I am showing as much resolve against Marsh’s charms as I am with my New Year’s resolutions. And I haven’t had a salad since January.
Marshall (aka Data) and Marshall (aka Marsh) had been together and in love for 8 years until one day Marsh unceremoniously ended things with a very flimsy explanation. Six months later, Data is still nursing his broken heart when he receives a message from Marsh telling him they need to get to their cabin in Maine and clean it out so they can sell – officially severing the last tie between them. Data reluctantly agrees, hesitant to spend the weekend with the man who broke his heart. Marsh may have spewed some nonsense about needing space when he broke things off between them but he’s been pining for Data ever since. When a huge snowstorm traps them on the mountain, they are forced to face what happened 6 months ago while trying to resist the love and attraction that still sizzles between them.
“You good?” Marsh asks.
No, I’m not good. I’m stuck in a cabin with my ex who broke my heart six months ago and is now attempting to pick his way inside to do more damage by having amazing sex with me multiple times before we pack up and sell the damn place. I should write a country song.
There were plenty of emotional moments throughout this story but what actually brought tears to my eyes were AJ and Matt’s acknowledgments at the end of the book. I love their friendship and I loved getting to read the first brainchild of theirs. It was evident from the very early chapters that AJ and Matt’s writing styles complement each other perfectly. It’s virtually impossible to discern who wrote what, it all blended seamlessly.
The story itself was sweet, funny, and of course, spicy. These guys never stopped loving one another and it was bittersweet as they walked down memory lane, remembering the good times, as they cleaned out the cabin. The breakup caused a lot of damage but I loved seeing them work their way through it and finally have the hard conversations they should have had 6 months ago. Even when they were fighting it, there was no doubt these two were meant to be together.
We belong together—like peas and carrots, we’re perfectly adequate on our own, but make so much more sense combined.
I thought the story struck a good balance with the humor, the emotional bits, and the steamy bits. The book is relatively low angst and the angst that is there is usually tempered with a well-timed joke, keeping the overall vibe of the book light. And it should come as no surprise that a book from the brains of AJ and Matt is full of spice. Data and Marsh had plenty of issues to work through but their sexual chemistry was not one of them!
This was a fun second-chance romance that’ll make you laugh and tug at your heartstrings and I look forward to whatever AJ and Matt are going to cook up next!
The Book Boyfriend Addict 