Seven Minutes : An MM Hurt Comfort Romance

by Raquel Riley

Seven minutes isn’t enough for a life. But it’s long enough to remember how much I’m loved.

Eli-

I thought the worst part of losing my husband would be the slow drift apart, the way hospital shifts swallowed our nights, and silence replaced laughter. I never imagined the worst part would be dying in his ER, the flatline screaming while his hands were the last to touch me.

But death isn’t empty. Not at first. In those final seven minutes, my life plays back like a reel, and every frame belongs to him. Our first kiss. Our first night tangled together. The vows we spoke when we promised forever. Even the mornings when we forgot to kiss goodbye.

It’s all him. Always him.

I don’t know if this is the end or a cruel mercy, but I do know one thing—somewhere inside these seven minutes is a choice, a chance, or a goodbye. And if love alone could bring me back, I’d open my eyes to him every time.

Genres: M M Romance

408 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication May 15, 2026

Reviews

[Ashley Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️ I was not expecting to be ugly crying in the first 4% but yet there I was. This story cracks your heart open from page 1. The writing is phenomenal, I could literally feel Adrian’s pain seeing Eli being brought in. This story is definitely about getting a second chance to get things right. Adrian and Eli had been drifting apart before the accident but afterwards Adrian is determined to fix his marriage and be there for Eli. It’s definitely a slow process, give and take, push and pull. We get to see this couple rebuild their relationship and fall even more in love with each other. This book is absolutely amazing.

*arc review*

[Channie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Be prepared with a box of tissues from Chapter 1, this book was amazing and very well written. The start of the book explores the seven minutes after a clinical death when the brain is still actively firing. Such a unique viewpoint in the way this story was written, it had me intrigued from the very beginning.

It begins with Adrian being an ER doctor and having a motor vehicle accident victim being brought into his ER one night, when he went to start the resuscitation code, he realised it was his husband Eli. In those precious moments Adrian decided to fight for his husband and future he wanted and refused to have the other doctors present give a time of death. If Adrian could will Eli back to him he would and when the heart monitor displayed a heartbeat instead of a flatline he started to breathe again. Getting Eli back was just the first step he now needed to figure out how to keep him in his life. The journey begins.

Thank you Raquel for such a beautiful book it was an absolute joy to read even though I went through half a box of tissues.

[patrícia · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC Review: Seven Minutes by Raquel Riley
MCs: Eli & Adrian — 4⭐

“You were there. Every minute. Even when I wasn’t.” He leaned closer, his forehead pressing to mine, tears slipping free. “You’re my every minute,” he said hoarsely.”

Tropes & Tags
✨ Second chance marriage
✨ Hurt/comfort
✨ Doctor x husband
✨ Near-death emotional awakening
✨ Marriage in crisis → healing love
✨ Protective hero energy
✨ Touch-starved tenderness
✨ Angsty devotion
✨ Soft domestic HEA

This is a very unique, deeply character-driven story, with a strong medical drama element running through it. At its core, it’s entirely about Eli and Adrian—their marriage, their history, and the slow, painful process of finding their way back to each other. Everything else fades into the background.

The “seven minutes” concept—those final moments where Eli relives key memories of their relationship—is genuinely powerful and gives the story a very introspective, almost claustrophobic emotional focus. It’s all about them, always them.

And I did love that. I loved how thoroughly their relationship was explored, how nothing was magically fixed, how they actually talked through their issues instead of just glossing over them.

But…

I think this is one of those books that will either completely wreck you or… not quite get there.

For me, it didn’t.

Not because it wasn’t emotional—it really is—but at times it leaned a bit too much into melodrama, to the point where I found myself skimming some of the heavier moments instead of feeling them. I should have been crying my eyes out, and I just… wasn’t. I can’t fully explain why, but the emotional impact didn’t hit as hard as I expected.

Part of it might be that a lot of their memories and moments leaned heavily into physical intimacy. After ten years together, I would have loved to see more variety—more quiet, everyday moments that showed their connection outside of sex.

And some scenes felt a bit off tonally because of that. Like… Eli has just come home, barely holding himself together, Adrian is helping him shower, taking care of him—and the thought is:
“Such a pity I couldn’t fuck him like this.”
I’m sorry, what?? 😅 That kind of moment really pulled me out of the emotional weight of the scene.

Also, the very tight focus on just the two of them made the world feel a bit empty at times—no real presence of friends or coworkers during such a critical moment felt slightly unrealistic.

And towards the end, the emotional beats started to feel a bit repetitive, circling the same ideas without adding much new.

That said, I do think this is one of those stories that will stay with me. It’s different, it’s intimate, and if the emotional tone fully works for you, I can absolutely see this being a 5⭐ read.

This was the eighth minute. Not the dramatic ones we used to bleed for, or the unforgettable ones that shaped our lives. Not the seven he replayed while unconscious, that were so full of love they brought him back to me. But the extra one—the one we built with trust, slowly, carefully, touch by touch. The one where he didn’t doubt me walking through the door. The one where I didn’t doubt our future. A single, ordinary minute where we chose each other without hesitation. Every day. Every time. And one day, when it was my turn to watch my reel at the end of a long, well-lived life, I wouldn’t ask for those seven minutes back. Not if I’d spent every day living the eighth one loving him.

I received a copy of this book from the author, and this is my honest review.

⚠️Author Content Warnings
Serious medical trauma and hospitalization
Life-threatening injury
Emotional distress, grief, and relationship strain
Depictions of anxiety and isolation
Explicit sexual content

❣️Book Safety & Content
Other Person Drama: No
Third-Act Breakup: No
Role Dynamics: Strict roles
POV: 1st person dual
Format: Standalone
Ending: HEA
Angst Level: Medium
Spice Level: Low
Communication: Heavy miscommunication
Pining: Establish couple

[AnnaKitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before I start, I just want to say thank you, so so much, to Raquel Riley for this story. From the bottom of my heart. I just wish I manage to find the right words for everything I felt while reading it.

You know how there are good books, and then there are the books, the ones that exist on a completely different level.
You don’t just read them, you live them. They make you question yourself, make you look deeper. Make you feel things you aren’t usually ready to face.

This is one of those books.

The blurb kind of warns you that it wouldn’t be easy.
But honestly, “hurt” isn’t even the right word for what this does to you. I am not sure there were any pages without the tears.

“I almost lost him. And the worst part? He’d been alive the whole time. No trauma. No blood. Just the slow, inexorable death of something we’d both once sworn was immortal.”

I’m a very emotional reader, I need to connect with the characters to love a book.
But here I didn’t just connect. I drowned in them.
It wasn’t feeling like I was reading only Adrian and Eli’s story, it felt like I was also looking at pieces of my own life.

So if you pick this up, try to go in open. Let yourself be vulnerable and feel it. Let it hurt and be uncomfortable.
Because this isn’t just a love story. It’s a reminder of what actually matters.

“Love isn’t the promise of never breaking. It’s the decision to keep holding on, even after you do.”

This is not an easy and entertaining read.
There’s no gentle buildup, it breaks you open from the very first pages and just..doesn’t really stop.
Every chapter felt like it was pulling something out of me - my guilt, my fears, memories, quiet aches I prefer to forget I am carrying.
It’s painful because it’s real, there’s no sugarcoating here.
After 12 years of marriage, I felt this in a way that scared me so much.

It touches on all the things we avoid. The things we postpone. The things we assume we’ll “deal with later.”
But we don’t always have later.

“Love doesn’t end with a single act of cruelty or neglect, but with a thousand quiet surrenders.

You can’t even be angry when love dies of exhaustion. There’s no villain, no betrayal. Just two people who meant every word of their vows, and then ran out of ways to live them.”

And yet, despite all that said, Adrian and Eli’s story is beautiful.
Devastatingly, painfully beautiful.
Necessary really. There are no magical resolves. It’s about healing. About finding your way back and choosing each other again, not because it’s easy, but because it matters.

I already loved Raquel Riley’s writing, but this is something else. I have over 40 highlights, which could be more if I wasn’t so lost in the book. Never have I felt that something was excessive or repetitive. Every word had a place and every moment meant something.
It was honestly read in almost one sitting. Aside from the moments that were too much and I needed to breathe.
And the epilogues… Thank you, thank you for both of them, it felt like I finally could breathe 🥹

“And one day, when it was my turn to watch my reel at the end of a long, well-lived life, I wouldn’t ask for those seven minutes back. Not if I’d spent every day living the eighth one loving him.”

I know it is all emotional, messy and all over the place.. but that’s honestly what I feel.
I hope it shows how powerful this book is.

I’m going to go read to my son now.

And then I think I’ll spend the evening hugging my husband for a change.
With some show I won’t really watch..

And thank you for trusting me with this ARC 🤍

[Mark F · Rating 5 out of 5]

My latest read was Seven Minutes, by Raquel Riley, set to be released May 15, 2026. I was fortunate enough to be given an ARC of this book, but this review is given voluntarily. This is the story of Eli Hawke, whose heart stops beating from injuries due to an auto accident. His husband, Adrian Hawke, an E/R doctor, is on duty when Eli is brought to the hospital. We live through Eli’s experience of viewing a reel of his memories in the seven minutes after death, when the brain is still active. The memories – oh, the memories – detailed so well that I felt as though they were my own, some from childhood, but most of Adrian, from meeting him in college, up to the present when they’ve grown apart. And in those seven minutes he sees the life he built with Adrian, igniting the desire to get it back, with Adrian calling him back.

This story is so wonderfully written, keeping you engaged from the get-go. And though the tragic beginning was a shock to the system, it laid the groundwork of what was to come with the rest of the story. The reader witnesses their relationship, from the very beginning, with so many wonderfully romantic, happy moments, and many of the less happy ones, where life got in the way. The author has done so well that you can’t help but feel Adrian’s pain from the beginning, as well as Eli’s, as the minutes go by, and then throughout the rest of the story. The grief, the fear, the love, the desire, the pleading, the longing, the tenderness, all portrayed so well that I felt it deep within my heart.

I loved all the tender moments, my favorite being how the simple act of Adrian stroking Eli’s knuckles made such a statement, reminding Eli that he was his home. And Adrian, trying so hard to be reassuring to Eli, often telling him, “I’ve got you. I’m right here.” The lovemaking was romantically intense without being overly spicy, no more than about a 2/5 on the spice scale.

There were times I thought certain aspects of the story might have been too often repeated, but then it dawned on me that this repetitive reinforcement only helped me to really get immersed in the same emotions that Eli and Adrian were experiencing. The author took her time with the story to show the road back to happiness isn’t always quick and easy, sometimes taking work, but well worth it in the end. And let me say this, the angst was so strong at times that I wondered if their story would end the way I had hoped it would. And it did.

I really grew to care about Eli and Adrian, and was rooting for them from the start. I could not be happier with the way their relationship survived and grew stronger, even though the road to that end was hard fought. They’re two men in love, who lost their way, but found a path back to who they once were after a tragic accident, as the true fear of loss hit home. I happily give this book a 9 out of 10, rounded to a 5 out of 5.

There were sooooo many meaningful quotes that stood out for me. Here are just a few:

“You don’t notice the light dimming until you’re already straining to see. We were messy and stubborn, but even then, we still found each other.”

“Eli – laughing, grounding, impossible Eli – had been my center. My reason. My north. And now, watching him breathe again, I realized I’d been orbiting him all along, too preoccupied to notice until the universe nearly ripped him away.”

“I’m here. I’ve been here. Even when I couldn’t get it right. There’s only you and me.”
“And somehow, ordinary felt like the greatest gift either of us had ever received.”

[TheBookishK9RN · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreaking, Hopeful, and One of the Most Emotional Reads I’ve Picked Up This Year

Seven Minutes by Raquel Riley absolutely shattered me emotionally. This is one of those deeply intimate, character-driven romances that grabs you by the throat from the very first chapter and never really lets go. I went into this expecting emotional damage, but I was not prepared for how hard Eli and Adrian’s story would hit.

The concept alone is incredible — those final seven minutes after clinical death where Eli relives the defining moments of his relationship with Adrian — and Raquel Riley executed it beautifully. Every memory felt raw, emotional, and deeply personal, showing not just the love between them but also the exhaustion, distance, mistakes, and lingering devotion that built over years of marriage.

What made this story stand out so much for me was how grounded the relationship felt. Eli and Adrian weren’t perfect, and the book never pretended they were. Their marriage had cracks long before the accident, but watching them slowly rebuild trust, communication, intimacy, and emotional closeness after nearly losing everything was incredibly powerful. The healing in this book felt intentional, messy, and deeply human.

Adrian especially broke my heart. The desperation of realizing the person on that ER table is the man you still love more than anything? Brutal. You could feel his grief, panic, guilt, and determination in every scene afterward. And Eli’s journey through recovery and rediscovering their relationship added so much emotional depth to the story.

This book also has such a unique emotional atmosphere. It feels intimate almost to the point of claustrophobic in the best way because the story stays so tightly focused on Eli and Adrian. Everything revolves around their connection, their memories, their pain, and ultimately their love for each other.

And yes — have tissues nearby. This book earns them.

If you love emotional MM romance, second-chance marriages, medical drama, deeply introspective storytelling, and couples fighting their way back to each other after years of emotional distance, this one is absolutely worth the emotional devastation.

[Eszter Ilia-Barabás · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ARC was provided me by the author

I just finished the book, and I felt like not waiting for my thoughts to settle this time—so I’m writing this review based on my fresh impressions.

Eli and Adrian’s story made me cry. More than once. Not the full-on sobbing kind, but the type where your eyes slowly fill with tears, your vision gradually blurs, and the tears just quietly, steadily stream down your face for long minutes.

It didn’t make sense that the world kept moving when mine had stopped.

The author doesn’t mislead us: we get exactly what the blurb promises. A married couple who have grown increasingly distant over the years, who still love each other but can no longer find the solid ground a relationship needs to stand on. The divorce papers are ready—only the signatures are missing.

And the worst part—the absolute worst part—was realizing he was still good. Still kind. Still the man I fell in love with. Not a cheat. Not an abuser or a drunk. Just tired. Just gone.

Then an accident brings Elias onto Adrian’s operating table. Seven minutes of Eli’s life—seven defining moments—all revolved around Adrian. He was present in each of the seven minutes leading up to his death.

[…] no matter where I went, no matter how far I drifted, the pull would always lead me back to him.

This novel is the story of two people finding their way back to each other. It’s full of struggle, desperation, numbness, uncertainty, pain, and loneliness—but also love, rebuilding trust, and hope. It’s a beautiful, slow-paced story, written in a style that perfectly reflects the evolution of the couple’s relationship. From initial distance, through hesitant touches, their path leads them back to one another—and to the certainty that this time, neither of them is going anywhere.

The second epilogue felt a bit too sugary for me, but overall I’d say the boys absolutely deserve their—perhaps slightly saccharine—happy ending!

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seven Minutes by @raquelrileyauthor can be summed up in one word MASTERPIECE!!!! I thought that our Stars and Stripes guys stories were freaking top notch...that @raquelrileyauthor had did the ultimate job with their books..but she outdone herself with Adrian and Eli's story..it is one of those books that hit on another level..that from the very start it causes emotional damage..that keeps you invested from the word go..but also has you reading it slow to savor it...to want to forever stay in their world..to just become a fixture and watch their love story bloom into something unbreakable...something life long...something as strong as the grapevine bracelet that Adrian made for Eli years ago on their first anniversary to the vineyard...

@raquelrileyauthor wrote this book totally different than her former works...from the very first chapter you could feel Adrian's detachment...then on to Adrian..the complete and utter devastation when he discovered Eli in his ER...how when it got to Eli's seven minutes...I could picture each moment in short black and white reels...and then how when the eighth minute came into play the reels slowly changed colors from black and white to sepia to rich and vibrant colors..I could literally feel the struggles of both men grasping at anything to hold on to the tethers of their marriage..but also the fear of if and will the end come...i could see their two halves slowly being stitched together and the healing of the scars that they inflicted on each other...and with the full circle in the epilogue to the bonus chapter...just pure perfection!!!!

I started this journey with freaking heartbreak and tears..finished it with a healed heart and tears of joy...

[CatOnABlueBackground · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's unique, and well-written, and very serious. If you don't like reading about medical drama, this is not the book for you. This is a second chance romance with a mild amount of spice (Eli is too injured for most of the book for there to be a lot). While there are some other side characters, there is no one of any consequence other than the 2 mains - this is entirely about Eli & Adrian.

Eli & Adrian are coming to the end of their marriage - Eli is considering a separation due to the fact that his doctor husband is never home and never seems to have time for him any more. When Eli ends in Adrian's ER after a near fatal traffic accident, it changes everything. The seven minutes are a reference to the theory that the brain remains active for 7 minutes after death, and those 7 minutes for Eli are full of flashbacks to the life and love he and Adrian shared. Eli lives, and this book is about how the 2 of them work towards putting their live (& love) back on track.

If I had to say anything negative about it, I'd say that it almost felt TOO melodramatic at times (this is the part where other reviewers will tell you how much they loved it & cried, and I will tell you how I ended up skimming through some of these spots - it all depends on what you like).

It was really nice to read something different - I don't think I can compare this to anything else I've read recently - it's one of those books I'm going to remember.

[Michele R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to say at the beginning that Raquel Riley’s Scars and Stripes hurt/comfort series is one of my favorites, so as soon as I saw the announcement of Seven Minutes, I could not wait to read it! I love Raquel Riley’s writing style, and this story is written so beautifully.

“Love isn’t the promise of never breaking. It’s the decision to keep holding on, even after you do.”

Oh my heart! I loved this book so much! This was such a heart-touching emotional story, but in a good way too! Stories like Adrian and Eli’s are why I love to read! Starting from page one, I was right there in the ER with Adrian. The gut-wrenching anguish and grief Adrian was experiencing was so visceral to read. Every raw emotion Adrian felt, I felt it too, and it broke my heart.💔 During those seven minutes, I wanted to read Eli’s POV, to know what he was dreaming while unconscious! Eli’s feelings of loneliness in their marriage were heartbreaking, but with all the moments of love that brought him back to Adrian.

“You’re my best seven minutes, too.”
🥹

This was an unputdownable book, as Eli and Adrian go from a crumbling marriage in crisis to nurturing injuries back to health and reconnecting their way back to each other!❤️‍🩹 I really enjoyed the epilogues too. I’m definitely purchasing a hardcover copy for my favorites bookshelf.

*Thank you to the Author for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

[Eiji Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

In exchange for an honest review, I got to read an advance readers copy of this book by the author.
7 minutes is what they say our brain can survive after our heart have stopped beating and that is the premise of where this story start. Eli didn’t think he someday would end up dying in the ER of his husband Adrian but one moment were enough for everything to change and their future together put on the biggest test of their life. This book comes with a few triggers like medical trauma, Hospitalization, Life-threatening injury, emotional distress, grief and relationship strain, anxiety and isolation.
This book took me a few days to read since there were some triggers in this book that were a bit hard for me to read since there were some similar trauma I been trough just in a in a different setting. But I’m also great full for being able to read and review this story. This book had me in tears many times trough out this story and I think it’s a beautiful story about second chances and a second chance at life when a crisis happens. Eli and Adrian's story is one of the best MM stories I have read this year so far with a few other books and I think despite the trigger warnings in this story I believe this are a book that everyone should read. Eli and Adrian got a relationship that were fractured and the way back from the crisis is a long one but maybe sometimes a crisis is what brings people together when all hope seem lost and that’s why I think this story are so great.
Lastly I want to Thank Raquel Riley for letting me read and review this story and I will defiantly check out more of her books when I get time.
'

[Cara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm going to try to write a coherent review without crying. I don't know if I'll manage it.

It's a masterpiece that breaks you from the very first page until it puts you back together again. There are few books that I can honestly say made me cry from cover to cover, but here I am.

Eli and Adrian have been married for years, but their marriage is falling apart,not because of infidelity, not because they don’t love each other (they’re madly in love), but because their marriage just isn’t working. There’s no single significant event that caused this to happen. That is, until Eli gets into a car accident and ends up in the emergency room where Adrian works as a doctor.

It's not a love story , but at the same time, it is. It's a story about what really matters, about the people we have in our lives but don't appreciate until we lose them. It's the kind of story that leaves you crying days later because it really touches you.


Buy some tissues and read it. Because this is one of those stories that makes you want to hug the people around you once you finish it. If you're lucky enough to have someone.

(I can't give it more than 5 stars, but I'd give it a million)

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book grabs you and sucks you in right from the start. Be prepared to feel all the things. The devastation, heartbreak, grief, anxiety, love, joy, literally all of it!! If you are looking for a comfort/hurt book with all the vulnerability then this is it!! I absolutely loved Eli and Adrian. Even their broken parts, watching them heal was beautiful.

I only have two small complaints about this book, which are both me issues… #1: the pacing kind of left me confused, it was hard to tell if days, weeks, months, and by the end years had passed by. And #2: are there actually stairs in there house or not? Lol

But through all of it the fact these two continue to showed up for each other and chose each other time and times again speaks of how much they truly love each other and it is absolutely stunning to witness.

I received this book as an ARC from the author and these are my honest opinions.

[Just A Girl And Her Smut · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️.5

I hope you like to cry … yup you read that right. Raquel Riley had me in tears right from chapter 1 and it continued right into chapter 2. Chapter 3-9 were absolutely brilliant. I loved how Raquel created those seven minutes. Honestly I’ve never read a book like this before, not an MF or an MM. Also if you don’t like 3rd act breakups, YOU’RE IN LUCK cause I feel like we’re starting this book at the 3rd act breakup. Let me explain.

This story is based on a relationship that already has a foundation, they’ve been together for years, they were madly in love, but they lost each other somewhere along the way and it took a tragedy for them to find each other again. Adrian and Eli’s story isn’t about finding love, it’s about figuring out how to keep that love. How to find your way back to each other when you think everything has fallen apart. It’s about second chances, broken promises, rebuilding trust, and proving you’ll be there, always.

[Kim B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! It is not very often that a truly beautiful love story - with a hard fought and well-earned happily ever after - comes along. This is such a lovely read - if at times a bit of an emotional one. The story is of a married couple (Adrian, a doctor and Eli, a lawyer) who met in college and have always only seen each other until they get married and life and careers get in the way. Suddenly they are living parallel lives and barely seeing one another or speaking. Until the dreaded moment when a patient is rushed into the ER and Adrian realizes it is his husband, Eli. The rebuilding of their relationship is a thing of beauty! This is a bit of a different book for Riley, but she continues to show that she can write it all - from raunch taboo reads to heartfelt love stories like this one. Riley's books are always absolute must-reads for me.

Review of advance copy received from author

[Wicked River Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a tender, heartwarming, heartbreaking story. The opening chapter to this book completely put me in my feelings. To begin your day as any other and to have it completely turned on its axis the way it was for Adrian and Eli was devastating to read. Adrian had all the knowledge, knew all the procedures and could do nothing for Eli at that moment but beg him to come back to him.



The journey these two took to make their way back to each other was a rough one and sent them on a roller coaster of emotions but them pushing through and putting in the time and work was great to see. Through it all you could see how much these two loved each other. It’s easy to get complacent and take things for granted as if they will always be there but you never truly know what tomorrow brings. These two were definitely reminded of this.



I loved the writing and the story of healing and finding your way home. This was a great read.

💙ARC REVIEW🖤

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eli and Adrian’s marriage is in crisis when the unimaginable happens.

Adrian finds the love of his life in his emergency room and fights to find his place as husband or doctor. This continues to be an issue until Adrian puts the effort into finding himself and fixing their broken marriage.

Eli has to fight to live and heal all while feeling broken even before the accident. He’s unsure if he can trust or will continue to live in fear…

This is an emotional journey with high angst and low spice. You’ll have lots of feelings as this couple navigates tough times to find each other again.

I enjoyed their story and the beginning of the book was absolutely amazing. By the last quarter I felt a little bit bored and kinda cheated out of knowing more about Adrian’s battle in therapy.

Overall, a good read if you’re in the mood to have feelings!

[Deborah Moran · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book brought so many emotions out. In the beginning parts, I cried as Adrian refused to let the other doctors quit trying to revive Eli. And even after Eli's heart started, I could feel the fear Adrian had that he still might lose Eli. There are a whole host of other emotions in this book and I felt them all.

The seven minutes reference is what drew me to the book in the first place. It intrigued me. And going through those seven minutes from Eli's perspective didn't disappoint. But the rest of the book was so good! Eli was on the verge of filing for separation, even though he loved his husband so much, because Adrian put everything ahead of him. The accident gave them both a chance to put their marriage back on track.

This book was so beautifully written, and the characters are so believable that I could have read more.

[CreativeFreake · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would rate this 10 stars if I could!

Oh my goodness, I cannot even. This Book. Amazing. I couldn't put it down; I didn't want it to end.

Both characters were so well developed. Their issues were so real and the journey they took together to repair their marriage was so well written. I was so invested in Eli and Adrian, right from page 1. This book shows that second chances don't automatically happen, they are hard fought and earned and you never really go back together the same way... stronger maybe, but not the same. I won't be able to explain this book in a simple review, just know that if you pick it up, you won't want to put it down. I still haven't stopped thinking about it. It's just so so good.

I would recommend this book to anyone, and I will definitely be reading more of Raquel Riley!

"I love you with every scar we put on each other and every scar we helped heal"

[Yvonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

If this book will to teach you anything at all, it is this: live in this moment. Tomorrow is a gift that you are not certain to receive, so live in the now.

They both need to learn to let go of the past, to heal now so that they can love each other Forever.

The relationship between Adrian and Eli seems to have died out. Not because they no longer love each other, but because their lives seem to be passing alongside each other instead of with each other.

And then there are those seven minutes, which seem never to end.

And then the chance to restore what they had together. That unconditional love for each other, the ability to read each other without words.

💞Thank you to the Author for the opportunity to read and review this ARC💖

[Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t feel I can begin to give this story the review it deserves. The story is one of the few I’ve ever wanted to start over after I’ve just finished it or better yet I want to read it for the first time again and again.

This story shows real life issues Adrian and Eli are having when the awful accident happens that changes their lives forever. This leads both to reexamine their lives. The outcome is the appreciation of partners that I envy. Both characters are so lovable.

This is a deeply emotional story. I’m not a crier and yet this story made me feel both sad and happy tears.

[Heidi Marshburn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am blown away by this book. The writing is amazing, full of heart, sweat and tears.
The journey Eli and Adrian walked was one filled with heartbreak, fear, brokenness and ultimately healing. I loved the way this book was put together the flashes during the seven minutes was brilliant and then to end with the eighth minute a chefs kiss. I can not say much without spoilers so I will stop there. The only advice I can pass on is make sure you have some tissues. Be ready to binge read, and run to pick this book up once it is released! I am still just reeling.
I feel in love with this authors Scars and Stripes Series and this one here is just as good but in a completely different way.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This wasn’t just a read; it was an experience. I felt this story to my very core. For me, it wasn’t about the tears, it was about the physical pain I felt while reading. My chest hurt, my body felt like it had ran a marathon, and I felt nauseous as I went through every agonising minute with Adrian and Eli.
Seven Minutes is the kind of story that leaves its mark on you. Afterwards, all I could do was wonder what my own seven minutes would be.
I honestly don’t know how Raquel Riley managed to write something so beautiful and emotionally devastating without sitting in a corner, rocking back and forth afterwards. As a reader, stories like this are what I dream of finding. I feel so honoured to have read such an incredible story, one that moved me completely, both emotionally and physically.

[Nicki - The Overflowing Bookcase · Rating 5 out of 5]

My heart was hurting in just the opening chapter. While the reader gets the feeling right away that this is going to be an emotional journey, there were times I found myself stopping and re-reading sections just to do the level of hurt justice. Eli and Adrian have a marriage that is falling apart, but it only takes one minute to become a tragedy and seven minutes to realize nothing is ever going to be the same again. From devastation to heartbreak and from heartbreak to love. This book will bring you full circle. Bravo Raquel Riley - BRAVO!!

[abookwithacupoftea · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an emotional story!!! This book had me with in tears since the first paragraphs, and kept me on my emotional toes all along. It's beautiful, angsty, healing and finally heart warming, but the road to get there is hard won. The writing is so good, almost poetic, I connected with the characters, with the story.... I loved this book so much, I don't think I can do it justice in my review (good thing I am not an author ;-) ), it will stay with me for a long time.

I got an ARC and this is my honest review.

[Margaret Neal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well I,didn't have ugly crying in the first chapter of a book on my bingo card for 2026, but it's a Raquel Riley book so I'm not all that surprised. Raquel has a way of writing the saddest, yet most beautiful stories that capture your heart and drag you in and they always ALWAYS fight hard for their happy ending.
Seven minutes is different from most things I've read, and I mean that in the best way possible.
Getting to see both perspectives of patient and doctor/ husband and husband and see them intertwine was both refreshing and beautiful to read.
Raquel Riley, you've done it again.

[Ariyanair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my god What should I even say in my 25 years of life cried for straight 2 hours, this just wrecked me emotionally the longing, the guilt, the love which didn't change even if it was more felt like ignorance, not feeling the loss of affection but Adrian and Eli truly loved each other, like I felt very vulnerable reading but all in all if you are ready for hurt comfort gay romance and some emotional vulnerability do read this book because I absolutely loved it.

[Me Mine · Rating 5 out of 5]

The reel of Eli's memories; first date, first kiss ... what Adrian would come to mean to him. The author penned one of the most heartstopping beautiful stories I’ve ever read. A reminder to take no one for granted. A poignant love story - a second chance romance - a must read; add to your TBR list today and prepare for a life lesson wrapped in the beautiful of Adrian and Eli’s journey from heartbreak to happiness and learning what love really means.

[ashlee ❤ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eli + Adrian

-mm romance
-second chance
-marriage in crisis
-angsty devotion
-hurt/comfort
-near death emotional awakening

dude holy shit!! this whole book had me on the edge of my seat from THE FIRST FUCKING PAGE I STG!!! the fear from eli, the desperation from adrian..both being driven by this literally dear death, life altering incident really helped to put everything into perspective & made it so relatable!! they broke me tho. i know thats for sure!!

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seven Minutes was an incredible story! I truly felt all of Adrian and Eli's intense emotions throughout the story. They had such a deep connection even though they lost their way a bit. Finding their way back to each other was everything! I experienced all the feels... Love, sadness, pain, fear, yearning, hope, ugh, it was written so beautifully, it felt so real. I was captivated right from the start and read in one sitting. I loved this book so much and definitely recommend!