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Learning to Love #1-4
Learning to Love Bundle
Don't miss this exclusive bundle of all four stories of the Learning to Love series by K.C. Wells!
Learning to Michael & Sean Sean and Michael are best friends from the minute they meet and become roommates. When they also discover they have feelings for each other, the reality of homophobia intrudes on their academic and personal lives and threatens their happiness. -Learning to Evan & Daniel Evan's new housemate, Daniel Collier, is everything Evan could want in a boyfriend. Evan just needs to work out why Daniel panics whenever Evan tries to get close.... -Learning to Josh & Chris Now that Chris finds himself sharing a house with Josh, he wonders where the strong, sexy guy who had been his rock and support has disappeared to. Chris wants him back-but he can't wait forever. -Learning to Final Exam One house, three couples, and one year left.... As their school career comes to a close and the one person who holds them all together starts to fall apart, the final exam is a true test of friendship.
See excerpt for individual blurbs.
Learning to Michael & Sean Sean and Michael are best friends from the minute they meet and become roommates. When they also discover they have feelings for each other, the reality of homophobia intrudes on their academic and personal lives and threatens their happiness. -Learning to Evan & Daniel Evan's new housemate, Daniel Collier, is everything Evan could want in a boyfriend. Evan just needs to work out why Daniel panics whenever Evan tries to get close.... -Learning to Josh & Chris Now that Chris finds himself sharing a house with Josh, he wonders where the strong, sexy guy who had been his rock and support has disappeared to. Chris wants him back-but he can't wait forever. -Learning to Final Exam One house, three couples, and one year left.... As their school career comes to a close and the one person who holds them all together starts to fall apart, the final exam is a true test of friendship.
See excerpt for individual blurbs.
- GenresM M Romance
Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2016
2 people are currently reading
44 people want to read
About the author
K.C. Wells
144 books1,867 followersK.C. Wells lives on an island off the south coast of the UK, surrounded by natural beauty. She writes about men who love men, and can’t even contemplate a life that doesn’t include writing.
The rainbow rose tattoo on her back with the words 'Love is Love' and 'Love Wins' is her way of hoisting a flag. She plans to be writing about men in love - be it sweet and slow, hot or kinky - for a long while to come.
If you want to follow her exploits, you can sign up for her monthly newsletter: http://eepurl.com/cNKHlT
You can stalk – er, find – her in the following places:
E-mail: k.c.wells@btinternet.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KCWellsWorld
Twitter: @K_C_Wells
Website: https://www.kcwellswrites.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/k.c.wells
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/k-c-w...
And for those who like things a little hotter?
There's KC's alter ego, Tantalus, who writes gay erotica.
The rainbow rose tattoo on her back with the words 'Love is Love' and 'Love Wins' is her way of hoisting a flag. She plans to be writing about men in love - be it sweet and slow, hot or kinky - for a long while to come.
If you want to follow her exploits, you can sign up for her monthly newsletter: http://eepurl.com/cNKHlT
You can stalk – er, find – her in the following places:
E-mail: k.c.wells@btinternet.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KCWellsWorld
Twitter: @K_C_Wells
Website: https://www.kcwellswrites.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/k.c.wells
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/k-c-w...
And for those who like things a little hotter?
There's KC's alter ego, Tantalus, who writes gay erotica.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 17, 2016
Note: This book was provided to me by the publisher through Hearts on Fire Reviews in exchange for an impartial review.
This review is for the edition that is a compilation of all four books in the Learning to Love series.
Part I – Michael & Sean:
Sean and Michael meet when they arrive at the house they’ve been assigned to for their first term at university. They immediately become best friends, finding more interests in common than either can believe. When Sean’s younger brother is suddenly killed, it’s Michael who provides comfort throughout the days before and after the funeral. And on the morning he wakes up after holding a weeping Sean in his arms all night long, Michael realizes that he feels more than friendship and runs to their gay housemate, Evan, for advice.
Their relationship develops and the two fall deeply in love, much to the consternation of their homophobic roommate, Adam, who leads a group of guys in an attack on Michael late one night. Michael survives, and fortunately, Adam and his friends are caught and will face trial in the future. Once Michael physically heals, he and Sean become even closer. One night, after a great time at a gay bar with Evan, the three end up in bed together. Note: this story should come with a caution that a personal fan is required. Their relationship with Evan in no way impacts their lives together, the three having recognized potential issues and taken steps to avoid future problems. This first book ends on a positive note with Michael and Sean making plans for their future.
The author did a wonderful job of character building and of setting the stage for continuation of the series as well as creating a segue leading directly to the next story. A double GFY with a hot menage in the story—what’s not to like?
Part II –Evan & Daniel
Introduced at the end of book one, Daniel’s and Evan’s story contains some very painful flashback scenes of his abuse as a child at the hands of his stepfather. It’s deeply affected his behavior to the point where he wants to get close to Evan, but he can’t seem to go any further than kissing. It’s months before they are able to move beyond kissing and cuddling, and it’s only after intensive therapy and counseling that Daniel finally opens up and reveals to Evan, and his housemates, his painful past and his fear of physical intimacy. Evan, being Evan, an open and loving gay man, accepts Daniel without reservation and the couple is finally able to move beyond the simple to a more in-depth relationship. This book also contains the follow-up to Michael’s and Seans’s engagement—we get to attend the wedding and cry over their beautiful vows.
It still isn’t smooth sailing for Evan and Daniel when Daniel begins to suspect that his stepfather is perpetrating the same sexual abuse on his eleven-year-old brother as he did to Daniel. With his housemates’ encouragement, Daniel finally seeks advice from Josh’s father, a detective, and the man is eventually jailed. By now, Josh has moved into the house with the guys as he’s a friend they made when Michael was hospitalized in book one, and he’s wearing his heart on his sleeve for a guy named Chris who happens to be involved in the bashing Michael took in book one. As this story concludes and the author segues into the next, Chris has turned in evidence that will likely result in the other men involved in the bashing to be sent to prison, and now all Josh wants is for Chris to notice that Josh is waiting patiently to be seen as more than a friend.
Another excellent story, readers like me would be rooting for Evan, who is a sweetheart, to finally have a relationship, and when poor, emotionally damaged Daniel showed up, it was very easy to include him in the list of characters I rooted for. The author once again moves the plot forward overlapping the conclusion of this story with the beginning of the next.
Part III – Josh & Chris
As this story opens, Chris has settled into the house with Josh and the others, and though he’s patiently waiting for Josh to make a move, he finally decides to accept a date from another young man who’s been persistent. Of course, this sends Josh into a tailspin, and it doesn’t help that Josh’s ex has shown up and is trying to win him back. Josh isn’t interested in Eric, who was cruel to him, both physically and emotionally, but Eric keeps pushing with gifts and flowers and personal visits. Michael and Sean are spending the year abroad, first in France and then in Spain, as a part of their languages coursework though they keep in touch throughout the story.
Chris receives bad news from two sources— the first, his parents, who have decided that they can’t financially support a son who claims to be a homosexual—and the second, a series of threatening letters from an anonymous source. His grandmother comes to the rescue on the first issue, providing him with sufficient funds to see him through, but the second issue weaves in and out of the story until it’s resolved at the end.
Evan and Daniel’s relationship seems to be evolving into one of domination and submission and we get to attend their wedding in this installment. When Josh’s dad, DI Mark Saunders, is shot, and Chris is there to offer comfort and loving support to Josh, the two young men realize that life is short, and they’d better stop fighting their attraction. They finally have the “big screen” kiss in the hospital waiting room. Not long afterward, when Josh’s crazy ex goes too far and endangers his life, Chris realizes that Josh is the most important person in the world to him.
What I enjoyed most about each story is the camaraderie among the men, their unconditional love and support for each other, and the various story arc’s which wove throughout the series, crisscrossing here and there, and coming to a final head just as the intros to the story arc for the next book began.
Part IV – Final Exam
It’s in this part that all the pieces to the puzzles are slotted into place, along with a healthy dose of drama all on its own. Sean and Michael come home from Spain with Sean still suffering from migranes that began while they were away. They are getting worse, and they’re affecting his moods and his relationship with Michael and the others in the house. He’s tired and moody and rarely interested in sex with his husband, something very out of the ordinary, and he frequently snaps at one of his housemates. He’s been to a doctor but the meds aren’t working so he secretly sees another doctor when he returns home. The secrecy results in the biggest blowup from Michael that Sean and his housemates have ever seen. From that point on, Sean guarantees that he’ll keep Michael informed of everything.
In the meantime, Josh is picking up shifts and working in A&E as a nightshift nurse while still trying to study for medical school and maintain his relationship with Chris. He’s not doing well with any of it, most of all with Chris, who’s supportive but doesn’t want Josh to continue to work. Chris can support the two of them, but Josh is stubborn and his pigheadedness eventually leads to a major problem in both his workplace and his personal life. To top it all off, he berates himself for not seeing what was wrong with Sean sooner. But the housemates are thankful that Josh happens to be there when Sean has a seizure. This segment was painfully sad as Sean finds he needs to have brain surgery, and all of his housemates gather for support.
He survives and eventually all the men survive their traumas of daily living and overcoming their hardships. As the story closes, all of the couples are embarking on new lives and new adventures, leaving the house they all called home for four years.
As I’ve said earlier, the author did a wonderful job of weaving the various story arcs throughout the book, at times intertwining the lives, adventures and mishaps of the housemates, and at times, making them extremely different. There was enough exposure to couples from previous stories to build a strong relationship between the reader and each character and to engage interest in what was happening, whether it was daily living or some of the dramatic situations presented in the story.
I’ve been with these boys for the past week and I have to say I will miss them. I looked forward to sitting down with them each day to see what they were up to, or to worry about them, or to cheer them on. If you are a fan of “new adult” M/M romance, I highly recommend this compilation of stories. There’s plenty of drama with quite a bit of very hot sex scenes. There’s also some BDSM, primarily D/s, and there’s an equal measure of tender, loving moments between the couples. There’s most definitely a strong sense of friends as family. Overall, a definite winning combination.
This review is for the edition that is a compilation of all four books in the Learning to Love series.
Part I – Michael & Sean:
Sean and Michael meet when they arrive at the house they’ve been assigned to for their first term at university. They immediately become best friends, finding more interests in common than either can believe. When Sean’s younger brother is suddenly killed, it’s Michael who provides comfort throughout the days before and after the funeral. And on the morning he wakes up after holding a weeping Sean in his arms all night long, Michael realizes that he feels more than friendship and runs to their gay housemate, Evan, for advice.
Their relationship develops and the two fall deeply in love, much to the consternation of their homophobic roommate, Adam, who leads a group of guys in an attack on Michael late one night. Michael survives, and fortunately, Adam and his friends are caught and will face trial in the future. Once Michael physically heals, he and Sean become even closer. One night, after a great time at a gay bar with Evan, the three end up in bed together. Note: this story should come with a caution that a personal fan is required. Their relationship with Evan in no way impacts their lives together, the three having recognized potential issues and taken steps to avoid future problems. This first book ends on a positive note with Michael and Sean making plans for their future.
The author did a wonderful job of character building and of setting the stage for continuation of the series as well as creating a segue leading directly to the next story. A double GFY with a hot menage in the story—what’s not to like?
Part II –Evan & Daniel
Introduced at the end of book one, Daniel’s and Evan’s story contains some very painful flashback scenes of his abuse as a child at the hands of his stepfather. It’s deeply affected his behavior to the point where he wants to get close to Evan, but he can’t seem to go any further than kissing. It’s months before they are able to move beyond kissing and cuddling, and it’s only after intensive therapy and counseling that Daniel finally opens up and reveals to Evan, and his housemates, his painful past and his fear of physical intimacy. Evan, being Evan, an open and loving gay man, accepts Daniel without reservation and the couple is finally able to move beyond the simple to a more in-depth relationship. This book also contains the follow-up to Michael’s and Seans’s engagement—we get to attend the wedding and cry over their beautiful vows.
It still isn’t smooth sailing for Evan and Daniel when Daniel begins to suspect that his stepfather is perpetrating the same sexual abuse on his eleven-year-old brother as he did to Daniel. With his housemates’ encouragement, Daniel finally seeks advice from Josh’s father, a detective, and the man is eventually jailed. By now, Josh has moved into the house with the guys as he’s a friend they made when Michael was hospitalized in book one, and he’s wearing his heart on his sleeve for a guy named Chris who happens to be involved in the bashing Michael took in book one. As this story concludes and the author segues into the next, Chris has turned in evidence that will likely result in the other men involved in the bashing to be sent to prison, and now all Josh wants is for Chris to notice that Josh is waiting patiently to be seen as more than a friend.
Another excellent story, readers like me would be rooting for Evan, who is a sweetheart, to finally have a relationship, and when poor, emotionally damaged Daniel showed up, it was very easy to include him in the list of characters I rooted for. The author once again moves the plot forward overlapping the conclusion of this story with the beginning of the next.
Part III – Josh & Chris
As this story opens, Chris has settled into the house with Josh and the others, and though he’s patiently waiting for Josh to make a move, he finally decides to accept a date from another young man who’s been persistent. Of course, this sends Josh into a tailspin, and it doesn’t help that Josh’s ex has shown up and is trying to win him back. Josh isn’t interested in Eric, who was cruel to him, both physically and emotionally, but Eric keeps pushing with gifts and flowers and personal visits. Michael and Sean are spending the year abroad, first in France and then in Spain, as a part of their languages coursework though they keep in touch throughout the story.
Chris receives bad news from two sources— the first, his parents, who have decided that they can’t financially support a son who claims to be a homosexual—and the second, a series of threatening letters from an anonymous source. His grandmother comes to the rescue on the first issue, providing him with sufficient funds to see him through, but the second issue weaves in and out of the story until it’s resolved at the end.
Evan and Daniel’s relationship seems to be evolving into one of domination and submission and we get to attend their wedding in this installment. When Josh’s dad, DI Mark Saunders, is shot, and Chris is there to offer comfort and loving support to Josh, the two young men realize that life is short, and they’d better stop fighting their attraction. They finally have the “big screen” kiss in the hospital waiting room. Not long afterward, when Josh’s crazy ex goes too far and endangers his life, Chris realizes that Josh is the most important person in the world to him.
What I enjoyed most about each story is the camaraderie among the men, their unconditional love and support for each other, and the various story arc’s which wove throughout the series, crisscrossing here and there, and coming to a final head just as the intros to the story arc for the next book began.
Part IV – Final Exam
It’s in this part that all the pieces to the puzzles are slotted into place, along with a healthy dose of drama all on its own. Sean and Michael come home from Spain with Sean still suffering from migranes that began while they were away. They are getting worse, and they’re affecting his moods and his relationship with Michael and the others in the house. He’s tired and moody and rarely interested in sex with his husband, something very out of the ordinary, and he frequently snaps at one of his housemates. He’s been to a doctor but the meds aren’t working so he secretly sees another doctor when he returns home. The secrecy results in the biggest blowup from Michael that Sean and his housemates have ever seen. From that point on, Sean guarantees that he’ll keep Michael informed of everything.
In the meantime, Josh is picking up shifts and working in A&E as a nightshift nurse while still trying to study for medical school and maintain his relationship with Chris. He’s not doing well with any of it, most of all with Chris, who’s supportive but doesn’t want Josh to continue to work. Chris can support the two of them, but Josh is stubborn and his pigheadedness eventually leads to a major problem in both his workplace and his personal life. To top it all off, he berates himself for not seeing what was wrong with Sean sooner. But the housemates are thankful that Josh happens to be there when Sean has a seizure. This segment was painfully sad as Sean finds he needs to have brain surgery, and all of his housemates gather for support.
He survives and eventually all the men survive their traumas of daily living and overcoming their hardships. As the story closes, all of the couples are embarking on new lives and new adventures, leaving the house they all called home for four years.
As I’ve said earlier, the author did a wonderful job of weaving the various story arcs throughout the book, at times intertwining the lives, adventures and mishaps of the housemates, and at times, making them extremely different. There was enough exposure to couples from previous stories to build a strong relationship between the reader and each character and to engage interest in what was happening, whether it was daily living or some of the dramatic situations presented in the story.
I’ve been with these boys for the past week and I have to say I will miss them. I looked forward to sitting down with them each day to see what they were up to, or to worry about them, or to cheer them on. If you are a fan of “new adult” M/M romance, I highly recommend this compilation of stories. There’s plenty of drama with quite a bit of very hot sex scenes. There’s also some BDSM, primarily D/s, and there’s an equal measure of tender, loving moments between the couples. There’s most definitely a strong sense of friends as family. Overall, a definite winning combination.
October 18, 2022
Learning to Love (Dreamspinner Press Bundle) K. C Wells (LGBTQ)
OMG, if you never read another LGBTQ Book, make sure you read this one. It is so good on so many levels. It is a bundle consisting of 4 stories,based on the students who arrive at their College Accommodation house in Manchester at the start of their College Life. All are in late teens. All are guys.
Each story is a continuation of the previous one as follows:
Michael and Sean, both Language Students (French and Spanish)
Evan and Daniel, Psychotherapy Students
Josh and Chris, (Josh is a Nurse and Chris is also studying Psychotherapy)
Final Exam, speaks for itself, and it’s about all of their endeavours at Finals.
The relationships of all the guys sharing the house is unbelievable and the title “Learning to Love” is very apt.
I loved every one of the MC, I’ve mentioned above, also their other friends and a few of their family members were excellent.
I shed many tears in each of their stories for various reasons but the joy overall is amazing. Don’t know how anyone could tolerate homophobic behaviour from any quarter after reading of the love between all of the Main Characters in this set of stories.
Each story carrying some angst and issues that may be triggers to some, I’ll mentioned them just by saying the Book number.
Homophobia figures large and throughout, all books,1,2,3.
Child Sexual abuse in family Book 2
Family disowning children Book 1 and 3
Physical attacks by homophobes Book 1,2 and 3
Stalkers, kidnapping, BDSM torture, Book 3
Consensual BDSM, D/s between 1 couple, Book 2 and Final Exam.
Despite all of the trigger issues, this has been one of the best K C Wells books I’ve read, actually one of the best LGBTQ books that I’ve read. I’m sorry that it’s ended and I’d love to keep reading about these guys.
Go get your copy and enjoy, it’s brilliant. K C Wells has outdone herself with the writing, research, character development, storylines, just everything in “Learning to Love”.
ADDENDUM: There is some strange editing in one of these stories when Michael and Sean are working in France they meet Luc and Oliver who feature in Boyfriend Material and Husband Material. Luc is working as a waiter in a restaurant. However when they are introduced both Luc and Oliver’s characters are mixed up, Luc was apparently disowned by his family and went to live with Oliver’s family for 3 years and that’s how they became friends.
Having recently just finished Husband Material that is not what I read there. Strange.
OMG, if you never read another LGBTQ Book, make sure you read this one. It is so good on so many levels. It is a bundle consisting of 4 stories,based on the students who arrive at their College Accommodation house in Manchester at the start of their College Life. All are in late teens. All are guys.
Each story is a continuation of the previous one as follows:
Michael and Sean, both Language Students (French and Spanish)
Evan and Daniel, Psychotherapy Students
Josh and Chris, (Josh is a Nurse and Chris is also studying Psychotherapy)
Final Exam, speaks for itself, and it’s about all of their endeavours at Finals.
The relationships of all the guys sharing the house is unbelievable and the title “Learning to Love” is very apt.
I loved every one of the MC, I’ve mentioned above, also their other friends and a few of their family members were excellent.
I shed many tears in each of their stories for various reasons but the joy overall is amazing. Don’t know how anyone could tolerate homophobic behaviour from any quarter after reading of the love between all of the Main Characters in this set of stories.
Each story carrying some angst and issues that may be triggers to some, I’ll mentioned them just by saying the Book number.
Homophobia figures large and throughout, all books,1,2,3.
Child Sexual abuse in family Book 2
Family disowning children Book 1 and 3
Physical attacks by homophobes Book 1,2 and 3
Stalkers, kidnapping, BDSM torture, Book 3
Consensual BDSM, D/s between 1 couple, Book 2 and Final Exam.
Despite all of the trigger issues, this has been one of the best K C Wells books I’ve read, actually one of the best LGBTQ books that I’ve read. I’m sorry that it’s ended and I’d love to keep reading about these guys.
Go get your copy and enjoy, it’s brilliant. K C Wells has outdone herself with the writing, research, character development, storylines, just everything in “Learning to Love”.
ADDENDUM: There is some strange editing in one of these stories when Michael and Sean are working in France they meet Luc and Oliver who feature in Boyfriend Material and Husband Material. Luc is working as a waiter in a restaurant. However when they are introduced both Luc and Oliver’s characters are mixed up, Luc was apparently disowned by his family and went to live with Oliver’s family for 3 years and that’s how they became friends.
Having recently just finished Husband Material that is not what I read there. Strange.
December 15, 2019
I'm just not meshing well with the series, I nearly finished the third book I don't think it's worth my time to continue on
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews