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Stone Bay #3
Fallen Stars
An
MM, friends to lovers, small town romantic suspense
from USA Today Bestselling Author Persephone Autumn.
From the start, all I wanted was you. From the start, little did I know, you wanted me too.
An underlying current has always existed between us. An undeniable bond that keeps me tethered to my best friend. My person.
The man I have loved in secret for years.
I’ve wanted to tell him how I feel. Countless times, I’ve considered crossing the line but have resisted.
I’d rather love him in secret than lose him forever.
Over the years, we’ve avoided relationship conversations. Kept our rendezvous to ourselves.
But now, the subject is inescapable.
As his family pressures him to find a suitable match, he concocts a plan to appease them. Fake date the wealthy woman his parents set him up with… who happens to be in love with someone else.
When he relays the news, my hurt is written all over my face. Over and over, he promises me it’s not real.
Regardless, seeing them together twists my insides.
…until he pins me against my car and shows me where his heart truly lies.
As our love story begins, one test after another is thrown at us. As we fall deeper in love, our world becomes a living, breathing nightmare.
From the start, all I wanted was you. From the start, little did I know, you wanted me too.
An underlying current has always existed between us. An undeniable bond that keeps me tethered to my best friend. My person.
The man I have loved in secret for years.
I’ve wanted to tell him how I feel. Countless times, I’ve considered crossing the line but have resisted.
I’d rather love him in secret than lose him forever.
Over the years, we’ve avoided relationship conversations. Kept our rendezvous to ourselves.
But now, the subject is inescapable.
As his family pressures him to find a suitable match, he concocts a plan to appease them. Fake date the wealthy woman his parents set him up with… who happens to be in love with someone else.
When he relays the news, my hurt is written all over my face. Over and over, he promises me it’s not real.
Regardless, seeing them together twists my insides.
…until he pins me against my car and shows me where his heart truly lies.
As our love story begins, one test after another is thrown at us. As we fall deeper in love, our world becomes a living, breathing nightmare.
361 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 27, 2024
11 people are currently reading
81 people want to read
About the author
Persephone Autumn
49 books326 followersUSA Today Bestselling Author Persephone Autumn lives in Florida with her wife, crazy dog, and two lover-boy cats. A proud mom with a cuckoo grandpup. An ethnic food enthusiast who has fun discovering ways to veganize her favorite non-vegan foods. If given the opportunity, she would intentionally get lost in nature.
For years, Persephone did some form of writing; mostly journaling or poetry. After pairing her poetry with images and posting them online, she began the journey of writing her first novel.
She mainly writes romance and poetry, but on occasion dips her toes in other works. Look for her non-romance publications under P. Autumn.
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For years, Persephone did some form of writing; mostly journaling or poetry. After pairing her poetry with images and posting them online, she began the journey of writing her first novel.
She mainly writes romance and poetry, but on occasion dips her toes in other works. Look for her non-romance publications under P. Autumn.
Stay up to date with Persephone!
Newsletter
Connect with Persephone!
Reader's Group
Book Bub
Binge Books
Amazon
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
June 23, 2024
In this life and every other possible existence, my soul unequivocally recognizes his.
❥ Dual POV
❥ MM Romance
❥ Small town meets dark-ish
❥ Best Friends to Lovers
❥ Different Social Classes
❥ Fake Dating (not between the MCs)
❥ Mutual Pining
❥ “Fuck it” moment
❥ Public rendezvous
❥ Hacker
❥ Local Rockstar (Drummer)
Fallen Stars is the third book in the Stone Bay series. I haven’t read the previous books, and I don’t feel like I was missing any crucial information, but I did gather that Stone Bay is a small town where a few pretty horrible things have happened, like kidnapping and ualiving. These things seem to revolve around a friend group, where three of the friends have had their book (one as a prequel for the series) and now it’s Oliver’s turn. Oliver is one of our guys in Fallen Stars.
Oliver is an out and proud gay man with a loving family, great friends, and a best friend, Levi, who he’s been deeply in love with for years.
Levi West is part of one of the seven founding families of Stone Bay, which means that his family has some pretty big expectations as to what Levi will do with his life, including who he’ll eventually marry. So far Levi has managed to steer away from his father’s plans involving politics, but he’s still being set up with the town’s acceptable women with the hope that Levi will settle down and marry. What no one knows is, Levi isn’t interested in any of those women, he’s interested in Oliver.
It’s clear that Oliver and Levi are more than best friends, but they’re both afraid to take that next step. Oliver is not sure if Levi really is interested, and Levi is supposedly straight. Then Levi starts fake dating one of the women his parents have been setting him up with, and everything changes, and then we get one of the best “fúck it” moments I’ve ever read *melts*.
Oliver and Levi’s love story begins, but their happiness doesn’t last for very long….
OH MY GOD how this book broke my heart. I was sobbing so loudly, I have tears in my eyes just thinking about what happened still. I wasn’t prepared for the things that went down in this book. The book is described as “dark-ish” … there is nothing ISH about it. It was pretty dark. I’ve read a lot of dark books, and this was dark. I’m not complaining though, because I actually struggled a little bit with the first half of the book, I felt maybe a little tiny bit disinterested. BUT THEN IT HAPPENED! I can’t tell you what, but it happened, and I was reading until 2 am because I couldn’t put the book down. I just NEEDED to know how it would all end, and if Oliver and Levi would get their HEA in the end.
Their story is beautifully written, I felt their love and their pain. I really enjoyed the last half of the book, even though it broke my heart and made me cry, but their road to healing was beautiful and raw, and I loved it.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
Read the full review on my blog here.
June 12, 2024
Levi + Oliver
-mm romance
-friends to lovers
-mutual pining
-different social classes
mm, childhood best friends to lovers, mutual pining but with angst, ones in a band & he writes his songs about him, the others a hacker. it’s small town dark vibes tho…like ptsd messed up dark there for a second 😭😭😭😭 i loved them!!!
-mm romance
-friends to lovers
-mutual pining
-different social classes
mm, childhood best friends to lovers, mutual pining but with angst, ones in a band & he writes his songs about him, the others a hacker. it’s small town dark vibes tho…like ptsd messed up dark there for a second 😭😭😭😭 i loved them!!!
August 5, 2024
First of all, I want to highlight that despite this book not appearing to be a dark romance (and I don't think it is), it touches VERY HEAVY themes, the author takes the suspense to another level, and there were moments when I had to stop reading because of how intense it was. READ the content warnings for this book before starting.
Now, about the story: BUT WHAT A STORY! I had been eagerly anticipating this book since I found out it would be an MM romance combined with my love for the previous book and the author's writing style that I was thrilled when I finally read it and it didn't disappoint. The story of Oliver and Levi had me in tears late at night (and not the pretty kind), but it was absolutely worth it.
Two friends who cared for each other but couldn't act on their feelings (believing the other felt nothing) because Levi's family is wealthy and Oliver's isn't, social differences? I guess but that didn't stop a beautiful friendship forming between them. As the years pass, Levi works in his own security and investigation company with one of his closest friends. Now, here's where things get darker: he has to investigate the disappearance of a teenager and he gets so deeply involved in the case that you feel everything he's feeling reading every word, every search hurts and buries him in a dark place and as a reader, you experience that too. Meanwhile, in the middle of all this, he's trying to have a relationship with Oliver, our guy, the local band's drummer, and one of the best characters I've ever read. Their relationship is beautiful because it's full of emotions, and I loved that Levi didn't stay quiet in front of his family... I was rooting for him all the time!!
While I don't want to give you spoilers (I may edit this review later and post them) it has a tremendous plot twist that I didn't see coming, that left me staring at the wall for minutes processing everything and I tell you that alone made me give it this rating.
I liked the ending, it left me without emotional stability but I liked it, I liked seeing previous characters being happy and good friends for Oliver and Levi. Without a doubt this book left a big mark on me.
I say again, read the content warnings before you start reading.
📌 I received an e-arc, and this is my honest opinion/review of it.
---
Primero que nada quiero destacar que a pesar de que este libro no se ve como un dark romance (y no creo que lo sea) toca temas MUY FUERTES, el suspenso la autora lo lleva a otro nivel, hubo momentos en los que tuve que dejar de leer por lo fuerte que son, lean las advertencias de contenido de este libro antes de empezar a leerlo.
Ahora con la historia: ¡PERO QUÉ HISTORIA! A ver, que yo estaba esperando este libro desde hace un tiempo desde que supe que sería un mm romance, además de que el libro anterior me gusto mucho y sumándole a eso la forma de escribir de la autora me encantó y ahora que por fin lo leí no me decepcionó, la historia de Oliver y Levi me hizo llorar en medio de la noche (y no un llanto bonito) pero valió completamente la pena.
Dos amigos, que se querían pero no podían hacer nada (y entre ellos creían que el otro no sentía nada) ya que la familia de Levi es rica y la de Olivier no ¿diferencias sociales? díganos que si pero eso no impidió que una amistad hermosa se formará entre ellos, pasan los años y Levi trabaja en su propia empresa de seguridad e investigación con uno de sus amigos más cercanos, ahora aquí es donde todo se pone más oscuro porque el tiene que investigar la desaparición de una adolesente, él se mete tanto en la investigación que tu sientes todo lo que él está sintiendo, cómo leer cada palabra, cada búsqueda le hacía daño y lo enterraba en un lugar oscuro pero tu como lector sientes eso también y mientras todo eso está pasando, está intentando tener una relación con Oliver, nuestro chico, nuestro baterista de la banda local y una de las mejores personas que pude leer, su relación es bonita porque vuelos sentimientos y me encanto que Levi no se quedara callado, yo solo estaba animando por el.
Si bien no quiero darles spoiler (puede ser que más adelante edite esta reseña y los coloque) tiene un tremendo plot twist que no vi venir, que me dejó mirando a la pared por minutos terminando de procesar todo y les digo que solo eso hizo que le diera esta calificación.
El final me gusto, me dejo sin estabilidad emocional pero me gusto, me gusto ver a personajes anteriores siendo felices y buenos amigos para Oliver y Levi, sin duda este libro dejó una gran marca en mi.
Vuelvo a decir, lean las advertencias de contenido antes de empezar a leer.
Now, about the story: BUT WHAT A STORY! I had been eagerly anticipating this book since I found out it would be an MM romance combined with my love for the previous book and the author's writing style that I was thrilled when I finally read it and it didn't disappoint. The story of Oliver and Levi had me in tears late at night (and not the pretty kind), but it was absolutely worth it.
Two friends who cared for each other but couldn't act on their feelings (believing the other felt nothing) because Levi's family is wealthy and Oliver's isn't, social differences? I guess but that didn't stop a beautiful friendship forming between them. As the years pass, Levi works in his own security and investigation company with one of his closest friends. Now, here's where things get darker: he has to investigate the disappearance of a teenager and he gets so deeply involved in the case that you feel everything he's feeling reading every word, every search hurts and buries him in a dark place and as a reader, you experience that too. Meanwhile, in the middle of all this, he's trying to have a relationship with Oliver, our guy, the local band's drummer, and one of the best characters I've ever read. Their relationship is beautiful because it's full of emotions, and I loved that Levi didn't stay quiet in front of his family... I was rooting for him all the time!!
While I don't want to give you spoilers (I may edit this review later and post them) it has a tremendous plot twist that I didn't see coming, that left me staring at the wall for minutes processing everything and I tell you that alone made me give it this rating.
I liked the ending, it left me without emotional stability but I liked it, I liked seeing previous characters being happy and good friends for Oliver and Levi. Without a doubt this book left a big mark on me.
I say again, read the content warnings before you start reading.
📌 I received an e-arc, and this is my honest opinion/review of it.
---
Primero que nada quiero destacar que a pesar de que este libro no se ve como un dark romance (y no creo que lo sea) toca temas MUY FUERTES, el suspenso la autora lo lleva a otro nivel, hubo momentos en los que tuve que dejar de leer por lo fuerte que son, lean las advertencias de contenido de este libro antes de empezar a leerlo.
Ahora con la historia: ¡PERO QUÉ HISTORIA! A ver, que yo estaba esperando este libro desde hace un tiempo desde que supe que sería un mm romance, además de que el libro anterior me gusto mucho y sumándole a eso la forma de escribir de la autora me encantó y ahora que por fin lo leí no me decepcionó, la historia de Oliver y Levi me hizo llorar en medio de la noche (y no un llanto bonito) pero valió completamente la pena.
Dos amigos, que se querían pero no podían hacer nada (y entre ellos creían que el otro no sentía nada) ya que la familia de Levi es rica y la de Olivier no ¿diferencias sociales? díganos que si pero eso no impidió que una amistad hermosa se formará entre ellos, pasan los años y Levi trabaja en su propia empresa de seguridad e investigación con uno de sus amigos más cercanos, ahora aquí es donde todo se pone más oscuro porque el tiene que investigar la desaparición de una adolesente, él se mete tanto en la investigación que tu sientes todo lo que él está sintiendo, cómo leer cada palabra, cada búsqueda le hacía daño y lo enterraba en un lugar oscuro pero tu como lector sientes eso también y mientras todo eso está pasando, está intentando tener una relación con Oliver, nuestro chico, nuestro baterista de la banda local y una de las mejores personas que pude leer, su relación es bonita porque vuelos sentimientos y me encanto que Levi no se quedara callado, yo solo estaba animando por el.
Si bien no quiero darles spoiler (puede ser que más adelante edite esta reseña y los coloque) tiene un tremendo plot twist que no vi venir, que me dejó mirando a la pared por minutos terminando de procesar todo y les digo que solo eso hizo que le diera esta calificación.
El final me gusto, me dejo sin estabilidad emocional pero me gusto, me gusto ver a personajes anteriores siendo felices y buenos amigos para Oliver y Levi, sin duda este libro dejó una gran marca en mi.
Vuelvo a decir, lean las advertencias de contenido antes de empezar a leer.
June 26, 2024
This is one of those books that is going to stay with me for a really long time. Persephone Autumn has given us a book filled with so much long, yet so much trauma at the same time. This book made me an absolute anxious and emotional mess.
Please read trigger warnings before reading this book as there are some dark descriptive scenes that will be hard to read.
🖤MM romance
🖤Dark themes
🖤Small town romance
🖤Best friends to lovers
🖤Mutual pining
🖤Trauma filled scenes
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
Spice level: 🌶️.5
Angst level: 💔💔💔💔
Oliver and Levi have been friends for years. Oliver is an out gay man and Levi is presumed straight. Yet the two of them have always had a bond that exceeds anything else.
And when Levi has to fake date a woman that his family is pushing on him, it forces feelings to be spoken out loud. I loved how Levi was finally able to express and show Oliver what he wanted.
These two have so much love for each other and that is just proven in every day life. But their journey throughout this book is not an easy one. It seems that they both find their happiness within each other, until something threatens to take it all away.
Man, I have read some books with darker themes before, but I was not prepared for this one after falling in love with all of the characters in this book, not just the MCs. I don't want to spoil anything, but there is one character in particular that goes through the unthinkable and we get their POV during that journey, as well as the POV from those surrounding that character. My god the tears would not stop. The way that Persephone wrote those scenes truly broke my heart. Like absolutely DESTROYED it.
This is one of those books that will live rent free in my mind for a long time. While this book involves a lot of emotional and traumatic scenes, there is a HEA.
Please read trigger warnings before reading this book as there are some dark descriptive scenes that will be hard to read.
🖤MM romance
🖤Dark themes
🖤Small town romance
🖤Best friends to lovers
🖤Mutual pining
🖤Trauma filled scenes
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
Spice level: 🌶️.5
Angst level: 💔💔💔💔
Oliver and Levi have been friends for years. Oliver is an out gay man and Levi is presumed straight. Yet the two of them have always had a bond that exceeds anything else.
And when Levi has to fake date a woman that his family is pushing on him, it forces feelings to be spoken out loud. I loved how Levi was finally able to express and show Oliver what he wanted.
These two have so much love for each other and that is just proven in every day life. But their journey throughout this book is not an easy one. It seems that they both find their happiness within each other, until something threatens to take it all away.
Man, I have read some books with darker themes before, but I was not prepared for this one after falling in love with all of the characters in this book, not just the MCs. I don't want to spoil anything, but there is one character in particular that goes through the unthinkable and we get their POV during that journey, as well as the POV from those surrounding that character. My god the tears would not stop. The way that Persephone wrote those scenes truly broke my heart. Like absolutely DESTROYED it.
This is one of those books that will live rent free in my mind for a long time. While this book involves a lot of emotional and traumatic scenes, there is a HEA.
July 3, 2024
Ollie has loved his best friend, Levi, in secret for years. He'd rather keep his feelings to himself than lose his best friend forever. Now that they are older, Levi's family has been putting more pressure on him to find the right girl. So Levi comes up with a plan to fake date a woman his parents have been trying to set him up with. A woman who loves another man. When Levi tells Ollie his plan, Ollie's hurt is evident even though Levi promises it's fake. A couple of days later, Levi can't hold in his feelings anymore, and he kisses Ollie against his car. They are so happy to finally start their relationship, but it gets derailed by unforseen events.
There's nothing I love more than a great friends to lovers romance. Ollie and Levi were two friends who were pining for each other for years, but were both afraid to take the next step and ruin their friendship. From the blurb, I thought I was only getting a sweet friends to lovers book. Little did I know, I was getting a darker romance book. This is fine by me because I love a good dark romance, but readers, please read the trigger warnings because this one gets really dark. This wasn't what I was expecting at all, and it completely took me by surprise. I'm not giving away any spoilers here because this book gets really dark and really good! Fair warning for all my smut loving friends, this is a book you read for the love story between Ollie and Levi rather than the spice. This one did not disappoint!
There's nothing I love more than a great friends to lovers romance. Ollie and Levi were two friends who were pining for each other for years, but were both afraid to take the next step and ruin their friendship. From the blurb, I thought I was only getting a sweet friends to lovers book. Little did I know, I was getting a darker romance book. This is fine by me because I love a good dark romance, but readers, please read the trigger warnings because this one gets really dark. This wasn't what I was expecting at all, and it completely took me by surprise. I'm not giving away any spoilers here because this book gets really dark and really good! Fair warning for all my smut loving friends, this is a book you read for the love story between Ollie and Levi rather than the spice. This one did not disappoint!
June 17, 2024
{Fallen stars}
Arc review by Jessie Melka
__________•__________
“Fuck… I see that smile every time I close my eyes now. I jerk off to that smile no less than three times a week. I lose myself in fantasies of the future because of that damn smile.”
Fallen stars is a MM best friends to lovers with a twist of dark themes (be aware that this book might be triggering for some people some of the triggers are not mentioned in the start a of the book so just be careful. Including kidnapping, rape/Sa and violence)
Levi is a computer scientist and an expert in cyber security his best friend Oliver play music and write songs they both been pining for each other for years but Levi has never had the confidence to confront his feelings.
Until he screws up by recommending to who he thought was friend that they should start fake dating so their parents would back off and they could both be with the people they love but watching the hurt in Oliver’s eyes was the final straw and gave him the courage to do what he should’ve done years ago
This actually took me by surprise. I was not expecting to like this book as much as I did, but it was really well written and had an amazing plot, although pretty heavy
Although this book was a standalone, there was some parts that had me a bit confused and references to the other books that I might have liked to know before reading this part but luckily I was still able to follow the storyline under my brief confusion
“Leaning forward, I press into him, rest my head on his shoulder, and clutch the cotton of his shirt. Breathe in his leather and musk scent with a hint of something distinctly Oliver. I melt into him and let the world disappear.”
Levi and Oliver as a whole has such amazing chemistry and their friendship is equally as beautiful as they are as a couple
Ollie was such a great support for Levi after everything that happened and Levi is such a strong person and I’m really proud of how strong he was through it all
I usually read books with a great amount of spice but in some cases like this one it wasn’t really that necessary there wasn’t really that much of it and I’m actually really satisfied with it as they didn’t really need the physical connection because of their uniquely strong mental connection and chemistry. It was like they just understood each other’s thoughts without even saying a word.
I would’ve liked to see a bit more about Levi’s healing process through his trauma and everything he went through as well as how Oli and Levi dealt with it
I would like to recommend this if you’re someone who loves to read friends to love us with some dark themes and twists here and there I gave this book a 4/5 and I think I’m pretty happy about that rating
~I RECEIVED THIS ARC FOR FREE IN EXCHANGE FOR MY HONEST OPINION~
💻mutual pining
🥁friends to lovers
💻angst
🥁 human trafficking
💻 dark ish romance
__________•__________
June 27, 2024
"In the shadows we hide. Forever mine, until every star falls from the sky."
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Fallen Stars, Book #3 in the Stone Bay series, was seriously captivating, terrifying and had twists I didn’t see coming!
Levi West & Oliver Moss have been friends since childhood in the small town of Stone Bay, and they have been pining for one another in secret for 7 years. Levi’s oppressive, upper class family has always kept them strictly as friends. But as the years pass, Levi distances himself from his family’s controlling wealth by co-founding his own security & investigation firm, which is hired to investigate the disappearance of a teenage girl. The more involved he becomes in the human trafficking case & unearthing unimaginable horrors, the more he finds love & comfort with Ollie. Just as their love story begins, their world shifts and becomes a living nightmare.
✨ MM, dark romance
💻 Hacker x Drummer
🖤 Best friends to lovers
🔥 “F—ck It” moment
✨ Fake dating scheme
🎵 Mutual pining & angst
This is not your typical friends to lovers romance and it’s hard to review without spoilers, but I really enjoyed it! It has two converging stories: Levi and Ollie’s heartwarming journey from friends to lovers, and the traumatic events that transpire from Levi’s investigative work.
Once Levi & Ollie admit their feelings, their chemistry was SIZZLING HOT!! They have to fight obstacles & complicated family dynamics to find love, but they’re all the stronger for it. Until one night, everything changes for them.
This leads us into the heavy & dark contents following the “event”. Fallen Stars is described as dark-ish, but I probably wouldn’t recommend it to a new dark romance reader. As difficult as some of the content was to read, the intrigue and suspence in this story kept me on the edge of my seat to see what was going to happen! Ollie’s passion for music & his song lyrics tie both sides of the story so beautifully. There is a lot of pain in this book, but Levi & Ollie’s love conquering all is the real gem worth waiting for.
Thank you Persephone and @theauthor.agency for the ARC!
July 1, 2024
A story of two friends, two friends that have feelings for each other that the other had no knowledge of, that won't act on them in fear of losing their connection(even as friends). They both have their luggage's, they both bottle up some things, they are both from diffrend worlds(Levi's family is walthy while Oliver's not).One more than the other. But their story is so good and their coming together is so worth the wait....And even though is not listed as a dark romance(but just a dark-ish!)....well Levi's work( a private invesgigator)and what he deals with makes it dark on the way.
Oliver is a drummer in a local band and he is the best character I could have asked for such a reading, with great friends and a loving family. And though through the story I was tremendously saddened and teared, at the end of it all , their growth, their love, the way they supported each other and the way they healed was unbelievably beautiful...
It's the first book I read from this author but, Persephone Autumn did the unthinkable for me with a new to me author. ..She made me fear, tear, make me feel pain , anguish, hope, love, happiness....All the feelings you can imagine...So 4.6 🌟 for it
Oliver is a drummer in a local band and he is the best character I could have asked for such a reading, with great friends and a loving family. And though through the story I was tremendously saddened and teared, at the end of it all , their growth, their love, the way they supported each other and the way they healed was unbelievably beautiful...
It's the first book I read from this author but, Persephone Autumn did the unthinkable for me with a new to me author. ..She made me fear, tear, make me feel pain , anguish, hope, love, happiness....All the feelings you can imagine...So 4.6 🌟 for it
July 1, 2024
Favorite quote:
"Only death will rip us apart. Even then, my soul will raze the universe to find his. "
Ollie and Levi have been best friends for almost 10 years and Ollie has loved Levi for just as long. Since Levi is straight, Ollie has kept his feelings to himself even though lately he feels Levi looking at him a different way. He doesn't want to get hurt or ruin their friendship so he stays quiet until one night Levi kisses him and lets him know that he too wants to be more than friends. Ollie and Levi have many obstacles in their way including Levi's father who wants him to marry a rich socialite in town and a job that Levi has been working on that he may have gotten in too deep.
I love Ollie and Levi's relationship and how they support each other and fight for each other. I would definitely recommend checking trigger warnings with this one since one of the characters is kidnapped and abused but overall I would recommend this one. I will definitely be catching up on the rest of the series.
"Only death will rip us apart. Even then, my soul will raze the universe to find his. "
Ollie and Levi have been best friends for almost 10 years and Ollie has loved Levi for just as long. Since Levi is straight, Ollie has kept his feelings to himself even though lately he feels Levi looking at him a different way. He doesn't want to get hurt or ruin their friendship so he stays quiet until one night Levi kisses him and lets him know that he too wants to be more than friends. Ollie and Levi have many obstacles in their way including Levi's father who wants him to marry a rich socialite in town and a job that Levi has been working on that he may have gotten in too deep.
I love Ollie and Levi's relationship and how they support each other and fight for each other. I would definitely recommend checking trigger warnings with this one since one of the characters is kidnapped and abused but overall I would recommend this one. I will definitely be catching up on the rest of the series.
June 27, 2024
Levi & Oliver. Oh boy, this book, this couple, this author DID IT!!! This book was a massive hell yeah for me. I can't even tell you how excited I was for the teaser so when I got the chance to read it, I was soooooooooo honored. I love mm romance and I knew I was going to LOVE this masterpiece. 🩵
Oh my, their history was so breathtaking and beautiful in so many ways, the way Oliver has a cute nickname for Levi was absolutely so adorable! I also love the fact that this book give really dark vibes at some point, it was really good from the author do to that. Because lemme tell you something, their story is really beautiful but also really painful. I felt everything their were feeling... And at the end I just cried because I was so happy that they finally had their happy ending.
Anyway, this book was really good and the writing was amazing for me. 🙏🏼
Oh my, their history was so breathtaking and beautiful in so many ways, the way Oliver has a cute nickname for Levi was absolutely so adorable! I also love the fact that this book give really dark vibes at some point, it was really good from the author do to that. Because lemme tell you something, their story is really beautiful but also really painful. I felt everything their were feeling... And at the end I just cried because I was so happy that they finally had their happy ending.
Anyway, this book was really good and the writing was amazing for me. 🙏🏼
June 27, 2024
Y’all!!! This book was written so beautifully! If I could give it more than five stars I would. Definitely worth 100+!
While reading I was smiling then crying then smiling again. Then if that wasn’t enough I was thrown for a complete plot twist half way through. But you know what.. that made it an exceptional read. I felt so much on every page.
Oliver and Levi had me melting. You could literally feel the love between them in every moment. They both had me an emotional wreck. I could feel their pain and their heartbreak. I could go on and on about how much this book means to me. I will be reading this book again over and over because it’s that special to me. Persephone you wrote this book beautifully and I can’t wait to read more from you!
While reading I was smiling then crying then smiling again. Then if that wasn’t enough I was thrown for a complete plot twist half way through. But you know what.. that made it an exceptional read. I felt so much on every page.
Oliver and Levi had me melting. You could literally feel the love between them in every moment. They both had me an emotional wreck. I could feel their pain and their heartbreak. I could go on and on about how much this book means to me. I will be reading this book again over and over because it’s that special to me. Persephone you wrote this book beautifully and I can’t wait to read more from you!
June 25, 2024
OMG this book was utter perfection. Persephone Autumn hit this right out of the ball park and I am privileged to have been along for the ride. This book was intense, emotional and heart wrenching and no matter how hard I cried I could not put it down. I have been a long time fan of this author and this book only cemented my faith in her writing. Please read the trigger warnings because this book is dark and to an extent it is not for the feint at heart. Levi and Oliver were wonderful characters and you will fall in love with them and their story. I loved it so much and I applaud Persephone Autumn for delivering another amazing book. Highly recommend!
June 20, 2024
This is one hell of an intense read. Please be sure to read the content warnings as there are several subjects that may be triggering for some.
Oliver and Levi's friendship has years of history but with one big secret, Oliver's crush on Levi. Levi's hand is now being forced by his parents' determination to marry a nice girl from the 'right' family and so he comes up with the plan of a fake relationship. It finally brings things to a head, though, and has the two men facing what they feel for each other.
In regards to the romance and relationship, I enjoyed how that developed for the two men. Oliver has been in love with levi for so long but it feels that the same can be said for levi, but probably without him knowing for a while. They're so supportive and loving of each other, but that really comes into play when the case that Levi has been working on blows up in his face.
Human trafficking is something that is not for the faint of heart to work on and Levi slowly works his way down to the pits, trying to find the link between the sudden spike of missing people. He and his business partner, Tymber, never could have imagined it going so far but when Levi becomes directly involved, it's chaos, pain and the hunt is on before it's too late.
A story full of love and affection, both in friendship and romance but that becomes overshadowed by the darker side of life, the missing people and what they go through. The author doesn't shy away from those moments, being right there with the victims but I did like that we get to see the recovery of one, how they work to move forward. Again, please read to trigger warnings before reading.
I received an ARC and am happily giving a review.
Oliver and Levi's friendship has years of history but with one big secret, Oliver's crush on Levi. Levi's hand is now being forced by his parents' determination to marry a nice girl from the 'right' family and so he comes up with the plan of a fake relationship. It finally brings things to a head, though, and has the two men facing what they feel for each other.
In regards to the romance and relationship, I enjoyed how that developed for the two men. Oliver has been in love with levi for so long but it feels that the same can be said for levi, but probably without him knowing for a while. They're so supportive and loving of each other, but that really comes into play when the case that Levi has been working on blows up in his face.
Human trafficking is something that is not for the faint of heart to work on and Levi slowly works his way down to the pits, trying to find the link between the sudden spike of missing people. He and his business partner, Tymber, never could have imagined it going so far but when Levi becomes directly involved, it's chaos, pain and the hunt is on before it's too late.
A story full of love and affection, both in friendship and romance but that becomes overshadowed by the darker side of life, the missing people and what they go through. The author doesn't shy away from those moments, being right there with the victims but I did like that we get to see the recovery of one, how they work to move forward. Again, please read to trigger warnings before reading.
I received an ARC and am happily giving a review.
June 24, 2024
Oliver is a drummer in a local band called Hailey’s Fire and has had a crush on his best friend, Levi, since they were teenager.
Levi is a genius hacker working at a security and investigation services with a good friend and is asked to search for a missing teenager and multiple others.
Oh my lord. I was hooked from the very beginning! Even as teenagers there was something growing between Levi and Oliver that was more than friendship, but weren’t ready to admit their feelings for each other, not until seven years later. The buildup from their relationship going from to being friends who have struggled with their feelings for each other to finally admitting their feelings and want to be with each other was absolute perfection!! They complimented each other so well! I liked the fact that the author focuses a lot on the plot and suspense and not so much spice, but what spice there was, was so hot!! I liked seeing the two previous couples in the series and their relationship from Oliver’s perspective and seeing how each of their relationships grow. This book was so much more than a small town un-aliver and I liked how different it was from the previous books. It was so heartbreaking to read. I absolutely loved Oliver and Levi’s story and how their relationship persevered through the hardships they had to endure and how it showed how each of them both struggled to go back to normal in the aftermath of Levi’s kidnapping and how they leaned on each other for comfort and safety.
I 100% recommend this book if you like small town, romantic suspense, genius hackers and hot drummers!! Also, please check for trigger warnings, there are some dark themes in this book!
Levi is a genius hacker working at a security and investigation services with a good friend and is asked to search for a missing teenager and multiple others.
Oh my lord. I was hooked from the very beginning! Even as teenagers there was something growing between Levi and Oliver that was more than friendship, but weren’t ready to admit their feelings for each other, not until seven years later. The buildup from their relationship going from to being friends who have struggled with their feelings for each other to finally admitting their feelings and want to be with each other was absolute perfection!! They complimented each other so well! I liked the fact that the author focuses a lot on the plot and suspense and not so much spice, but what spice there was, was so hot!! I liked seeing the two previous couples in the series and their relationship from Oliver’s perspective and seeing how each of their relationships grow. This book was so much more than a small town un-aliver and I liked how different it was from the previous books. It was so heartbreaking to read. I absolutely loved Oliver and Levi’s story and how their relationship persevered through the hardships they had to endure and how it showed how each of them both struggled to go back to normal in the aftermath of Levi’s kidnapping and how they leaned on each other for comfort and safety.
I 100% recommend this book if you like small town, romantic suspense, genius hackers and hot drummers!! Also, please check for trigger warnings, there are some dark themes in this book!
June 27, 2024
Arc Review~
𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 - 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐦𝐧
This is my first MM romance, and holy shit did I fall in love with it!
This book took 𝐬𝐨 many turns that I didn’t expect and I’m still recovering! I’m gonna act like I didn’t cry a time or 2 either until I got to the ending.
This is the 3rd book to the Stone Bay Series, though they are all stand-alone.
Oliver, one of the main characters is openly gay and living with secret love for his best friend since they were teenagers.
Levi, the other MC, is from a very prominent political family in the small town of Stone Bay. He’s felt like more of a friend for Ollie, but was always too scared to act on it.
While Oliver is being a bands rockstar drummer, Levi is running his cyber security company with a very crucial job.
𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞:
❥Dual POV
❥small-town
❥dark-ish
❥bffs to lovers
❥mutual pining
❥fake dating (not between mc’s)
I hope you all enjoy this book as much as I did 🥲 good luck.
𝐀𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬, Persephone Autumn, thank you so much for the ARC opportunity!
𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 - 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐦𝐧
This is my first MM romance, and holy shit did I fall in love with it!
This book took 𝐬𝐨 many turns that I didn’t expect and I’m still recovering! I’m gonna act like I didn’t cry a time or 2 either until I got to the ending.
This is the 3rd book to the Stone Bay Series, though they are all stand-alone.
Oliver, one of the main characters is openly gay and living with secret love for his best friend since they were teenagers.
Levi, the other MC, is from a very prominent political family in the small town of Stone Bay. He’s felt like more of a friend for Ollie, but was always too scared to act on it.
While Oliver is being a bands rockstar drummer, Levi is running his cyber security company with a very crucial job.
𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞:
❥Dual POV
❥small-town
❥dark-ish
❥bffs to lovers
❥mutual pining
❥fake dating (not between mc’s)
I hope you all enjoy this book as much as I did 🥲 good luck.
𝐀𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬, Persephone Autumn, thank you so much for the ARC opportunity!
June 29, 2024
Fallen Stars!
Oliver is out and proud he’s in a band and loves his job, his friends, and his family. The drums make him happy but not as half as his best friend. But we won’t go there yet! Everything is awesome in until it’s not.
Levi is not out but definitely is in love with his best friend! He’s got a family he’s not really fond of but he’s got a job that makes him happy and a few friends he would do anything for! Then when he puts his life on the line for his job the unthinkable happens!
This book had me on my toes! Being my first book by Persephone Autumn and jumping into the 3rd book in the series I was definitely excepting to be a little confused but there wasn’t really any holes that I didn’t pick up!
Oliver is out and proud he’s in a band and loves his job, his friends, and his family. The drums make him happy but not as half as his best friend. But we won’t go there yet! Everything is awesome in until it’s not.
Levi is not out but definitely is in love with his best friend! He’s got a family he’s not really fond of but he’s got a job that makes him happy and a few friends he would do anything for! Then when he puts his life on the line for his job the unthinkable happens!
This book had me on my toes! Being my first book by Persephone Autumn and jumping into the 3rd book in the series I was definitely excepting to be a little confused but there wasn’t really any holes that I didn’t pick up!
June 25, 2024
I received this as an ARC for an honest review.
This story follows Levi & Oliver two best friends. Both are in love with each other but are afraid to admit it. Levi is out and Oliver is not. He comes from a prominent family. Instead of being who he is, he lets his family set him up with women.
I thought I was going into this book as a small town, best friends to lovers book and got a small town with darkish themes. (Please check TW’s). This was my first time reading Persephone’s book. She took me on a ride I didn’t expect. I couldn’t put this book down. Just when I think I know where it’s going she switches it up and gives a love story that was heartbreakingly beautiful. It was intense but Persephone just woven the beautiful relationship from friends to lovers even with the darker themes. I felt like I was right there with these characters and seeing how they were going to move forward. Overall this book gave me everything that I love in a book. Best friends to lovers and of course the angst. Again this deals with heavy themes so please check your TW’s.
This story follows Levi & Oliver two best friends. Both are in love with each other but are afraid to admit it. Levi is out and Oliver is not. He comes from a prominent family. Instead of being who he is, he lets his family set him up with women.
I thought I was going into this book as a small town, best friends to lovers book and got a small town with darkish themes. (Please check TW’s). This was my first time reading Persephone’s book. She took me on a ride I didn’t expect. I couldn’t put this book down. Just when I think I know where it’s going she switches it up and gives a love story that was heartbreakingly beautiful. It was intense but Persephone just woven the beautiful relationship from friends to lovers even with the darker themes. I felt like I was right there with these characters and seeing how they were going to move forward. Overall this book gave me everything that I love in a book. Best friends to lovers and of course the angst. Again this deals with heavy themes so please check your TW’s.
June 16, 2024
The triggers do not match the actual contents. The triggers are vague and the on page content is anything but. Please take them and multiply them by 10.
This book did not strike me as a dark book and I wants really mentioned as a dark book in promo but it is on the dark side. There is on page kidnapping, SA/grape, violence etc. When looking at the tropes, there’s one at the very bottom that states it’s “dark ish”. That’s a pretty vague statement.
For the actual dynamic and story, I loved them together. It was a friends to lovers which for me, I hit and miss sometimes but I thought these guys were sweet.
They were childhood bffs and lurked around their feelings for each of their for the better part of a decade. The way their feelings evolved in the open was slow and steady.
You could tell they were written to value their friendship more than anything and it shows in their dynamic.
Even after everything happens, Ollie is just the most steady person. He stole the show for me in more ways than one. From the prologue he was stable and secure in himself and I really think Levi needed that.
If you’re looking for spice, this probably isn’t for you. I’d give it maybe 1.5🌶️. A lot of it is closed door or fade to black.
This is also a standalone but I believe would make more sense if you’ve read the previous ones. I was pretty lost in some parts.
Overall, it’s a good friends to lovers book with action and very plot heavy. 🖤🖤
I received a complimentary copy of this book but this is my honest and voluntary opinion!
This book did not strike me as a dark book and I wants really mentioned as a dark book in promo but it is on the dark side. There is on page kidnapping, SA/grape, violence etc. When looking at the tropes, there’s one at the very bottom that states it’s “dark ish”. That’s a pretty vague statement.
For the actual dynamic and story, I loved them together. It was a friends to lovers which for me, I hit and miss sometimes but I thought these guys were sweet.
They were childhood bffs and lurked around their feelings for each of their for the better part of a decade. The way their feelings evolved in the open was slow and steady.
You could tell they were written to value their friendship more than anything and it shows in their dynamic.
Even after everything happens, Ollie is just the most steady person. He stole the show for me in more ways than one. From the prologue he was stable and secure in himself and I really think Levi needed that.
If you’re looking for spice, this probably isn’t for you. I’d give it maybe 1.5🌶️. A lot of it is closed door or fade to black.
This is also a standalone but I believe would make more sense if you’ve read the previous ones. I was pretty lost in some parts.
Overall, it’s a good friends to lovers book with action and very plot heavy. 🖤🖤
I received a complimentary copy of this book but this is my honest and voluntary opinion!
June 27, 2024
This book took me by surprise. I was expecting a small town, best friends to lovers, easy read. It was not that. It was a lot darker and angstier than I was expecting, but I was all for it. Please, please check the TWs. There is some heavy subject matter covered and it's not for everyone.
Levi and Oliver are sweet and their HEA is hard fought and well-deserved. I loved the character development and the twisty plot.
Again, can't stress the TWs, but overall I really enjoyed it.
Thank you to the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Levi and Oliver are sweet and their HEA is hard fought and well-deserved. I loved the character development and the twisty plot.
Again, can't stress the TWs, but overall I really enjoyed it.
Thank you to the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
June 27, 2024
Fallen Stars is an MM romance, set in a small town, Stone Bay.
Oliver has been in love with his best friend, Levi, for years. But being part of one of the founding families of Stone Bay, make it hard for Levi to truly be himself in front of his family.
This book was very emotional to read, I cried a lot, both for Oliver and Levi. And the dark vibe in the book was just perfect. I loved it.
Oliver has been in love with his best friend, Levi, for years. But being part of one of the founding families of Stone Bay, make it hard for Levi to truly be himself in front of his family.
This book was very emotional to read, I cried a lot, both for Oliver and Levi. And the dark vibe in the book was just perfect. I loved it.
June 24, 2024
I was not prepared for the darkness in this book. Is there TW? Yes, but I don’t look at those and prefer to go in blind. It’s not super dark but has darkness. With that said, I loved this book. I’m not sure what I was excepting from this story but it completely captured my attention from the beginning. The mutual pinning, friends to lovers, their banter!! Loved the plot, how well the story flowed and the amazing friends!!! Love a good friend gang!!! Oliver and Levi are perfect and their story is amazing!!
June 27, 2024
Fallen Stars
This book took ahold! I’m all for a dark small town romance because it’s reality. Darkness isn’t just in cities. These two MC’s fought hard for their HEA. Check TW. Like really. Loved it.
This book took ahold! I’m all for a dark small town romance because it’s reality. Darkness isn’t just in cities. These two MC’s fought hard for their HEA. Check TW. Like really. Loved it.
June 27, 2024
4.5 stars
Wow! This book left me speechless! Ollie and Levi are one of my favorite couples!
There are so many things I loved about this book... the mutual pining and tension between the MCs, the fake relationship drama, how their relationship develops... my favorite had to be the suspense and the twists and turns the book takes! I seriously couldn't put it down!
Please check the content warnings and take them seriously. This book is darker with some themes that may be triggering.
Wow! This book left me speechless! Ollie and Levi are one of my favorite couples!
There are so many things I loved about this book... the mutual pining and tension between the MCs, the fake relationship drama, how their relationship develops... my favorite had to be the suspense and the twists and turns the book takes! I seriously couldn't put it down!
Please check the content warnings and take them seriously. This book is darker with some themes that may be triggering.
June 24, 2024
Levi &oliver foreversssss MM MYTUAL PINNING SMALL TOWN DARK VIBESSSSSS CHILDHOOD BEST FRIENDS TO LOVERS ANGSTYYYYYY ONES IN A BAND AND ONES A HACKER THIS STORY WAS SO SWEET YOU JUST FELL IN LOVE WITH THEM AND WANT THEM TO BE HAPPY 😊 THIS WAS THE BEST
June 29, 2024
Universal
Out and proud Oliver has been pining for his best friend Levi for years. His supposedly straight best friend. He knows they have this connection, but it's always just been friends and not more. Until it's not, and all that beautiful tension is finally going somewhere. But before they can revel too much in their feelings, something happens that will affect everyone, especially one person in particular.
Ollie and Levi's journey from best friends to lovers is going to stay with me for a very long time! Friends to lovers can be difficult to write well, but Persephone did it like a master. There was always a strong connection between the two, they just needed the right situation to finally step over that line. And when they did, I was rooting them on. A cuter, sweeter couple could not be found. But not all is sweet because not all is sweet in life. The darker theme was unexpected, and heartbreaking, but the author handled it with grace. And the way Ollie handled it I think is my favorite part of this story - he's Levi's gentle, steady rock, helping him through everything. I love this story so much, both the leads, Ollie's family and their found family. I think Stone Bay sounds like a wonderful place to live, I'm impatiently waiting for the next couple there to fall in love now.
ARC provided by The Author Agency for an honest review.
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July 8, 2024
Fallen Stars is book three in the Stone Bay series by Persephone Autumn. We’ve had the girls stories, now we get the emotional and heartbreaking MM romance between Oliver Moss and Levi West. It is a beautifully written friends to lovers, opposites attract love story that will make you swoon one minute and cry the next. Be prepared to feel everything these guys go through as you follow them on their journey. The anguish and pain, hope and love, desperation and desolation, family drama and friendship. There are some traumatic and dark subject matters covered so please read the trigger warnings. This story made me want to climb into the book and hug the main characters to reassure them it will be right in the end!!
“I’d live forever in the dark to keep you at my side. My best kept secret. My reason. My life.”
Oliver has loving parents, fantastic friends and is proud to be gay. He is adorable and funny but suffers from his unrequited love for his best friend Levi. He plays the drums in Hailey’s Fire and writes songs about Levi but can never tell him his true feelings. He is scared he’d risk their friendship and ruin the strong connection they have. He has loved him in secret for years because he’d rather have Levi as his friend than not at all. Levi occasionally gives him signs he might feel the same but Oliver won’t get his hopes up.
Levi is extremely intelligent and a wiz on computers. With his other friend Tymber, they own Tymber Woulf Security and Investigative Services. He is a complex guy who wants to live his life by his own rules and choose his own future. His father constantly reminds him of his obligations to his family and tries to control him. He has hidden his love for Oliver for years due to the severe repercussions for admitting his sexuality.
Can either be brave enough to surrender to the desires they have hidden for so long. I was so happy it wasn’t as unrequited as Oliver thought but it was heartbreaking how these two couldn’t find a way to be together. When Levi’s family interfere and he has to take some drastic action with a fake relationship, my heart went out to Oliver and I felt all the hurt and pain he did. Thankfully it produces a light bulb moment for Levi and everything changes but will he ever find the courage to embrace who he is and show everyone who he really is.
Levi is stressed with all the secrets he is having to keep. The fake dating and now his relationship with Oliver. His new case is confidential so he can’t tell anyone how he’s struggling with what he is finding. It builds and builds as he battles everything going on in his life until it suddenly turns quite dark. There is a great plot twist which leads to some emotional and heartbreaking chapters before this couple get their HEA.
It was great catching up with Kirsten, Skylar and Delilah, and their partners Lawrence, Travis and Phoebe. They were all so supportive and understanding. Oliver was an absolute star throughout and I thought his lyrics and journal entries were amazing. This author just keeps getting better and better, creating wonderful characters and producing stories which have captivated and enthralled me.
“I’d live forever in the dark to keep you at my side. My best kept secret. My reason. My life.”
Oliver has loving parents, fantastic friends and is proud to be gay. He is adorable and funny but suffers from his unrequited love for his best friend Levi. He plays the drums in Hailey’s Fire and writes songs about Levi but can never tell him his true feelings. He is scared he’d risk their friendship and ruin the strong connection they have. He has loved him in secret for years because he’d rather have Levi as his friend than not at all. Levi occasionally gives him signs he might feel the same but Oliver won’t get his hopes up.
Levi is extremely intelligent and a wiz on computers. With his other friend Tymber, they own Tymber Woulf Security and Investigative Services. He is a complex guy who wants to live his life by his own rules and choose his own future. His father constantly reminds him of his obligations to his family and tries to control him. He has hidden his love for Oliver for years due to the severe repercussions for admitting his sexuality.
Can either be brave enough to surrender to the desires they have hidden for so long. I was so happy it wasn’t as unrequited as Oliver thought but it was heartbreaking how these two couldn’t find a way to be together. When Levi’s family interfere and he has to take some drastic action with a fake relationship, my heart went out to Oliver and I felt all the hurt and pain he did. Thankfully it produces a light bulb moment for Levi and everything changes but will he ever find the courage to embrace who he is and show everyone who he really is.
Levi is stressed with all the secrets he is having to keep. The fake dating and now his relationship with Oliver. His new case is confidential so he can’t tell anyone how he’s struggling with what he is finding. It builds and builds as he battles everything going on in his life until it suddenly turns quite dark. There is a great plot twist which leads to some emotional and heartbreaking chapters before this couple get their HEA.
It was great catching up with Kirsten, Skylar and Delilah, and their partners Lawrence, Travis and Phoebe. They were all so supportive and understanding. Oliver was an absolute star throughout and I thought his lyrics and journal entries were amazing. This author just keeps getting better and better, creating wonderful characters and producing stories which have captivated and enthralled me.
July 6, 2024
Apologies to those who may have been waiting for review comments— life got a little crazy for a few days and I had no time. That said , …
If you have any sensitivities, please be aware of the trigger warnings. While this author is basically a master at blending angst, tension, and sweetness in this series, some of the themes in this book are very dark. I admit to pausing for a couple of days when I got to the part where one of the MMCs was abducted because I was so invested in the central relationship and I was afraid for both characters.
Having said that, I love this story of Oliver and Levi! There is so much focus on the enemies to lovers trope in the book world that friends to lovers gets put on the back burner. There’s no ache quite as sweet as that of friends who feel something more and after a slow burn can finally act on their feelings— this is part of what makes this book so enjoyable. The dual POV lets us see Oliver and Levi’s thoughts on everything, especially each other.
Be ready for angst and frustration, then short lived bliss, then devastation, ultimately to feel all the feels and probably cry happy tears (like I did!).
This book could be read as a stand-alone, but I think it’s worth it to read the previous books in this series as well, especially since characters from those books make an appearance in this one.
If you haven’t read anything from this author yet, you really should!!!
If you have any sensitivities, please be aware of the trigger warnings. While this author is basically a master at blending angst, tension, and sweetness in this series, some of the themes in this book are very dark. I admit to pausing for a couple of days when I got to the part where one of the MMCs was abducted because I was so invested in the central relationship and I was afraid for both characters.
Having said that, I love this story of Oliver and Levi! There is so much focus on the enemies to lovers trope in the book world that friends to lovers gets put on the back burner. There’s no ache quite as sweet as that of friends who feel something more and after a slow burn can finally act on their feelings— this is part of what makes this book so enjoyable. The dual POV lets us see Oliver and Levi’s thoughts on everything, especially each other.
Be ready for angst and frustration, then short lived bliss, then devastation, ultimately to feel all the feels and probably cry happy tears (like I did!).
This book could be read as a stand-alone, but I think it’s worth it to read the previous books in this series as well, especially since characters from those books make an appearance in this one.
If you haven’t read anything from this author yet, you really should!!!
June 29, 2024
This is the first book I've read by this author and it was not what I was expecting. From the blurb, I was expecting a romance with a suspense subplot. There's a lot of suspense to this book, and it gets VERY dark. I'm not one that usually looks at trigger warnings because reading about most things doesn't bother me. I was very close to making this a DNF but figured it would probably be better for my brain to push through and see Ollie and Levi get their HEAs instead of quitting in the middle. I was pretty invested in the characters
This is the 3rd book in the series and it worked as a stand alone. Looks like the previous books would just give you some extra background on secondary characters from this story. The characters and their story pulled me in, but I'm not sure this is a series I'm going to continue. It wasn't what I expected and ended up getting a little too dark for my taste. I still enjoyed it, and maybe when I'm in the mood for a good dark story I'll pick up some of the other books in the series
I received an ARC of this book from the author and this is my honest review
This is the 3rd book in the series and it worked as a stand alone. Looks like the previous books would just give you some extra background on secondary characters from this story. The characters and their story pulled me in, but I'm not sure this is a series I'm going to continue. It wasn't what I expected and ended up getting a little too dark for my taste. I still enjoyed it, and maybe when I'm in the mood for a good dark story I'll pick up some of the other books in the series
I received an ARC of this book from the author and this is my honest review
June 20, 2024
Oliver has (in his words) “a deep affection for Levi. Oliver’s second love is making music. Levi has been in love with his best friend, his other half, for a long time. Everybody has a person and Ollie is Levi’s.
This was not a feel good, happy story. Trauma (mental and physical), PTSD, homophobia, and deep anxiety were all expressed in this book. It was deeply disturbing in parts and the violence was pretty graphic.
That being said, I thought Levi and Oliver were engaging characters. Their demeanor with each other was mostly sweet, (with a lot of soulful pining). Oliver was definitely a rock star when it came to his treatment of Levi. Their friends and Oliver’s family made a really good support system.
Would I have benefited from reading the other book in the series? Maybe. But having read the synopsis’ of the other books, I have a basic understanding of what’s going on. The confusion was momentary and this book could probably be a standalone.
Review Copy requested and reviewed on behalf of OMGReads.
This was not a feel good, happy story. Trauma (mental and physical), PTSD, homophobia, and deep anxiety were all expressed in this book. It was deeply disturbing in parts and the violence was pretty graphic.
That being said, I thought Levi and Oliver were engaging characters. Their demeanor with each other was mostly sweet, (with a lot of soulful pining). Oliver was definitely a rock star when it came to his treatment of Levi. Their friends and Oliver’s family made a really good support system.
Would I have benefited from reading the other book in the series? Maybe. But having read the synopsis’ of the other books, I have a basic understanding of what’s going on. The confusion was momentary and this book could probably be a standalone.
Review Copy requested and reviewed on behalf of OMGReads.
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June 29, 2024
Fallen Stars is LIVE and available to read in KU!!
Read now: https://mybook.to/FallenStars
What you'll find in the pages...
💙🩵 LGBT / MM romance
👬🏻 Best friends to lovers
⚖️ Different social classes
💔 Fake dating (but not between the MCs)
🥺 Mutual pining
🫠 “F*ck it” moment
🌲 Public rendezvous
👨🏻💻 Hacker
🥁 Local rockstar
⛰️🖤 Small town meets dark
Read now: https://mybook.to/FallenStars
What you'll find in the pages...
💙🩵 LGBT / MM romance
👬🏻 Best friends to lovers
⚖️ Different social classes
💔 Fake dating (but not between the MCs)
🥺 Mutual pining
🫠 “F*ck it” moment
🌲 Public rendezvous
👨🏻💻 Hacker
🥁 Local rockstar
⛰️🖤 Small town meets dark
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