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Honestly Yours
The truth hurts. But in the end, honesty wins. Or does it?
Warren Prescott loves a challenge. He knows how to play the game and adapts when necessary to succeed in his cutthroat world. Tired of pining for a man he’s wanted for months, Warren intends to seal the deal. Until that man throws him an endearing curveball…
Be honest.
Gian Benedetti doesn’t play games. Success has cost him the personal connections he craves, and he doubts he’ll take another chance on a relationship. Until the attractive, younger man with the brazen personality and confidence stirs his interest.
Except…someone else is playing games.
And threatening everything Gian has worked hard to achieve.
Warren won’t rest until he uncovers the new player and gets his forever with Gian.
But they’ll soon face a hard truth—
Honesty may be what brings them together…
Or it could be the one thing that tears them apart.
Warren Prescott loves a challenge. He knows how to play the game and adapts when necessary to succeed in his cutthroat world. Tired of pining for a man he’s wanted for months, Warren intends to seal the deal. Until that man throws him an endearing curveball…
Be honest.
Gian Benedetti doesn’t play games. Success has cost him the personal connections he craves, and he doubts he’ll take another chance on a relationship. Until the attractive, younger man with the brazen personality and confidence stirs his interest.
Except…someone else is playing games.
And threatening everything Gian has worked hard to achieve.
Warren won’t rest until he uncovers the new player and gets his forever with Gian.
But they’ll soon face a hard truth—
Honesty may be what brings them together…
Or it could be the one thing that tears them apart.
408 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 12, 2022
158 people are currently reading
413 people want to read
About the author
Jaime Reese
9 books724 followersI get this huge dorky grin on my face when I receive a message from someone who has taken the time to read my book. I know readers have a choice in a sea of many options. I'm humbled when someone chooses one of mine. Thank you. ~JR
About me...
Jaime Reese is the alter ego of an artist who loves the creative process of writing, just not about herself. Fiction is far more interesting. She has a weakness for broken, misunderstood heroes and feels everyone deserves a chance at love and life. An avid fan of a happy ending, she believes those endings acquired with a little difficulty are more cherished.
...and yes, it was totally weird reading something about myself in 3rd person :)
Where am I?
Website
Facebook Author Page
Twitter
About me...
Jaime Reese is the alter ego of an artist who loves the creative process of writing, just not about herself. Fiction is far more interesting. She has a weakness for broken, misunderstood heroes and feels everyone deserves a chance at love and life. An avid fan of a happy ending, she believes those endings acquired with a little difficulty are more cherished.
...and yes, it was totally weird reading something about myself in 3rd person :)
Where am I?
Website
Facebook Author Page
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews
May 15, 2022
6 “I love you, Ren. Infinitely more than I ever thought was possible to love someone.” stars
Gian was everything. […]
But most of all, it was the way those arms wrapped around him and held him close, shielding him from the outside world. Held in the arms of his hopeless hugger, he was safe.
And wanted.
Always wanted.
Hello, hello, new potential favourite book of the year. I knew that I was going to like this book before I started it because this author is always a hit for me. I knew that this book was going to be a 5 stars book for me when I was at 36% into the book. But by the end of the book, this book had reached one of my favourite book of the year status.
This is only my 6th 5 stars book of the entire year and I couldn’t think of a better book to be in that spot. I don’t think I can even put words on how much I loved this book. This book is just so special to me and I loved everything about it.
Also, I read this book for the first time a couple of days ago, and as soon as I reached the end, I went back to the start of the book and re-read the entire book. So I have now read this book twice in less than a week, which I think is enough to tell you how much this story impacted me.
I want to start this review by saying that this book was by far my most anticipated book of the entire year, so far. I would consider this author my favourite author of all time. I have read all of her books atleast 10 times each and I can never get enough. They are massive comfort books for me and I love them so much. I have been counting days until the release of this book since this book was announced. When I woke up to an email telling me that I got an ARC of this book, I was so happy about it that I screamed and I kept squealing about it all day until I had the time to sit down and read it. And then I read this entire 400 pages book in the fastest time possible. I was just so excited about this book. And safe to me, my expectations were more than met.
Brief Summary
Ren is the owner of a club. He has been watching over one of the member, Gian, for months. Ren finally decides to approach Gian, and they start a relationship. Ren has a lot of trauma and learning how to trust someone and being in a relationship with them is a learning curve for him, but Gian is a patient man that is always there for Ren and that wants him through it all. They fall in love over time, and through many hugs.
First, the hurt/comfort in this book just melted my entire heart. Ren is traumatized because of many events he went through in his life and Gian just wants to cuddle Ren and make him feel better. And I loved that so much. I loved how they were always there to make each other feel better and to comfort each other. Ren never had a support system and someone to take care of him. So I absolutely loved how Gian was always there for him. Gian was like a rock, always supportive of Ren and his needs and there to offer cuddles when Ren needed them and it was just so sweet.
Side note, the hugs in book were just out of this world. It’s no secret that one of my favourite thing in books is cuddles and hugs. I absolutely love that kind of comfort in books and there was so many hugs in this book and all of them just melted my heart due to how sweet they were.
Second, Ren was very guarded and he didn’t really know how to open up and share his life with someone. But I loved how much he tried to it because he just wanted to be with Gian. That was just really worked for me. I just love seeing Ren try to open up and learn how to let someone in. I love how it wasn’t a painless process for him and how he struggled but he never gave up on doing it. It was such a lovely journey to follow him around the process of learning to trust Gian fully.
“In the end, I don’t care what it costs me. And I will fight for you with my very last breath. Because the time I have with you—any time I have with you—is worth it.”
Third, their banter was just so much fun to read. I absolutely loved the humour in this book. It was just so wonderful to read and it really make the book a joyful read, even if it had a lot of harder to read subjects matter, the humour in this book just really helped balanced the tone of the book so that it never felt too angsty to read. Also, their nicknames for each other were just best and I loved them so much.
Fourth, regardless of that, this book still made me so emotional. I felt for these characters so much. I laughed with them, I cried with them, I cheered them on through their ups and I wanted to hug them through their downs. I was just so invested in the characters in this book and I felt like I was their friend who wanted to be there for them no matter what. These people were just so endearing to me and I loved them so much.
Fifth, I loved Gian and Ren so much. Just so much. These characters were just so lively and they really came off the pages. Gian was the sweetest main character I have ever read about. He was such so caring and patient and I absolutely adore him. And I adored Ren too. I absolutely adore how strong and resilient he is. He was a little broken but also so strong and I just adored that about him.
Sixth, the relationship in this book is just so wonderful to me. I adored the way it developed. I loved how they both put their all into the relationship and they were ready to so everything to make their relationship work. I absolutely loved all of their interactions and how much you could tell that they wanted to be together through their every actions. Also, I loved how they knew that they want to be together and they everything to achieve that. I loved how they always fought for each other and to be together. Plus it was just so sweet. They had the cutest relationship and I loved itc so much.
“I don’t want to lose you.”
“Good. ‘Cause I don’t like getting lost.”
Side note, I absolutely adored the relationship progression in this book. I just loved the easy way in which they got to know each other and how they always made effort to spend time together. The way their relationship developed was just so beautiful and I loved it, so much.
Seventh, the communication in this book was absolutely perfect to me. They were always reaching out to each other and communicating when things were rough, or going well. I just loved it. I loved how mature their relationship felt because they were always honest and communicating with each other.
Also, all that Gian wants is for Ren to be honest with him and I loved how that played out in the book. The fact that they were always honest with each other about their wants, fears and everything else just really worked for me. It really helped me cheer for them as a couple because they were always communicating so well with each other.
Eight, a lot of this book is focused on found family and finding the people that will always be here for you no matter what. And I just adored how this book tackled this theme, it was just the sweetest thing ever and it made my heart melt so much.
Ninth, I have always been outspoken about how my favourite moments in books are the slower couple moments where we get to see the couple being happy and in love when doing things together and there was so many of those moments in this book. And I loved all of them, very much. Seeing all of those cute couple moments just melted my entire heart. I just adored seeing those moments so much.
Tenth, I loved all of the little side plots in this book and how they all related to the main story and the characters. I really loved how the characters were so well developed that we got to see through many events in their lives. I just had so much fun reading about these character’s daily lives and their struggles and what they were trying to accomplish. I was just so invested in this book. This book had my attention from the first sentence and my attention never wawered. I just so into this story and I just wanted to know more about the characters.
Also, massive shutout to my favourite construction worker for making a cameo in this book, I was so happy to see him.
I will be honest here, this will probably be the most perfect for me book I will read all year. It’s rare for me to find a book that works for me as well as this book this did. This book was just the book for me. Every seconds of this book just appealed to me. This book was honestly my perfect book. Reading this book was one of the best reading experience I have had all year, it was just truly wonderful to me.
I received an ARC of this book and this is my honest opinion
Gian was everything. […]
But most of all, it was the way those arms wrapped around him and held him close, shielding him from the outside world. Held in the arms of his hopeless hugger, he was safe.
And wanted.
Always wanted.
Hello, hello, new potential favourite book of the year. I knew that I was going to like this book before I started it because this author is always a hit for me. I knew that this book was going to be a 5 stars book for me when I was at 36% into the book. But by the end of the book, this book had reached one of my favourite book of the year status.
This is only my 6th 5 stars book of the entire year and I couldn’t think of a better book to be in that spot. I don’t think I can even put words on how much I loved this book. This book is just so special to me and I loved everything about it.
Also, I read this book for the first time a couple of days ago, and as soon as I reached the end, I went back to the start of the book and re-read the entire book. So I have now read this book twice in less than a week, which I think is enough to tell you how much this story impacted me.
I want to start this review by saying that this book was by far my most anticipated book of the entire year, so far. I would consider this author my favourite author of all time. I have read all of her books atleast 10 times each and I can never get enough. They are massive comfort books for me and I love them so much. I have been counting days until the release of this book since this book was announced. When I woke up to an email telling me that I got an ARC of this book, I was so happy about it that I screamed and I kept squealing about it all day until I had the time to sit down and read it. And then I read this entire 400 pages book in the fastest time possible. I was just so excited about this book. And safe to me, my expectations were more than met.
Brief Summary
Ren is the owner of a club. He has been watching over one of the member, Gian, for months. Ren finally decides to approach Gian, and they start a relationship. Ren has a lot of trauma and learning how to trust someone and being in a relationship with them is a learning curve for him, but Gian is a patient man that is always there for Ren and that wants him through it all. They fall in love over time, and through many hugs.
First, the hurt/comfort in this book just melted my entire heart. Ren is traumatized because of many events he went through in his life and Gian just wants to cuddle Ren and make him feel better. And I loved that so much. I loved how they were always there to make each other feel better and to comfort each other. Ren never had a support system and someone to take care of him. So I absolutely loved how Gian was always there for him. Gian was like a rock, always supportive of Ren and his needs and there to offer cuddles when Ren needed them and it was just so sweet.
Side note, the hugs in book were just out of this world. It’s no secret that one of my favourite thing in books is cuddles and hugs. I absolutely love that kind of comfort in books and there was so many hugs in this book and all of them just melted my heart due to how sweet they were.
Second, Ren was very guarded and he didn’t really know how to open up and share his life with someone. But I loved how much he tried to it because he just wanted to be with Gian. That was just really worked for me. I just love seeing Ren try to open up and learn how to let someone in. I love how it wasn’t a painless process for him and how he struggled but he never gave up on doing it. It was such a lovely journey to follow him around the process of learning to trust Gian fully.
“In the end, I don’t care what it costs me. And I will fight for you with my very last breath. Because the time I have with you—any time I have with you—is worth it.”
Third, their banter was just so much fun to read. I absolutely loved the humour in this book. It was just so wonderful to read and it really make the book a joyful read, even if it had a lot of harder to read subjects matter, the humour in this book just really helped balanced the tone of the book so that it never felt too angsty to read. Also, their nicknames for each other were just best and I loved them so much.
Fourth, regardless of that, this book still made me so emotional. I felt for these characters so much. I laughed with them, I cried with them, I cheered them on through their ups and I wanted to hug them through their downs. I was just so invested in the characters in this book and I felt like I was their friend who wanted to be there for them no matter what. These people were just so endearing to me and I loved them so much.
Fifth, I loved Gian and Ren so much. Just so much. These characters were just so lively and they really came off the pages. Gian was the sweetest main character I have ever read about. He was such so caring and patient and I absolutely adore him. And I adored Ren too. I absolutely adore how strong and resilient he is. He was a little broken but also so strong and I just adored that about him.
Sixth, the relationship in this book is just so wonderful to me. I adored the way it developed. I loved how they both put their all into the relationship and they were ready to so everything to make their relationship work. I absolutely loved all of their interactions and how much you could tell that they wanted to be together through their every actions. Also, I loved how they knew that they want to be together and they everything to achieve that. I loved how they always fought for each other and to be together. Plus it was just so sweet. They had the cutest relationship and I loved itc so much.
“I don’t want to lose you.”
“Good. ‘Cause I don’t like getting lost.”
Side note, I absolutely adored the relationship progression in this book. I just loved the easy way in which they got to know each other and how they always made effort to spend time together. The way their relationship developed was just so beautiful and I loved it, so much.
Seventh, the communication in this book was absolutely perfect to me. They were always reaching out to each other and communicating when things were rough, or going well. I just loved it. I loved how mature their relationship felt because they were always honest and communicating with each other.
Also, all that Gian wants is for Ren to be honest with him and I loved how that played out in the book. The fact that they were always honest with each other about their wants, fears and everything else just really worked for me. It really helped me cheer for them as a couple because they were always communicating so well with each other.
Eight, a lot of this book is focused on found family and finding the people that will always be here for you no matter what. And I just adored how this book tackled this theme, it was just the sweetest thing ever and it made my heart melt so much.
Ninth, I have always been outspoken about how my favourite moments in books are the slower couple moments where we get to see the couple being happy and in love when doing things together and there was so many of those moments in this book. And I loved all of them, very much. Seeing all of those cute couple moments just melted my entire heart. I just adored seeing those moments so much.
Tenth, I loved all of the little side plots in this book and how they all related to the main story and the characters. I really loved how the characters were so well developed that we got to see through many events in their lives. I just had so much fun reading about these character’s daily lives and their struggles and what they were trying to accomplish. I was just so invested in this book. This book had my attention from the first sentence and my attention never wawered. I just so into this story and I just wanted to know more about the characters.
Also, massive shutout to my favourite construction worker for making a cameo in this book, I was so happy to see him.
I will be honest here, this will probably be the most perfect for me book I will read all year. It’s rare for me to find a book that works for me as well as this book this did. This book was just the book for me. Every seconds of this book just appealed to me. This book was honestly my perfect book. Reading this book was one of the best reading experience I have had all year, it was just truly wonderful to me.
I received an ARC of this book and this is my honest opinion
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May 15, 2022
RATING 4.5 STARS
Honestly Yours is a stand alone, MM Romance by Jaime Reese. This is my very first book by Jaime and I enjoyed it so much. She has such a beautiful way of writing.
Giovanni “Gian” Benedetti is forty two years old. He is bi-sexual. His last relationship ended badly when his girlfriend tried to sell a picture of him to the press. Privacy is so important to Gian. He is very successful and lives by a moral code few bother with in the business world. Gian buys neglected and abandoned buildings and restores them to their former glory. It’s a passion of his and has also made him very rich. But his success comes with a price, the press and the public seem obsessed with knowing more about his private life.
Warren Prescott is thirty years old and owns a very successful, very private club where businessmen can come to relax in privacy, visit with other businessmen, maybe even make deals over a drink. Warren also buys and sells vacant property. Warren had my heart from the beginning. This man has such a broken past. He has so many secrets that he can’t share with anyone. Warren noticed Gian the very first time he came into his club. It took him six months of watching him before he got the nerve to finally speak to him. But when he finally did, Gian surprised him in just about every way. Gian knew how nervous Warren was. And Gian knew immediately he wanted to know this man. So he proposed honesty. To always be honest and see where things went. But Gian also knew that Warren was holding something back and he would give him the space he needed until he was ready to share it with him.
“He was a good man. With good intentions. And a kind heart. The opposite of what he had grown accustomed to expecting from others.”
Warren and Gian discover quickly that there is another player involved in their relationship. Someone with malicious intent. But why?
I adored how patient Gian was with Warren. He just seemed to know when to give him the space he needed. And I loved the way that Gian’s family accepted Warren. Gian’s parents were completely adorable. I don’t think I would call this instalove but it was insta-attraction. There was a spark, that amazing chemistry right there from the first moment they spoke. There never was any unnecessary angst between them.
This was a beautiful story of love and found family. I will definitely be checking out Jaime’s other work. But for now, I can’t wait for you all to meet Gian and Warren.
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...
Honestly Yours is a stand alone, MM Romance by Jaime Reese. This is my very first book by Jaime and I enjoyed it so much. She has such a beautiful way of writing.
Giovanni “Gian” Benedetti is forty two years old. He is bi-sexual. His last relationship ended badly when his girlfriend tried to sell a picture of him to the press. Privacy is so important to Gian. He is very successful and lives by a moral code few bother with in the business world. Gian buys neglected and abandoned buildings and restores them to their former glory. It’s a passion of his and has also made him very rich. But his success comes with a price, the press and the public seem obsessed with knowing more about his private life.
Warren Prescott is thirty years old and owns a very successful, very private club where businessmen can come to relax in privacy, visit with other businessmen, maybe even make deals over a drink. Warren also buys and sells vacant property. Warren had my heart from the beginning. This man has such a broken past. He has so many secrets that he can’t share with anyone. Warren noticed Gian the very first time he came into his club. It took him six months of watching him before he got the nerve to finally speak to him. But when he finally did, Gian surprised him in just about every way. Gian knew how nervous Warren was. And Gian knew immediately he wanted to know this man. So he proposed honesty. To always be honest and see where things went. But Gian also knew that Warren was holding something back and he would give him the space he needed until he was ready to share it with him.
“He was a good man. With good intentions. And a kind heart. The opposite of what he had grown accustomed to expecting from others.”
Warren and Gian discover quickly that there is another player involved in their relationship. Someone with malicious intent. But why?
I adored how patient Gian was with Warren. He just seemed to know when to give him the space he needed. And I loved the way that Gian’s family accepted Warren. Gian’s parents were completely adorable. I don’t think I would call this instalove but it was insta-attraction. There was a spark, that amazing chemistry right there from the first moment they spoke. There never was any unnecessary angst between them.
This was a beautiful story of love and found family. I will definitely be checking out Jaime’s other work. But for now, I can’t wait for you all to meet Gian and Warren.
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...
May 18, 2022
Something about the pacing of Honestly Yours didn't quite work. I tried to just enjoy the ride, but the plot made little sense. So much happened in the last few chapters, my head was spinning.
I liked the MCs and the gentle yet passionate nature of their relationship. In some ways, they were both too perfect (rich and good looking), but the broken bits inside of Warren were like pieces of jagged glass.
Gian's parents bugged the crap out of me. Being pushy and invasive isn't endearing. I didn't understand how a strong, successful man like War fell for that level of manipulation.
Then again, Warren blew hot and cold, withdrawing from Gian repeatedly. I wasn't certain why he was so afraid of their connection when he was the one who pursued Gian in the first place.
Even though the ending is a strong HEA, that emotional oomph was missing for me.
I write this review with a heavy heart because I love Jaime Reese's work. This is the first book of hers I haven't rated five stars.
I liked the MCs and the gentle yet passionate nature of their relationship. In some ways, they were both too perfect (rich and good looking), but the broken bits inside of Warren were like pieces of jagged glass.
Gian's parents bugged the crap out of me. Being pushy and invasive isn't endearing. I didn't understand how a strong, successful man like War fell for that level of manipulation.
Then again, Warren blew hot and cold, withdrawing from Gian repeatedly. I wasn't certain why he was so afraid of their connection when he was the one who pursued Gian in the first place.
Even though the ending is a strong HEA, that emotional oomph was missing for me.
I write this review with a heavy heart because I love Jaime Reese's work. This is the first book of hers I haven't rated five stars.
Read
May 14, 2022DNF 64%
I am so disappointed, the blurb was so good! 😔
However, nothing is working for me here.
The rates are pretty good, so kindly ignore me and give this a go.
Peace, folks!
✌🤟☮
I am so disappointed, the blurb was so good! 😔
However, nothing is working for me here.
The rates are pretty good, so kindly ignore me and give this a go.
Peace, folks!
✌🤟☮
May 22, 2022
Double-edged sword. It’s both a blessing and a curse that Jaime’s wildly successful series Halfway House dominates her bookshelf. It’s easy to compare every new release to those Men, but it wouldn’t be accurate or fair. In truth, I believe this story resembles Shades more than any Halfway House story. No, there’s not an assassin carefully taking out demons. No, it’s not a slow burn that simmers and fades. No, you won’t find a witty bestie waiting on the sidelines. But I can tell you what you will find… You’ll follow the mysterious morsels left on the trail, picking up pieces of the past. You’ll discover the power of patience and perseverance. You’ll see how irrelevant money is when it comes to happiness. And most of all, you find out how important family is, those born, found, and made. I LOVED both Ren and Gian. Let me tell you why.
Warren. He’s a formidable force with a commanding presence. As the owner of the prestigious club in town, anyone with money or power knows who he is. Or at least the carefully constructed mask he wears. He may be young, but his soul is seasoned and scarred. His past is a secret, and his heart is under lock and key. He has taken great pains to sever ties with his old man. His family consists of his mom and his business partner, Kellum. And he’s been unmoored since he lost his mother. Capgras syndrome is heartbreaking and horrific. Warren doesn’t do relationships or romance. What he does is work, work and work some more. And crush on the older man with an admirable reputation that frequents his club. He’s not good with people, but Gian makes him want to break old habits and try. Actually, Gian makes him want lots of things, some he’s not sure he deserves. Or has no one ever shown Ren his worth?
Gian. He lives by the ‘Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me‘ motto. He grew up poor but well-loved. Climbing his way to the top of the ladder, he won each rung with integrity and honor. He has never taken anything for granted, especially the unconditional love from his parents. In Italy, family is everything. Gian and his parents are a package deal. Benedetti’s love is never singular, and I adored their overbearing endearing meddling. His current work endeavor is personal. He is determined to secure the deal on a building, despite the obstacles popping up right and left. His renovations are based on the motivation of conserving more than brick and stone. Familiar friends help him provide the comforts and security of a home to others. Warren is a complex puzzle he wasn’t anticipating but is more than willing to decode. Turns out Warren is just as astonished when the final pieces come together. Gahhhh, so good!!
When I begin one of Reese’s stories, I know every word is placed with care and precision. There’s more to it than meets the eye, and if you take the time to look, you’ll be amazed. It’s one of the main reasons that I always reread her books. I want to pick up every trace bit because I know the shimmering conclusion will be brighter. Some surprises were expected, others totally blind-sighted me. Their initial connection is fragile. Ren isn’t used to letting anyone in. But Gian isn’t just anyone. I loved the cheesy pick-up lines and simple text messages. I loved their passion and intensity. I loved discovering twists and turns in their backgrounds. The past shaped who they are today, but they are in control of the men they’ll be tomorrow. I loved unexpected food trucks and impromptu cooking lessons. I loved overlooked similarities and growing families. But most of all, I loved their love…honest and true.
Beware of: Secrets hold significant power…until shared. Hard times don’t last…strong people do and often create ‘families’ along the way. And trust and love go hand in hand…always.
This book is for: If you’re searching for a fast-paced, adrenaline-surging book, I’d suggest you move along. But if you want to fall into a family-centric love story with two men shedding shields and opening their hearts unequivocally, this story is for you.
Warren. He’s a formidable force with a commanding presence. As the owner of the prestigious club in town, anyone with money or power knows who he is. Or at least the carefully constructed mask he wears. He may be young, but his soul is seasoned and scarred. His past is a secret, and his heart is under lock and key. He has taken great pains to sever ties with his old man. His family consists of his mom and his business partner, Kellum. And he’s been unmoored since he lost his mother. Capgras syndrome is heartbreaking and horrific. Warren doesn’t do relationships or romance. What he does is work, work and work some more. And crush on the older man with an admirable reputation that frequents his club. He’s not good with people, but Gian makes him want to break old habits and try. Actually, Gian makes him want lots of things, some he’s not sure he deserves. Or has no one ever shown Ren his worth?
Gian. He lives by the ‘Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me‘ motto. He grew up poor but well-loved. Climbing his way to the top of the ladder, he won each rung with integrity and honor. He has never taken anything for granted, especially the unconditional love from his parents. In Italy, family is everything. Gian and his parents are a package deal. Benedetti’s love is never singular, and I adored their overbearing endearing meddling. His current work endeavor is personal. He is determined to secure the deal on a building, despite the obstacles popping up right and left. His renovations are based on the motivation of conserving more than brick and stone. Familiar friends help him provide the comforts and security of a home to others. Warren is a complex puzzle he wasn’t anticipating but is more than willing to decode. Turns out Warren is just as astonished when the final pieces come together. Gahhhh, so good!!
When I begin one of Reese’s stories, I know every word is placed with care and precision. There’s more to it than meets the eye, and if you take the time to look, you’ll be amazed. It’s one of the main reasons that I always reread her books. I want to pick up every trace bit because I know the shimmering conclusion will be brighter. Some surprises were expected, others totally blind-sighted me. Their initial connection is fragile. Ren isn’t used to letting anyone in. But Gian isn’t just anyone. I loved the cheesy pick-up lines and simple text messages. I loved their passion and intensity. I loved discovering twists and turns in their backgrounds. The past shaped who they are today, but they are in control of the men they’ll be tomorrow. I loved unexpected food trucks and impromptu cooking lessons. I loved overlooked similarities and growing families. But most of all, I loved their love…honest and true.
Beware of: Secrets hold significant power…until shared. Hard times don’t last…strong people do and often create ‘families’ along the way. And trust and love go hand in hand…always.
This book is for: If you’re searching for a fast-paced, adrenaline-surging book, I’d suggest you move along. But if you want to fall into a family-centric love story with two men shedding shields and opening their hearts unequivocally, this story is for you.
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April 15, 2022
Release date: MAY 12, 2022
Standalone; Contemporary Gay Romance
Word Count: 96K
What to expect...
Honestly Yours is an age-gap standalone romance. It features a snarky younger man with a giant crush on a good-hearted, affectionate, bisexual older man. Expect some banter, a little mystery, a few twists, a dash of angst, curious parents, animal trivia, and a whole lot of love…and hugs. (so many hugs)
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May 15, 2022DNF 38%… I’m bored
Gian is the only functional human between the two of these men. Warren stresses me out.
Gian is the only functional human between the two of these men. Warren stresses me out.
dnf
June 1, 2022DNF at 42%. I thought this was going to be about a character working through trauma but the majority of the 177 pages I read were devoted to some of the least plausible business dealings I’ve ever read and a “mystery” that was not compelling at all.
The plot hinges on the fact that someone is willing to pay $1 million for a compromising photo of a real estate developer, and the reason people want to bring him down is… he’s honest, unlike everyone else. In real life, absolutely no one would care about this guy or who he sleeps with.
Meanwhile the other MC was so traumatized by something that happened to him at age 12 that he hasn’t gotten a full night’s sleep for eighteen years, yet he’s simply accepted this fact about his life and never gotten therapy. I’m sure magic dick will cure him in the end but I’m not going to stick around long enough to find out.
Also the author exclusively uses the term “hard-on” to refer to the MCs dicks? And set the characters up to have sex in an office in front of privacy glass and then faded to black? What even is this book?
The plot hinges on the fact that someone is willing to pay $1 million for a compromising photo of a real estate developer, and the reason people want to bring him down is… he’s honest, unlike everyone else. In real life, absolutely no one would care about this guy or who he sleeps with.
Meanwhile the other MC was so traumatized by something that happened to him at age 12 that he hasn’t gotten a full night’s sleep for eighteen years, yet he’s simply accepted this fact about his life and never gotten therapy. I’m sure magic dick will cure him in the end but I’m not going to stick around long enough to find out.
Also the author exclusively uses the term “hard-on” to refer to the MCs dicks? And set the characters up to have sex in an office in front of privacy glass and then faded to black? What even is this book?
May 27, 2022
Good as first book by this author.
I did not find the romance good, one mc has a strange behavior (liked him a lot and then ghosted, a sort of hot and cold) and did not like how he treated the other. I skimmed some parts because were boring. The plot was original but could have been handled better
I did not find the romance good, one mc has a strange behavior (liked him a lot and then ghosted, a sort of hot and cold) and did not like how he treated the other. I skimmed some parts because were boring. The plot was original but could have been handled better
May 21, 2022
2.5 stars for the first 25% of the book. I was really into it and totally invested. This is a new to me author and I thought I’d finally break my miserable reading streak.
I think one of my biggest issues was that this book is literally called “Honestly” and the MC’s have this whole thing about honesty throughout the whole book… but Warren hid things and ghosted Gian constantly. His hot and cold behavior really bothered me and made me kind of dislike him.
The second half of the book is a bit like a prime time drama about the rich and famous. And the last 25% a bit like wealthy Maury Povich… who-done-it/baby daddy OTT and it just… didn’t work for me.
There is also exhaustive amounts of talk/convos about construction and business deals and when editing, and that’s when proper proof readers and editors are needed so that can get cut down.
There was really no passion. There were feels very early on which made some of the later relationship drama not make sense at all. This is pretty low steam with about 70% of the book fade to black.
Gian’s parents fishing for details about sex between Gian and Warren was really icky.
I don’t consider 30 years old and 42 years old an age gap at all but whatever..
Overall I was just underwhelmed. Some great things were building but it got lost in messy writing.
I think one of my biggest issues was that this book is literally called “Honestly” and the MC’s have this whole thing about honesty throughout the whole book… but Warren hid things and ghosted Gian constantly. His hot and cold behavior really bothered me and made me kind of dislike him.
The second half of the book is a bit like a prime time drama about the rich and famous. And the last 25% a bit like wealthy Maury Povich… who-done-it/baby daddy OTT and it just… didn’t work for me.
There is also exhaustive amounts of talk/convos about construction and business deals and when editing, and that’s when proper proof readers and editors are needed so that can get cut down.
There was really no passion. There were feels very early on which made some of the later relationship drama not make sense at all. This is pretty low steam with about 70% of the book fade to black.
Gian’s parents fishing for details about sex between Gian and Warren was really icky.
I don’t consider 30 years old and 42 years old an age gap at all but whatever..
Overall I was just underwhelmed. Some great things were building but it got lost in messy writing.
May 22, 2022
Some parts I loved, others just didn't quite work for me.
It started with a bang: Gian, a 40ish businessman, meets an incredibly intriguing, attractive man at his club, and follows him upstairs to this man's (Warren/Ren's) private rooms. Turns out Ren is the owner of said club, and has set his eyes of Gian for 6 months already before he decided to take a leap and chat him up.
They're both instantly attracted to each other, what I don't usually like, especially when it's followed up by a phase of A LOT of push & pull on Ren's side, while Gian knows from day 1 that Ren is THE man for him, and he knows how to give him space and yadda yadda.
I mean - HOW? How do you know how to treat such a complicate man you literally just met? We get to know Ren and his background throughout the book, and I completely understand in retrospect why he acts the way he does, but in the beginning, his behaviour annoyed me. How can you stalk someone for 6 MONTHS and then balk at every occasion ?
Another niggle: their attraction was undeniably there, yet A LOT of the sex scenes faded to black (yes, I want some explicit stuff in that department with these kind of books. Sue me 😅).
What kept me going despite skimming a bit: the mystery plot about who's trying to ruin both Gian and Ren. And the family background - Gian's loving parents, and Ren's a bit more convoluted past.
All in all a book I liked, but not loved - 3 solid stars.
It started with a bang: Gian, a 40ish businessman, meets an incredibly intriguing, attractive man at his club, and follows him upstairs to this man's (Warren/Ren's) private rooms. Turns out Ren is the owner of said club, and has set his eyes of Gian for 6 months already before he decided to take a leap and chat him up.
They're both instantly attracted to each other, what I don't usually like, especially when it's followed up by a phase of A LOT of push & pull on Ren's side, while Gian knows from day 1 that Ren is THE man for him, and he knows how to give him space and yadda yadda.
I mean - HOW? How do you know how to treat such a complicate man you literally just met? We get to know Ren and his background throughout the book, and I completely understand in retrospect why he acts the way he does, but in the beginning, his behaviour annoyed me. How can you stalk someone for 6 MONTHS and then balk at every occasion ?
Another niggle: their attraction was undeniably there, yet A LOT of the sex scenes faded to black (yes, I want some explicit stuff in that department with these kind of books. Sue me 😅).
What kept me going despite skimming a bit: the mystery plot about who's trying to ruin both Gian and Ren. And the family background - Gian's loving parents, and Ren's a bit more convoluted past.
All in all a book I liked, but not loved - 3 solid stars.
May 20, 2022
** 3.5 stars **
I liked the writing and the MCs but the story dragged a bit after 60%. If you enjoy sugary sweet love affair, and over board perky relatives, and the villain situation that, frankly speaking, led to nowhere and was very unnecessary plus very little going on with minimum angst, this is for you. The book slightly crosses over with the Halfway House Men series through Julian from the Better Man book. Overall, I enjoyed this piece of fluff.
I liked the writing and the MCs but the story dragged a bit after 60%. If you enjoy sugary sweet love affair, and over board perky relatives, and the villain situation that, frankly speaking, led to nowhere and was very unnecessary plus very little going on with minimum angst, this is for you. The book slightly crosses over with the Halfway House Men series through Julian from the Better Man book. Overall, I enjoyed this piece of fluff.
May 16, 2022
DNF @ 24%.
This is just so incredibly dry… the business deals, the dialogue, the characters. It may improve, but I’m not sticking around for another 300 pages to find out.
This is just so incredibly dry… the business deals, the dialogue, the characters. It may improve, but I’m not sticking around for another 300 pages to find out.
May 16, 2022
Honestly Yours was a sweet adorable, kinda low of angst. Theresa little angst but to be honest, I like this kind of angst. Gian and Warren were solid as soon as they were starting to decide that they're attracted to each other.
Family and business were the main topic of this story, the romance came first , of course.
I really enjoyed savoring this book and Jaime Reese never failed to amazed me with her stories.
Recommended!
Family and business were the main topic of this story, the romance came first , of course.
I really enjoyed savoring this book and Jaime Reese never failed to amazed me with her stories.
Recommended!
May 20, 2022
⭐︎
2.5 Underwhelming Stars Rounded Up
⭐︎
I think this might be my lowest rating for this author. This one, overall just didn't work for me.
I rounded up only because near the very end it started to get interesting again and I was invested for a time, before my interested waned a little to just "meh" near the end again. But it gets props for pulling me in when I was considering DNF'ing this at several points, thus rounding up instead of down.
Otherwise...*sigh*
✓ The MC's, Gian and Warren, didn't have the best of chemistry most of the time.
✓ And when they did, the author didn't capitalize on it. Meaning, their first time having sex was pretty hot, but then we got a lot fade to blacks over the promise of what would be some pretty hot sex scenes, so that made their chemistry go down for me again.
✓ We only got two full on sex scenes, one blow job scene - and one quick sex scene in the epilogue, but I was fairly over this book by the time that came around, so I couldn't appreciate it like I wish I could have. So very low steam and fade to black in this, which makes no sense.
✓ Too much focus on plot, which wasn't interesting at all. It only got interesting when it got to the ~drama of the inter-personal relationships and secrets are revealed from that, etc. But other than that part, the plot was about properties and someone trying to screw them over on properties and it's all very boring stuff.
✓ Since there was low steam, a LOT of the plot centered around this property stuff and I just wasn't interested in it, and I just wasn't invested. Even their relationship development felt not quite right. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I just didn't really see them getting from attracted to each other to in love, especially when Warren pulled away so much. I would have liked to have seen a better transition into him learning not to push Gian away and learning how to be in a relationship instead of just kind of...deciding one day that he was all in. It felt not entirely realistic.
✓ I started skimming at two parts near the end, around 80%. I was just kinda feeling done with the story and wanted to get on with it (and when Warren, who at this point had been "determined not to push Gian away" anyway, kinda does just that, it was a little frustrating.) so I skimmed. It was after skimming that I was pulled into the story again, though, so that was the good part. But once that dram was over, I found myself skimming at the very end there again.
✓ While these two were cute together at times and I enjoyed parts of them together and so I'm giving 2.5 stars for that, they just didn't wow me. They weren't dislikable, but they weren't amazing either. They were likable. Gian is a wonderful guy and he's very sweet and patient and loving. Warren is more messed up, but he has a good heart underneath it all. I also enjoyed the scenes with Gian's parents, they were very loving and I loved how great they were with Warren after all he'd been through and the love he needed.
✓ A few things were unearned, imo, like Brody who just was in the story all the sudden near the end of the story. He was a nice person and all, but I wish we had spent more time building that connection with him to make that relationship between him and Warren feel earn. Same with Kellan, although they had a nice relationship, we just didn't spend a lot of time on it, at least not enough. The end with them was nice enough, though.
✓ So overall, this was just very "meh" for me. It had some good parts, and near the end it got juicy, but otherwise it was just all "meh" and at some points boring and uninteresting.
This one just didn't land for me. I was expecting more, and was so excited for it, but it just didn't happen.
Unfortunate, because I do love this author and have loved their stories in the past. This one just missed the mark this time.
I think this might be my lowest rating for this author. This one, overall just didn't work for me.
I rounded up only because near the very end it started to get interesting again and I was invested for a time, before my interested waned a little to just "meh" near the end again. But it gets props for pulling me in when I was considering DNF'ing this at several points, thus rounding up instead of down.
Otherwise...*sigh*
✓ The MC's, Gian and Warren, didn't have the best of chemistry most of the time.
✓ And when they did, the author didn't capitalize on it. Meaning, their first time having sex was pretty hot, but then we got a lot fade to blacks over the promise of what would be some pretty hot sex scenes, so that made their chemistry go down for me again.
✓ We only got two full on sex scenes, one blow job scene - and one quick sex scene in the epilogue, but I was fairly over this book by the time that came around, so I couldn't appreciate it like I wish I could have. So very low steam and fade to black in this, which makes no sense.
✓ Too much focus on plot, which wasn't interesting at all. It only got interesting when it got to the ~drama of the inter-personal relationships and secrets are revealed from that, etc. But other than that part, the plot was about properties and someone trying to screw them over on properties and it's all very boring stuff.
✓ Since there was low steam, a LOT of the plot centered around this property stuff and I just wasn't interested in it, and I just wasn't invested. Even their relationship development felt not quite right. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I just didn't really see them getting from attracted to each other to in love, especially when Warren pulled away so much. I would have liked to have seen a better transition into him learning not to push Gian away and learning how to be in a relationship instead of just kind of...deciding one day that he was all in. It felt not entirely realistic.
✓ I started skimming at two parts near the end, around 80%. I was just kinda feeling done with the story and wanted to get on with it (and when Warren, who at this point had been "determined not to push Gian away" anyway, kinda does just that, it was a little frustrating.) so I skimmed. It was after skimming that I was pulled into the story again, though, so that was the good part. But once that dram was over, I found myself skimming at the very end there again.
✓ While these two were cute together at times and I enjoyed parts of them together and so I'm giving 2.5 stars for that, they just didn't wow me. They weren't dislikable, but they weren't amazing either. They were likable. Gian is a wonderful guy and he's very sweet and patient and loving. Warren is more messed up, but he has a good heart underneath it all. I also enjoyed the scenes with Gian's parents, they were very loving and I loved how great they were with Warren after all he'd been through and the love he needed.
✓ A few things were unearned, imo, like Brody who just was in the story all the sudden near the end of the story. He was a nice person and all, but I wish we had spent more time building that connection with him to make that relationship between him and Warren feel earn. Same with Kellan, although they had a nice relationship, we just didn't spend a lot of time on it, at least not enough. The end with them was nice enough, though.
✓ So overall, this was just very "meh" for me. It had some good parts, and near the end it got juicy, but otherwise it was just all "meh" and at some points boring and uninteresting.
This one just didn't land for me. I was expecting more, and was so excited for it, but it just didn't happen.
Unfortunate, because I do love this author and have loved their stories in the past. This one just missed the mark this time.
Read
May 15, 2022Dnf. So tired of dnf’ing.
July 15, 2022
3.5 stars rounded up and for me, not as good as any of the stories in the Men of Halfway House series...and yay, another re-read coming up for all of them 🥳. Can't really say anything about the storyline as it will give too much away about various characters, but nasty people/mind games are everywhere and I honestly found Gian's parents too cavity-inducing sweet to be considered real 😳 [although fictional of course 😏]. Loved the mention of the Capeletti building crew and Halfway House though...
May 14, 2022
Gian, loves renovating old buildings and bringing them back to their glory days. Hopeless romantic, hopeless hugger. Discovering Warren is everything he could ever possibly want.
Warren, has all the money he’ll ever need, he wants for nothing. Almostbroken by his past. Till he sets his sights on Gian, “You were checking out my ass a minute ago.” “Well...your ass is nice.” “We’ll have to test that theory.”
Warren felt their rightness together, “This was more than he had imagined. More exciting. More raw. More perfect. More...right.”
“Gian slowly nodded. “As long as you don’t change who you are.” “I’m not changing. I’m...” He spun his hand in the air. “Renovating myself under the guidance of a master builder.”
These guys….were so absolutely made for each other. I really enjoyed Gian’s total belief in his “Ren” even when Warren didn’t necessarily deserve it. Although I believe Warren was Gian’s before they even met.
Surprisingly enough it didn’t feel like it was angst heavy. Good writing with nicely developed characters and situations. I’ve read several of this authors other books and have always liked her writing.
Review Copy requested and reviewed on behalf of OMGReads.
Warren, has all the money he’ll ever need, he wants for nothing. Almostbroken by his past. Till he sets his sights on Gian, “You were checking out my ass a minute ago.” “Well...your ass is nice.” “We’ll have to test that theory.”
Warren felt their rightness together, “This was more than he had imagined. More exciting. More raw. More perfect. More...right.”
“Gian slowly nodded. “As long as you don’t change who you are.” “I’m not changing. I’m...” He spun his hand in the air. “Renovating myself under the guidance of a master builder.”
These guys….were so absolutely made for each other. I really enjoyed Gian’s total belief in his “Ren” even when Warren didn’t necessarily deserve it. Although I believe Warren was Gian’s before they even met.
Surprisingly enough it didn’t feel like it was angst heavy. Good writing with nicely developed characters and situations. I’ve read several of this authors other books and have always liked her writing.
Review Copy requested and reviewed on behalf of OMGReads.
May 21, 2022
Po namyśle, kilku dniach od skończenia i ponownym przeczytaniu w międzyczasie dwóch tomów z mojej absolutnie ukochanej serii, czyli "The Men of Halfway House" Jaime Reese, z bólem serca, ale muszę obniżyć ocenę tej konkretnej historii, gdyż jest przynajmniej o dwie klasy słabsza od jej innych książek. Może u kogoś innego byłaby całkiem niezła, ale w tym wypadku jest co najwyżej przeciętna 😕
* * * * * * *
Prawie dwa lata czekania na nową książkę Jaime Reese. W końcu położyłam na niej łapki. I jestem częściowo usatysfakcjonowana. Częściowo, bo jednak trochę rozczarowana...
Może to środowisko, w którym została umieszczona akcja - wielkiego biznesu, wielkiej kasy, brudnych rozgrywek, parszywych ludzi. Nigdy fanką tego nie byłam i raczej nie zostanę.
Może to sposób poprowadzenia związku Warrena i Giana - wizytówką Jaime Reese jest to, że jak już chłopaki decydują się być razem, to nie ma większych wahań, nie ma obowiązkowego rozstania, jest przepracowywanie wszystkiego razem i bycie razem w całym tym bajzlu, w którym się znajdują - bez względu na to, jak jest wielki, pogmatwany czy niebezpieczny. I to uwielbiam u tej autorki - daje mi zawsze taki komfort czytania, płynięcia przez książkę, cieszenia się nią nawet wtedy, gdy sytuacja staje się trudna z różnych względów. Natomiast tutaj Warren kilka razy robił "ciche dni" Gianowi, może nie usiłował się wycofać, ale jednak przeszkadzało mi to. Może u kogoś innego byłabym w stanie to wziąć na klatę, ale u Jaime Reese odbiegało od tego, co uwielbiam i kocham - i drażniło mnie to...
Może trochę za dużo stereotypów się wkradło i pokręconego dramatu rodzinnego Warrena z dość dużą ilością wątków.
I to nie to, że książka jest zła - bo nie jest. Jest dużo przytulania - zdecydowanie więcej niż seksu, cierpliwości ze strony Giana, strasznie fajne HEA. Na pewno prowadzenie związku chłopaków jest lepsze, niż w sporej ilości książek MM. Przeczytałam błyskawicznie - zwłaszcza biorąc pod uwagę, że odbyło się to w pracującym tygodniu a nie w weekend. Ale w porównaniu do całej serii "The Men of Halfway House" i do Shades jest słabsza i nie mogę dać wyższej oceny. Tak naprawdę to po tej lekturze nabrałam ogromnej chęci na przeczytanie - po raz kolejny - pozostałych książek Jaime Reese 😉
* * * * * * *
Prawie dwa lata czekania na nową książkę Jaime Reese. W końcu położyłam na niej łapki. I jestem częściowo usatysfakcjonowana. Częściowo, bo jednak trochę rozczarowana...
Może to środowisko, w którym została umieszczona akcja - wielkiego biznesu, wielkiej kasy, brudnych rozgrywek, parszywych ludzi. Nigdy fanką tego nie byłam i raczej nie zostanę.
Może to sposób poprowadzenia związku Warrena i Giana - wizytówką Jaime Reese jest to, że jak już chłopaki decydują się być razem, to nie ma większych wahań, nie ma obowiązkowego rozstania, jest przepracowywanie wszystkiego razem i bycie razem w całym tym bajzlu, w którym się znajdują - bez względu na to, jak jest wielki, pogmatwany czy niebezpieczny. I to uwielbiam u tej autorki - daje mi zawsze taki komfort czytania, płynięcia przez książkę, cieszenia się nią nawet wtedy, gdy sytuacja staje się trudna z różnych względów. Natomiast tutaj Warren kilka razy robił "ciche dni" Gianowi, może nie usiłował się wycofać, ale jednak przeszkadzało mi to. Może u kogoś innego byłabym w stanie to wziąć na klatę, ale u Jaime Reese odbiegało od tego, co uwielbiam i kocham - i drażniło mnie to...
Może trochę za dużo stereotypów się wkradło i pokręconego dramatu rodzinnego Warrena z dość dużą ilością wątków.
I to nie to, że książka jest zła - bo nie jest. Jest dużo przytulania - zdecydowanie więcej niż seksu, cierpliwości ze strony Giana, strasznie fajne HEA. Na pewno prowadzenie związku chłopaków jest lepsze, niż w sporej ilości książek MM. Przeczytałam błyskawicznie - zwłaszcza biorąc pod uwagę, że odbyło się to w pracującym tygodniu a nie w weekend. Ale w porównaniu do całej serii "The Men of Halfway House" i do Shades jest słabsza i nie mogę dać wyższej oceny. Tak naprawdę to po tej lekturze nabrałam ogromnej chęci na przeczytanie - po raz kolejny - pozostałych książek Jaime Reese 😉
June 8, 2022
I enjoyed Jaime Reese’s The Men of Halfway House series. So when I saw that she had released this book, I got excited.
This is a story about two wealthy men. Gian is 42 and he worked hard to make the money he has. He wasn’t raised in privilege. Warren is 30 (and a half - as he likes to point out) and was raised surrounded by wealth. Gian had very supportive and loving parents. Warren…well, he didn’t have all the support that Gian did. Though Warren’s mother loved him very much, his father was very stern and cold. Even though there is a 12 year age gap, it wasn’t noticeable because Warren is a fierce businessman in his own right. He and Gian complemented each other well.
I loved how Gian’s calm, loving, strong nature balanced out Warren’s prickly, apprehensive, sometimes stand-offish personality. Gian was so patient with Warren while he worked through some hard things from his past. They had a great connection with each other.
This book had a great cast of secondary characters. Gian’s parents made me laugh and smile so much. The love his father showed to his mother was swoon worthy. We even got a tiny glimpse of Julian from The Men of Halfway House series. It was a subtle nod, but it made me happy just the same.
There were some slow parts, and I did get a little annoyed sometimes with all of Warren’s back and forth with the walls he would put up, but most of the story flowed nicely. Once Warren revealed all he had been through, the wall building was more understandable. Gian was always there to support him and give him what he needed, even if it was some time and space.
I’d recommend this for anyone who is looking for a solid romance book with a decent amount of angst. I appreciated that it was stuff that the men dealt with together without any breakup or miscommunication drama.
This is a story about two wealthy men. Gian is 42 and he worked hard to make the money he has. He wasn’t raised in privilege. Warren is 30 (and a half - as he likes to point out) and was raised surrounded by wealth. Gian had very supportive and loving parents. Warren…well, he didn’t have all the support that Gian did. Though Warren’s mother loved him very much, his father was very stern and cold. Even though there is a 12 year age gap, it wasn’t noticeable because Warren is a fierce businessman in his own right. He and Gian complemented each other well.
I loved how Gian’s calm, loving, strong nature balanced out Warren’s prickly, apprehensive, sometimes stand-offish personality. Gian was so patient with Warren while he worked through some hard things from his past. They had a great connection with each other.
This book had a great cast of secondary characters. Gian’s parents made me laugh and smile so much. The love his father showed to his mother was swoon worthy. We even got a tiny glimpse of Julian from The Men of Halfway House series. It was a subtle nod, but it made me happy just the same.
There were some slow parts, and I did get a little annoyed sometimes with all of Warren’s back and forth with the walls he would put up, but most of the story flowed nicely. Once Warren revealed all he had been through, the wall building was more understandable. Gian was always there to support him and give him what he needed, even if it was some time and space.
I’d recommend this for anyone who is looking for a solid romance book with a decent amount of angst. I appreciated that it was stuff that the men dealt with together without any breakup or miscommunication drama.
October 14, 2022
Było świetnie ale... za szybko. Panowie ledwo się poznali, a od razu byli praktycznie zakochani. Dwóch biznesmenów, żaden łatwo nie zawierza innemu człowiekowi. Obydwaj ciężko wspinali się na szczyt, znają brud rządzący ich klasą społeczną, przekręty, chęć zniszczenia innych, a od razu sobie ufają i przekazują poufne dane. To mnie niestety nie przekonało. Poza tym, panowie jak zwykle uroczy, świetnie się dogadujący (poza kilkoma cichymi dniami), pełni dobrych chęci i zdecydowani przezwyciężyć własne słabości aby być ze sobą. Nie zabrakło też złego ojca i jego przeciwwagi, czyli cudownych rodziców, którzy na drugiego syna czekają z otwartymi ramionami i łzami w oczach ;) Naprawdę dobrze mi się czytało, tylko ta miłość poszła z szybkością serii z karabinu. Dodam punkt za pojawienie się na moment Juliana, wspomnienie Matta i Aidana, to od razu sprawiło, że się uśmiechnęłam. Taki drobny smaczek a cieszy ;)
May 14, 2022
I didn’t really like the first half. Most of it made no sense at all. All that build talk. I skimmed that and that made me not so connected to the story. But I read on… Too curious what Warren’s backstory was all about. And then the twist. I didn’t see that coming. It made the story kinda more interesting.
I did like the “concept” chosen family very much. Warren deserved finally having people who loved him.
So “good enough” story for me in the end.
I did like the “concept” chosen family very much. Warren deserved finally having people who loved him.
” He needed his hopeless hugger”
So “good enough” story for me in the end.
May 12, 2022
After a long reprieve Jaime gives us a story worth all the wait and more. I love her way of storytelling.
This was a beautiful love story about hope, live and family. It was about not only by blood but what you make of it. This story is filled with loads of emotion and heart that will pull on the heartstrings and make your heart full. There’s enough sexiness mixed in it too to give you an amazing MM romance.
Jaime takes us on a spectacular journey as she weaves beautiful words of love, sadness, triumph and happiness. It's the people who are honest and love unconditionally that make you better and do better.
This was a beautiful love story about hope, live and family. It was about not only by blood but what you make of it. This story is filled with loads of emotion and heart that will pull on the heartstrings and make your heart full. There’s enough sexiness mixed in it too to give you an amazing MM romance.
Jaime takes us on a spectacular journey as she weaves beautiful words of love, sadness, triumph and happiness. It's the people who are honest and love unconditionally that make you better and do better.
May 12, 2022
Let me be perfectly honest: I FLOVE THIS BOOK! Yep, totally present tense because I'm STILL experiencing a major book hangover, and I have no one to blame but Giovanni Benedetti and Warren Prescott. Oh, and Jaime Reese, too, because she is the absolute creative genius behind Gian and Ren and their swoon-worthy love story, all of which plays out in Honestly Yours. This is a standalone M/M romance featuring two main characters who may seem like opposites but fit each other in ways that neither immediately expected. If you've never read any of Reese's books before (seriously?!), then may I humbly suggest you check them out as soon as humanly possible. This newest novel of hers is truly as good a place as any to discover her writing.
When forty-two-year-old Giovanni Benedetti is approached at the exclusive club he's a member of, he's not quite sure how to react to the gorgeous younger man with the cheesy pick-up lines delivered with undeniable charm. Thirty-year-old club owner Warren Prescott has had his eye on Gian for months, and imagine his surprise when he learns that the man known for his success in construction and renovation has a kink--honesty. Gian's been carefully guarding his heart after countless betrayals from friends and lovers, but there's something about Warren that makes him want to take a chance at something more. In turn, Warren's never opened himself up to a relationship, but could Gian be the man who makes the possibility of forever a reality? The problem is, someone has their sights set on Gian, and Warren will do everything to protect him.
From the moment Gian and Ren are introduced in the first chapter of this book, Jaime Reese had me, hook, line, and sinker. My curiosity was piqued and soon enough, I was emotionally invested in them and their story. There was romance and sex, plus heart and heat, and humor and angst. Oh, and there's even a bit of mystery with regards to who could be making trouble for this couple. AND THERE'S A TWIST! Admittedly, my one and only suspect as to who the villain was turned out to be spot-on, and the twist was one that I thought about a couple of times while I was reading the book. But that doesn't take a single thing away from how awesomely wonderful a read Honestly Yours was. I loved every single thing this book had to offer. Oh, hold on. Let me take that back. I didn't love this book. I. FLOVED. IT!!! Le sigh. I can never get enough of this author's writing, and what a way to come back after nearly two years since her last release. Five-plus stars.
When forty-two-year-old Giovanni Benedetti is approached at the exclusive club he's a member of, he's not quite sure how to react to the gorgeous younger man with the cheesy pick-up lines delivered with undeniable charm. Thirty-year-old club owner Warren Prescott has had his eye on Gian for months, and imagine his surprise when he learns that the man known for his success in construction and renovation has a kink--honesty. Gian's been carefully guarding his heart after countless betrayals from friends and lovers, but there's something about Warren that makes him want to take a chance at something more. In turn, Warren's never opened himself up to a relationship, but could Gian be the man who makes the possibility of forever a reality? The problem is, someone has their sights set on Gian, and Warren will do everything to protect him.
From the moment Gian and Ren are introduced in the first chapter of this book, Jaime Reese had me, hook, line, and sinker. My curiosity was piqued and soon enough, I was emotionally invested in them and their story. There was romance and sex, plus heart and heat, and humor and angst. Oh, and there's even a bit of mystery with regards to who could be making trouble for this couple. AND THERE'S A TWIST! Admittedly, my one and only suspect as to who the villain was turned out to be spot-on, and the twist was one that I thought about a couple of times while I was reading the book. But that doesn't take a single thing away from how awesomely wonderful a read Honestly Yours was. I loved every single thing this book had to offer. Oh, hold on. Let me take that back. I didn't love this book. I. FLOVED. IT!!! Le sigh. I can never get enough of this author's writing, and what a way to come back after nearly two years since her last release. Five-plus stars.
May 11, 2022
Once I started I was sucked in. Jaime’s books always seem to do that. She writes such amazing characters to love.
Gian is a hard worker and worked hard to build the business life he has. He’s a relationship kind of person. Very affectionate and a huge cuddler (swoon). He’s very private person and the press wants more of him.
Warren is very guarded, one and done guy, and a bit of a mess. He is not into affection and pretty closed off. He works hard for what he has and he has some secrets.
After six months of Warren yearning for Gian, he finally approaches and boy do sparks fly. I loved their trivia, jokes, and their discussions. Honesty.. that is what Gian needs from Warren above everything else. He’d rather know and discuss than not know.
“In the end, I don’t care what it costs me. And I will fight for you with my very last breath. Because the time I have with you - any time I have with you- worth it.”
Gian’s parents are simply put amazing. I loved all interaction with them in the book and it touched my heart.
In the end these two men are amazing cuddlers and communicators with each other. They are strong, kind, compassionate, and just darn right perfect for each other. Throw in some twists that once resolved melted my heart as well.
Gian is a hard worker and worked hard to build the business life he has. He’s a relationship kind of person. Very affectionate and a huge cuddler (swoon). He’s very private person and the press wants more of him.
Warren is very guarded, one and done guy, and a bit of a mess. He is not into affection and pretty closed off. He works hard for what he has and he has some secrets.
After six months of Warren yearning for Gian, he finally approaches and boy do sparks fly. I loved their trivia, jokes, and their discussions. Honesty.. that is what Gian needs from Warren above everything else. He’d rather know and discuss than not know.
“In the end, I don’t care what it costs me. And I will fight for you with my very last breath. Because the time I have with you - any time I have with you- worth it.”
Gian’s parents are simply put amazing. I loved all interaction with them in the book and it touched my heart.
In the end these two men are amazing cuddlers and communicators with each other. They are strong, kind, compassionate, and just darn right perfect for each other. Throw in some twists that once resolved melted my heart as well.
May 14, 2022
4.75 stars
I haven’t read a Jaime Reese book that I didn’t love! Her characters are real, engaging, and sexy AF! It’s always deeply satisfying when a ‘broken’ MC discovers he is worthy of the man of his dreams and deserves a loving family and a happy life.
While there was a little bit of drama, it was OUTSIDE the relationship.
I loved Gian’s parents, they were just the right amount of nosy and loving.
Although this IS a standalone, Julian from the Men of Halfway House series makes a cameo.
*****
POV… third person
Standalone or series… standalone
Hangover… slight
Recommend… YES
Reread… yes
I haven’t read a Jaime Reese book that I didn’t love! Her characters are real, engaging, and sexy AF! It’s always deeply satisfying when a ‘broken’ MC discovers he is worthy of the man of his dreams and deserves a loving family and a happy life.
While there was a little bit of drama, it was OUTSIDE the relationship.
I loved Gian’s parents, they were just the right amount of nosy and loving.
Although this IS a standalone, Julian from the Men of Halfway House series makes a cameo.
*****
POV… third person
Standalone or series… standalone
Hangover… slight
Recommend… YES
Reread… yes
May 15, 2022
GAH… I loved this book hard!!!! So Freaking good! I haven’t read a Jamie Reese book in awhile, this book was so worth the wait. It’s an emotional ride that has you smiling one minute then tears rolling down your face the next. It was sweet with cheesy lines, steamy, lots of smiles and hugs with some angst that’ll break your heart,there’s and age gap to, only 12 years. The book is worth the tears to get to the wonderful HEA. I loved Gian(Gianni)& Ren(Warren)right away, I wanted a Gian hug and kick Ren’s butt a time or two but I loved them both right away and glad they never gave up on each other and faced things together eventually. I’m glad Ren had finally found the courage to talk to Gian because they were meant to be and he needed him, gah! My heart has all the feels! A Must Read!!
Read
May 15, 2022Wow. That was … bizarre. None of it really made sense and then the end was like the final 10 minutes of an old a-team episode. All the things happened! They barely were logical! I’m mostly writing this review to remind myself that this author is not my cup of tea.
May 11, 2022
I wasn’t sure, in the beginning, that this would be one I’d enjoy. It didn’t take me long to get sucked in and really enjoy it. There are so many pieces that make it touching and unique.
Gian is surprisingly laid back for one so driven. He’s honest to a fault. He has his crazy Italian family to ground him. The hopeless hugger is always touching.
Warren is so different. He’s driven, but with a hyper focus. He’s worked hard to right his father’s wrongs. He secretly struggles to believe he is worthy and tries to hide all his scars. He has no idea how to deal with Gian’s wonderful, nosy parents.
There are parts that stand out. There’s the tree and the birdhouse. The building set. The amazingly bad bad guys. It’s a story that winds you up and won’t let you go until you’re done.
Gian is surprisingly laid back for one so driven. He’s honest to a fault. He has his crazy Italian family to ground him. The hopeless hugger is always touching.
Warren is so different. He’s driven, but with a hyper focus. He’s worked hard to right his father’s wrongs. He secretly struggles to believe he is worthy and tries to hide all his scars. He has no idea how to deal with Gian’s wonderful, nosy parents.
There are parts that stand out. There’s the tree and the birdhouse. The building set. The amazingly bad bad guys. It’s a story that winds you up and won’t let you go until you’re done.
May 13, 2022
What about this book?
Absurdly fantastic!!
Reese's romantic couple always brings charm and warmth to our hearts.
It's an impactful story, with a mystery to be solved (I couldn't put the book down until I found out what was behind it all!), and too much romance.
A perfect chemistry between Warren and Gian, and I was imagining other words starting with P to call them affectionately.
5 stars
Absurdly fantastic!!
Reese's romantic couple always brings charm and warmth to our hearts.
It's an impactful story, with a mystery to be solved (I couldn't put the book down until I found out what was behind it all!), and too much romance.
A perfect chemistry between Warren and Gian, and I was imagining other words starting with P to call them affectionately.
5 stars
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