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The Alphabet Lovers
“A thoughtful, unhurried portrait of a man learning about love, relationship by relationship.” —BlueInk Review
On the day of his wedding, Marcos can't help replaying the long, occasionally ridiculous chain of relationships that led him to the altar.
When his college roommate Jake introduces him to Adam, Marcos thinks he’s found the one—his forever guy. But Adam isn’t ready to live openly, and their relationship implodes.
The years that follow take Marcos around the world. Greece brings an islander who is hotter than the Mediterranean sun. In Kyoto, an Aikido instructor tries to teach him the importance of stillness. Each time, before he gets too attached, he is off to the next time zone.
Eventually, Marcos gets tired of running. He tries to build a life in Chicago with a man who loves him more than he can love back. After a restart in Denver, a guitarist nearly convinces him lasting love is possible, until fame and public scrutiny prove otherwise. Marcos begins to believe happily ever after isn’t in the cards for him.
Then, during a visit to family in Brazil, a chance encounter with someone from his past forces Marcos to take one last chance on love.
On the day of his wedding, Marcos can't help replaying the long, occasionally ridiculous chain of relationships that led him to the altar.
When his college roommate Jake introduces him to Adam, Marcos thinks he’s found the one—his forever guy. But Adam isn’t ready to live openly, and their relationship implodes.
The years that follow take Marcos around the world. Greece brings an islander who is hotter than the Mediterranean sun. In Kyoto, an Aikido instructor tries to teach him the importance of stillness. Each time, before he gets too attached, he is off to the next time zone.
Eventually, Marcos gets tired of running. He tries to build a life in Chicago with a man who loves him more than he can love back. After a restart in Denver, a guitarist nearly convinces him lasting love is possible, until fame and public scrutiny prove otherwise. Marcos begins to believe happily ever after isn’t in the cards for him.
Then, during a visit to family in Brazil, a chance encounter with someone from his past forces Marcos to take one last chance on love.
406 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 1, 2026
About the author
Darran Smith
2 books5 followersDarran Smith is the author of The Alphabet Lovers. He lives in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C., where he spends his time taking photographs, building LEGO, and feeding a neighborhood cat named Cats Domino.
His follow-up novel, Liam’s Lyrics (To the Story of His Life), is scheduled for release in early 2027.
His follow-up novel, Liam’s Lyrics (To the Story of His Life), is scheduled for release in early 2027.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 13, 2026
What can I say, but give the highest praise for this beautiful book written by a "wordsmith" with incredible imagination and great knowledge of the world and the inner workings of our psyche.
The book follows the life and the relationships of Marcos Ferreira, a gay photographer of Brazilian decent living in the US. We get a close insight into the things that make Marcos tick and how the fact that his first lover, aptly named Adam, wouldn't come out for Marcos and leaves him somewhat haunted by the idea that he wasn't "good enough" for Adam to tell his parents about having a boyfriend.
Macros then has a string of relationships with very different men from all over the globe, most sexual, some not, like that with his best friend, Jake, a straight man whose love for Marcos as a friend is incredible and lasting. Jake is the one man who accompanies the story on the sidelines all the way from the first scene to the end and is there for Marcos in all situations.
Marcos embarks on each of his relationships with enthusiasm and gives them his all, in the hope that this one is the one, only to be disappointed when things again don't work out for a variety of reasons.
The reader is treated to beautifully written bedroom scenes, which also embody the different kind of relationships Marcos has with the men in his life. From the depths of South America to Israel, Greece, and all over the world, we follow Marcos' journey and see his life and the world through his eyes, his camera lens, his achievements, his friends, and get to witness how those very friends and sometimes employees are helping him through his emotional hang ups, and his desperate seeking for the man to spend the rest of his life with and to make peace with the past.
Marcos' relationships encompass men with names covering every letter of the alphabet, and yes, the readers will eventually be treated to the HEA we all so eagerly await. Marcos does get the one man who is the one he craves and loves. All along Marcos travels a lot and lives in various places in the US, and overseas, and the reader gets a good idea of the various locations, the customs, the people surrounding him, while also being treated to his best mate Jake's HEA.
I loved the emotional journey Marcos undergoes in growing beyond the pain Adam caused him, the support he received and especially loved SPII (Sir Photosynthesus II), his support ficus plant, who develops a life of his own in answering Marcos' questions, and definitely "takes sides". Also Marcos' growth through the years in what he wants from life changes and reflects the deep wishes of so many people, who in their youth want to travel and see the world and later on wish to settle down and give back to the community.
The one sentence I will take with me forever from this book is:
"Just ... don't sabotage something good because you're trying to pre-grieve the ending." which I think needs to be printed on T-Shirts and billboards.
A beautiful, delightful, soul nourishing book that will definitely be taking a place among my all-time favourite reads.
The book follows the life and the relationships of Marcos Ferreira, a gay photographer of Brazilian decent living in the US. We get a close insight into the things that make Marcos tick and how the fact that his first lover, aptly named Adam, wouldn't come out for Marcos and leaves him somewhat haunted by the idea that he wasn't "good enough" for Adam to tell his parents about having a boyfriend.
Macros then has a string of relationships with very different men from all over the globe, most sexual, some not, like that with his best friend, Jake, a straight man whose love for Marcos as a friend is incredible and lasting. Jake is the one man who accompanies the story on the sidelines all the way from the first scene to the end and is there for Marcos in all situations.
Marcos embarks on each of his relationships with enthusiasm and gives them his all, in the hope that this one is the one, only to be disappointed when things again don't work out for a variety of reasons.
The reader is treated to beautifully written bedroom scenes, which also embody the different kind of relationships Marcos has with the men in his life. From the depths of South America to Israel, Greece, and all over the world, we follow Marcos' journey and see his life and the world through his eyes, his camera lens, his achievements, his friends, and get to witness how those very friends and sometimes employees are helping him through his emotional hang ups, and his desperate seeking for the man to spend the rest of his life with and to make peace with the past.
Marcos' relationships encompass men with names covering every letter of the alphabet, and yes, the readers will eventually be treated to the HEA we all so eagerly await. Marcos does get the one man who is the one he craves and loves. All along Marcos travels a lot and lives in various places in the US, and overseas, and the reader gets a good idea of the various locations, the customs, the people surrounding him, while also being treated to his best mate Jake's HEA.
I loved the emotional journey Marcos undergoes in growing beyond the pain Adam caused him, the support he received and especially loved SPII (Sir Photosynthesus II), his support ficus plant, who develops a life of his own in answering Marcos' questions, and definitely "takes sides". Also Marcos' growth through the years in what he wants from life changes and reflects the deep wishes of so many people, who in their youth want to travel and see the world and later on wish to settle down and give back to the community.
The one sentence I will take with me forever from this book is:
"Just ... don't sabotage something good because you're trying to pre-grieve the ending." which I think needs to be printed on T-Shirts and billboards.
A beautiful, delightful, soul nourishing book that will definitely be taking a place among my all-time favourite reads.
September 23, 2026
This engaging book takes you on Marco’s journey through life and relationships. It will have you engrossed from page one.
June 18, 2026
Chronicling decades of main character Marcos’s romantic life, this M4M spicy novel offers an unabashed celebration of queer desire and love, with passionate relationships and physical intimacy front and center. It’s an emotionally open portrait of a gay man searching for connection and belonging. An engaging read for fans of character-focused queer romance with plenty of heat and a realistic view of love's possibilities.
Thanks to the author Darran Smith for providing an ARC.
Thanks to the author Darran Smith for providing an ARC.
June 14, 2026
This was such a unique and intriguing look into a life. Marcos is a character you'll root for and there will be a few relationships you can envision being "the one." You'll get irritated when he pushed parteners away, indignant when partners betray him, and all the while, you'll watch Marcos grow and learn.
I've honestly never read a book like this one before, and I'm glad I did. It is a long book, but I can't imagine any of these characters not being in it, even the fun one night stands. They all had their part in making Marcos who he turned out to be.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I've honestly never read a book like this one before, and I'm glad I did. It is a long book, but I can't imagine any of these characters not being in it, even the fun one night stands. They all had their part in making Marcos who he turned out to be.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
October 17, 2026
this is a truly fun story; less of a coming-of-age so much as a coming-of-relationships; ie, the main character, marcos, learning how to be in a relationship by learning from the mistakes of each one. he grows and matures personally in the process as well, truly finding himself, though a lot of that is masked behind whoever he happens to be dating—or recently broken up with—at any given time. this isn’t a book for someone wanting a slow-burn romance, but rather someone looking for an adventure and to meet dozens of people… and develop an unhealthy attachment to a fictional ficus. it has a similar idea behind it as the show ‘how i met your mother,’ where each new person marcos meets eventually leads him to the man he marries; however, the book in its entirety is quite original and unlike anything i’ve ever read.
from the time marcos arrives at college in washington dc up until his wedding day when he’s in his thirties, we get to tag along with him as he falls in and out of love. but not each new chapter, or “letter,” is a full relationship—some are simply men he meets while traveling for work who help him realize something about himself, or help him learn and grow in a way he eventually figures out how to meaningfully apply to future relationships. some chapters are longer than others, some love interests are more appealing than others, and the various stages of life marcos finds himself in change drastically over the course of this book. it’s a lot of fun for someone needing a change in pace from the normal romance novel.
i really only have two main complaints, the first being that i still don’t feel like i got to know marcos all that well as a person in regard to his background/growing up. there’s a bit more substance of that toward the end of the book as we get to see his parents a few times, but otherwise most of the book focuses on what’s happening to him at the present rather than how things came to be that way. the one glimpse we get of his childhood is when he reconnects with his childhood best friend and goes into a bit of detail there.
my second complaint is mainly just the editing; most glaringly, the same character speaking with line breaks in between their sentences for no reason. the author does usually still make it clear who’s talking, but it does make it difficult to keep up with whose dialogue we’re following. it bothered me more near the beginning of the book to the point where this likely would’ve been a 3-star read because of that and a few other editing issues, but i truly enjoyed the story so much that eventually i got used to it and was able to mostly ignore it.
overall, i do recommend this book to anyone looking for something outside of the “status quo” of romance novels. there’s nothing wrong with those at all, it’s just nice to find something a bit more unique and different in between. there’s no lack of steamy scenes in this book, either, and there’s one relationship that genuine made me cry when it ended (you’ll know which one i’m talking about when you read it, lol). i look forward to reading more from this author, who has a great sense of humor and who described each new city marcos landed in in such a way where i felt like i was there.
thank you to the author, publisher, & netgalley for providing me with an arc of this book. this is my honest opinion.
from the time marcos arrives at college in washington dc up until his wedding day when he’s in his thirties, we get to tag along with him as he falls in and out of love. but not each new chapter, or “letter,” is a full relationship—some are simply men he meets while traveling for work who help him realize something about himself, or help him learn and grow in a way he eventually figures out how to meaningfully apply to future relationships. some chapters are longer than others, some love interests are more appealing than others, and the various stages of life marcos finds himself in change drastically over the course of this book. it’s a lot of fun for someone needing a change in pace from the normal romance novel.
i really only have two main complaints, the first being that i still don’t feel like i got to know marcos all that well as a person in regard to his background/growing up. there’s a bit more substance of that toward the end of the book as we get to see his parents a few times, but otherwise most of the book focuses on what’s happening to him at the present rather than how things came to be that way. the one glimpse we get of his childhood is when he reconnects with his childhood best friend and goes into a bit of detail there.
my second complaint is mainly just the editing; most glaringly, the same character speaking with line breaks in between their sentences for no reason. the author does usually still make it clear who’s talking, but it does make it difficult to keep up with whose dialogue we’re following. it bothered me more near the beginning of the book to the point where this likely would’ve been a 3-star read because of that and a few other editing issues, but i truly enjoyed the story so much that eventually i got used to it and was able to mostly ignore it.
overall, i do recommend this book to anyone looking for something outside of the “status quo” of romance novels. there’s nothing wrong with those at all, it’s just nice to find something a bit more unique and different in between. there’s no lack of steamy scenes in this book, either, and there’s one relationship that genuine made me cry when it ended (you’ll know which one i’m talking about when you read it, lol). i look forward to reading more from this author, who has a great sense of humor and who described each new city marcos landed in in such a way where i felt like i was there.
thank you to the author, publisher, & netgalley for providing me with an arc of this book. this is my honest opinion.
October 9, 2026
The Alphabet Lovers is a clever and genuinely fun novel built around a memorable conceit: twenty-six relationships, one for each letter of the alphabet. I liked the structure immediately. It gives the book a playful rhythm and makes Marcos’s romantic history feel episodic while still building toward a larger story about love, timing, and the person he becomes along the way.
Smith writes the relationships with humor and openness, and I enjoyed watching each new person enter Marcos’s life and change the shape of the story. As the book went on, I did find myself becoming a little less surprised by the pattern, simply because the structure is so consistent. By the time the final relationship arrived, I wanted a little more time with it than the novel ultimately gives us.
That was probably my only real hesitation. After spending so much of the book with the relationships that do not last, I would have happily stayed longer with the one that does. The ending felt quick to me, especially because I had become invested in seeing where Marcos’s long romantic history was finally leading.
Still, I had a very good time reading The Alphabet Lovers. The premise is inventive, the book moves easily, and there is a lot of warmth in the way it looks at the people who pass through our lives and what we carry forward from them. It is the kind of book whose structure I will remember long after finishing it.
I received an advance reader copy of The Alphabet Lovers in exchange for an honest review.
Smith writes the relationships with humor and openness, and I enjoyed watching each new person enter Marcos’s life and change the shape of the story. As the book went on, I did find myself becoming a little less surprised by the pattern, simply because the structure is so consistent. By the time the final relationship arrived, I wanted a little more time with it than the novel ultimately gives us.
That was probably my only real hesitation. After spending so much of the book with the relationships that do not last, I would have happily stayed longer with the one that does. The ending felt quick to me, especially because I had become invested in seeing where Marcos’s long romantic history was finally leading.
Still, I had a very good time reading The Alphabet Lovers. The premise is inventive, the book moves easily, and there is a lot of warmth in the way it looks at the people who pass through our lives and what we carry forward from them. It is the kind of book whose structure I will remember long after finishing it.
I received an advance reader copy of The Alphabet Lovers in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Author
5 Stars
😭 😭 , I’m broken hearted because I’ve just finished reading ‘The Alphabet Lovers’ and I want to start reading it all over again IMMEDIATELY. That is no easy feat because, let me tell you, this book took a whole lot of typing by author Darren Smith, so save a weekend and get reading it. I adored every letter of the Alphabet and all the punctuation marks in it. What a super title that is for this story too. Each Chapter Letter is great reading on its own, and altogether the whole book was a fabulous reading experience for me. I didn’t want to stop to sleep, but I must have dropped off and woke up later with my Kindle still propped up ready to go again.😊
I received an ARC copy of ‘The Alphabet Lovers’ via author and I’m voluntarily leaving this review.
This is an MM romance. It’s not often you get to see the whole step by step history of two college friends lives from the day they first meet in their College Dorm to the finale when they are in their 30’s and facing the prospect of parenthood. This is exactly what you get in ‘The Alphabet Lovers’. Marcos Ferreira is studying International Politics. His family roots are in Rochina favella, in Brazil, but his parents are now based in Boston, Massachusetts where his parents are in the Medical Profession. Jake Sullivan is a jock at UNIChicago and his family are Ranchers in Austin, Texas. Jake plans to go on to Law School.
The focus of this story is Marcos an openly gay teenage boy who falls in love when Jake introduces him to Adam a fellow teammate. Marcos’s eyes cannot leave this gorgeous huge man who grins at him and sits him down and talks to him for the rest of the evening. Marcos’s relationship with Adam has a huge impact on his life in more ways than one.
Yes, A is the first letter but there are many more after that not in alphabetical order. With many of them you will see how Marcos loves, hurts, learns and moves on, he does some hurting too, your heart will bleed for him and the mistakes he makes, but he survives and loves again. Not all of them were lovers, a few were just guys who he connected with on some deep level and doesn’t forget. It’s so hard to get over your first heartbreak especially when it leaves unhealed wounds. Still, Marco’s own behaviour doesn’t always leave you with a good impression either.
I loved following Marco’s career all over the world, with a meaningful letter met in places like, Chile, Japan, Norway, Kuala Lumpur, Greece, France, Australia and many more. Quite a few were like an MM novella that you wanted to have an HEA, I won’t name them (no spoilers) and those are the ones that help make Marcos the man he eventually becomes in his thirties. Some of his relationships lasted for 2 years or more. I liked the fact that Jake always remained his support whenever Marcos needed a shoulder to cry on, no matter where he called from in the world and ignoring the time differences.
At the start of ‘The Alphabet Lovers’ I made assumptions that were so off the mark, but I wanted them to be true, then there were times I was glad I was wrong, but I am so, so happy and delighted with the excellent ending that author Darren Smith left me with because it was an excellent one and so apt.
Hadn’t read any Darren Smith before but if ‘The Alphabet Lovers’ is anything to go by, I’m going to hunt down anything else in this genre that he has written. If this is his debut, then he has hit the mark running.
😭 😭 , I’m broken hearted because I’ve just finished reading ‘The Alphabet Lovers’ and I want to start reading it all over again IMMEDIATELY. That is no easy feat because, let me tell you, this book took a whole lot of typing by author Darren Smith, so save a weekend and get reading it. I adored every letter of the Alphabet and all the punctuation marks in it. What a super title that is for this story too. Each Chapter Letter is great reading on its own, and altogether the whole book was a fabulous reading experience for me. I didn’t want to stop to sleep, but I must have dropped off and woke up later with my Kindle still propped up ready to go again.😊
I received an ARC copy of ‘The Alphabet Lovers’ via author and I’m voluntarily leaving this review.
This is an MM romance. It’s not often you get to see the whole step by step history of two college friends lives from the day they first meet in their College Dorm to the finale when they are in their 30’s and facing the prospect of parenthood. This is exactly what you get in ‘The Alphabet Lovers’. Marcos Ferreira is studying International Politics. His family roots are in Rochina favella, in Brazil, but his parents are now based in Boston, Massachusetts where his parents are in the Medical Profession. Jake Sullivan is a jock at UNIChicago and his family are Ranchers in Austin, Texas. Jake plans to go on to Law School.
The focus of this story is Marcos an openly gay teenage boy who falls in love when Jake introduces him to Adam a fellow teammate. Marcos’s eyes cannot leave this gorgeous huge man who grins at him and sits him down and talks to him for the rest of the evening. Marcos’s relationship with Adam has a huge impact on his life in more ways than one.
Yes, A is the first letter but there are many more after that not in alphabetical order. With many of them you will see how Marcos loves, hurts, learns and moves on, he does some hurting too, your heart will bleed for him and the mistakes he makes, but he survives and loves again. Not all of them were lovers, a few were just guys who he connected with on some deep level and doesn’t forget. It’s so hard to get over your first heartbreak especially when it leaves unhealed wounds. Still, Marco’s own behaviour doesn’t always leave you with a good impression either.
I loved following Marco’s career all over the world, with a meaningful letter met in places like, Chile, Japan, Norway, Kuala Lumpur, Greece, France, Australia and many more. Quite a few were like an MM novella that you wanted to have an HEA, I won’t name them (no spoilers) and those are the ones that help make Marcos the man he eventually becomes in his thirties. Some of his relationships lasted for 2 years or more. I liked the fact that Jake always remained his support whenever Marcos needed a shoulder to cry on, no matter where he called from in the world and ignoring the time differences.
At the start of ‘The Alphabet Lovers’ I made assumptions that were so off the mark, but I wanted them to be true, then there were times I was glad I was wrong, but I am so, so happy and delighted with the excellent ending that author Darren Smith left me with because it was an excellent one and so apt.
Hadn’t read any Darren Smith before but if ‘The Alphabet Lovers’ is anything to go by, I’m going to hunt down anything else in this genre that he has written. If this is his debut, then he has hit the mark running.
October 27, 2026
I had the privilege of being able to read this as an ARC. I really loved it! As a single gay man in my later 30s, I felt like it was thought provoking and really relatable in a lot of ways. Mostly by how sometimes it feels like you go thru life from relationship to relationship or fling to fling and everything feels wrong, like you’re fucking everything up over and over again but that’s not always the case. I really loved how this book highlighted different types of relationships with varying degrees of depth. Some of them were significant romantic relationships, some flings or situationships, some hookups and some that ended up being platonic friendships. For me, it was a reminder that even when your original intention is to have a romantic relationship with someone, it could end up with a number of different outcomes but still be considered a success. The writing style was great in my opinion. I felt like the author told the story very well. The spice was a good med/hot (4/5). The only criticism I have is that, as the reader, I didn’t feel very emotionally invested in the relationship Marcus ended up in at the end. The time they spent together when they first met was pretty limited and fleeting and they didn’t really connect in a bigger way until the end of Marcus’ trip on that meeting. Then they reconnected at the end and all of a sudden they were getting married. Maybe the 2nd meeting towards the end could have been expanded a bit more?
September 15, 2026
This book is very different from anything I’ve ever read. It’s multiple love stories wrapped into one book. I appreciated the complexity of the MC. There were times I wanted to hug him, and times I wanted to yell at him. I found myself rooting for several endgames, but was satisfied with the reality. The narration style seemed fitting for the story layout. I would have liked to see more self-exploration within his journey. But overall the story was cohesive and kept me engaged.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I really loved both characters, but the concept just wasn't for me. First of all I thought the letters would be in alphabetical order (they weren't) and the spice was like in chapter 1 (they didn't even know each other)...
July 30, 2026
Great MM romance! I cannot wait to read the next in the series! Very engaging from the first page and I could not put it down once I started it.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Did Not Finish
November 1, 2026Sadly found out through looking for the authors instagram that they’ve used a lot of gen AI to promote this book, whether or not the book was written with ai usage I don’t know. But I won’t support an author who uses AI in any capacity
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews