Structure of Love

Gay 4 Renovations #2

by A.J. Sherwood

Gage has a blueprint for his life all mapped out.

First, straighten out his little brother so Gage can finally stop being pseudo father to him.

Second, expand the company to have permanent crews.

Third, avoid any more hookup dates–he wants all or nothing.

The very sexy, tatted bar owner that slides into his life? Not part of the plan.

But god, Gage can go for some red line changes to make Logan part of it.


Gage’s turn for a book yay!, Sorry Cohen’s potential boyfriend dumped him, we’ll come back to him, contemporary romance, HGTV meets BL, family of choice, toxic family members, Logan’s family sucks so he can handle Gage’s no problem, emotional support, hurt/comfort, bad boy is Gage’s type, Logan’s EQ is through the roof, Logan is a great life coach, Asher gets to do ALL the shopping with little sis, so he’s in his happy place, Zar is the ultimate backup, Gage’s love language is designing dream house for him and Logan, Logan’s already ring shopping, Dungeons and Dragons continue to bring friends together, sexy photoshoots, grandmothers being awesome, Logan’s younger sister is a spitfire lesbian, Logan’s house has been taken over by a swarm of teenagers, help,

MM Romance, Low Angst, Contemporary, Chosen Family, Gay HGTV, Hurt/Comfort
This book may be read as a standalone, but it will be a better reading experience if you've read the first book.

Genres: M M Romance, Contemporary, Romance, Audiobook, Contemporary Romance, Found Family, LGBT

Kindle Edition

First published December 26, 2025

About the author

AJ Sherwood believes in happily ever afters, magic, dragons, good men, and dark chocolate. She often dreams at night of delectable men doing sexy things with each other. In between writing multiple books (often at the same time) she pets her cats, plays with her dogs, and attempts insane things like aerial yoga.

She currently resides in Tennessee with aforementioned cats, dogs, and her editor/best friend/sister/partner in crime.

Reviews

[rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was still far too much talking. I just don’t understand why all those conversations were necessary. They didn’t really make any difference to the plot, apart from dragging the book out.

And as for the plot: it really wasn’t my cup of tea. It started off better than the first book, but as soon as all the lovey-dovey stuff kicked in, I was done with it. The two of them went from 0 to 100, and I didn’t find that realistic at all. I seriously considered giving up on the book at about 60%, because it just wasn’t working for me whatsoever. But I was already too deep into it and couldn’t just stop.

I should have given up. It didn’t get any better.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it, it was really cute. I think it doesn't have me feeling more enthusiastic because I'm not in a contemporary mood but the book itself was pretty good.

[Kelan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed it, still suffering a bit from no bad qualities syndrome for my liking with her newer books.

[Sarah☀️ Somerville]

DNF @ 52% - This book is so much better than the first in the series, but I'm still kinda bored - there's not enough going on to justify the length. The issues are interesting, but aren't getting a lot of page time. Mostly this book is two men being utterly perfect for each other in every single way. Not for me.

[Renee MA · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5: With so much happening in the characters' lives, it's a surprise that nothing really happens...

[❀ Jess]

DNF @17%
I didn't really like the first book, it had OTT family drama and I couldn't feel the connection between the couple because it was just added sex on an existing relationship where they already basically acted like they were romantically together with all their cuddling.. I still decided to give this book a try thinking it would be different since it's strangers to lovers.

It has all the components I love:
MCs interested in a relationship instead of hookup✔️
MC asks the ofher out on a date✔️
A nice cast of friends✔️
Low to no relationship angst ✔️

Yet, I couldn't connect to the writing style. I have a hard time focusing when there's too much telling of the history or something or someone in the middle of an interaction and I felt like that was happening a lot. I found myself skimming too much and being uninterested.

[Meeps · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started out so strong. I really enjoyed the dating and "taking it slow" aspect of the romance. But once they slept together the romance and relationship building took a backseat to their family drama, and oh gods was there a lot of family drama. And the book only spans a couple of months!! Seems like so much drama crammed into a short time frame. When it rains it pours I guess. Would have just really liked to see more of the development and character growth of our two MCs.

[Renée · Rating 3.75 out of 5]

3.75 stars

[Jean · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m so disappointed. I’ve loved every single AJ Sherwood book I’ve read until now. This was just sooo terrible I barely even finished it. I got like 50% of the way through and then skimmed the rest.

Cliff notes on what I hated:

1. The writing was so incredibly formal. All of their conversations didn’t feel real. Every single character (and I mean literally EVERY character) sounded the exact same and they all felt like robots. I forgot what POV I was reading from half the time. Then the author would throw in a casual slang word every so often (I guess to try to make the conversations seem less stiff?) and it would just be so jarring. In retrospect, I think I could’ve actually enjoyed this book despite all the rest of the items on this list if the writing was even slightly good.

2. Every two seconds someone was either giving life advice or having a deep heartfelt conversation. This was probably a large part of the reason it felt so formal. Especially Logan! So he just came across as sooooo condescending and “holier-than-thou” all the time. It was just so unbelievable, like no one does shit like this in real life, let alone every other conversation.

3. Logan was literally a deadbeat drunk in and out of jail for years when he was younger, and in the last 10 years or so he picked himself up and “worked hard” and “had two jobs” to make enough money to own his own bar…. Sans bank loan? And his whole shtick is like “I used to be exactly like cooper (Gage’s younger brother who’s a deadbeat drunk) but I pulled myself up by my bootstraps and look at me now, I own a house, I own a bar….” Blah blah blah. And I’m just so sorry but in this economy, I cannot imagine starting at less than zero (in rehab with multiple misdemeanours and fines you owe) and getting a job as an uber driver and then at a bar and in 10 years you own your own house and your own bar without ever having to take out a bank loan?!!!?!!? Having received zero financial help from anyone? Absolutely fucking not?!? With money to spare too cause he adopts his younger sister and genuinely just like buys her a new car and phone and laptop. I’m like?!!!??! I wish the world worked like this? I’d become a bartender so fast.

4. The sex scenes were equally formal which was just weird and kinda icky. I’m just soooo confused at this point because AJ Sherwood writes good sex scenes. I KNOW they do because I’ve read so many of their other books! I just genuinely can’t even believe they wrote this book.

5. This book was twice as long as it needed to be. The drama was with Logan’s family and with Gage’s family and I stg that was it. So tell me why we are revisiting the same drama with both their families every other chapter? There wasn’t even a real climax to the story. It was like every two seconds some confrontation with a family member occurred and then was resolved equally fast.

6. Also the conflict with Gage’s brother, Cooper (the deadbeat drunk), was resolved so fast after one conversation with Logan? Like Cooper spends his whole childhood not listening to Gage tell him he needs to stop drinking and drunk driving and doing stupid shit with his stupid friends, and all it takes is one single conversation with Logan for him to be like “you know what, you’re right. I should fix my shit”….???!!!?!?!! Talk about unbelievable! Nothing was so unbelievable as that. AND THEN, he goes to rehab and therapy and life coaching?, and he gets better and gets a job at Logan’s bar and he’s totally fine…. Not even one mention of a relapse or anything close….

7. NOT TO MENTION, AS A RECOVERING ALCOHOLIC, HOW ARE BOTH OF THESE MEN WORKING AT BARS?!?!?!?! Talk about the worst possible profession for them?!?! Like genuinely wtf?

8. At one point Logan literally throws a glass of water in Gage’s mom’s face? Which is like, okay I get that she’s not a great mom sure, but also that’s assault?! Like legally. And he does it in a hospital? I’m just like idk that doesn’t really seem smart for someone with so many marks on their record? It felt very unbelievable. And I think Gage should’ve been at least a little upset about it? But he doesn’t even care.


I’m annoyed all over again just writing this review.

Don’t read this book, it’s a waste of time. Read literally any other series by this author instead.

[Louise · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would have rated this higher until it got close to the end, where the family drama gets completely muddled. I get that these situations are complicated and don't all tie up neatly, I wouldn't expect that, but it was like the author couldn't decide whether the family members were redeeming themselves or proving themselves completely irredeemable, and some of the issues around the grandfather's death made no sense. It felt really jumbled, which was compounded by the fact that everything gets talked to death. Don't get me wrong, male romance characters who have conversations instead of misunderstandings are a rare novelty, but this was excessive; EVERY thought or feeling gets analysed and described in full, often multiple times, to the detriment of the plot. It's completely telling rather than showing; once Gage has set out his boundaries for his relationships with his family members for example, we don't need him to repeat them and explain his actions to us every time he speaks to one of them. The central relationship and the two characters were likeable enough though, although the relationship sometimes seemed to be moving ridiculously fast but I think that's because more time is passing than is clear in the text - one of the characters will mention weeks or months, and you'll suddenly realise a lot more time has passed since the previous chapter than has been made clear. This series is generally a promising premise for low-angst romance reading, but in keeping it low-angst and thoughtful it has become too introspective, and talks itself in circles, overshadowing what is actually happening with the plot. (Also, I listened to the audiobook; the narrator for Logan was fine, but the narrator for Gage was fine when he was reading as Gage, but when he was quoting Logan he for some reason made him into a grouchy old man who smokes sixty a day??)

[Cynic530 · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was… just not for me.

I enjoyed the first entry into the series, so I went into this book with high hopes. I appreciated the lack of an unnecessary third act breakup, but that was the limit of what I liked about this book.

I didn’t care for the main characters, and I found their romance saccharin sweet; it just left an unpleasant and unnatural taste in my mouth. I get that they both came from abusive families, but I really felt like Gabe was the bad guy with Cooper. While Gabe’s family was obviously terrible, the author didn’t demonstrate enough to me to justify the cruelty he showed towards them and the indifference to Cooper’s well-being. The fact that Cooper had to witness a friend getting shot in the head right in front of him before Cooper hit a low enough point for Gabe to help him was pretty terrible. That was also such a jarring component of the book that was just glossed over and never mentioned again. Also, the idea that they would get a recovering alcoholic a job in a bar was just ridiculous.

Then there were two of the smallest, dumbest, things to hate about the book that I couldn’t stand (that nobody should even care about, but here I am writing about them…)

1. They called a sub sandwich a hoagie at one point. Literally 0% of the people who are from Michigan call a sub a hoagie. It’s either a sub, sandwich, or MAYBE a grinder depending on where you’re from and if there was a Mancino’s in your town when you were growing up.

2. The narrator for Gabe’s voice DID NOT work for this book. Whenever he was voicing Logan, he sounded like Lunch Lady Doris from the Simpson’s. Every time he spoke for Logan, all I could hear was “there is very little meat in these gym mats.”

[Mira · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book (series? author?) just didn’t work for me. It felt like it was trying to be a low-angst story but the family drama was so OTT that it was high-angst instead. The relationship between the MCs was so low conflict that it just wasn’t that interesting. Both were too perfect and whatever resistance existed felt contrived and was resolved almost immediately.
Gage’s relationship with his family and his abrupt shift in how he responded to them was jarring. And it’s highly unlikely he would be able to change that quickly and completely. The author took a very complex and difficult situation and tried to make it seem easily resolvable with just a little determination and a stern talking to.
The over the top mom with the brother who just decides to turn his life around suddenly and succeeds tells me this author has zero experience with trauma behavior, addiction, therapy or unhealthy family dynamics. left me feeling disappointed and annoyed rather than entertained by the story. The drama felt contrived with single dimensional characters used as plot devices, but lacked realism and creativity. Their conversations about their families bad choices and their refusal to support it felt like a bad attempt at healthy behavior, but it was so over scripted, none of it felt natural and real. Like the author was parroting some mental health therapist they follow on Instagram. Both MCs had ridiculously bad families that seemed to exist just to keep the story from being too saccharine, but ended up being distracting and uninteresting. They came across as judgmental and uncaring towards their parents, who were just caricatures of the ’bad guys’. The amount of drama from both families was just too much and made the story feel completely unbalanced. Would not recommend.

[Zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was absolutely wonderful and everything I expected it would be. Gage and Logan communicated like adults and their relationship was so sweet, I loved how they supported one another especially with the families that they were dealing with. All the conflict in this book was external because these two are amazing people who can talk and ask for help and set boundaries. I really like that there was no judgement from either of them when they talked about their pasts and their struggles that they’ve had. Logan was able to help Gage set the boundaries that he needed and help fix his relationship with his brother and Gage didn’t judge Logan at all and helped him with his sister. It was also really fun to see how these two went full steam ahead with their relationship and both of them were ready to propose and build a life together after only dating for a little while. We also got glimpses of Zar and Asher together which is amazing because I loved them in book 1. This found family is absolutely amazing and 100% there for one another without hesitation and I love that for them because some of them really need it. This book had all the humor and sweetness that you would expect from an A.J. Sherwood book and I am a big fan of A.J. Sherwood’s writing because it’s so fun and easy to read. I can’t wait to see the rest of their group find their happily ever afters and see this found family grow!

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the first book when it came out a few years ago, and I’ve been reading it at least twice a year ever since. It’s my favorite by this author. So this book came highly anticipated by me, and I have to say it did live up to my expectations. I really enjoyed it. It was what I hoped, though maybe with a bit more of that unhinged family drama than I thought. Apparently not only Asher had a crazy family; BOTH Gage and Logan had completely unhinged parents, which was… unfortunate.

I enjoyed the side-story with the brother who redeemed himself and the sister that finally got to be herself. Could’ve done without the parental drama, but at least that stopped us from having to get any relationship drama with the MCs, so that’s preferable. I will say that I was disappointed about Logan’s dad, I would have liked it better if he’d gotten a small redemption arc too instead of whatever that was at the end.

I thought the choice of narrators being the same as in the first book was unexpected, and not what I would’ve preferred. The beauty of using unknown narrators is that you get to associate them very strongly with those characters. So it threw me to have them do these two very different characters in a very similar style. But they did a pretty good job still, so I came around.

Also, can I just say that this book cover is the prettiest illustrated one I’ve ever seen? I absolutely adore the Style of Love cover, but this one is even better.

[eesha]

this was good but then it got boring SO FUCKING FAST. when did the romance take a backseat to both of their interpersonal family drama. like i get it both their families suck but genuinely we start delving TOO deep into the drama and i started skimming VERY FAST. also theres this one scene where logan commends gage for pronouncing korean food properly. two white guys btw. theres ALSO a line where gage is like idk HOW sheridan (his friend and coworker) is taking notes with her long fucking nails. the jokes were unfunny but the romance was sweet but god i wish idk. the writing was slightly less clunky the racial makeup of this was less White and i dont know there was more ROMANCE and less of these guys' lives. i dont care about yall im sorry! i do care about how yall are sweet w each other but like UGHHH. also we get CRAZY into gage's friends but almost nothing w logan it's like who are they...anyway cute but NAWT cute enough to justify half of this book.

[Cynthia M Brow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Structure of Love is the second book in the Gay 4 Renovations series. In my opinion this series is best read in order but I guess it could be read as a standalone. This is the story of Gage and Logan. AJ Sherwood has always been a favorite author because of the humor she uses in her books. This book was a rollercoaster ride of emotions. I went through every emotion you can think of with Gage and Logan. There were so many times I just wanted to hug both guys. Through it all these two supported each other and continued building their relationship. I loved the family and friends they had in their corner. I can't wait for the next book in the series because I really want to know who Cohen or Riggs ends up with. Any book that can make me laugh and cry is one I would recommend and this one did both so I would definitely recommend it.
received a free review copy

[Mari Cardenas · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars!

Structure of Love is book 2 in the Gay 4 Renovations series, and it can be read as a standalone. However, for maximum enjoyment, I suggest reading it in order, since we meet Gage's friends and coworkers in Style of Love, and it's a really great book.

Gage hasn't had the best luck with men, so he almost can't believe his good luck when he meets just his type, Logan. Now, if only dealing with his family were as easy.

I just adored Gage and Logan together. They had amazing chemistry and fit well together in each other's lives and with their friends and families. I especially loved that Logan was so supportive of Gage's problems with his brother Cooper, having dealt with something similar himself.

This book was such a lovely read! Fun, sweet, romantic, emotional, steamy, low to mid-angst, amazing characters, and interesting storyline, you can't go wrong with this fantastic book. Highly recommendable!

*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure. A review wasn't a requirement. ***

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Gage needs to pick up his drunk brother again, he meets Logan and the attraction is immediate. Happily, they meet again when Logan turns out to be a new client for the renovation company. Turns out that this budding couple has a lot in common. Including family issues surrounding younger siblings and chosen family that helps you out and lifts you up. Even when you are used to being stubbornly independent. Be prepared for laughter, heavy sighs and a beautiful romance. You should probably read book one first to help with the cast of characters and because it's an excellent read too.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, because the epilogue of book 1 was from Cohen's perspective, I was surprised that this book starred Gage, but I figured it was due to a character problem, and I was right. The author's note at the end of this book is along the lines of ha ha, this was meant to be Cohen's story, but he didn't cooperate. It amazes and amuses me how often authors can't control the people that they've created, but I'm happy to wait until characters are willing to let their stories be told because then you know it'll be a good book because it wasn't forced. Anyway, I'm so glad that this series is going to be continued, and I'll wait as long as it takes for the plot bunnies to nest.

[Tatiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh HO this was delightful. If you’ve ever had to deal with an abusive parent, this book is pure catharsis. I’ve read way too many books recently where a parent is controlling or ignores boundaries and all is forgiven. Not here! Boundaries are stated and maintained at all costs. Smackdowns ensue.

The romance was lovely and the friends were all fun. It was nice to see the mutual emotional support. All of Sherwood’s books I’ve read were pretty silly and this was no exception. The author was having a blast and it was nice to come along for the ride.

It was unrealistic the way alcoholism was so easily fixed, but I don’t come to these romances for realism.

[Mandy Beyers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gage has spent way too much of his life parentified and he's done with it. Well, at least he's trying to be. One last rescue of his brother leads him to just the type of guy he likes: tattooed, motorcycle riding, "bad boy". But in truth, Logan is exactly what Gage needs: someone who's been in his brother's shoes and knows how to support Gage in stepping back. As they fall for each other, family tries to come between them but friends step up again. I love the found family in these books almost as much as the love stories.

Thank you to the author for the gifted eARC.

[Maria Vickers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. It had the feels and the emotion, a great story line and a colorful cast of characters. There were parts I felt were a little too slow or too fast, but that didn't happen too much and I liked the flow of the characters, not to mention the side characters. They pull you in and you are on a ride along with them. I especially liked what the siblings and what they do for each other. The support and love they show for each other is perfect and kept a smile on my face. 4.5 stars!

[Dyana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gage and Logan Are Couples Goals!

I cannot overstate how good this series is in general. The green flags in both books are excellent, and there's such a brilliant balance of fun, feel-good vibes with trauma babies supporting each other in a healthy manner.

Overall, fun banter and mischief; some spice, but not over the top; and all of the supportive found family you could want.

So recommend reading both books in this series. AJ is too good at writing, but I'm not mad about it. 😜

[Bunny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book especially as someone who is low contact with emotionally immature parents. Those feelings were captured really well. However, I think there was a lack of a guiding thread or main storyline in this novel. One of my favorite qualities in Sherwoods’s writing is her low angst in the relationship stories but you have to balance that with some sort of strong plot or unique world building to pull the reader through the story. I also felt like at times Logan’s backstory felt like a crutch to mirror Gage’s experience with a brother in a similar position. It was too convenient at times.

This is something I will likely not reread (which is something I do with 80% of the authors other work) but I do recommend it if you’re looking for a low stress, easy read.

[Lois · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hmmm. I can't really decide about this. I loved book one and was excited to read this and I did enjoy it, but it also made me squirm a bit. There's definitely angst with horrible abusive parents on both sides, plus younger siblings who need a lot of help and support. There's the lovely friends and found family and a truly awesome grandmother. Logan and Gage though both truly lovely characters just felt syrupy? There was so much gushing about how great they each thought the other was, that I started to get sick of it after a while. 3.75*

[Alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series is a masterclass in perfect relationships. Here's another couple with flawless communication skills from the get-go and compassion to spare. It was almost TOO perfect. The angst definitely came from the parents on both sides, which I thought was a bit overkill. Also, I felt the conflict with both parent groups overshadowed the romance a bit. Between all the times they run into the parents, Connor's sobriety journey, and Erin's rescue, there didn't seem to be that much focus on the relationship.

[Josephine · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's basically no conflict or relationship development, and at some point in the book I couldn't tell the main characters POV apart because they had the same internal dialogue and actions (so negative character development). It felt more like the author had a bunch of concepts they wanted to include without really trying to make a coherent story. I still can't get past the "ask vs guess culture" reference; it gets brought up abruptly, explained poorly, and then is never addressed again. Like what was the point? How was that relevant to the story?

[Mal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic found family story. A story about healing, about letting go of the weight you’re carrying and building a life with someone. I think Gage’s character arc here was absolutely phenomenal. Logan is a steady backbone for the man and they have a sweet love, Gage makes things lighter for Logan i think, also supports him so he’s not alone. Expect addiction recovery rep, coming out, found family and healing.

[Myranda Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely Worth The Wait

I wish I could give this more than five stars. Gabe and Logan are amazing together. Green flags all around that made me giggle. I adored getting to see more into the friend groups while also seeing that there's so much that could be done in the future for this world. I loved every minute, every funny petty thought, every giggle, all the funnies, and each moment they got to grow through. Beautiful work that always seems to exceed all my hopes.

[Shan · Rating 5 out of 5]

💜💜💜💜💜

This is a modern gay romance, the second book in a series that should be read in order! Gage and Logan meet when Gage’s brother is drunk in Logan’s bar. They reunite when Logan hires The crew from Gay 4 Renovations! It’s kind of a slow burn beginning with so many layers to their relationship and so much going on in their lives! I loved this story and this author does not disappoint!