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Till There Was You #1
Easy Does It Twice
For the past 18 years, Gordon has suppressed his sexuality, choosing instead to live the lie, of a happily married man with two children, a home and their perfect picket fence. But Gordon’s wife is dead, leaving him with the responsibility of caring for their two teenage children. With the passing of his wife, Gordon found he was given a second chance…a new start to life. But, coming out as a gay man in his late thirties, was not easy for him. With a homophobic son who was a senior in high school and a daughter who was infatuated with her high school teacher, the same man Gordon was in love with, nothing could get worse… Or could it?
When a high school in a small town in Louisiana, looking for a native French teacher accepted Beau on a contract, it was the perfect opportunity to start life over and forget his emotionally abusive boyfriend. Everything was moving along just fine for him until he met Gordon, the older father of two who was struggling to keep his family together. But worse, Gordon was struggling to finally embrace himself as a gay man. One night was all Beau wanted to show this man the beauty of accepting himself for who he was but he got more than he bargained for. He fell in love and was happy for the first time in a long while.
But does happiness really last?
A viral video of Beau kissing Gordon at the local community center left Beau without a job and Gordon with a whole lot of explaining to do? When his kids accused him of ruining their lives, will Gordon stand by what he felt for Beau? Will he be selfish this time and hold onto his happiness or will he return to his pretentious lifestyle to keep everybody else happy?
Easy Does It Twice is a contemporary gay romance, featuring real life conflicts of coming out later in life, facing one’s children’s unfavorable reaction and difficulties faced by some instructors identifying with the LGBTQ community. If you enjoy reading stories with depth, and love ultimately conquering, you will love Easy Does It Twice.
When a high school in a small town in Louisiana, looking for a native French teacher accepted Beau on a contract, it was the perfect opportunity to start life over and forget his emotionally abusive boyfriend. Everything was moving along just fine for him until he met Gordon, the older father of two who was struggling to keep his family together. But worse, Gordon was struggling to finally embrace himself as a gay man. One night was all Beau wanted to show this man the beauty of accepting himself for who he was but he got more than he bargained for. He fell in love and was happy for the first time in a long while.
But does happiness really last?
A viral video of Beau kissing Gordon at the local community center left Beau without a job and Gordon with a whole lot of explaining to do? When his kids accused him of ruining their lives, will Gordon stand by what he felt for Beau? Will he be selfish this time and hold onto his happiness or will he return to his pretentious lifestyle to keep everybody else happy?
Easy Does It Twice is a contemporary gay romance, featuring real life conflicts of coming out later in life, facing one’s children’s unfavorable reaction and difficulties faced by some instructors identifying with the LGBTQ community. If you enjoy reading stories with depth, and love ultimately conquering, you will love Easy Does It Twice.
284 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 15, 2018
107 people are currently reading
309 people want to read
About the author
Gianni Holmes
106 books1,295 followersGianni Holmes is a USA TODAY Bestselling author who's embracing her love for literature by wielding the pen and creating stories of her own. She's the author of the popular series The Grimm Tales of Smoky Vale and The Taking Care series. Gianni is a former teacher of Spanish Language and Hispanic Literature.
These days she can be found writing books, hanging out with her readers, and raising her daughter as a single mother. You can keep in touch with her in the following places:
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/authorgiannih...
Newsletter: https://www.gianniholmesauthor.com/ne...
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/giannigems
These days she can be found writing books, hanging out with her readers, and raising her daughter as a single mother. You can keep in touch with her in the following places:
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/authorgiannih...
Newsletter: https://www.gianniholmesauthor.com/ne...
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/giannigems
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
April 28, 2019
3 stars
I appreciate angst, but the in the closet/secret relationship went on for too much of the book. Throw in a small town that's mostly homophobic with an abusive cop, family issues that cause an extended separation between the MCs, and it just became too much. The romance started to feel secondary to the angst.
I appreciate angst, but the in the closet/secret relationship went on for too much of the book. Throw in a small town that's mostly homophobic with an abusive cop, family issues that cause an extended separation between the MCs, and it just became too much. The romance started to feel secondary to the angst.
June 15, 2018
*´¨✫)
¸.•´¸.•*´¨)✯ ¸.•*¨)
✮ (¸.•´✶ (¸.•` 💔Till there was you...💔 ~Gianni Holmes and Nina Storey
Found on the pages of a facebook group, I succumbed to first the cover page, then to the synopsis. Yes, there may have been like many stories that told of coming out and finding your way, homophobia and acceptance, but there was just something about THIS story that drew me to it.
Firstly, Gordon, an older, married man with kids. Facing life when his wife dies, now he is forced to take on the parenting role, only to be caught up in drama, again and again. Every turn that should have bought happiness was riddled with grieve. Would Gordon ever catch a break?
Beau, a younger Frenchman; teacher, drawn to Gordon as he is coming into his own. Finally away from the abuse of one relationship, he finds himself falling for Gordon. With so much riding on his career, how could he be everything he wanted be and still be open?
Charlie, Gordon's daughter. Life changed when her happiness ended. Now she bares witness to everything that could not be. Would she ever be the thriving teenager she was preparing to be?
Ollie, Gordon's son. Not accepting the chance to grieve, he took the wrong turn and life would never be the same for him. He holds secrets that will eventually lead to something darker and would forever change his life.
I knew I would like this book, what I did not know was just how much. There were moments of sheer happiness and then devastation. New to me author Gianni Holmes filtered this book with rawness and grief. Gianni covered so many topics and weaved them into a pattern that the reader had no choice but to continue reading. I am happy with this discovery and though I understand the intent, I am glad to be able to follow Ollie and his upcoming story, coming soon.
I voluntarily and honestly reviewed this book without bias or persuasion from the author.
¸.•´¸.•*´¨)✯ ¸.•*¨)
✮ (¸.•´✶ (¸.•` 💔Till there was you...💔 ~Gianni Holmes and Nina Storey
Found on the pages of a facebook group, I succumbed to first the cover page, then to the synopsis. Yes, there may have been like many stories that told of coming out and finding your way, homophobia and acceptance, but there was just something about THIS story that drew me to it.
Firstly, Gordon, an older, married man with kids. Facing life when his wife dies, now he is forced to take on the parenting role, only to be caught up in drama, again and again. Every turn that should have bought happiness was riddled with grieve. Would Gordon ever catch a break?
Beau, a younger Frenchman; teacher, drawn to Gordon as he is coming into his own. Finally away from the abuse of one relationship, he finds himself falling for Gordon. With so much riding on his career, how could he be everything he wanted be and still be open?
Charlie, Gordon's daughter. Life changed when her happiness ended. Now she bares witness to everything that could not be. Would she ever be the thriving teenager she was preparing to be?
Ollie, Gordon's son. Not accepting the chance to grieve, he took the wrong turn and life would never be the same for him. He holds secrets that will eventually lead to something darker and would forever change his life.
I knew I would like this book, what I did not know was just how much. There were moments of sheer happiness and then devastation. New to me author Gianni Holmes filtered this book with rawness and grief. Gianni covered so many topics and weaved them into a pattern that the reader had no choice but to continue reading. I am happy with this discovery and though I understand the intent, I am glad to be able to follow Ollie and his upcoming story, coming soon.
I voluntarily and honestly reviewed this book without bias or persuasion from the author.
July 17, 2018
When I first read the blurb, I thought this would be a great read. Boy, was I wrong!! It turned out to be so much more. This fantastic, compelling, poignant, raw, powerful, gritty, and emotionally charged story grabbed me by the throat, shattered my heart into pieces, ran them through a grinder, then spit them out the other side. I must admit I became extremely hostile towards a certain individual because of their actions, which left me stunned, shaking, and bawling like a baby. If you're looking for a sweet and fluffy story, I recommend looking elsewhere, but if you want something guaranteed to leave you thinking about it long after you finish, then one click this ASAP!!
April 17, 2019
DNF @ 14%.
The writing is oddly worded at times.
The dialogue is stiff.
The characters are bland.
The more I learned about Gordon, I wanted to jump his bones. The more you wanted to jump his bones, maybe? And a) Beau already admitted to wanting Gordon the second he saw him and b) Beau has learned pretty much nothing about Gordon.
I had an idea of how tonight would turn out, and no penetrative sex would be involved. He was not ready for that kind of intimacy yet. And just four pages later, Beau has cock in his mouth and his finger in Gordon's tight mushroomed hole. I don't know what's not penetrative about a cock penetrating a mouth and a finger penetrating an anus. Semantics, who needs 'em? And let me just say that I never want to have someone's anus described as "mushroomed" ever again. And maybe it's just me, but that doesn't really make sense and doesn't lead one to believe such an asshole could be tight.
But to say it short and sweet, the writing just wasn't doing it for me.
The writing is oddly worded at times.
The dialogue is stiff.
The characters are bland.
The more I learned about Gordon, I wanted to jump his bones. The more you wanted to jump his bones, maybe? And a) Beau already admitted to wanting Gordon the second he saw him and b) Beau has learned pretty much nothing about Gordon.
I had an idea of how tonight would turn out, and no penetrative sex would be involved. He was not ready for that kind of intimacy yet. And just four pages later, Beau has cock in his mouth and his finger in Gordon's tight mushroomed hole. I don't know what's not penetrative about a cock penetrating a mouth and a finger penetrating an anus. Semantics, who needs 'em? And let me just say that I never want to have someone's anus described as "mushroomed" ever again. And maybe it's just me, but that doesn't really make sense and doesn't lead one to believe such an asshole could be tight.
But to say it short and sweet, the writing just wasn't doing it for me.
November 28, 2024
Easy does it twice is a very up and down book which deals with serious issues as well as featuring some lovely moments.
However ultimately it fell a little short for me at times Gordon really got on my nerves especially the way he treated his kids and Beau also it dragged in some places.
However ultimately it fell a little short for me at times Gordon really got on my nerves especially the way he treated his kids and Beau also it dragged in some places.
March 16, 2021
REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!
Where do I begin? Set in Louisiana, I had a love/hate relationship with this book. I wish I had been aware of the magnitude of gay bashing, violence in this story.
* I thought it was a nice gay romance, but no, it takes a very dark turn.
We open with a shock, when Gordon
and his son and daughter get home from their trip, only to find his wife, their mom, committed suicide. Then the family is in turmoil, not doing well a year later.
Gordon, about 40, blonde and blue eyed, runs a successful trucking company, struggling as a single dad for daughter, Charlotte and son Ollie, both teens.
It begins as a sweet hookup for Gordon with Beau,
a Frenchman teaching school, on a night out at a local bar. We are hopeful for their future. Gordon has never really acted on his M/M inclination, but Beau is drawing him in. Beau has escaped an abusive ex in France.
We see Beau with Charlotte at school, and he helps her, the men keep their attraction a secret, and we see glimpses of Gordon's struggles.
I liked their relationship, but halfway through we have a sudden shift. Homophobic slurs, hate, gay bashing, bullying and violence.
Then this cop continues his hate. When Ollie runs away, the police are searching for him, and we find him ...
A HUGE turn of events, and I had to walk away from the book.
This is no simple M/M romance, because it takes a hateful turn, and no one is spared from the gut wrenching events. It affects them all. Our couple survives, and believe it or not, there is a happy ending. I did read the whole story.
We get a teaser glimpse at the next book, which I read, too. The author's explanation of the violence is explained at the ending of the second story.
I DO like the other Gianni Holmes stories I have read, and here, I wasn't ready for the turn of violence.
(Past abuse told, a post suicide, bullying, slurs, gay bashing including rape.)
==========
Where do I begin? Set in Louisiana, I had a love/hate relationship with this book. I wish I had been aware of the magnitude of gay bashing, violence in this story.
* I thought it was a nice gay romance, but no, it takes a very dark turn.
We open with a shock, when Gordon
and his son and daughter get home from their trip, only to find his wife, their mom, committed suicide. Then the family is in turmoil, not doing well a year later.
Gordon, about 40, blonde and blue eyed, runs a successful trucking company, struggling as a single dad for daughter, Charlotte and son Ollie, both teens.
It begins as a sweet hookup for Gordon with Beau,
a Frenchman teaching school, on a night out at a local bar. We are hopeful for their future. Gordon has never really acted on his M/M inclination, but Beau is drawing him in. Beau has escaped an abusive ex in France.
We see Beau with Charlotte at school, and he helps her, the men keep their attraction a secret, and we see glimpses of Gordon's struggles.
I liked their relationship, but halfway through we have a sudden shift. Homophobic slurs, hate, gay bashing, bullying and violence.
Then this cop continues his hate. When Ollie runs away, the police are searching for him, and we find him ...
A HUGE turn of events, and I had to walk away from the book.
This is no simple M/M romance, because it takes a hateful turn, and no one is spared from the gut wrenching events. It affects them all. Our couple survives, and believe it or not, there is a happy ending. I did read the whole story.
We get a teaser glimpse at the next book, which I read, too. The author's explanation of the violence is explained at the ending of the second story.
I DO like the other Gianni Holmes stories I have read, and here, I wasn't ready for the turn of violence.
(Past abuse told, a post suicide, bullying, slurs, gay bashing including rape.)
==========
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 16, 2018
Omg!
What a fantastic book! From good to bad to good then to bad then finally to good again! With all the discourse and angst I loved the book. Thank you for writing such a wonderful book Gianni.
What a fantastic book! From good to bad to good then to bad then finally to good again! With all the discourse and angst I loved the book. Thank you for writing such a wonderful book Gianni.
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February 14, 2019Freebie at the zon.com right now: https://smile.amazon.com/Easy-Does-Tw...
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May 5, 2019🎁 FREE on Amazon today (5/5/2019)! 🎁
September 25, 2018
This book was received free in return for an honest review via Goodreads Don't Buy My Love review program.
Well... this certainly could have been at least 4 stars, but... and this is a SERIOUS but... there were too many errors to discount, too many problems with dialogue, with scenes, with nouns in place of verbs.
The setting is Louisiana, and yet native Gordon has no discernable Southern accent. Beau is French, and I get living in England would allow him to have wonderful skills with the English language, but that doesn’t discount the lack of French words and touch of accent he would still carry. There is no mention of Southern anything, not food or shops or charms of the South.
There are a plethora of tiny errors, wrong words, words missing, extra words. Too many to discount. For example: ”I’m sorry, Gordon.” His voice was full of so much empathy I believed him. “I know it looks bad. He’s missing now for a week days, but we’ll find him.”
And my personal favorite error: As I loosened up under his administrations, he twisted two fingers up inside my body and pushed hard.
I'm not sure where all these awesome ratings are coming from. Lots of stilted dialogue in places,and scenes where I felt disconnected to what I thought should be happening in flow, but ended up disjointed. And some of the sex scenes were detailed ad nauseum with the same phrases repeated over and over, making me want to bang my forehead against my tablet. I wanted to say this story was very badly translated, but I can’t determine if the author is American or not.
I did like how the epilogue POV changed to Ollie, the son, was we could get a sneak peek at book 2. Overall, this could have been a great story, but the errors, my God, the errors were just too much, too many, to ignore. (Note the 4 days it took me to read it because I could easily put this down and read something else.)
Well... this certainly could have been at least 4 stars, but... and this is a SERIOUS but... there were too many errors to discount, too many problems with dialogue, with scenes, with nouns in place of verbs.
The setting is Louisiana, and yet native Gordon has no discernable Southern accent. Beau is French, and I get living in England would allow him to have wonderful skills with the English language, but that doesn’t discount the lack of French words and touch of accent he would still carry. There is no mention of Southern anything, not food or shops or charms of the South.
There are a plethora of tiny errors, wrong words, words missing, extra words. Too many to discount. For example: ”I’m sorry, Gordon.” His voice was full of so much empathy I believed him. “I know it looks bad. He’s missing now for a week days, but we’ll find him.”
And my personal favorite error: As I loosened up under his administrations, he twisted two fingers up inside my body and pushed hard.
I'm not sure where all these awesome ratings are coming from. Lots of stilted dialogue in places,and scenes where I felt disconnected to what I thought should be happening in flow, but ended up disjointed. And some of the sex scenes were detailed ad nauseum with the same phrases repeated over and over, making me want to bang my forehead against my tablet. I wanted to say this story was very badly translated, but I can’t determine if the author is American or not.
I did like how the epilogue POV changed to Ollie, the son, was we could get a sneak peek at book 2. Overall, this could have been a great story, but the errors, my God, the errors were just too much, too many, to ignore. (Note the 4 days it took me to read it because I could easily put this down and read something else.)
February 10, 2019
Honestly, I probably would have given this 4 stars except I had a few too many "why aren't any of you calling a lawyer right now?" screaming moments. Plus there were a few odd phrasings here and there that could have been easily fixed. Still, I was glued to this book and couldn't put it down.
August 27, 2019
Love Comes From Unexpected Places!
This is a dram-rom tale about trucker services owner Gordon & French Teacher Beau in small-town Louisiana.
I liked and didn’t like this story. Sometimes, I read a story that agitates and discombobulates me. Stories, that feel too close reality, stories where the systems with power breakdown and
society breakdown, too. It’s a feeling of powerlessness, of hopelessness. However, thank god this is a HEA tale.
Good MCs, interesting storytelling and the right amount of sexy times. There were some bit that didn’t play well. I thought the fast insta-love was a bit too soon, I didn’t feel the connection between the two MCs. Also, I thought there was a lack of sensitivity with the teenager when recounting the antagonist exploits. Overall, the cover doesn’t give away the dramatic story inside!
Editing: fair, a character name out of place, plus other minor errors.
This is a dram-rom tale about trucker services owner Gordon & French Teacher Beau in small-town Louisiana.
I liked and didn’t like this story. Sometimes, I read a story that agitates and discombobulates me. Stories, that feel too close reality, stories where the systems with power breakdown and
society breakdown, too. It’s a feeling of powerlessness, of hopelessness. However, thank god this is a HEA tale.
Good MCs, interesting storytelling and the right amount of sexy times. There were some bit that didn’t play well. I thought the fast insta-love was a bit too soon, I didn’t feel the connection between the two MCs. Also, I thought there was a lack of sensitivity with the teenager when recounting the antagonist exploits. Overall, the cover doesn’t give away the dramatic story inside!
Editing: fair, a character name out of place, plus other minor errors.
February 2, 2019
This was... a difficult read. I have mixed feeling about this book. I wasn't a fan of the inner monologue, I thought it was a bit too long winded.
Overall the story was an emotional journey with twists, turns and lots of angsts but somehow it got a bit too tiring. I almost didn't finish the whole book.
Overall the story was an emotional journey with twists, turns and lots of angsts but somehow it got a bit too tiring. I almost didn't finish the whole book.
June 4, 2018
*3.5 stars*
On the whole, I liked this story and the MC's quite well, and I'm curious to see what happens next with some of the secondary characters.
The book is a May/December romance with different elements mixed in. On the one hand, the characters face real-life hardships and have to overcome abuse and emotional trauma, so this isn't exactly a light read. On the other hand, there is also an element of crime mixed in, with a super villain hiding in plain sight.
There were some things that bothered me too much, however, to give the book 4 stars. The author sometimes phrased things a bit strangely, the writing not flowing as naturally or idiomatically as I would have liked. There were some mix-ups with the names of the MC's and a couple of editing oversights, but I read an ARC so that's probably been fixed in the final version of the book.
I also felt there was a little bit too much going on. I think some plot twists could have been left out, they added extra drama/pain that wasn't needed, because the characters (not just the MC's) already had plenty to deal with. So much is happening all at once, that some things feel rushed. Gordon and Beau have to overcome a lot, and I would have liked them to have had more time with each other, to actually fall in love.
Ollie, Gordon's son, has issues of his own to deal with and I didn't care for how Gordon handled that. Running off like Gordon did, seemed to me quite a cowardly, self-absorbed reaction. And not at all something I would expect a parent to do.
As the story unfolds we also learn that Gordon has continually tolerated his best friend's homophobic remarks/slurs . Seeing as how he's gay himself, and had a difficult time accepting that and coming out, that friendship was hard for me to comprehend.
From the outside looking in on the US, I don't know how realistic some of the plot twists regarding the police department are. I can't imagine police officers acting in such a fashion, so to me this seemed an implausible way to add tension and drama to the story.
If that attitude does in fact exist, and if things like that do happen...that's a very scary prospect.
I feel for Beau and all teachers in the US who come accross a similar lack of acceptance and have to face that type of threats to their employment in real life.
On the whole, I liked this story and the MC's quite well, and I'm curious to see what happens next with some of the secondary characters.
The book is a May/December romance with different elements mixed in. On the one hand, the characters face real-life hardships and have to overcome abuse and emotional trauma, so this isn't exactly a light read. On the other hand, there is also an element of crime mixed in, with a super villain hiding in plain sight.
There were some things that bothered me too much, however, to give the book 4 stars. The author sometimes phrased things a bit strangely, the writing not flowing as naturally or idiomatically as I would have liked. There were some mix-ups with the names of the MC's and a couple of editing oversights, but I read an ARC so that's probably been fixed in the final version of the book.
I also felt there was a little bit too much going on. I think some plot twists could have been left out, they added extra drama/pain that wasn't needed, because the characters (not just the MC's) already had plenty to deal with. So much is happening all at once, that some things feel rushed. Gordon and Beau have to overcome a lot, and I would have liked them to have had more time with each other, to actually fall in love.
Ollie, Gordon's son, has issues of his own to deal with and I didn't care for how Gordon handled that. Running off like Gordon did, seemed to me quite a cowardly, self-absorbed reaction. And not at all something I would expect a parent to do.
As the story unfolds we also learn that Gordon has continually tolerated his best friend's homophobic remarks/slurs . Seeing as how he's gay himself, and had a difficult time accepting that and coming out, that friendship was hard for me to comprehend.
From the outside looking in on the US, I don't know how realistic some of the plot twists regarding the police department are. I can't imagine police officers acting in such a fashion, so to me this seemed an implausible way to add tension and drama to the story.
If that attitude does in fact exist, and if things like that do happen...that's a very scary prospect.
I feel for Beau and all teachers in the US who come accross a similar lack of acceptance and have to face that type of threats to their employment in real life.
June 15, 2018
Easy Does It Twice is a great romantic story that's packed with a lot of themes.
Gordon has never been with a man. He might have wanted to, but he never acted on it. Now that his wife has died, and he meets Beau, he doesn't know if he can still hold back those feelings.
Unfortunately, Beau happens to be his daughter's French teacher, which will definitely complicate things. His kids are still reeling from the death of their mom, and how can he get involved with his kid's teacher?
Beau, meanwhile, has his own issues to deal with as a result of his manipulative and abusive ex.
Things will not be easy for Gordon and Beau. Gordon, of course, will certainly hear that he shouldn't be dating so soon after his wife's death. He will also have to deal with homophobic friends, who will try to complicate things for both men.
The issues with Gordon's friend is heart-breaking and awful to witness. Being gay does not change who a person is, but unfortunately, not everyone understands this. It is tragic to see the lengths someone will go to just because they are homophobic.
The scenes with Gordon's son, Charlie are also painful to read. They are so raw, real and tragic. And unfortunately, this happens way too often in life.
Gianna Holmes gracefully tackles a lot in Easy Does it Twice. It is a wonderfully written book, with many issues involved. In the end, it is a wonderful romance that I highly recommend.
Gordon has never been with a man. He might have wanted to, but he never acted on it. Now that his wife has died, and he meets Beau, he doesn't know if he can still hold back those feelings.
Unfortunately, Beau happens to be his daughter's French teacher, which will definitely complicate things. His kids are still reeling from the death of their mom, and how can he get involved with his kid's teacher?
Beau, meanwhile, has his own issues to deal with as a result of his manipulative and abusive ex.
Things will not be easy for Gordon and Beau. Gordon, of course, will certainly hear that he shouldn't be dating so soon after his wife's death. He will also have to deal with homophobic friends, who will try to complicate things for both men.
The issues with Gordon's friend is heart-breaking and awful to witness. Being gay does not change who a person is, but unfortunately, not everyone understands this. It is tragic to see the lengths someone will go to just because they are homophobic.
The scenes with Gordon's son, Charlie are also painful to read. They are so raw, real and tragic. And unfortunately, this happens way too often in life.
Gianna Holmes gracefully tackles a lot in Easy Does it Twice. It is a wonderfully written book, with many issues involved. In the end, it is a wonderful romance that I highly recommend.
June 15, 2018
Easy Does It Twice (Till There Was You Book 1) by Gianni Holmes. This is
Gordon Mattis and Beau Moreau's story.
This is a May/December romance. Gordon is raising his family alone after the death of his wife. He is struggling handling everything, feels that he is just existing but not really living, and that he is not giving the best to his kids. Gordon has always thought of himself as being straight. Well, that is until he meets Beau, his daughter's teacher. This story covers so many different emotions that Beau, Gordon, and the kids are dealing with. I enjoyed their story but there were some really tragic situations that were really hard for them to overcome. Will Gordon and Beau be able to overcome everything and take a chance on a relationship and love. I look forward to the next books in this series.
FYI, contains mature content. This is a M/M gay romance. I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
Gordon Mattis and Beau Moreau's story.
This is a May/December romance. Gordon is raising his family alone after the death of his wife. He is struggling handling everything, feels that he is just existing but not really living, and that he is not giving the best to his kids. Gordon has always thought of himself as being straight. Well, that is until he meets Beau, his daughter's teacher. This story covers so many different emotions that Beau, Gordon, and the kids are dealing with. I enjoyed their story but there were some really tragic situations that were really hard for them to overcome. Will Gordon and Beau be able to overcome everything and take a chance on a relationship and love. I look forward to the next books in this series.
FYI, contains mature content. This is a M/M gay romance. I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
June 15, 2018
This is an emotional roller coaster that will have you going through a whole gamut of emotions. This book touches on quite a few serious issues such as suicide, abuse, discrimination, homophobia, and police brutality. Gordon has a lot to deal with after the apparent suicide of his wife, especially his traumatized kids. Everything that his son Ollie goes through is just horrible and despicable.
When Gordon and Beau meet, they don't know that Beau is Gordon's daughter's French and drama teacher. Beau has his own issues from his past that he is still trying to overcome. Beau and Gordon are perfect for each other and really help one another through the ups and downs and to get through past issues and traumas. It's definitely not an easy road for either one.
I really love this story and feel that the issues were dealt with spectacularly and I'm truly looking forward to the rest of this series.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.
When Gordon and Beau meet, they don't know that Beau is Gordon's daughter's French and drama teacher. Beau has his own issues from his past that he is still trying to overcome. Beau and Gordon are perfect for each other and really help one another through the ups and downs and to get through past issues and traumas. It's definitely not an easy road for either one.
I really love this story and feel that the issues were dealt with spectacularly and I'm truly looking forward to the rest of this series.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.
July 5, 2018
Gordon has been hiding his sexuality and living a lie for the past eighteen years, but after his wife's death he's finally ready to discover the side of himself he has never allowed himself to embrace before. Beau hasn't let anyone come close since getting out of a toxic, abusive relationship. Yet, the first time they meet sparks fly. As they are slowly feeling their way into a relationship, things are complicated by the fact that Beau happens to be a teacher at the school Gordon's teenage kids, still traumatised after their mother's suicide, attend as well as the deeply homophobic community they live in.
I enjoyed this story for the most part, but the book really could have used an editor to catch the on occasion rather awkward (and sometimes involuntarily hilarious) phrasing that kept pulling me out of the story. Some more complexity in characters like e.g. Eric wouldn't have gone amiss either.
I enjoyed this story for the most part, but the book really could have used an editor to catch the on occasion rather awkward (and sometimes involuntarily hilarious) phrasing that kept pulling me out of the story. Some more complexity in characters like e.g. Eric wouldn't have gone amiss either.
July 14, 2018
This is the first I’ve read by this author, and I have to say, I really enjoyed it. There were lots of ups and downs, twists and turns that kept me wanting to read more.
Gordon is a man who has been living a lie. Scared to out himself, he married a woman and had kids, ignoring his true feelings. When he meets Beau, he finds it impossible to resist any longer.
Beau offers to help Gordon embrace his sexuality and, in turn, ends up healing his heart of the pain from his last relationship.
These two are just gorgeous. They’re so adorable together! And the sex... hot!
Aside from their budding romance, there was a lot going on. Not everyone is happy with their relationship, and things start to unravel. They deal with a lot of hate. Lacovia is a small place with small minded people who don’t understand them. It leads to jobs being threatened, bullying, and a lot of hurt.
At times it was quite sad, but I always wanted to cry tears of joy.
Definitely an author I’ll be watching 😊
Gordon is a man who has been living a lie. Scared to out himself, he married a woman and had kids, ignoring his true feelings. When he meets Beau, he finds it impossible to resist any longer.
Beau offers to help Gordon embrace his sexuality and, in turn, ends up healing his heart of the pain from his last relationship.
These two are just gorgeous. They’re so adorable together! And the sex... hot!
Aside from their budding romance, there was a lot going on. Not everyone is happy with their relationship, and things start to unravel. They deal with a lot of hate. Lacovia is a small place with small minded people who don’t understand them. It leads to jobs being threatened, bullying, and a lot of hurt.
At times it was quite sad, but I always wanted to cry tears of joy.
Definitely an author I’ll be watching 😊
July 29, 2018
The Best Yet
Easy Does It Twice is a beautifully written M/M romance novel. The book was multifaceted and kept me turning the pages eagerly all the way to the end. This book offers the happily ever after but the main characters have to work to get it. There are so many sub stories within one book. Kudos to Gianni Holmes for bringing up the difficult subjects of discrimination, suicide, murder, self-loathing and different forms of abuse. Unfortunately these are all too common in the world today. I live in the South where it seems like everyone is conservative and it saddens me to think discrimination still exists despite civil liberties. This novel acknowledges these difficulties but gives them a realistic happy ending. Congratulations to Gianni Holmes on her best work yet. I strongly recommend; however, keep in mind the book makes passing mention of suicide, physical and sexual abuse which may be sensitive/trigger readers.
Easy Does It Twice is a beautifully written M/M romance novel. The book was multifaceted and kept me turning the pages eagerly all the way to the end. This book offers the happily ever after but the main characters have to work to get it. There are so many sub stories within one book. Kudos to Gianni Holmes for bringing up the difficult subjects of discrimination, suicide, murder, self-loathing and different forms of abuse. Unfortunately these are all too common in the world today. I live in the South where it seems like everyone is conservative and it saddens me to think discrimination still exists despite civil liberties. This novel acknowledges these difficulties but gives them a realistic happy ending. Congratulations to Gianni Holmes on her best work yet. I strongly recommend; however, keep in mind the book makes passing mention of suicide, physical and sexual abuse which may be sensitive/trigger readers.
June 17, 2018
Complex, beautiful and compelling romance that will keep you glued to your kindle! Part of this story is rather chilling in that we can be very close to evil and not recognize it.
I loved the writing and the story-telling was beautiful! i so enjoyed how these guys met and how honest they were. I really liked both MC's and found their attraction very tangible and beautiful.
Gordon and Beau really won my heart and they truly had some major struggles. This book has all the feels from joy and love to despair and a tragic hate crime. I really loved this book and how strong these men are and how much they love!
I loved the writing and the story-telling was beautiful! i so enjoyed how these guys met and how honest they were. I really liked both MC's and found their attraction very tangible and beautiful.
Gordon and Beau really won my heart and they truly had some major struggles. This book has all the feels from joy and love to despair and a tragic hate crime. I really loved this book and how strong these men are and how much they love!
July 24, 2018
Easy Does It Twice by Gianni Holmes is a beautiful story that I completely lost myself in! The characters come to life on page one and wrap you in their story.
Gordon, a man still in the closet with his sexuality, watches and remains a pillar of strength as his children grieve the loss of their mother. Beau, a breath of fresh air in Gordon's life is in recovery from his own nightmare.
Watching their romance grow and blossom, one can't help cheer them on with every blow their new relationship takes. This beautiful tale that Holmes has twisted earned all five of its stars. I can't wait to lose myself in more from this author!
Gordon, a man still in the closet with his sexuality, watches and remains a pillar of strength as his children grieve the loss of their mother. Beau, a breath of fresh air in Gordon's life is in recovery from his own nightmare.
Watching their romance grow and blossom, one can't help cheer them on with every blow their new relationship takes. This beautiful tale that Holmes has twisted earned all five of its stars. I can't wait to lose myself in more from this author!
June 23, 2018
This is the first book in The Till There Was You Series. An intriguing book the writing was great. The plot was entertaining and it was steady throughout the book. I found the story and characters likeable. The characters were developed and thought out. Gordon and Beau are the MC’s of this book. There was humor, loss and grief, teenagers, friends, surprises, betrayal, police and so much more in this book. I can recommend as a good read. I voluntarily read an advance copy of this book for an honest review.
July 14, 2018
This is the most emotionally charged book I've read since the start of the year. It's more than just a romance book. It's the life of two men in love, struggling to be together. Everything that happens is so real; I can easily see it happening in the small town where I am from. I love how Charlie was made to grow at the end. What she did was amazing. This is definitely a book I would love to have the paperback version to. Reading the sequel of their honeymoon was just as good. After I get over the feels I'm going to re-read this book.
June 18, 2018
Lovely story
This story was so lovely. Two things I look for in a book are characters I can love, hate, root for and believe are real and this book nailed it. The other thing I look for is a worth while storyline and this delivered. It was fast paced and kept me on my toes with all of the plot twists. What a beautiful love story for Gordon and Beau. I can't wait for the next book!
This story was so lovely. Two things I look for in a book are characters I can love, hate, root for and believe are real and this book nailed it. The other thing I look for is a worth while storyline and this delivered. It was fast paced and kept me on my toes with all of the plot twists. What a beautiful love story for Gordon and Beau. I can't wait for the next book!
June 24, 2018
Magnificent!
When everything was broken this man found happiness. This story is not in any way average. It's about breaking down walls and dealing with teenagers and take friends. So much comes out and truths are revealed. Great start to the series and even though it was a heart wrenching tear jerking story i would read it again. Two thumbs up!
When everything was broken this man found happiness. This story is not in any way average. It's about breaking down walls and dealing with teenagers and take friends. So much comes out and truths are revealed. Great start to the series and even though it was a heart wrenching tear jerking story i would read it again. Two thumbs up!
February 16, 2019
Reading this book for me came tantamount to taking a chance on a mom-and-pops diner whose menu advertizes some of your favorite dishes even though you as a rule are a picky, hard-to-please eater. I wanted to love this story in the same way that, under some circumstances, I dab with gusto into comfort paraliterature no matter how drab and generic it turns out to be (Marvel and DC Comics, for example, lately the Young Avengers two series), and was genuinely sorry I could not derive a lot of entertainment from it. Mrs Holmes is a new author for me, yet she already has produced quite a lot, so I expected a decent amount of literary chops - instead I got three hundred pages of ornery yet awkward prose marred by an overabundance of spelling and syntax mistakes, horribly overdone sex scenes crammed full with what seemed to me the entire gamut of the English synonyms for the male genitals, dialogues which are either unnatural or cheesy, a plot which sputters along from one half-baked situation to the other, and a casting of characters devoid of any life. Such a formulaic romance needs to be graceful and to tread lightly so that it can manage to transcend its utter lack of originality; this is best achieved through the creation of a suitably cozy atmosphere and the careful drawing of characters. Look in vain for anything like that between those covers; the token widowed bisexual is so pallidly pictured that he resembles a sepia sketch which has been left too long in the sun and became entirely washed out, while his younger love interest could as well have been grown in a vat like an amoeba for what vanishingly little he retains from his emphatically stated background (what on earth his being French contributes to his phrasing and judgmentality when the writer was not even bothered to give him French-tinged English and the kind of continental mannerisms which only decrease after decades of living abroad?). This is all the more infuriating that inner monologuing is Mrs Holmes' favorite narrative device to try and vest the reader into the main leads' fumbling march towards their HEA - look in vain thereby for crisp psychological balancing act by grown adults, all one gets is pages upon pages of beating around the bush and hesitation and second-guessing of the kind emo kids are prone to. On this washed out backstage, such narrative and thematic fulgurances as there are (abuse, brutality and discriminations of all kinds for the younger lead, the widower's grieving family and unsympathetic environment; I cannot spell out the specifics, for fear of spoiling what little poignant elements Easy Does It Twice preserves) ought to attract attention, yet somehow they do not, because of what I felt was the cartoonish stylization of those hurdles. Their utter piling rang hollow, too. In so many words, Mrs Holmes aimed low for her new book yet did not achieve even the pretty modest goals she set her sights on.
February 16, 2021
I only read this book because I wanted to read the second in this series, "Ollie on the out". Now, I don't even know if I want to read that one, after all. This book was so ridiculous and over dramatized. All the women were flirty idiots who hit on either Beau or Gordon and that was literally the only reason for them written in at all. Everyone, men and women hit on Beau or Gordon to the point I was rolling my eyes. A male teacher even groped Beau in the bathroom after he found out he was gay. I mean, come on. The MCs fell into major instalove, claiming each other "mine" the first time they had sex, which was also like the third time even seeing each other.
The author made everyone some type of over dramatized villain in this book. On top of that, everyone in town was homophobic to the point of ridiculous. The cops all ganged up on Gordan and Beau (in a private residence) and the two ended up being arrested for defending themselves. Then Beau was assaulted and sent to the hospital by one of the cops and it was all just swept under the rug.
It was so unrealistic.
I was also really annoyed with Gordon because he was a sh*t dad for real. Once he started dating Beau, he was never home even though his kids obviously needed him after not dealing with losing their mother. When Ollie broke down and finally let some sort of emotion out over her death, Gordon didnt want to deal with it! No wonder the kids were acting out. The entire ending with Eric and Ollie was just so predictable and, again OVER THE TOP.
The author made everyone some type of over dramatized villain in this book. On top of that, everyone in town was homophobic to the point of ridiculous. The cops all ganged up on Gordan and Beau (in a private residence) and the two ended up being arrested for defending themselves. Then Beau was assaulted and sent to the hospital by one of the cops and it was all just swept under the rug.
It was so unrealistic.
I was also really annoyed with Gordon because he was a sh*t dad for real. Once he started dating Beau, he was never home even though his kids obviously needed him after not dealing with losing their mother. When Ollie broke down and finally let some sort of emotion out over her death, Gordon didnt want to deal with it! No wonder the kids were acting out. The entire ending with Eric and Ollie was just so predictable and, again OVER THE TOP.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 10, 2019
Gripping. Made Me Cry and Smile.
Where do I start?
Gripping story. Emotional. Yes I cried. Two men with issues and responsibilities who could find laughter sometimes and love that was deep. Would it be a lasting love?
This story touched me on many levels. There were two of three editing issues but I loved these characters very deeply ignored those issues. Unusual for me. I
This is the first time I have read this author. It won't be the last. I already have the next book I this series.
Where do I start?
Gripping story. Emotional. Yes I cried. Two men with issues and responsibilities who could find laughter sometimes and love that was deep. Would it be a lasting love?
This story touched me on many levels. There were two of three editing issues but I loved these characters very deeply ignored those issues. Unusual for me. I
This is the first time I have read this author. It won't be the last. I already have the next book I this series.
June 13, 2019
🔥 wow the book has a great start but a sad one, Gordon is a closed gay and when he meets Beau the sparks ignite between them. This one definitely gets the emotions going, good and bad. The ending is a beautiful one, I absolutely loved this book. Includes police brutality, homophobia, hot sexy scenes and more.
Gordon 38 yrs had 2 teenage kids to care for, things weren't going well after the suicide of his wife.
Beau 28 yrs was new in town from France and from an abusive Ex.
Gordon 38 yrs had 2 teenage kids to care for, things weren't going well after the suicide of his wife.
Beau 28 yrs was new in town from France and from an abusive Ex.
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