falls apart in a very public spectacle on Twitter.
Noah doesn’t expect anything from the ASL message he sends to Adriano Moretti, but when a shadow appears in his bakery doorway one afternoon, he finds Adriano standing there with a small smile on his lips and a hello on his hands. It’s at that moment Noah realizes his life is about to change forever.
Adriano is a force of nature, and Noah is quickly swept up in his wake.
But fantasy has never been Noah’s reality, and there can’t be a happily ever after on that horizon.
Can there?
Running In Circles is the former series On The Market, and this novel was previously titled Love Him Free. It has been completely revamped and re-written with names, places, characters, and major plot points changed.
It contains wild Savannah, GA summers, a nervous virgin baker, a Deaf adult film star who likes to make people fall apart with the flick of his fingers, long nights, perfect mornings, and a steamy happily ever after.
286 pages, Paperback
First published May 21, 2023
367 people are currently reading
1157 people want to read
About the author
E.M. Lindsey
143 books1,411 followersE.M. Lindsey is the author of MM contemporary romance. She presently lives and works in the southeastern United States.
EM Lindsey also writes MM Paranormal Romance under the pseudonym Ariel Millar.
EM Lindsey also writes MM Paranormal Romance under the pseudonym Ariel Millar.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 163 reviews
April 5, 2025
I wanted to love this, and knowing the plot, I really thought I would. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be.
I just didn't connect with the characters at all. Sorry.
I just didn't connect with the characters at all. Sorry.
October 26, 2024
This was so bad... There's fiction and there's is nonsense, this was so much nonsense 🙃
July 21, 2023
As much as I found the relationship cute, this book was such a mess plotwise. I couldn’t take it seriously at all, and the writing was messy and confusing. I lost alot of interest halfway but it's a short book so I decided to power through. To what cause I don’t know. Do I feel rewarded? Not much.
dnf
May 22, 2023DNF @ 21%, no rating.
Love Him Free was the first book I read by EM Lindsey, and I absolutely loved it. I read plenty of other books from Lindsey, including the rest of the the On the Market series, and none of them gave me the warm & fuzzies like Love Him Free.
I had given up on reading EM Lindsey, but when I saw this series was getting a rewrite, I thought I’d give it a try. There were some things that were disappointing in regards to Cherry Creek, which in hindsight made sense, that I hoped would maybe be this second chance would address those things. But then again, I’ve never much liked the second chance trope…
While this still has the same bones, it’s fleshed out differently enough that this was kinda bittersweet to read. It is the story I loved, and it isn’t. But the magic isn’t there for me. Maybe if I re-read Love Him Free, I’d have felt the same.
(I can say with 100% certainty that I do not like the new covers, they scream YA romcom.)
Regardless of my feelings towards this book, I’m glad EM Lindsey has had the chance to re-write this series the way they intended it to be written.
PS, why are tweets still 140 characters?
Love Him Free was the first book I read by EM Lindsey, and I absolutely loved it. I read plenty of other books from Lindsey, including the rest of the the On the Market series, and none of them gave me the warm & fuzzies like Love Him Free.
I had given up on reading EM Lindsey, but when I saw this series was getting a rewrite, I thought I’d give it a try. There were some things that were disappointing in regards to Cherry Creek, which in hindsight made sense, that I hoped would maybe be this second chance would address those things. But then again, I’ve never much liked the second chance trope…
While this still has the same bones, it’s fleshed out differently enough that this was kinda bittersweet to read. It is the story I loved, and it isn’t. But the magic isn’t there for me. Maybe if I re-read Love Him Free, I’d have felt the same.
(I can say with 100% certainty that I do not like the new covers, they scream YA romcom.)
Regardless of my feelings towards this book, I’m glad EM Lindsey has had the chance to re-write this series the way they intended it to be written.
PS, why are tweets still 140 characters?
September 4, 2023
I dislike this so very much
One of the things that bothers me about this author is the ever expanding universe their stories are in. Normally, this would be fine. With them however, it isn't. This is because there is no easy way to see if stories connect to another or not unless you have read all of their books.
This was a frustrating read as there were couples who felt as if they had their own story. We got dropped into this one with no clear understanding of the place in which this story takes place. As a reader, I found myself confused because I kept getting this feeling that I was missing some vital plot pieces that I would never find. All of their books that I have read so far play out this way. Characters are introduced whose backstory is touched on as if we had heard the story before. And yet, they may not have a story to read. There could be nothing there but it feels like there should be.
That aside, this was just really uncomfortable. I am all about taboo reads and star crossed type couples but this was something else. We have a corn star and a extremely devoted Jewish man whose past was riddled with trauma. The only connection they have is that they are attracted to each other. Outside of that they have absolutely nothing in common and nothing that could help them build a lasting relationship. This truly does seem doomed to fail.
Seriously, the major plot is them making videos together. That is the foundation that help cultivate their relationship...p0rn.
No, just no, it's awkward as heck because the story seems to be trying to go one direction (helping out MC get through past and current trauma) while also focusing on something completely different (Get MC laid in the best possible way STAT).
This transforms this story into a mess as it tries to mesh two things that aren't inherently connected. His lack of partners shouldn't be MCs main concern. His issues with his family and community is. But sure, that's add a bit of spice where it isn't needed.
One of the things that bothers me about this author is the ever expanding universe their stories are in. Normally, this would be fine. With them however, it isn't. This is because there is no easy way to see if stories connect to another or not unless you have read all of their books.
This was a frustrating read as there were couples who felt as if they had their own story. We got dropped into this one with no clear understanding of the place in which this story takes place. As a reader, I found myself confused because I kept getting this feeling that I was missing some vital plot pieces that I would never find. All of their books that I have read so far play out this way. Characters are introduced whose backstory is touched on as if we had heard the story before. And yet, they may not have a story to read. There could be nothing there but it feels like there should be.
That aside, this was just really uncomfortable. I am all about taboo reads and star crossed type couples but this was something else. We have a corn star and a extremely devoted Jewish man whose past was riddled with trauma. The only connection they have is that they are attracted to each other. Outside of that they have absolutely nothing in common and nothing that could help them build a lasting relationship. This truly does seem doomed to fail.
Seriously, the major plot is them making videos together. That is the foundation that help cultivate their relationship...p0rn.
No, just no, it's awkward as heck because the story seems to be trying to go one direction (helping out MC get through past and current trauma) while also focusing on something completely different (Get MC laid in the best possible way STAT).
This transforms this story into a mess as it tries to mesh two things that aren't inherently connected. His lack of partners shouldn't be MCs main concern. His issues with his family and community is. But sure, that's add a bit of spice where it isn't needed.
July 9, 2023
3.5 Low angst, low drama story of an adult film star and a bakery owner. I liked the pairing of experience and innocence and would have loved a book focused more on the actual main couple. I found that this book spent too much attention on the MCs relationship with his brother, brother’s girlfriend, the townsfolk, grade school bullies, his grandmother, his mother, his father and his relationship with his religion and his feelings about the bakery. I wanted more of the main couple and felt that their relationship took a back seat to Noah sorting himself out.
The characters and townsfolk were well developed as more books in this series will be set in this town. We meet LOTS of people and I had some trouble keeping them all straight.
This story had its sweet moments and great dialogue, but was a bit inconsistent with all of the various hurdles. Noah is presented as being strongly devout in his beliefs, to the point where it harmed his relationship with his brother, yet he jumps right into making films? I dunno, that seemed like a stretch and not something this religious, anxious, socially awkward character would even consider.
The characters and townsfolk were well developed as more books in this series will be set in this town. We meet LOTS of people and I had some trouble keeping them all straight.
This story had its sweet moments and great dialogue, but was a bit inconsistent with all of the various hurdles. Noah is presented as being strongly devout in his beliefs, to the point where it harmed his relationship with his brother, yet he jumps right into making films? I dunno, that seemed like a stretch and not something this religious, anxious, socially awkward character would even consider.
June 30, 2023
4 ⭐️
Heartwarming and adorable. For how dramatic it was building up to be, it was actually pretty low angst in my opinion.
I really enjoyed the characters and their growing relationship, they felt genuine and unique, but I kind of wanted more. More interaction, more development, more smut. Maybe even a little more ex drama.
The smut was so fire, but it had potential to become so much more - the virgin with a hair trigger is just hottt.
CW and tropes (spoilers):
- small town
- adult film actor vs baker
- virgin MC
- deaf MC
- second chance
- MC with anxiety and low self esteem
- untouched coming
- one switch scene where the top bottoms (also comes untouched)
POV: dual, 3rd person
Heartwarming and adorable. For how dramatic it was building up to be, it was actually pretty low angst in my opinion.
I really enjoyed the characters and their growing relationship, they felt genuine and unique, but I kind of wanted more. More interaction, more development, more smut. Maybe even a little more ex drama.
The smut was so fire, but it had potential to become so much more - the virgin with a hair trigger is just hottt.
CW and tropes (spoilers):
- small town
- adult film actor vs baker
- virgin MC
- deaf MC
- second chance
- MC with anxiety and low self esteem
- untouched coming
- one switch scene where the top bottoms (also comes untouched)
POV: dual, 3rd person
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
August 7, 2024DNF @ 42%
It just wasn't for me.
It just wasn't for me.
June 21, 2023
A super cute second chance romance between a deaf porn star & a virgin Jewish baker. They met originally in college but life abruptly pulled them apart before anything could happen. Years later when Adriano’s life is publicly going up in flames Noah decides to send him a video of his hands signing a message and that’s the beginning of everything.
It was so, so sweet! I always expect books with sex workers to be hella spicy but it’s really not. Maybe a 2.5 because while there are quite a few scenes, they’re not terribly descriptive and some fade to black. But I didn’t care because I adored these goobers! It is a bit instalove-y and again I just didn’t care. It was just lovely. And using “ vs ‘ to distinguish between spoken conversations and signed ones was smart.
I loved the swoony, cosy vibes and I’ll definitely check out more by this author when I’m in that mood 🥰
Edited to add: this is a rewrite of Love Him Free with different names, places, plot points, etc.
It was so, so sweet! I always expect books with sex workers to be hella spicy but it’s really not. Maybe a 2.5 because while there are quite a few scenes, they’re not terribly descriptive and some fade to black. But I didn’t care because I adored these goobers! It is a bit instalove-y and again I just didn’t care. It was just lovely. And using “ vs ‘ to distinguish between spoken conversations and signed ones was smart.
I loved the swoony, cosy vibes and I’ll definitely check out more by this author when I’m in that mood 🥰
Edited to add: this is a rewrite of Love Him Free with different names, places, plot points, etc.
July 10, 2023
A star for the interesting premise and a star for the deaf MC, but otherwise this was a bit of a mess. Doesn’t seem like the author knows anything about Israel, Savannah (where the story is mainly set), and anxiety disorders, and it showed. I was mostly confused the whole time tbh.
July 3, 2023
Can Noah catch a f*cking break?
Essentially I liked the plot and the characters. It was difficult to get started, the first few chapters are a confusing mess. The whole setting of the book, the mood etc. felt really (unnecessarily) heavy, sad and pessimistic, when with the storyline it should have shone with hope, love and new beginnings, a certain lightness and strength that comes with finally breaking free was totally missing. Even the "good" times in this book always felt heavy and hard to enjoy.
Essentially I liked the plot and the characters. It was difficult to get started, the first few chapters are a confusing mess. The whole setting of the book, the mood etc. felt really (unnecessarily) heavy, sad and pessimistic, when with the storyline it should have shone with hope, love and new beginnings, a certain lightness and strength that comes with finally breaking free was totally missing. Even the "good" times in this book always felt heavy and hard to enjoy.
July 16, 2023
One of my goals this year has to read my diverse reads so I picked this one up as there is religious diversity, mental health representation, and LGBTQIA + characters. There’s a whole lot in this book which was essentially a nearly second chance romance. I think the book was a tad longer than it needed and it did seem to get a tad lost in some sections that made my mind wander on the way to these two getting their HEA.
May 21, 2023
E.M Lindsey has such a talent for creating characters. The characters are always so believable and behave like real people. No matter what the subject matter or plot, I always fall in love with them and root for their HEA. This book is a perfect example of that.
I first read this book when it was entitled Love Him Free. I really enjoyed that story as well. E.M. decided to retool this series by moving locations, changing character names, and plot lines. It still felt familiar, and I still cared about Noah and Adriano just like I had in the previous version.
Noah Lieb is a 40 year old virgin bakery owner who draws the attention of Adriano Moretti, an adult film star. Adriano has recently gone through a humiliating break-up and Noah reaches out to offer comfort. They begin talking and soon Adriano is driving to Savannah to meet Noah in person. Their relationship was actually very sweet and romantic. I loved how they got to know each other and how drawn Adriano was to Noah.
Some of the same issues existed here as in the previous version. I still didn't understand what was up with Adam, Noah's brother. He treated Noah so poorly. In fact, everyone did and I didn't completely understand it. Noah kept saying he was difficult to get along with, but we never saw any examples of that. No one ever mentioned how Noah had treated them poorly. It was confusing. It was sad that people never showed Noah how they cared about him until Adriano showed up.
I also would have liked to have seen more of an epilogue. How did these two mesh their lives together? Did they continue to make videos together? Did they move to LA? Did Adriano continue his solo career? Did they travel together? So many unanswered questions. And since I always fall in love with E.M.'s characters, I'm always greedy for more. :)
I am very excited to see how the rest of this series changes. I adore the previous versions, so I am sure that the rewrites will be even better.
I received an ARC for my honest review
I first read this book when it was entitled Love Him Free. I really enjoyed that story as well. E.M. decided to retool this series by moving locations, changing character names, and plot lines. It still felt familiar, and I still cared about Noah and Adriano just like I had in the previous version.
Noah Lieb is a 40 year old virgin bakery owner who draws the attention of Adriano Moretti, an adult film star. Adriano has recently gone through a humiliating break-up and Noah reaches out to offer comfort. They begin talking and soon Adriano is driving to Savannah to meet Noah in person. Their relationship was actually very sweet and romantic. I loved how they got to know each other and how drawn Adriano was to Noah.
Some of the same issues existed here as in the previous version. I still didn't understand what was up with Adam, Noah's brother. He treated Noah so poorly. In fact, everyone did and I didn't completely understand it. Noah kept saying he was difficult to get along with, but we never saw any examples of that. No one ever mentioned how Noah had treated them poorly. It was confusing. It was sad that people never showed Noah how they cared about him until Adriano showed up.
I also would have liked to have seen more of an epilogue. How did these two mesh their lives together? Did they continue to make videos together? Did they move to LA? Did Adriano continue his solo career? Did they travel together? So many unanswered questions. And since I always fall in love with E.M.'s characters, I'm always greedy for more. :)
I am very excited to see how the rest of this series changes. I adore the previous versions, so I am sure that the rewrites will be even better.
I received an ARC for my honest review
November 13, 2023
Somewhat Topical
Noah and Adam Leib live in Savannah in an apartment over their families bakery. They were brought here as children by their mother and grandmother after their father was killed during a raid on their hometown in Tel Aviv, Israel. Noah was 6 and Adam just a baby at the time.
Their mother never recovered from the death of her husband and drowned all her sorrows in bottles of alcohol. Finally crashing the car, with her children in it, and killing herself. Luckily Adam escaped injury, thanks to child safety seat. Noah however was injured and his physical scars on his chest are still visible. His mental scars are only known to him.
Now 20, life still isn’t finished giving Adam raw deals, his grandmother dies while he is in his final year in LA at College, he has to leave before he graduates, and come home to take care of his 14 year old brother. He’d been on his way to meet his crush, a guy, Adriano Moretti, who invited him to an event that was related to his studies of ASL (American Sign Language). He had to text and cancel.
Nearly 20 years later, and Noah has buried himself in the struggles to keep the bakery going, keeping his wilder young brother on the straight and narrow, and keep their Jewish customs alive. He’d remortgaged their building to fund Adam’s college education. His relationship with his brother has deteriorated, trying to be everything and do everything to keep him safe and happy.
All his efforts are in vain because he cannot keep up the payments on the loan, it’s only a matter of time. Life has passed him by, nearly 40, still a virgin, never even been kissed.
There was one connection from his past that he hadn’t relinquished. He still logged on to social media to keep up with the life of his last crush in college.
He was sad to read , plastered all over the web, of the scandal which had brought the guy’s career crashing down around his shoulders. Noah decided to set up a sympathetic video message using ASL, to offer some support to his former crush.
Life can be cruel and kind it seems, and it’s payback time for Noah.
*******************
Many of E M Lindsey’s books I’ve read, feature an MC who has suffered some debilitating condition or injury, blindness, deafness, or loss of limbs.
‘Make you Mine’ has an MC who is deaf and the storyline highlights just how difficult the inability to hear can impact a life, especially if you are working in the entertainment industry.
Here we read the story of a deaf Pornstar in LA who is being ripped off his ex partner who was also his interpreter between his agent, his lawyers and other business related needs.
We can all choose to learn a new language to help us have better job opportunities or just to travel abroad. We would hardly ever think “Oh, I’ll learn Sign Language, to communicate with those who cannot hear”.
I enjoyed the description of life in Savannah and the people where Noah and Adam lived. It was unfortunate how Noah had become such a hermit and wasn’t comfortable outside of his bakery kitchen or apartment.
When Noah does come out of his shell and let himself go it’s amazing the change in him. Its not just the ovens that get hot and steamy in this bakers kitchen.
Happy to see the next book in this series features side characters from Book 1. Maybe we can find out what happened next for Noah too.
Noah and Adam Leib live in Savannah in an apartment over their families bakery. They were brought here as children by their mother and grandmother after their father was killed during a raid on their hometown in Tel Aviv, Israel. Noah was 6 and Adam just a baby at the time.
Their mother never recovered from the death of her husband and drowned all her sorrows in bottles of alcohol. Finally crashing the car, with her children in it, and killing herself. Luckily Adam escaped injury, thanks to child safety seat. Noah however was injured and his physical scars on his chest are still visible. His mental scars are only known to him.
Now 20, life still isn’t finished giving Adam raw deals, his grandmother dies while he is in his final year in LA at College, he has to leave before he graduates, and come home to take care of his 14 year old brother. He’d been on his way to meet his crush, a guy, Adriano Moretti, who invited him to an event that was related to his studies of ASL (American Sign Language). He had to text and cancel.
Nearly 20 years later, and Noah has buried himself in the struggles to keep the bakery going, keeping his wilder young brother on the straight and narrow, and keep their Jewish customs alive. He’d remortgaged their building to fund Adam’s college education. His relationship with his brother has deteriorated, trying to be everything and do everything to keep him safe and happy.
All his efforts are in vain because he cannot keep up the payments on the loan, it’s only a matter of time. Life has passed him by, nearly 40, still a virgin, never even been kissed.
There was one connection from his past that he hadn’t relinquished. He still logged on to social media to keep up with the life of his last crush in college.
He was sad to read , plastered all over the web, of the scandal which had brought the guy’s career crashing down around his shoulders. Noah decided to set up a sympathetic video message using ASL, to offer some support to his former crush.
Life can be cruel and kind it seems, and it’s payback time for Noah.
*******************
Many of E M Lindsey’s books I’ve read, feature an MC who has suffered some debilitating condition or injury, blindness, deafness, or loss of limbs.
‘Make you Mine’ has an MC who is deaf and the storyline highlights just how difficult the inability to hear can impact a life, especially if you are working in the entertainment industry.
Here we read the story of a deaf Pornstar in LA who is being ripped off his ex partner who was also his interpreter between his agent, his lawyers and other business related needs.
We can all choose to learn a new language to help us have better job opportunities or just to travel abroad. We would hardly ever think “Oh, I’ll learn Sign Language, to communicate with those who cannot hear”.
I enjoyed the description of life in Savannah and the people where Noah and Adam lived. It was unfortunate how Noah had become such a hermit and wasn’t comfortable outside of his bakery kitchen or apartment.
When Noah does come out of his shell and let himself go it’s amazing the change in him. Its not just the ovens that get hot and steamy in this bakers kitchen.
Happy to see the next book in this series features side characters from Book 1. Maybe we can find out what happened next for Noah too.
July 13, 2023
Fell flat
The parts were there but something fell flat with the way they were put together. Half-way through I ended up skim reading because it felt repetitive. The bones of the plot was good. Also even though she was one of the only female characters in the book Talia's character was really unlikeable. None of the interactions with side characters made me interested in reading their stories in future books.
The parts were there but something fell flat with the way they were put together. Half-way through I ended up skim reading because it felt repetitive. The bones of the plot was good. Also even though she was one of the only female characters in the book Talia's character was really unlikeable. None of the interactions with side characters made me interested in reading their stories in future books.
July 7, 2023
This was very sweet
(Although I do question the author and what year this is supposedly set in. Savannah does not have 30,000 residents like it's referenced in the text 🤔 It currently has 150,000 and literally millions of tourists. Still small but c'mon, it's not some backwater. It's weird to describe it as such.)
(Although I do question the author and what year this is supposedly set in. Savannah does not have 30,000 residents like it's referenced in the text 🤔 It currently has 150,000 and literally millions of tourists. Still small but c'mon, it's not some backwater. It's weird to describe it as such.)
July 18, 2023
This book would've been much better if the characters had been 10-15 years younger
July 18, 2023
I am begging authors to make sure that they're cover art matches their character descriptions. The character that's on the top of this book is supposed to be this big hulking muscly man and the character that's on the bottom of this book is supposed to be this sweet soft chubby baker with curly hair. Someone make it make sense. Where's the size difference? Where is the chubby? Where's the curly hair? I need them to match okay Cool.
This was good If a little bit tedious at times. I left the representation and I liked the idea that we had a pornstar and main character who didn't stop doing porn once they were in a relationship and it wasn't villainized in any sense, but I also felt like the timing was weird. For the first half of this book everything is very linear and you get almost day by day descriptions and then all of a sudden in the last third of the book there are these weird time jumps where all of a sudden it's been weeks and that it's been a month and then it's been this long and even some sort of chapter headings where it listed how long it's been would have been helpful. I really liked the secondary characters in this book too and I'll definitely be reading the next one but I did still want a bit more.
I can confirm that my favorite parts of this book though were between our baker main character and his brother and them kind of sorting through their trauma.
Deaf gay porn star MC, midsize gay Jewish MC with anxiety and PTSD
This was good If a little bit tedious at times. I left the representation and I liked the idea that we had a pornstar and main character who didn't stop doing porn once they were in a relationship and it wasn't villainized in any sense, but I also felt like the timing was weird. For the first half of this book everything is very linear and you get almost day by day descriptions and then all of a sudden in the last third of the book there are these weird time jumps where all of a sudden it's been weeks and that it's been a month and then it's been this long and even some sort of chapter headings where it listed how long it's been would have been helpful. I really liked the secondary characters in this book too and I'll definitely be reading the next one but I did still want a bit more.
I can confirm that my favorite parts of this book though were between our baker main character and his brother and them kind of sorting through their trauma.
Deaf gay porn star MC, midsize gay Jewish MC with anxiety and PTSD
July 6, 2023
4.5 stars
After reading a scifi book that took me 11 days to finish, I devoured this book in less than 48 hours. I kept dropping the work I had to do to read this instead, and was reading it in the queue at the pharmacy and reading it instead of working on my crochet project.
It's not perfect - there's a lot of side characters that feel like main characters from other books like I'm supposed to know who they all are but I had no idea, and the whole first chapter is just info-dumping about Noah's life but then all of that stuff id brought back in more detail and more organically throughout the rest of the book, so that first chapter just felt really out of place with the tone of everything else - but! I still really enjoyed myself and was really drawn into the story and the lives of the main characters.
After reading a scifi book that took me 11 days to finish, I devoured this book in less than 48 hours. I kept dropping the work I had to do to read this instead, and was reading it in the queue at the pharmacy and reading it instead of working on my crochet project.
It's not perfect - there's a lot of side characters that feel like main characters from other books like I'm supposed to know who they all are but I had no idea, and the whole first chapter is just info-dumping about Noah's life but then all of that stuff id brought back in more detail and more organically throughout the rest of the book, so that first chapter just felt really out of place with the tone of everything else - but! I still really enjoyed myself and was really drawn into the story and the lives of the main characters.
Read
July 21, 2023dnf
The old version of this book is one of my absolute favorites by this author. While I totally understand why they wanted to refresh it and transform everything into a new series, I think my expectations were too high and my love for the original series was too much in this case! I'm really looking forward to reading the rest of this new series, since I have less strong affection for the original versions of the others. I will say that the images on the cover feel like they are for MMCs from some other book, and there are numerous inconsistencies that simply don't make sense with the new location. I wish that the author created a new fictional location instead of trying to make Savannah into Cherry Creek. Either way, if you haven't read the first one, you might find plenty to enjoy here!
The old version of this book is one of my absolute favorites by this author. While I totally understand why they wanted to refresh it and transform everything into a new series, I think my expectations were too high and my love for the original series was too much in this case! I'm really looking forward to reading the rest of this new series, since I have less strong affection for the original versions of the others. I will say that the images on the cover feel like they are for MMCs from some other book, and there are numerous inconsistencies that simply don't make sense with the new location. I wish that the author created a new fictional location instead of trying to make Savannah into Cherry Creek. Either way, if you haven't read the first one, you might find plenty to enjoy here!
February 9, 2026
Me costo un poco avanzar, es una mezcla de desarrollo personal y romance, me entretuvo pero me causaron mucho conflicto y confusión los personajes... Siento que tenían características muy controversiales, pero me agrada la inclusión... Es original.
July 26, 2023
Interesting premise, not a fan of the execution. I’d be writing an essay if I went into all the things that didn’t work for me with this one.
August 3, 2023
Religion, ASL and Baking
August 14, 2023
I just finished reading this one, and I am left speechless.
Noah broke my heart from the very first sentence. His story was painful, yet he is a beautiful character. To see his growth from the start to the end was an amazing journey to be a part of.
And oh, Adriano is everything to me. His text messages are adorable, he is sexy as hell, and he has a beautiful heart. Their chemistry was beautiful, heart breaking at times, but never toxic. It warmed my heart to see these two fall in love with each other.
I hate Adriano's ex, but I fell in love with characters like Adam, Oscar, Talia, and Fitz. Also, Jude can have my entire heart! I will remember this story and these characters for a long time, that's for sure.
The book talked about grief in a way that I could relate to it. The writing in this book is absolutely stunning, even the intimate scenes. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. So happy I decided to read it because I definitely am in love with Noah and Adriano :)
Noah broke my heart from the very first sentence. His story was painful, yet he is a beautiful character. To see his growth from the start to the end was an amazing journey to be a part of.
And oh, Adriano is everything to me. His text messages are adorable, he is sexy as hell, and he has a beautiful heart. Their chemistry was beautiful, heart breaking at times, but never toxic. It warmed my heart to see these two fall in love with each other.
I hate Adriano's ex, but I fell in love with characters like Adam, Oscar, Talia, and Fitz. Also, Jude can have my entire heart! I will remember this story and these characters for a long time, that's for sure.
The book talked about grief in a way that I could relate to it. The writing in this book is absolutely stunning, even the intimate scenes. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. So happy I decided to read it because I definitely am in love with Noah and Adriano :)
June 7, 2024
3,5
not much going on plotwise, but low on drama and angst, but high on emotions - overcoming grief and anxiety and changing your outlook on life
not much going on plotwise, but low on drama and angst, but high on emotions - overcoming grief and anxiety and changing your outlook on life
May 25, 2023
3.50
Very soft and heartwarming
Very soft and heartwarming
July 11, 2023
I'm conflicted on this book in lots of ways.
Pros:
1. Character research is great - Noah's observance as a Jew is done well and it's a core, positive part of his character with some really nice scenes around Shabbat, and other characters being considerate of kosher etc.
2. Similarly Adriano as a Deaf man is a core part of him, and lots of his introspection is frustration that others don't work to communicate with him, and when his translator ex breaks up with him it leaves him isolated in a lot of ways. I really liked that. Adriano's primary language is ASL and that came through really strongly.
3. The relationship between Noah and Adam as brothers is done really well with lots of great growth.
4. Noah clearly grows and changes through this in lots of different ways.
5. There was no 'oops saved!' moment at the end which could easily have been worked in. I liked that.
6. Jude the Pomeranian is adorable.
Cons:
1. This went on TOO LONG, and the last third especially needed a fuckload of editing. You know what, all of it needed editing because there is a bizarre jump in location on like page 3 which had me totally lost, and this did not need an epilogue.
2. Most of the first half is various descriptions of Noah uncontrollably orgasming and coming in his underwear and it just got weird.
3. I DON'T UNDERSTAND why Noah chose to make porn with Adriano when he has never even been kissed before. Plus, before they make the first video Adriano asks 'do you want to read the contract' and Noah says NO, and it's like DUDE. You have known this man like a week, read the fucking legal contract first before you get dicked - physically and metaphorically. You are 40, and apparently very financially savvy. This did not make sense.
4. I'm sorry, I don't think Adriano actually showed any character growth. You got over your ex, awesome. That is not character growth.
5. The sex scenes just sort of got repetitive after a while.
6. Oh no, the ex shows up and is vaguely a dick to Noah, what a non-shock, and now he's gone away again, time for the HEA. What a total non-event.
7. Adriano is apparently so handsome and irresistible that absolutely everyone is happy to dogsit his Pomeranian on literally no notice. Maybe stop leaving your baby with strangers, dude.
3 stars overall, maybe 3.5 because I DID like the characters, but there was too much that annoyed me overall.
Pros:
1. Character research is great - Noah's observance as a Jew is done well and it's a core, positive part of his character with some really nice scenes around Shabbat, and other characters being considerate of kosher etc.
2. Similarly Adriano as a Deaf man is a core part of him, and lots of his introspection is frustration that others don't work to communicate with him, and when his translator ex breaks up with him it leaves him isolated in a lot of ways. I really liked that. Adriano's primary language is ASL and that came through really strongly.
3. The relationship between Noah and Adam as brothers is done really well with lots of great growth.
4. Noah clearly grows and changes through this in lots of different ways.
5. There was no 'oops saved!' moment at the end which could easily have been worked in. I liked that.
6. Jude the Pomeranian is adorable.
Cons:
1. This went on TOO LONG, and the last third especially needed a fuckload of editing. You know what, all of it needed editing because there is a bizarre jump in location on like page 3 which had me totally lost, and this did not need an epilogue.
2. Most of the first half is various descriptions of Noah uncontrollably orgasming and coming in his underwear and it just got weird.
3. I DON'T UNDERSTAND why Noah chose to make porn with Adriano when he has never even been kissed before. Plus, before they make the first video Adriano asks 'do you want to read the contract' and Noah says NO, and it's like DUDE. You have known this man like a week, read the fucking legal contract first before you get dicked - physically and metaphorically. You are 40, and apparently very financially savvy. This did not make sense.
4. I'm sorry, I don't think Adriano actually showed any character growth. You got over your ex, awesome. That is not character growth.
5. The sex scenes just sort of got repetitive after a while.
6. Oh no, the ex shows up and is vaguely a dick to Noah, what a non-shock, and now he's gone away again, time for the HEA. What a total non-event.
7. Adriano is apparently so handsome and irresistible that absolutely everyone is happy to dogsit his Pomeranian on literally no notice. Maybe stop leaving your baby with strangers, dude.
3 stars overall, maybe 3.5 because I DID like the characters, but there was too much that annoyed me overall.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 23, 2023
Savannah GA is NOT a small town!
It's a city of almost 150,000 people. I enjoyed the story otherwise. I don't think the author has ever been to Savannah because other than the heat and humidity of a coastal GA summer, none of the details about the city were accurate and that threw me out of the story over and over again hence 4 stars.
It's a city of almost 150,000 people. I enjoyed the story otherwise. I don't think the author has ever been to Savannah because other than the heat and humidity of a coastal GA summer, none of the details about the city were accurate and that threw me out of the story over and over again hence 4 stars.
July 7, 2023
I loved the first version of this book, Love Me Free, and reread it once or twice while it was available. I was excited to read this revised edition and... I liked it. I'm not sure if its me or the revisions, but its definitely been downgraded from "love" to "like" for me. I'm not sure why the author felt the need to change it up so that but that definitely detracted from the story for me. Still enjoyable, though!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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