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Who We Are #2
Should Our Hearts Catch Fire
Ellis has been looking for something for as long as he can remember. It was never important, though. There’ve been expectations and rules laid out for him since he was born.
It doesn't matter his dad isn't here anymore to remind him how inadequate he is compared to his big brother; not as smart, not as driven, not as talented. Never good enough. The only thing he’s good for is being a cash-cow and ironing out other people’s messes—like having to take over the family business because brother dear somehow managed to lose all his memories. Just great.
But that’s his life.
At least until the day he wanders into a local café with a stupid name and the world's strangest barista. Gabriel is a force of nature, confusing as hell and, worst of all, he makes Ellis feel things he has no business feeling.
Ellis swears to never go back, but something about that place keeps drawing him in. Every time he steps in there, he feels more like himself. A little more alive and far less lost.
He has no idea what he's looking for, but sometimes, when he's in Gabriel’s shop, it feels like he might have found it.
Should Our Hearts Catch Fire is book 2 in Who We Are series and starts off half-way through book 1. It's a contemporary story with a paranormal subplot (Gabe has empathic abilities), low-ish on angst, high on feels and trying really hard to be funny. There is, of course, a HEA!
Tropes: bisexual awakening, grumpy/sunshine, an empath MC, medium-to-slow burn, found family, mutual pining
It doesn't matter his dad isn't here anymore to remind him how inadequate he is compared to his big brother; not as smart, not as driven, not as talented. Never good enough. The only thing he’s good for is being a cash-cow and ironing out other people’s messes—like having to take over the family business because brother dear somehow managed to lose all his memories. Just great.
But that’s his life.
At least until the day he wanders into a local café with a stupid name and the world's strangest barista. Gabriel is a force of nature, confusing as hell and, worst of all, he makes Ellis feel things he has no business feeling.
Ellis swears to never go back, but something about that place keeps drawing him in. Every time he steps in there, he feels more like himself. A little more alive and far less lost.
He has no idea what he's looking for, but sometimes, when he's in Gabriel’s shop, it feels like he might have found it.
Should Our Hearts Catch Fire is book 2 in Who We Are series and starts off half-way through book 1. It's a contemporary story with a paranormal subplot (Gabe has empathic abilities), low-ish on angst, high on feels and trying really hard to be funny. There is, of course, a HEA!
Tropes: bisexual awakening, grumpy/sunshine, an empath MC, medium-to-slow burn, found family, mutual pining
370 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 6, 2024
99 people are currently reading
360 people want to read
About the author
Amithia Raine
5 books203 followersI'm your regular anti-social weirdo who loves to escape reality by getting way too invested in the lives of fictional dudes, be it through reading or writing.
I was born and raised in the Czech Republic. In 2019, I ran away to Brisbane, Australia, where I made camp and have no plans on changing that. In real life, I'm a physiotherapist, and a coffee and sugar addict. In my other (way more interesting) life, I'm a sap who can't survive without two (or more) boys in love and a proper happily ever after.
I was born and raised in the Czech Republic. In 2019, I ran away to Brisbane, Australia, where I made camp and have no plans on changing that. In real life, I'm a physiotherapist, and a coffee and sugar addict. In my other (way more interesting) life, I'm a sap who can't survive without two (or more) boys in love and a proper happily ever after.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 159 reviews
January 10, 2025
This might be the most disappointing second in a series I've ever read, made all the more so following on the heels of Dawson and Cal's incredible 5 star story.
We found out in book 1 that Gabe can strongly feel others' emotions and project his own onto people or objects. I liked Gabe in the first book. He was feisty and kind.
Here, however, Gabe was a caricature of the bumbling fool and borderline inappropriate in the way he threw himself at Ellis.
Ellis was just boring and apathetic. It's like he stopped having a personality once he became Gabe's boyfriend.
The first half mirrored scenes from the first book from different perspectives, which I hated. Book 1 was perfect. Leave it be.
Besides Cal and Dawson, every single secondary character was terrible and unlikable, including characters who were fine in book 1:
Ash (Gabe's cousin) - obnoxious, rude, sexual harasser;
Kieran (Dawson's bestie) - defensive, no sense of humor, immature;
Jordan (Ellis's bestie) - basically Ash's personality but slightly nicer;
Amanda (Ellis's PA) - inappropriate, sleazy, sexual harasser;
Gabe's mom - Amanda times ten, what the fuckity fuck kind of nasty was this woman?
So much sexual harassment! I was CRINGING. Plus, the obvious setups for future books. It was all tasteless and clunky.
The second half was sex and more sex. Light BDSM elements were introduced, which WHAT?
I kept waiting for Ellis's ex to call about the baby, but nope, that was just a random scene included for no reason.
I am glad Ellis adopted Lola, but that's all.
We found out in book 1 that Gabe can strongly feel others' emotions and project his own onto people or objects. I liked Gabe in the first book. He was feisty and kind.
Here, however, Gabe was a caricature of the bumbling fool and borderline inappropriate in the way he threw himself at Ellis.
Ellis was just boring and apathetic. It's like he stopped having a personality once he became Gabe's boyfriend.
The first half mirrored scenes from the first book from different perspectives, which I hated. Book 1 was perfect. Leave it be.
Besides Cal and Dawson, every single secondary character was terrible and unlikable, including characters who were fine in book 1:
Ash (Gabe's cousin) - obnoxious, rude, sexual harasser;
Kieran (Dawson's bestie) - defensive, no sense of humor, immature;
Jordan (Ellis's bestie) - basically Ash's personality but slightly nicer;
Amanda (Ellis's PA) - inappropriate, sleazy, sexual harasser;
Gabe's mom - Amanda times ten, what the fuckity fuck kind of nasty was this woman?
So much sexual harassment! I was CRINGING. Plus, the obvious setups for future books. It was all tasteless and clunky.
The second half was sex and more sex. Light BDSM elements were introduced, which WHAT?
I kept waiting for Ellis's ex to call about the baby, but nope, that was just a random scene included for no reason.
I am glad Ellis adopted Lola, but that's all.
April 1, 2024
⭐️ 4.5 stars ⭐️
Ever since meeting them in Cal and Dawson’s story, I was intrigued by the grumpy CEO Ellis and the magical empath barista, Gabriel.
They were both so different, yet fit perfectly together.
The romance was a slow sizzle, but once it lit up, damn. These two were equal parts adorable, lovable, and simply hot. The delicious first times paired with Ellis’ reserved almost shy personality just upped the hotness factor to boiling. Add in some empath pleasure feedback loop thing? Where they feed off of the other’s pleasure? Yes, please.
Even though it could probably work as a standalone, being centered around a different couple than the first book, I do personally feel it works best knowing the whole backstory of the side characters. Not only does the first part of this one overlap with the second half of book 1, you also get a lot more insight into Ellis’ relationship with Cal and more understanding of other side characters that appear in both stories.
BUT, that being said, Cal and Dawson’s story was a tough one, a lot of hurt but also a lot of comfort. If you’re not comfortable with the triggers I listed in their review (link below), I recommend skipping their story.
Just as in Should The Sky Fall, the paranormal aspects were merely an additional sparkle to the loving romance. Other than Gabe being an empath and having emotion-altering abilities, we don’t get much deeper into the magic lore or the reapers.
The author does state in the afterword that there is a plan though, so I’m trusting the creative process and hoping for more gorgeous installments of this series.
I received a copy of this book from the author, and am leaving this honest review voluntarily. Thank you Amithia Raine.
CW and tropes (spoilers):
- Grumpy/sunshine
- Bisexual awakening
- Mutual pining
- Found family
- Medium-slow burn
- Touch-starved MC
- Paranormal elements (empath MC)
- References to death of family member
- References of parental abandonment
- Internalized homophobia
- Mention of unplanned pregnancy (side character, no MCs involved)
- Frotting & rimming
- Vers MCs
«Whatever you’re looking for is looking for you, too.»
Ever since meeting them in Cal and Dawson’s story, I was intrigued by the grumpy CEO Ellis and the magical empath barista, Gabriel.
They were both so different, yet fit perfectly together.
The romance was a slow sizzle, but once it lit up, damn. These two were equal parts adorable, lovable, and simply hot. The delicious first times paired with Ellis’ reserved almost shy personality just upped the hotness factor to boiling. Add in some empath pleasure feedback loop thing? Where they feed off of the other’s pleasure? Yes, please.
Even though it could probably work as a standalone, being centered around a different couple than the first book, I do personally feel it works best knowing the whole backstory of the side characters. Not only does the first part of this one overlap with the second half of book 1, you also get a lot more insight into Ellis’ relationship with Cal and more understanding of other side characters that appear in both stories.
BUT, that being said, Cal and Dawson’s story was a tough one, a lot of hurt but also a lot of comfort. If you’re not comfortable with the triggers I listed in their review (link below), I recommend skipping their story.
Just as in Should The Sky Fall, the paranormal aspects were merely an additional sparkle to the loving romance. Other than Gabe being an empath and having emotion-altering abilities, we don’t get much deeper into the magic lore or the reapers.
The author does state in the afterword that there is a plan though, so I’m trusting the creative process and hoping for more gorgeous installments of this series.
“Thank you.” “For what?”
“Seeing me.”
And not hating what you see.
I received a copy of this book from the author, and am leaving this honest review voluntarily. Thank you Amithia Raine.
CW and tropes (spoilers):
- Grumpy/sunshine
- Bisexual awakening
- Mutual pining
- Found family
- Medium-slow burn
- Touch-starved MC
- Paranormal elements (empath MC)
- References to death of family member
- References of parental abandonment
- Internalized homophobia
- Mention of unplanned pregnancy (side character, no MCs involved)
- Frotting & rimming
- Vers MCs
October 16, 2025
It's weird because not much really happened in this book, but I really enjoyed it anyway.
Ellis and Gabe are super sweet together and I really liked seeing their relationship progress. Their dates were so cute, especially the picnic, and there was a lot of humour as well as more emotional moments.
I'm really looking forward to Kieran and Ash's story - after reading the blurb I am so intrigued to see how it's going to play out!
*
*
*
HRCYED2: Become The Avatar / Challenge Yourself
Ellis and Gabe are super sweet together and I really liked seeing their relationship progress. Their dates were so cute, especially the picnic, and there was a lot of humour as well as more emotional moments.
I'm really looking forward to Kieran and Ash's story - after reading the blurb I am so intrigued to see how it's going to play out!
*
*
*
HRCYED2: Become The Avatar / Challenge Yourself
April 10, 2024
2.5
i could talk about the actual book and the fact that it’s mildly boring and this sort of supernatural world is pissing me off, however i have a more important thing to say.
why the hell did the first book have one of the most gorgeous covers i’ve ever seen and the second gets that bland ugly ass hideous cover? does the author hate this one?
also, not really excited for what’s to come.
i could talk about the actual book and the fact that it’s mildly boring and this sort of supernatural world is pissing me off, however i have a more important thing to say.
why the hell did the first book have one of the most gorgeous covers i’ve ever seen and the second gets that bland ugly ass hideous cover? does the author hate this one?
also, not really excited for what’s to come.
May 28, 2024
Running mostly in parallel with the first book, this one tells the story of Cal's brother Ellis who comes to town after Cal's accident to run the company in Cal's stead, and whose back story will make you cry.
Gabriel, barista at the coffee shop where Ellis stops one morning for no particular reason other than fate, perhaps, notices the man at his counter, the one who's hiding his sadness behind a mask of rudeness, and applies a little bit of his magic to help.
Thus a relationship begins, and the two men have to work through all kinds of issues to find their HEA. Worth the read, for sure.
Gabriel, barista at the coffee shop where Ellis stops one morning for no particular reason other than fate, perhaps, notices the man at his counter, the one who's hiding his sadness behind a mask of rudeness, and applies a little bit of his magic to help.
Thus a relationship begins, and the two men have to work through all kinds of issues to find their HEA. Worth the read, for sure.
dnf-2024
April 8, 2024DNF - page 15 - no rating.
The writing isn't working for me at all and I'm already skimming and annoyed.
I don't want to read 9 paragraphs about drinking a cup of coffee.
I think anyone who likes the first book will like this one though!
The writing isn't working for me at all and I'm already skimming and annoyed.
I don't want to read 9 paragraphs about drinking a cup of coffee.
I think anyone who likes the first book will like this one though!
April 8, 2024
4.5 stars only because the beginning was a little slow. Quite like the first book but once you get into it it’s really good. This is a standalone; however, I would definitely read the first book in the series first because there’s so much context that would be lost in this book if you haven’t read it. Also because Cal is just like the sweetest most Innocent man ever and I loved him so much in the first book.
I loved these two characters as well. I liked the slight paranormal aspect of it. Gabe is just the sweetest (next to Cal). He meets this grumpy man (Ellis) and instead of letting his attitude get to him he sees Ellis for who he really is which is a marshmallow. Gabe is not just an empath but he’s able to sense a persons feelings and use his “magic” to change their feelings if need be. He only uses this for good though. He does this to Ellis the first time the meet because he senses something in Ellis.
Once you get to know him, Ellis is also a great character. He’s very self deprecating and he doesn’t hold himself in the best regard but meeting Gabe definitely changes that for him.
These two were so cute together. There is mutual pining though Ellis isn’t sure what it as at first because he’s only dated woman his whole life but he knows there’s something special about Gabe. They have this whole sweet, innocent flirtation going on which was so cute to watch. When they finally get together I really loved their relationship. This book was a lot spicier than the first one though it’s not super spicy but there are more sex scenes.
While reading the first book I was super interested in reading Ash and Kiernan’s book but in this book see that Ash is a manwhore of sorts and Kiernan is an ass so we will see how that plays out. Definitely interested in Zekes book as well as Jordan’s though he kind of annoyed me seeing as he had a man back home he’s in love with and yet he hit on Gabe so I’m not thinking of him too highly right now.
Anyway such great writing!!! Can’t wait for the next one.
NO CHEATING
NO OP DRAMA
NO MANWHORES!!!
NO THIRD ACT BREAKUP
LIGHT PARANORMAL
I loved these two characters as well. I liked the slight paranormal aspect of it. Gabe is just the sweetest (next to Cal). He meets this grumpy man (Ellis) and instead of letting his attitude get to him he sees Ellis for who he really is which is a marshmallow. Gabe is not just an empath but he’s able to sense a persons feelings and use his “magic” to change their feelings if need be. He only uses this for good though. He does this to Ellis the first time the meet because he senses something in Ellis.
Once you get to know him, Ellis is also a great character. He’s very self deprecating and he doesn’t hold himself in the best regard but meeting Gabe definitely changes that for him.
These two were so cute together. There is mutual pining though Ellis isn’t sure what it as at first because he’s only dated woman his whole life but he knows there’s something special about Gabe. They have this whole sweet, innocent flirtation going on which was so cute to watch. When they finally get together I really loved their relationship. This book was a lot spicier than the first one though it’s not super spicy but there are more sex scenes.
While reading the first book I was super interested in reading Ash and Kiernan’s book but in this book see that Ash is a manwhore of sorts and Kiernan is an ass so we will see how that plays out. Definitely interested in Zekes book as well as Jordan’s though he kind of annoyed me seeing as he had a man back home he’s in love with and yet he hit on Gabe so I’m not thinking of him too highly right now.
Anyway such great writing!!! Can’t wait for the next one.
NO CHEATING
NO OP DRAMA
NO MANWHORES!!!
NO THIRD ACT BREAKUP
LIGHT PARANORMAL
July 1, 2024
1+
Śmiało mogę napisać, że to największe - jak do tej pory - rozczarowanie roku 🫤
Nie wiem, jak to się stało, ale drugi tom serii nawet nie stał obok pierwszego.
Jakby pisała go inna osoba...
Przede wszystkim było NUDNO...
Zarąbiście NUDNO...
Ellis był tak nudnym i pozbawionym jakiejkolwiek osobowości bohaterem, że aż zęby bolały.
Gabe znowu był takim rozradowanym szczeniaczkiem, chaotycznym jak diabli, gadającym od rzeczy i tłumaczący się tym, że to Ellis tak na niego działa, że jego filtr poszedł w cholerę. Gdzie się podział empatyczny, rozumiejący oraz czujący ludzi i ich emocje facet, to ja nie wiem... Wessała go chyba jedna z czarnych dziur Wszechświata...
Poza tym, cała reszta bohaterów drugo- i dalszoplanowych 🤬
Przyjaciele, rodzina, nawet osobista asystentka Ellisa... Nie uznawali żadnych granic, nie mieli żadnych barier. Antypatyczni do bólu, praktycznie wszyscy 🫤
Zawstydzić przyjaciela przed innymi? Spoko.
Zawstydzić kuzyna/syna przed miłością jego życia? Luzik.
Wpychać nos w nie swoje sprawy, zwłaszcza dotyczące związku i seksu? Jasne, z największą przyjemnością.
Być może mieli być zabawni. Nie byli...
Zresztą, powiedzmy sobie szczerze - to ludzie w okolicach trzydziestki, +/- kilka lat. A wszyscy zachowywali się i mówili jak licealiści 🤦♀️
A już scena, kiedy nasi MC uprawiają seks, gdzie matka Gabe'a śpi za ścianą i jak kończą, słyszą "to było piękne, chłopcy"... żenada i spore wzdrygnięcie 👀
Pierwsze około 45% książki dzieje się w trakcie ostatniego miesiąca pierwszego tomu. Zatem - niestety - mamy od cholery i ciut powtórzeń dialogów z wcześniejszej historii, tylko opowiedzianych z innego punktu widzenia. Nie znoszę tego pasjami 😡
Od około 55%, może nawet ciut wcześniej, zaczął się seks - w myślach, mowie i czynie 🤦♀️
No ja pitolę, ileż można 🤦♀️
Tematu magii nawet nie ruszam - jak w pierwszym tomie miał ręce i nogi, nawet, jak był tylko delikatnie wspominany, tak tutaj było pod tym względem słabo...
Pół gwiazdki dodaję za te kilka scen pod koniec, które pokazują, jak ta książka mogłaby wyglądać.
Hmmmm... w praktycznie każdej z nich uczestniczy Cal. Przypadek?
Zdecydowanie rozczarowanie tego roku.
Duże, wielkie, największe 🫤
Śmiało mogę napisać, że to największe - jak do tej pory - rozczarowanie roku 🫤
Nie wiem, jak to się stało, ale drugi tom serii nawet nie stał obok pierwszego.
Jakby pisała go inna osoba...
Przede wszystkim było NUDNO...
Zarąbiście NUDNO...
Ellis był tak nudnym i pozbawionym jakiejkolwiek osobowości bohaterem, że aż zęby bolały.
Gabe znowu był takim rozradowanym szczeniaczkiem, chaotycznym jak diabli, gadającym od rzeczy i tłumaczący się tym, że to Ellis tak na niego działa, że jego filtr poszedł w cholerę. Gdzie się podział empatyczny, rozumiejący oraz czujący ludzi i ich emocje facet, to ja nie wiem... Wessała go chyba jedna z czarnych dziur Wszechświata...
Poza tym, cała reszta bohaterów drugo- i dalszoplanowych 🤬
Przyjaciele, rodzina, nawet osobista asystentka Ellisa... Nie uznawali żadnych granic, nie mieli żadnych barier. Antypatyczni do bólu, praktycznie wszyscy 🫤
Zawstydzić przyjaciela przed innymi? Spoko.
Zawstydzić kuzyna/syna przed miłością jego życia? Luzik.
Wpychać nos w nie swoje sprawy, zwłaszcza dotyczące związku i seksu? Jasne, z największą przyjemnością.
Być może mieli być zabawni. Nie byli...
Zresztą, powiedzmy sobie szczerze - to ludzie w okolicach trzydziestki, +/- kilka lat. A wszyscy zachowywali się i mówili jak licealiści 🤦♀️
A już scena, kiedy nasi MC uprawiają seks, gdzie matka Gabe'a śpi za ścianą i jak kończą, słyszą "to było piękne, chłopcy"... żenada i spore wzdrygnięcie 👀
Pierwsze około 45% książki dzieje się w trakcie ostatniego miesiąca pierwszego tomu. Zatem - niestety - mamy od cholery i ciut powtórzeń dialogów z wcześniejszej historii, tylko opowiedzianych z innego punktu widzenia. Nie znoszę tego pasjami 😡
Od około 55%, może nawet ciut wcześniej, zaczął się seks - w myślach, mowie i czynie 🤦♀️
No ja pitolę, ileż można 🤦♀️
Tematu magii nawet nie ruszam - jak w pierwszym tomie miał ręce i nogi, nawet, jak był tylko delikatnie wspominany, tak tutaj było pod tym względem słabo...
Pół gwiazdki dodaję za te kilka scen pod koniec, które pokazują, jak ta książka mogłaby wyglądać.
Hmmmm... w praktycznie każdej z nich uczestniczy Cal. Przypadek?
Zdecydowanie rozczarowanie tego roku.
Duże, wielkie, największe 🫤
November 26, 2025
3⭐️
This book follows Cal’s grumpy, overworked brother Ellis as he settles into his new life in America. After taking over the business, Ellis is feeling the pressure. He’s compelled to visit a cafe one day, where he meets Gabe, a sweet and kind barista with empathetic powers.
This book has:
-grumpy/sunshine
-cafe barista x CEO
-a little magical realism
-overlap from book 1
-a character-centric storyline
This book had some really good moments and feels in it. I well placed “Where have you been?” definitely made the book enjoyable in some moments. I will admit that this book lacked the intrigue that book one had for me, but the magical elements made the story more interesting.
This book felt very ‘slice of life’, and had a lot of scenes with other side characters which didn’t always feel like they contributed to story. It was still mostly enjoyable, but I personally found it a bit mundane. I tend to prefer a book with more of a driving force or element to make the plot move forward, rather than just experience life with the characters.
I will say, Ellis and Gabe had a really healthy relationship, and the relationship progressed just as a real life relationship would. A fun meeting, a little flirting, going on dates, then making it official. No third act breakup either!
This series definitely has to be read in order, from my understanding, so I definitely recommend reading it before book 3 comes out. I will still be picking up the next book!
This book follows Cal’s grumpy, overworked brother Ellis as he settles into his new life in America. After taking over the business, Ellis is feeling the pressure. He’s compelled to visit a cafe one day, where he meets Gabe, a sweet and kind barista with empathetic powers.
This book has:
-grumpy/sunshine
-cafe barista x CEO
-a little magical realism
-overlap from book 1
-a character-centric storyline
This book had some really good moments and feels in it. I well placed “Where have you been?” definitely made the book enjoyable in some moments. I will admit that this book lacked the intrigue that book one had for me, but the magical elements made the story more interesting.
This book felt very ‘slice of life’, and had a lot of scenes with other side characters which didn’t always feel like they contributed to story. It was still mostly enjoyable, but I personally found it a bit mundane. I tend to prefer a book with more of a driving force or element to make the plot move forward, rather than just experience life with the characters.
I will say, Ellis and Gabe had a really healthy relationship, and the relationship progressed just as a real life relationship would. A fun meeting, a little flirting, going on dates, then making it official. No third act breakup either!
This series definitely has to be read in order, from my understanding, so I definitely recommend reading it before book 3 comes out. I will still be picking up the next book!
April 15, 2024
- MM Romance
- Bisexual awakening
- Grumpy/Sunshine
- PNR-ish (Empath)
- Med Slow Burn Spice
This is book two in this series and its just so darn sweet. Honestly way more than I thought it would be, based on the angst and drama of the first book, and how much of a grump Ellis was. Ellis wound up being an adorably insecure and sweet MMC, who was grumpy mainly because he was under so much stress.
Gabe is the co-owner of the local coffee cafe, where Ellis comes into for a cup of coffee and is incredibly rude the whole time, so not too much of a 'meet cute'. Gabe is a very strong (to put it mildly) Empath and understands that the rudeness is a symptom of much deeper issues and he is immediately intrigued. Could also be because he has a massive savior complex.
The first 1/3 of this book takes place during about the last 1/3 of book one. You see the events unfold from Gabe and Ellis' POV, and then branch off into their own love story. I do recommend reading the first book, just because they are so entwined. I enjoyed this sweet & spicy very much, and this author is 2/2 for me.
- Bisexual awakening
- Grumpy/Sunshine
- PNR-ish (Empath)
- Med Slow Burn Spice
This is book two in this series and its just so darn sweet. Honestly way more than I thought it would be, based on the angst and drama of the first book, and how much of a grump Ellis was. Ellis wound up being an adorably insecure and sweet MMC, who was grumpy mainly because he was under so much stress.
Gabe is the co-owner of the local coffee cafe, where Ellis comes into for a cup of coffee and is incredibly rude the whole time, so not too much of a 'meet cute'. Gabe is a very strong (to put it mildly) Empath and understands that the rudeness is a symptom of much deeper issues and he is immediately intrigued. Could also be because he has a massive savior complex.
The first 1/3 of this book takes place during about the last 1/3 of book one. You see the events unfold from Gabe and Ellis' POV, and then branch off into their own love story. I do recommend reading the first book, just because they are so entwined. I enjoyed this sweet & spicy very much, and this author is 2/2 for me.
June 22, 2024
I really liked the romance between Gabe and Ellis. I also really liked the scenes with Dawson and Cal. I hated everything else.
All the other side characters were awful. I have zero interest in reading their stories. Every woman is portrayed as a sexual harasser. Parents are vilified for never wanting kids. Parents who walked out on their kids are held on a pedestal. A random dog appears? Sometimes I was cringing pretty hard. Most of book one is somehow rehashed here but sometimes I feel like the dialogue wasn’t quite the same as book one and that was both boring and distracting.
Honestly though I enjoyed this enough and had a smile on my face often. I may read more from this author but I’ll be a bit more cautious about it.
All the other side characters were awful. I have zero interest in reading their stories. Every woman is portrayed as a sexual harasser. Parents are vilified for never wanting kids. Parents who walked out on their kids are held on a pedestal. A random dog appears? Sometimes I was cringing pretty hard. Most of book one is somehow rehashed here but sometimes I feel like the dialogue wasn’t quite the same as book one and that was both boring and distracting.
Honestly though I enjoyed this enough and had a smile on my face often. I may read more from this author but I’ll be a bit more cautious about it.
April 1, 2024
This book was such a great read! It’s the second in the ‘Who We Are’ contemporary/paranormal series by Amithia Raine. Although this one could be read as a standalone, I absolutely recommend reading ‘Should The Sky Fall’ first because there is a lot of crossover in the characters and plot!
Should The Sky Fall was an absolute angst fest and this book… was the complete opposite of that! It’s a sweet, low-angst read about a stressed out CEO and a supernaturally empathetic barista whose sole aim in life is to make people feel better!
Ellis and Gabe are both so perfect for each other; they embody grumpy x sunshine and their relationship is just so low-drama and they are hot hot hotttt together! Gabe is able to read and affect the moods of those around him and watching him use his abilities with Ellis gave their relationship a real spark! Their not-so-meet-cute in Gabe’s cafe was just the perfect start for this book - and I loved the coffee and buns theme that ran throughout!
Read for:
✨ Stressed out CEO x Empathetic barista
✨ Grumpy x Sunshine
✨ Paranormal elements (MC who can effect emotions)
✨ Low angst
✨ Bi-awakening
✨ Bi & Pan rep
Thank you so much to the author for an ARC of this book! It will be available on 6th April 2024!
Ps. Literally the only reason this didn’t get 5 stars is simply because I really struggle with third person present narrative! It threw me off in places, but I am very aware this is a me issue and it won’t bother other people 💕
Should The Sky Fall was an absolute angst fest and this book… was the complete opposite of that! It’s a sweet, low-angst read about a stressed out CEO and a supernaturally empathetic barista whose sole aim in life is to make people feel better!
Ellis and Gabe are both so perfect for each other; they embody grumpy x sunshine and their relationship is just so low-drama and they are hot hot hotttt together! Gabe is able to read and affect the moods of those around him and watching him use his abilities with Ellis gave their relationship a real spark! Their not-so-meet-cute in Gabe’s cafe was just the perfect start for this book - and I loved the coffee and buns theme that ran throughout!
Read for:
✨ Stressed out CEO x Empathetic barista
✨ Grumpy x Sunshine
✨ Paranormal elements (MC who can effect emotions)
✨ Low angst
✨ Bi-awakening
✨ Bi & Pan rep
Thank you so much to the author for an ARC of this book! It will be available on 6th April 2024!
Ps. Literally the only reason this didn’t get 5 stars is simply because I really struggle with third person present narrative! It threw me off in places, but I am very aware this is a me issue and it won’t bother other people 💕
April 8, 2024
Amithia Raine wrote: "It's a contemporary story with a paranormal subplot (Gabe has empathic abilities), low-ish on angst, high on feels and trying really hard to be funny."
Thank you for this. I would have enjoyed Should the Sky Fall a lot more if I’d expected this going in.
I definitely enjoyed this a lot more than the first book, primarily because I got exactly what I expected rather than the complete opposite.
However, it was really, really long. Not that I mind a long book, but it was really, really long, and there was no real plot or issues or drama or angst or anything, really. The writing was fine and the dialogue was fine and the characters were fine and everything, but... everything went swimmingly pretty much throughout the whole book. The only "drama" was related to the first book, not this one, and was resolved smoothly - no real issue.
Thank you for this. I would have enjoyed Should the Sky Fall a lot more if I’d expected this going in.
I definitely enjoyed this a lot more than the first book, primarily because I got exactly what I expected rather than the complete opposite.
However, it was really, really long. Not that I mind a long book, but it was really, really long, and there was no real plot or issues or drama or angst or anything, really. The writing was fine and the dialogue was fine and the characters were fine and everything, but... everything went swimmingly pretty much throughout the whole book. The only "drama" was related to the first book, not this one, and was resolved smoothly - no real issue.
October 31, 2025
I received a copy of this book from GRR, and this is my honest review.
Ellis and Gabe were such an adorable couple, full of hilarious and heartwarming moments. The black cat versus golden retriever dynamic made their story so enjoyable, and I loved how Gabe easily melted Ellis’ tough exterior.
Ellis and Gabe were such an adorable couple, full of hilarious and heartwarming moments. The black cat versus golden retriever dynamic made their story so enjoyable, and I loved how Gabe easily melted Ellis’ tough exterior.
April 29, 2024
The first 50% were fun fluff, even if it wasn't groundbreaking, but everything from 50% to 85% could have been cut easily.
June 30, 2024
DNF@36% Snoozefest 😴
A third of the book in and our MC’s have only had a couple of minimal and mundane interactions. Previous characters are now unlikable and obviously there just to set up for their books. This should’ve been a lot shorter. There is not enough story for 370 pages. I could’ve skipped 150+ pages and not missed anything.
What a disappointment!
A third of the book in and our MC’s have only had a couple of minimal and mundane interactions. Previous characters are now unlikable and obviously there just to set up for their books. This should’ve been a lot shorter. There is not enough story for 370 pages. I could’ve skipped 150+ pages and not missed anything.
What a disappointment!
April 14, 2024
Such a let down after book 1. It was so focused on Cal’s story the MCs felt like supporting cast in their own book.
The unrealistic way the coffee shop was written. Gabe and Zeke bake their own pastries but arrive just before opening the shop. When do they bake? I will not even mention the CEO aspect.
The relationship was cute. Ellis got a personality transplant after two cups of coffee.
My pet peeve are books in a series following the same timeline. They have so much repetition it drives me crazy.
What this book needed was more passion. More energy. More original material.
The unrealistic way the coffee shop was written. Gabe and Zeke bake their own pastries but arrive just before opening the shop. When do they bake? I will not even mention the CEO aspect.
The relationship was cute. Ellis got a personality transplant after two cups of coffee.
My pet peeve are books in a series following the same timeline. They have so much repetition it drives me crazy.
What this book needed was more passion. More energy. More original material.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 2, 2024
“Where have you been?”
There’s something rueful and almost sad in his voice. It wraps around Gabe’s throat, choking him, making tears spring to his eyes. “Looking for you,” Gabe whispers, smiling as he looks into Ellis’ eyes. “But you found me first.” …
the premise was very promising … the execution, ehhhhhh
April 13, 2024
** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Reviewed for Divine Magazine
~
Should Our Hearts Catch Fire, Who We Are 02
by Aminthia Raine
★★☆☆☆
370 Pages
3rd person, present tense, dual character POV
Themes: grumpy/sunshine, bi awakening, mutual pining, found family, empath, touch-starved
Triggers: mentions of childhood abandonment, unplanned/unwanted pregnancy, internalized homophobia/biphobia
Genre: LGBT, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal
~
I DNF'd at 38%. This review is to explain why.
~
I was really excited about this book. I loved Book 1 when I first read it and came back to re-read it before starting this one, to make sure I had all the small details and nuances right. Weirdly, on the second read, I found myself wavering in the middle (which is another issue), however, that problem directly relates to this book, because the *same* thing happened there, except it wasn't just in the middle...it was the entire book.
As I was re-reading Book 1, I realised that it just wasn't as interesting or as compelling when I knew the big plot twist. It didn't make a good re-read book, and that's fine because some don't. Especially the kind of books where they're a lot of tension, build up and uncertainty until you reach the big plot twist at the end. Reading the book again, I already knew the plot twist, so I found my attention drifting while reading the middle of Book 1...and that's exactly what happened here.
There is no big plot twist, here. We already know that Gabe is an empath, and thanks to the Epilogue of Book 1, we already know that he's got a boyfriend 2 years down the line from the end of Book 1. There's nothing NEW to discover here, which I think was part of the problem.
Another issue I had was that the author tried so hard to make this a possible to be read as a standalone – which I DO NOT recommend, because there is a whole lot of context missing – that it was really boring and repetitive for the return readers to delve into. There are AT LEAST three or four FULL scenes taken from Book 1, that are told in Ellis' POV, that I find have absolutely NOTHING to do with his story. They're in here only as filler, because the author needed to explore the entire timeline stretch.
However – and here is my big issue – if they had just started the book AFTER the events of Book 1 (even before the Epilogue that was 2 years later) HALF of my issues with the book would never have existed. For return readers, we don't want to re-read the EXACT same scenes from Book 1 all over again – especially if you did what I did, which was re-read Book 1 before starting this one – because we've been there, and seeing them in Ellis' POV really didn't add anything new.
I honestly felt that there was no natural flow between the new material. All those rehashed scenes interrupted anything that had time to build up, resulting in a choppy, indistinct timeline, no flow between scenes, and made the book feel like a very long collection of vignettes rather than a cohesive novel.
Because of the constant choppiness, and the glacial pace, it was missing the tension, emotional impact and intrigue of Book 1. Unlike Book 1, there was no big mystery to solve, no anticipation of what was to come, because we already know they get together and Gabe's empathic abilities is far easier to swallow than the super intriguing reaper of Book 1.
But, if you're going to rehash old scenes – for the love of God – include some POV labels and timeline markers. It took 7% before I knew where in Book 1's timeline it was even starting, and then it seemed to jump around after that. By 38% we'd explored most of Book 1's main story timeline, but all I read were filler scenes. It took FOREVER to get to the point, because the author cared more about rehashing Book 1 than giving us a fresh, new storyline to follow.
Sadly, that meant that even in his own book, Ellis was overshadowed by Cal. Both Ellis and Gabe were so shy and introverted that neither stood a chance in hell of standing out as a main character against the exuberant characters like Ash, Zeke and Jordan, who all had a bit of spark and fire in them. Even the scenes where Dawson and Cal showed up had more chemistry than the very few scenes we got when Ellis and Gabe were together.
I think my biggest problem with Ellis and Gabe was that they were so....high school. I was far more interested in the Kieran/Ash and whether Jordan/Zeke might be a thing, than in whether the two of them would ever make it through the 10,000 layers of shyness to actually admit they liked each other.
At 80 pages SHORTER than Book 1, I have to admit that every time I sat and read a chunk of it, I'd look at the percentage hopefully only to feel really deflated to realise that by reading about 3 chapters in a row, I'd only moved on about 2%. Because of the lack of flow and the fact that nothing of interest ever happened, it just felt endless.
~
OVERALL
Unfortunately, nothing caught fire, in this book. No hearts, not even a pair of pants. There was nothing even remotely fiery or hot or spicy about the parts I read, just...sadly to say...boring. It was all mundane daily stuff, work and hanging out with friends and family. Take the middle parts of Book 1 – where Cal and Dawson are getting to know each other again – making it half as interesting, completely separate them and force them to spend more time with other people than they do with each other, and that's about what you get for this entire book.
My suggestion as a beta/alpha reader would have been to make this book take place between the end and epilogue of Book 1 – an entire two years, which is more than enough to have a slow burn. That would have solved half the problems, such as rehashing scenes with Cal that probably made zero sense to new readers – because this is NOT a standalone by any means – and that add nothing but cause a lot of timeline and flow issues for Ellis' story.
There were a lot of unnecessary scenes and concepts going on here, that either had zero impact on the novel or were used as convenient plot devices to force a situation, which I never enjoy. I would have removed the cinema scene between Ash and Gabe (kept the mind link, but DEAR GOD, remove the shared-experience horniness between cousins! That was entirely unnecessary and gross!) And remove the fake pregnancy thing, because that was clearly just a filler, so that Ellis' POV could be shown and so that he'd be stressed and self-doubtful enough to open up to Gabe. There were better, more logical ways of doing this. Having one of the few female characters in the entire book by a cheating, lying ho probably wasn't the best idea.
Finally, I'll admit that I read some reviews before writing mine. In fact, I read them before DNF'ing because I hoped they would tell me it got better. For this, I always read the negative reviews, just to see if they admit it started bad but had a strong finish, but they didn't. They agreed with all my points, but they also pointed out some things that I don't want to read about, so since I already wasn't feeling the story, I decided to give up before the book actually made me mad.
e.g. Ellis feeling up Jordan's boner. What is that about?
After Gabe and Ellis have sex, they discover that Gabe's MOTHER heard everything through the wall ??? Then she says “That was beautiful.” I mean...WTF??
No thanks.
Sadly, while Book 1 was strong on the initial read, I don't think this is a book or series I'll be revisiting again. There was so much untapped potential, but in the end, nothing caught fire except my last nerve, because the only thing happening in the book was a whole lot of nothing.
Reviewed for Divine Magazine
~
Should Our Hearts Catch Fire, Who We Are 02
by Aminthia Raine
★★☆☆☆
370 Pages
3rd person, present tense, dual character POV
Themes: grumpy/sunshine, bi awakening, mutual pining, found family, empath, touch-starved
Triggers: mentions of childhood abandonment, unplanned/unwanted pregnancy, internalized homophobia/biphobia
Genre: LGBT, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal
~
I DNF'd at 38%. This review is to explain why.
~
I was really excited about this book. I loved Book 1 when I first read it and came back to re-read it before starting this one, to make sure I had all the small details and nuances right. Weirdly, on the second read, I found myself wavering in the middle (which is another issue), however, that problem directly relates to this book, because the *same* thing happened there, except it wasn't just in the middle...it was the entire book.
As I was re-reading Book 1, I realised that it just wasn't as interesting or as compelling when I knew the big plot twist. It didn't make a good re-read book, and that's fine because some don't. Especially the kind of books where they're a lot of tension, build up and uncertainty until you reach the big plot twist at the end. Reading the book again, I already knew the plot twist, so I found my attention drifting while reading the middle of Book 1...and that's exactly what happened here.
There is no big plot twist, here. We already know that Gabe is an empath, and thanks to the Epilogue of Book 1, we already know that he's got a boyfriend 2 years down the line from the end of Book 1. There's nothing NEW to discover here, which I think was part of the problem.
Another issue I had was that the author tried so hard to make this a possible to be read as a standalone – which I DO NOT recommend, because there is a whole lot of context missing – that it was really boring and repetitive for the return readers to delve into. There are AT LEAST three or four FULL scenes taken from Book 1, that are told in Ellis' POV, that I find have absolutely NOTHING to do with his story. They're in here only as filler, because the author needed to explore the entire timeline stretch.
However – and here is my big issue – if they had just started the book AFTER the events of Book 1 (even before the Epilogue that was 2 years later) HALF of my issues with the book would never have existed. For return readers, we don't want to re-read the EXACT same scenes from Book 1 all over again – especially if you did what I did, which was re-read Book 1 before starting this one – because we've been there, and seeing them in Ellis' POV really didn't add anything new.
I honestly felt that there was no natural flow between the new material. All those rehashed scenes interrupted anything that had time to build up, resulting in a choppy, indistinct timeline, no flow between scenes, and made the book feel like a very long collection of vignettes rather than a cohesive novel.
Because of the constant choppiness, and the glacial pace, it was missing the tension, emotional impact and intrigue of Book 1. Unlike Book 1, there was no big mystery to solve, no anticipation of what was to come, because we already know they get together and Gabe's empathic abilities is far easier to swallow than the super intriguing reaper of Book 1.
But, if you're going to rehash old scenes – for the love of God – include some POV labels and timeline markers. It took 7% before I knew where in Book 1's timeline it was even starting, and then it seemed to jump around after that. By 38% we'd explored most of Book 1's main story timeline, but all I read were filler scenes. It took FOREVER to get to the point, because the author cared more about rehashing Book 1 than giving us a fresh, new storyline to follow.
Sadly, that meant that even in his own book, Ellis was overshadowed by Cal. Both Ellis and Gabe were so shy and introverted that neither stood a chance in hell of standing out as a main character against the exuberant characters like Ash, Zeke and Jordan, who all had a bit of spark and fire in them. Even the scenes where Dawson and Cal showed up had more chemistry than the very few scenes we got when Ellis and Gabe were together.
I think my biggest problem with Ellis and Gabe was that they were so....high school. I was far more interested in the Kieran/Ash and whether Jordan/Zeke might be a thing, than in whether the two of them would ever make it through the 10,000 layers of shyness to actually admit they liked each other.
At 80 pages SHORTER than Book 1, I have to admit that every time I sat and read a chunk of it, I'd look at the percentage hopefully only to feel really deflated to realise that by reading about 3 chapters in a row, I'd only moved on about 2%. Because of the lack of flow and the fact that nothing of interest ever happened, it just felt endless.
~
OVERALL
Unfortunately, nothing caught fire, in this book. No hearts, not even a pair of pants. There was nothing even remotely fiery or hot or spicy about the parts I read, just...sadly to say...boring. It was all mundane daily stuff, work and hanging out with friends and family. Take the middle parts of Book 1 – where Cal and Dawson are getting to know each other again – making it half as interesting, completely separate them and force them to spend more time with other people than they do with each other, and that's about what you get for this entire book.
My suggestion as a beta/alpha reader would have been to make this book take place between the end and epilogue of Book 1 – an entire two years, which is more than enough to have a slow burn. That would have solved half the problems, such as rehashing scenes with Cal that probably made zero sense to new readers – because this is NOT a standalone by any means – and that add nothing but cause a lot of timeline and flow issues for Ellis' story.
There were a lot of unnecessary scenes and concepts going on here, that either had zero impact on the novel or were used as convenient plot devices to force a situation, which I never enjoy. I would have removed the cinema scene between Ash and Gabe (kept the mind link, but DEAR GOD, remove the shared-experience horniness between cousins! That was entirely unnecessary and gross!) And remove the fake pregnancy thing, because that was clearly just a filler, so that Ellis' POV could be shown and so that he'd be stressed and self-doubtful enough to open up to Gabe. There were better, more logical ways of doing this. Having one of the few female characters in the entire book by a cheating, lying ho probably wasn't the best idea.
Finally, I'll admit that I read some reviews before writing mine. In fact, I read them before DNF'ing because I hoped they would tell me it got better. For this, I always read the negative reviews, just to see if they admit it started bad but had a strong finish, but they didn't. They agreed with all my points, but they also pointed out some things that I don't want to read about, so since I already wasn't feeling the story, I decided to give up before the book actually made me mad.
e.g. Ellis feeling up Jordan's boner. What is that about?
After Gabe and Ellis have sex, they discover that Gabe's MOTHER heard everything through the wall ??? Then she says “That was beautiful.” I mean...WTF??
No thanks.
Sadly, while Book 1 was strong on the initial read, I don't think this is a book or series I'll be revisiting again. There was so much untapped potential, but in the end, nothing caught fire except my last nerve, because the only thing happening in the book was a whole lot of nothing.
April 8, 2024
I can now finally sleep at night knowing that the sequel to my favorite book has been read and it was just as beautiful. Go ahead and read book one then read this book.
I felt this book had a completely different vibe, it was watching these two beautiful souls fall in love with each other. It was so sweet to see more about Ellis, learn more about who he is, and see this man be a very sad soul was a bit of a shocker, but seeing him get the love he deserves from his solace, Gabe, was perfect. Gabe was so kind, patient, and loving and cared about Ellis. Ellis was such a complicated man but I loved how he let himself feel loved by Gabe. Gabe was just adorable and was just what Ellis needed.
All the side characters were so funny and I loved how they made this little family and friendship. Ash was so shocking to me in this book like the man was straight out of pocket. Kieran appearances were funny but I am so curious why he is the way he is. Cal and Dawson will forever have my heart, that is just a fact of life.
I feel the ending was a bit rushed and maybe could have used a couple more chapters to work through something but overall I enjoyed this book. It kept me smiling and laughing. I love that paranormal things are a side plot versus a main plot. It was more in our face this book but it was not over complicated or anything and was not distracting from the relationship. I cannot wait to see what the rest of this world has in store for us and hopefully, we get those side stories about these couples soon!
I felt this book had a completely different vibe, it was watching these two beautiful souls fall in love with each other. It was so sweet to see more about Ellis, learn more about who he is, and see this man be a very sad soul was a bit of a shocker, but seeing him get the love he deserves from his solace, Gabe, was perfect. Gabe was so kind, patient, and loving and cared about Ellis. Ellis was such a complicated man but I loved how he let himself feel loved by Gabe. Gabe was just adorable and was just what Ellis needed.
All the side characters were so funny and I loved how they made this little family and friendship. Ash was so shocking to me in this book like the man was straight out of pocket. Kieran appearances were funny but I am so curious why he is the way he is. Cal and Dawson will forever have my heart, that is just a fact of life.
I feel the ending was a bit rushed and maybe could have used a couple more chapters to work through something but overall I enjoyed this book. It kept me smiling and laughing. I love that paranormal things are a side plot versus a main plot. It was more in our face this book but it was not over complicated or anything and was not distracting from the relationship. I cannot wait to see what the rest of this world has in store for us and hopefully, we get those side stories about these couples soon!
December 21, 2025
This is an opposites attract to more romance, featuring Ellis and Gabriel, and is book two in the Who We Are series.
Ellis has spent his life living under expectations, cleaning up family messes, and taking over the business after his brother loses his memories, never feeling good enough. Everything changes when a strange café and its magnetic barista, Gabriel, make him feel alive for the first time, and like he might finally have found what he’s been missing.
I really enjoyed this one. This book delivers an emotionally compelling journey of self-discovery wrapped in a slow-burn romance that feels both tender and transformative. Ellis and Gabriel’s connection is tender and heartwarming, and the story beautifully shows how love and the right people can help you find yourself.
Things to expect in this book are:
Book 2 in series
MM romance
Slow burn
Set on the Gold Coast
Opposites attract
Grumpy x Sunshine
Meet-cute
Closed off & touch starved
Bit of magic in the air
Flirting & blushing
Emotional awakening
Bi awakening
Spicy times
Restraints & biting
Buys him flowers
Healing through love
Dog dad
Cameos from book 1
Found family
HEA
Ellis has spent his life living under expectations, cleaning up family messes, and taking over the business after his brother loses his memories, never feeling good enough. Everything changes when a strange café and its magnetic barista, Gabriel, make him feel alive for the first time, and like he might finally have found what he’s been missing.
I really enjoyed this one. This book delivers an emotionally compelling journey of self-discovery wrapped in a slow-burn romance that feels both tender and transformative. Ellis and Gabriel’s connection is tender and heartwarming, and the story beautifully shows how love and the right people can help you find yourself.
Things to expect in this book are:
Book 2 in series
MM romance
Slow burn
Set on the Gold Coast
Opposites attract
Grumpy x Sunshine
Meet-cute
Closed off & touch starved
Bit of magic in the air
Flirting & blushing
Emotional awakening
Bi awakening
Spicy times
Restraints & biting
Buys him flowers
Healing through love
Dog dad
Cameos from book 1
Found family
HEA
October 22, 2024
Great Continuation to Book 1
What a great continuation to Should the Sky Fall.
Ellis has some issues trusting his emotions but not his intuition, which is how he finds himself at Lost and Ground. Although their meet cute is more like a meet grumpy, Gabe is not deterred and Ellis finds himself there the next week. And the next.
I really liked how Ellis accepted everything about Gabe pretty quickly, and their connection was strong. These two were honestly so cute together.
I would be so interested in Jordan’s story! Not sure if that’s coming up or not!
What a great continuation to Should the Sky Fall.
Ellis has some issues trusting his emotions but not his intuition, which is how he finds himself at Lost and Ground. Although their meet cute is more like a meet grumpy, Gabe is not deterred and Ellis finds himself there the next week. And the next.
I really liked how Ellis accepted everything about Gabe pretty quickly, and their connection was strong. These two were honestly so cute together.
I would be so interested in Jordan’s story! Not sure if that’s coming up or not!
April 15, 2024
I can't believe there is a sweeter couple than Dawson and Cal but Ellis and Gabe take the cake (well, cinnamon roll). I was pleased to see some growth for Ellis and Cal. This was a great sequel to a book that really surprised me.
My only complaint is that Ellis was ashamed to admit Lola was his and that was not satisfactorily resolved. Justice for Lola!!! 🐶🩷🩷
My only complaint is that Ellis was ashamed to admit Lola was his and that was not satisfactorily resolved. Justice for Lola!!! 🐶🩷🩷
April 7, 2024
I was honestly ready for Amithia Raine to take my heart, put it on the blender and make me cry before mending it like she did on “Should the Sky Fall”, and she didn’t.
She did something better, she took my heart and filled it with warm, fuzzy feelings.
Ellis and Gabe were everything, their interactions we so sweet. The way Gabe took care of Ellis at all times was so cute and seeing Ellis´ layers of pain peel off and figuring out his feelings for Gabe was swoon worthy. Those two were perfect for each other.
I was so happy to have more of Cal and Dawson, I was really looking forward to seeing more of them on this book and we did. Cal owing up to who he really is and seeing that everything that happened on book 1 still had repercussions was a really great touch of reality, just because Cal and Dawson had their HEA doesn’t mean their actions don’t have consequences.
I loved how the supernatural aspect of the series helped enhance the romantic aspect of this book, but we still got more information about Gabe´s powers.
Loved it so much, can’t wait to find out what’s next on this series.
She did something better, she took my heart and filled it with warm, fuzzy feelings.
Ellis and Gabe were everything, their interactions we so sweet. The way Gabe took care of Ellis at all times was so cute and seeing Ellis´ layers of pain peel off and figuring out his feelings for Gabe was swoon worthy. Those two were perfect for each other.
I was so happy to have more of Cal and Dawson, I was really looking forward to seeing more of them on this book and we did. Cal owing up to who he really is and seeing that everything that happened on book 1 still had repercussions was a really great touch of reality, just because Cal and Dawson had their HEA doesn’t mean their actions don’t have consequences.
I loved how the supernatural aspect of the series helped enhance the romantic aspect of this book, but we still got more information about Gabe´s powers.
Loved it so much, can’t wait to find out what’s next on this series.
April 4, 2024
Oh I love Gabe. He is all hearts and flowers and just makes me mushy inside 💜 This book was a super sweet romance between the grumpiest grump whoever grumped (Ellis) meeting his soulmate in the cutest coffee shop (Gabe). I loved reading this story and seeing watching Ellis change and come to terms with all his inner demons and sweet sexy Gabe was just the perfect person for him. The sweetest little notes and all the happy feels....ugh, it was so good. This book was just so sweet.
I hope theirs an Ash and Kieran story somewhere out there soon :)
☀️ Grumpy/sunshine
🍆 Bisexual awakening
💜 Mutual pining
💜 Found family
💜 Medium-slow burn
🤗 Touch-starved MC
💜 Paranormal elements (empath MC)
🍆 Frotting & rimming
- Vers MCs
I hope theirs an Ash and Kieran story somewhere out there soon :)
☀️ Grumpy/sunshine
🍆 Bisexual awakening
💜 Mutual pining
💜 Found family
💜 Medium-slow burn
🤗 Touch-starved MC
💜 Paranormal elements (empath MC)
🍆 Frotting & rimming
- Vers MCs
April 20, 2024
Should Our Hearts Catch Fire is the second book in Amithia Raine's Who We Are series. It's a MM contemporary romance with a paranormal subplot. It probably could be read as a standalone, but I would recommend starting with Should the Sky Fall. This book is told from a third person dual point of view and has a guaranteed happily ever after. Here's what you can expect from Ellis and Gabe (content and trigger warnings are included at the end of this review, and as always, please take care of yourself while reading):
- A main character with empathic abilities
- Grumpy/sunshine vibes
- Bisexual awakening
- Pansexual representation
- Mutual pining
- Found family
- Medium/slow burn
- A touch-starved main character
- Low/medium angst
- Idiots to lovers
Should the Sky Fall was one of the most unique and adorable reads I encountered in 2023. I was thrilled to learn that what was originally planned as a standalone turned into a series! The plotline of this book overlaps with the first, and it was great to get the wild events from Should the Sky Fall from Cal's brother's perspective. Although Ellis was standoffish and frankly, a complete arse when we meet him, I ended up loving both him and Gabe (we met Gabe in the first story, too, and he was just as lovely in this one). Poor Ellis is so touch-starved, and he's spent his entire life living in Cal's shadow. I loved how comfortable he felt with Gabe, and their chemistry together was seriously electric. I was pleasantly surprised with the spice in this book and the dynamic that played out between Ellis and Gabe, combined with Gabe's empathic abilities.
This book was a relatively easy read (especially compared to the first one) with lots of wholesome moments and funny banter. Between Zeke (Gabe's aloof business partner), Kieran (Dawson's surly best friend), and Ash (Gabe's cousin with abilities of his own), there is so much potential for more stories in this universe. I always enjoy the sweet found family vibes, and you definitely get them here. Gabe's mom was also so much fun, and she definitely stole some scenes. This book was definitely a medium (to slow) burn, which isn't always my favourite, but I do feel like it worked with the characters quite well.
Definitely check this series out if you're looking for something a little bit different that will give you those warm, fuzzy feelings I think you'll want to take a look into Amithia Raine's work!
Content and trigger warnings:
- A main character with empathic abilities
- Grumpy/sunshine vibes
- Bisexual awakening
- Pansexual representation
- Mutual pining
- Found family
- Medium/slow burn
- A touch-starved main character
- Low/medium angst
- Idiots to lovers
It’s been a long time since Gabe has felt so much pain and loneliness in anyone. But this man with soul-deep sadness in his eyes, and walls around his heart taller than Everest…
Damn, Gabe nearly threw himself across the counter and gave him a much-needed hug. Since he had a feeling it wouldn’t have been taken well, he went with the next best thing: a cinnamon roll.
Should the Sky Fall was one of the most unique and adorable reads I encountered in 2023. I was thrilled to learn that what was originally planned as a standalone turned into a series! The plotline of this book overlaps with the first, and it was great to get the wild events from Should the Sky Fall from Cal's brother's perspective. Although Ellis was standoffish and frankly, a complete arse when we meet him, I ended up loving both him and Gabe (we met Gabe in the first story, too, and he was just as lovely in this one). Poor Ellis is so touch-starved, and he's spent his entire life living in Cal's shadow. I loved how comfortable he felt with Gabe, and their chemistry together was seriously electric. I was pleasantly surprised with the spice in this book and the dynamic that played out between Ellis and Gabe, combined with Gabe's empathic abilities.
This book was a relatively easy read (especially compared to the first one) with lots of wholesome moments and funny banter. Between Zeke (Gabe's aloof business partner), Kieran (Dawson's surly best friend), and Ash (Gabe's cousin with abilities of his own), there is so much potential for more stories in this universe. I always enjoy the sweet found family vibes, and you definitely get them here. Gabe's mom was also so much fun, and she definitely stole some scenes. This book was definitely a medium (to slow) burn, which isn't always my favourite, but I do feel like it worked with the characters quite well.
Definitely check this series out if you're looking for something a little bit different that will give you those warm, fuzzy feelings I think you'll want to take a look into Amithia Raine's work!
God. Gabriel really has no idea. “You do. When I’m with you, it’s the most peaceful I’ve ever felt.” He takes Gabriel’s hand, placing a kiss on his knuckles. “You’re my solace.”
Content and trigger warnings:
April 6, 2024
***ARC Review***
This is my honest and voluntary review for the ARC I received.
This is book two in the Who We Are series. Ellis is Cal’s brother from the first book in the series. I love a grumpy/sunshine pairing, so I was excited to read this book when I found out that Ellis was getting his own story. There are also paranormal elements in this book (like the first one), since Gabriel is an empath. All that said, this book can be read as a standalone, but I would suggest reading the series in order for optimal clarity.
Ellis has returned to the Gold Coast after almost a decade away in Sydney. He’s here to help the family business while his brother deals with his memory loss. Ellis is dealing with some demons from his past - specifically, his father. Gabriel is a barista at Lost and Ground. He feels an immediate connection to Ellis and locks onto him. I love the slow progression of their relationship from barista/customer to courtship and eventual relationship.
Ellis and Gabe are such a lovely pairing. My cheeks hurt from how often I smiled at their interactions. I just wanted to scoop Ellis up and give him the biggest hug. He feels more than he gives himself credit for and he is such a good egg at heart. Gabe is literal sunshine and I love everything he gave and became to Ellis. The emotional connection and sense of rightness between these MCs is top tier. I was happy at how honest and forthcoming both men were with one another. I liked the added dimension of both of them experiencing some sort of abandonment in their past, and the very different reactions/outcomes they have as a result.
It was great seeing Dawson and Cal again in this story. Ash and Kieran are especially entertaining (can’t wait for their book). Amanda and Carrie gave me life! Ellis and Gabe have a lot to navigate in this book, but they manage to overcome all of the emotional hurdles (mostly on Gabe’s part) in their way and achieve a very well deserved HEA. Raine does an excellent job telling Ellis and Gabe’s story. The found family vibes are strong in this one. You should definitely run out and read this book!
There are some potential triggers in this book, so check out the author’s warning at the beginning of the book to be safe.
This is my honest and voluntary review for the ARC I received.
This is book two in the Who We Are series. Ellis is Cal’s brother from the first book in the series. I love a grumpy/sunshine pairing, so I was excited to read this book when I found out that Ellis was getting his own story. There are also paranormal elements in this book (like the first one), since Gabriel is an empath. All that said, this book can be read as a standalone, but I would suggest reading the series in order for optimal clarity.
Ellis has returned to the Gold Coast after almost a decade away in Sydney. He’s here to help the family business while his brother deals with his memory loss. Ellis is dealing with some demons from his past - specifically, his father. Gabriel is a barista at Lost and Ground. He feels an immediate connection to Ellis and locks onto him. I love the slow progression of their relationship from barista/customer to courtship and eventual relationship.
Ellis and Gabe are such a lovely pairing. My cheeks hurt from how often I smiled at their interactions. I just wanted to scoop Ellis up and give him the biggest hug. He feels more than he gives himself credit for and he is such a good egg at heart. Gabe is literal sunshine and I love everything he gave and became to Ellis. The emotional connection and sense of rightness between these MCs is top tier. I was happy at how honest and forthcoming both men were with one another. I liked the added dimension of both of them experiencing some sort of abandonment in their past, and the very different reactions/outcomes they have as a result.
It was great seeing Dawson and Cal again in this story. Ash and Kieran are especially entertaining (can’t wait for their book). Amanda and Carrie gave me life! Ellis and Gabe have a lot to navigate in this book, but they manage to overcome all of the emotional hurdles (mostly on Gabe’s part) in their way and achieve a very well deserved HEA. Raine does an excellent job telling Ellis and Gabe’s story. The found family vibes are strong in this one. You should definitely run out and read this book!
There are some potential triggers in this book, so check out the author’s warning at the beginning of the book to be safe.
Did not finish
January 6, 2025Finally moving this to DNF. This one just did not do it for me. I was really bored and got to 47%, and it did improve by then. I think around 30% or so it improved and it was actually pretty cute, but I just didn't really get attached to the characters or invested. And the other characters in this book for some reason were so weird and did a lot of borderline harassment. Ellis’s assistant or whatever she was for him was really weirdly sexual a couple times and made both Eli’s and me uncomfortable, Ash was nasty and not in a fun way. He was gross and sleezy and made me uncomfortable, and made everyone else uncomfortable too. I did not enjoy him at all. I like Keiran in this book, he was fun and did not deserve the nasty behavior of Ash. Ellis’s best friend was also pretty likeable. Overall, I was grossed out or annoyed for the first like 20% of the book and pushed through until it got better but just never got attached and it just isn’t worth continuing unfortunately
April 6, 2024
Amithias follow up to SHOULD THE SKY FALL shows us this author is not a one hit wonder. This book can technically be read as a standalone, but I would highly suggest reading in order to get the full impact of the outside events.
That being said, this one is not an angst fest of second chances that you are not sure are deserved. This time, it's two souls meeting and finding their solace. Ellis has grown up being second best to Cal. When Cals accidents force him back to the Gold Coast his flipped in all the best ways. Gabriel is an empath, and from his first meeting of Ellis, he knows this man is different. These two take their time in getting to know one another while falling for each other. The chemistry is palpable. The relationship is not what I expected after the debut novel, and for me, that's an amazing thing. I can't wait to see what she has for us next with a certain couple that should be a wild ride.
That being said, this one is not an angst fest of second chances that you are not sure are deserved. This time, it's two souls meeting and finding their solace. Ellis has grown up being second best to Cal. When Cals accidents force him back to the Gold Coast his flipped in all the best ways. Gabriel is an empath, and from his first meeting of Ellis, he knows this man is different. These two take their time in getting to know one another while falling for each other. The chemistry is palpable. The relationship is not what I expected after the debut novel, and for me, that's an amazing thing. I can't wait to see what she has for us next with a certain couple that should be a wild ride.
April 7, 2024
Part two of an impressive series so far. While the "supernatural" element in this story was not as original as in the first book, it was really interesting. Gabe especially was a beautiful warm character. It was good to get a little more depth for the other characters from book 1, from the perspective of others.
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