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Dating in Retrospect
Giving the commencement speech at his alma mater doesn’t fit Clay Keller’s meticulous schedule. As Chief Executive Officer of Travel Mogul—the largest travel connoisseur company on the West Coast—he has no time to get back in touch with his country roots. He left fifteen years ago without a second look, but a medical scare makes him change his mind about the speech and brings him face-to-face with his only regret.
Time always moves slower in Southeastern Iowa, and Aaron Grant loves it. He’s added solar farms to the Grant Lanes portfolio and has been teaching at the local university for a decade. The last thing he needs is to have his tenure application compromised by the return of his ex-boyfriend. If he had known who the commencement speaker would be, he would never have volunteered to be the administration liaison.
A proposal—to date for a year—will help them discover that time changes a person, even when everything else stays the same.
States of Stories of romance that span every corner of the United States.
Time always moves slower in Southeastern Iowa, and Aaron Grant loves it. He’s added solar farms to the Grant Lanes portfolio and has been teaching at the local university for a decade. The last thing he needs is to have his tenure application compromised by the return of his ex-boyfriend. If he had known who the commencement speaker would be, he would never have volunteered to be the administration liaison.
A proposal—to date for a year—will help them discover that time changes a person, even when everything else stays the same.
States of Stories of romance that span every corner of the United States.
107 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 15, 2017
1 person is currently reading
58 people want to read
About the author
Lila Leigh Hunter
12 books87 followersLila Leigh Hunter is the pen name of a Puerto Rican author with a hyphenated surname. Born and raised on the island, Lila grew up making up stories her siblings pretended to like. But no matter what they say, as the youngest of six, she’s still their mom’s favorite. According to the dusty diplomas on her wall, she’s an architectural designer living in Southern Texas with her husband and four military brats.
She spends most of her free time writing homoerotic romances about middle-aged men finding happiness and the rest hiding from pesky house chores. When outside of her cave, she likes to observe people and try to guess their stories. Sometimes she wishes the voices in her head were real; going out with the boys in her books sounds like a plan made in heaven.
CONTACT & MEDIA INFO:
Email | Website | Twitter | Facebook | Lila's Cabana | Pinterest
She spends most of her free time writing homoerotic romances about middle-aged men finding happiness and the rest hiding from pesky house chores. When outside of her cave, she likes to observe people and try to guess their stories. Sometimes she wishes the voices in her head were real; going out with the boys in her books sounds like a plan made in heaven.
Lila writes romances with female protagonists as Leigh Hunter, works as a freelance designer for Hunter Hues, and review books for Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words & Someone Else's Stories.
CONTACT & MEDIA INFO:
Email | Website | Twitter | Facebook | Lila's Cabana | Pinterest
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
January 23, 2020
2.5 stars. Fifteen years ago, Clay and Aaron dreamed of a life together, but Clay left for California and founded a hugely successful travel company, while Aaron remained in Iowa, getting a PhD and becoming a professor on the tenure trek while managing the family farm. Clay returns to Iowa to give the commencement speech and plans to win back Aaron.
I like the premise of the story, but honestly Clay comes across as an arrogant smarmy jerk. After Aaron makes the difficult decision to remain in Iowa to help his father with the farm, Clay stops calling or answering Aaron's messages, changes his email address and phone number, instructs his family to not tell Aaron anything about him and never contacts Aaron again. Understandably, Aaron is not as willing as Clay to pick up where they left off all those years ago.
After Aaron's request to keep their interactions professional in front of his colleagues, Clay persists (“Stop rubbing my back, Clay. I’m not a kitten for you to pet.”) and eventually tells off the professor on Aaron's tenure committee (who makes a bigoted comment about Aaron) saying: "I’d be more than happy if he gets more than a piece of me before the night’s over. I think I should go and offer to blow him in the bathroom before my speech.” WTF? Add in Clay using his nickname "sunshine" for Aaron constantly (over 40 times in 107 pages), and I was almost ready to DNF this book.
Aaron agrees to give Clay a year to win him back and goes along with a series of monthly dates around the area. I liked the way the author uses Clay and Aaron's dates to highlight Iowa, giving us glimpses of the Field of Dreams in Dyersville, Madison County's famous covered bridges and Riverside's annual TrekFest. This fit well with the theme of Dreamspinner's "States of Love" series.
Aaron and Clay eventually get their HEA but have to overcome immature actions on both men's part plus rampant miscommunication. I really struggled with the rating for this book, because I truly admire anyone who crafts and publishes a novel and while I liked the plot premise and the way the story features Iowa landmarks, it was not enough to overcome Clay's personality.
I received an ARC from Dreamspinner Press in exchange for an honest review.
Visit my blog, Sinfully Good Gay Book Reviews
I like the premise of the story, but honestly Clay comes across as an arrogant smarmy jerk. After Aaron makes the difficult decision to remain in Iowa to help his father with the farm, Clay stops calling or answering Aaron's messages, changes his email address and phone number, instructs his family to not tell Aaron anything about him and never contacts Aaron again. Understandably, Aaron is not as willing as Clay to pick up where they left off all those years ago.
After Aaron's request to keep their interactions professional in front of his colleagues, Clay persists (“Stop rubbing my back, Clay. I’m not a kitten for you to pet.”) and eventually tells off the professor on Aaron's tenure committee (who makes a bigoted comment about Aaron) saying: "I’d be more than happy if he gets more than a piece of me before the night’s over. I think I should go and offer to blow him in the bathroom before my speech.” WTF? Add in Clay using his nickname "sunshine" for Aaron constantly (over 40 times in 107 pages), and I was almost ready to DNF this book.
Aaron agrees to give Clay a year to win him back and goes along with a series of monthly dates around the area. I liked the way the author uses Clay and Aaron's dates to highlight Iowa, giving us glimpses of the Field of Dreams in Dyersville, Madison County's famous covered bridges and Riverside's annual TrekFest. This fit well with the theme of Dreamspinner's "States of Love" series.
Aaron and Clay eventually get their HEA but have to overcome immature actions on both men's part plus rampant miscommunication. I really struggled with the rating for this book, because I truly admire anyone who crafts and publishes a novel and while I liked the plot premise and the way the story features Iowa landmarks, it was not enough to overcome Clay's personality.
I received an ARC from Dreamspinner Press in exchange for an honest review.
Visit my blog, Sinfully Good Gay Book Reviews
February 11, 2017
*1,5 stars*
This is a book of second chances and the blurb really appealed to me.
Unfortunately things did not turn out quite as expected.
I always enjoy older MCs, but I could not connect to these two, particularly Clay. He acted neither his age nor the professional he is supposed to be. His behaviour at the beginning of the book was unrealistic and strange, not to say cringe-worthy leaving me like ....
Most of all, Clay seems to assume that Aaron's been waiting round for him for 15 years. He assumes that Aaron is single, and doesn't even try to find out whether he's attached or not.... Would that not be one of the first questions he would have to ask?
After the ropy start I was hoping that Aaron would at least give Clay a run for his money and make it difficult for him to win Aaron back, alas... no. He agrees to a plan of dates over the course of a YEAR (how desperate is the man? And who commits to a thing like that?). I was still happy to run with the course of events until the first date.
Before I say anything further and “The Wrath of Khan“ (and that of all those GR readers who are Trekkies) comes down upon me, let me make one thing clear – I like Star Tek. I grew up with it. Captain Kirk was my first crush. Ok?
But that first date crushed me, too. I found lines like this hard to cope with...
"You know you have always been the Kirk to my Spock."
"I only want to live long and prosper with you, sunshine"
And to say that (and not in jest) and follow it up with "They were too old to play games" just didn't gel. For some reason none of this felt right. Whether it is the age of the MCs or the way it is written, I really don't know.
And as I am speaking of 'sunshine'. Clay is overusing the term (and would someone of his age really say that?) It sounds condescending to me and inappropriate.
I never really felt Aaron and Clay connect. Aaron just seemed to go along with Clay. I didn't feel 'the vibe' between them, or their confusion and uncertainty, and regrettably, their sexual encounters felt a bit clinical, more like a step by step account.
As the story unfolds we gets more dates and a rather constructed plot twist towards the end, as well as some lengthy talks between the MCs and secondary characters. I'm sorry to say that none of it was for me.
What the author did get across really well was a strong sense of location. Iowa and its fields felt real, as did a sense of tradition (even though I was lost on the farm and baseball jargon, but I know that this is me!).
ARC received from author via Indigo Marketing And Design in exchange for an honest review.
This is a book of second chances and the blurb really appealed to me.
Unfortunately things did not turn out quite as expected.
I always enjoy older MCs, but I could not connect to these two, particularly Clay. He acted neither his age nor the professional he is supposed to be. His behaviour at the beginning of the book was unrealistic and strange, not to say cringe-worthy leaving me like ....
Most of all, Clay seems to assume that Aaron's been waiting round for him for 15 years. He assumes that Aaron is single, and doesn't even try to find out whether he's attached or not.... Would that not be one of the first questions he would have to ask?
After the ropy start I was hoping that Aaron would at least give Clay a run for his money and make it difficult for him to win Aaron back, alas... no. He agrees to a plan of dates over the course of a YEAR (how desperate is the man? And who commits to a thing like that?). I was still happy to run with the course of events until the first date.
Before I say anything further and “The Wrath of Khan“ (and that of all those GR readers who are Trekkies) comes down upon me, let me make one thing clear – I like Star Tek. I grew up with it. Captain Kirk was my first crush. Ok?
But that first date crushed me, too. I found lines like this hard to cope with...
"You know you have always been the Kirk to my Spock."
"I only want to live long and prosper with you, sunshine"
And to say that (and not in jest) and follow it up with "They were too old to play games" just didn't gel. For some reason none of this felt right. Whether it is the age of the MCs or the way it is written, I really don't know.
And as I am speaking of 'sunshine'. Clay is overusing the term (and would someone of his age really say that?) It sounds condescending to me and inappropriate.
I never really felt Aaron and Clay connect. Aaron just seemed to go along with Clay. I didn't feel 'the vibe' between them, or their confusion and uncertainty, and regrettably, their sexual encounters felt a bit clinical, more like a step by step account.
As the story unfolds we gets more dates and a rather constructed plot twist towards the end, as well as some lengthy talks between the MCs and secondary characters. I'm sorry to say that none of it was for me.
What the author did get across really well was a strong sense of location. Iowa and its fields felt real, as did a sense of tradition (even though I was lost on the farm and baseball jargon, but I know that this is me!).
ARC received from author via Indigo Marketing And Design in exchange for an honest review.
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February 15, 2017Available Now!
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February 21, 2017
Have you ever wondered about the one that got away or...
maybe it was the one that you let slip away...
It's been 15 years since Clint last say Aaron and in all that time he's never forgotten the man that he'd planned to spend the rest of his life with.
Clint went off to California and Aaron was suppose to join him there. They were going to start their life together...follow their dreams and make their fortunes and all their dreams come true. But as can sometimes be the case with distance dreams fade and become little more than memories. Aaron never joined Clint in California...it was just never the right time and there was always something keeping him in Iowa. Eventually Clint decided that he needed to let Aaron go so they could both move on but neither time nor distance has changed how Clint feels about Aaron and after 15 years he's ready to go back and hopefully reclaim the love he gave up.
I liked that Clint was determined to win Aaron back and that he wasn't wishy, washy about it. Their relationship wasn't a one night stand or a weekend fling. They were together throughout most of college and for him to show up after 15 years of basically silence between the two of them was a pretty ballsy move and to do anything less than believe that Aaron still love him, as much as he loved Aaron just wouldn't have been very convincing, but he was also smart enough to know that he could only push so far and his plan of them dating over the course of a year to give them a chance to become re-acquainted and re-build their relationship just seemed perfect because it also gave Clint the time to show Aaron that he was serious and committed to making it work and last between them.
I enjoyed the dates that Clint arranged for these two they had meaning and relevance to their shared background. I also appreciated that while Aaron didn't give in right away he also didn't play games and keep Clint dancing on pins and needles when he knew that in his heart he still loved him. He was cautious and rightfully so but he was also willing to take that second chance.
I also very much appreciated that both of these men were un-apologetically bisexual, yes they were both male and in a relationship but there was no instances of 'I'm gay because I'm with a guy'. They were two bisexual men who happened to fall in love with a guy.
Unfortunately I didn't feel the over the top passion that I wanted to with Clint and Aaron. I really wanted to and when you have someone making the grand gestures that Clint was making I think the emotion between the couple needs to be reflective of that so for that reason this was a sweet story with little to no angst and while I really liked it. I wasn't over the moon blown away with it. But still a sweet, little second-chance story that gave me some laughs and allowed me to relax for a while as Aaron and Clint fell in love all over again, how can that be bad?
********************
An ARC of 'Dating in Retrospect' was graciously provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
maybe it was the one that you let slip away...
It's been 15 years since Clint last say Aaron and in all that time he's never forgotten the man that he'd planned to spend the rest of his life with.
Clint went off to California and Aaron was suppose to join him there. They were going to start their life together...follow their dreams and make their fortunes and all their dreams come true. But as can sometimes be the case with distance dreams fade and become little more than memories. Aaron never joined Clint in California...it was just never the right time and there was always something keeping him in Iowa. Eventually Clint decided that he needed to let Aaron go so they could both move on but neither time nor distance has changed how Clint feels about Aaron and after 15 years he's ready to go back and hopefully reclaim the love he gave up.
I liked that Clint was determined to win Aaron back and that he wasn't wishy, washy about it. Their relationship wasn't a one night stand or a weekend fling. They were together throughout most of college and for him to show up after 15 years of basically silence between the two of them was a pretty ballsy move and to do anything less than believe that Aaron still love him, as much as he loved Aaron just wouldn't have been very convincing, but he was also smart enough to know that he could only push so far and his plan of them dating over the course of a year to give them a chance to become re-acquainted and re-build their relationship just seemed perfect because it also gave Clint the time to show Aaron that he was serious and committed to making it work and last between them.
I enjoyed the dates that Clint arranged for these two they had meaning and relevance to their shared background. I also appreciated that while Aaron didn't give in right away he also didn't play games and keep Clint dancing on pins and needles when he knew that in his heart he still loved him. He was cautious and rightfully so but he was also willing to take that second chance.
I also very much appreciated that both of these men were un-apologetically bisexual, yes they were both male and in a relationship but there was no instances of 'I'm gay because I'm with a guy'. They were two bisexual men who happened to fall in love with a guy.
Unfortunately I didn't feel the over the top passion that I wanted to with Clint and Aaron. I really wanted to and when you have someone making the grand gestures that Clint was making I think the emotion between the couple needs to be reflective of that so for that reason this was a sweet story with little to no angst and while I really liked it. I wasn't over the moon blown away with it. But still a sweet, little second-chance story that gave me some laughs and allowed me to relax for a while as Aaron and Clint fell in love all over again, how can that be bad?
********************
An ARC of 'Dating in Retrospect' was graciously provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
February 16, 2017
https://justlovereviews.com/2017/02/1...
2 stars
The best thing I can say about this book is that the MCs deserved each other. It’s a thankfully rare occurrence that you come across two characters who are as annoyingly unlikeable as Clay and Aaron.
Clay is an ass, plain and simple. He shows up in Aaron’s life after 15 years apart – a split he instigated, being sure to not only move, but change his phone number and email address – and within a very short period of time where only polite conversation was exchanged, Clay is already all up in Aaron’s business –
“You were never a very good liar, Aaron.” Moving closer, until their chests were mere inches apart, Clay continued. “you have been nothing but a snob since the moment I arrived. Only when I had you in my arms, you were the man I remembered.” Clay had no right to ask anything from Aaron since he had been the one who allowed their relationship to die, but they could at least be civilized until he figured out how to win Aaron back. He moved one step forward and pinned his pretty between the wall and his body. “Are you happy to see me again, sunshine?”
So, within minutes of seeing his old boyfriend he a) accuses him of being a liar, b) pins him against a wall – at his workplace no less – and c) calls him by his old cutesy nickname. No. Just no. You have not seen him for 15 years. You broke up with him. You do not get to manhandle him and call him something cute! And that sentence I bolded is incredibly awkward. No one talks like that.
But wait, it gets better.
Later that same day, Clay chances upon an old professor of his, chatting with some of Aaron’s peers, and walks over to say hello. When another professor refers to Aaron as a “fairy”, Clay decides to step in and say something in Aaron’s defense –
"Professor Grant is one of the best in his field. I’d be more than happy if he gets more than a piece of me before the night’s over. I think I should go and offer to blow him in the bathroom before my speech.”
Whoa, nelly! That’s how you defend someone in front of their boss and their peers? Nope. I don’t think so.
To be honest, Aaron doesn’t fare much better in the dialogue department. When Clay discovers Aaron was previously married to a woman, he expresses some surprise, but as Aaron explains –
“You better than anyone know I don’t have any problem with women. My bisexuality is pretty even. I like women as much as I like men.”
Read that sentence again. “I don’t have any problem with women” doesn’t exactly sound like a ringing endorsement of his bisexuality, does it? Usually when you say you don’t have a problem with something, it means you’re not really into it, but it’s not worth making a fuss over. Is that really how someone would express attraction to another gender? By saying they didn’t have a problem with them? Maybe I’m being over-critical but I just hated the way that sounded.
There are plenty of instances of weird and awkward dialogue that occur throughout the book, enough that I could just post only quotes in this review and it would still get my point across. But there are other issues too.
The whole book is full of Clay pushing Aaron to get closer, Aaron resisting, then relenting, then resisting, etc. etc. Honestly, it gets really tiring watching them act like they’ve never grown up and matured in the 15 years they were apart and are basically still acting like angsty 20 yr olds.
Then there was the Winnebago scene. I don’t think the author has ever gone camping in an RV or travel trailer because most of them aren’t very well insulated and the last time I checked, winter in Iowa is pretty frickin’ cold. Highly unlikely that they would be able to get any sexy, naked time in a trailer when the inside temperature would nearly as low as the outside temperature.
I could go on, but you get the point. This is not a well-written or well-researched book and it annoyed me from start to finish. I disliked the MC’s, didn’t buy their relationship and the big fight at the end was ridiculous. I skipped the make-up sex because I had already checked out by then and didn’t really care if they got back together or not.
Sorry, but I will not be recommending this to anyone.
I received an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review.
2 stars
The best thing I can say about this book is that the MCs deserved each other. It’s a thankfully rare occurrence that you come across two characters who are as annoyingly unlikeable as Clay and Aaron.
Clay is an ass, plain and simple. He shows up in Aaron’s life after 15 years apart – a split he instigated, being sure to not only move, but change his phone number and email address – and within a very short period of time where only polite conversation was exchanged, Clay is already all up in Aaron’s business –
“You were never a very good liar, Aaron.” Moving closer, until their chests were mere inches apart, Clay continued. “you have been nothing but a snob since the moment I arrived. Only when I had you in my arms, you were the man I remembered.” Clay had no right to ask anything from Aaron since he had been the one who allowed their relationship to die, but they could at least be civilized until he figured out how to win Aaron back. He moved one step forward and pinned his pretty between the wall and his body. “Are you happy to see me again, sunshine?”
So, within minutes of seeing his old boyfriend he a) accuses him of being a liar, b) pins him against a wall – at his workplace no less – and c) calls him by his old cutesy nickname. No. Just no. You have not seen him for 15 years. You broke up with him. You do not get to manhandle him and call him something cute! And that sentence I bolded is incredibly awkward. No one talks like that.
But wait, it gets better.
Later that same day, Clay chances upon an old professor of his, chatting with some of Aaron’s peers, and walks over to say hello. When another professor refers to Aaron as a “fairy”, Clay decides to step in and say something in Aaron’s defense –
"Professor Grant is one of the best in his field. I’d be more than happy if he gets more than a piece of me before the night’s over. I think I should go and offer to blow him in the bathroom before my speech.”
Whoa, nelly! That’s how you defend someone in front of their boss and their peers? Nope. I don’t think so.
To be honest, Aaron doesn’t fare much better in the dialogue department. When Clay discovers Aaron was previously married to a woman, he expresses some surprise, but as Aaron explains –
“You better than anyone know I don’t have any problem with women. My bisexuality is pretty even. I like women as much as I like men.”
Read that sentence again. “I don’t have any problem with women” doesn’t exactly sound like a ringing endorsement of his bisexuality, does it? Usually when you say you don’t have a problem with something, it means you’re not really into it, but it’s not worth making a fuss over. Is that really how someone would express attraction to another gender? By saying they didn’t have a problem with them? Maybe I’m being over-critical but I just hated the way that sounded.
There are plenty of instances of weird and awkward dialogue that occur throughout the book, enough that I could just post only quotes in this review and it would still get my point across. But there are other issues too.
The whole book is full of Clay pushing Aaron to get closer, Aaron resisting, then relenting, then resisting, etc. etc. Honestly, it gets really tiring watching them act like they’ve never grown up and matured in the 15 years they were apart and are basically still acting like angsty 20 yr olds.
Then there was the Winnebago scene. I don’t think the author has ever gone camping in an RV or travel trailer because most of them aren’t very well insulated and the last time I checked, winter in Iowa is pretty frickin’ cold. Highly unlikely that they would be able to get any sexy, naked time in a trailer when the inside temperature would nearly as low as the outside temperature.
I could go on, but you get the point. This is not a well-written or well-researched book and it annoyed me from start to finish. I disliked the MC’s, didn’t buy their relationship and the big fight at the end was ridiculous. I skipped the make-up sex because I had already checked out by then and didn’t really care if they got back together or not.
Sorry, but I will not be recommending this to anyone.
I received an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review.
February 16, 2017
The Midwest, Iowa to be precise, is the setting for this unexpected reunion of high school lovers who separated due to different ambitions but never quite managed to forget each other. Fifteen years later, Clay has become CEO of a major West Coast travel company and Aaron is a leader in environmentally friendly farming technology and a professor at the university they once shared. Both men are proud of what they achieved professionally, but neither has a happy personal life. In a tale of “the one who got away” that takes place in the Hawkeye State, Clay and Aaron have to figure out if they can rekindle the feelings they once shared while managing their different ambitions better than when they were younger.
Clay needed to leave his hometown to fulfill his ambition of creating a successful business, but now that he has, he starts to wonder what he may have missed. It takes a medical scare for him to realize he may not have forever, and he sets out to explore “what might have been” with Aaron. But no matter how determined he is, winning Aaron back is not as easy as he may have hoped.
Aaron is proud of his achievements, he is a respected member of the university teaching body, and on track to obtain tenure. He is also deep in the closet, and seeing his ex again might just endanger all his plans. At first he has no way out since he has been appointed the admin liaison for Clayton’s commencement speech. But the interaction affects him deeply, and Clayton’s suggestion of dating for a year is much more tempting than Aaron wants to admit.
Aaron and Clay can still feel the attraction between them fifteen years later, but chemistry was never a problem for them. It’s everything else they struggled with, and it was fascinating to watch them deal with the issues – including the fact that Clayton “walked away” – now that they are older and wiser in many respects. Their tussle with reality is credible, emotionally touching, and I was cheering them on all the way.
If you like reunions or second chances, if you think some lovers are just destined to be together but need time to grow up before they can figure out how to be in a relationship together, and if you’re looking for a cute read that is as romantic as it is heartwarming, then you will probably like this novella.
NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Clay needed to leave his hometown to fulfill his ambition of creating a successful business, but now that he has, he starts to wonder what he may have missed. It takes a medical scare for him to realize he may not have forever, and he sets out to explore “what might have been” with Aaron. But no matter how determined he is, winning Aaron back is not as easy as he may have hoped.
Aaron is proud of his achievements, he is a respected member of the university teaching body, and on track to obtain tenure. He is also deep in the closet, and seeing his ex again might just endanger all his plans. At first he has no way out since he has been appointed the admin liaison for Clayton’s commencement speech. But the interaction affects him deeply, and Clayton’s suggestion of dating for a year is much more tempting than Aaron wants to admit.
Aaron and Clay can still feel the attraction between them fifteen years later, but chemistry was never a problem for them. It’s everything else they struggled with, and it was fascinating to watch them deal with the issues – including the fact that Clayton “walked away” – now that they are older and wiser in many respects. Their tussle with reality is credible, emotionally touching, and I was cheering them on all the way.
If you like reunions or second chances, if you think some lovers are just destined to be together but need time to grow up before they can figure out how to be in a relationship together, and if you’re looking for a cute read that is as romantic as it is heartwarming, then you will probably like this novella.
NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Read
February 12, 2017DNF @ 9%.
Honestly, I couldn't get pass whatever was happening in the beginning of the story. Not seeing each other for 15 years, and they you blowing into town like everything is okay isn't good with me. I already knew I wasn't going to like Clay. He came off entitled, arrogant, and just annoying. Something about him rubbed me the wrong way. It's only so many ways a person can tell you with looks and body languages that they aren't feeling you. Aaron seems aggravated the entire 9% of the story. I had to cut out before I ended up in my hulk rage. Not for me at all.
Honestly, I couldn't get pass whatever was happening in the beginning of the story. Not seeing each other for 15 years, and they you blowing into town like everything is okay isn't good with me. I already knew I wasn't going to like Clay. He came off entitled, arrogant, and just annoying. Something about him rubbed me the wrong way. It's only so many ways a person can tell you with looks and body languages that they aren't feeling you. Aaron seems aggravated the entire 9% of the story. I had to cut out before I ended up in my hulk rage. Not for me at all.
March 2, 2017
Unfortunately this didn't really work for me. Right from the beginning Clay was creepy as all get out. He hasn't seen or spoken to his ex in fifteen years, but somehow thinks he has the right to be all handsy and suggestive the moment he see's him? And the unprofessionalism in front of Aaron's colleagues, with the crude remarks about wanting to basically bang Aaron, at this point I'd usually be done, but I did agree to review so I continued to skim my way through. Unfortunately it didn't get much better for me. The MCs were immature, and it was way to easy to fall back in to old ways considering how long it had been, they didn't even know each other anymore, so it felt completely unrealistic. The sex was icky, I'm not a fan of lapping at a smelly unclean arm pit, and dirty feet toe sucking *shudders*.
I could say a lot more that bugged me, but it would turn in to a big long rambling and I'm honestly ready to move on to my next read.
What was good? Um, well the writing was ok so I might consider trying another book in the future. The premise is ok, 2nd chance love, but maybe if it was way less than 15 years. I just can't accept any of the behaviours in this book from two people who have been separated for so long. I hate when I have to leave a bad review, but I cant recommend this one.
I could say a lot more that bugged me, but it would turn in to a big long rambling and I'm honestly ready to move on to my next read.
What was good? Um, well the writing was ok so I might consider trying another book in the future. The premise is ok, 2nd chance love, but maybe if it was way less than 15 years. I just can't accept any of the behaviours in this book from two people who have been separated for so long. I hate when I have to leave a bad review, but I cant recommend this one.
February 7, 2017
I did beta-read for this story and was provided with a copy by the author, in return. A review was not requested or required.
Kind of a fun story of second chance love. It gave a good sense of the Iowa farm country and local attractions. Aaron and Clay had to navigate some issues to recapture the connection they had when they were young. I did appreciate that both characters were depicted as bisexuals, not something seen in most stories. A good addition to the States of Love series.
Kind of a fun story of second chance love. It gave a good sense of the Iowa farm country and local attractions. Aaron and Clay had to navigate some issues to recapture the connection they had when they were young. I did appreciate that both characters were depicted as bisexuals, not something seen in most stories. A good addition to the States of Love series.
February 6, 2017
First story I read by this author. I was quickly sucked in by the story's sweet charm and humor. Can't wait to read more from her.
February 15, 2017
Clay has spent the last fifteen years in LA, he is now back to the town he grew up, the town he left so many years before to follow his dreams away from Iowa and away from Aaron, the boyfriend he left behind and now wants to reconquer.
I have to admit I had some problems with Dating in Retrospect. I read Tow Trucks & New Year’s Kisses a couple of months ago and liked it a lot, so I was very happy to have this new release on my Kindle. I think my big issues was with the MCs. I loathed Clay since the first time I saw him, he had the nerve to pretend fifteen years hadn’t passed, he acted like it was yesterday he and Aaron were together. The way he approached his ex-boyfriend was unbelievable, I truly wanted to slap him on the face and I didn’t understand why Aaron didn’t do it.
Then, going on with the reading, I started to love the story a lot. All the dates the couple found time for were very sweet and let me know them better. I followed them in the renewing of the love and desire they had for each other. I quite liked them both and I was able to see Clay from another point of view and I understand his attitude better. Plus the second characters were lovable too, especially Aaron’s dad, he was really a great man, the father all of us should have.
I’m a huge fan of “second chance at love” stories and adult characters. Although with some difficulties, I quite enjoyed Dating in Retrospect and can’t wait to read more by the author.
The cover art by L.C. Chase is adorable and well done. It caught my attention even before I read the blurb.
I have to admit I had some problems with Dating in Retrospect. I read Tow Trucks & New Year’s Kisses a couple of months ago and liked it a lot, so I was very happy to have this new release on my Kindle. I think my big issues was with the MCs. I loathed Clay since the first time I saw him, he had the nerve to pretend fifteen years hadn’t passed, he acted like it was yesterday he and Aaron were together. The way he approached his ex-boyfriend was unbelievable, I truly wanted to slap him on the face and I didn’t understand why Aaron didn’t do it.
Then, going on with the reading, I started to love the story a lot. All the dates the couple found time for were very sweet and let me know them better. I followed them in the renewing of the love and desire they had for each other. I quite liked them both and I was able to see Clay from another point of view and I understand his attitude better. Plus the second characters were lovable too, especially Aaron’s dad, he was really a great man, the father all of us should have.
I’m a huge fan of “second chance at love” stories and adult characters. Although with some difficulties, I quite enjoyed Dating in Retrospect and can’t wait to read more by the author.
The cover art by L.C. Chase is adorable and well done. It caught my attention even before I read the blurb.
March 1, 2017
*2.5 stars rounded up*
Every now and then it happens that a book you were REALLY looking forward to didn't live up to your expectations. I guess it happens to everyone, to some more than others, and for me, Dating in Retrospect by Lila Leigh Hunter is just such a book. The blurb totally grabbed my attention, as did the cover, and I've read a few of the States of Love books from Dreamspinner Press and enjoyed them. Unfortunately, this one was a pretty big miss for me.
Second chance love stories are among my very favorites. I love the idea of a shared history, of something happening to pull our two main characters apart, and then watching them come back together is just such a satisfying treat. It only works if I'm rooting for both characters to overcome whatever obstacle was in their way so they find their way to the future. Here, I didn't care for Clay's character in the least. He was immature and mean-spirited and really had next to nothing redeeming about him. I did like the setting and the premise was promising but the fact that Clay was such an unlikable person made it hard to find much enjoyment in this book.
I did like the fact that both Aaron and Clay were portrayed as bisexuals, and as I mentioned, the Iowa setting was something new and different, however it wasn't really enough to get me invested in what happened. This definitely might be a case of it's me not the book, so maybe give this a try and see if you have better luck!
*this review will also be posted on www.diversereader.blogspot.com*
Every now and then it happens that a book you were REALLY looking forward to didn't live up to your expectations. I guess it happens to everyone, to some more than others, and for me, Dating in Retrospect by Lila Leigh Hunter is just such a book. The blurb totally grabbed my attention, as did the cover, and I've read a few of the States of Love books from Dreamspinner Press and enjoyed them. Unfortunately, this one was a pretty big miss for me.
Second chance love stories are among my very favorites. I love the idea of a shared history, of something happening to pull our two main characters apart, and then watching them come back together is just such a satisfying treat. It only works if I'm rooting for both characters to overcome whatever obstacle was in their way so they find their way to the future. Here, I didn't care for Clay's character in the least. He was immature and mean-spirited and really had next to nothing redeeming about him. I did like the setting and the premise was promising but the fact that Clay was such an unlikable person made it hard to find much enjoyment in this book.
I did like the fact that both Aaron and Clay were portrayed as bisexuals, and as I mentioned, the Iowa setting was something new and different, however it wasn't really enough to get me invested in what happened. This definitely might be a case of it's me not the book, so maybe give this a try and see if you have better luck!
*this review will also be posted on www.diversereader.blogspot.com*
February 7, 2017
Oh dear, oh dear. Sadly, this book did not work for me from the start and was almost a DNF.
From the opening pages I was turned off by Clay and his behavior and actions toward Grant. After a fifteen year separation, with NO communication, I found his treatment (advances?) of Grant (getting into his personal space, handsy, overly forward in front of Grant’s peers and co-workers) to be presumptuous and incredibly rude. And to not take the hint from Grant’s body language that the attention and advances were not welcome at that movement? To assume that one could just pick up where they left off (at the immature age eighteen or twenty, mind) with a former boyfriend now 15 years older? I don’t think so.
And that, unfortunately, set the tone for the story. I plugged on…I wanted to be fair.
Now our couple is dating (good), Clay arranging roughly monthly dates of a wide variety (fun!). Then we hit the Christmas date. In Iowa. In a Winnebego. Peeps, this is. Frickin. Cold. Folks, Iowa can hit anywhere between 15-30* around Christmas time and that’s not counting any wind chill. To spend a night in a trailer, even a Winnebego, is going to be COLD. Winnebego’s (generally all travel trailers) are not insulated, see. ((sigh)) I plugged on…I wanted to be fair.
The use of “Love” and “Sunshine” – seriously? After a fifteen year separation with no communication are you really going to call someone by their childhood nickname? This is where I struggled – after fifteen years, finishing college, a masters, a PhD, getting jobs, different life experiences – you aren’t the same person. There’s a presumed familiarity, but neither are the same person.
Which, yes, why Grant and Clay have the year of dating. The dates were rather ingenious.
It was Clay's health concern that built up to The Big Misunderstanding. I really wanted to put the book down and walk away at this point. Yes, Clay’s untimely and unfortunate revelation (no spoilers) hit a sensitive spot for Grant, but for Grant to react like he did (blowing up and running away) was totally implausible and incredibly immature. Yo, not an eighteen year old anymore.
So, there you have it. My struggles resided with the characters – plot has merit, the year of dating was an interesting way to move the characters and plot forward, and the dates themselves varied and intriguing. Clay and Grant's dynamics, though, just didn't work for me.
As with all reviews, this is just my humble opinion, and perhaps this book will be your cuppa java.
Review is cross-posted at Gay Book Reviews
A copy of the book was provided by the author/publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. Thank you!
From the opening pages I was turned off by Clay and his behavior and actions toward Grant. After a fifteen year separation, with NO communication, I found his treatment (advances?) of Grant (getting into his personal space, handsy, overly forward in front of Grant’s peers and co-workers) to be presumptuous and incredibly rude. And to not take the hint from Grant’s body language that the attention and advances were not welcome at that movement? To assume that one could just pick up where they left off (at the immature age eighteen or twenty, mind) with a former boyfriend now 15 years older? I don’t think so.
And that, unfortunately, set the tone for the story. I plugged on…I wanted to be fair.
Now our couple is dating (good), Clay arranging roughly monthly dates of a wide variety (fun!). Then we hit the Christmas date. In Iowa. In a Winnebego. Peeps, this is. Frickin. Cold. Folks, Iowa can hit anywhere between 15-30* around Christmas time and that’s not counting any wind chill. To spend a night in a trailer, even a Winnebego, is going to be COLD. Winnebego’s (generally all travel trailers) are not insulated, see. ((sigh)) I plugged on…I wanted to be fair.
The use of “Love” and “Sunshine” – seriously? After a fifteen year separation with no communication are you really going to call someone by their childhood nickname? This is where I struggled – after fifteen years, finishing college, a masters, a PhD, getting jobs, different life experiences – you aren’t the same person. There’s a presumed familiarity, but neither are the same person.
Which, yes, why Grant and Clay have the year of dating. The dates were rather ingenious.
It was Clay's health concern that built up to The Big Misunderstanding. I really wanted to put the book down and walk away at this point. Yes, Clay’s untimely and unfortunate revelation (no spoilers) hit a sensitive spot for Grant, but for Grant to react like he did (blowing up and running away) was totally implausible and incredibly immature. Yo, not an eighteen year old anymore.
So, there you have it. My struggles resided with the characters – plot has merit, the year of dating was an interesting way to move the characters and plot forward, and the dates themselves varied and intriguing. Clay and Grant's dynamics, though, just didn't work for me.
As with all reviews, this is just my humble opinion, and perhaps this book will be your cuppa java.
Review is cross-posted at Gay Book Reviews
A copy of the book was provided by the author/publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. Thank you!
February 7, 2017
Right from the off Clay is creepy.
After a 15 years separation he rocks up being all handsy and suggestive with Aaron, calling him sunshine (massive eye roll) it's icky.
He's also an arse.
Aaron is no more likeable.
Chuck in the repetitive, immature, stilted dialogue and I'm done.
DNF
I received an ARC of this book from the author via IndiGo Marketing & Design in exchange for an honest review.
After a 15 years separation he rocks up being all handsy and suggestive with Aaron, calling him sunshine (massive eye roll) it's icky.
He's also an arse.
Aaron is no more likeable.
Chuck in the repetitive, immature, stilted dialogue and I'm done.
DNF
I received an ARC of this book from the author via IndiGo Marketing & Design in exchange for an honest review.
February 8, 2017
A copy of this book was provided to me by Indigo Marketing & Design in exchange for an honest review.
When successful West Coast businessman Clay Keller arrives to give the commencement address at his alma mater in Iowa, the first person he sees is the love of his life, Professor Aaron Grant. Little does Aaron know but Clay is here not just to speak at graduation but to win him back after fifteen years of silence between them.
Clay once thought he was doing the right thing when he graduated from college full of dreams for their future but decided to break off his college romance with his lover because Aaron had family commitments and couldn’t leave his Iowa farm. He broke off all communication when it became evident that Aaron couldn’t follow him across the country due to his father’s health issues. He became a success in the travel industry, arranging very special destination packages for those who needed quality time with their families when their time was at a premium. But he’s recently had a health scare and now realizes that he should never have left Aaron behind, so he sets out to win him back.
This story takes place over the course of a year—a year that Aaron agrees to give Clay a chance to win his trust back and to give a long-distance relationship a try. But Clay never tells him about his health scare or the ongoing tests to assure that he stays healthy, and readers can imagine how well that goes over when the truth comes out!
To be honest, I found it a little hard to grasp that Aaron—now not only holding a PhD and being a professor but also the manager of his solar-energy farm, a highly successful operation he’s created from his dad’s original farmland—could possibly capitulate so easily when Clay appeared after fifteen years. Granted, Aaron showed some minimal resistance, but fairly quickly agreed to. And then as the year went by, Aaron seemed to be a very simple character who simply went along with all Clay’s plans. What I’m trying to articulate, and doing a bad job of it, is that Aaron was not a very complex character, and I didn’t feel close to him or develop any sort of bond that would make me want to root for him.
Clay was the opposite—self-assured, and at times even a bit too self-confident as he went about winning Aaron’s love and trust. But the foolishness of not sharing what was going on in his life was just a bit much. It’s nice to show off all the great destinations he can take Aaron to, but I never felt the bond between them develop—the time they should have spent together getting to know each other again, the shared coffee moments, reading a book before the fire, all the little things we’d get with cohabitation. For example, when Clay surprised Aaron by coming to spend a week at the farm, we saw what happened the first morning, but the rest of the time was off page and suddenly we were in a new month and a new chapter. More cuddle time, more working together time, more togetherness would have been greatly appreciated. Clay’s character development didn’t grab me any more than Aaron’s did, and because of Clay’s behaviors, I really didn’t root for him to get his man.
Don’t get me wrong. This was a nice story, and the concept was appealing, but I never felt close to the MCs. It just didn’t quite work for me, personally. I would recommend it to others who love MM romance, though, because it was interesting and different. And if you happen to love a story with a man in a suit or a man working the land, or if you are looking for something out of the ordinary, this one will be very appealing.
When successful West Coast businessman Clay Keller arrives to give the commencement address at his alma mater in Iowa, the first person he sees is the love of his life, Professor Aaron Grant. Little does Aaron know but Clay is here not just to speak at graduation but to win him back after fifteen years of silence between them.
Clay once thought he was doing the right thing when he graduated from college full of dreams for their future but decided to break off his college romance with his lover because Aaron had family commitments and couldn’t leave his Iowa farm. He broke off all communication when it became evident that Aaron couldn’t follow him across the country due to his father’s health issues. He became a success in the travel industry, arranging very special destination packages for those who needed quality time with their families when their time was at a premium. But he’s recently had a health scare and now realizes that he should never have left Aaron behind, so he sets out to win him back.
This story takes place over the course of a year—a year that Aaron agrees to give Clay a chance to win his trust back and to give a long-distance relationship a try. But Clay never tells him about his health scare or the ongoing tests to assure that he stays healthy, and readers can imagine how well that goes over when the truth comes out!
To be honest, I found it a little hard to grasp that Aaron—now not only holding a PhD and being a professor but also the manager of his solar-energy farm, a highly successful operation he’s created from his dad’s original farmland—could possibly capitulate so easily when Clay appeared after fifteen years. Granted, Aaron showed some minimal resistance, but fairly quickly agreed to. And then as the year went by, Aaron seemed to be a very simple character who simply went along with all Clay’s plans. What I’m trying to articulate, and doing a bad job of it, is that Aaron was not a very complex character, and I didn’t feel close to him or develop any sort of bond that would make me want to root for him.
Clay was the opposite—self-assured, and at times even a bit too self-confident as he went about winning Aaron’s love and trust. But the foolishness of not sharing what was going on in his life was just a bit much. It’s nice to show off all the great destinations he can take Aaron to, but I never felt the bond between them develop—the time they should have spent together getting to know each other again, the shared coffee moments, reading a book before the fire, all the little things we’d get with cohabitation. For example, when Clay surprised Aaron by coming to spend a week at the farm, we saw what happened the first morning, but the rest of the time was off page and suddenly we were in a new month and a new chapter. More cuddle time, more working together time, more togetherness would have been greatly appreciated. Clay’s character development didn’t grab me any more than Aaron’s did, and because of Clay’s behaviors, I really didn’t root for him to get his man.
Don’t get me wrong. This was a nice story, and the concept was appealing, but I never felt close to the MCs. It just didn’t quite work for me, personally. I would recommend it to others who love MM romance, though, because it was interesting and different. And if you happen to love a story with a man in a suit or a man working the land, or if you are looking for something out of the ordinary, this one will be very appealing.
February 9, 2017
I was given a copy of this book free by the author in exchange for an unbiased review.
Second chance love stories are hit and miss for me. The biggest hurdle is always whether the author can come up with a believable storyline to explain why whatever it was that split them up initially can be overcome. Often it is an issue that feels too bitter and too large to forgive and forget, so I have a difficult time seeing why the two would want to get together again.
Luckily that is not the case in this story. In fact, long distance and a deliberate distancing done by one MC (Clay) is what really split them apart. I had a hard time, though, seeing why the other MC (Aaron) would readily overlook all that. Once Clay comes back into Aaron’s life, he quickly tries to put the moves on and for me that was a bit jarring. I can see why he is moving fast (he had a health scare), but for Aaron, it had to have come out of nowhere. And then the cutesy nicknames started up, which always bothers me when they start early in a romance (even a second chance one.) I think for this story the short length worked against it. I would have liked a better fleshed out story since some of the secondary characters were really quite wonderful, like Drew and Claire.
So overall it was a fairly low angst second chance romance story that was too short to really give a sense of why these two characters should be together. I did enjoy the descriptions of various events and attractions in Iowa. As part of Dreamspinner’s States of Love series, the book does give a lovely sense of place.
Second chance love stories are hit and miss for me. The biggest hurdle is always whether the author can come up with a believable storyline to explain why whatever it was that split them up initially can be overcome. Often it is an issue that feels too bitter and too large to forgive and forget, so I have a difficult time seeing why the two would want to get together again.
Luckily that is not the case in this story. In fact, long distance and a deliberate distancing done by one MC (Clay) is what really split them apart. I had a hard time, though, seeing why the other MC (Aaron) would readily overlook all that. Once Clay comes back into Aaron’s life, he quickly tries to put the moves on and for me that was a bit jarring. I can see why he is moving fast (he had a health scare), but for Aaron, it had to have come out of nowhere. And then the cutesy nicknames started up, which always bothers me when they start early in a romance (even a second chance one.) I think for this story the short length worked against it. I would have liked a better fleshed out story since some of the secondary characters were really quite wonderful, like Drew and Claire.
So overall it was a fairly low angst second chance romance story that was too short to really give a sense of why these two characters should be together. I did enjoy the descriptions of various events and attractions in Iowa. As part of Dreamspinner’s States of Love series, the book does give a lovely sense of place.
May 11, 2017
Clay, a successful businessman, returns to his Iowa alma mater 15 years after graduation to give the commencement address. Aaron, his college boyfriend, now a progressive farmer and professor at the college greets Clay with animosity because when Clay moved to California he waited for Aaron to join him. When Aaron, due to family obligations, didn’t come right away, Clay cut off all possible contact. Both men are bisexual and unknown to Clay, Aaron married a woman. They have since divorced.
After the graduation ceremonies Clay tells Aaron he wants a second chance Aaron defrosts a bit and agrees to Clay’s plan to spend a year dating once a month. Clay will plan the dates in an effort to win Aaron’s heart once again.
Things go well at first, with a Star Trek parade and festival in June and fireworks for the 4th of July. Clay had a health scare before the graduation ceremonies, when his doctor found suspicious polyps and had to rule out cancer of the colon. Until he is cleared by his doctor Clay is unwilling to have sex with Aaron, and some tests and doctor visits delay a couple of the dates. Clay, trying to spare Aaron any worry, does not tell Aaron about his health problems. When Clay finds out there is hell to pay.
This is a good story, with secrets and consequences, then more secrets and more consequences. It takes Clay’s friends and coworkers as well as Aaron’s father to keep the reunion of the lovers on track. A sweet romance with a little angst.
After the graduation ceremonies Clay tells Aaron he wants a second chance Aaron defrosts a bit and agrees to Clay’s plan to spend a year dating once a month. Clay will plan the dates in an effort to win Aaron’s heart once again.
Things go well at first, with a Star Trek parade and festival in June and fireworks for the 4th of July. Clay had a health scare before the graduation ceremonies, when his doctor found suspicious polyps and had to rule out cancer of the colon. Until he is cleared by his doctor Clay is unwilling to have sex with Aaron, and some tests and doctor visits delay a couple of the dates. Clay, trying to spare Aaron any worry, does not tell Aaron about his health problems. When Clay finds out there is hell to pay.
This is a good story, with secrets and consequences, then more secrets and more consequences. It takes Clay’s friends and coworkers as well as Aaron’s father to keep the reunion of the lovers on track. A sweet romance with a little angst.
February 15, 2017
*Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Dreamspinner Press for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.*
Dating in Retrospect is a second chance story, part of the Dreamspinner's States of Love series. Clay is invited to give the commencement speech at his alma mater, and uses it as a chance to let his ex-boyfriend know that he's interested and wants them to have a future together. Aaron is doing what he loves as a professor at his alma mater and continues to work the family farm. He's happy that his best friend has come to do the speech, but doesn't plan on getting his heart broken by him again. Clay convinces Aaron to date him for a year and give them a chance to fall in love again. The next year is spent with the men going on monthly dates which Clay plans with a lot of detail.
Clay was very off-putting to me from the beginning. He left to start a new life for himself, walked away from the man he claimed to love, cut all communications and changed all his information so Aaron couldn't find him once he was gone. Then he shows up at his alma mater, the big man on campus, and is in Aaron's personal space, touching and making comments at Aaron's place of business. He gives no consideration to Aaron, or the consequences of his behavior to Aaron. He's cocky and not in an endearing way. I do give him credit, though, for the effort he put into dating Aaron, for eventually getting it together to recognize that the world does not revolve around him. I didn't have a lot of strong opinions about Aaron, but I'm happy that he didn't just let Clay waltz back in his life like nothing ever happened.
For those that enjoy second chance romances, and relationships with mature men, this is definitely a book you'll want to read!
Rating: 3.5 stars!
Dating in Retrospect is a second chance story, part of the Dreamspinner's States of Love series. Clay is invited to give the commencement speech at his alma mater, and uses it as a chance to let his ex-boyfriend know that he's interested and wants them to have a future together. Aaron is doing what he loves as a professor at his alma mater and continues to work the family farm. He's happy that his best friend has come to do the speech, but doesn't plan on getting his heart broken by him again. Clay convinces Aaron to date him for a year and give them a chance to fall in love again. The next year is spent with the men going on monthly dates which Clay plans with a lot of detail.
Clay was very off-putting to me from the beginning. He left to start a new life for himself, walked away from the man he claimed to love, cut all communications and changed all his information so Aaron couldn't find him once he was gone. Then he shows up at his alma mater, the big man on campus, and is in Aaron's personal space, touching and making comments at Aaron's place of business. He gives no consideration to Aaron, or the consequences of his behavior to Aaron. He's cocky and not in an endearing way. I do give him credit, though, for the effort he put into dating Aaron, for eventually getting it together to recognize that the world does not revolve around him. I didn't have a lot of strong opinions about Aaron, but I'm happy that he didn't just let Clay waltz back in his life like nothing ever happened.
For those that enjoy second chance romances, and relationships with mature men, this is definitely a book you'll want to read!
Rating: 3.5 stars!
February 23, 2017
3 - 3.5 Stars
I am a total sucker for second chance romances and really liked the sound of this book. This is one of those reviews that is hard to write because there were things I really liked about Clay and Aaron and then there were things I struggled with. I did like the characters, both men made decisions when they were younger that broke them apart but also got them where they are today. This felt like one of those what-could-have-been stories. Both men are now successful and have achieved many of the dreams they had when they were younger, but both are missing the love they shared together.
Clay decides he's done living without Aaron and goes after him, asking for a year to prove himself and their relationship. Clay lives in California and Aaron in Iowa so it takes some work, and Clay has it all planned out. I really liked this idea and the way Clay plans things. He clearly wants the best for Aaron and for their future. Aaron is a bit hesitant but can't say no to Clay and agrees to the year of dates. I loved their dates and the sweet and fun moments they shared. These two obviously love each other, deeply and despite the years that have passed.
I did struggle with the flow of the story, as much as I liked these two together, there was a disconnect with how the story actually progressed. I found that I missed that time in between dates or months and what both Clay and Aaron had experienced. I really would have liked to see more about those times. Unfortunately that made me feel like I was missing parts of their journey and did not feel completely satisfied.
Overall, I liked the premise and the characters and all the wonderful moments, I just wish it didn't feel so disconnected. I loved the ending and the way it all came together and the secondary characters were just as loveable as Clay and Aaron! This was a nice read with likeable characters and an original idea that is a feel-good story, just needed a little more.
I am a total sucker for second chance romances and really liked the sound of this book. This is one of those reviews that is hard to write because there were things I really liked about Clay and Aaron and then there were things I struggled with. I did like the characters, both men made decisions when they were younger that broke them apart but also got them where they are today. This felt like one of those what-could-have-been stories. Both men are now successful and have achieved many of the dreams they had when they were younger, but both are missing the love they shared together.
Clay decides he's done living without Aaron and goes after him, asking for a year to prove himself and their relationship. Clay lives in California and Aaron in Iowa so it takes some work, and Clay has it all planned out. I really liked this idea and the way Clay plans things. He clearly wants the best for Aaron and for their future. Aaron is a bit hesitant but can't say no to Clay and agrees to the year of dates. I loved their dates and the sweet and fun moments they shared. These two obviously love each other, deeply and despite the years that have passed.
I did struggle with the flow of the story, as much as I liked these two together, there was a disconnect with how the story actually progressed. I found that I missed that time in between dates or months and what both Clay and Aaron had experienced. I really would have liked to see more about those times. Unfortunately that made me feel like I was missing parts of their journey and did not feel completely satisfied.
Overall, I liked the premise and the characters and all the wonderful moments, I just wish it didn't feel so disconnected. I loved the ending and the way it all came together and the secondary characters were just as loveable as Clay and Aaron! This was a nice read with likeable characters and an original idea that is a feel-good story, just needed a little more.
February 28, 2017
This is a second chance romance and where normally I would fall for this type of read, this unfortunately did not meet the mark, by a longshot.
I liked that Clay and Arron were older and that basically earned the 1star*. As mature men, they both acted immaturely and it couldn't even be classed as "peter pan syndrome" it was just silly and pointless with so much unnecessary miscommunication I couldn't even register an eye-roll...I was tired of it...
I struggled to feel anything for them, particularly Clay, he was an arse and I disliked him immensely, WTF was that all about at the beginning of the book?? It was so out of the box I wondered on what planet this would be acceptable behaviour.....seriously, after 15 years you just take with no questions asked? Unfortunately, the author made no effort to redeem his character as the story unfolded, he was still an arse on the last page.
Sadly, it just continues to slid downhill after that, Aaron takes on the guise of a limp lettuce, there is too much "sunshine" (pet name or insult?) and the Star Trek comments *meh*
Overall, it ends on HEA, but I'd lost the plot by then - in my opinion after the stupid fight, they should have just left it - they managed 15 years apart, surely there was a reason for that and they should've stuck with it!
ARC received from author via Indigo Marketing And Design in exchange for an honest review.
I liked that Clay and Arron were older and that basically earned the 1star*. As mature men, they both acted immaturely and it couldn't even be classed as "peter pan syndrome" it was just silly and pointless with so much unnecessary miscommunication I couldn't even register an eye-roll...I was tired of it...
I struggled to feel anything for them, particularly Clay, he was an arse and I disliked him immensely, WTF was that all about at the beginning of the book?? It was so out of the box I wondered on what planet this would be acceptable behaviour.....seriously, after 15 years you just take with no questions asked? Unfortunately, the author made no effort to redeem his character as the story unfolded, he was still an arse on the last page.
Sadly, it just continues to slid downhill after that, Aaron takes on the guise of a limp lettuce, there is too much "sunshine" (pet name or insult?) and the Star Trek comments *meh*
Overall, it ends on HEA, but I'd lost the plot by then - in my opinion after the stupid fight, they should have just left it - they managed 15 years apart, surely there was a reason for that and they should've stuck with it!
ARC received from author via Indigo Marketing And Design in exchange for an honest review.
March 5, 2017
This book was provided by the author via IndiGo Marketing & Design in exchange for an honest review.
I'm going to cut to the chase and say that this book was not for me. The book would have benefitted with having a prologue. I felt I was drop in the middle of the story. The MCs meet up again after being broken up for fifteen years and almost immediately MC 1 (Clay) was throwing old nickname and getting handsy with MC 2 (Aaron). I felt if you glossed over reading the blurb (like I did) you will be so confused.
The dates through out the books was cute because hey, Clay is a travel expert. I appreciated that it wasn't rush to the bedroom but I lost interest after awhile. They never really talk about the break up. I never understood why Aaron stayed and why Clay went to those length to stay hidden from Aaron after waiting for so long for him to join him.
Overall, it cute but not interesting enough to keep my attention for long. I'm not going to remember this book weeks later. I just wasn't invested in them getting their happy ending.
I'm going to cut to the chase and say that this book was not for me. The book would have benefitted with having a prologue. I felt I was drop in the middle of the story. The MCs meet up again after being broken up for fifteen years and almost immediately MC 1 (Clay) was throwing old nickname and getting handsy with MC 2 (Aaron). I felt if you glossed over reading the blurb (like I did) you will be so confused.
The dates through out the books was cute because hey, Clay is a travel expert. I appreciated that it wasn't rush to the bedroom but I lost interest after awhile. They never really talk about the break up. I never understood why Aaron stayed and why Clay went to those length to stay hidden from Aaron after waiting for so long for him to join him.
Overall, it cute but not interesting enough to keep my attention for long. I'm not going to remember this book weeks later. I just wasn't invested in them getting their happy ending.
December 20, 2017
Dating in Retrospect (States of Love) was graciously provided to me by IndiGo Marketing & Design for an honest review.
"Everlasting Love"
Love. Or, should I say LOVE? Many things come to mind when I think of this emotion-filled word. Devotion, adoration, heart flutters, soul mates, and passion are only some of them. These wonderful words describe what exists between the two main characters of one of the most beautiful stories I have read in a long time. Dating in Retrospect. I adored Clay and Aaron's story. I loved the cover, it's what drew me in. And, boy, did this book bring about the feels, the FEELS, to the surface. It's a story about love. Of a second-chance kind of love that was written in the stars for these two young men ever since the beginning of time.
Clay Keller and Aaron Grant had been attached at the hip when they had attended college. They did everything together, supported each other as loving partners, even planned their future together. As it very often is for individuals, graduation came and proved to be a scary and unknown endeavor. No one truly knows, for sure, regardless of all the planning that is done, what's to happen, once they throw that celebratory cap up into the air. Even so, as both lovers prepared to take that first step out into life, they did so with a whole lot of confidence, that they had it all planned out. They sure did. Well..*sad sigh*..no amount of four-leaf clovers could have been enough to prepare them for what was beginning to take shape in both of their horizons at the time of graduation.
As I read their story, I did so needing, and I mean NEEDING, to know what would ultimately be in the stars for these two lovers. I was scared. I really was. As I saw, and felt, the kind of desperate love emanating from Clay, I understood where he was emotionally, mentally and physically coming from. I felt the pain that not only Aaron had felt for years, but also the sadness that both had felt, to have had the inexplicable deviation in their lives, regardless of their initial promise, for reasons not truly known to both.
"I Want Our Love To Last Forever"....Clay to Aaron
And, then..my heart broke. I cried. I needed them to be ok, in more ways than one. They deserved it, and, so much more.. The relief felt by all that true love had held their hands through their long and winding road of pain, that had actually guided both Clay and Aaron down their continued road of love and devotion, after all those years..was sublime .
While I loved reading Dating in Retrospect, I began to get confused with the sequence of events due to the flow of the writing. I wish it had been written completely as a story rather than one mixed with diary-like entries. I did notice that I had to scratch my head often because I didn't understand completely what was written, nor did I understand the placement of certain secondary characters. Speaking of which, I liked some more than others, and some just grated me the wrong way. And, can I just say, that, I wanted to give Drew and Danny SUCH A BIG HUG!? :)
However, while the aforementioned did exist, for me, this book was a great read. I loved reading it. Have I already mentioned that? Well, it deserves to be said again, I loved Clay and Aaron's story. I wish them the best. Clay Keller and Aaron Grant are soul mates who have such an unbound amount of adoration and passion for one another, that they deserve only the best. Because you know..LOVE..:)
*star rating: 3.75
"Everlasting Love"
Love. Or, should I say LOVE? Many things come to mind when I think of this emotion-filled word. Devotion, adoration, heart flutters, soul mates, and passion are only some of them. These wonderful words describe what exists between the two main characters of one of the most beautiful stories I have read in a long time. Dating in Retrospect. I adored Clay and Aaron's story. I loved the cover, it's what drew me in. And, boy, did this book bring about the feels, the FEELS, to the surface. It's a story about love. Of a second-chance kind of love that was written in the stars for these two young men ever since the beginning of time.
Clay Keller and Aaron Grant had been attached at the hip when they had attended college. They did everything together, supported each other as loving partners, even planned their future together. As it very often is for individuals, graduation came and proved to be a scary and unknown endeavor. No one truly knows, for sure, regardless of all the planning that is done, what's to happen, once they throw that celebratory cap up into the air. Even so, as both lovers prepared to take that first step out into life, they did so with a whole lot of confidence, that they had it all planned out. They sure did. Well..*sad sigh*..no amount of four-leaf clovers could have been enough to prepare them for what was beginning to take shape in both of their horizons at the time of graduation.
As I read their story, I did so needing, and I mean NEEDING, to know what would ultimately be in the stars for these two lovers. I was scared. I really was. As I saw, and felt, the kind of desperate love emanating from Clay, I understood where he was emotionally, mentally and physically coming from. I felt the pain that not only Aaron had felt for years, but also the sadness that both had felt, to have had the inexplicable deviation in their lives, regardless of their initial promise, for reasons not truly known to both.
"I Want Our Love To Last Forever"....Clay to Aaron
And, then..my heart broke. I cried. I needed them to be ok, in more ways than one. They deserved it, and, so much more.. The relief felt by all that true love had held their hands through their long and winding road of pain, that had actually guided both Clay and Aaron down their continued road of love and devotion, after all those years..was sublime .
While I loved reading Dating in Retrospect, I began to get confused with the sequence of events due to the flow of the writing. I wish it had been written completely as a story rather than one mixed with diary-like entries. I did notice that I had to scratch my head often because I didn't understand completely what was written, nor did I understand the placement of certain secondary characters. Speaking of which, I liked some more than others, and some just grated me the wrong way. And, can I just say, that, I wanted to give Drew and Danny SUCH A BIG HUG!? :)
However, while the aforementioned did exist, for me, this book was a great read. I loved reading it. Have I already mentioned that? Well, it deserves to be said again, I loved Clay and Aaron's story. I wish them the best. Clay Keller and Aaron Grant are soul mates who have such an unbound amount of adoration and passion for one another, that they deserve only the best. Because you know..LOVE..:)
*star rating: 3.75
February 16, 2017
**2.5 Stars**
I feel like I have to preface this review by saying… I didn’t think it was as bad as a lot of the other reviews out there are saying. I do, however, completely understand where the low reviews are coming from – but for some reason, there was something in the plot that I was able to overlook all of the errors. But I digress…
This is a boomerang love story, of a wealthy travel executive coming back to his alma mater and runs into his ex whom he left without word, several years prior. The ex stayed in his hometown, working on his family’s farm in the middle of Iowa and teaching at the college. On its premise, it has promise. But it just wasn’t executed very well. We don’t know why he comes back. We don’t know what he really does. There’s just SO much information missing.
And there are just strange loose ends that seem important, but don’t come together until later – and by then they miss the mark (the medical “scare” is an example). In addition, neither character was deep or had… character. At the very beginning, I actually was liking both of them and had hope they would develop throughout the story, but they didn’t – they literally stayed exactly where they were. I didn’t learn anything new about either of them (of any substance), except when we meet Aaron’s dad. For me, the redeeming part of this story was Adam’s family and experience. For some reason, it warmed my heart and made me want to finish the entire story to see what happens.
I think there’s hope here for future books by Hunter, but this one just needed to be tighter and deeper for me to recommend it. While I thought it was ok, it’s definitely only for a small segment – those of us who love the Iowa setting and a father being a staunch supporter, putting a bow on the story.
Review Copy of Dating In Retrospect provided by Dreamspinner Press for an honest review. Reviewed by Mel from Alpha Book Club
I feel like I have to preface this review by saying… I didn’t think it was as bad as a lot of the other reviews out there are saying. I do, however, completely understand where the low reviews are coming from – but for some reason, there was something in the plot that I was able to overlook all of the errors. But I digress…
This is a boomerang love story, of a wealthy travel executive coming back to his alma mater and runs into his ex whom he left without word, several years prior. The ex stayed in his hometown, working on his family’s farm in the middle of Iowa and teaching at the college. On its premise, it has promise. But it just wasn’t executed very well. We don’t know why he comes back. We don’t know what he really does. There’s just SO much information missing.
And there are just strange loose ends that seem important, but don’t come together until later – and by then they miss the mark (the medical “scare” is an example). In addition, neither character was deep or had… character. At the very beginning, I actually was liking both of them and had hope they would develop throughout the story, but they didn’t – they literally stayed exactly where they were. I didn’t learn anything new about either of them (of any substance), except when we meet Aaron’s dad. For me, the redeeming part of this story was Adam’s family and experience. For some reason, it warmed my heart and made me want to finish the entire story to see what happens.
I think there’s hope here for future books by Hunter, but this one just needed to be tighter and deeper for me to recommend it. While I thought it was ok, it’s definitely only for a small segment – those of us who love the Iowa setting and a father being a staunch supporter, putting a bow on the story.
Review Copy of Dating In Retrospect provided by Dreamspinner Press for an honest review. Reviewed by Mel from Alpha Book Club
February 16, 2017
A Joyfully Jay review.
3.25 stars
So the premise of this one caught my attention, and being a huge sucker for reunion romances, I was quick to snap it up. I have to say, however, that the execution missed the mark for me. And while I enjoyed parts of this story, on the whole, I found it a bit lacking.
As I said, the premise for this book was intriguing, and I found it cute in the telling. Clay and Aaron have been apart for a long time and Clay woos Aaron back with over the top and amazing dates. I liked that we got to see a lot of different attractions in Iowa, and the festivals and sights that go along with them. I thought Aaron and Clay were pretty well crafted, and though I would have liked to understand them better, they were cute and obviously well suited to one another. Their chemistry, while not exactly explosive, definitely sparked so their romance was nice.
But I had a problem with the style and pacing. Everything moved really fast, and so it was hard to find the connection between the two MCs. They’re back together for half a sec, there’s barely any interaction, and they agree to try dating for a year. Now, I just had to jump in and go with it, but I wasn’t really feeling it. There was just not enough explanation, not enough conversation, and not enough showing of their feelings for it to be really believable.
Read Kris’ review in its entirety here.
3.25 stars
So the premise of this one caught my attention, and being a huge sucker for reunion romances, I was quick to snap it up. I have to say, however, that the execution missed the mark for me. And while I enjoyed parts of this story, on the whole, I found it a bit lacking.
As I said, the premise for this book was intriguing, and I found it cute in the telling. Clay and Aaron have been apart for a long time and Clay woos Aaron back with over the top and amazing dates. I liked that we got to see a lot of different attractions in Iowa, and the festivals and sights that go along with them. I thought Aaron and Clay were pretty well crafted, and though I would have liked to understand them better, they were cute and obviously well suited to one another. Their chemistry, while not exactly explosive, definitely sparked so their romance was nice.
But I had a problem with the style and pacing. Everything moved really fast, and so it was hard to find the connection between the two MCs. They’re back together for half a sec, there’s barely any interaction, and they agree to try dating for a year. Now, I just had to jump in and go with it, but I wasn’t really feeling it. There was just not enough explanation, not enough conversation, and not enough showing of their feelings for it to be really believable.
Read Kris’ review in its entirety here.
February 22, 2017
I received a copy of Dating in retrospect by author Lila Leigh Hunter through Indigo Marketing and designed for an honest review. This is a sweet second chance at love story. Clay and Aaron through college made life plans and a future together for after graduation. Clay left the country life of Iowa for California and Aaron was to come with him. Aaron's father became ill and Aaron had to stay and run the Farm & promised to follow later. Because of pride and hurt clay hid from Aaron and the what ifs and leaving what he knew Aaron hesitated to follow. 15 years have passed can Clay come back and Make the love of his love fall in love all over again. You will need to read and find out for yourself.
February 10, 2017
Copy received from author via Indigo Marketing And Design in exchange for an honest review.
Awww man, this story just didn't work for me. When I agree to read and review a book, no matter how much I dislike it, I push on through to the end but under other circumstances, this would've been a DNF.
Lovers Clay and Aaron were together through university but after graduation, Clay heads off to follow his dreams, breaking Aarons' heart in the process. What Clay is not aware of is that Aaron had changed his mind about staying behind and sets off to get his man. Unfortunately, he doesn't find him. Clay made sure of that by changing his email, home address and phone number and advises his family not to pass on his new details.
Fast forward ten years and Clay returns home, acting like there's no reason Aaron won't take him back. He uses cheap lines, he's overbearing, his actions are cringe-worthy, and his overuse of the nickname 'sunshine' was downright irritating. I couldn't find anything likeable about either man. They over-reacted to the simplest of things like pre-pubescent school girls and I found a lot of their conversations and actions inappropriate considering the situations in which these things happened.
The story itself was padded out with extensive, irrelevant details and at no point did I actually feel like these men held any real feeling for each other, plus, their sex scenes were not sexy. If there wasn't too much detail, there was too little and there seemed to be holes in the plot making me wonder what I'd missed. These men should've just stayed away from each other.
Awww man, this story just didn't work for me. When I agree to read and review a book, no matter how much I dislike it, I push on through to the end but under other circumstances, this would've been a DNF.
Lovers Clay and Aaron were together through university but after graduation, Clay heads off to follow his dreams, breaking Aarons' heart in the process. What Clay is not aware of is that Aaron had changed his mind about staying behind and sets off to get his man. Unfortunately, he doesn't find him. Clay made sure of that by changing his email, home address and phone number and advises his family not to pass on his new details.
Fast forward ten years and Clay returns home, acting like there's no reason Aaron won't take him back. He uses cheap lines, he's overbearing, his actions are cringe-worthy, and his overuse of the nickname 'sunshine' was downright irritating. I couldn't find anything likeable about either man. They over-reacted to the simplest of things like pre-pubescent school girls and I found a lot of their conversations and actions inappropriate considering the situations in which these things happened.
The story itself was padded out with extensive, irrelevant details and at no point did I actually feel like these men held any real feeling for each other, plus, their sex scenes were not sexy. If there wasn't too much detail, there was too little and there seemed to be holes in the plot making me wonder what I'd missed. These men should've just stayed away from each other.
February 9, 2017
**This book was provided by the author via IndiGo Marketing & Design in exchange for an honest review.**
Clay and Aaron meet after fifteen years of being apart and Clay wants Aaron back in his life, so he suggests his ex a year of dating, hopping to win him back in this time.
I thought I would love this book. I really wanted to. I enjoy second chances stories, mostly because of the angst that they usually contains in some point. But in this book something was... off. I could not connect with it, with them. I didn't feel it.
In my opinion, the conversations between Clay and Aaron seems unnatural, forced. And the same happens with the nicknames. They call each other "Sunshine" and "Love" since the very beginning and, personally, I think it is a little out of place, mostly since the breakup was a hurtful one and a long time ago.
Seriously, after fifteen years without any interaction, I think the terms of endearment don't fit here and, since during the time they've been separated, one of them has been married to a woman and the other has been in a relationship with another man for five years... It seems... I don't know... Weird?
Maybe the "second chance" thing didn't work for me because it was like they never had been apart. Clay left Iowa fifteen years ago choosing his career over Aaron and everyone treats him like he went on a business trip for the weekend.
I do not like to say bad things about a book. I really hate it but, this one was not for me.
Anyway, if you give this book a try it could work for you perfectly, because reading is a very subjective thing and the one above is just one opinion!
February 11, 2017
This book was provided by the author via IndiGo Marketing & Design in exchange for an honest review.
This was (mostly) ordinary-Joe stuff, but the date activities and some of the specifics between them kept it from being boring. I like when characters have real-life problems. Jobs, money, illnesses, locations, etc that aren't just magically fixed by falling in love with a billionaire. Yes, one guy had money, but still had the responsibility that went along with owning and running his own specialty company.
The guys have history and have mistakes they've made in the relationship they had before, to try and push past. This is important. Like I said. Ordinary-Joe stuff. But that's what makes it work. It's Not great. It's not perfect. It's not the best or marvelous. It's good.
This was (mostly) ordinary-Joe stuff, but the date activities and some of the specifics between them kept it from being boring. I like when characters have real-life problems. Jobs, money, illnesses, locations, etc that aren't just magically fixed by falling in love with a billionaire. Yes, one guy had money, but still had the responsibility that went along with owning and running his own specialty company.
The guys have history and have mistakes they've made in the relationship they had before, to try and push past. This is important. Like I said. Ordinary-Joe stuff. But that's what makes it work. It's Not great. It's not perfect. It's not the best or marvelous. It's good.
February 6, 2017
I received a copy of Dating in Retrospect by Lila Leigh Hunter via IndiGo Marketing & Design in exchange for an honest review. This is a sweet story of reconnecting with a lost love. Clay left Iowa after college to pursue his dreams in LA, thinking his boyfriend Aaron would join him there. When Aaron could not leave his farm in Iowa, they drifted apart. I found it interesting the author does not live in Iowa, but the reader will feel she knows it. Having Clay be a professional vacation organizer made it believable for the main characters to visit attractions in the state of Iowa, with them all driving distance for Aaron,who is still on his farm. Even though I’ve stayed a few nights in Iowa, it was always on my way to somewhere else, so I wound up googling all the locations, which was fun. I enjoyed that the MCs were older and could make decisions about the rest of their lives with some authority to achieve their HEA. Overall, an entertaining read.
February 13, 2017
This is a hard one to rate for me.....I loved Aaron. He felt real, had family obligations, thought of others was kind and caring. I am not a fan of Clay....He was superficial only cared about himself. I think he loved Aaron as much as he knew how. Was happy for Aaron to get his HEA!!
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