Tropes: friends to lovers, hurt/comfort, amnesia
Feels: 5/5
Steam*: 5/5
Kinks: mild breath play, bit of dominance
Angst: low/medium
HEA: yes
Pairing: MM
Triggers/potential icks/content themes: pining, one MC is an amputee, amnesia, self esteem issues
May 6, 2024 - reread today. Cora's characters are unhinged and I love the humour of it. And oh my heart, Landon and Finn love each other a ridiculous amount. I'm a sucker for non-sexual touch, he's my home vibes, and they just glomped onto each other from the moment they met as kids.
August 26, 2023 - reread the book today. Writing a review because I wasn't writing reviews back when I originally read this book.
Landon is 20. Finn is 21. They have been friends for 8 years. Finn was first friends with Logan, Landon's brother. Logan brought him home and introduced him to Landon. Finn fell hard for Landon and has been in love with him ever since, but never told him. But they have always been crazy close, living in each other's pockets. They've loved each other so hard, they've been each other's lobster, Landon just didn't realize the potential for this relationship to be more than platonic. It just never occurred to him.
Landon was in a car crash about a year ago and his leg was amputated from the knee down. Finn has been glued to his side ever since, helping him with his recovery and their friendship getting even closer with fewer physical boundaries. They're together on New year's Eve and Landon gets it in his head that they need to kiss at midnight because missing out on kissing someone at midnight is bad luck for the coming year. They kiss. And then Landon starts kissing Finn whenever he wants to be close to him, whenever he just needs to physically express his affection for Finn, and that's frequently! It's like a boundary has been removed for him and kissing is just another way for him to convey his affection and be close to Finn. This starts a real testing of Finn's willpower and a horny slippery slide of kisses turning into sex. Finn is tormented though, is Landon just horny or does he feel more for him? Is this going to break Finn's heart?
Oh my God I love this book! I don't reread it as often as some other Cora Rose books, because I find Finn's unrequited pining in the past flashbacks a little sad, but it's an amazing book! These guys have such an epic love. Their feelings for each other are so natural and intense, they are codependent as f***, there are no boundaries between these two. They are like extensions of each other, in that they own each other, heart, soul and body. The love is just palpable between these guys. And it's unconditional love. Landon is struggling with his self-esteem after losing his leg, but for Finn, leg or no leg, nothing changes. Landon is just his and nothing can change his feelings.
They are so in tune with each other and they are just so uncomfortable with any distance between them. In one scene Landon is upset with Finn and threatens to make him sleep on the couch instead of in bed with him and Finn just gets sad and says be mad at me but don't make me be away from you. In another scene, Landon gets frustrated when he's sitting on Finn's lap and Finn isn't running his hands over him (this was when their relationship was basically platonic). In another scene Landon won't sit on Finn's lap because he's upset and needs space, and Finn just gets so cranky not being able to touch him and not touching him is just so wrong. They are so incomplete without each other!
I love how emotional the story is. Yes, it's extremely smutty, Landon is a horny beast with no boundaries and Finn has been restraining by himself for years and is finally letting loose his passion for Landon. Finn has never been with anyone, cuz he's been in love with Landon this whole time. But there's so much love in this story. It hits you so hard in the feels. I also love this family and world Cora has created so much. The characters are such a riot, there's so much funny moments, the characters are so kooky and I am here for it. Every time I hear a cousin or family member mentioned I pray that that person gets a story and I can get more of this!
I'm not blinded to the fact that these characters aren't perfect and there's some cringe-worthy stuff happening in the book but the love is so intense in this book that I just love them. I will say, Landon isn't a perfect MMC, his first few sexual encounters with Finn are not reciprocal, it's all about Landon's pleasure. But it's just because Landon is oblivious and an idiot not mean spirited. And Finn, he babies Landon a lot after his leg amputation. It's probably demeaning to some people how thin carries him everywhere and Landon just lets him take care of all his needs. This would be God you behavior if it was anyone other than them, but between Finn and Landon it's just they are each other's world and every revolution is around the other person. And they are so touch starved for each other and codependent and needy for each other. Why wouldn't they take every moment as an opportunity to be closer and closer to their person?
Some notable moments: (I have so many favorite spots highlighted for this book in my Kindle app! I really had to hold myself back here)
"“We can just say we’re best friends. It’s the truth, right?” “Yeah, sure,” I say and then, because I feel like it, I lean into him and press my lips to his slightly open mouth. He tastes like cinnamon and vanilla. “Landon,” Finn scolds softly, his hand tightening against me. “You…. Fuck. You can’t keep doing that.” My eyebrows slam together. “Why not?”"
This moment is from when they met as kids "“We’re very affectionate in this family. Tons of hugs,” he explains. “Just wait till you meet our dad.” Logan musses his brother’s hair and smacks a kiss on his cheek. “Hell yeah. Nothing wrong with it. It’s a natural way to show you care.” “Yeah, that’s not how we do things in my family,” I mutter. Landon squeezes my hand and then leans his head on my shoulder. “Oh, well, that’s okay. We’ll just have to give you extra hugs to make up for it.” And when he looks up at me with that warm smile and those fucking eyes, my heart melts. Oh. Shit."
Oh my God Basil is so extra! He is so kooky and I love it! The Kitty mansion and his goat obsession/projects! 🐐"“Goats like swings?” Finn asks. “Um, yes, and get this.” My dad’s voice lowers. “I’m going to add a seesaw.” I eye the contraption as I try to envision it. What the hell is Vincent going to do with a seesaw? “But to use it, Vincent will need a goat friend.” Ah, there it is. Finn runs a hand across his jaw. “You’re going to buy another goat, Basil?” My dad glances back at the door leading into the house and nods. “Hell yeah. I fucking love goats.” A strangled laugh escapes me. “Mom is going to kill you.” “She won’t know until it’s too late. She’s going on that girls’ trip next weekend and I’m going to the 4-H fair.” “You will be dead come Monday,” I say and Finn nods."
"“I’m not doing anything sexual with you while a goat watches.” I glance over and see Vincent eyeing us. Hmm, yes, that would be creepy."
*FYI about steam: I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink.
**Note about spoilers: I like to comment on the plot of a book in reviews, so I almost always mark my reviews as containing spoilers. But I try to avoid spoiling the big dramatic moments! As a reader, I personally like to know what I'm getting into before I read a book so I know more about the content and if it's to my taste/mood, so I try to give that information in my reviews for myself when I'm considering rereading and also for other readers.