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Rock Bay #1
Coming Home
It's not always easy to start over where everyone knows you... especially when the hottest guy you've ever seen already hates your guts.
Tallis Carrington ruled Rock Bay with his gang of jocks and an iron fist - until a scandal destroyed his family's name. Ten years later, Tallis is dead broke, newly homeless, and on the walk of shame to end all walks of shame. Rock Bay is the only home he knows, but the people in town haven't forgotten him - or the antics of a spoiled brat who'd had everything handed to him.
The only person in town willing to overlook his past is Lex, the new coffee shop owner, who offers Tally a job even though he appears to despise Tally on repuation alone. When Tally discovers his gorgeous boss is the kid he tortured back in school, his ice cold routine finally makes sense. Now, Tally has to pull out all the stops to prove he was never really the jerk he seemed to be.
After all, if he can win Lex's heart, the rest of town should be a piece of coffee cake.
** This book is a Second Edition**
Tallis Carrington ruled Rock Bay with his gang of jocks and an iron fist - until a scandal destroyed his family's name. Ten years later, Tallis is dead broke, newly homeless, and on the walk of shame to end all walks of shame. Rock Bay is the only home he knows, but the people in town haven't forgotten him - or the antics of a spoiled brat who'd had everything handed to him.
The only person in town willing to overlook his past is Lex, the new coffee shop owner, who offers Tally a job even though he appears to despise Tally on repuation alone. When Tally discovers his gorgeous boss is the kid he tortured back in school, his ice cold routine finally makes sense. Now, Tally has to pull out all the stops to prove he was never really the jerk he seemed to be.
After all, if he can win Lex's heart, the rest of town should be a piece of coffee cake.
** This book is a Second Edition**
316 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2012
105 people are currently reading
1485 people want to read
About the author
M.J. O'Shea
86 books947 followersMJ O’Shea has never met a music festival, paintbrush, or
flower crown she can stay away from. She loves rainstorms
and a perfect cup of tea, beach days, music, bright colors, and
more than anything a cozy evening with a really great book.
She is from the Pacific Northwest. While she still lives there
and loves it, MJ has the heart of a wanderer. So she puts all
her dreams of far off places and extraordinary people in her
books.
Except for every once in a while when she does what all
travelers have to do on occasion… come home.
flower crown she can stay away from. She loves rainstorms
and a perfect cup of tea, beach days, music, bright colors, and
more than anything a cozy evening with a really great book.
She is from the Pacific Northwest. While she still lives there
and loves it, MJ has the heart of a wanderer. So she puts all
her dreams of far off places and extraordinary people in her
books.
Except for every once in a while when she does what all
travelers have to do on occasion… come home.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 384 reviews
February 19, 2014
3.5 stars
I loved this "enemies" to lovers book until the last couple chapters when Tally started acting like a total prick, allowing his old high school asshat of a "friend" to call his boyfriend "fag" and "fairy" while Tally stood by and did nothing. Not only was this insulting, it wasn't believable. The Tally we (and Lex) meet and get to know wasn't a coward or a dick. He was just a down-on-his-luck guy trying to make it back in his hometown and shake of the shame brought on the family by his philandering scum of a father.
I had a hard time buying that Tally would jeopardize his relationship with the man he loved to please a former high school buddy whom he didn't like and hadn't seen in well over a decade. And the fact that Drew asked him to was not a good enough reason. 32-year-old men don't act like this. The small-town homophobia was a little over the top, too.
I didn't blame Lex for kicking him to the curb and needed a longer resolution and making up segment to believe the HEA.
I loved this "enemies" to lovers book until the last couple chapters when Tally started acting like a total prick, allowing his old high school asshat of a "friend" to call his boyfriend "fag" and "fairy" while Tally stood by and did nothing. Not only was this insulting, it wasn't believable. The Tally we (and Lex) meet and get to know wasn't a coward or a dick. He was just a down-on-his-luck guy trying to make it back in his hometown and shake of the shame brought on the family by his philandering scum of a father.
I had a hard time buying that Tally would jeopardize his relationship with the man he loved to please a former high school buddy whom he didn't like and hadn't seen in well over a decade. And the fact that Drew asked him to was not a good enough reason. 32-year-old men don't act like this. The small-town homophobia was a little over the top, too.
I didn't blame Lex for kicking him to the curb and needed a longer resolution and making up segment to believe the HEA.
April 11, 2012
Sometimes a story seems to be too short. Sometimes it seems too long. And this one, for me, falls to the latter category. Yes, I do like the idea of an ex-bully who is now down on his luck, and finds himself working for the man he used to bully.
However, I think this story can stop around the time when Tally realizes he loves Lex, and he is thinking of staying home this time around. Because the issues presented afterwards just feel ridiculous (only there for the sake of length) and superficial. What's with Tally's mother coming home, and then Tally getting around with Brock just to protect's Drew's sexual orientation. Really? Do I care about those? NO!
I get bored and frustrated around 2/3rd of this book and starts skimming and wanting to knock the head of those two men, and telling myself FINALLY!!! when the story is finished. Never a good reaction to a story, yes?
Oh, and one of my pet peeves -- "baby" as terms of endearment is present for 8 times and its cousin "babe" for 38 times, and I feel like the words are crawling up my skin. Those two just not my choice of words for terms of endearment. They never have. If it's only used a couple of times is okay (like Jake O'Riordian calling Adrien English "baby" to make a point) but not several times, and definitely not over 40 times in one story.
It's too bad, really, because I do like M.J. O'Shea's writing and will still check out her stories. But this one is definitely not a winner for me.
However, I think this story can stop around the time when Tally realizes he loves Lex, and he is thinking of staying home this time around. Because the issues presented afterwards just feel ridiculous (only there for the sake of length) and superficial. What's with Tally's mother coming home, and then Tally getting around with Brock just to protect's Drew's sexual orientation. Really? Do I care about those? NO!
I get bored and frustrated around 2/3rd of this book and starts skimming and wanting to knock the head of those two men, and telling myself FINALLY!!! when the story is finished. Never a good reaction to a story, yes?
Oh, and one of my pet peeves -- "baby" as terms of endearment is present for 8 times and its cousin "babe" for 38 times, and I feel like the words are crawling up my skin. Those two just not my choice of words for terms of endearment. They never have. If it's only used a couple of times is okay (like Jake O'Riordian calling Adrien English "baby" to make a point) but not several times, and definitely not over 40 times in one story.
It's too bad, really, because I do like M.J. O'Shea's writing and will still check out her stories. But this one is definitely not a winner for me.
April 11, 2012
3 stars
This book was getting a 5 stars from me, then it turned into melodrama at around 75%. It also felt like episodic. At several points I felt as if the story could have ended there, but then the next chapter came, with a new subplot. The author said in the dedication page that this book was something that she wrote and then put aside for a while. I wonder if that contributes to the episodic feelings.
And then, there are some inconsistent plot devices.
It is still nice reading, but I wish it didn't turn to melodrama with unnecessary plot at the end.
This book was getting a 5 stars from me, then it turned into melodrama at around 75%. It also felt like episodic. At several points I felt as if the story could have ended there, but then the next chapter came, with a new subplot. The author said in the dedication page that this book was something that she wrote and then put aside for a while. I wonder if that contributes to the episodic feelings.
And then, there are some inconsistent plot devices.
It is still nice reading, but I wish it didn't turn to melodrama with unnecessary plot at the end.
April 10, 2012
I ♥ Lex and Tally, but I really wanted to strangle them both! This was a sweet little enemies-to-lovers contemporary and I really liked it, but I began to get really frustrated with both of the MCs near the end. The whole conflict between them was annoying and ridiculous and made me want to scream and throw my Kindle a few times. But overall I still enjoyed it; I loved the sexual tension and the sex was so HOT and Lex and Tally were just too cute for me to actually strangle.
January 2, 2016
I didn't like it. Click on the spoiler for a long list of "why" if you feel like it.
What I liked: the narration was lovely.
What I liked: the narration was lovely.
April 16, 2012
Y’all should know by now that I don’t really write reviews. I read and rate and sometimes I write a rant or ramble…so here goes. I was hoping to read a story exploring Lex’s feelings of falling in love with his high school bully. I find that whole concept very fascinating. I wanted to read a story about Tally’s redemption and winning Lex’s heart as well as the people of the town. (Bigot’s excluded). This should’ve been filled with so much angst. All I got was a story about how misunderstood Tally was in his youth due to his screwed up parents and that he’s really just a stand-up guy after all. Where was the “enemy” part of the story? How can Lex HATE Brock so much when Brock was a follower…of Tally? Tally was the actual bully. Tally was a nightmare to Lex in high school. Lex should’ve scorned him the minute Tally stepped foot in his coffeehouse or at least opened a can of whip ass on him, cursed him out or something. Lex only kinda sorta but not really fought his feelings for Tally. I felt that everything came a little too easy for Tally. It’s sad because the author reduced the bullying that Tally did as child’s play when it was initially introduced as serious events in Lex’s life.
The MC’s - Lex and Tally was an okay couple in the general sense. I ignored the use of baby/babe. I liked Lex’s character. He was sensitive and brave. He stood up to his bullies in high school even though he knew he was dead meat. The bigots in town couldn’t drive him away and his business was flourishing. He seemed like a really kind and compassionate man. So, yeah, I can see Lex eventually falling in love with Tally once Tally proved himself. I guess that’s why I was so disappointed that I didn’t see much of THAT struggle. I don’t know how I felt about Tally. (I know he looks like Zac Efron). I didn’t hate him, but I don’t know that I was rooting for him either. I just didn’t get that underdog feeling from him. I think it was because he didn’t really suffer enough. We were told that he was down on his luck but that’s it. It just seemed like his served coffee and he suddenly overcame his past and his family’s name.
The side characters – I really liked Tally’s grandmother, Lex’s BFF and his parents, Travis and the other girl (can’t think of her name) that was like a little sister to Tally. I thought the scene with Tally’s mom in the grandma’s house was pointless. We already knew his mom was a POS for kicking Tally out. So, I found myself more interesting in Brock and Drew more than Tally. I wanted to know more about their life. I was rooting for Drew. I have no idea exactly what I was rooting for with him…IDK, to come out of the closet and get a man. Drew had a crush on Tally back in the day and he had a current crush of Lex there’s so many ways that could’ve played out. And, Brock, why so angry? I really believe he was jealous of Lex and thought Lex stole Tally away. Brock seemed to have some not so friendly feelings towards Tally. Jealously and self-hate is a deadly combo. I think he was so deep in the closet that he almost reached Narnia. Did anyone else find it strange that Brock was hitting on underage girls and no one said anything? It seems like a known thing around town too.
The MC’s - Lex and Tally was an okay couple in the general sense. I ignored the use of baby/babe. I liked Lex’s character. He was sensitive and brave. He stood up to his bullies in high school even though he knew he was dead meat. The bigots in town couldn’t drive him away and his business was flourishing. He seemed like a really kind and compassionate man. So, yeah, I can see Lex eventually falling in love with Tally once Tally proved himself. I guess that’s why I was so disappointed that I didn’t see much of THAT struggle. I don’t know how I felt about Tally. (I know he looks like Zac Efron). I didn’t hate him, but I don’t know that I was rooting for him either. I just didn’t get that underdog feeling from him. I think it was because he didn’t really suffer enough. We were told that he was down on his luck but that’s it. It just seemed like his served coffee and he suddenly overcame his past and his family’s name.
The side characters – I really liked Tally’s grandmother, Lex’s BFF and his parents, Travis and the other girl (can’t think of her name) that was like a little sister to Tally. I thought the scene with Tally’s mom in the grandma’s house was pointless. We already knew his mom was a POS for kicking Tally out. So, I found myself more interesting in Brock and Drew more than Tally. I wanted to know more about their life. I was rooting for Drew. I have no idea exactly what I was rooting for with him…IDK, to come out of the closet and get a man. Drew had a crush on Tally back in the day and he had a current crush of Lex there’s so many ways that could’ve played out. And, Brock, why so angry? I really believe he was jealous of Lex and thought Lex stole Tally away. Brock seemed to have some not so friendly feelings towards Tally. Jealously and self-hate is a deadly combo. I think he was so deep in the closet that he almost reached Narnia. Did anyone else find it strange that Brock was hitting on underage girls and no one said anything? It seems like a known thing around town too.
August 24, 2012
I've always been a fan of M.J. O'Shea's books and Coming Home is no exception. This story had the perfect amount of sweet, intense and sexy to it. It's a bit angsty and a bit frustrating but overall I really enjoyed it.
One thing I loved about this book was how Tally used to bully Lex in high school. Lex hated Tally and Tally was a complete asshole to him. It was heartbreaking but years later when they finally meet again it's like a role reversal where Lex is the asshole to Tally. Lex is bitter and angry still about what Tally constantly did to him in high school but he's also attracted to Tally. Soon, Lex realizes Tally isn't the same teenager he was and understands that Tally has grown up, experienced the hardships of life and soon starts to like this new and improved Tally. I also got some perverse joy out of the fact Tally is broke and homeless while Lex has the money and good life.
The intensity between them is amazing because of the way Lex tries to come to terms with the new Tally and the old Tally. There's also the fact Tally is Lex's employee which makes Lex very uncomfortable. Another thing I loved is the mistakes Tally made in that town before weren't just forgotten but were actually held against him to the point he had to win everyone back, so to speak.
While I really liked the story and how it developed, I got frustrated by the last third or so of the book. Actually, I was more pissed off at Tally than frustrated. He acted like a complete idiot and asshole all over again and it really annoyed me. The way he treated Lex and essentially didn't give a shit about Lex's feelings when it came to Tally's "friends" really got on my nerves. I wished Lex would have made Tally grovel a bit more. As it was, that final conflict dampened my enjoyment of the story. However, while the conflict annoyed me, I will say that it satisfied my curiosity of whether or not Tally would revert back to his old ways if given the chance. Unfortunately, it also made me think less of Tally.
Overall, the story ended on a sweet note. I actually gave a goofy smile because the last scene is absolutely adorable. The passion between Lex and Tally is hot and sweet and the secondary characters made the story both fun and humorous. I'm looking forward to the sequel with Drew and Mason (even though Drew is part of the reason for the last conflict).
One thing I loved about this book was how Tally used to bully Lex in high school. Lex hated Tally and Tally was a complete asshole to him. It was heartbreaking but years later when they finally meet again it's like a role reversal where Lex is the asshole to Tally. Lex is bitter and angry still about what Tally constantly did to him in high school but he's also attracted to Tally. Soon, Lex realizes Tally isn't the same teenager he was and understands that Tally has grown up, experienced the hardships of life and soon starts to like this new and improved Tally. I also got some perverse joy out of the fact Tally is broke and homeless while Lex has the money and good life.
The intensity between them is amazing because of the way Lex tries to come to terms with the new Tally and the old Tally. There's also the fact Tally is Lex's employee which makes Lex very uncomfortable. Another thing I loved is the mistakes Tally made in that town before weren't just forgotten but were actually held against him to the point he had to win everyone back, so to speak.
While I really liked the story and how it developed, I got frustrated by the last third or so of the book. Actually, I was more pissed off at Tally than frustrated. He acted like a complete idiot and asshole all over again and it really annoyed me. The way he treated Lex and essentially didn't give a shit about Lex's feelings when it came to Tally's "friends" really got on my nerves. I wished Lex would have made Tally grovel a bit more. As it was, that final conflict dampened my enjoyment of the story. However, while the conflict annoyed me, I will say that it satisfied my curiosity of whether or not Tally would revert back to his old ways if given the chance. Unfortunately, it also made me think less of Tally.
Overall, the story ended on a sweet note. I actually gave a goofy smile because the last scene is absolutely adorable. The passion between Lex and Tally is hot and sweet and the secondary characters made the story both fun and humorous. I'm looking forward to the sequel with Drew and Mason (even though Drew is part of the reason for the last conflict).
October 18, 2016
3.5 stars!
Rating Coming Home turns out to be very difficult. I really love O’Shea as an author and I normally think that she is able to write great enemies-to-lovers stories and when I started reading Coming Home I knew immediately that this story would have tons of potential.
Tally Carrington has been super-famous in high-school due to his father’s position in the small town of Rock Bay and he has been the nightmare of Lex, who suffered from Tally’s bullying during many months. When Tally is at the lowest moment of his life and has no other possibility than coming back to Rock Bay, Lex is willing to offer Tally a job in his coffee house.
And from that moment on, I was basically waiting for strong feelings of anger and resentment that might slowly be transformed into forgiveness and renewed attraction. Unfortunately, this step has been skipped and we are going over to the forgiveness quite quickly, which made the relationship-building between Tally and Lex a little boring and far from a good enemies-to-lovers plot.
I do liked the moment Tally’s past came back into the picture, not only by the appearance of his mother, but also by the contact to his old bully-friends. O’Shea handled Lex’s disappointment nicely and I really started caring about their relationship at that moment. I all in all really enjoyed this story, but I’m pretty sure that it could have been better!.
Rating Coming Home turns out to be very difficult. I really love O’Shea as an author and I normally think that she is able to write great enemies-to-lovers stories and when I started reading Coming Home I knew immediately that this story would have tons of potential.
Tally Carrington has been super-famous in high-school due to his father’s position in the small town of Rock Bay and he has been the nightmare of Lex, who suffered from Tally’s bullying during many months. When Tally is at the lowest moment of his life and has no other possibility than coming back to Rock Bay, Lex is willing to offer Tally a job in his coffee house.
And from that moment on, I was basically waiting for strong feelings of anger and resentment that might slowly be transformed into forgiveness and renewed attraction. Unfortunately, this step has been skipped and we are going over to the forgiveness quite quickly, which made the relationship-building between Tally and Lex a little boring and far from a good enemies-to-lovers plot.
I do liked the moment Tally’s past came back into the picture, not only by the appearance of his mother, but also by the contact to his old bully-friends. O’Shea handled Lex’s disappointment nicely and I really started caring about their relationship at that moment. I all in all really enjoyed this story, but I’m pretty sure that it could have been better!.
did-not-finish
July 4, 2023DNF @ 21%. No rating.
I'm not pleased because the story blurb seems to be set up to create certain expectations that weren't met but I can't tell if it was a deliberate act of false advertising or if I made assumptions that I shouldn't have so I'm not going to rate this.
So the summary includes this: 'Tallis is dead broke, newly homeless, and on the walk of shame to end all walks of shame. He needs money and needs it fast, and Rock Bay is the only home he knows. But the people of Rock Bay haven't forgotten him-or the spoiled brat he used to be. The only person in town willing to overlook his past is Lex, the new coffee shop owner, who offers Tally a job...'
This implies that 1) Tally is in a dire financial situation and it seems to be recent and b) that the only person who is willing to stand between Tally and homelessness is Lex. This was great! I assumed this scenario would lead to Lex playing a big role in helping Tally, which would have created lots of hurt/comfort scenarios and provided an even bigger reversal of their power dynamics from high school. But it turns out that Tally is only homeless for a few hours because the whole reason he returns to his hometown is because his grandma agrees to let him live with her. She's happy to take care of him so his financial problems are resolved immediately. The story blurb completely hides this fact which is unfortunate because Tally's desperate situation was one of my interests in the story.
Another assumption I made was that Tally had only recently fallen on hard times so he would spend the book struggling to come to terms with his changing circumstances. But it turns out that Tally's left his family behind over a decade ago and he's gotten accustomed to living in a much lower social class than he did during high school. The blurb does mention that Tally is broke 'ten years later' but again, this felt misleading because it doesn't indicate that Tally has been living paycheque to paycheque for most of those ten years. This meant that none of the financial-related issues that I wanted to see were going to be included in the story.
My other interest was connected to the bully redemption arc where I assumed Tally and Lex's former bully/victim relationship would play a big role in their new dynamic as employee/employer. I loved the idea of the power dynamic between them having flipped from high school to the present and it would have been a very unique enemies-to-lovers scenario. Unfortunately, Tally doesn't even recognize Lex and nobody around them (including Lex, Lex's sister or Lex's best friend) tells Tally who Lex really is, so it's not actually an enemies-to-lovers scenario at all. As far as Tally's concerned, Lex is just a bit grumpy and hates Tally's family's history just like the rest of the town does, which made their interactions boring. I have no doubt the author is saving the reveal of Lex and Tally's past for later but it wasn't what I wanted.
Another misleading part of the summary is where the author says that 'the people of Rock Bay haven't forgotten him-or the spoiled brat he used to be'. That's true...except they seem to hate Tally purely because of what his father had done, not because of Tally having been a spoiled, entitled brat who ran around being a nuisance and bully. This felt like a bait and switch because it meant the treatment from the townspeople made Tally seem like a victim who was being unfairly blamed for his father's problems. Once again, this wasn't what I wanted and it was another example of the author taking the boring route instead of the more interesting one.
The book is also moving way too slowly with the author adding in tons of filler material. There are lots of irrelevant details, like the food Tally's grandma cooks for him and their options for movie night. Then there's a lengthy scene where Lex goes to do some painting repairs at his parents' house and the only point of the scene is that Lex doesn't tell them he's hired anybody yet (ie he doesn't tell them about Tally). There was no reason for Lex not to tell them and obviously, he will later but once again, it felt like the author was saving this bit of conflict for later. The problem is that the author seems to saving everything for later and that's making the story boring. I read a fifth of it and barely anything interesting happened. Not to mention that by Lex not telling his parents during the painting scene, that entire scene felt like pointless filler because there's going to be another scene in the future where he does tell them.
In addition, I found his female BFF incredibly annoying (as usual) because her only purpose was to constantly pop up and dig her nose into Lex's love life. If I could remove all of these annoying female side characters from MM romance, I would.
Lastly, I skimmed other people's reviews and I know that Tally's actions in the last part would irritate me to the point of ruining the story for me. Based on that and everything else, there's little chance that I'll enjoy it so I'll move onto something else.
I'm not pleased because the story blurb seems to be set up to create certain expectations that weren't met but I can't tell if it was a deliberate act of false advertising or if I made assumptions that I shouldn't have so I'm not going to rate this.
So the summary includes this: 'Tallis is dead broke, newly homeless, and on the walk of shame to end all walks of shame. He needs money and needs it fast, and Rock Bay is the only home he knows. But the people of Rock Bay haven't forgotten him-or the spoiled brat he used to be. The only person in town willing to overlook his past is Lex, the new coffee shop owner, who offers Tally a job...'
This implies that 1) Tally is in a dire financial situation and it seems to be recent and b) that the only person who is willing to stand between Tally and homelessness is Lex. This was great! I assumed this scenario would lead to Lex playing a big role in helping Tally, which would have created lots of hurt/comfort scenarios and provided an even bigger reversal of their power dynamics from high school. But it turns out that Tally is only homeless for a few hours because the whole reason he returns to his hometown is because his grandma agrees to let him live with her. She's happy to take care of him so his financial problems are resolved immediately. The story blurb completely hides this fact which is unfortunate because Tally's desperate situation was one of my interests in the story.
Another assumption I made was that Tally had only recently fallen on hard times so he would spend the book struggling to come to terms with his changing circumstances. But it turns out that Tally's left his family behind over a decade ago and he's gotten accustomed to living in a much lower social class than he did during high school. The blurb does mention that Tally is broke 'ten years later' but again, this felt misleading because it doesn't indicate that Tally has been living paycheque to paycheque for most of those ten years. This meant that none of the financial-related issues that I wanted to see were going to be included in the story.
My other interest was connected to the bully redemption arc where I assumed Tally and Lex's former bully/victim relationship would play a big role in their new dynamic as employee/employer. I loved the idea of the power dynamic between them having flipped from high school to the present and it would have been a very unique enemies-to-lovers scenario. Unfortunately, Tally doesn't even recognize Lex and nobody around them (including Lex, Lex's sister or Lex's best friend) tells Tally who Lex really is, so it's not actually an enemies-to-lovers scenario at all. As far as Tally's concerned, Lex is just a bit grumpy and hates Tally's family's history just like the rest of the town does, which made their interactions boring. I have no doubt the author is saving the reveal of Lex and Tally's past for later but it wasn't what I wanted.
Another misleading part of the summary is where the author says that 'the people of Rock Bay haven't forgotten him-or the spoiled brat he used to be'. That's true...except they seem to hate Tally purely because of what his father had done, not because of Tally having been a spoiled, entitled brat who ran around being a nuisance and bully. This felt like a bait and switch because it meant the treatment from the townspeople made Tally seem like a victim who was being unfairly blamed for his father's problems. Once again, this wasn't what I wanted and it was another example of the author taking the boring route instead of the more interesting one.
The book is also moving way too slowly with the author adding in tons of filler material. There are lots of irrelevant details, like the food Tally's grandma cooks for him and their options for movie night. Then there's a lengthy scene where Lex goes to do some painting repairs at his parents' house and the only point of the scene is that Lex doesn't tell them he's hired anybody yet (ie he doesn't tell them about Tally). There was no reason for Lex not to tell them and obviously, he will later but once again, it felt like the author was saving this bit of conflict for later. The problem is that the author seems to saving everything for later and that's making the story boring. I read a fifth of it and barely anything interesting happened. Not to mention that by Lex not telling his parents during the painting scene, that entire scene felt like pointless filler because there's going to be another scene in the future where he does tell them.
In addition, I found his female BFF incredibly annoying (as usual) because her only purpose was to constantly pop up and dig her nose into Lex's love life. If I could remove all of these annoying female side characters from MM romance, I would.
Lastly, I skimmed other people's reviews and I know that Tally's actions in the last part would irritate me to the point of ruining the story for me. Based on that and everything else, there's little chance that I'll enjoy it so I'll move onto something else.
April 20, 2015
I really loved Tal and Lex's story. I will agree with others that the last part of the book seemed very out of character for the Tal that we got to know, but I still loved it! Great storyline, great characters, great sexy times. Can't wait to read the rest of the series :)
August 17, 2012
This was a good story that derailed for me in final hour. I could have done without the last third of the book and this would have shot up in my rating.
I really enjoyed reading about Tally and Lex. I wish that Lex had given Tally more guff for his treatment of him back in highschool, I thought he got off easy for some of the truly horrific things that he pulled back then. That being said I really liked the new and improved Tally that we got to see, it was just the flashbacks that were killer.
This was a sweet frenemy love story but I lost a lot of respect for both characters after the whole Brock debacle:
This wasn't a bad story but it was a disappointing one and that's too bad because there were a lot of things I really liked about it. I just wished I could have liked it more.
I really enjoyed reading about Tally and Lex. I wish that Lex had given Tally more guff for his treatment of him back in highschool, I thought he got off easy for some of the truly horrific things that he pulled back then. That being said I really liked the new and improved Tally that we got to see, it was just the flashbacks that were killer.
This was a sweet frenemy love story but I lost a lot of respect for both characters after the whole Brock debacle:
This wasn't a bad story but it was a disappointing one and that's too bad because there were a lot of things I really liked about it. I just wished I could have liked it more.
April 27, 2012
This was a fairly gentle read about the ex bully comming good. I liked Tally (when he wasn't being a pratt), and Lex.
The back story of Tally's father was not the big drama I was expecting and Tally's mothers part in the story felt too much like padding. Never really understood why she would return to a town she left just to try and control a son she clearly didn't want. Then she just vanishes again. Maybe we could of had a little more insight to Tallys youth to get the point across that his mother put doubts and insecurities into his head, instead of her just turning up out of the blue the way she did.
But the story of Lex and Tally was told well. I certainly felt Lex's fears and worries when Brock turns up on the scene, and if I could I would of bashed Tally myself for being such a jerk. Overall a 3.5 that I'm gonna push up to a 4.
The back story of Tally's father was not the big drama I was expecting and Tally's mothers part in the story felt too much like padding. Never really understood why she would return to a town she left just to try and control a son she clearly didn't want. Then she just vanishes again. Maybe we could of had a little more insight to Tallys youth to get the point across that his mother put doubts and insecurities into his head, instead of her just turning up out of the blue the way she did.
But the story of Lex and Tally was told well. I certainly felt Lex's fears and worries when Brock turns up on the scene, and if I could I would of bashed Tally myself for being such a jerk. Overall a 3.5 that I'm gonna push up to a 4.
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dnf
June 16, 2021Dnf @ 38%
At first I liked the underdog story of the former bully Tallis and looked forward to a good redemption arc. But as the story progressed it didn't manage to hold my attention and one of my pet peeves emerged. The nosy best friend who throw childish tantrums if they are not told all the intimate relationship details by the MC. It's not the only reason why this book didn't work for me, more like many little things that worked against me than any one major issue.
At first I liked the underdog story of the former bully Tallis and looked forward to a good redemption arc. But as the story progressed it didn't manage to hold my attention and one of my pet peeves emerged. The nosy best friend who throw childish tantrums if they are not told all the intimate relationship details by the MC. It's not the only reason why this book didn't work for me, more like many little things that worked against me than any one major issue.
December 25, 2014
this book touch a nerve because I have no tolerance for bullying.
Tallis Carrington was King of Rock Bay, son of the Mayor, son of the elite and star athlete, where James Alexis Barry was a purging freshman whom Tallis called ""butter". Tallis and his jock homies terrorized the "nerdy kids", dunking them in toilets, tying them up on poles and other such demeaning treatments through high school.
I liked a Tally, but I couldn't get over Tallis. I just couldn't get over his chip on his shoulder when he was the one life crapped on. Tallis didn't take time to truly appreciate for 3 years, his treatment of others altered the course and memories of their high school years.
After a scandal forced the Carringtons to move from town, Tallis moved to Seattle. Years later, hard economic times forced Talis to move back to Rock Bay and his grandma's house. None of the people in town wanted anything to do with Tally except Lex, who gave Tally a job, and a change to show the town that a Tally is a changed man.
Alexis/Lex is a wonderful compassionate forgiving human being. Amazing. His family too. I'm humbled by their capacity to love, tolerate and accept. No wonder Lex was able to make it through and still be a decent business owner.
December 17, 2018
I'm a bit of a sucker for the enemy to lover trope. I love seeing the underdog get his day and his man especially when said man was his nemesis in the past, it always makes for great ST and sizzling chemistry! Tally and Lex are no exception and make for a hot pairing. Tally redeems himself nicely and Lex is just an absolute sweetie. I loved the scenes together in the coffee shop, seeing Tally break down Lex's defences whilst at the same time watching Lex make Tally sweat a bit till they both finally give in to their attraction that ultimately becomes love was brilliant. There is a nice bit of angst thrown in to keep the story rolling and some good secondary characters who add to the mix. I loved this book and will read it again so its now ensconced in my keepers. Nice one MJ!
May 6, 2013
High school bully makes good! I believe this is the first book on that topic I have read. I enjoyed it! The bully (Tallis) had to win me over and then the bullied (Lex) had to lighten up a little, but it all came together in the end.
Recommended for those that like the enemies to lovers genre! This is right up your ally.
Recommended for those that like the enemies to lovers genre! This is right up your ally.
July 11, 2012
When I started reading this book I wasn’t sure if this would be a book I could like. I’m not a big fan of redemption stories I really don’t see how someone who was traumatized by bullies could end up forgiving and loving that bully. But somewhere along the way I changed my mind and I fell in love with Lex and Tally.
This turned out to be a beautiful love story that was sweet but at times frustrating. I loved that it wasn’t an instant love with these two but a slow build that showed the great chemistry between them. I was confused by the introduction of the Tally’s mother, there was very little said about her in the beginning but she ended up having a big part near the end that really went nowhere and wasn’t that important to the story but putting that aside I did enjoy this read and would love to have a book about Drew and Mason but please don’t forget to include Tally and Lex more of these two would be great!
This turned out to be a beautiful love story that was sweet but at times frustrating. I loved that it wasn’t an instant love with these two but a slow build that showed the great chemistry between them. I was confused by the introduction of the Tally’s mother, there was very little said about her in the beginning but she ended up having a big part near the end that really went nowhere and wasn’t that important to the story but putting that aside I did enjoy this read and would love to have a book about Drew and Mason but please don’t forget to include Tally and Lex more of these two would be great!
April 23, 2015
Sweet love story that got a little wonky towards the last 15% but Tallis & Lex figured it out into a HEA. What potential readers can look foward too: a great storyline, some smexy parts, sprinkle dashes of possessiveness and awesome characters. I look forward to the next in the series.
June 15, 2022
Not bad. I wasn't crazy about the former-bully part, but Tally was really charming so he won me over. Kind of like most of the people in the town. the break-up was completely understandable,a nd in the real world, I really doubt these two would make it to their third month, let alone longer than that. But this is fiction, and mildly-angsty romance at that, so...I'll allow it. I think my next book either needs to be straight-up (ha ha!) pwp or something a little more serious. Or maybe a bit of both. Hunh, wonder if I have anything like that on my TBR for this month. I'm open to suggestions, my friends, always!
June 15, 2021
I loved the first 3/4 of this book. It was definitely a four or 5 star read. Then all the stupid stuff with Brock happened. It didn’t make any sense. The ending was so bad that I gave it 2 stars. So I averaged it out to three.
September 24, 2013
I've never read the whole falling in love and forgiving the person who bullied you in high school plot before. I do wish there would have been more grovelling on Tally's behalf because what he did to Lex when he was younger was appalling. But I am a big believe of karma, and karma really did bite Tally in the ass after he left town when he was younger.
But even though there were a few plot consistencies, I still enjoyed this and their relationship nonetheless. I still don't entirely understand why Tally acted like such an ass to Lex and treated him the way he did when he claimed he was so in love him. I wanted to kick his ass for it especially because he knew how much he was hurting Lex and how much Lex loves him.
I know this story is more focused on Tally and forgiving him for being a bully as a teenager, and understanding his need to belong as an adult but it was Lex who stole the show for me. It was just lovely to read about a character who knows who he is and he isn't afraid of being knowing for it. He's comfortable with who he is. He isn't in the closet and he doesn't pretend he likes females just because there are some assholes in their small town.
I really liked Drew's character, aside from the fact that what he asked Tally to do was stupid and nearly ruined Tally and Lex's relationship.
I can't wait to read Drew and Mason's book!
But even though there were a few plot consistencies, I still enjoyed this and their relationship nonetheless. I still don't entirely understand why Tally acted like such an ass to Lex and treated him the way he did when he claimed he was so in love him. I wanted to kick his ass for it especially because he knew how much he was hurting Lex and how much Lex loves him.
I know this story is more focused on Tally and forgiving him for being a bully as a teenager, and understanding his need to belong as an adult but it was Lex who stole the show for me. It was just lovely to read about a character who knows who he is and he isn't afraid of being knowing for it. He's comfortable with who he is. He isn't in the closet and he doesn't pretend he likes females just because there are some assholes in their small town.
I really liked Drew's character, aside from the fact that what he asked Tally to do was stupid and nearly ruined Tally and Lex's relationship.
I can't wait to read Drew and Mason's book!
July 16, 2012
3.5 Stars
I absolutely loved the first half of this story. The getting to know the characters, the attraction, the tension. Then the revelation of knowing each other in school and why they acted the way they did. It progressed into this wonderful and delightful relationship that I really enjoyed watching grow.
Then the whole story went wrong for me. I couldnt understand why the author introduced this conflict that had no reasoning behind it, hell the characters didnt know why they were acting like they did. To begin with Tal acted like a moron and never explained why he went off with his former buddies, putting his relationship LAST not FIRST - then Lex acted like a moron and never explained why he didnt just talk it over with Tal because he wanted to forgive him.
I dont want people reading this to think that the book is not worth reading. It definately is!! I just personally found it a bit of a disappointment because this story could of got an easy 5 stars from me. Everyone reads a book differently and what really bugs me might not be that big of a deal for you. So I recommend reading this book and forming your on conclusions.
I absolutely loved the first half of this story. The getting to know the characters, the attraction, the tension. Then the revelation of knowing each other in school and why they acted the way they did. It progressed into this wonderful and delightful relationship that I really enjoyed watching grow.
Then the whole story went wrong for me. I couldnt understand why the author introduced this conflict that had no reasoning behind it, hell the characters didnt know why they were acting like they did. To begin with Tal acted like a moron and never explained why he went off with his former buddies, putting his relationship LAST not FIRST - then Lex acted like a moron and never explained why he didnt just talk it over with Tal because he wanted to forgive him.
I dont want people reading this to think that the book is not worth reading. It definately is!! I just personally found it a bit of a disappointment because this story could of got an easy 5 stars from me. Everyone reads a book differently and what really bugs me might not be that big of a deal for you. So I recommend reading this book and forming your on conclusions.
September 17, 2012
3.5 stars rounded up to 4 because the half is important. :P
I'll start by saying that I've enjoyed all the books that I've read by this author and this book was no exception. With that being said, I thought this was a slooooooooow starter. I felt like the little engine that could, chugging up hill. Granted, I understood why so much time was being taken to build the MCs together based on their history but, guh. Endurance is the key here folks. Don't forget to hydrate.
I liked both Tally and Lex. I did think
Overall, a solid read. I'm curious to see if we get a book for Drew- I quite liked him.
(b)
I'll start by saying that I've enjoyed all the books that I've read by this author and this book was no exception. With that being said, I thought this was a slooooooooow starter. I felt like the little engine that could, chugging up hill. Granted, I understood why so much time was being taken to build the MCs together based on their history but, guh. Endurance is the key here folks. Don't forget to hydrate.
I liked both Tally and Lex. I did think
Overall, a solid read. I'm curious to see if we get a book for Drew- I quite liked him.
(b)
April 30, 2012
2.5*
Up to 67% this was a 5* read for me. Poor Tally having to return to his hometown with no achievement whatsoever in his life. Then he started working and it was a bit of a long stretch this not-recognizing of Lex, but nevertheless the whole story was a very good read. Well, until the mom reappeared and I couldn't understand that part of the story whatsoever. She threw her son out of her life, had no contact and out of the blue she visits and issued demands towards Tally? Sad to say, it just went downhill from that on. The whole storyline with Brock and Drew was just totally harebrained; I simply couldn't follow the rift between Tally and Lex. I think this story would have been a lot better with about 50 pages less. A nice HEA after the hospital stay - which was another WTH moment, first Lex is in the ICU, but a few hours later he could go home??? - would have been welcomed by this reader.
Up to 67% this was a 5* read for me. Poor Tally having to return to his hometown with no achievement whatsoever in his life. Then he started working and it was a bit of a long stretch this not-recognizing of Lex, but nevertheless the whole story was a very good read. Well, until the mom reappeared and I couldn't understand that part of the story whatsoever. She threw her son out of her life, had no contact and out of the blue she visits and issued demands towards Tally? Sad to say, it just went downhill from that on. The whole storyline with Brock and Drew was just totally harebrained; I simply couldn't follow the rift between Tally and Lex. I think this story would have been a lot better with about 50 pages less. A nice HEA after the hospital stay - which was another WTH moment, first Lex is in the ICU, but a few hours later he could go home??? - would have been welcomed by this reader.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 14, 2012
Coming Home
M.J. O'Shea is a fantastic author, the character developement and plot are well written. The words flowed so well that I couldn't put this book down.
This is a story of two men one was the bully and the other was the one being bullied. You see and feel the tension and the build up of a new romance starting. Can Lex forgive and forget and try to understand Tallis actions when he was younger. Can he see past his own hurt and forgive Tallis?
It was hard at time reading this.....as I did get mad at Tallis and not sure if I could forgive him .....but I will try to move on.
This is a romance story about forgiveness and understanding that people do change.
M.J. O'Shea has once again written a great story, and would recommend this book to anyone who enjoy's m/m romance.
M.J. O'Shea is a fantastic author, the character developement and plot are well written. The words flowed so well that I couldn't put this book down.
This is a story of two men one was the bully and the other was the one being bullied. You see and feel the tension and the build up of a new romance starting. Can Lex forgive and forget and try to understand Tallis actions when he was younger. Can he see past his own hurt and forgive Tallis?
It was hard at time reading this.....as I did get mad at Tallis and not sure if I could forgive him .....but I will try to move on.
This is a romance story about forgiveness and understanding that people do change.
M.J. O'Shea has once again written a great story, and would recommend this book to anyone who enjoy's m/m romance.
June 12, 2012
Pretty solid contemporary romance, at least at first. It's well written, and the dynamic between the former bully and bullied is interesting.
What kind of ruined this otherwise enjoyable and relaxing read for me was
What kind of ruined this otherwise enjoyable and relaxing read for me was
July 16, 2015
3.5 Stars
This book started out so well! I thought I had a five star read.
The bully and the bullied start out a romance and there was angst and the tortured hero. A cool cafe with the two of them working in close proximity! I was really enjoing it! I thought yay I am going to enjoy this m/m romance so much!
But................
Bam it should have improved but the middle started to sag from there and sometimes the the conflicts seemed srather dumb and could have been avoided. Or simple talk with each other could have brought deeper understanding! I was hoping for a better conflict to compliment the other elements or devices used in the book.
I knocked off 1.5 stars for the extremely saggy middle!
This book started out so well! I thought I had a five star read.
The bully and the bullied start out a romance and there was angst and the tortured hero. A cool cafe with the two of them working in close proximity! I was really enjoing it! I thought yay I am going to enjoy this m/m romance so much!
But................
Bam it should have improved but the middle started to sag from there and sometimes the the conflicts seemed srather dumb and could have been avoided. Or simple talk with each other could have brought deeper understanding! I was hoping for a better conflict to compliment the other elements or devices used in the book.
I knocked off 1.5 stars for the extremely saggy middle!
June 21, 2012
I'm afraid I really didn't like this one. The blurb did sound promising but really disappointed. Someone who allegedly went through all these bad stuff Tally reveals you would expect him to have more edges and not mellow down. This would have made some great conflict for the story but unfortunatley the author chose the sugary way.
And then - the "prose" was childish as where the characters and dialogues. Who the hell talks and act like this around the age of 30?!?! They sounded and acted more like highschool kids.
I really had to force my way through this one and I finished it due to the fact that I don't like to not finish a book I started.
And then - the "prose" was childish as where the characters and dialogues. Who the hell talks and act like this around the age of 30?!?! They sounded and acted more like highschool kids.
I really had to force my way through this one and I finished it due to the fact that I don't like to not finish a book I started.
August 24, 2012
Predictable and filled with dialogues dripping with sap like nobody's business and yet I liked it and will continue reading more from O'Shea. Maybe it's because despite MCs that can't quite seem to talk to each other without spewing cringe-worthy, serenade-you-under-the-moonlight lines, the story still has that touch of innocent sweetness that still makes me wanna awww (quietly and with no one watching).
If you're reading O'Shea for the first time, though, it's better to start with her freebie Bridges before going into this.
If you're reading O'Shea for the first time, though, it's better to start with her freebie Bridges before going into this.
July 23, 2016
ETA 2014: I did end up rereading this to refresh myself before reading the next book in the series. I had the same issues : buying that teen Lex could really crush on the guy who treated him like shit, and then that grown up Tally would risk everything to
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