I didn’t connect with the characters in this one quite as strongly as in the previous books but I still enjoyed it. I loved the great communication between the MCs. Always here for good communication! And love the continued theme of overcoming having 💩 parents and becoming who you were meant to be. 👏🏼 

This one features Sam’s lawyer Rowan and James from the tattoo shop. Rowan is only in town for Sam’s case and then he’ll be leaving again. James is tired of living with the fear and shame instilled in him by his ‘fire & brimstone’ pastor father. He’s let his friends believe he’s a serial hook-up artist but he’s actually never been with anyone -  ever. And he wants Rowan to be his first.

The journey they take together is very sweet. I love how gently Rowan guides James through his first few times and helps him regain his sense of self worth in the process. I liked Rowan in Sam’s book but I like him even more here. 

I also thought it was interesting learning about life as a double amputee, as James lost both his lower legs in a boot camp training mishap. The disability rep in the series continues to be outstanding. And of course we are treated to cameos by all the other characters, many of which have disabilities (deafness, TBI, paralysis, blindness). It feels like a truly realistic and much more representative slice of life to see so many characters with differences. 

With James’ father being a Baptist minister, and a lot of his trauma stemming from church-related issues, there were a lot of excellent and interesting discussions in the book about how to reconcile one’s sexuality/identity with their faith. American evangelicals aren’t known for their accepting views towards the LGBTQ+ community and I thought the way James worked through his troubles on this topic was really thoughtful and well done. 

CWs & rep: