Finally

by Amelia Mann

Not everyone spends their summers on sandy beaches or in luxurious resorts. World-famous opera singer Philip Jameson has arrived in Munich to perform at the Opera Summer Festival after making the biggest mistake of his life. For years he has been secretly in love with his best friend, Andrew, and believes the shield he has built is Andrew was never to know. But at a boisterous party in London following the most successful live TV broadcast of his career, whatever walls Philip has built crumble, and, in the middle of the dance floor, he can't resist the urge to kiss Andrew. Painfully he realizes what he did was so very wrong.Andrew Greene has traveled more times than he can count during the last four years. To every city in the world where Philip sings, he flies to spend all his spare time with his best friend. At the breakneck speed with which Philip's career is developing, he is the constant motion. When Philip reveals he intimately cares for Andrew, it is finally time for Andrew to change his life completely--in favor of love.Part of "Summer Bigger Than Others - A Summer Anthology" from Beaten Track Publishing.

Genres: M M Romance, Romance, Contemporary, LGBT, Short Stories, Friends To Lovers

54 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 19, 2015

About the author

Amelia Mann was born Scandinavian but is now a citizen of the world. She works in theatres all over Europe and in the US, and maybe that is her only excuse for being completely hooked on writing dramatic, grand and über-romantic stories where love conquers all things. Her friends prefer using less fancy words characterizing her and just call her what she is: a total drama-queen.

Reviews

[Exina · Rating 1 out of 5]

Philip is a world-famous opera singer, travelling all around the world. His best friend, Andrew, is always there for him, following him around to see his every performance. Andrew is straight, or so Philip thinks, but he falls for his best friend anyway. Philip kisses Andrew one night, and not waiting for any reaction, assuming that it was a mistake, he runs away.

Andrew begins to avoid him, not returning Philip’s calls. Philip assumes (again) that he ruined their friendship and he is devastated. Four weeks later Andrew appears and admits his feelings for Philip and they live happily ever after.

The story is told from Philip’s viewpoint, so we don’t really know what Andrew is feeling. Only that he needed time, that’s why he ignored Philip for four weeks.

The conflict comes from non-communication, and I hate that. The ending is hasty and far from satisfying.

[Dreamer80 · Rating 4 out of 5]

*A free copy of the book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review*
This story is part of the Summer Bigger Than Others Anthology.
Love can be powerful, it can make you feel alive, the strongest or makes you feel lost.
World-famous opera singer Philip has always been in love with his best friend Andrew. Andrew follows Phil around the world to listen to him performing on stage. He thinks Andrew is straight because he’s always seen him with women and that makes Phil suffer even more. He can’t open his heart to Andrew and that love is something that it’s been eating him inside since he knew he could never have his best friend’s heart. He tried to fall in love with other men but even his last boyfriend knew that Phil’s heart was going to be Andrew’s forever. But one night, on the dance floor, Phil thinks his wish came true but nothing prepares our poor singer to what it’s going to happen later.
I don’t want to say more because I don’t like spoilers myself but what Phil thinks, what you might think, it’s wrong.
Will our Phil have his HEA with Andrew?
Is Andrew just a devoted friend to Phil?
My lips are sealed but *winks* I didn’t say anything! ;)
4 to 5 stars.

[Barb ~rede-2-read~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note: This book was provided to me by the author through the DBML Program in exchange for an honest review.

World famous opera singer Philip Jameson just blew the third act in his performance when his mind strayed to his best friend Andrew and the Kiss-That-Shouldn’t-Have-Happened a month ago. He loves Andrew with all his heart but Andrew is straight and Phil never intended to let him know how much he was loved, but at a party last month, Phil got carried away by the excitement of the evening and while dancing with Andrew, he couldn’t resist the Kiss.

When Andrew abruptly pulls away, Phil runs off and the two haven’t communicated in four weeks. That’s unheard of and Phil is devastated by Andrew’s absence. Then, just as he’s about to get rid of the final guest in his dressing room after the show, he looks up and sees Andrew watching him from across the room.

Does this mean Andrew has forgiven him? Can they go back to being friends? Does Phil want that, or does he still want more? And if so, how will Andrew take that news? I love the way the answers to all of these questions unfolded. I also loved the setting, the characters, their commitment to each other and the way the story ended. I wouldn’t mind seeing this one expanded to a full length novel.

I’d recommend this to those who love a short, sweet, GFY, friends to lovers M/M romance, and if you don’t love all that before you read this, read it anyway. It’s sure to please anyone with a yen for romance.

[Katrina Passick Lumsden · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a well-written story, technically, but the emotion suffers from the tale's length. Had there been a bit more exploration of the characters, their friendship and subsequent romance, it would have been a much more satisfying read.

Removed from Kindle

[Debbie McGowan · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Editor's review)

This is a beautifully told tale of friends to lovers - one of those situations where we can't see what's right under our nose. The main character's anguish of trying to essentially just 'get on with his job', while at the same time believing he's destroyed his most valued friendship, is narrated with compassion and empathy. The sex is great, but I think I'd have loved this story as much (if not more) without it, because the emotional resolution was more important than the physical one.

Another wonderful story from Amelia Mann. :)

[Veronica of V's Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book via Goodreads' Don't Buy My Love program in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 Stars for this quiet M/M romance novella.

Phillip is a renowned tenor, traveling the world for one performance after the next. His best friend, Andrew often turns up at his performances, and they have a very strong friendship--one which is a double-edged sword for Phillip as he has a major league crush on Andrew. For Phillip, who is a bit high-strung, Andrew is a clam within his emotional storms. A touchpoint.

Except Phillip kissed Andrew a moth prior, and Andrew has maintained radio silence since Phillip ran. And Phillip has been miserable ever since. His latest opera opened tonight, and Andrew showed. Can they work through romantic Phillip's blunder?

This is a quiet romance that is dependent upon Phillip's anguish for much of the story. He's moody and jumpy and anxious to simply apologize and return to their friendship, but it seems that Andrew may have more to say on the subject. I liked the slow reveal, but I had a bit of trouble with Andrew ignoring Phillip for so long. It seemed less than mature for him to cut off his best friend for a month--over a kiss.

I did like the resolution, and I appreciated the richly-textured descriptions--i want' familiar with all the care that a professional signer, like Phillip, needs to take to preserve his voice. That was kinda fun to think over. And it actually makes a difference in how Phillip must interact with his partners, as a gay man, which I found interesting. There is a lot of thoughtful character-building for Phillip, but not so much for Andrew; I'd have liked to see a bit more of his personality, as he read a bit flat through Phillip's eyes.

Expect a little steam at the end. And an HEA.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was given a copy of this book free by the author for an unbiased review.
Phillip, a famous opera singer is followed around the world by his best friend, Andrew. Phillip believes that Andrew is straight but he has fallen in love with him anyway.
One night, a month ago Phillip makes the mistake of kissing his best friend, Andrew. Thinking Andrew is horrified, Phillip leaves and goes to Germany.
Four weeks go by without any word from Andrew until he shows up one night in Munich.
I liked this story but I think it was just too short. Yes, we had the drama of the kiss and then Andrew showing up and confessing he was in love with Phillip too, but everything was really quick and I think the story could have benefitted from being a little longer to be able to flesh out the characters, and not just the confession that Andrew is gay and everybody lives happily ever after.

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

**I was given a copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Full disclosure - As a die-hard opera fan, I love mm romances immersed in the opera or classical music world. To imagine two hot yummy MCs juxtaposed with the classic music of La Boheme or Tosca just makes me happy! Anyway, this is a lovely little nugget of a romance. I particularly liked the beginning - we meet Philip or Pip, as he is sometimes called, after a not so great performance at an opera music festival in Munich. I immediately connected with him although there is a bit of a diva vibe about him. Seems he has a best friend, Andrew, who travels to meet him at concerts around the world. Well Philip did something he regrets when they were both in London and takes off for Munich. I really liked how the author set up the action. We start the book AFTER Philip's faux pas and then we are given a lovely flashback to find out how it all went down. We meet some very likeable characters - Jonah, Brian - who really add some substance to the book. Then Andrew enters the picture and that, for me, is when I lost the thread a bit. Now many readers complain about short stories being too short and I often wonder, then why read them but I think I understand it after reading this book. I needed a bit more backstory on Andrew to understand his motives - is he gay, bi?. But then again, maybe I don't need that label because love is love... I also thought that direction that Philip took about husbands was a little too fast. Granted they've known each other for four years, but in the context of friendship. Let's slow it down a bit. So I needed more! And that whole "I don't swallow" reinforced my sense that Philip has some diva like tendencies. That may very well be true for singers - I love opera but know nothing about how they have to maintain their voices but I could have done without that little tidbit. The dialogue got just a tiniest bit sappy at the end but it was still a lovely HEA. Some yummy man-love there at the end, too, made for a great read. The writing was strong, great descriptions - evocative - you could see the stars at night, smell the morning air when Philip arrives in Amiens. This is a new to me author but interestingly, I have a few of her books on my Kindle that I haven't read. Will definitely be moving them to the top of my tbr. Just hope she writes longer books!! Love her characters, her writing, descriptions.

[Louisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.

I felt like this story smoothly moved from scene to scene up until the end. After the flashback, it was like falling down a hill into the final scene and then boom, it was all done. From the beginning pace of the story, I felt like I was reading a longer book and was enjoying it, but when the finish came, I didn’t feel like the finally of the story was nearly as big as I was thinking it would be. I still gave this story 4 stars, leaning more toward the 3.5 though.

Character wise, I loved Philip from the start. Opera star getting attention from both men and women and the only person he has eyes for is Andrew. When Andrew came into the picture though, Philip went from distraught lover to bucket-of-tears. I understand the happiness he was feeling and the subconscious relief at seeing him in person and knowing everything is okay with him, but the crying his eyes out just made me want to shake him a bit. Especially after reading how Andrew dealt with the situation.

4 weeks?! Are you kidding. You had better be dead or dying if it takes you 4 weeks to tell me how sorting your feelings are going. You don’t have to know right away that you love me or you never want to see me again. But if you don’t chase after me – at all, – don’t answer or return any of my calls, or even let me know you’re trying to figure out how you feel and 4 weeks later you tell me you love me and needed time to think about your situation, nope. Not happening. 4 weeks is a long time to avoid talking to someone and then show up as a surprise and give me guff about running away, only to tell me you love me and that the four years I’ve known you you’ve been bi/finding yourself and wanted to be with only me. Hold on. I’m going to need some recovery time from that whiplash.

Okay. Enough with the rant. That being said, I was happy they ended up together, even though you knew they would, and that they magically worked out how their relationship would work in no time at all. This would have been a short I wished for a few more pages on; I needed the ending to slow down and make sense for them and where this one was left, I didn’t get that. For as dramatic as the story was, the ending fell very flat for me.

[Kendra T · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

This short story was very enjoyable! Philip is an opera singer and Andrew is his best friend. A month prior to the start of the book, Philip kissed Andrew and they haven't spoken since that night. Philip is distraught and lost. Andrew returns and we see the two men talk and reconnect, and break through misunderstandings. Once the guys begin talking, the sadness, fear, and miscommunication turns to sweetness and contentment. I loved it.

One of my favorite parts of the book is that the angst was not overwhelming. We start the book after the month of worrying and sadness has passed. We see the brief reunion, and then we get to see what caused their separation. I was able to feel the emotion, loss, and frustration for Philip without having the major angst with every page turned. I liked that a lot. It felt like I got to focus more on the guys and their chemistry when they did actually get together.

I was so glad to read this book.

[DC · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded up.
Taken at face value, this is a well-written and sweet short story. But breaking beneath the surface it kind of spirals downward. It’s told almost entirely from Philip’s point-of-view and it doesn’t take long to see that he is prone to over-reacting and jumping to conclusions, as well as not seeing what is right in front of him. He was afraid that he ruined his friendship with Andrew by dropping his guard and letting Andrew know how he felt. Phil didn’t even think that Andrew might love him back even though Andrew was flying all over the world to be with him; actions that clearly indicate what Andrew feels. But once we start getting to know Andrew, we begin to understand Philip’s doubts. For a founder and CFO for a prosperous tech company, Andrew has a lot of trouble communicating what he’s feeling. He’s quite adept at mix-messaging; e.g., his response to Philip’s kiss. By the time we get to the end, it’s kind of ho hum. I just didn’t really feel the love. One of the biggest disconnects that bothered me throughout was that Philip and Andrew have been best friends for many years and variations of “many years” are repeated through the story. But in reality, they have only known each other for four years. Yes, a best friend relationship can certainly develop in that time and so can falling in love. But I would never describe a four-year period as “many” years. And finally (no pun intended), this story could also benefit from an epilogue. The way it ends is really an unsatisfying HFN.

[C.J. Edmunds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fresh from the heels of finishing No Holding Back from Kate Evangelista, I was on a roll reading more MM romance. I then remembered that I have always had this on my Kindle but never gotten around to read it. Finally I did and enjoyed it as well.

While written simply, I felt the flashback scene that sets up the whole novel could have been written as the story progresses so that the reader will have more of an emotional investment in both Andrew and Phil rather than being told things like that right off the bat. Felt the author could have used that opportunity to mine the metrics of the relationship deeper and flesh out their feelings more.

But other than that, it was an enjoyable read. Hot one too. :)

[Milica · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars...

After reading Unexpected by the same author,I went and bought all that she has published. Length-wise,short stories are my favorite ones and I was really looking forward to reading this one.

Well,I enjoyed it enough...enough for 3 star rating at least,but I can't say I haven't expected something better.

Blurb pretty much says it all - this book deals with Philip and Andrew,and their transition from friends to lovers. I believed in it - I believed that these two love each other,and it was a nice moment when they finally got to be together,but I had some issues with this story,and I'm still not sure do those issues outweigh those parts I liked,or is it the other way around.

What I liked was Philip...we only get his POV,and you can't help it but feel for him - how much he loves Andrew,how much the separation that followed the kiss that set the things in motion is hurting him. I honestly believed when he said that he took Andrew always following him around the world for granted,that he didn't see it as anything other than a gesture of a friend,when he should've seen it as something more,but I guess he was blinded by his own feeling toward Andrew. And after all, he thought Andrew was straight. So,yeah,I felt connected with Philip...

As for issues I have with this story...I think Andrew's POV was absolutely necessary. The story is literally crippled by not getting his thoughts. Sometimes one POV works,but here I don't think it did. The focus is entirely too much on Philip,and in order for me to truly feel that moment of reuniting but this time as lovers,I needed Andrew's thoughts too.

And secondly...I find it hard to believe that two men who are very (and I mean very) successful in their careers would beat around the bush for so long when it comes to admitting their feelings for each other. I mean,that level of success implies confidence in yourself,strong personality,and yet they've been friends for years,they had feelings for each other (yes,Andrew too),and they decided not to act on it. Why? I don't understand...Especially when it comes to Andrew. And I'm not buying it. There were no obstacles to overcome - they are both mature men (over 35),successful,independent,so why the waiting? Years,we are talking years,not months...

So,yeah,still not decided about my feelings on this one...

[Love Bytes Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Heart Review by Amber

This is my first book by Amelia Mann. I was intrigued by the prospect of reading about two close friends who apparently had feelings for each other but were too scared to admit it. While this book was written well, I really didn’t connect to it or the characters or the story.

Phillip is a popular opera singer who travels all over the world doing what he loves. He’s lucky enough to be surrounded by people who love and care about him. He’s also lucky enough to have his best friend, Andrew by his side when he’s able to get away from work.

Andrew and Phillip both have pretty big secrets they’re hiding from the other. Phillips been in love with Andrew for years but believes him to be straight. Andrew also has feelings for Phillip. These two dance around each other but one night Phillip makes a move on Andrew. Horrified Phillip runs away and Andrew lets him.

One of my biggest issues was the fact that I couldn’t really get a feel for how Andrew felt about Phillip. The story is entirely told from Phillips point of view. I didn’t really get a connection or chemistry between these two characters.

There’s a lot of miscommunication and assumptions which causes a lot of heartache between these two.

This was a short friends to lover’s story and like I mentioned earlier the writing is really well done. Even this was a miss for me I would definitely be interested in check out maybe a longer novel from this author.

This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.

[VVivacious · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was provided for free by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Philip aka Pip aka Phil is an opera singer and his job requires him to be on the move constantly, but the one constant in his ever changing life is his best friend Andrew who flies out to attend all his opening nights no matter which country they are held in. But post-one very flamboyant and electrically charged night in which Phil ends up kissing Andrew, only to be hence-forth be ignored leaves him an emotional mess.

This story is your classic romance with a friends-to-lovers troupe.

I liked Philip even though we meet him when he is down in the dumps and pining after his best friend who he thinks he has lost forever. I loved the group of people who surround him especially Jonah who has definitely caught my intrigue.

But in some ways the anticipation of the romance was better than the romance itself. Till the moment Philip is pining away for Andrew all emotions are heightened and everything is very nice but the moment his wish of them coming together is fulfilled the story plateaus.

I somehow didn’t quite like Andrew, he gave me a feeling of artifice, and he lacked true depth.

Somehow he and Phil just didn’t gel for me. There banter (if it can even be called that) fell flat and I found Andrew’s explanations pretty lame. I mean it had been a month since that disastrous kiss and Andrew uproots his entire life to be with Phil, but doesn’t think it important to ease the guy’s mind. And for someone who had already left his job to join Phil as he travels all over the world he was really unsure of Phil’s feelings towards him.

While the writing is good and you can feel the sparks fly between the two characters, I just didn’t get the feeling that these two were perfect for each other.

All the stars for the first half but the follow through really let down the wonderful beginning.

[MiMi Rae · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars
I find that this author is hit or miss with me. Finally was smack dab in the middle.

The story is well written with no spelling or grammar errors (that I remember). For me there just wasn't enough meat to this story. I liked both Andrew and Philip though they were both a bit over the 'I'm so dramatic' line for me. One kiss and the world implodes? No discussion? Everybody just runs away? Philip - World famous Opera singer having panic attacks on stage? Sobbing here, sobbing there? Really? And Andrew - 'I didn’t take your calls because I needed some time to myself to process what happened'. But...He's been following him around the world for years because he loves him? OK then, so what's to process? He kissed you. You should be ecstatically dragging him to the nearest flat surface

I didn't like that the beginning of the story was told in the middle of the book via flashback. Why not have it back on page one when Philip is thinking about what happened? By the time chapter 3 came along I had already given up on knowing exactly what happened so the flashback was kinda jarring. I did enjoy the interaction between them during the flashback though. They seemed more real with each other during that time. The finale with the "Talk" and sexy bits was sweet as well as sexy so I enjoyed that. Though I could have done without the "Diva" lesson on why Philip couldn't deep throat or have cum in his mouth...kinda ruined the moment for me :)

I will definitely read future Amelia Mann books

Received this story free in exchange of an honest review

[Ro · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had difficulty deciding what to say about this one. On the one hand, I felt for Philip, who’s point of view is given in the story. He is a very successful opera singer and he is struggling because of a spur-of-the-moment kiss he planted on his best friend, Andrew. Since then, he hasn’t heard from Andrew and now his performance is suffering. He can’t make it better – Andrew isn’t returning his calls. I think what I needed here was to know exactly what Andrew was thinking, because I have to say – I didn’t like him much by the end. The ambivalence, the absolute selfishness (blocking a phone number instead of just answering and saying, I need time, for example) and then the utter nerve it takes to insist Philip never run again!! Philip may have panicked at that kiss (which is told in flashback mid-way through the story) and run for a minute, but Andrew ran for a month. I loved Philip and adored Jonah, so that made for a lovely read anyway.

[blub · Rating 3 out of 5]

A free copy of this story was provided to me in exchange
for an honest review.

Philip is a famous opera singer, whom believes he's ruined a four year friendship when he passionately kisses his best friend, Andrew. This fear, affects his performance and his friends/management take note of it. After four weeks of avoidance, Andrew shows up in Philip's dressing room, intent on talking.

For a short story I felt it was well-rounded and did a lovely job of showcasing Andrew and Philip's relationship and what lead to the rift between them. It was very PG but had nice emotional impact and a sweet ending.

[Pixie · Rating 3 out of 5]

For 54 pages I felt this was a good story. I had some questions surrounding the time of the break between the two but let it go as it did seem to be something that should be resolved face to face.

[Tailtiu]

Part of the Summer Bigger Than Others Anthology

[Tristan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

Sweet story, too bad it's on the short side.

[Lene · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars short and sweet MM romance.