Absolution

by E.M. Lindsey

Alexei Gurgov put his dark past behind him. Running a bookshop and living a quiet life in London, he has very few expectations. Then one night, his life is irrevocably changed, when he’s mugged in an alley. Instead of going to the police, Alexei tracks down the mugger and learns he’s merely a starving man trying to get by. Offering him a job and a place to stay, Alexei is determined to help make it right. The one thing he doesn’t expect, however, is to fall for his sudden flatmate. Will this be his own version of a storybook romance, or are they star-crossed lovers, determined to burn bright, then fall apart?

Genres: M M Romance, Romance, Contemporary, Gay, LGBT, Queer, Amazon

121 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 15, 2016

About the author

E.M. Lindsey is the author of MM contemporary romance. She presently lives and works in the southeastern United States.

EM Lindsey also writes MM Paranormal Romance under the pseudonym Ariel Millar.

Reviews

[Katrina Passick Lumsden · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. I don't really understand why I was supposed to care about the MCs. They're both emotionally stunted and distant, both from each other and from the readers. I couldn't connect, and then that ending was both drawn-out and abrupt. Ultimately unsatisfying.

[Laura V. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Esta vez no. Soy de comerme muchos libros con instalove y me los banco porque no me queda de otra y porque uno que otro personaje me engancha y me divierte, pero acá esto no pasa.

Es un problema de confianza y es solo problema del narrador, Alexei, del único que tenemos perspectiva y lo odié, porque hace la trama aburrida, densa, hipócrita, dramática. No me puedo congraciarme con ese tipo que cree que por hacer el gesto del año August le debe todo. Y no es así. August tiene derecho a su privacidad, a guardar pensamientos para sí mismo. Ya cuando Alexei considera que es "su deber" seguir a August un par de veces para ver "qué hace que no le cuenta" me hastié de este personaje. Y me cansé de intentar buscar lo que ve August en un tipo tan inseguro como Alexei.

[Coco.V]

💝FREE on Amazon today (6/7/2018)!💝

Blurb:
Alexei Gurgov put his dark past behind him. Running a bookshop and living a quiet life in London, he has very few expectations. Then one night, his life is irrevocably changed, when he’s mugged in an alley. Instead of going to the police, Alexei tracks down the mugger and learns he’s merely a starving man trying to get by. Offering him a job and a place to stay, Alexei is determined to help make it right. The one thing he doesn’t expect, however, is to fall for his sudden flatmate. Will this be his own version of a storybook romance, or are they star-crossed lovers, determined to burn bright, then fall apart?

[Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

Actual rating 2.5 stars.

There are some E.M. Lindsey books where I'm ready to scream from the rooftops that she's the best writer ever (hint-hint Verismo) ... Absolution was not one of those books for me. While it was not a bad read either and I kind of enjoyed it to an extent, I still had bigger expectations for it.

The premise of the story intrigued me and I thought that Lindsey could write an amazing story, but I fear that it wasn't a successful attempt because both Alexei and August felt kind of distant and, honestly, I didn't really connect with either of them. I actually didn't mind how quickly they got together, but I minded that Lindsey failed at giving the reader more of a feel for the feelings our MC Alexei was feeling.

Alexei and August frustrated me endlessly due to their inability to communicate, really communicate. On the one hand I kind of understand why they acted the way they did, but on the other hand I quite literally wanted to yell at them so that they'd speak to one another about the things that were bothering them.

Also, the amount of angst kind of killed the experience for me. Some say that it was the perfect amount of angst, but for me ... too much!

One of the heroes is supposed to be POC, but I don't rightly see it on the cover photo. The photo is nice and I really like it, but shouldn't one of them have ... you know, darker skin?

Oh, and lastly. The amount of missing words and typos is simply outrageous. I had to re-read several passages due to the fact that some words were simply missing. I've never had such problems with a Lindsey book before and I hope that it will be fixed soon.

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[Ada · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dnf at 34% when August says this “I,” August tried, but his voice failed him, and he cleared his throat. “I did. God, even in the alley, I think I wanted you then. And I wasn’t sure I could take it anymore.

Like dude. Seriously. I was prepared to overlook how the two MCs meet. But if August is going to bring it up as a sexually charged moment. Then it's over.

Plus Alexi has no substance. He's too freaking nice, almost to a fault. He apologize s way too much. He's so desperate to do things right with August, whom he doesn't known from Adam that he's the one that comes off as creepy. No one is that nice. You don't get almost robbed and threatened then go look for the guy in question and say here come live with me, share my home share my life. I'm not sorry am done.

[Bitchie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just didn't like the writing style on this one. It was written totally from Alexei's POV, but it was third person, and quite often, I was unsure of who was speaking, because the author always used "he said", leaving me unsure of which "he" they meant.

At the start, Alexei was a really nice guy, but he took a major turn into dickish behavior at one point, and I thought August forgave him WAY too easily. Then, in part two, August suddenly got secretive and started disappearing for hours at a time, and I don't even blame Alexei for having suspicions, and August never explained, not until the very end. This miscommunication drove me nuts, and the whole thing just didn't really work for me.

[F. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not really a lot one can say about this - definitely not one of the author's best. Both MC's have massive trust issues and don't communicate with each other. I also had a problem in feeling a relationship between the two and didn't particularly bond with either MC. Glad book was a freebie.
3 stars

[Sasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

***Received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review***

3.5 Stars

I hate rating a book this low but I tried to like the story or the MCs but I couldn't.

Alexei helps August by offering him a home and a job. Though Alexei has good intentions at heart but insecurities and his darkness makes it difficult to trust anything good in life. August whereas is grateful but he has trouble showing it.

I had difficulty understanding the MCs. Why wouldn't they share or acknowledge or reassure each other? The cliche misunderstanding was so irritating. There was a point I didn't understand the significance of the misunderstanding.
I kept thinking won't the characters be more hardworking or have perspectives after a hardship and struggle.
I didn't see romance or the bond between the characters.

Overall, this was an average read for me, low on romance and steam.

[Silvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Predictable…and I loved it

Two men. Strangers. Move in together. Fall in love. Break up. Reunite. Learn to trust. Learn to love again. My cuppa.

[Shelba · Rating 1 out of 5]

For being a second edition with “semi-significant changes”, there sure are a lot of typos. “And” instead of “an”, “if” instead of “of”, etc.

I didn’t really feel any chemistry between the two MCs.

Alexis was actually quite annoying, and one can only think he was trying to sabotage the relationship. You have a fight, and you decide to reach out to the person who was the catalyst of your previous fight that almost ended your relationship?

And the assumption that Alexei makes, when it is pretty obvious what the real meaning of the conversation was, was ridiculous both for Alexei to make and for the author to use as a plot point.

I think I need to just take a step back from EM Lindsey, as their writing doesn’t work for me more often than it does.

[Lillian Francis]

Alexei was a dick and didn't deserve August.

Two things that peeved me with the writing.

If you're going to set a story outside of your native country try to get the basics right. For example, we have estate agents here not realtors. This story could probably been set in New York without causing any changes. I wonder why the author chose London.

If your 'about the author' states you are a professional editor then maybe it would be a good idea to make sure this has been proof read to get rid of any errors. Wrong and missing words were scattered liberally throughout the manuscript.

[Jennifer Oliveira · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had higher hopes for this one.
It started out great. I was intrigued, I liked the idea... I just didn't like how it unfolded. The main relationship well, it all happened too fast and halfway through the book I was already expecting something frustrating. Frustrating is a good word to describe the experience.
I did like some things. I like the idea, the "second chances" vibe, the lgbt and poc representation... Overall I expected more from the story, though, and that is why I'm giving it 3 stars.

[Shaztwirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Good Read.

When a musician has a massive hit song, you wonder how anything else they release is ever going to be up to the same standard. Same with an author. Verismo was such an incredible book , I wonder if the author feels the pressure of trying to write something comparable. Absolution is a good book but falls a little short of what I hope to read from this author. I'm probably being unfair but I want a book to smack me in the face with a great big wow.

[Bo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book, but it was just ok. I have loved everything else from this author, but this just fell flat. I felt the MC's just did not communicate when they really needed to. There were too many misunderstandings that could've been prevented. I will continue to look forward to more from this author.

[Himi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alexei was on his way home with take out when a homeless man attempted to mug him. Rather than going to the police, Alexei decided to track down the guy who bailed on the mugging; he found him at a cathedral. As a way to help the guy out, he invited him back to his flat and offered him a job and a place to sleep. The guy who we soon come to know as August, dismissed the offer, stating that he wasn’t a whore. To that Alexei laughed and returned that he wasn’t looking for a shag. So they talked through a bit and August finally decided to take Alexei up on the offer.

Alexei can admit that it may turn out to be the stupidest thing he’s ever done, especially because he’s spent so much time keeping himself closed off and avoiding vulnerability like the plague, but he knows what it’s like. He’s been where August is and something in him wants to help. And that’s the beginning of the story.

[SPOLERS START (10 paragraphs)]

There was a time that I wanted to have a house, I wanted to be in the position to support people who needed it for time and I kind of was for a while–helped two people out–but then I realized I’m not really built for that. I’m not built for caring–which sounds terrible, I suppose–but I don’t always have the energy. I don’t always have the mental fortitude to take on other people’s problems, so reading this and seeing how Alexei takes August in because he’s been there, he understands what being homeless is about: the desperation, the loneliness, the dehumanization. Seeing how all that goes on and how he tries to help the man back to feeling human without expressly doing so–it’s difficult and it’s amazing and I wish I really could do something like that. But I’m more of a background support person I will do things in the dark, in the shadows to help out, but that sort of overt, right out in front thing, I really wish I could, but I can’t. Not without it damaging the pre-existing relationship in someway and I don’t do well with strangers, so that’s… Anyway, I get antsy. I don’t like people in my space, even if I really want them there. There is just something in me that needs to be left alone; it’s a terrible thing, but it is what it is. At least for now. I don’t know if it’ll ever change. Maybe I kind of don’t want it to, but then again I think that maybe it’s not a good way to be. But I’ll live vicariously through Alexei.

So Alexei and August barely knew each other a month and Alexei was already falling for him. Now, I think that it’s possible, because August is a very charming guy. He’s not baroque or anything, but he is rather relaxed, relatively up front, knows how to laugh, and takes thing in stride. He seems comfortable with himself even with his present situation. But I think the impression is mostly due to Alexei tolerance or immunity. He has closed himself off for so long that being around someone constantly and living in the same space, breathing the same air, even if there’s no sort of advance in romance department, has shaken his foundation. He’s been against opening himself up to someone else, it’s something that he’s not done for a long time; not just lazily but determinedly. His parents died and it destroyed him and he never wanted to be that vulnerable again and so in order to do that he’s led a solitary life. The presence of August reminds him of what it’s like to know someone else, to be around someone else, to be in their presence and interact with them and not in a store owner-customer way, but in a just as two people way. He opened that door, so now he’s almost powerless to stop it.

The lead-up to them having sex was a very awkward 5 to 10 minutes between them where there was a little bit of give and a lot of turning away for fear of being wrong or being rejected. That led to August escaping to his safe place, the cathedral, but somebody got brave (Alexei) while somebody else (August) tried to steel themselves and made sure to pray that they would just hold on tight, resist, find the strength not to be hurt if there was rejection on the way. But they chanced a step in that direction, both hesitant, yet consenting. Still, even a month in, they don’t know each other very well, yet they’ve gone this far.

Alexei gave August a sketch of his life early on in the story; the first or second day as a matter of fact. They have sex before August returns the favor, he opened up the morning after as a matter of fact. So August tells the story of how a posh guy ends up homeless–I had it all written out, but at this point in my reading, the story is still good, so I want to encourage you to read it. But let’s say, posh or not, his family wasn’t that great and he rebelled for a while, but got himself together. However, in uni, he surrounded himself with the wrong kind of people and even though he was on the straight and narrow, he got caught up in their mess which spit him out on the other side with nothing.

Now that’s it. A good story and it’s really sad and everything and it seems like it’s on the level, but later Alexei doesn’t seem to think it’s all that cut and dry. Alexei’s story–which I don’t mind giving more details about because it’s the first thing you read–is that, at age 19, he lost his parents to a horrible crash. He was left alone; he still had family back in Georgia (the country) but he was in the UK. He dropped out of uni and ended up on the streets. Finally, he decided to ditch his pride and go into a shelter to get himself to a place where he could move on with his life. That taken care of, he gets a job and later he’s got enough cash and credit and encouragement from his boss to open his own bookstore with a flat on the top so he lives above it and this is his life until we meet him.

The morning after, rather than either of them assuming, they talked about it and decided that, yes, they want to be together. Almost hard not to be when you’re in such close quarters, though. Some time passed and the feeling that August has not been completely straight with him visits Alexei often. He doesn’t want to be the jealous or doubting person who sits and waits for things to fall apart, but that’s pretty much what he becomes. It turns out that his feeling was somewhat on point–to be honest, though, it’s not clear what the deal was at the time. Skip ahead to them being broken up for 6 months. And that all came about because Alexei was out strolling, just kind of getting things together in his head–his suspicions mounting–when he ran into August and some other bloke. He ducked back before they saw him, but he overheard their conversation. That was all Alexei needed to hear to confirm his fears.

At that Alexei called on an old friend to put him up for the night because he didn’t want to go home. He would rather face it in the morning. He returned in the morning to open up the shop and August came in from wherever he’d been, and after seeing Alexei, he told him looked like shit–this is said with a fair amount of concern. Alexei saw no point in dragging it on so went right into it. First there was a vague exchange and August was clueless, then Alexei told him that he saw and heard him. August tried to defend himself, but Alexei cut him off and challenged him to tell him that he didn’t see/hear what he saw he saw/heard. August gave up, shook his head, went to pack, and left. Which brings us to where I was a few lines ago: six months post-break-up.

The old friend tried to hook Alexei up with a Jewish guy. He, for some reason, assumed that Alexei being Jewish and August being Catholic was a point of contention in their relationship. It wasn’t. This is the point in the story where I want to call it, give my first thoughts on the next big thing to happen, basically to sum up the ending before I get there.

And my first thought was that August wasn’t doing anything wrong, quite the opposite, in fact. Alexei was going to go on the date with Seth, the Jewish guy, and go to a restaurant that happened to be owned/run by August (he bakes) and Alexei was going to see and know that this was what it was all about. And I felt that it would be exactly what he deserved for never letting August fully explain. I also felt that it should be his total loss because no one should have to put up with a lover who is not only suspicious and paranoid, but also doesn’t give the benefit of the doubt. You might say that since he had the feeling for a while and said nothing that he was doing just that, but I’m of the mind that he just didn’t want to face it and his hesitance had very little to do with whether or not August was trustworthy. Alexei didn’t want his fears to be confirmed so he said nothing, hoping August would do something to prove him wrong. And I think he was about to, but Alexei blew up at him.

So it turned out that I was correct, but not exactly. There was no restaurant, per se, but Alexei did run into August on the day of his date and it was a very good moment. And yes, there was that slap in the face moment, “you could have had all this, etc,” but it was nowhere near as harsh as I was going for. However, Lindsey’s version was even sweeter than sweet. I knew they were going to get back together, so even though I wanted Alexei to suffer because he should have just listened, I’m glad everything came about the way it all did.

[SPOLERS END]

I was very happy with the ending of the story and the beginning and the middle, too!

[Sadonna · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

This review and much more can be found at Love Bytes Reviews

Alexei is mostly content. He’s got his bookstore and his flat and he’s not dependent on anyone. He’s getting by. He’s suffered unimaginable loss at a young age and didn’t have the tools or the support to come through that without some very deep wounds. But he’s also not vulnerable to that kind of devastation again. So he tries not to think too much about how lonely he is.

August is more than down on his luck. He too has suffered – much of it at the hands of those that should have had his back and loved him unconditionally. That didn’t happen. He didn’t handle it well and made pretty much a mess of things. That is not to imply that he at deserved what happened to him because he most assuredly did not. But when he finds himself desperate and Alexei offers him the first helping hand in a very long time, he’s suspicious as hell. But he is also desperate and so he agrees to Alexei’s offer of a hand.

As August and Alexei settle into a routine, there are many surprises along the way. The bookstore is easier to manage with two. August can actually cook and bake! There is a undercurrent of tension that neither wants to acknowledge until it’s about to boil over. And then they can’t get enough of each other. Both have been raised in conservative faiths which doesn’t help their general feelings of unworthiness and not deserving of love. But they seem to be making a go of things. Until the distrust – of both each other and themselves creeps in 🙁 Both men make serious mistakes in dealing with their misgivings and their fears and it could cost them everything they were so sure they were building.

What a beautiful and difficult story. This is only my third E.M. Lindsey story and I have loved them all. I am drawn to the pain and difficulties of these flawed by beautiful characters that they write. In this story, both MCs have been through more than their share of trauma. And though their reasons and reactions to that trauma were different, it turned out they ended up in the same place at different times in their life. Homeless. Bereft of human companionship and compassion. But Alexei is further along in his journey and he recognizes a lot of himself and his past in August and he’s compelled to help. It takes a fair amount of time though for August to feel comfortable sharing much with Alexei – not without reason since his past is a bit dodgy and he’s worried about being out on his own the cold again. Literally. Neither man has any experience with relationship and given their abandonment issues it’s not in the least surprising that they stumble a bit and with every step forward, there also seems to be a step back. Neither is at a place where they believe that they deserve love. And of course that is their undoing. I was repeatedly conscious of the fact that hurt people hurt people. It’s like a reflex. A self-protective mechanism. My own sister has repeated her philosophy to me that “If it’s a choice of two people in the room getting their feelings hurt, it’s not going to be me.” And I honestly do not know where that comes from, because she has literally been that way from our quite privileged childhood. Thankfully therapy helps 🙂 I don’t want to spoil this story at all, but suffice to say, my heart was broken, and mended and broken and mended again. The ending was extremely satisfying even if I was a bit surprised – pleasantly so – at how it worked out. The little twists and turns made it all the most poignant. Highly recommended for fans of grief/loss/recovery and second chances. Beautifully done!

[Emily Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't expecting Alexei and August's story to hit me so hard, but wow did this book pack an emotional punch. I think what made this one so difficult for me to read was how emotionally unavailable each man was. The whole time they were falling in love, there was this gaping hole right at the very center: an inability to trust each other that chipped away at the foundation of their relationship in such an obvious way that I knew things couldn't last. It was hard to get swept away in the promise of new love when I saw the ground threatening to cave in under their feet, and it made me really stressed out the whole time I was reading. Don't get me wrong--I was thoroughly invested in seeing Alexei and August find a way to be together, but the more time passed without anything changing, the more I lost hope that their relationship could be anything but toxic. I'm glad EM Lindsey didn't try to gloss over the obvious flaws in their relationship and instead explored what happens when two people fall in love before they're ready for it. I was devastated to see all my worst fears play out on page, but I also can't picture a scenario where Alexei and August continued on the way things were. All the messy, heartbreaking, and downright depressing sections of their romance are what made their second chance feel so pivotal. I do wish EM had expanded on that chapter of their relationship more, because I wasn't fully convinced that Alexei had undergone any sort of characer growth to be ready to be with August again. After becoming so emotionally invested in the journey, the idea that a letter could lead to a whirlwind of forgiveness and riding off into the sunset together felt a bit jarring and out of sync with the rest of the story.

**I voluntarily read an ARC of this book. This review expresses my honest thoughts and opinions.

[Christopher Shelton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a review of the re-released version of the book, publish date 7/19/21.

A single POV romance with deep, meaningful characters, a well crafted story, and enough angst to sink a ship. While this book is classic EM Lindsey, at the same time, it’s not. It was definitely written at a different phase of her art, because it’s a little more heavy handed than we’re used to, and it contains so much angst, caused by so many things. Ultimately, however, it’s a character’s journey of finding his self-worth, after a number of crises in his past, and his willingness to open up to trust, love, and depend on someone else. It is not dual POV, so you’re seeing everything through Alexei’s slightly clouded view of the world, which helps in understanding the full complexity of his story.

Alexei and August fall for each other hard and fast, after an unconventional meeting, but Alexei’s trust issues, and the specter of his family’s beliefs haunting him, keeps preventing him from accepting the best thing that’s ever happened to him. There are hurdles to overcome, misunderstandings to correct, and trust issues to fix before the guys ultimately get their HEA.

A beautiful book, overall engaging, but it’s not a light read. Some of Alexei’s deeper issues relate to internalized homophobia (due to parents and religious upbringing) though there’s no on-page homophobia. But some of that internal dialog does make the story a bit heavy in spots.

Definitely worth reading.

[Amy Dufera - Amy's MM Romance Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Absolution is an emotional hurt/comfort romance by EM Lindsey.

I have mixed feelings about this one. Overall, I definitely enjoyed the story and the characters. But something left me a little disconnected and I'm not sure what it is.

August and Alexei are two men who both know bad circumstances, pain, and suffering. When they meet, Alexei offers to help August.

Upon living together, the two quickly give into their sexual attraction, and start a relationship. I think the quick nature of them falling into a relationship threw me off. Something about it just didn't work for me.

But later...

The men have secrets and obstacles that come to cause problems. I enjoy this part, but it's a lack of communication that will through off some readers. That's not an issue for me though, so I just fell into the emotional rollercoaster of the second half of the book completely.

The writing kept me from rating this higher as I didn't connect fully with it from the start. If it had more depth at parts, this would easily be a five star read. As is, it's a nice story, with two men who you want to smack around and shake the stupidity out of them.

Absolution is a story with a phenomenal basis of a story idea. EM Lindsey had me entertained with these men and their tragic backgrounds. It's a nice story and the ending left me pleased. It's well worth a read if you enjoy seeing characters find a second chance at life, as well as love.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is for the recently expanded and updated re-release, as there doesn't seem to be an updated version on Goodreads.

Absolution has a brilliant premise, examining homelessness and opportunity and trust in the dedicated way that EM Lindsey is coming to be known for.

The writing in Absolution is beautiful and full-bodied, as always, and I was quite invested in the characters, which is a sign that the balance of tension/characterisation is about right.

These characters are quite closed off to the world and to other people, and whilst they go through some character growth, it doesn't feel like enough for the resolution, which doesn't feel as natural to me as those in Lindsey's later books.

Because of the MC's traumatic pasts, there is a also lot of miscommunication, or outright refusal to communicate, in this book. It's extremely realistic, which caused me some anxiety whilst reading.

I received a copy of this book from Gay Romance Reviews and I have chosen to leave an honest review.

[Norelle]

Yeah...100lpp un es tomēr nepabeidzu, jo viņiem nav nekādas ķīmijas, nekādas loģikas un tad viņi pēkšņi izdomā ņemties, jo pēkšņi lielā iekāre. NO KURIENES???? Nav nekādu soļu pamazām uz to. Grūti vispār noticēt loģikai un par daudz viss riņķo ap bomžošanu. Un ja tā ir bez maz vienīgā varoņa raksturlieta...tad ir skumji. Kā jau minēju - GL arī grāmatās raksta par varoņiem, kam nav pajumte... bet viss viņu raksturs nebalstās uz to, ka viņi bomžo. Viņiem ir arī citas īpašības un lietas, un viņu bezpajumtes statuss grāmatas sākumā nav galvenā lieta par viņiem.

Also, pati ideja ir bīstama - tev uzbrūk un mēģina aplaupīt un tava reakcija...ir aicināt bomzi uz mājām. Nopietni? Pirmajai domai vajadzētu būt par savu drošību.... idk... neloģiska grāmata. Nezinu, kā beidzas. Baigi arī neinteresē.

[Allyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolution is gorgeous, a beautifully written story about two men learning to trust in each other and in love. After the death of his parents, Alexei’s life changed in dramatic ways. He’s worked really hard to create a life for himself but shies alway from any relationships or attachments. After being mugged by a homeless man, Alexei takes a chance on him and invites him to stay in his apartment and gives him a job in his bookstore. August has been through a lot himself and is coping with his own trauma which has forced him to live on the streets. Both men have some pretty serious issues, but they’re so wonderful together when they actually communicate. The story is a bit of a roller coaster with parts that are achingly sweet and others that are heartbreaking.

[Juniper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has the kind of intensity that will pull you in, break your heart into tiny pieces, then put them back together in an almost brutal way, and I really liked that about it. This is a story about two people who desperately want and need each other, but can’t quite find a way to be together: love they have, trust they don’t, and it’s heartbreaking to watch them come together only to fall apart. Of course, that just makes their second chance that much sweeter and more powerful-- I don’t think I’ve ever wanted an HEA for two characters more, and I’ll definitely be thinking about Alexei and August for some time to come.

*I received an ARC of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[C.B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holding onto your dignity can be hard, when you feel you have nothing left. Alexei, knows what it's like to his bottom. He knows what's it's like to feel abandoned, unwanted, discarded, desperate, unimportant and invisible. His parents were killed when he was 19 and he struggled to survive. He is existing, not living. He met August, on what could have been the worse day of both their lives. They had an event and Alexei offered August room, board and a job. They both had trust issues. Life had nearly destroyed them. Can they open up and expose vulnerability? Can they trust enough to communicate? Good story. Complex dealing with past baggage and current challenges. Nicely done. I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Grace · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 rounded down.

This was okay. Quick, sweet read, and it was free on Amazon, so I'm not mad about it.

The concept felt a little heavy handed to me, and the switch from "friends" to lovers was very sudden and felt like it came out of nowhere. One minute Alexei was sure August wasn't interested, and then one look in a church and he makes a move? Didn't work for me.

I also felt like the misunderstandings, while realistic, were taken to extremes. There were too many time jumps and sort of glossing over the resolution, and ultimately I just didn't care as much about these two as I should. The author never really made me believe they should be together.

[Amy Weller · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute masterpiece!

This book is absolutely phenomenal! A very emotional story about two men who, both having been at rock bottom in their lives, find each other and love. The story of August and Alexei is an emotional rollercoaster ride through troubled pasts, the loss of a family, loneliness and second chances. The circumstances under which they meet are not ideal and yet, Alexei reaches out to August, offering him a hand up. The two will come together quickly but secrets will come between them. A chance meeting on the street will lead to a second chance for them to have their forever.

I read an ARC copy of this book and am volunteering my honest review.

[Bkwrm24 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars 🌟 Alexie and August ❤️

Ugh.... I struggled with this review 🙁OK, first of all I love me some E.M. Lindsey and I hate the feeling of not entirely likening this book, with that being said I had to keep in mind that this is a previously released book. I liked the characters well enough but somehow the lack of communication between the two bothered me so much so that it couldn't be overlooked to enjoy the overall story (if that makes sense) also the book was written through one characters POV which isn't a style I enjoy reading. Putting those gripes aside, Alexie and August's story was otherwise sweet, sexy and I was so happy to see that they got their HEA after all.

*I received and ARC from GRR, this is my open and honest review*

[Kkhmonrai · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story about two flawed men trying to overcome their pasts, losses, and loneliness. When Alexei and August first come together, it seems like an unlikely, gritty, urban fairytale, but alas, reality stakes its claim, and the past, secrets, inability to trust, and failure to communicate, split the two apart. There is no fairy godmother in this story, so can these two men find their own way back to love? This is a beautiful, emotional, angsty story.

I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

After being mugged by a homeless man, Alexei takes a chance on him and invites him to stay in his apartment and gives him a job in his bookstore. Alexei and August build such a beautiful life together after suffering loss and yet they can't seem to let go and trust the other completely. The story is a bit of a roller coaster with parts that are achingly sweet and others that are heartbreaking. Complex dealing with past baggage and current challenges. I received an ARC of this book for my honest review.

[Janet Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really great story about two flawed men finding love before they were ready to. Alexei and August felt so real to me, their hardships were heartbreaking. It felt raw and gritty, so very emotional. The miscommunication had me wanting to smack them both simultaneously! Overall this was a fantastic story, really well written, highly recommend. I’m voluntarily reviewing from an advanced copy that I received. My reviews are solely based on my thoughts and opinions.