Same Page

How the Light Gets In #1

by Lily Velden

Book How the Light Gets In

He was like the only splash of color in a black-and-white photograph.

The man was beautiful.

At an exhibition opening in Sydney, jaded Hollywood heartthrob Jaxon Moncrieff lays eyes on publicity-shy artist Liam Lassiter for the first time and is immediately captivated. But he doesn’t get far into their first conversation before he realizes what he’s feeling is attraction, which brings him up short. Jaxon has always been a womanizer.

Despite his reservations, Jaxon makes a play for Liam, but Liam has his own issues. Unlucky in love and orphaned at sixteen, he is reluctant to open his heart to anyone, and dismisses Jaxon out of hand.

Driven by a need he doesn’t understand, Jaxon organizes a return to Sydney to film his next project. If he can’t be with Liam, maybe they can be friends. Of course, that creates a whole new problem. Now Jaxon is falling in love for the first time. How can he move their relationship from friends to lovers without destroying the trust he’s worked so hard for?

Genres: M M Romance, Contemporary, Romance, Friends To Lovers, Gay For You, Erotica, LGBT

340 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 13, 2013

Reviews

[BevS · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this one, oh yes I'm a Lily Velden fan big-time, I'll give it 5 stars and


Jaded Hollywood heartthrob Jaxon Moncrieff is in Australia on a promotional visit for one of his films, and is bored out of his skull trying to avoid the paparazzi. Someone suggests that he visits an art gallery one evening, he gets talking to the guy that organised the showing, spots a really handsome/beautiful man across the room and bam, just like that his life changes forever...yes folks, it's the old coup de foudre again
...and it's a real bloody nuisance sometimes!!

The object of Jaxon's desires, one Liam Lassiter is an extremely shy guy who avoids publicity like the plague (not easy I wouldn't have thought when you're trying to sell your own artwork), but is understood to be gay. Jaxon is absolutely gobsmacked, he's never been interested in a guy before, indeed is known to be a bit of a ladies man, and he can't quite believe what is happening to him. He attempts to make conversation with the guy across the room, being drawn to him like a moth to a flame, but said guy disappears shortly afterwards and Jaxon is left wondering how he can put right what he's obviously done wrong.

One of the other reviews said that this book has 'insta-lust', well, I'm sorry I totally disagree...Jaxon takes 8 months to find Liam again, all the while falling deeper and deeper in love with a man...shock, horror, and yes, he has all the usual symptoms...losing weight, off in a world of his own, even starting a charity or two so that Liam will think better of him. He goes out of his way to befriend Liam and if that's all he can have with the man of his dreams, then he'll settle for that, but he desperately hopes that the friendship will lead to something more, and in the meantime starts watching gay porn (just to get a few ideas as to what happens between men) and having intense 'conversations' with his penis, whom he calls buddy...and yes, I can understand how that got on some people's nerves..I just found it really funny.

I'll leave this review here. The sequel to this book 'The Race Is On' comes out in August, and I'll be one of the first in the queue.

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a sweet feel good story, my heart went all warm and gooey for both of the MC’s. Jason Moncrieff, a Hollywood heartthrob walks into a gallery and meets Australian artist Liam Lassiter. Jason is straight and Liam is openly gay. Jason tries to speak to Liam and gets quite quickly shot down by Liam. Jason can’t stop thinking about, and over months of don’t being able to get Liam out of his mind he finally meets him again.

I liked Jason and I enjoyed his journey to discover his attraction to another man, I found him funny and amusing and totally hot! Liam the publicity shy artist with the broken heart and tragic past got to me from the beginning. Definitely someone I just wanted to hug!

This was a simple story, but quite entertaining. I liked the dialogue, i loved the steamy chemistry between them and the flow of the story.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

While there were parts I really did enjoy, overall this was not my kind of book.

I did like the slow burn and the build-up to a wonderful friendship. But after these guys finally declare their love to each other, we got a good dose of cheese. So much cheese it made me a bit nausious.



I love little romantic parts in a story, but these guys were either singing to each other or leaving love notes every single page. I mean, seriously guys?

And although I liked Jaxon, I was kind of weirded out by the fact that he had entire conversations with his dick, whom he named Buddy.

Liam had Buddy sliding in and out of his satiny channel.

That really takes the sexy out of the sex scenes.

He also named his dildo Pinky..



And I know I’m not one to read books about famous people. I just don’t really feel any connection with people who love the spotlight. And while this entire book is mostly situated at Liam’s remote mountain cabin, I couldn’t help but feel anxious about when Jaxon would come out and how Liam would handle the pressure. Especially since he told Jaxon he hated any kind of public attention.

And I’m normally not easily offended when writers have their male characters talking or thinking they’re becoming women when they do something feminine in their eyes, but if I had to read about Jaxon mentioning that he’s becoming a woman one more time, I’d crawl into this book and smack him!

When a guy can multitask, he is still not a woman.
When a guy sit down to pee because he feels dizzy, he is still not a woman.
When a guy feels emotional, he is still not a woman.
When a guy likes it when someone pays him a compliment, he is still not a woman.
When a guy like cooking, he is still not a woman.
When a guy smiles because he is in love, he is still not a woman.

This dude is constantly telling himself he is turning into a woman. It was tiring…. and insulting actually.

If you can look past these things, this is really not a bad book. The writing was pretty solid and the romance pretty sweet. But it just wasn’t my kind of book.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jaxon Moncrieff, a world famous American actor who is seemingly straight and Liam Lassiter, a publicity shy Australian artist who is openly gay, are the MCs of this enthralling story. The two meet at the opening of Liam's art show in Sydney. Jaxon falls head over heals with Liam, but Liam wants nothing to do with the extroverted actor...

Lily Velden takes her time, the story builds up slowly, but it never gets boring. I loved to see how Liam and Jaxon first develop a friendship and then step by step fall in love. With all consequences. With eyes only for each other, thinking about the other constantly, doing sweet, sappy things, with the urge to touch all the time and being so in love it hurts.

I was with those wonderful boys every step of their way and loved every minute of it. Same Page is the first book of the 'How the light gets in' series and I can't wait to read the follow-ups. Thank you Lily for this great reading experience.

Highly recommended! :)

[Mandy*reads obsessively* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jaxon sees Liam at the exhibit of Liam's art and not only is Jaxon very taken with the art, he falls head over heels in lust, longing and yearning for Liam.
Liam though, only sees him as a shallow spoiled actor who wants him only for his looks and gives him the cold shoulder, leaving him standing there alone.

Those few minutes with Liam change Jaxon completely. He flies back to the US, but constantly thinks of Liam and literally becomes obsessed with him. He starts questioning his sexuality and his sanity, since Liam is all he can think about and dream about. Thoughts and fantasies of Liam are pretty much all he has.
He anonymously sets up scholarships and charities that benefit artists and orphans because Liam is both of those things.
Now at first I was wondering about being so smitten and taken with someone you have only exchanged a few words with, and not friendly words at that. But then I thought about it and decided, yes, that can happen, I have a few songs on my playlist that are about just that happening to people. And I guess it's also that romantic notion of meeting someone that is *THE ONE* for you.



The story is told from alternating points of view in alternating chapters. I have to say the first 20% or so took me a while to get through, they dealt mostly with Jaxon's longing and fascination with Liam, but no interaction between the two main characters.
He doesn't really get why he can't forget Liam or move on. He has a real need to be with him and even makes sure his new movie will be filmed in Australia, so he can at least try and form a friendship with this man that has taken over his thoughts.

Liam lost his parent in a car accident as a teen, his first lover was a cheating asshat and his second wasn't much better. Now he sticks to occasional hook-ups and stays to himself, his art and his dog Duchess. So it's fair to say he has trust issues, but he also finds himself thinking of Jaxon more often than he'd like, and with a nudge from his friend and father figure Garrett, he realizes that he might have judged Jaxon a little harshly.

With Jaxon back in Australia he can finally set his plan of being part of Liam's life into action.
Liam and Duchess welcome Jaxon into their home and lives and they form a friendship, that both of the men enjoy and come to depend.
They spend all their free time together and slowly they each develop even deeper feelings. It's not all smooth sailing however, there is some drama and a lot of strong emotions from both men.
I enjoyed the story once the men were together on page, their feelings for each other are very deep. Jaxon takes to loving another man like a fish to water, or at least to loving Liam.
I also felt the men changed over the course of the story, where Jaxon was unsure and insecure in the beginning with regards to how and where he fits in Liam's life and how Liam feels for him and his jealousy towards other men that have been in Liam's life. He becomes more sure of himself and his feelings throughout the story. Where as towards the end of the book that seems to reverse and the once steady and confident Liam becomes more dependent on Jaxon and his insecurities rise to the forefront.


There is a lot of romance, they woo, seduce and court each other, which was fun to read about and the smexing was hot and frequent. This is truly one of those stories that I would put in the 'fated to be together and love each other' category. They are both overwhelmed and passionate about their love.

I had one or two issues, Jaxon has a habit of naming things, for example his penis.
He calls him 'buddy' and buddy is on page a lot, Jaxon has conversations with him, and although it was humorous the first time or two, it got old for me quickly, and I ended up counting roughly 100 mentions of 'buddy', he also names Liam's penis and Liam's rear end.
Had those been cut down or out I would have enjoyed it much more, as it was I kept waiting with dread for the next mention of buddy.

This is the first in the series and there are some open questions, how will their relationship affect Jaxon's career? How will the publicity shy Liam deal with having such a well known lover? They live on different continents among other things, but one thing I am sure of at the end of this one, is that these two will fight tooth and nail for their relationship.

[Elizabetta · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author unfolds this love-at-first-sight, gay-for-you story in a super romantic style, rendering a melodramatic and almost old-fashioned feel to it. Nothing flashy, no mystery or suspense… just two incredibly beautiful and charismatic men who start off at odds with each other. And thus, sets up the only real tension in the story. The actor Jaxon Moncrieff, and his obsession, artist, Liam Lassiter have a push-pull, yes:no, is he/isn’t he?, extended, unrelenting sexual tension kind-of-a-thing going on. Because, never doubt it, the moment Jaxon sets his eyes on Liam— yes, across a crowded art gallery— he cannot forget him, he pines for him, his dreams are haunted by him. Get comfortable, it’s a long ride as the yearning and angst is drawn out over the course of eight months.

Liam is an up-and-coming media artist. He is as beautiful as the art he makes but is weary of being hit on because of his looks. He suffers from feelings of abandonment: lovers have betrayed him, his parents died when he was very young. It is difficult for him to open up. So when Jaxon makes smokey-eyes at him at his exhibit opening, he gets pretty huffy. What he learns from his initial rebuff of Jaxon, though, is that his own rude behavior is just as judgmental and unfair as the shallow reaction he’s taken exception to. So, he reluctantly gives Jaxon a second chance at just-being-friends.

Jaxon agrees to the arrangement. But he must constantly curb his lust, his never-ending attraction for the other man. Before Liam, Jaxon identified as straight and he could have anyone in the world. But now he only wants Liam, he is fixated. He is besotted. He has special pet names. He names AND talks to his own penis. Constantly. He’s names it. Buddy.

I really wanted to love this book. The premise is so yummy— two hot men catch gazes across a crowded art gallery— yes, I’m back to that… such a classic romantic set-up. One pursues, the other is hard to get, the first is perpetually hard… My first difficulty is that I’m not terribly keen on romance stories told largely by narration. I’m also not a fan of melodramatic, over-the-top storytelling that can easily ooze to cheeze. And there are uncomfortable niggles with the characterizations that kept biting.

I start off liking the two men. Well, they sound good in concept. Liam is comfortable in his skin. When asked if he ever felt discriminated against because he is gay, he quotes another artist, sculptor, Eva Hesse (except she was referring to women in art, here):

“The way to beat discrimination in art is by art. Excellence has no sex.”

Gorgeous, talented, smart, and articulate. He has depth— he doesn’t want to be liked just for his looks (yet we are constantly reminded how gorgeous he is). What’s not to like?

But Liam’s actions don’t always sit right with me. On two separate occasions when Jaxon is incapacitated by too much drink or heavily asleep from exhaustion, Liam takes advantage to explore his body! This just seems like a double standard, especially considering how tightly in control Jaxon must keep his feelings towards Liam. And this is just not behavior I’d expect from the Liam of the beginning of the story. Further, both of these men, strong and vibrant in the first part of the story, slowly disintegrate into quivering masses of tearful emotions run-amok in girly-girl introspection, clinginess, and angst. I want the Jaxon and Liam of the art gallery back: prickly, sparring, masculine.

Some will love this story: it is very sweet, it is full of angst, you have these beautiful people who live beautiful lives, and it has the longest drawn-out sexual tension ever. The storytelling, unfortunately, missed the mark for me. While I really wanted to get it, to fall under a spell, it was, in the end, too over-the-top, and the characters not believable.

This looks to be the first extended work from this author who also seems fairly new to the scene. To her credit, the writing itself is good and the proofing excellent. While it is in need of editing— it is way too long— it is obviously a story crafted with care and love and that has to be recognized and credited. While it’s not my thing, it just may be yours. For this review and much more, please visit: The Blog of Sid Love

[Candice · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

I really have mixed feelings about this book. It was slow going in the beginning, but about a quarter the way through when Jaxon and Liam were actually in the same place together, things started to be good. Even with the instant lust that Jaxon felt for Liam, we got sort of a courtship, watching them develop a really nice and close friendship, which turns into more. However, the problem I had with the story was with Jaxon naming his penis and then basically carrying on conversations with him constantly, then if that was not bad enough, he has to name Liam's body parts, including his ass. It reduced the book to being so childish for me. Then once they got together, there were no conversations, it was constant sex. It was if the great friendship that they had, and all the things they had done together as friends was just gone.

I wish the story would have ended, however, it is basically a HFN and there are a couple of questions about how their relationship can continue that you will need to read the next book. Unfortunately for me, because of the issues I had with this one, unless someone tells me it doesn't overshadow the next one, I will not even give it a try which is a shame. This could have been such a wonderful book.

[Joy (joyous reads) · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was awful.

The characters spent way too much time describing themselves - like pages. I mean, I've never been a fan of characters describing themselves in books. But these characters were borderline vain. Who does that? Who looks in the mirror and have an inner conversation with themselves describing, erm, themselves?

I think I just wasted my money on a fanfic.

Or if this is not a fanfic, then the author wasn't very imaginative when she was creating images of her characters.

Jaxon was supposedly a womanizer who suddenly found himself attracted to a guy. But it only took him two seconds to hit on said guy. If you were as straight as a stick, won't you hold back at first before you fire up your charms and hit on the first guy you see?

He's got blond, curly hair and a Southern accent. His assistant, Ali, is a dark-haired sprite who suspiciously remind me of someone.

Liam has russet hair, ivory skin and red, red lips.

I dropped it like a hot potato after the first chapter. I just couldn't go on. Sorry.

[Al · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, I got this one because although I detest alternating first-person narratives, I loved the premise and there was a great build-up beyond the basis of the love at first sight. I actually really enjoyed the 'research' Jaxon did as he started exploring what a relationship with Liam would entail.

But I have to confess that at 150 pages in (roughly half), I'm completely bored. The past 50 pages or so have been painful to get through, as the plot just does not advance. Jaxon's talking to "Buddy" are very off-putting and the supporting characters are just cardboard cut-outs, which is very disappointing. "Tinkerbell" seemed like she'd be a really great character and Garrett was also interesting, but he fades from the story. The side-plot with Duchess I feel was poorly done and unnecessary.

I keep going back and forth because the writing is very smooth but it hasn't grown on me at all. I love that Jaxon is so personable but I don't get the connection between the two men. They make great friends but I don't feel that electricity that Jaxon spends the first two chapters obsessing about. I think much of what I'm having trouble with could be fixed with better pacing.

[Valerie ❈M/M Romance Junkie❈ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I needed this today. This was such a sweet story. I absolutely adored Jaxon. He was so sappily sweet once he was able to come to terms with having feeling for a man. I LOVED his growth. I also loved Liam. This story probably bordered on syrupy, but I needed that today. This was not an angst riddled story. I just made me happy. I'm ready to read book two.

[Rosie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh jeez. This story is just a mess of every other m/m story out there. There was pretty much NOTHING original in it.

Reasons why I couldn't continue:

1) If the author described one of the characters one more time, I was going to scream and pull my hair out and throw my kindle off my balcony. Every time one of the MCs saw the other, there was at least two paragraphs of in-depth description on how beautiful and hot and gorgeous and sexy the other person was. Dropping a hint every now and then is fine, but this was shoved in my face every couple of pages. If you took out all the descriptions about 'hard length of his chest' or his 'incredible messy hair' it would be a quarter of the length. And Lily Velden did that horrible, terrible thing: both MCs described themselves. Full on, standing in front of a mirror thinking 'I have blonde hair and blue eyes and am handsome and am exactly 6"4''. NO!!! The last time I saw that was in a poorly written cliche story from a 12 year old, not in a published book!

2) Liam and Jaxon are pretty much THE SAME PERSON!! Lily Velden gives them very separate personalities at the beginning, ones I quite like (Jaxon as womanising, Liam as having a hard exterior and very idealistic) and then tears all that down within a few chapters and melds them all together. Both their occupations fade into the background of boring, pointless, rambling conversations and staring at each other and describing every feature the other has. Neither of them comes off as real to me. They both react the same to things and they both started to sound like teenage girls. For example, Liam having such a huge breakdown over his dog. I get that, I really do understand, but I would've loved a much different reaction to this, especially after he's no stranger to loss. It just wasn't believable at all to me. With his history, I think he would have internalised it, not completely broken down like that. It just annoys me that in stories like these, people react to grief in all the same ways: crying straightaway, acting like the world has stopped, vacant, etc - can we please have a different reaction, just once? I have a friend who's an orphan and there is no way in hell she would act like that. My reaction to losing someone my world revolved around wasn't to break down and be utterly ridiculous because the world doesn't bloody stop! I internalise it all until I'm safe where no one can see, and then let it out. I'm sorry, bit of a rant, but Liam's reaction just cemented that he doesn't have his own character and the personality he had in that moment did NOT reflect the history that formed him.

3) Jaxon is an obsessive stalker. Did warning bells not ring for anyone else?! He sees Liam once, talks to the guy and he's a dick, and is suddenly SO OBSESSED WITH HIM HE CAN'T SLEEP OR EAT AND IS LOSING WEIGHT. HE CONSTANTLY GOOGLES LIAM. HE GETS CLOSE TO WHOEVERS CLOSE TO LIAM FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE OF BEING CLOSER TO LIAM. FOR FIVE MONTHS HE OBSESSES OVER LIAM UNTIL HE GETS HIS MOVIE MOVED TO AUSTRALIA. HE HUNTS DOWN LIAMS ADDRESS AND COMES OVER UNINVITED, HE DOESN'T EVEN KNOCK ON THE DOOR. He chucks the biggest hissy fit in the entire world when he sees Liam showing 'interest' in someone else. He is unbelievably controlling and obsessive and that freaked me out from the very beginning.

4) I have lived in Sydney for all 21 years of my life, so there was bound to be a few things that annoyed me. Some things were believable, but a lot weren't. One - there are no freeways in Syndey. There used to be one, so maybe she was meaning that, but no one really called it a freeway. It said it was cold because it was March - LOLLLL I wish it cooled down in March, because it 100% doesn't. There'll still be 40 degree days regularly and it'll be hot and disgusting for a while yet. The 60 Minutes interview, where the interviewer was some giggling fangirl - as a journalism student, this is incredibly offensive. 60 Minutes, here, is actually a fairly serious program with very experienced journalists doing the interviewing. There is no way some 'giggling fangirl' would be interviewing him - I doubt they'd even interview him, tbh. Which brings me to my next point - name dropping. This got old very fast. There was one part where he was like 'I sat at my piano and played 'Blah' by Blah and 'Blah' by Blah and then went to bed and read 'Blah' by Blah' - was she paid to drop these names in? It was terrible. She referred to Darlinghurst as the red-light district, which is very no. Close, but no. The red-light district in Sydney is Kings Cross, and while it is right next to Darlinghurst, Darlinghurst is thought of as quite nice and trendy and classy and NOT red-light. Also, three hours north from Sydney would be like Bathurst/Orange, certainly not the Barrington region - that's like 5 hours north-west.

5) I CAN'T STAND WHEN PEOPLE IN BOOKS TEXT EACH OTHER AND IT COMES OUT LIKE 'hi R U here yet? I cnt C U where R U @?' Kill me, please. No one has texted like that since smartphones were invented. I used to text like that when I was in year 5. Sure, sometimes I throw in the odd abbreviation, but none of this 'C U @ 10' business. It drove me up the wall. No one texts like that.

6) Jaxon named his penis 'Buddy' and had lengthy conversations with it. Hmm seems real mature. Imma just leave that one there.

7) Related to them being the same person, but they both fantasised in the exact same way, with imagining the other talking dirty in really awkward phrases and then being super loud themselves. Yep, seems legit.

8) There were so many unneeded exclamation marks. It made the dialogue or narrative seem even more immature than it already was, and it felt pathetic and weak.

I'd had a bad feeling about it from the sample, but I bought it because I had high hopes for it. WRONG.

[Jody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lily Velden has done it again! She's dug deeply into her character's souls and beautifully and lyrically made me a part of their lives. Same Page is a heartwarming yet gut-wrenching read that brought tears to my eyes, along with some smiles, as the rocky journey to love for Jaxon and Liam took place over many months. The journey wasn't easy as self-doubts and trust issues ate away at them from the moment they met to their immensely satisfying and crowd pleasing HEA. Throw in numerous playful and steamy sexual encounters that builds the bond between them and by the conclusion I was completely won over.

Jaxon has always thought himself straight but knew his relationships were somehow lacking. Once his eyes meet those of Liam's he finds what he's been missing. Liam doesn't give him a warm welcome as he's tired of being wanted only for his looks. Jaxon can respect that as he's felt the same, so he doesn't push. For months though his only thoughts are of Liam. Discovering more about Liam and his past has him wanting to prove he's worthy of him. Jaxon becomes a better person through his endeavors and it wins over Liam's godfather who acts as a matchmaker to bring them together. Still not wanting to rush Liam has Jaxon proposing they be just friends which leads to lots of sexual tension that left even me frustrated. It takes a bit of jealousy and a tragic event to finally bring them together and admit their true feelings. That's not to say that things continue to go smoothly as the world of acting brings out jealousy issues, but these two are good at talking (among other things) and by the end of this story there's a sense of hopefulness and happiness.

Liam lost his parents when he was a teen so he's always wanted to be a part of a family. His godfather Garrett is a wonderful father figure but it's the day to day acts of closeness that he desires. It's led him to choosing relationships with men who only wanted him for his looks (of which he's a very sexy man), which left him shattered and untrusting of men. Slowly but surely Jaxon wins him over and it's heartwarming to see them together as they go from friends to lovers. Liam still has fears of Jaxon leaving him but through talking, issues of trust are slowly getting stronger and by the end of the story they are a united front in whatever comes their way.

Liam is an attentive lover who slowly brings Jaxon into their sexual encounters. Through little touches and subtle acts it becomes clear how much more meaningful his encounters with Jaxon are from his past. Jaxon's extremely exuberant and a quick learner and each of their sexual encounters are hot. There's also a bit of playfulness that's extremely endearing. These two are also very vocal in expressing their love. They say the L-word often and at times it almost felt a bit too sentimental, a bit too romantic for some readers. The characters even worried that their numerous proclamations were becoming too girly! For me though, I found them utterly enchanting and I couldn't keep the cheesy smile off my face that their words brought me.

Ms. Velden has created two strong heroes who have dug deep to work past their demons to come together as a formidable couple. They have wonderful and supportive friends around them who brought even more smiles to my face. The sexual encounters are hot and varied and left me a bit breathless in their frequency. This story has a definite conclusion, an immensely satisfying one, but I'm happy that their story will continue in The Race is On.

[m. ✨ On Hiatus ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

While on location in Sydney to promote a film, famous actor, Jaxon Moncrieff, is forced to attend the opening of an art exhibit to smile and bring attention to the gallery and its featured artist. It's all very routine to Jaxon, something he's done countless times, but the sight of a beautiful man with reddish brown hair grabs his attention, which is odd since he's never been attracted to men before. Immediately laying on the charm, he thoroughly offends the man, whom he finds out is the artist, Liam Lassiter. Even though Jaxon wants to make amends with Liam, he disappears. Soon it's time for Jaxon to head back to the States, but he can't get Liam out of his head. He's determined to make things right and hopefully, with a little hard work, be his friend. Will Liam give Jaxon a second chance or potentially allow love to slip through his fingers?

This is a lovely story about two men, from two very different worlds, who forge a strong friendship that eventually turns into something very special. The slow build of Jaxon and Liam's relationship was great to watch unfold, and all of the waiting is worth it in the end as the two men deal insecurities, overwhelming feelings and the unknown when it comes to love.

I would definitely recommend this book to those who enjoy a sweet, old-fashioned romance in which each partner is courted and admired.

This is the first book in a series, so there is somewhat of a cliffhanger at the end. However, things end on a high note

The author provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[LiveYourLife BuyTheBook · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars

Gorgeous it man around Hollywood, Jaxon Moncrieff, sees and has an instantly but startling attraction to the artist whose show he’s attending at the forcefully suggestion of his manager. The problem is he’s never been attracted to a man. Ever. He approaches the artist he’s learned is named Liam, only to be rudely rebuffed on his first go at flirting with a man. Women throw themselves at him but Liam can’t stand to spend five minutes chatting. Determined to find out more about Liam , Jaxon sets up a meeting with Liam’s manager to buy some of his artwork. Garrett reveals a little info on why Liam is the way he is. Jaxon decides the best thing to do for both of them is step back.

He spends months obsessing about talking and touching Liam. Even sets up scholarships for artists and things that are close to Liam’s heart. The only things he knows are from the internet and what Garrett, whom he’s struck up an online friendship with, let slip to him. He convinces the studio of his next movie to set it in Australia just so he can approach Liam again. The man consumes his every thought and he can’t let him go without talking to him one more time....

Read Whit's full review at Live Your Life, Buy The Book

[Macky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to follow... Loved it.

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to love Same Page. I really did. The blurb was interesting, the cover arresting, the premise promising. For me, it just didn’t hold up the way I had hoped.

Same Page is the story of Jaxon Moncrieff, a world famous American actor who is seemingly straight and Liam Lassiter, a publicity shy Australian sculptor who is openly gay. The two meet at the opening of Liam’s exhibition in Sydney. Jaxon immediately finds Liam enthralling, but Liam wants nothing to do with the actor he mistakenly sees as a publicity whore. In reality, Jaxon hates the celebrity that comes with his profession and feels like he spends most of his life playing the “part” of Jaxon Moncrieff, actor.

The first third of Same Page was superb. The slow build in Jaxon’s realization that he feels a strong attraction to Liam, another man. The way he holds back because he knows how Liam dislikes Jaxon’s image as a womanizer.

Jaxon develops a friendship with Garrett Flemington, Liam’s manager. Garrett is also a father figure to Liam as Liam’s parents died when he was a teenager and Garrett, along with Liam’s family housekeeper, raised Liam from that point on. Jaxon refrains from asking about Liam, not wanting Garrett to think that Liam is the motivation behind their friendship.

As the months go by, neither Liam nor Jaxon is able to stop thinking about the other. When Jaxon is able to move the filming of his next movie to Sydney, he sees it as a golden opportunity to get to know Liam. He has his assistant find out the location of Liam’s intentionally remote home and just shows up at the gate one day.

What follows, is a beautiful time of learning about one another. Liam shows Jaxon an Australia many never get a chance to see. Jaxon starts spending weekends at Liam’s home three hours outside Sydney. Their physical relationship develops slowly, but they are in love with one another pretty early. This dance, this slow-burning attraction and the poetic way in which Ms. Velden describes the Australia Liam shows Jax is the best part of the book. In a way, it makes sense that when they are isolated from the world, in their own personal Nirvana, things are at their best.

It is once Liam and Jaxon give in to their feelings and desires that Same Page seems to jump to a different page. The sex is hot. The “I love yous” are tender and beautiful. Ms. Velden leans too heavily on page after page of sex and declarations of love. Easily a third of the book could have been done away with as it did nothing to advance the plot. At first it was great as a reader to have the desire for sex and love that had been simmering between two characters brought to fruition. Too much of a good thing immediately followed.

Ms. Velden eventually got back on track, back to the story, which is why I read novels instead of porn. I enjoyed the final, maybe quarter of the book as much as I did the first third. The sequel to Same Page, The Race is On, is expected August 9. I will read it, because I am emotionally invested in these guys. I do, however, believe that a sequel is not needed. The rest of Liam and Jaxon’s story could have been told in Same Page if Ms. Velden had been able to stay on the same page. She is a new author, and I really look forward to seeing her grow into a writer that I put on auto-buy. I know she has it in her, she just has to get there.

[T.M. Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jaxon Moncrieff is gorgeous, famous, talented and straight. The tall and tanned actor with his curly, shaggy blonde hair and dazzling blue eyes can have (and probably has) any woman he wants. While in Sydney promoting his latest movie and at the urging of his assistant and best friend, Alison, he attends an art showing. He spots a man across the room with red, gold and brown hair and bronze eyes to match. He’s immediately captivated by the lean curves of his body which throws him for a loop at first, he’s straight, so why is he feeling this immediate and overwhelming attraction to another man.

Liam Lassiter is a terribly gifted artist with a terrible past to match. Orphaned at sixteen and then raised by his parent’s best friend, Garrett, he’s only had two meaningful relationships that both ended in disaster. He’s jaded and bitter so as soon as Jaxon approaches him Liam dismisses him thinking Jaxon isn’t looking beyond his good looks.

They go their separate ways, but both men spend the next several months fixated on each other. Jaxon, more so than Liam. Even going as far as to strike up a friendship with Garrett just to get one step closer to the brooding and handsome artist. Jaxon ends up back in Sydney filming his next movie and, of course, his first stop is Liam. The two begin an unconventional friendship that blossoms into love. Can a relationship that truly is built on friendship and love survive the enigma that is Hollywood? Will Liam be able to leave his past in the past, or will his failed relationships drive a wedge between him and Jaxon?

This is by far one of the best M/M romance I have read, ever. It wasn’t insta-love by any means. Jaxon and Liam learned about each other and their pasts, became basically best friends before they became lovers. What they have to learn if they are going to make their relationship last is trust. Watching them fall in love was beautiful and mesmerizing, I couldn’t put the book down! Then once they finally come together what follows is not just a heated night of passion; it’s a full blown love affair with all the bells and whistles! I thought my kindle might explode from all the heat these two put off in the bedroom, and the living room, and the shower. Oh good god, the things they do in the shower just might be illegal in a dozen or so states!

Extremely well written, emotional and passionate, Same Page is a love story at heart. Jaxon and Liam are three dimensional characters with flaws and depth. Velden even gives us some page worthy secondary characters with Garrett and Alison, the two leading men’s respective best friends. Who, coincidentally, end up falling in love with each other. I anxiously await book 2 in this series, I’d pre-order it if Dreamspinner had it listed! HIGHLY recommend this book.

[Elisa Rolle]

I liked the incipit of the novel; this is my first book by this author, and I admit there were some points of the story I found a little over the line, but maybe it’s due to the almost debut factor, or maybe it’s the age of the author (not really sure how old she is).

In any case, the straight American movie star falling in love for the gay skittish sculptor, considering he has never once felt attraction to men was a good start. Truth be told, even if Jaxon, the movie star, was insisting, even to himself, that he wasn’t stalking Liam, he did come out a little scaring. I think Jaxon was ready for a change, he was basically stalling in a life that he wasn’t feeling his own, and Liam gave him the push for the change. He juxtaposed his need of change in Liam, and that, sincerely, is not really healthy, but well, at least he was not dangerous. Jaxon tries to change his life in a way that it becomes attractive for Liam, it’s Jaxon’s way to court the man, and he succeeds.

When I said that sometime it was over the line, it’s, for example, in Jaxon doing charity in a field related to Liam’s interests… I would have probably preferred if he did that for his own satisfaction, even if, the satisfaction came nevertheless. And one point that really was too odd, was Garrett, just meeting Jaxon, who reveals all Liam’s past, with the excuse to protect him from Jaxon… sincerely it rung wrong, considering that, Liam does the same further in the story, so there was no need for the reader to read it at that point.

The story is not really a “show business” theme as the plot could lead; Jaxon and Liam most live their love story far from society, hidden in Liam’s mountain home, with few friends around them. In a way, when they are in the big city, it’s when misunderstandings come, like interferences in their relationship: they need the open air of the mountainside to be able to see the true in each other.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1623806151/?...

[GayListBookReviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

B+

I have a lot to say about this book. First, thank goodness this is book one in a series! One book of these men isn’t enough. Must. Have. More!

Second, you are going to think this is a gay-for-you plotline, but it isn’t. It’s the story of what love at first sight looks like for these men. One openly gay and the other finding his way.

Third, all the beautiful rich people are not pricks. They are nice, and real, and fun. I never once thought that these two beautiful men were out of reach, fake or self absorbed.

Liam is a brilliant artist, but also a down to earth man full of joy and laughter. His love for his friends and deep desire for a family also made him vulnerable. I loved that we saw his art before we were given his description. His beauty was both visible and worth the time and effort to dig deeper to see more of him. He needed a man to take the time to see past his physical beauty and get to know him.

Jaxon the famous actor is swept off his feet with one glimpse of Liam. The self struggle, the worry, the hunt to find out more about Liam and his own sexuality was striking. There were several times unexpected tears flowed. I felt his struggle with self identity. It was the struggle that made this book and the happy ending beautiful. He went through the internal wrestling and came to some life changing conclusions. Then Jaxon was ready to pursue Liam.

I was snuggled deep in my reading chair lost in the words of this story and looked down at my e-reader and saw only 61% and panicked! Oh no, I thought, there is too much book left for all the goodness happening right now. With one eye open I kept reading, waiting for other shoe to drop. Instead it got better.

If you are looking for wailing and gnashing of teeth, there are plenty of books out there like that, but this is not one of them. It’s a sweet, fun and beautiful read. I was a sighing, smiling, and fanning myself most of this book. It was a terrific read.

Reviewed by Beans

[Fritz42 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to wait and "digest" this book awhile before I could leave a review. I was disappointed with this book, after seeing a great review about it on another website. Maybe that raised my expectations too high... *ponders* No, there were definite things I really didn't like about this book.

It starts off well. I was intrigued by Jaxon's and Liam's first meeting and the sparks that flew between them. I loved how the author chronicled Jaxon's angst after he returned to the US by informing us of the time that had lapsed since he had last seen Liam. I loved the parts that occurred between them when Jaxon first got back to Australia, tentatively reaching out to Liam. Here's this famous actor, humble and apologetic, wanting to be Liam's friend. I enjoyed their weekend adventures, watching that friendship grow.

However, what I couldn't stand was Jaxon repeatedly talking to his penis. Okay, I'll give you that some men name their penises, but after the 25th time Jaxon actually had a conversation with "Buddy" I was ready to pull out my hair. After the umpteenth time, I became inured to it and went into a fugue state. By the time that Jaxon names Liam's penis - OMG, no! - I was skimming through the book.

And why was I skimming? Because the book no longer tried to have a plot other than constant sex scenes between them. I'm all for a hot sex scene - many of these were that - but constant and continuous ones just became redundant to me.

A part of me would like to see how Jaxon and Liam handle their separation and the world finding out about them, which I assume will be in the 2nd book, but I'm sorry to say that a larger part cannot handle the penis conversations and the gratuitous sex scene again.

[Don Bradshaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really hooked into this story and was loving the slow burn romance growing between Liam and Jaxon. The angst ran high but each man had a lot of baggage to dump. The first 100 pages had me flipping pages as fast as I could read then but after Liam and Jaxon hit the sheets as a couple the book went downhill. I don't know of any man gay or straight who names their dick and even more childishly their ass. The sex scenes were flat and unimaginative in my opinion. Granted Jaxon was new to gay sex but that's no reason to pen a bland sex scene. The story picked up considerably after those 25 pages. I thought that Liam and Jaxon were well crafter and complex characters. I loved Alison and her no nonsense manner. The nicknames that the guys gave each other added a sweet factor to their friendship/relationship. The story was well paced and read easily. I recommend this heart warming romance between two very different and interesting men if the reader is willing to put up with 25 pages of glop. This book would be a solid 4 stars if not for the above mentioned pages.

[Lily · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. A mostly pleasant read especially during the first half, when Jaxon and Liam became aware of each other and gradually turned into friends then lovers. Jaxon's inner monologues had some odd yet funny moments. However, the second half of the plot seemed to drag for me and - dare I say it - those sex scenes one after the other with hardly anything else in between were simply too much. The story was more engaging again towards the end due to some proper communication between the protagonists. This book left things at HFN to be continued in a sequel, which I might read depending on my mood.

[La*La · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 27%.

This book was promising for about half a chapter, but then got

Ridiculous.
Awkward.
Sickeningly sweet.
Boring as hell.

I just couldn't bear the cheesy dialogues, cringe-worthy banter, the exclamation marks at the end of each sentence, the overly detailed descriptions, the overabundance of italics.. Add to that insta-love/insta-obsession which didn't make ANY sense whatsoever - and this book was doomed.

I've read hundreds of M/M romance books - this is the 2nd one I'm DNF-ing. Yeah, it was that awful.

[Rai · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars!

Loved this book! The plot is slow-paced, the characters are quite enjoyable and easy to love, the setting is enjoyable and the romance is so sweet, loved Jaxson and Liam!!

[Silke]

DNF 25%

[Ian · Rating 2 out of 5]

- Unabashed misoginy.
- Naming and talking to penises, which, like, NO!
- Casual reference to blackface.
- MCs are too similar. After a while, I just didn't know who was who anymore.
- Too long. Needs a GREAT deal of editing.

I'm putting this down now for now. Maybe I'll find it within myself to finishing one day. Which, really, is a shame because the authors writes so well.

[Mira · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt this had so much potential and I did like the premise. But the execution was so disappointing. What really annoyed me the most was the MC constant behaving “like a girl” or driving a “chick car”. And the constant talking to his penis, “Buddy”. Seriously, I felt like I was reading about a 13 year old.
And it just devolved from there once they started having sex. I was just bored.

[Tony]

Excellent read. I laughed, I cried and I forced myself to read only one chapter per night to prolong the ending. Highly recommend it.

[Alaia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dnf

[AnnMarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am always amazed how women can write the male POV and emotions of the heart. I always find MM romance stories so robust in the dialogue. Granted there is always steamy sex in them, but usually the sex is more down played and the characterizations and emotional relationships are more developed and take center stage. Chapter after chapter of sex is always a sure flounce for me. It gets boring and ruins the story line. I find the sex to become a filler and not drive the plot. So many stories have been ruined for me with that scenario alone.

With that said, I really liked this story!

How do you not love writing like this...

"I think love is where one soul recognizes its matching soul in another, and mine recognized yours that night."

S-W-O-O-N! So emotional, so palpable. Love this kind of dialogue. You just hang on the every word the character is saying!

The story is simplistic yet complex.

Liam an artist and Jaxon an actor meet. Liam has an immediate dislike of Jaxon and Jaxon has an immediate yet confusing attraction to Liam.

Liam's prior history is filled with hurt and betrayal so trust does not come easy for him. Jaxon has never considered himself gay or even bisexual, so the feelings he has are very confusing.

They go their separate ways but still are on each other's minds to the point of obsession, more so on Jaxon's part. 8 months later, they meet again, more so because Jaxon can't get him out of his mind and goes to great lengths to see Liam again.

That's where the simplistic part of the story line ends.

Now the complex, and it's chock full of complexities.

Namely, Jaxon is not gay but is physically and emotionally attracted to a man. He has no experience in this, has never been in a relationship before, never even had a girlfriend. He's had plenty of sex with women, but no relationships. That's an awful lot to figure out. Lot's of confusion.

Liam is openly gay. Has accepted and embraced his sexuality since his teens. But Liam is damaged, two previous relationships that ended very badly with hurt and betrayal. No family, they were killed in a car accident when he was young. He does have Dutchess, his dog. Warning though, there is a scene with Dutchess that will break your heart. He has a lot of trust issues but still wants to love and be loved in return.

I could go on and on, but you get the picture.

The story is well written, has a great pace, very visual, and just pure silkiness in dialogue.

I loved how these two did not finally come together, and I mean emotionally until half way through the story. It was a good slow burn with lots of character building and dialogue. It wasn't until 70% that they became intimate sexually. Really a good pace.

The ending was good too. You could walk away from the series satisfied, or continue on with book 2 for more of the boys, I know I definitely am!

*I wanted to read this story in anticipation of having won a signed copy of The Race Is On from the author. I didn't realize it was book 2 in a series, I just liked the prologue and the cover. I also try to support other bloggers when they host giveaways as well as newer authors. And... I love trying to win signed copies from the authors. Always such a thrill for me!! I never get tired of it.

**I initially rated 4 stars because I felt there was just one to many sex scene, but after writing this, nope, a definite 5 star story based on the dialogue of the relationship alone.