Realization

Delaney Duo #2

by Alie Nolan

Realization: I can’t keep pretending everything is fine.

Dylan isn’t as happy as he wants everyone to believe he is. He moved across the country for what he thought was his dream job, leaving his dad and best friend behind, but soon realizes the job doesn’t outweigh his desire to go back home. Encouraged by his best friend, as a way of meeting new people, he organizes a blind date for Valentine’s Day with a guy he met online. The last thing he expects is for his blind date to be his dad’s best friend.

Realization: I want the one thing I was sure I’d never want.

Russell has spent a long time pretending he’s not getting older, and acting like he’s still in his twenties. Now, in the latter half of his forties, and notoriously anti-relationship, he’s realizing he might want more than just one-night stands. A secret, long-distance relationship with his best friend’s son was not part of his plan though. Will the sneaking around and lying destroy his twenty-year-long friendship?

Realization is a 28K word MM romance which has Dad’s best friend/best friend’s son, steamy phone sex, and an awkward family dinner. This is the second of two books in the Delaney Duo series. It can be read as a standalone, but it’s more fun to read them in order.

Genres: M M Romance, Novella

79 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 12, 2021

About the author

Alie writes sweet and fluffy MM romance. Her favourite things to write about are NFL players and big queer families she wishes she could be a part of in real life. She lives in the UK with her husband and a Boston Terrier named Moo. She adores aquatic animals, is a huge fan of the New Orleans Saints, and spends most of her free time reading or painting her nails.

Facebook group: facebook.com/groups/alienolan
Newsletter sign-up: alienolan.com/newsletter

Reviews

[ML · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this age gap romance

This book moved at lightening speed but I loved every page. It was SO hot and Dylan is great with the dirty talk. Who knew?!? Loved this book as much as book 1.
Russell was the perfect match for Dylan. Their chemistry was off the charts!
Loved this low angst love story. Highly recommend.

[lakshmi · Rating 4 out of 5]

SOOO CUTEEE!!

this was absolutely adorable. I'm not one for insta love but its a novella and it just worked so i let it slide.
so story? well Dylan and Russel get set up on a blind date through a dating app and the relationship starts there. The twist? Russell happens to be Dylan's dad's bestfriend. I love this trope so much.

this was a very VERY quick read and I enjoyed every minute of it.4 stars for me.
****

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Omg YES! I’ve been waiting to read Dylan and Russell’s story ever since I read that epilogue in the first Delaney Duo book. This was everything I enjoy in an age gap and Dad’s best friend book. I just wish it was longer because I didn’t want it to end.

Russell (45) has known Dylan (23) all of his life because he’s been his dad’s best friend for over 20 years. He owns a company with him and has spent holidays with them for the longest time. Neither of the two ever looked at each other in a romantic way until they accidentally get matched together on an app called “Perfect Pair” and agree to a blind date.

...except they show up to the date and realize who their date is. They still have dinner and have a nice time, but the end of the date ends up with an accidental kiss and both end up not being able to get the kiss out of their head.

Dylan lives in New York and Russ lives in California so they end up on the phone a lot. Even though Dylan is the younger guy, he’s the initiator and takes charge and Russ loves it. Ooooh yes, and it was so hot. Who knew phone sex scenes could be so sexy?

They end up secretly dating for months and when Dylan decides to move back home to San Diego, we finally see where then epilogue from the last book left off. It was surprisingly happy with a minor freakout from Dylan’s dad, but he came around rather quickly. It made me super happy to see all 4 of the guys hanging out and being cute and couple-y in a double date sort of way. Just 2 sets of best friends, really.

Ugh, I just loved this. I was so sucked into this story. I’m gonna have to pick up more books from this author because she just had a way of reeling me in.

4.5⭐️ overall for this story.

[Rin (indefinite hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This and the novella prequel before this are the perfect short light read that gives you all the feels. And I am an absolute sucker for a good best friend’s dad/dad’s best friend age gap. New to me author and these little stories helped me get through a tough day! Definitely looking forward to more.

[Jacquie Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sequel

This is the sequel to Resolution and features a significant age gap.
It's cute. Dylan quickly comes to accept that he's bi and the age difference doesn't bother him either. Not going to lie, it bothered me a little which lost the star. Not because of the years but because Russell had known Dylan since he was an infant. Once I could put that aside I enjoyed it

[Akila · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a better instalment. Definitely steamier and also kinda sweet? I liked Dylan and Russell. Their relationship seemed more fluid than the first book felt.

[Manfred · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a surprisingly entertaining age gap story, part two of a series, but I had no problems to follow the story and main characters, without reading the previous one.
Maybe the age gap didn't get enough space here, it was more of a "he's my dad's best friend and if my dad finds out he will freak out" story.
Which was especially ridiculous because as it turned out, in the first installment Dylans dad Devon, started a relationship with Dylans best friend Sebastion (of course being half Devon's age as well). So this didn't make a lot of sense, but the "revelation" went quite well at the end and the whole story didn't have a lot of drama, everything went probably even a little too smooth and the book rushed to its happy end.
Russell the other main character was depicted as a fun guy, always looking for a hookup and not ready to settle down, but of course the moment those two met this changed in an instant.
Writing this review, I don't really find a lot of reasons, why I liked this so much, but as a matter of fact, I did. It really was a fun read and I had a good time reading it. Easily 3.5 stars for me.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great!

I was so glad to get more of the Delaney Duo! I loved Sebastion and Devon’s story, and I was left needing to know more about Dylan and Russ! I’m a big fan of age-gap romances, and this one delivered with a 22 year age gap. I also love the Father’s best friend dynamic and this one did not disappoint. I love how Dylan and Russ’s relationship unfolded. Their long-distance relationship brought on some super hot and sexy FaceTime calls that left me fanning myself! It was great getting a glimpse of Sebastion and Dylan again. Make sure you grab the short that ties it all together!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Age Gap Romance

I loved Devon and Sebastian's story so much in book 1 that I was eagerly anticipating Russell and Dylan's story! It was really good...with a 22 year age gap, a sexual awakening, father's best friend...it had some fabulous and very steamy FaceTime calls too as they navigated being located on opposite coasts. It did move at lightening speed, with a lot of things thrown into the story, but it all wrapped up very nicely at the end. I just wish it had been a little longer to develop some of themes more and so I could have read more about Russ and Dylan! Don't forget to grab the short to bring it all together.

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book two in this series, not quite as hot and intense as book one but still a really nice read, and there's one more to come. This is insta-love, age gap, and best friends son, how could I resist!! Russell and Dylan are sweet as heck and struggling with living a nation wide apart, plus nervous as to how Dylan's Dad , and Russell best friend, will react. A slightly longer read than the first story but still a shortish novella.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This follow-up novella to Resolution is well written and both spicy and sweet. I've been waiting for Russell and Dylan's story since the mic drop epilogue in the first book in the Delaney Duo. They were so good together, and I enjoyed this story so much.

[D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tidak semenarik buku pertama dan rada aneh juga di sini Dylan yang digambarkan sebagai seorang twink itu jadi top dan Russell yang badannya lebih "gagah" dan jauh lebih tua jadi bottom. Karakternya Dylan kurang cocok digambarkan sebagai seorang yang lebih dominan di dalam hubungan mereka.

[Brey (lil Sebastian) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another cute little novella that was really good. I liked how natural the relationships in both this and the first book felt. Yes there was a weee bit of insta lust but it felt believable. Great finish to the duology and nice to see Dylan and Russ get their happily ever after.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

I loved this series. I would love to see Dylan and Russell get married and more of both couples. A third book would be awesome!

[Simone · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 stars

[Shawna (endemictoearth) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can’t decide if this is less believable bc of the first book or not. The odds are pretty slim that it would work out that perfectly, but this was marginally a better book.

[MacTíre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lepší než první díl.

[Nix Buttons · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. While the setup is cringy with the father in love with the son's best friend and the son in love with the father's best friend, I actually really enjoyed this. It was sweet.