Rating: 3.75 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novel
When August was a kid, his father left him and his mother. His mother never recovered and fell into a deep depression and August’s life was filled with loneliness. Every year, August wished things would be different, but that wish never came true and August closed himself off from love and relationships. He holds a successful marketing position now and casual hookups make up his personal life. When his new boss arrives at the office, August’s life changes.
Caleb is coming off of a breakup as he starts his new marketing position. Caleb is usually in a good mood and his life becomes even brighter when he sees August for the first time. Caleb is not only instantly attracted to August, but as they work together, Caleb likes everything about August. But August makes it clear that he’s not interested in a relationship and, while Caleb doesn’t ever do casual, he’ll take August any way he can get him. As their physical relationship grows, Caleb wants more and, although he’s afraid to give his heart away, Caleb may be exactly what August needs.
This is the debut book from author C.S. Autumn and it’s easy to get caught up in August’s life from the start. He’s devastated as a young boy when his father leaves and severs contact. His life is further complicated as his mother is unable to care for him and August grows up mostly taking care of himself. His childhood has affected every area of his life and his best friend is the only one he has. August thinks he doesn’t want love and a relationship, but he’s basing that from his childhood and August has never gotten any resolution to all he endured as a child.
August’s successful and confident in his career and doesn’t think much of having a new boss until he sees Caleb. The men have to work closely together on a project and August just wants it to be physical, but Caleb wants everything with August. August has no idea how to treat Caleb and he makes some missteps in their journey to getting together. August is so conditioned to think that no one will ever love him that he doesn’t know how to accept it when it’s offered to him.
The scenes of Caleb and August together were heated and fun to get lost in. Some of the larger areas of the story weren’t as developed for me. There is drama at the end of the end of the book that was easy to see coming, but it was not to my taste and felt like manufactured drama. August’s father felt like a caricature and that part of the story didn’t feel fully resolved for me.
There are secondary characters here that seem to have been set up for their own stories and I would certainly read more if those were written. It was nice to see August and Caleb get their HEA and this would be a worthwhile book overall to check out.
