The Book Boyfriend Addict

I never said I was a rational man when it comes to Lawson Darling. I’ve been his in some form or another my entire life.

Friends seems like an inadequate word for a person you’d travel into literal Hell for.

I just pray the flames don’t consume me whole.

It was so good to be back on the Darling Ranch again. This one focused on the eldest Darling brother, Lawson, as he sought to make sense of his sexuality. And who better to do that with than the person he trusts most in this world, his lifelong best friend, Oakley Beaumont. Lawson’s first order of business was to bring Oakley back home and then ask him for the biggest favor of his life.

When childhood best friends-to-lovers is done well, it’s one of the sweetest tropes, and Emmy Sanders has written some of my favorite books with this trope. Lawson and Oakley can now be counted amongst those. Their friendship was beautiful and so strong. I was impressed by how clearly this came across without the benefit of flashbacks to help build it up (aside from the very first scene). I did not doubt that these two would love each other one way or another until the day they died. And I loved seeing them realize that their love went beyond friendship. They really were perfect together. The previous book, Brim Over Boot, was very antagonistic and a bit angsty, but the vibes of this book were much closer to the swoony, romantic vibes of Sweet Like Whiskey. It was a delight to read.

I can feel it, the whoosh of air past my ears as I fall clean down that rabbit hole. I’m gone. Utterly tumbled. And there’s no going back.

I’m head over heels in love with my best friend.

Lawson had a lot to figure out about himself after recently getting out of a 20-year marriage, and I thought his journey was portrayed so well. He was this interesting mix of confused and so sure. I loved how easily he asked for what he wanted. He was so straightforward, it was refreshing. At times, it threw Oakley off balance, understandably, but ultimately, Oakley could never deny Lawson anything.

There were so many swoony moments throughout this book. I got a little misty-eyed on more than one occasion. Especially seeing the way the Darling family loved and supported both of these guys. The book was very low angst, which I appreciated. I was surprised that there were still a handful of chapters left after the resolution of the angst, but I didn’t mind because those were some of the swooniest chapters in the whole book. This book was everything I expected from a Darling Brothers book, and I look forward to returning once more when Remi’s book comes out!

“I don’t want to step back from this, all right?” he says, more serious. “When I think about what it is I want and what I need, the one constant is… you.”