Great Restorations is a contemporary gay romance between Marc Wynn and Sawyer Calhoun. Marc lives in the small town of Edgewood and owns a company that restores historical houses, while Sawyer is a writer who's just inherited a very old house from his mysterious grandfather, Paul Steinbrick. The romantic heat between Marc and Sawyer is immediate and very hot, there's only one problem-Marc is a virgin, firmly tucked in the closet, while Sawyer is out and proud. At first Sawyer is disdainful of Ma More...

I learned two things while reading this novel. First, it doesn't matter the gender of the main couple in a romance. The sexual tension, the banter, the angst... it's still really fun to read. I loved Marc and Sawyer. I'm pretty sure they are based off some of my best friends. The writing was good, the story was good, the characters really are great. The second thing I learned, though, was that gay romances are not really for me and I'll probably not be reading another. However, if you enjoy man More...

A sweet romance with a slow, sexy buildup

Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.

Rating: 8/10

PROS:
- The author does a good job of conveying Marc’s terror at coming out of the closet while somehow managing to avoid making his struggle too fraught with angst. Sometimes it’s even rather amusing. One of my favorite lines occurs when Sawyer shows up unexpectedly at one point and Marc thinks, “Fate hated him. That was the only explanation.”
- I loved that Sawyer pushes M More...

I had hoped I could find time in the next few days to gush about it at length because this book deserves that kind of long review. But I don't have time so this brief review will have to do: Great Restorations is so, so good. Delicious. Yummy. And just plain effing WOW.

I've been reading Libby's works since she was still writing HP fanfics. When I read her first novel, State of Mind, I could see strong traces of the fanfic characters (Harry, Severus and Draco) in her original novel characters (A More...

This was a splendid, well-written, and engaging novel. The setting and the main and secondary characters were charming. The secondary characters definitely added vital color and context. Of the two leads, I really liked Sawyer. He had that appealing combination of strength, confidence, sexiness, dominance, sensitivity, and tenderness. Among the secondary characters, Tim, Finn, and Simone were my favorites. I loved the way Tim carried himself, his unassuming nature despite marked perceptiveness a More...

4.5 stars

Marc lives in a small town. He is deeply in the closet and has no desire to ever step out of it. He has a very successful business, a wonderful aunt who raised him, a small group of close friends and employees. No one knows he is gay and he refuses to chance them thinking differently of him so he hides who he is. Then he meets Sawyer at an estate sale that he accompanies his aunt to. The attraction between the two is sudden and it's intense but Sawyer is out and refuses to be Marc's lit More...

Wow...beautifully written, great characters - I confess, I'm usually in the "more smut" camp, and to realize that I'd gotten almost all the way to the end of a book before any serious nookie occurred made me appreciate the author's skill in creating a story arc that kept me engaged throughout the story. This was definitely a contemporary adult romance, not in the NSFW way, but in the "grown up people with interesting problems" way. The supporting characters rocked; Aunt May was awesome, and Bruc More...

4,5 stars

I stayed up til 3 in the morning to finish it. Sounds lame huh? Since it's not some kind of horror-mystery-story in which you itched to know who will die next. Yes, Great Restoration is 'only' a drama-slice-of-life with very engaging writing.

Marc Wynn is one lovable young guy. He's caring to his aunt, friendly boss to his employee. In one of his routine accompany of his beloved aunt to estate sales for years, he meets Sawyer Calhoun, the hottest bachelor in town :)) (rich, hot and singl More...

Great Restorations is the third Libby Drew book I’ve read and is engaging and fun to read. There is an ease to Drew’s writing that quickly draws you in and keeps you reading. I tend to connect this author with easy, lighter fare that is enjoyable but not stories I’d read again. This offering fits well with that and the chemistry between Marc and Sawyer is by far the best part. The plot is decent but requires some suspension of disbelief in multiple places. This is a solid story with good writing More...

3.5 STARS This featured two likable characters & a host of interesting side character with Sawyer's friend Bruce being a scene stealer. There was a lot of repetitive stuttering starts & stops to the relationship between Sawyer & Marc. There were too many ridiculous interruptions which the writer used to build tension (and not much more) between the couple. Marc is rather frustrating as a closeted character although there was an attempt of an explanation for it. It's easier to believe More...

well-written & interesting. a book about hiding onesself from the ones loved the most; more specifically the struggle of small-town guy coming to terms with his own sexuality when faced with love. usually stories with this basic kind of plot (fighting sexuality) irritate the hell out of me; not so with this one- the author's style is engaging, honest and relatable. highly recommend this book.

2.75 Stars
I wasn't really feeling the romance part of this story. Something??? was missing. This fell in the drama/general fiction area for me. Bruce made me smile a lot. He was, without a doubt, the most likable character. There were a few molehills, but no great peaks or valleys, if you know what I mean. Just meh.

This is a strong 4. I really liked the characters and the slow buildup of sexual tension. I also loved the details about home renovation.

I felt Drew managed just about the perfect balance between plot (romance) and subplot (family tension/ minor mystery). The romance was the focus of the book, but the subplot didn't get shortchanged. And while I felt that certain characters at the end ((view spoiler)[the dad! (hide spoiler)]) were a bit overdone--while I was reading she had me. I didn't need to suspend disbelief at all becaus More...

Marc Wynn and Sawyer Calhoun meet at an estate sale. Marc is accompanying his aunt as he does every Saturday morning but this time something other than furniture catches his eye. Sawyer, in town to settle his grandfather's estate, is also drawn to the other man and the two make plans to have dinner. Despite their intense attraction however things don't go as well as they'd hoped since they have totally different views on a very important subject, being gay. Marc is totally in the closet and adam More...

It was a slow build up with tension between Marc ( a deeply closeted man, but I'm just not sure why he was so closeted, his professional and private life didn't need it necessarily, his Aunt and friends loved him no matter what...) and Sawyer a writer .
Sawyer and Marc start a few times to get closer, but first Marc's reluctance/refusal to come out stops them and then they are constantly stopped by other obstacles ( calls or people coming on the scene) it got a bit annoying for me.
The drama aroun More...

This is definitely a comfort read. You won't find any overblown plot-lines or anxiety dripping scenes. What you get is a smoldering romance between 2 guys and the fun/crazy/apathetic people in their lives.

I love this author's ability to completely flesh out her characters; even the secondary players are multi-dimensional and integral to the story-line. As a matter of fact, I'm not above begging for Bruce and Tim's story, so here goes...

*please?*

There are some books that are so bad that they don't even deserve reviewing. This is one of them. Paper-thin characters. Non-sensical plot. Totally immature relations and emotions. Horribly written. Guess what...I didn't like this one. From her first attempt at writing in Elementary School: Winnie-the-Pooh/Shakespeare cross-over to this one, I can't say there has been much improvement.

I enjoyed the town Libby Drew created and many of her secondary characters, but for some reason, the main characters never pulled me as much as the story. The portrayal of small town life felt genuine and I enjoyed the overall story arc. I did hate the people I was supposed to hate, though. That feeling came through very easily for me. Star Wars references were a great touch.

This was a 3.6 for me. I had a hard time getting into the book,it was slow going at first. However half way through I really started to enjoy the characters. Ms. Drew has a way of engaging your heart and the dialogue and attributes of all the characters is endearing. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.

Great Restorations is, first and foremost, a love story. But it is also a good coming-out story. It is a very well written story with likable characters and believable events. The dialog is often funny and witty and flows easily across the pages. It held my interest from the beginning until the end.

I very much liked this book and I give it four stars.

Didn't know what to expect from this author, but I was wowed.

This book caught me from the beginning and I couldn't put it down. The characters are completely likable. The way Marc's family and friends treated him was amazing. I immediately went in search of a sequel.

Really, really amazing, funny piece of story. I loved the writing style, and all the main characters in this story. The attraction between Sawyer and Marc is totally hot and I loved every second of this story.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED READ.

4.75 rating - Lovely domesticated story about two very normal men visiting their roots and coming to terms with the skeletons in their closets.

This is a wonderful book, with beautifully drawn characters and a moving, original plot line! I loved it!

Loved you Bruce, I want to read your story!
Kassa wrote a wonderful review for this.

4.5 stars. Now I want to know what's in store for Tim and Bruce :3 Oh and I would love to read Kurt's story :3

4.5 stars

3.5?