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The Love We Deny
*This book contains content that may be triggering for some readers*
When his wife left him, he never thought he’d be okay again...
Between his two children, his work as the town physician, endless bills, and his aging in-laws, Nolan Murphy doesn’t need anything else making his life more difficult than it already is.
But when Will Davis, his ex-wife’s younger brother and black sheep of the family, is released from prison, his in-laws ask him to watch out for him and he can’t bring himself to say no.
Will has always been cruel. Angry. He wants nothing to do with Nolan, who he hates for no good reason. And he doesn’t take kindly to Nolan’s help, no matter how hard he tries.
And when Nolan begins to develop forbidden feelings for his brother-in-law, he has to fight them or risk losing his family, his job, and his reputation—for a love that was doomed from the start.
Can be read as standalone
Content Warning: This book contains mentions of drug use and recovery, suicidal ideation, anxiety and panic attacks, consensual sexual content, including one scene between the mmc and a female character before the main pairing get together. This is an enemies to lovers between two men with a lot of history and at some points, they can be toxic. Please use your own discretion and take care while reading.
When his wife left him, he never thought he’d be okay again...
Between his two children, his work as the town physician, endless bills, and his aging in-laws, Nolan Murphy doesn’t need anything else making his life more difficult than it already is.
But when Will Davis, his ex-wife’s younger brother and black sheep of the family, is released from prison, his in-laws ask him to watch out for him and he can’t bring himself to say no.
Will has always been cruel. Angry. He wants nothing to do with Nolan, who he hates for no good reason. And he doesn’t take kindly to Nolan’s help, no matter how hard he tries.
And when Nolan begins to develop forbidden feelings for his brother-in-law, he has to fight them or risk losing his family, his job, and his reputation—for a love that was doomed from the start.
Can be read as standalone
Content Warning: This book contains mentions of drug use and recovery, suicidal ideation, anxiety and panic attacks, consensual sexual content, including one scene between the mmc and a female character before the main pairing get together. This is an enemies to lovers between two men with a lot of history and at some points, they can be toxic. Please use your own discretion and take care while reading.
- GenresM M RomanceRomance
300 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 31, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
won-t-read-bc-nopes
July 31, 2026Definite Nope for me. @Tris's review has the goods: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I would be SO enraged. Thank you Tris.
Sounds like the characterizations and writing are strong though, so, if you like messy OP action, give it a shot! (I'm looking at you, @Evelyn...!)
I would be SO enraged. Thank you Tris.
Sounds like the characterizations and writing are strong though, so, if you like messy OP action, give it a shot! (I'm looking at you, @Evelyn...!)
July 31, 2026
I’m gonna cry my eyes out.
I don’t know if I’m gonna stop reading. Throw the book into the bin. Or rage.
I hate on page sexual acts with other characters. Like BIG RED FLAG
I’m so angry right now. So so so angry.
Was there a stupid warning about cheating that I missed SOMEWHERE?????
One fucking stars for making me fall in love with the characters and then fucking ruining it all to hell and back
I don’t know if I’m gonna stop reading. Throw the book into the bin. Or rage.
I hate on page sexual acts with other characters. Like BIG RED FLAG
I’m so angry right now. So so so angry.
Was there a stupid warning about cheating that I missed SOMEWHERE?????
One fucking stars for making me fall in love with the characters and then fucking ruining it all to hell and back
July 31, 2026
First off, there is NO cheating in this book despite what the other reviews are saying, honestly very confused by those.
But more importantly, I loved nearly everything about this book. The tension between the characters is absolutely CHEF’S KISS and the spice is even better 🤭.
My only complaint is that i feel it could have been a bit longer.
I don’t normally leave reviews but felt compelled to after seeing the amount of misinformation here. Maybe try actually reading a book before you spread lies about it? 🤨
⭐️ Overall rating: 4.5/5 but rounding up
🌶️ : 4/5
But more importantly, I loved nearly everything about this book. The tension between the characters is absolutely CHEF’S KISS and the spice is even better 🤭.
My only complaint is that i feel it could have been a bit longer.
I don’t normally leave reviews but felt compelled to after seeing the amount of misinformation here. Maybe try actually reading a book before you spread lies about it? 🤨
⭐️ Overall rating: 4.5/5 but rounding up
🌶️ : 4/5
September 9, 2026
No part of me liked any of this.
And that's really unfortunate because the concept itself was actually good. Nolan is a single dad who has been struggle bussing his way through life since his wife left. He's raising a teenage daughter and younger son, working constantly as the town physician and picking up extra shifts, trying to keep up with bills, and still attempting to be there for his aging in laws. Then Will, his ex wife's younger brother, gets out of prison after eight years, and Nolan is asked to help him get back on his feet.
There was absolutely potential here. A completely overwhelmed single dad unexpectedly developing feelings for his ex wife's brother? The brother just got out of prison and already has a complicated history with the family? Forbidden MM romance? Enemies to lovers? Give me the mess.
Unfortunately, this was not my kind of mess.
Nolan's romantic feelings for Will seemed to come out of nowhere, and once those feelings showed up, these two grown ass men somehow lost the ability to behave like grown men. Will is nasty to Nolan almost immediately and seems to genuinely enjoy humiliating him. Nolan appears sexually into some of that dynamic in the moment, but emotionally he very clearly isn't okay with it. He repeatedly gets upset after their sexual encounters, which made the whole relationship increasingly uncomfortable for me rather than sexy.
And then we have Nolan continuing to date and sleep with a woman basically to make absolutely certain he's not attracted to men...while also messing around with Will.
Gross.
I understand what the story was trying to explore with Nolan's sexuality and his confusion over his feelings for Will, but the execution did not work for me at all. Instead of feeling like a believable sexual awakening or complicated emotional journey, it felt immature and unnecessarily hurtful.
Honestly, I think the biggest problem was that the book was trying to carry too many things at once. Nolan is struggling financially. He's raising two kids with different needs. His teenage daughter is going through her own issues. He's working constantly. He's trying to support his in laws. He's helping Will adjust to life after eight years in prison. He's questioning his sexuality. He's dating a woman. He's secretly messing around with his brother in law. Meanwhile, Will has his own mountain of baggage, anger, recovery, family issues, and everything surrounding his relationship with Nolan.
There were so many messy pieces, but they never came together into a cohesive picture.
And for all that relationship drama, the spice was...meh. 🌶️ 1.5/5 peppers. There are sexual scenes, but considering how much of Nolan and Will's relationship revolves around their physical attraction, I expected the chemistry to hit a whole lot harder. Instead, their encounters often left me more uncomfortable with their dynamic than invested in it.
I don't need my romance characters to make good decisions. In fact, sometimes I actively prefer that they don't. Give me complicated. Give me toxic. Give me people making terrible choices and then figuring their shit out. But I still need to believe in the connection underneath all of it, and I never believed in Nolan and Will.
Genre & Tropes:
MM romance • enemies to lovers • forbidden romance • brother in law • single dad • sexuality awakening • ex con MMC • small town • toxic relationship • family drama
Content Warnings: The author lists drug use and recovery, suicidal ideation, anxiety and panic attacks, and consensual sexual content, including a sexual encounter between Nolan and a female character before the main pairing gets together. The author also specifically notes that Nolan and Will's relationship can be toxic. (But in my opinion, it's not the kind of toxic that comes across as sexy)
⭐ 1/5
🌶️ 1.5/5 (at best)
The concept had potential. The execution lost me completely. Too many storylines, too much emotional whiplash, not enough believable connection, and two grown ass men communicating like adolescents.
No part of me liked any of this.
And that's really unfortunate because the concept itself was actually good. Nolan is a single dad who has been struggle bussing his way through life since his wife left. He's raising a teenage daughter and younger son, working constantly as the town physician and picking up extra shifts, trying to keep up with bills, and still attempting to be there for his aging in laws. Then Will, his ex wife's younger brother, gets out of prison after eight years, and Nolan is asked to help him get back on his feet.
There was absolutely potential here. A completely overwhelmed single dad unexpectedly developing feelings for his ex wife's brother? The brother just got out of prison and already has a complicated history with the family? Forbidden MM romance? Enemies to lovers? Give me the mess.
Unfortunately, this was not my kind of mess.
Nolan's romantic feelings for Will seemed to come out of nowhere, and once those feelings showed up, these two grown ass men somehow lost the ability to behave like grown men. Will is nasty to Nolan almost immediately and seems to genuinely enjoy humiliating him. Nolan appears sexually into some of that dynamic in the moment, but emotionally he very clearly isn't okay with it. He repeatedly gets upset after their sexual encounters, which made the whole relationship increasingly uncomfortable for me rather than sexy.
And then we have Nolan continuing to date and sleep with a woman basically to make absolutely certain he's not attracted to men...while also messing around with Will.
Gross.
I understand what the story was trying to explore with Nolan's sexuality and his confusion over his feelings for Will, but the execution did not work for me at all. Instead of feeling like a believable sexual awakening or complicated emotional journey, it felt immature and unnecessarily hurtful.
Honestly, I think the biggest problem was that the book was trying to carry too many things at once. Nolan is struggling financially. He's raising two kids with different needs. His teenage daughter is going through her own issues. He's working constantly. He's trying to support his in laws. He's helping Will adjust to life after eight years in prison. He's questioning his sexuality. He's dating a woman. He's secretly messing around with his brother in law. Meanwhile, Will has his own mountain of baggage, anger, recovery, family issues, and everything surrounding his relationship with Nolan.
There were so many messy pieces, but they never came together into a cohesive picture.
And for all that relationship drama, the spice was...meh. 🌶️ 1.5/5 peppers. There are sexual scenes, but considering how much of Nolan and Will's relationship revolves around their physical attraction, I expected the chemistry to hit a whole lot harder. Instead, their encounters often left me more uncomfortable with their dynamic than invested in it.
I don't need my romance characters to make good decisions. In fact, sometimes I actively prefer that they don't. Give me complicated. Give me toxic. Give me people making terrible choices and then figuring their shit out. But I still need to believe in the connection underneath all of it, and I never believed in Nolan and Will.
Genre & Tropes:
MM romance • enemies to lovers • forbidden romance • brother in law • single dad • sexuality awakening • ex con MMC • small town • toxic relationship • family drama
Content Warnings: The author lists drug use and recovery, suicidal ideation, anxiety and panic attacks, and consensual sexual content, including a sexual encounter between Nolan and a female character before the main pairing gets together. The author also specifically notes that Nolan and Will's relationship can be toxic. (But in my opinion, it's not the kind of toxic that comes across as sexy)
⭐ 1/5
🌶️ 1.5/5 (at best)
The concept had potential. The execution lost me completely. Too many storylines, too much emotional whiplash, not enough believable connection, and two grown ass men communicating like adolescents.
No part of me liked any of this.
September 23, 2026
A unique masterpiece that defied the negative reviews! 4/5 stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I saw some negative reviews for The Love We Deny, but I decided to give it a shot anyway, and I’m so glad I did! As someone who usually doesn't like single POV books, I found this one incredibly detailed—especially the romance scenes.
Regarding the plot, I don't consider what happened to be cheating since his wife left him and was awful anyway. Will was definitely an ass at the beginning, but Nolan brought a sense of peace. I completely understand why he stayed and grew to like him; he just needed love from his wife, but she was never there for him. While the ending felt a bit rushed, it was still a great read. Thanks for this piece, Maggie Saylor!
I saw some negative reviews for The Love We Deny, but I decided to give it a shot anyway, and I’m so glad I did! As someone who usually doesn't like single POV books, I found this one incredibly detailed—especially the romance scenes.
Regarding the plot, I don't consider what happened to be cheating since his wife left him and was awful anyway. Will was definitely an ass at the beginning, but Nolan brought a sense of peace. I completely understand why he stayed and grew to like him; he just needed love from his wife, but she was never there for him. While the ending felt a bit rushed, it was still a great read. Thanks for this piece, Maggie Saylor!
August 22, 2026
🌶️:4/5
I took my time finishing this and I love it so much 💗. I loved Will and Nolan. I understood what Jess was going through but just leaving it kids like that was kinda brutal. Then coming back expecting things to not have changed is even more annoying. Addie and Emmett are annoying 😂. You like each other bro just figure ur shit out😂. Apart from that I loved the book
I took my time finishing this and I love it so much 💗. I loved Will and Nolan. I understood what Jess was going through but just leaving it kids like that was kinda brutal. Then coming back expecting things to not have changed is even more annoying. Addie and Emmett are annoying 😂. You like each other bro just figure ur shit out😂. Apart from that I loved the book
September 16, 2026
Just no. Will is very mean to Nolan. Make it make sense this would be a love story of sorts.
Also, a couple things. I was shocked by Nolan's age. The way I read the story and history of his marriage, I feel he should've been 10 years younger.
I also don't think Nolan on the cover does not match Nolan describing himself.
Also, a couple things. I was shocked by Nolan's age. The way I read the story and history of his marriage, I feel he should've been 10 years younger.
I also don't think Nolan on the cover does not match Nolan describing himself.
August 11, 2026
This was crazy in the best way. Many plot twists and Ollie is just oblivious and careless in the best way. Loved this and can’t wait to see what comes next! Would love to see addie and emmets romance if that’s going to happen but I’m sure I’ll enjoy whatever book comes next in the series : )
August 2, 2026
The book was pretty refreshing though it was one of those insta love books and the family acted like it was such a big deal just to be okay with it a day later
August 9, 2026
3.5 stars
August 12, 2026
there were definitely a lot of incomplete thoughts and storylines in this book.. but man the messy storyline kept me turning the page. brother in law trope is insane & addicting lol
August 20, 2026
So we’re just going to gloss over the fact that Will is a complete asshole for the first 95% of the book ??? NOLAN, GET UP
August 22, 2026
It was very easy to devour, might go back to this series at some point but not right away
August 28, 2026
I really wanted to love this book, but I just could not accept the connection between the MC’s. Their love just to not seem real.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews