Leo Loves AriesRating: 4 stars
Buy Link:
Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novel


Theo was happy with his relationship with his girlfriend, Sam, until she went and fell in love with his twin sister’s boyfriend, Derek. Now, Sam and Derek are getting married and Theo and his sister, Leone, are invited to the wedding. They set a challenge for themselves to not only go to the wedding, but to find themselves the perfect dates. Their mother is the family’s unofficial astrologer, and with both of them being the same star sign, she keeps close tabs on their daily, as well as long-term, horoscopes and is thrilled to tell both of them that, “A new person will enter your life in the early year, Leo. Look past any moments of frustration they might bring and laugh—this could be the start of a thriving friendship.”

Theo usually looks quickly past all of this horoscope business, but since he doesn’t have many friends, a lasting friendship is just what he needs. Their mother also informs them that an Aries would be a perfect match for each of them. Enter, Jamie Cooper, Theo’s former economics tutor and new roommate, who just happens to be an Aries. Theo thinks Jamie could be the perfect match for Leone, but Theo grows to depend on Jamie’s friendship and may not want to share.

If you have read some of Anyta Sunday’s work, you will quickly realize that this book carries much of her signature mark. This one has roommates who become friends, who then become more. This book is told through the point of view of Theo, who is fairly clueless, although at times endearingly so.

When the book opens we see that Theo loves his sister, who is visually impaired, and looks out for her. Their mother enters the picture as she constantly provides them with their current horoscope in hopes of guiding them toward their next move. The two of them are making a concentrated effort to move on after being dumped, but it’s not so easy. Theo had been with his ex girlfriend for a few years and he just though they would always be together. Yet, Theo doesn’t consider himself an emotional person and all of his intimate moments had been simply about release and not emotion.

When Theo first met Jamie in Econ class, Theo made an impression all right, just perhaps not the best one. The two didn’t get off to the best start, yet they become the best of friends while living under the same roof. Theo’s mission is to find his sister a new man and a date for the wedding and if he can find himself a best friend in the process, that’s certainly an added bonus. But, as he and Jamie grow closer, Theo has a hard time sharing.

Sunday offers clues to highlight the guys’ feelings and since we didn’t get Jamie’s POV, this was helpful as reactions are offered as hints to reveal how Jamie feels. But this style also had me somewhat removed from the story. Theo never clues in that Jamie is gay and then when their attraction is brought to light, Theo states that while he’s open to exploring things physically with Jamie and being with a man for the first time, he’s clear that he doesn’t think he could ever fall in love with a man. Yet that’s exactly what he does. On one hand, Sunday makes it incredibly easy for Theo to just be with Jamie, but on the other hand I was looking for a little more exploration and depth in several areas as it was presented.

The dialogue and banter between the guys was entertaining as they constantly attempt to one up each other. But, the story takes place in the United States, between Pittsburgh and the Mid-West, and not all of the words and phrases the guys used were American, which kept pulling me out of the story.

As a bonus, when you come to the end of the book and are looking for a bit more, the author has a free erotic short available, Leo Tops Aries, that delivers exactly what the name implies. While some areas were a little slow and lacking in depth for me, Leo Loves Aries would be a good choice for a low angst, slow burn story of two guys becoming roommates, becoming friends, and becoming lovers.

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