I’d spent my whole life feeling alone, even if I was surrounded by people. I didn’t ever feel alone when I was with him.
Except for losing his brother much too young, Charles has had a good life. He’s enjoyed a successful career, a loving family, and never has a hard time finding a man. But he’d started to feel unfulfilled and on a whim decided to spend the summer in Ryland, North Carolina where his best friend currently lives. Brian has spent his entire adult life in love with his brother’s wife and after she passed, dealing with the guilt of his feelings. He’s not sure what to make of Charles when they meet, he’s never known anyone like him. They couldn’t possibly have anything in common, but Charles is persistent and when Brian relents and agrees to spend time with him, he discovers that they have more in common than he could have ever imagined. The more Brian gets to know Charles, the more his attraction grows, opening up new possibilities for a future he never expected he could have.
Charles was bringing me back to life.
I wasn’t sad, lonely Brian on that stage. I was a man, with a guitar, making people fall in love with music, and maybe falling in love myself.
What a beautiful story this was! Charles and Brian stole my heart pretty early on and didn’t let go the whole way through. I knew Charles was a good guy from when I met him in Only for the Weekend but he still surprised me with how patient and kind he was with Brian. He was so persistent in befriending Brian, it was very sweet. As they got to know each other we witnessed their bond growing and evolving into romance. It was a delicious slow burn, I was swooning very hard at the tender touches and the hand-holding. It was breathtaking.
There was no denying we were different, but right here, when he was in my arms, it was easy to forget about all that other shit. There had never been anything in my life I wanted more than him.
I loved Brian so much. He spent so much of his life being sad and lonely, my heart hurt for him. His journey pulled at my heartstrings. He lived with so much guilt and I loved seeing him finally be able to let that go. He’d been deprived of even the barest affection for so many years that seeing him finally receive it (and soak it up) from Charles, brought tears to my eyes. I love how they bonded over their music and how that played into helping them grow, both individually and together. They were just so perfect for one another and they both fell so hard. They had some hiccups to deal with but they communicated so well and I was confident their bond would withstand whatever was thrown at them.
“I don’t feel like I lived before I met you. I went my whole life without breathin’… without feeling… but I wanna live now. I want it all, Charles, and that’s because of you.”
I enjoyed this whole series but this one was definitely my favorite of the three. And I was so happy that the epilogue in this one gave us a look at where all the couples were. It made my heart very happy!
“I’ve felt a lot of good in my life, but none of it has ever felt as good as you.”
The Book Boyfriend Addict 