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The Right One

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Listening Length: 7 hours and 46 minutes.

Wrong never felt so right.

Morgan Cantrell is a survivor. After running away from an abusive husband, he’s finally divorced and starting over, but it’s hard. Of course he doesn’t mean to set off the smoke detectors in the building or short out the electricity in his apartment. Mistakes happen. The last thing he wants is to draw the attention of his growly, moody-ass super. Every time they meet, it’s like oil and water - they just don’t mix.

Leo DeLuca learned at an early age that the people who are supposed to love you only hurt you. He’s happy to keep to himself, but the walking disaster of a new tenant in 5C won’t stop getting in his way and into his business. They can’t even speak to each other without arguing, but Leo has to admit - it’s kind of a turn on. That must be the reason why he can’t stop thinking about the guy in 5C. Or wanting to touch him. But hell, no. That would be a mistake.

One kiss leads to an explosive night both men fight to forget - after all, Leo has nothing in common with the sweet kindergarten teacher while Morgan is looking for a happily ever after he knows Leo can’t give. Yet it’s Morgan who Leo leans on to help deal with his painful past, and Leo is the key to unlocking Morgan’s inner strength.

Trusting someone is never easy, but it might be the only way they discover that everything they think is wrong about each other, could be everything that's right.

8 pages, Audible Audio

First published April 14, 2021

137 people are currently reading
488 people want to read

About the author

Felice Stevens

89 books1,717 followers
Felice Stevens writes romance because what is better than people falling in love? Her favorite part of a romance novel is that first kiss…sigh. She loves creating stories of hopes and dreams and happily ever afters. Her stories are character-driven, rich with the sights, sounds and flavors of New York City and filled with men who are sometimes deeply flawed but always real.

Felice writes M/M romance because she believes that everyone deserves a happily ever after. Having traveled all over the world, she can safely say that the universal language that unites people is love. Felice has written in a variety of sub-genres, including contemporary, paranormal and has a mystery series as well.

Felice is a two-time Lambda Literary Award nominee and the Lambda award-winner for Best Gay Romance for her book, The Ghost and Charlie Muir, as well as the e-Lit gold medal winner in romance for Broken Silence.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 169 reviews
Profile Image for Carol [Goodreads Addict].
3,033 reviews25.3k followers
April 8, 2021
The Right One is a stand alone romance by Felice Stevens. This is the story of two men, both maybe a bit damaged, neither of them looking for anything. But when they find each other, they found their missing piece, the one they didn’t even realize was lost!



Morgan Cantrell is thirty years old, a kindergarten teacher and a kind, good man. One year ago, Morgan fled from an abusive marriage. He’s now divorced, has a restraining order against his ex, and is just now moving in to his first apartment alone, apartment 5c. The minute he meets the building’s super, he feels a mixture of fear, attraction and annoyance, all at the same time.



“Poking Morgan was fast becoming one of his favorite pastimes.”

Leo DeLuca started out his life with a loving father. But he lost him at a young age. The rest of Leo’s childhood left him broken. He feels like there is something missing inside of him. Something that makes it impossible to commit to anyone. Leo bought the apartment building and plans to rehab it. He lives in one of the apartments and also takes care of all the daily issues. The minute Morgan walked into his building, he felt it. That attraction. But it didn’t take him long to realize that Morgan was a walking disaster. It seemed like his goal in life was to destroy the building. The two of them didn’t seem to be able to be anywhere near each other without taking a verbal swipe at one another. But underneath all that annoying animosity, that chemistry sizzled, until they could no longer fight it.



“Leo had spent his life in winter, and Morgan’s kiss was his spring awakening.”

Leo doesn’t do relationships. All he wants is someone to blow off some steam with. And Morgan just isn’t made to do casual. Still, these two just can’t stay away from each other. Leo, who doesn’t share anything with anyone, finds himself telling Morgan his deepest secrets. And Leo helps Morgan to see the man he has become, someone brave and strong. A survivor.

“I need all of you, the ugly parts as well as the perfect.”



Once again, Felice has put together two men who at first sight seemed completely mismatched. But once the outer layers begin to fall away, you see that they are just what each other needs. Their perfect match. I just loved watching their transformation, especially Morgan. I was just so proud of that man!

“The man was a fever in his blood he had no desire to cure.”



This was a wonderful book. I was afraid it might be too angsty but it wasn’t. It was sweet, sexy and made me smile. As always, I can’t wait to see what Felice is going to do next!

For more about this book and so many others, come and visit me at Carol's Crazy Bookish World.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Carol...

Profile Image for Snjez.
1,021 reviews1,032 followers
dnf
May 25, 2021
dnf @ 24%

I was really intrigued by the premise and the beginning seemed promising, but the story is not going the way I expected and the writing style is not working for me.

The characters don't feel real to me and the dialogues are very awkward. I expected a heart-warming hurt/comfort story, but this is not it. They are just checking each other out and acting weird.

On the side note,
Profile Image for ♡ cal ♡.
759 reviews340 followers
May 17, 2021
trigger warning: domestic abuse

"What're you looking for?" Their foreheads touched, and Morgan fell into the endless blue of Leo's eyes.
"I'm not looking for anything. What I want is exactly what's right in front of me."
Leo's hot breath hit his cheek. "You've got me."

Goodness gracious, I may have ascended to heaven after reading this. I was browsing for a good story from Felice Stevens and got lost because I don't where to begin so I told myself why not start with her latest. Boy oh boy! This book floored me. This is a story about Morgan and Leo both whom are victims of abuse. Morgan currently divorced his abusive husband while Leo was literally the punching bag of his step-father while he was child. Both are cagey with their emotions and when they met, they were in this endless cycle of friends-enemies. The story, at best, is a solid 4 stars but the joy and warmth this book gave me was just so immense that I have to give it 5 stars. Great character development for these two characters as they learned through out the story the importance of letting people in and having someone to share the hurt and pain. The romance is just top tier. My mouth and cheeks hurt so much as I write this because I was literally grinning and smiling all through out. When I realized that Leo is a big softie under all that possessive/arrogant act, it was definitely over for me. When he said this to Morgan, I immediately put the book down to contain myself:

"No good boyfriend would let you go home alone. I have my bike, so you're coming with me. I mean...." He huffed out an exasperated breath. "I'd really like to take you home. If you'll let me."


You guys don't know the number of breaks that I took when I was reading this.
Profile Image for Susan.
2,349 reviews457 followers
dnf
August 23, 2021
Time of death 11%

I hate Leo. He's nasty and unkind. And he treats Morgan like shit.
And instead of Morgan calling him out on that, he feels attracted to the ass.

Being called stupid doesn't quite sound like 'I love you' to me. 🤔
Profile Image for Lelyana's Reviews.
3,412 reviews400 followers
April 16, 2021



LEO



MORGAN




This book is one of the hardest to review, because I loved it too much. And I told Felice the other day, that Morgan is my spirit animal. And Leo cannot surpasses him, because without Morgan, Leo is definitely loss.

I loved this story too much, Felice delivering the fun side of her through Morgan and Leo.

The day Leo met Morgan, everything went wrong, or so he they thought. Always in denial these two. But as much as they said they're wrong to each other, they're absolutely right for each other.
I loved the snark, especially when Morgan told Leo , " Seems like you have all my life planned" , when they're arguing :)

The Right One is the right book for you if you need something low angst from Felice, a fun one, with a snarky Morgan and grumpy Leo. What a pair huh?
Recommended!
Profile Image for Kaity.
1,982 reviews24 followers
January 17, 2023
3.5-4 stars

well this was an unexpected surprise. i think Kale Williams really helped make this book better, his narrations were amazing.

i think that Morgan and Leo at the beginning had a little too much push pull in the relationship since Leo was so hot and cold. Luckily Leo got his head out of his ass and started being more hot haha.There is definitely a trigger for abusive relationships (parental and spousal, and it will be both verbal and physical abuse), i thought it was done in a way were it wasn't too much but you felt for the characters and were happy that they had each other to lean on.

I think like previous Felice Steven's books i have read there was some missing parts that i can't quite put my finger on but i think there was something missing from making this a 4.5-5 star read.

But this is one of the better Felice Steven's books i have read, i am excited to read more of her books this year!
Profile Image for Debra ~~ seriously slacking on her reviews ~~.
2,235 reviews260 followers
April 13, 2021
4.5 stars

Opposites attract with sizzling chemistry!

Leo is shut down so tight even his best friend doesn't know anything about his life. Morgan aka 5C is out of an abusive marriage and putting the past behind him to start living life on his own for the first time. Let's just say they don't make the best first or second impressions on each other. Leo is grumpy and Morgan is really trying hard. The two strike up a snarky back and forth, and a budding friendship which leads to some very hot "you annoy the hell out of me but I can't resist you" sex. Eventually, these two make a formidable team, in and out of bed.

I loved that Morgan wasn't a pushover here. He's found his backbone and isn't going to be taken advantage of again and Leo sees that fire inside and loves it. Leo is muscled and tough, but he is suffering underneath it all, afraid to allow anyone in to hurt him, but Morgan chips away at that wall, wanting Leo to lean on him.

There's a little bit of angst, family drama, and that tension of just knowing Morgan's ex was going to show up at some point. There's also, of course, found family and a very happy ending. Leo and Morgan are now up there on my list of favorite Felice Stevens characters.
Profile Image for Daphne .
715 reviews1 follower
April 14, 2021
Morgan and Leo didn’t ring true to me which made their banter awkward and cringey. Leo wasn’t grumpy or a grouch - he was a bully and also seemed like a slum lord (lots of talk about how bad the place was, nothing about fixing it, he pushed back on the beautification efforts then went and bought another building before he fixed this one). And the “disasters” by Morgan were overstated.

Morgan just seemed so young which made his reactions seem bratty.

The bad guy arc was sort of inexplicable from a pacing standpoint. And the mother being nice for once thing seemed based on nothing, too, and completely inconsistent with any other way she acted. This just did not work. I had to force myself to finish it. Big picture, everyone seemed like a caricature.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Andrea.
1,348 reviews48 followers
January 28, 2024
Reread 01/2024 review- 2.5 stars? 😕

Original 05/2021 review- 2.7〜3.3 stars?? It was relatively good, but it just kind of ticked me off... I did like that it was kind of slow burn-ish.
Profile Image for Dawn Nicole Costiera.
686 reviews23 followers
April 27, 2021
This one hit me right in the sweet spot.....
I ADORE MORGAN and LEO!!
They are a perfect combination of sweet and spicy! Their story proves love can find you when you least expect it.

Morgan's life was turned upside down when he left his abusive husband. A year later, he's still trying to get his life back on track. Moving into his own apartment is a big step. As for dating, it's the last thing on his mind. Especially, when it comes to Leo, the gorgeous yet grumpy super of his building.
Morgan keeps messing stuff up and pissing the man off....

When a clumsy shy kindergarten teacher moves into 5C, Leo’s world is turned upside down. They may have start off like oil and water, but that quickly changed into a budding friendship. A unconventional friendship full of snarky banter and magnetic chemistry.

Leo's past made him closed off and very much a loner. He deals with things on his own. Why depend on other people when they only let you down? So, why does he continually let 5C in?

SWEET SWEET Morgan!! He is such a wonderful person. He refuses to let his past define him. So brave! He saw past Leo's hard shell and into his heart. He brings out the softer side of Leo.... and Leo makes him more confident!

"A strong and silent Leo was mysterious, exciting, and darkly sensuous. But a romantic, gentle, sexy Leo? God, his heart might not be able to stand it."

This unlikey duo learned to open up and let go. Eventually they completed each other. They were sweetness on top of sweetness layered with heat and feels.
They have become one of my favorite couples from Felice!
If you are looking for a book to get lost in The Right one is for you.
Profile Image for Carol.
3,764 reviews137 followers
May 26, 2024
Leo and Morgan are as opposite as can be. Leo is the motorcycle riding, tough talking, emotionally closed off owner and landlord of Morgan’s new apartment building. Morgan is a sweet, innocent, kindergarten teacher who really didn't understand about or how bad things could happen in the big city, but who soon learns up close and personal about the ugliness of life and some of the people who claim to love you.

Morgan and Leo first meet when Morgan moves into a run-down apartment, in Leo's building. Morgan is a bit of a disaster. He’s still skittish about his ex-husband coming to find him and nervous about living in the city on his own. Whether due to anxiety or just natural predisposition, Morgan is a klutz, wreaking havoc in and around his apartment. Leo alternates between being annoyed and downright angry at his troublesome new tenant. Then he makes a snap judgment that Morgan is a snob who doesn’t belong in Leo’s dump of a building. I tended to somewhat agree with him, about Morgan not belonging in that building. Actually, no decent human being belonged in that building. What resulted was a situation that somehow, they went from enemies to lovers, way too quickly.

Both men have ugly pasts and secrets, that not unexpectedly, impacts their personalities and reactions to each other. Felice Stevens has done an excellent job with this dynamic in her other books...but here, it was less successful. Leo is a character that it was almost impossible to portray in any positive way because he consistently comes across as a nasty mannered creep that constantly makes degrading comments that are intended to stir Morgan up.... but his behavior is portrayed as being equivalent to mere child play. The story explains that Leo’s background has caused his grouchy personality and emotional unavailability, but there’s obviously much more to Leo, and the author was simply unable to make it remotely believable. I couldn't understand why Morgan would even want any part of him. I usually really like this author's work, and this wasn't a terribly bad or unreadable story...but it was a very nerve-racking and frustrating story.
Profile Image for Zane Kage.
3,367 reviews31 followers
April 18, 2021
Opposites really do attract. Quiet unassuming Morgan (who, wow, learned to give as good as he got) and brash, rough around the edges Leo really gave me a run for my money. The connection between them was instant, the clash between them was amazing, and I found myself laughing out loud at these two and their back-and-forth. And when things went beyond the platonic, you guessed it, I had to dig out my fan.

But this is Felice Stevens, so of course there is so much more to it. This is a beautiful story about two broken men finding themselves and finding love. Real people who deal with the crap that life rains on you and come out better for it, come out together, in love, and happy. Who communicate with each other and learn from each other. Who grow as individuals as they grow together.

Whether I was laughing, crying, or smiling, I was loving it and loving them. Like I always love Felice's guys. Her books are a journey for me, and I don't ever want them to end. Unless I'm picking up the next one, of course.

Profile Image for Tracy Perry.
1,533 reviews46 followers
April 7, 2021
Wow.... This book was an angsty one and tough to read. So good though. My heart went out to Morgan and I wanted to hug him so many times. He had a rough go of life but he learned to survive and knew when to get out of a horrific marriage. I’m so proud he got out and started a new life on his own with great friends. Leo, I felt bad for him and what he went through as a kid, so sad. I could understand a bit of why he was the way he was now, but I didn’t like it and it took me awhile to like him. I loved Morgan right away. I’m so glad he came into Leo’s life and smartened him up and they got together, awe, I loved it, their great together. Leo’s friends were great too. I’m not talking about Jeffery because he’s not worth taking about only to say he got what he deserved and maybe not enough.... I was on pins and needles reading the book waiting for him to do something and when I finally got to that part, it still shocked me. Anyways, the book was an amazing by heartbreaking story with a happy ending, yay! A Recommended Read!
Profile Image for Simply Love Book Reviews.
7,046 reviews870 followers
April 23, 2021
Sometimes the right one just stumbles into your life quite literally and it takes you by surprise. Such is the case between Morgan Cantrell and Leo Deluca in Felice Stevens’ The Right One. A beautifully written story about two men who seem like exact opposites but have more in common than they know, as they grow closer and their secrets are revealed it becomes evident they are perfect for one another.

One year after fleeing his abusive husband, Morgan is ready to move out of his friend’s home and into a place of his own. A kindergarten teacher in New York City his options are limited but he finds a small apartment in Brooklyn that will do. The problem is he has an immediate attraction to big, brawny, tattooed Leo, the super of his building, and not only is Leo so not his type Morgan is wary of any man especially one who looks like he could crush him easily. After several mishaps and some very embarrassing moments, Morgan realizes there’s more to Leo than meets the eye, but Leo is closed off and makes it clear he isn’t interested in friendship or anything else until Morgan jumps in to help him through a family crisis and he begins to see that having someone to lean on isn’t so bad.

I hurt for these two men who suffered abuse in their lives from people who should have loved them. I liked the contrast between Morgan and Leo, despite Morgan’s offer experience he still wanted to love and be loved whereas Leo felt that love equaled being hurt and wanted no part of that. Their backstories were slowly revealed throughout this story which gave the reader a lot of insight into their lives and the events that shaped them. I admired them both for their strength and resilience.

They spent a lot of time clashing and lashing out when they first met mainly because they were both attracted and didn’t think they wanted to be, but their interactions also helped Morgan realize he was strong, he could stand up for himself, and not be afraid and helped Leo see that bantering with someone could be interesting and even fun.

They had their ups and downs but through it all, they realized they had each other and that when the right one comes along you just know. Emotional, heart-wrenching, sexy, and fun; I love The Right One by Felice Stevens!

Review copy provided for a voluntary review.
Profile Image for Joshua.
136 reviews3 followers
May 8, 2021
Leo is a grouch and a jerk. I didn’t like the way he teased Morgan. It didn’t feel fun and light-hearted. It felt mean. Additionally, I understand that Leo and Morgan are both damaged men, but that doesn’t make either of them interesting or particularly engaging. Their dialogue tended to be stilted and awkward as they did a weird back and forth flip flop (twice) between slow burn enemies to lovers and a couple in insta-love. In the end, their relationship never rang true to me.

Then there was the story arc of the villain. We had one phone call in the beginning of the book (a year after the divorce I might add), then nothing until the very end. Suddenly, in the last 10% of the book, all hell breaks loose as the ex goes super stalker insane. It wasn’t an arc so much as a spike, and it pushed the end of the book into melodrama territory.

Finally, there were just several small things that caught and held my attention in the wrong way:

- I had a hard time believing that Morgan wouldn’t have proactively told his loving and devoted parents that he was divorced for over a year, but beyond that, I just don’t think he could have possibly kept it hidden from them.

- The author, Felice Stevens, occasionally stumbles into “writer’s math” tropes. There is a scene where Morgan goes with Leo to a BBQ. They aren’t there very long before Leo pounds his fist on the table and Morgan is scared so he takes off to go inside the house. The scene stays with Leo as he chugs his beer and the rest of Morgan’s before it cuts to Morgan’s point of view for the exact same timeframe. Morgan enters the kitchen followed by the host, and he has just enough time to tell her that he’s leaving before Leo comes flying in. Leo, who is inexplicably suddenly so drunk he pukes and blacks out. We’re later told that Leo drank 5 beers in under an hour at the BBQ, but the timing still doesn’t make any sense. One minute Leo was sober and two minutes later he was fall down drunk. It was jarringly unbelievable.

All that aside, the writing itself is good enough for me to give the book two stars. However, I won’t be reading it again, and I don’t recommend it.
Profile Image for Gustaf.
1,444 reviews192 followers
April 8, 2022
Full review to come.
Profile Image for Rielle.
569 reviews68 followers
did-not-finish
May 26, 2021
DNF @ 28%

Not feeling it.
Profile Image for Lisa Klein.
1,040 reviews10 followers
April 12, 2021
Wow. What an amazing book! Felice did it again and wrote another phenomenal story. Morgan & Leo have both been through so much and somehow find their way to each other. I love how it takes a while to break down their walls and how they learn to lean on each other. I feel it's also important that Felice showed that abuse doesn't just happen to women.

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily gave my honest review.
Profile Image for Merissa (Archaeolibrarian).
4,189 reviews119 followers
October 31, 2025
THE RIGHT ONE focuses on Morgan (5C) and Leo, both of them hurt by their pasts, and neither looking for love! Sometimes, it's when you're not looking though, that things happen. Like Morgan moving into 5C for example, and the fireworks that start from the first moment.

Oh man, these two. My heart broke for both of them - Morgan for the abusive ex, and Leo for the abusive parents. Morgan was brave though, and I'm not just talking physically. He has a backbone of steel and isn't prepared to back down unless he feels the timing isn't quite right. That and his insights are what enable him to break through Leo's walls. Of course, Morgan has his own insecurities, which Leo is able to deal with, so these two really are perfect for each other.

I loved how this book flowed and it took me along for the ride. I was wondering when the ex would turn up and wasn't surprised when he did. I was surprised (and cheering) about other things but not that.

These characters are superb, and I loved the supporting cast too. Full of descriptions clear enough to see what was going on, this book kept me gripped from start to finish.

Another absolute corker from Felice Stevens and absolutely recommended by me.

** same worded review will appear elsewhere **

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Apr 12, 2021
Profile Image for lam.
156 reviews3 followers
Read
May 17, 2021
DNF. no chemistry between leads, kiss happens out of nowhere, and leo's relationship/history with his mom is strange and unrealistic.
Profile Image for Mir.
1,114 reviews63 followers
April 6, 2022
2.5 stars. This started off quite strong, with Morgan escaping an abusive relationship and getting restarted in his life. Even the first bits with Leo I enjoyed, but I kept waiting for Leo to not be an asshole and it literally never happened. Morgan deserves a do over.

It was still enjoyable enough for me to finish, but honestly Leo seemed awful for someone like Morgan. He was just so mean. I’m pretty sure he was a slumlord.

Also, Leo is a fucking moron to continue his relationship with his mother.

No comment on the villain arc in the last 10%.

Profile Image for Kati *☆・゚.
1,292 reviews686 followers
May 31, 2023
3.5**** stars


Omg, Leo’s mother —dramatic much??

All in all a nice hurt/comfort companion while working, featuring two broken men who find happiness with each other. Narrated by the fantastic Kale Williams —always a pleasure.
Profile Image for Michelle.
756 reviews16 followers
April 28, 2021
This was such a great story. It’s an emotional and entertaining read and I highly recommend it!
Profile Image for Antisocial Recluse.
2,711 reviews
June 19, 2021
Seems as if I tried to read this before but quit. We’ll see how it goes.

Made it to 75% and had to quit. I’ve enjoyed some books by this author but she’s so hit or miss and this was awful. One character is an abuse victim and his supposed love interest is perpetually angry & emotionally stunted with juvenile and volatile reactions to any comment or question; clenched fists, pounding tables, running away. They don’t mesh or match and I could care less about seeing any resolution.
Profile Image for Book Binge: Reviews by Melissa DaSilva.
935 reviews91 followers
June 12, 2023
This is the first book I have read by this author and I really enjoyed it! I’d definitely read other books by them in the future. This is the story of Morgan and Leo. I absolutely loved Morgan as a character. I loved seeing him grow and find himself!

This story does deal with spousal abuse so watch that trigger warning if needed. I found this story was a lot different than other ones I’ve read with this subject. Usually the new love interest is a lot softer and always looking out for the MC the entire time but it wasn’t that way in this story. I took a while to warm up to Leo because he was very gruff and rude and it just felt wrong to me after what Morgan went through. But really I think it was good for Morgan. It got him to stand up for himself and heal from his past.

Overall, I think this was a great story of healing, moving on and learning to love for both MCs. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a great job. I absolutely recommend this book!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 169 reviews

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