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Sugar & Steel: An M/M Grumpy/Sunshine Romance
361 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 24, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 2, 2026
3.5 stars
I really enjoyed this grumpy/sunshine, hurt/comfort story. I liked how the tension and interest built between them for a time before it exploded into action, and I appreciated how the relationship wasn't perfect immediately, how they had to work through Luca's trauma responses when his ex tried to weasel his way back into his life, and how the characters grew together. However, I had to subtract half a star from my rating because there were scenes that felt confusing as if Knox knew things about Luca and how Marco treated him before Luca had told him the story--there was only so much that he could've guessed through Luca's behavior, and Marco's name wasn't one of those things; and there were scenes that were contradictory such as Reena approaching Knox at Dante's party and saying that Luca had told him about how he'd confronted the rude, drunk man who'd called them a slur at the farmer's market in a controlled manner when Reena had been at the market to see that happen and even tried to comfort Knox after Luca's trauma response reacted poorly to how Knox had used his size to intimidate the man. Actually, let's talk about Dante throwing a party to celebrate Knox and Luca getting together (which was a weird reason to throw a party) that seemed to happen weeks after gossip queen Bev saw them kissing in the alley and would have told the whole town; the party came after Luca and Knox's first misunderstanding, as I wouldn't call it a fight, and, for lack of a better word, reconciliation, so it came across as a "yay, my boss and his boyfriend didn't break up" party rather than a "day, my strict boss found a boyfriend" party. Anyway, regardless of the confusing scenes in the book, I really liked the story and the character development.
I really enjoyed this grumpy/sunshine, hurt/comfort story. I liked how the tension and interest built between them for a time before it exploded into action, and I appreciated how the relationship wasn't perfect immediately, how they had to work through Luca's trauma responses when his ex tried to weasel his way back into his life, and how the characters grew together. However, I had to subtract half a star from my rating because there were scenes that felt confusing as if Knox knew things about Luca and how Marco treated him before Luca had told him the story--there was only so much that he could've guessed through Luca's behavior, and Marco's name wasn't one of those things; and there were scenes that were contradictory such as Reena approaching Knox at Dante's party and saying that Luca had told him about how he'd confronted the rude, drunk man who'd called them a slur at the farmer's market in a controlled manner when Reena had been at the market to see that happen and even tried to comfort Knox after Luca's trauma response reacted poorly to how Knox had used his size to intimidate the man. Actually, let's talk about Dante throwing a party to celebrate Knox and Luca getting together (which was a weird reason to throw a party) that seemed to happen weeks after gossip queen Bev saw them kissing in the alley and would have told the whole town; the party came after Luca and Knox's first misunderstanding, as I wouldn't call it a fight, and, for lack of a better word, reconciliation, so it came across as a "yay, my boss and his boyfriend didn't break up" party rather than a "day, my strict boss found a boyfriend" party. Anyway, regardless of the confusing scenes in the book, I really liked the story and the character development.
July 1, 2026
Good writing
So why not more stars you ask? It was a struggle. There are way too many mistakes is why. They’re not little either. They go to Luca’s apartment, his bedroom door is closed. Two paragraphs later it’s ajar and Knox can see in his room. They stay at Knox’s place, next door to the bakery but Knox drives him to work the 4 blocks from Luca’s apartment. The dog gets forgotten all the time, I guess you’re just supposed to assume he follows them around. Knox gets up at 5, the alarm won’t go off for 45 minutes. He leaves to go get a camera but has to wait for the store to open at 6:30. He gets back before the alarm goes off…At 5:45. What hardware store opens at 6:30 am? Those are just a few of the many many glaring mistakes that should have been caught before publishing. That’s what editors are for, that’s what readers are for and if yours aren’t catching this stuff, because it’s a BIG deal, you need new ones. Also the big traumatic backstory thing was too easily resolved. I kept waiting for the dude to come back so Knox could at least make his presence known. I liked it though. It’s intense and emotional and I will read more but PLEASE find yourself some readers to catch things BEFORE publication. I read, just sayin…
So why not more stars you ask? It was a struggle. There are way too many mistakes is why. They’re not little either. They go to Luca’s apartment, his bedroom door is closed. Two paragraphs later it’s ajar and Knox can see in his room. They stay at Knox’s place, next door to the bakery but Knox drives him to work the 4 blocks from Luca’s apartment. The dog gets forgotten all the time, I guess you’re just supposed to assume he follows them around. Knox gets up at 5, the alarm won’t go off for 45 minutes. He leaves to go get a camera but has to wait for the store to open at 6:30. He gets back before the alarm goes off…At 5:45. What hardware store opens at 6:30 am? Those are just a few of the many many glaring mistakes that should have been caught before publishing. That’s what editors are for, that’s what readers are for and if yours aren’t catching this stuff, because it’s a BIG deal, you need new ones. Also the big traumatic backstory thing was too easily resolved. I kept waiting for the dude to come back so Knox could at least make his presence known. I liked it though. It’s intense and emotional and I will read more but PLEASE find yourself some readers to catch things BEFORE publication. I read, just sayin…
September 12, 2026
Fantastic story, mild spice, a few inconsistencies
This was a really cute romance. It's a basic bad boy meets boy next door vibe, with mild spiciness (the scenes aren't at all graphic, more suggestive than explicit). I did appreciate the way the author handled relationship after mental abuse without making it the sole focus. There were some inconsistencies that were mildly annoying (Knox lives above his studio, right next to Luca's bakery, but some scenes make it seem like he lives further away). The timeline can get a little confusing, as the impression given in one scene is that some time has elapsed, and you move on, and it's very little time. There are a few other things, but most were small and didn't take away from the story. I would still give 5 stars for that, but I really feel as though the main conflict of the story was never resolved. It's there, and there's a sort-of resolution, but you're left reading the rest waiting for something else to happen, which is why I rated 4 stars. I think the author could have used a little more time editing.
This was a really cute romance. It's a basic bad boy meets boy next door vibe, with mild spiciness (the scenes aren't at all graphic, more suggestive than explicit). I did appreciate the way the author handled relationship after mental abuse without making it the sole focus. There were some inconsistencies that were mildly annoying (Knox lives above his studio, right next to Luca's bakery, but some scenes make it seem like he lives further away). The timeline can get a little confusing, as the impression given in one scene is that some time has elapsed, and you move on, and it's very little time. There are a few other things, but most were small and didn't take away from the story. I would still give 5 stars for that, but I really feel as though the main conflict of the story was never resolved. It's there, and there's a sort-of resolution, but you're left reading the rest waiting for something else to happen, which is why I rated 4 stars. I think the author could have used a little more time editing.
June 29, 2026
Was such a fun read! I really enjoyed the story, and the characters were all so lovable and easy to connect with.
I was a little disappointed that it wasn't spicy at all, as I was expecting a bit more romance in that department. There were also a few moments where the story felt slightly inconsistent, but nothing that took away too much from my overall enjoyment.
The pacing was a bit uneven. The beginning was quite slow, but then everything happened so fast that I wished some moments had been given more time to develop. I especially wanted to see Luca's family finally meet Knox in person instead of over FaceTime—it felt like a missed opportunity. I also would have liked to see more of Renne, as she was an important part of Luca's story and it felt like her role faded too much.
I was a little disappointed that it wasn't spicy at all, as I was expecting a bit more romance in that department. There were also a few moments where the story felt slightly inconsistent, but nothing that took away too much from my overall enjoyment.
The pacing was a bit uneven. The beginning was quite slow, but then everything happened so fast that I wished some moments had been given more time to develop. I especially wanted to see Luca's family finally meet Knox in person instead of over FaceTime—it felt like a missed opportunity. I also would have liked to see more of Renne, as she was an important part of Luca's story and it felt like her role faded too much.
May 29, 2026
Really lovely story with lovable characters! Really liked the way they really learned about each other and had some great discussions about past life events etc
Great character communication. The heat could’ve been a bit hotter!
Great character communication. The heat could’ve been a bit hotter!
July 22, 2026
Just a very good book
The characters in the book are great. They play off each other perfectly. The author knew how warm your heart
The characters in the book are great. They play off each other perfectly. The author knew how warm your heart
September 17, 2026
It’s gotta be AI, there where so many mistakes and scenes that didn’t make any sense. Also, how does one publish MULTIPLE BOOKS, in such a short period of time?!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews