Cloud White

Nailed It! #3

by Fearne Hill

Nominated for the Goodreads M/M Romance Members Choice Awards 2023

Meet Milo and Mungo. Mungo and Milo.
Just friends. Best friends.
Honestly, there’s nothing more to it.
Just best friends. And bad timing.

That awkward moment when you realise you’re dancing alone. That you’re hopelessly in love with your oldest friend, except somehow along the way, you forgot to tell him. Tired of waiting for you to come to your senses, he’s moved on, he’s found his significant other.
And now it’s too late.

Though slowly dying inside, you pick yourself up, swallow your pride, and grieve from the side lines. And everything is fine, until the day you notice him acting strangely.
Why is he unhappy? A shadow of his former self?

You know him better than anyone and something is not right. Against good advice, you confront him. And risk ruining everything.

Cloud White is a friends-to-lovers romance with a hard-won happy ending. Be kind to yourselves and heed the trigger warnings.

Genres: M M Romance, Friends To Lovers, Romance, Contemporary, Slow Burn, Found Family, Mental Health

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 10, 2023

About the author

Fearne Hill resides far from the madding crowds in the county of Dorset, deep in the British countryside. She likes it that way.
Her novel, Oyster, is a 2025 Lambda Literary Award winner. Two Tribes is a 2023 Lambda Literary Award finalist..
Her popular Rossingley series was nominated in nine separate categories of the 2021 Goodreads M/M Romance awards and received an Honourable Mention in the 2021 Rainbow Awards.

Be sure to follow her on Bookbub for the latest sales and releases! https://www.bookbub.com/profile/fearn...

Join her Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/11724...

On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fearnehill_...

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/FearneHill

She also writes very brief and not especially insightful book reviews here on GR...

Finally, she also writes straight contemporary romance under the pseudonym Coco Chambers.

Reviews

[moonlight ☾ [semi-hiatus] · Rating 5 out of 5]

TW: domestic abuse, mentions of gambling and addiction (secondary characters, not on page), fat shaming and misgendering (by a secondary character, on page)

"For me, it's always been you."

i picked up this book, hoping to FEEL something, anything, but i wasn't prepared for the amount of pain and heartbreak and angst it would hit me. i loved it, but i also hated it. don't get me wrong, there was enough humor to balance it out, and i loved the humor as well, but the emotional parts definitely had me tearing up a lot. i loved the mcs (especially Milo) and the friend group so, so much (i think it's so cute how Milo and his friends call everyone flower or petal, as a nickname 🥹). while i felt exhausted after i finished the book, i loved it for just making me feel.


also, Milo's confession scene!!


i've only read one other Fearne Hill book prior, Two Tribes (which i also enjoyed!), but i'm curious to look more into her backlist bc of cloud white in particular. 👀

[~✡~Dαni(ela) ♥ ♂♂ love & semicolons~✡~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ooooof ... this one hit me right in the feels.

I was expecting a lighthearted, snarky, besties-to-lovers story, but this book is anything but.

Mungo is with someone else for half the story, and that someone is a violent, abusive piece of shit. Reading about Mungo's suffering at the hands of that monster (there is one particularly graphic scene on page) made me sick.

Milo sees Mungo's light dim. He hears the unspoken confessions. But when he confronts Mungo, Mungo lashes out. After all, he waited for Milo for years.

Even after Mungo escapes the abuse, there is so much hurt and pain, the romance is utterly buried.

I wanted to see more of Tristan and Dom who show up in a cameo role.

We also find out that Frankie has come out as nonbinary, which makes sense and good for them, but I wish this had been explored in more detail in the first book.

Cloud White is a gripping read that will bring you to tears. It's a story of an abiding friendship that transcends boundaries and a love that heals.

The men do get their HEA, but they have to scale a mountain to get there.

For me, it's always been you.

P.S. I was not at all satisfied with the way Milo's family situation was "resolved." They deserved fuck all after decades of spitting on and threatening Milo. Why he "needed them in his life" is beyond me.

[Amina · Rating 4 out of 5]

✰ 4 stars ✰

“I see you, I know you, I love you.”

Milo and Mungo radiated such vibrant energy for life and love and living in the previous books of Fearne Hill's Nailed It series, that I did not expect that their story in Cloud White would be as emotionally raw as it was.

“Love harboured a higher, secret level, accessed only by a lucky few, like an old-fashioned platform computer game.”

When you search for love and you don't realize that you already have it when it's too late - when you think you're in love, because you believe it's the only one you'll have, when you find your love and know that this is exactly where you're meant to be - is the effect that Milo and Mungo's journey to each other had on me. They hurt my heart when they were hurting for each other and they put it together when they found their way back to each other. 💔💔 There is so much pining and yearning from each side, but still knowing that only when the time is right for both of them can it work out - there is so much vulnerability and hurt that they're both experiencing, that you just feel their pain along with them.



And even though there was so much pain, so much hurt and anger that they made each other privy to, it was followed by so much love and care. Milo was so patient and tender with Mungo - even while shouldering his own troubles, knowing what it's like to have to fight for love, he had so much to give of his own. And knowing how much he cared for his best friend, to feel anger on his behalf, to feel his sadness as his own - to make him see that he was perfect just the way he was - it was so beautifully conveyed. ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹

Mungo's own story was equally heart-breaking - it was hard to witness, even more to experience. But, with such thoughtful kindness and consideration, Fearne Hill pieces his heart back together - with such compassion and feeling - to simply reclaim his own worth and self in his own eyes - to see himself as the person Milo has always been in love with. 😢

“Happy endings came to people who never gave up, and neither of us had done that.”

Milo and Mungo's appearances and personalities may have been as different as ocean and land are, but they understood each other perfectly - they complemented each other's traits wholeheartedly. If you lose a chance at love the first time, it doesn't mean you lose a friend. But, the feeling when you can reclaim that friendship and win a second chance at love again - my heart felt it all for the two of them.

The writing was so very honest in portraying that - I don't know how best to express it, but for all the faults, and flaws, and fears and tears and wants and wishes - it was expressed so vividly and clearly in both characters' voices with such open, raw emotions. 🥺🥺 And at the same time, there is such a fine balance between the light-hearted banter and wit against the most heart-wrenching of moments that brought the story together in such a beautiful way without ever seeming like it's too much.

Seeing the whole gang back together and how settled and content they are brought a warm smile to my face. The addition of Danny was quite a welcome one. Bustling with energy at seventeens years of age, but with the heart and quirky understanding of someone much wiser, I very much enjoyed all his interactions with Milo. I would not mind if we got more of his story in the future. 😊😊

All the scenes within their family and the set couples were so touching and endearingly quaint - there's something about British humor and slang and phrases that really resonates well with me, so all the quirky interactions shared between Frankie and Milo were an absolute delight. 👌🏻👌🏻 And Tristan was perfect, as always; the affection in his raw honesty and sensible sense was unrivaled and served as enough of a push for them to see how fitting they were for each other.

I also have to commend the author for making all three of her books as different and unique as possible. More often than not, some series fall prey to having similarities run through them - be it story or writing. And with Nailed It there was something special about each romance that made it all the more worthwhile.

This was another lovely addition to a wonderful world that Fearne Hill has created - there's something so pleasantly real about these characters that I can't help but let them charm their way into my heart. 💟

“For me, it’s always been you.”

[NicoleR.M.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5 stars

This is such a beautiful series, such a wonderful world Fearne Hill has created! It’s so different from her Rossingley series, but with equally lovable and remarkable characters. This book is the third one in this series, featuring Milo and Mungo whom we have already met as part of the group of friends surrounding Frankie and Lysander, Tristan and Dom, the mc’s from the first 2 books. Milo and Mungo have been friends for years, have shared space together and even came close to a declaration of love that, as it often goes, came at the wrong moment. Since then Mungo has been looking for a steady love, a partner, someone to spend his life with, a fondness like Frankie and Lysander have found with each other.
Maybe he’s finally found it with Cav, even though his boyfriend doesn’t really like his friends and vice versa. He seems to have an aversion for Milo in particular, the guy whom Mungo still considers to be his best friend, even while their friendship has changed since he moved in with Cav.

I loved the journey Milo and Mungo took together, how they found their way towards each other again, even when horrible things happened before they finally did. I loved how supportive and patient Milo was and how confident in healing Mungo, knowing what he needed and what he needed to give him. Mostly, Mungo was able to heal himself. He slowly dragged himself out of that black tunnel of self loathing, of feeling unworthy, of doubting himself with every step he took and it’s one of those things the author handled really well. Delicately and slowly paced, but very much in sync with the story itself.

Milo and Mungo were so good and sweet together. Milo with his soft sweet heart, hungering for approval and acknowledgment but never receiving it from the people who should matter the most: his own family. And his way of self mocking and banter was everything this book needed to give you a good laugh as a reader, forgetting for a short moment how heavy the topics of this story were.

Danny was such a sweetheart, just like Reuben, and I’m really curious about the story behind Simon. There’s something about him that triggers my curiosity for sure!

All in all this was a beautiful addition to this series. Great writing, as always. What I admire about Fearne Hill’s writing is her ability to touch very heavy subjects (definitely check the tw’s for this book!) but still give the book a light feeling. There’s humor and fun and witty dialogues, but there’s also a much darker side to this story and it’s just exceptionally well done. Chapeau!

[Iz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely freaking lovely.
Mungo and Milo's story broke my heart, and then made it whole again: it has all the loveliest, most soul-wrenching tropes you can wish for, AND it was so damn heartfelt and funny as well.
I've said this before, but Fearne Hill is SO skilled at weaving humour and banter into her contemporary romances: I admit, "Cloud White" is quite a bit more angsty than the previous two books of this series, but the author still managed to balance out the angst and hurt with light-hearted, funny, genuine humour, without any of the pointless banter that seems to be plaguing the genre nowadays.

Milo and Mungo stole my heart when they first appeared in Frankie's story, and then in Tristan's too. Both of them are a bit of a mystery, the snarky, sharp-witted twink and the gentle, kind-hearted giant: you could see they had hidden depths and hurts, and oh god, their story did not disappoint in that regard. The pining between them was EXQUISITE, and painful and frustrating and beautifully done. These two love each other to bits, but they also have the worst timing ever.
Milo surprised me, with his painful past and his snarky, sharp armour, and with his fierce need to take care of Mungo and their respective friends. He's so protective over them, even though his brand of protectiveness is razor-edged and catty and abrasive. And the way he was with Danny, oh god: the softest relationship ever. I hope Fearne Hill has plans for Danny (and Simon too) because I loved their interactions.
And Mungo? My sweet, wonderful Mungo? Gah, he deserves the whole world. This book is very, very tough on Mungo, and the first half of the book had me gnawing on my fingernails: I kept shouting at the characters to notice what was going on with him. Obviously there's a HEA here, so Mungo does finally get the happiness he deserves but omg, how I suffered for him.
He's the best of them all, and I cheered for him and his gentle heart from start to finish.

I adored the usual found family vibes all the characters had going on, and I loved that we got to see Frankie and Lysander and Tristan and Dom again. I admit, I miiight have loved the previous two books a bit more (because 1) I love workplace romances, and 2) Tris and Dom own my soul), but "Cloud White" was lovely, delightful and satisfying. And the ending? I might have cried.

I thoroughly recommend this book, and this series, to anyone who's in need of a quick, heartfelt and sweet romance that still packs a punch. I can't wait to see if Fearne Hill will write more in this universe, and I can't wait to dive into her backlist a bit more too.

TWs/CWs: domestic abuse (emotional and physical abuse), mentions of child abuse, addiction, gaslighting.

Thank you GRR for the ARC. I received in exchange for an honest review.

[Layla · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book of Fearne Hill till now.

Fantastic ❤️❤️❤️❤️

RTC

[Kathleen in Oslo · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I said in my review of book 2 that this series hadn’t yet hit the Rossingley sweet spot, but that I was looking forward to Milo and Mungo’s book. I think I manifested something, y’all.

This is by far the strongest of the series. Milo, a pretty fem, whose POV narration is all drama and extra, underlaid by a steely wariness instilled in him by growing up in an emotionally and physically abusive household. Mungo, a big-hearted bear, whose POV is all steadfast calm, and whose devotion to Milo survives being romantically rejected many years ago but is being strangled by his new controlling, jealous partner. This is a pretty straightforward friends-to-lovers setup, complicated by Mungo’s relationship with Cav (there is no cheating) and its aftermath.

The relationship between Mungo and Cav is chilling to read: Cav is constantly criticizing and gaslighting Mungo, passively-aggressively imposing his will and tearing down Mungo’s confidence, and eventually getting physically abusive. This is being done gradually, bit by bit, such that Mungo doesn’t really twig to how toxic and harmful it is as it slowly builds and builds. Milo, a survivor of familial abuse himself, does, but his intervention goes wrong – the argument scene between them is painful and effective – and Mungo gets more and more isolated, until things finally escalate to a point of no return. While horrible, I thought this relationship and its effect on Mungo was convincing and sensitively done. Note that one of the ways Cav controls Mungo is through food restrictions and body-shaming, for those sensitive to that.

The other subplot here has to do with Milo and his baby queer, Danny. OK. This ends up being a really lovely development, but it definitely needs a warning. Danny approaches Milo in a club; Milo sees he’s young but takes him home; they shag; the next day, Milo is mid-kicking Danny out when he discovers that fake-ID-wielding Danny is in school. Like, 17. Shud.Der. This is not illegal (age of consent being 16), but EWWWW!!! So if this is a hard no for you, that is . . . completely understandable, because I was cringing hard at this point. I mean, Milo didn’t realize Danny was A LITERAL CHILD when they banged, but: EWWWWW!!!!! Anyway, blah blah chain of events, Danny tags along to Milo’s pub brunch because: reasons, and then shows up at Milo’s door two days later. At this point, Milo realizes that Danny, like him, comes from an abusive home; and that Danny is so desperate to be out of that home that he is willing to trade sexual favors for lodging. Horrified and appalled, Milo offers him the spare room (needless to say, no sexual favors are required), and from that point on it is a purely platonic Mentor Queer-Baby Queer relationship. (There is a bit of eau-de-fake dating when Danny tags along to a dinner at Cav and Mungo’s as Milo's assumed date, but they are not pretending to any kind of intimacy; the way this plays out is a nice twist on the fake dating trope.) Milo and Danny’s relationship is mutually beneficial: they bond not just over queerness but as fellow survivors of abuse. So if you can see past the EWWWWW beginnings, it is lovely. But again: be warned.

This book is written in the same breezy, somewhat mannered style as the rest of the series; you either buy it or you don’t. Milo’s POV is significantly more affected than Mungo’s, but they both love their adjectives: it’s never just “my friend” but “my beloved friend” or “my devoted friend” or “my steadfast friend”, etc. Like I said: you buy it or you don’t. I whipped through this in no time, and found that the light style made the heavy stuff – especially Mungo’s relationship with Cav – easier to stomach. But ymmv.

The strongest installment in the series so far: maybe not achieving Rossingley peaks, but not far from it.

I got an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews and this is my honest review.

[Cat the bookworm (still at the cottage in AO3 land) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t think this book could end up being better than the previous one, but I was wrong.

Omg guys. This wasn’t the fluffy feelgood book I’d expected. Please be aware that there are several TWs, most of all domestic violence. I’ll try and stay mostly free of spoilers in my review, as always. But be warned. It’s tough to read about, even for someone who doesn’t mind too much reading about darker issues.

That being said: this book broke me, and put me back together again. It made me cry, too, but the crying happened when Milo professed his love to Mungo. And it made me laugh more than once, and love the characters even more, wishing for a tight knit friend group like theirs.

It’s a beautiful story about two friends, where one fell in love quickly and who waited for years for the other one. Until he didn’t wait any more. And the other one realising too late that he’s been in love with his best friend. It’s about heartbreak, about found family, and about the difficulties to leave your past behind. At the same time, it’s tender, romantic, funny, and - dare I say it? - realistic.

I didn’t agree with some decisions the author made to deal with the “bad guys”. I wanted them crushed to dust for what they did to my beautiful babies, but that’s on me . I can imagine that in reality, in real life, the path the author chose is much more likely to happen.

Go read it, ideally starting with book 1, even if that’s my least favourite in this series.

[Cyndi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not gonna lie, after finishing the second book in this series, I started to wonder if there was someone else writing these books under Fearne Hill's name because I've loved absolutely everything else she has written, but was never fully on board with these. I appreciated the messaging about gender roles and expectations in Cloud Ten, but found the romance between Frankie and Lysander rushed and awkward. I loved the disability rep in Cloud Nine and adored Tristan, but struggled to find Dom worthy of him. I started to believe that maybe this series just wasn't meant for me, but then Milo and Mungo swooped in and saved the day. This book had all of my emotions on call, but was written with the perfect amount of humor and softness to keep some of the more painful moments from becoming overwhelming. That being said, there was on-page domestic abuse (verbal, emotional and physical), so heed the trigger warnings at the start of the book if this is something you're sensitive to or would rather not read about.

The pining between Milo and Mungo had been hinted at since the first book, making me think we were in for a sweet friends to lovers story packed with laughs and longing and a bunch of "if I tell him I'll ruin our friendship" angst. The laughs were there and so was the pining, but I did not expect the gut punch of Mungo not only being in a relationship with someone who was very much not Milo, but being in said relationship with a narcissistic gaslighter like Cav. There were so many heartbreaking moments that made me want to simultaneously cry from sadness and scream in anger. For anyone who has ever wondered why a person would stay with an abuser, read this book and I think you'll understand. The author did such an amazing job of slowly giving insight into who Cav was at his core and how sneaky his means of abuse were. He was such a repulsive character that I couldn't wait for him to make his exit, but at the same time I was terrified of what he would do next.

I loved the patient pace of this story and the cautious way the relationship between Milo and Mungo unfolded. Had things moved any faster, I think it would have rubbed wrong. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole Danny side plot, even if the start of it was rather unconventional (but not illegal!). I'm very curious about stoic Simon and his wandering eyes. And it was so nice getting to spend more time with Frankie (they/them!!!) and Tristan (Lys and Dom were there too, but...meh). I especially loved the somewhat tweaked version of what I consider a typical heteronormative HEA. I'm finding those to be more and more refreshing lately.

I don't know if this book marks the end of this series, but, if it does, it was a great way to go out.

[Nelly S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

cw: domestic abuse, gaslighting, off page gambling & addiction (side characters), fat shaming and mis-gendering

”I can’t watch you be with him. Not at the moment anyhow. Maybe in the future. When I’m perhaps in a better place myself. But no. Not now. I wish I’d understood it sooner. I realized far too late that… for me, it’s always been you.
Oh God.
For me, it’s always been you.”

✔️femme/bear
✔️best friends-to-lovers
✔️mutual pining
✔️slow burn
✔️sweet
✔️but also angsty + emotional
✔️witty + hilarious + banter galore
✔️wonderful side characters

Best friends-to lovers is usually a hit or miss trope for me, but this one was an undisputed hit. Cloud White is all about that one best friend you’ve had around for so long that you can’t imagine life without them and you begin to take them for granted until you realize you love them and they’re no longer there.

Milo is a beautiful, flamboyant femme guy with a razor sharp wit who is always the life of the party. Mungo, on the other hand, is a kind and protective gentle giant who is loyal to a fault. Milo and Mungo have been best friends since university and now work for the same company. Mungo declared his love to Milo who shut him down five years earlier. Milo wasn’t ready to settle down at the time and just wanted to play the field. But by the time Milo finally realized he loved Mungo, Mungo has already moved on. But although Mungo’s boyfriend outwardly seems like the perfect guy he is actually a controlling and abusive piece of shit who treats him viciously. A word of warning here, there is some really triggering content and one scene is particularly tough to stomach.

What I loved about this romance is that the relationship development from best friends-to-lovers rings true. When Mungo finally leaves his abusive ex it’s depicted in a very realistic manner. It’s not some Hallmark-like situation where Milo swoops in to rescue him, they immediately get together, love heals everything and they live happily ever after. There’s a good chunk of time when Mungo is recovering from his abusive relationship and Milo is with him at every step. I like the fact that they don’t just jump into bed right away so when they finally do have sex it’s all that more special and meaningful.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very lovely. My favourite of the series. This felt like a really accurate portrayal of domestic violence in the form of gaslighting, the shame and social stigma associated with DV and how easily it can be concealed or isn’t recognised even by loved ones. Be mindful if these are triggers for you. I found this topic to be sensitively handled with a light, comedic touch that made this an easy read despite the serious content.

[NikNak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Big shout out to my emotional support reading buddy for reccing this one as a palate cleanser !

Really enjoyed this , heartbreaking and sweet story of Milo and Mungo, best friends to very hard earned lovers 😍

All the sweethearts and all the Flowers !

[Mal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been waiting for Mungo and Milo’s story and it was everything. This whole series about this brilliant found family has been fantastic but this book about getting another chance, healing hurts and missed timing but continuing to hold on to each other just put an unbelievably happy smile on my face.

It’s such a gently written book laced with fantastic comraderie and droll humour that made me snort laugh and yet it caught me unaware with how it chokes you with emotion and you want to shake the characters and be like: get your act together, let go of pride or look out for yourself, you deserve more. This book just shook me up in the best way

I loved and hurt for sweet, kind, sensitive Mungo and fierce, cheeky, loyal Milo made me cheer! Milo who without Mungo was lonely and weary and Mungo who was trapped in a leeching horror.

How the author writes broken families and traumatised people and the sensitive and heavy subjects in the book had me awed and tearing up. I highly recommend this series and this book though read the CWs. Also on a side note I am very curious about Simon and his story.

Expect:
* Best friends to lovers
* Pining
* Hurt comfort
* Piercings
* Found family
* Protective MCs
* Slow burn


Story: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Swoon: ♥️♥️♥️♥️
Steam: 🔥🔥
Angst: ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹
Humour: 🤣🤣🤣🤣

CW: domestic abuse, mentions of gambling and addiction (secondary characters, not on page), and fat shaming and mis-gendering (by a secondary character, on page).

[Kirsten · Rating 2 out of 5]

This series is weird.
Magic dicks aren’t therapy;
HEAs ring false. (AF)

First the Tootsie to enby debacle, then the fuckboy grows up bc friends with disabilities (Dom still seems like 17yo and what does Tris do all day in California?!!?) and now multigenerational domestic abuse? Just this whole miscalibration of tone and content and the gravity of it all in opposition to the obvious and unworkable imperatives of genre… there’s something off but also offensive.

[M L R · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love losing myself in a book where nothing else exists outside the pages. It’s rare but White Cloud is this. I’m not sure how much to say as I don’t want to give spoilers so I’ll say this was beyond 5*. Milo and Mungo were fabulous but enigmatic secondary characters with earlier books in series but, holy wow they were brought to life here with a complex look at toxic degrees of relationships and love in all forms.

White Cloud truly has it all. Character development…Hurt/comfort….abusive relations that leave us conflicted….Friends to recognizing the deep soul-connecting love that has always been…and of course humor and found family. I could not put White Cloud down, I could read about Milo and Mungo every day. I cried thru chapters 15-17 because when our beloved characters hurt we hurt. Then tears returned when Milo described Mungo’s circumstances as “he’s become one of us.” I do wish Mungo received professional help but I imagine he dealt with his trauma as the majority do.

I knew the hurt would segue to thriving but man, the feels. Milo and Mungo are beautiful and easy together… so honest and so very supportive. Hot and fun. Milo topping is hilarious!

Huge nod to Danny… absolutely loved him even if his start with Milo was highly questionable.
I hope we see Simon and Danny in future installments.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it!

[Mina]

DNF at 27%. Fearne Hill, I’ve loved most of the books you’ve written, but you’ve lost me on this one. Maybe it’s my current mood but perhaps I’ll give this another try some other time.

[Kel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't really like books dealing with DV as a subject matter. And one of the MCs staying with the abuser for half of the book. But the author's writing hooked me and made me want to continue reading. Also, the topping scene was HILARIOUS which upped my rating to 4 stars.

[Megan Gustafson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute delight while respectfully dealing with heavy topics. Loved sweet Mungo and Milo plus all the witty banter. TW: domestic abuse.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was nice and the hurt/comfort should have made this a winner for me, but somehow I ended up with, it was just okay...

[Bekka]

This was tough to read and the portion of Mungo stuck in an abusive relationship was a struggle for me personally.
The ending was perfect as was their slow healing together but be aware this isn't a low angst humorous book like most others I've read by Fearne Hill.

Tags: domestic abuse (one MC from his boyfriend up until about the 50-ish percent mark, one MC from his entire family), including physical violence and emotional manipulation, as well as disparaging comments on appearance leading to shaving off of beard and losing weight, other MC hooks up with a 17 year old (sex not on page, would be legal in Britain where the book is set), f-slur (MC recounts fathers words), side-character is misgendered (Frankie from another book who has now adopted the pronouns they/them :))

Some Quotes
The MC doesn't realise at first that he's in an abusive relationship, here's just one quote:

"The last time I'd overlooked informing him a work meeting was running late had not turned out well. We'd rowed; it had become heated; in frustration, Cav had pushed me; the back of my head had smacked against the fridge. My fault, really. I'd behaved unreasonably. Warning him of the overrun wouldn't have been difficult. And in retrospect, the push was more of a shove out of his way. Nothing more than that. I took up a lot of space, he didn't know his own strength, and annoyance got the better of him.
He apologised afterward, of course, blaming it on end of term stress at school. The makeup sex had been phenomenal." (p. 36-37)

Meanwhile the other MC:

"I want to be the one marrying him."
"I know."
"He's not even talking to me."
"I know. And although he's trying to hide it from Cav [the abusive boyfriend], it's making him sad."
Dabbing carefully, although God knew my eye makeup was beyond saving, I carried on. "And it's ridiculous. I don't even believe in marriage. Not after my fucking parents. But I want to marry my best friend. I want him to propose to me when I'm least expecting it. And then I want to spend the rest of my life looking after him. Cooking him nice dinners and ironing his shirts. How bloody stupid is that?" (p. 102-103)

"For me, it's always been you" (p. 111)

"Kebabs before abs, flower." (p. 177)

"Mungo says I'm a natural. He said I top like I was born to it." His actual words had been, sweetheart, you top like you've read an instruction manual written in Swahili, and it's fucking adorable, but I wasn't the one to let the truth get in the way of a good story." (p. 233)

NSFW infos:
- both MCS about 30
- one is a smol twink with a barbell in the tip of his penis (5ft 6) self-proclaimed vers bottom
- one is a 6ft 3 lumberjack bearded bear ("The majority of London men wore soft checked shirts like they'd misplaced an axe in the vicinity of a bonfire back in 1995 and were still searching for it. Only a select few rocked them like their destiny. Mungo White squarely inhabited the latter camp." (p. 175))
- not strict top/bottom
- both out and gay

[Carol (§CoverLoverGirl§) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreaking and Hilarious Too

At last we get Milo and Mungo’s story and what a gem it is too. My favourite couple pairings is exactly like them, a femme OTT funny guy and the larger, sensible quiet type. Lots of fun.

Milo has dragged himself up and away from a horribly dysfunctional family that continue to make his life miserable. Luckily he has great friends, especially Mungo, who shields him from a lot of their invasions into his life.

They have been best friends since Uni and now 12 years later Milo wants more than friendship and he is stunned my Mungo’s response. But Mungo had been through this before with Milo, and had his heart broken.

Cloud White is a much grittier story than the two previous books in this ‘Nailed It’ series, it is also the most hilarious as Fearne Hill regales us with
An avalanche of British humour and expressions.

Grab a copy asap and get introduced to Mrs Erdogan in her Kebab shop which also serves as a Waxing Studio 😱😅😱😅. Also catch up with Frankie and Lysander (Cloud 10) Tristan and Dom, (Cloud 9).

Hopefully Fearne will give Simon the Fireman, featured here, a chance to tell us his story.

However, take heed if physical abuse within a relationship is triggering for you. Otherwise, there are so many occasions where you will ROTFL at the humour and sassiness here.

[Bethany (Bee_TheBibliophile) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow - what a ride. Milo and Mungo’s story wasn’t anything like I was expecting, but had me so invested every step of the way.

Milo and Mungo have been best friends since their first day at university when they became roommates and Mungo fell for Milo right then, but Milo was completely uninterested in love or a relationship. When Milo finally comes around, everything changes, breaking both of their hearts in the process even though Mungo put some distance between them to pursue a relationship with a guy he thinks is perfect.

After a while, Milo is lonely, feeling like he doesn’t have anyone to call his own and Mungo isn’t himself, becoming more and more of a shell every time he sees his friends, something Milo knows about all too well from his childhood. Milo picks up a stray in Danny, giving him someone to nurture while he’s waiting for the right time to confront Mungo about his relationship. And Mungo starts to question things more and more, especially his happiness and branches out to spend more time with his friend Milo again.

The story takes quite the turn and it’s even more heartbreaking and emotional, but seeing these two work through everything that happens together, along with Frankie + Lysander and Tristan + Dominic, was lovely to read, even when it was hard. The way Milo supports Mungo just told me they were made for each other, they just needed time to get to the same place together. I wish there was more of these two being happy together - there was so much heaviness throughout (except for Danny’s moments of levity) that I was itching for more Milo and Mungo sweetness.

Really enjoyed this one, despite the heavy content and difficult storylines. Definitely check out the TWs before diving in!

[The Secret Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4
Steam: 2
PoV: dual, 1st person
MM | friends to lovers | hurt / comfort | found family

Cloud White was a beautiful and heart wrenching story! My heart hurt for these men with their missed opportunity, pining and struggles.

It was an emotional read, Milo and Mungo’s friendship was so lovely and their pining for each other was both sweet and sad to read. These men were not on the same time line, and the book started with a move and some bad timing. It soon became obvious though that neither of them couldn’t move on, still holding on to the hope of being together.

Mungo went through a lot and it was heartbreaking to see him being broken down and criticised at every turn, and there were a few scenes that were really difficult to read. I felt like I could finally breathe once things were over between Mungo and Cav. Milo was so patient and sweet with Mungo though, and I liked how it added some complexity to his character, I honestly didn’t expect to see as much of those sides of him as I did.

I loved the slow building of their relationship and how well they communicated with each other, they were just so sweet together. Mungo needed time and while Milo appeared a little impatient at times, he gave Mungo the time and space that he needed. The found family was also amazing here, like a warm blanket of comfort and friendship - beautiful to read!

The characters, the portrayal and their feelings were realistic and so well written. Fearne Hill managed to write a sweet, gentle and thoughtful story despite the heavier scenes with domestic abuse. It was easy to be intrigued by Mungo and Milo, and I loved their story with their hard won HEA!

[Joyfully Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Joyfully Jay review.

4 stars

Cloud Nine is the third book in Hill’s Nailed It! series. I have not read the previous books and Milo and Mungo’s story mostly stands on its own. There are cameos from previous MCs, but they are a supporting cast and, while I did wonder if any of Milo and Mungo’s earlier story was in the prior books, I did know this was further into the series and it was not an issue.

While this book deals with a serious subject, it wasn’t an overly intense book for me. Mungo wants a forever relationship and he thought he found that with his new man, but his boyfriend is controlling and abusive and Mungo feels like it’s all his fault and doesn’t know how to get out.

Read Michelle's review in its entirety here.

[Linz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved Milo and Mungo and was happy to see the characters from past books. What I hate is when an Author does not give a satisfying beat down on the antagonist (Cav). Once again the protagonist (Mungo) takes the high road and the bad guy seems to just walk away. I want Authors to give us (although in real life it doesn't happen often because of corruption in the Justice system) an ending where we have total satisfaction and the bad guy gets the beat down of his life. We loose ourselves in books to forget the real world at times and it's sad that even in books we can't escape reality.

[Maryann Kafka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Milo and Mungo have been the best of friends. They’ve have known each other since college day as roommates and it continued as housemates. Their friendship never faded. They are both smart and work for the same vast law firm. Mungo deals with uncomplicated property conveyance, while Milo is in the upper echelon of complicated patents law. Five years ago Milo made a mistake and broke Mungo’s heart. Milo claims he wasn’t ready. Being young and foolish he had no concept of commitment and love. But all of a sudden Milo is ready to become more with Mungo, but it’s too late.

Milo and Mungo have a special circle of friends. The triplets: Maddie, Frankie and Tristan have all found their significant other. Frankie has Lysander; Tristan has Dominic; and Maddie has Darren, and baby Rosie. Milo really want’s what they all have and that’s someone to love and care for and he’s blown it once again.

Milo is shocked when he’s ready to make that all important move with Mungo, but Mungo has moved on. He tells Milo he has found someone else. Mungo has now moved out and lives with his new boyfriend, Cav. Although they continue their friendship it’s now become strained. They don’t see each other as much anymore. The circle of friends still keep in touch and have their little get togethers but some have picked up on a change in Mungo.

While Milo was still dealing with Mungo’s decision, he drowned his sorrows out clubbing and finds himself a very young hook-up. The next morning his hook-up, Danny, is still in his house. Danny has good reasons that he can’t go home but Milo has a good use for him, at a brunch date with his friends. But Milo isn’t free of Danny when he shows up on Milo’s doorstep. Milo has a big heart and can’t turn Danny away, when he hears Danny’s story. What happened between Danny and Milo was never going to happen again and with that he offers Danny the spare room. Under the inspection of Danny’s older brother Simon, Danny has full approval to stay, temporarily. Simon is a big burly fireman and is trying to find a place where he and Danny can live.

Milo still has a toxic and estranged connection with his family: Mother, Debbie and his sperm donor father, sister Karen and her husband Jason. Even the seldom times they come to his door, he has to hide his hurt and fear or they would find a way to use his weaknesses against him. He still deals with the abuse he witnessed growing up and he struggles to cut ties with his dysfunctional family. He always had Mungo around for that extra support, but now it’s different and he finds a new ally with Danny.

Even though it wasn’t like it used to be Mungo and Milo still find time to meet. For Mungo it comes with caution though. Mungo is trying his best to keep Cav happy. He’s changed his diet, can’t be late, clothes are different, he’ll do whatever to keep the love of his life happy. But is it working? Milo doesn’t like what he’s seeing, is he about to make another mistake with Mungo?

“Cloud White” by Fearne Hill shows the plight of two best friends that have gone their separate ways. It’s addresses the struggle of: Milo, Mungo and Danny who face a specific type of abuse that can come from: a dysfunctional family, homophobic parents and to those that claim love. The most important thing of all is they find a way to support each other as they hurt in their own ways.

The author also covers another tough subject about physical abuse. In Mungo’s case he may seem intimidating but he never raises a hand to anyone no matter what’s done to him. There’s also a decision to make, when to say something, when significant changes are noticed in a friend.

I love the relationship with Milo and Mungo. Milo is hyper but in a good way. He’s like the life of the party, always fun but smart as a whip. Mungo is like a giant teddy bear and has a big heart. His looks are intimidating but he wouldn’t hurt anyone. What finally get’s to grow between them is very beautiful and steamy.

I also like the addition of Danny. Danny and Rueben, bring lot’s of snark and humor to the story. They give the snarky teenager point of view to all that’s going on. Simon the brother/fire fighter adds a surprise to the tale but Mungo isn’t surprised at all. Maybe, Simon will get his own story.

If you want to read about Frankie and Lysander and Maddie and Darren give “Cloud Ten” a read. Tristan and Dominic are in “Cloud Nine”, and it was fun to get to visit with them all again in this story.

I highly recommend “Cloud White”, it’s has it’s moments of sadness, drama, humor with long lasting friendships. Fearne Hill does an outstanding job in addressing some hard subjects to give thought too. Well worth the read!

[Caz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've given this an A- at AAR, so 4.5 stars rounded up.

Fearne Hill’s Cloud White, third book in her Nailed It! series, is an angsty, emotional friends-to-lovers romance featuring long-time besties, Milo and Mungo, who, thanks to a combination of insecurities and bad timing have been dancing around each other for years. When we met them in the other books in the series, their connection leapt off the page and it was clear that Mungo was in unrequited love with Milo, who, we learn, had turned him down over five years ago, and has remained either deliberately oblivious or is simply not interested in confining his fabulousness to just one man.

But around a year before Cloud White begins, Milo finally realises he’s ready to change all that, that Mungo is it for him and he wants to cross that line they’ve never crossed, and stay there, with Mungo, forever. But when, after a night out, Milo finally makes his move, he’s too late. Mungo has met someone else.

Fast forward a year. It’s Saturday night and Milo is out on the pull. With all his best friends now happily coupled up, the loneliness staring him in the face is terrifying; he’s known for some time that this life is not one he wants any more, but, well… it’s what he’s got. He does find a guy to take home – Danny – who is, admittedly, a bit younger than the guys he normally goes for, but what the hell. His pick-up lines might leave a lot to be desired, but he’s good-looking, he’s keen and he’s energetic. He’s also still there the next morning – which was not the plan. Seeing him in the light of day, however, means Milo realises Danny is a LOT younger than he’d thought he was. When Danny said he was a student, Milo had assumed ‘university’ rather than ‘sixth form’. Oops.

But Milo doesn’t have time to worry about that right now because has a brunch date with Frankie, Lysander and the gang to get ready for and he’s already going to be late. When Danny tells him he can’t go home – he’s lost his keys and his phone, and his churchgoing parents won’t be home to let him in – Milo, knowing Mungo and his stuck-up boyfriend Cav will be at the pub as well, says Danny can tag along to brunch – and not to act surprised if he, er, exaggerates, the extent of their relationship.

If you’ve read the previous books in the series, then you’ll realise fairly quickly that the Mungo we meet here is somewhat different from the grounded, warm, open-hearted guy we’ve met before. He’s been with Cav for a year and they’ve lived together for the past three months, having bought a house with help from Cav’s wealthy parents, and although there are things Mungo wishes were different – Cav doesn’t like his friends much and is especially critical of Milo – he and Cav are a good fit, they have similar tastes and outlook and he’s happy. And if his stomach still does flip-flops when Milo appears, well, that’s just habit and a response he’s learned to ignore.

Fearne Hill is incredibly good at balancing the dark and light in her books, and here, the genuinely funny humour, the warmth of the friendships and the depth of the characterisation act as a beautiful counterpoint to the angst, the hurt and the soul-deep pining in the story. Domestic abuse – physical and emotional – plays a major part in the narrative, and Ms. Hill paints a very realistic picture of what happens and how it happens – the gradual isolation, the undermining of self-confidence, the gaslighting so that the victim begins to feel as though they deserve what’s happening and the growing belief that ‘if I could be better, then they won’t lash out’. It’s incredibly astute and superbly written – but it can be very hard to read, and may be triggering for some readers. She handles the aftermath incredibly well, too, as Mungo, with Milo’s unconditional love and support, begins to unpick what happened and start to find his way back to being Mungo again.

There are also a couple of secondary plots skilfully interwoven throughout the main storyline – one dealing with Milo’s relationship with his truly awful family, who are forever sponging off him, and another about Danny, whom Milo quickly recognises as a fellow sufferer/victim of abusive family dynamics. He offers Danny his spare room for a few months – when he’s eighteen, he can go to live with his brother, Simon – and Mungo, who had his suspicions from the moment he saw the pair of them together, realises Danny is not Milo’s boy-toy, but is one of his “collection of waifs and strays” – someone he’s trying to help. Danny is a wise head on young shoulders and the relationship that develops between him and Milo is incredibly sweet and full of snarky affection. One of the best, most insightful and poignant moments in the book appears in one of their conversations in the later part of the story when Milo, not wanting to be too specific but needing to say something about Mungo’s situation says simply – “He’s become one of us, Danny.” It’s heart-rending and perfect.

Cloud White is one of Fearne Hill’s best books to date, right up there with last year’s  Two Tribes , which made my Best of 2022 list. It was great to catch up with the Carter triplets and their other halves, and to experience the very real warmth and affection that underpins their relationships and interactions, and although I wish that Frankie or Tristan had seen what was going on with Mungo sooner, the fact that they don’t is testament to the fact that abusers like Cav are extremely good at what they do and know how to hide it. But the beating heart of the book is the beautiful, frustrating and heartfelt romance between Milo and Mungo, a relationship that positively oozes with longing between two people who love each other to bits but have to get their heads out of their arses to see and embrace the soul-deep connection that has always been there. Mungo has always been an intensely loveable character, and my heart broke for him over and over as he slowly morphs into someone almost unrecognisable – and Milo is a revelation; learning his backstory made it easier to understand why he turned Mungo down all those years ago, and I loved his fierce protectiveness of those he cares for – razor-sharp, abrasive and absolutely no-fucks-to-give, he’s definitely someone you’d want in your corner.

Insightful, honest, emotional, warm and funny, Cloud White may not be an easy read, but it’s an incredibly good one that will break your heart, make you laugh and make you want to throw things, sometimes all at once! On to the keeper shelf it goes.

Note for non-UK readers: sixth-form students are 16-19 years old.

This review originally appeared at All About Romance

[rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very nice story about two best friends who finally found their happy ending after twelve years of friendship and after several "wrong place, wrong time" situations.

I actually only wanted to read this book from the "Nailed It!" series, but I decided to have the complete experience and so I read the other two books as well.
So I can definitely say that I liked this book about Milo and Mungo the best (and subconsciously I probably knew that from the beginning).

Both Milo and Mungo were absolutely terrific characters with great chemistry and a really sweet love story.

The plot was good, but I didn't really like certain solutions to Milo's problems. But that's a matter of taste, I guess. And sometimes the plot was unnecessarily drawn out, which is why I was a bit bored (but really rather rarely).

Nevertheless, I liked the plot, but in my opinion the characters were the highlight of this book.

[Nicky J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why have I never read this author before?!

Apart from the use of what has to be the most cringe-worthy, overused phrase in the history of M/M storylines.... 'where he ends and I begin' or some version of that, this book was pretty near perfect.

I love a bit of snark in my reads and there were bucket loads of it in this little beauty, along with more than a few laugh out loud moments ... I'll say first time top and leave it at that, but just saying, it made my day 😂

There's also a very serious side to the story, which is handled very well, with a brilliant outcome, so that's another big positive.

This won't be my last foray into Fearne Hill land, I'm officially hooked.