Make Me WholeRating: 4.5 stars
Buy Links: 
 Amazon | All Romance
Length: Novel


For the past almost six months, museum owner Galen Kanellis has struggled with making a phone call that his heart tells him he should make, but his head talks him out of. When four statues mysteriously show up at his gallery, Galen is dumbstruck as to why and in awe of the beautiful bronze renderings of a man, the same man in each statue, in different poses as if missing another person, a lover. Finally, Galen has a reason to do what he has been wanted to do, call Nicholas.

Nicholas Charisteas has been in search of the Dexios Collection for as long as he can remember. Surrounded in myth and mystery, legend says that Dexios was made into four statues after his lover, Lykon, broke a sacred vow of love for Dexios. Dexios now waits in statue form for his lover to be reborn over and over again to face challenges and break the curse. Nick comes from the line of Dexios’ descendants and wants nothing more than to break the curse, well, almost nothing more.

When Galen finally calls, Nick is torn. He’d fallen in love with Galen only to have his heart trampled on before. Now the two men have another chance at love, but both have a hard time letting the other in fully. One afraid of commitment and the other afraid of abandonment. As they learn to open up and trust one another, they become entwined with the legend and curse of Dexios and Lycon, trying to distinguish their relationship with that of the myth. Galen and Nick must learn to work through their trust issues before their secrets and jealousies threaten to tear them apart for good this time.

Oh, my dear reader, this book is an adventure in itself. As a fan of Greek mythos, I love the spin the author used to create this story, this world. Make Me Whole is a sweet, fun, and imaginative read that I enjoyed thoroughly.

So, let’s just jump in and I’ll get started with the highlights of this book. The world that Labbe builds is probably my favorite thing about this book. A world of myth, mystery, and legend, it enthralled me from the beginning. It’s a world of gods and goddesses and their short tempers. It’s a world of undying love. A world of reincarnation. It’s a world of ghosts or spirits, or whatever you want to call them. A world of forgiveness and second chances. I love this world. I love the basis and the ground work, but I also love what it becomes as the story grows.

Next, I adore Galen and Nick. I love Galen’s silent fight to overcome himself. I love his willingness to grow beyond what he thought he could. His fear of commitment comes from painful memories of a lost love and he’s been slow to move on, but he’s never really lied to himself or anyone, for that matter, about why that is. Nick is a little less patient and is quick to throw Galen’s past mistakes at him without looking at himself first. But as he grows, he begins to look inward and work out his fear of abandonment and the walls he puts up to keep others from getting too close. Nick and Galen heal one another, they make each other better and together they are whole. I adore them.

And, well, we all know I love a little kink. This story is a little mild on the kinky side, but perfect and extremely hot for this couple. Bondage and spanking are old favorites of mine. And for Nick and Galen, two big, beautiful men it is extremely hot when they finally make their way to the bedroom.

Finally, this story is easy to read and written flawlessly. The words flow smoothly and easily. But the technical aspect of the writing is not the only great part. The imagination that is this story – statues that magically remake themselves with the passing of secret tests, the mystical relationships between Galen and Nick, and Dexios and Lykon, the mystery of reincarnation and family legends – makes the story as a whole amazing. I loved it from beginning to end. And without giving too much away, the way the author ended this book still puts a smile on my face.

In the end, this book is fun and absolutely precious. I love the mystery, the adventure, and the rollercoaster ride that is the romance. I am a new fan of Marguerite Labbe. I will definitely be reading more in the future. Highly recommended.

Cover: I love this cover by Melissa Gay. It could not be more perfect for this story.

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