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It’s taken me nearly a week since finishing this book to be able to write the review for it. Mostly because I don’t know what to say, what words can do this book justice.
As ever, Cole McCade presents his reader with characters who are both lovable and relatable, so strong while broken in other ways. Characters you can read about and think, “Wow that’s me right there” and feel seen. Even in their flaws, these characters are amazingly relatable, and without fail, McCade presents them as pieces of the person that just are. They’re not something to be ridiculed or disdained, but they’re explicit acknowledgement that people are amazing and beautiful, flaws included.
Another thing McCade is really wonderful at is creating a feeling of home. Whether that’s shown in the form of a place, person, thing, etc, that seems to be an overarching feel to all his work. And I really loved how he showed this sense of home in two different ways within this novel. First is through Lohere, Imre’s farm and the home away from home Luca was forced to leave behind when his family moved away when he was a child. The moment Luca is back on the farm, there is an immediate sense of coming home for him, as he’s finally come back to the one place that features in all his happiest memories. The second way is through Luca himself. There’s multiple instances where Imre reflects that warmth and happiness have finally been returned to Lohere since Luca’s return, because for Imre, home is found in his loved ones. First in his parents, then in Luca’s family, and then again once Luca himself returns. It’s just really comforting to see a book that is so focused on home and being happy and finding a place where you belong.
I know that for many, the “parent’s best friend” trope can be difficult to read, especially when the older character has known the younger one since the latter was a child, but I personally think McCade did a great job of writing the development of Imre and Luca’s relationship. Which ties into another aspect of the novel that I adored, and one I felt really seen by: Imre’s demisexuality and demiromanticism. While Luca has been in love with Imre since he was a little boy, it hasn’t always been that way for Imre. (And thank goodness, because that’s broaching creepy territory.) Throughout the novel, we get to see Imre slowly begin to see Luca as an adult, and with as long as the book is (it’s massive y’all!), we literally get to see Imre falling in love with him page by page. It’s a beautiful journey that is, understandably, fraught with concern and confusion, but nothing ever really overshadows the deep love that Imre and Luca hold for each other, in all ways.
In true Cole McCade fashion, this book delivers a wonderful love story (the slowest of burns!) among the most lush, uniquely descriptive language. The book made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me want to throw my phone–basically, it runs the whole gamut of the emotional spectrum, and every word, page, chapter is so worth the read.
OR
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Customers say
Customers describe this book as a wonderfully-wrought love story with a lovely fairy tale feel, where the conflicts and story feel genuine and real. The writing style is beautiful, and customers find it takes them on an emotional journey, feeling the angst and heartbreak throughout. They appreciate the rich character development, particularly the main characters Imre and Luca, and find it a slow burn read that grabs them from the beginning.
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42 customers mention story, 39 positive, 3 negative
...The “build-up” was masterful and intense. What a beautiful love story! I’ll definitely be on the lookout for this author!Read more
This story was sweet, the characters were well developed, but most impressive was this author’s writing style, it was a pleasure to read....Read more
...Cole McCade weaves a beautiful story with so much detail that I’m fully immersed in this world....Read more
but it was way too long. I loved the story, the mcs, the farm, all of it but it could have been a couple of hundred pages shorter....Read more
36 customers mention content, 32 positive, 4 negative
...Great book, very well written!Read more
...A truly lovely read. Probably the best writing that I have read in a long while.Read more
...Absolutely a fantastic read if you want to be lost in the world of Luca and Imre!Read more
...recommend this book as well as His Cocky Valet which was also a phenomenal read!!Read more
33 customers mention writing style, 31 positive, 2 negative
...from other books that I hate read or didn’t enjoy: it was very well written....Read more
...This beautifully written story hits you right in the heart and remains there long after the last word....Read more
This was a well-written book that verged on poetic sometimes....Read more
...You'll be swept away by the beautiful prose you'll encounter as you weather the storms facing these two sensitive men....Read more
28 customers mention emotional, 27 positive, 1 negative
...McCade presents his reader with characters who are both lovable and relatable, so strong while broken in other ways....Read more
...There is no fluff or filler. Raw emotion and true to life events are what you will find and enjoy.Read more
...is a really sweet story with lots of soft, domestic scenes and very little angst....Read more
...Sweet and sexy, funny and heart breaking, I absolutely fell in love with Imre and Luka....Read more
25 customers mention aesthetics, 24 positive, 1 negative
...I finally(!) read it this weekend, and good christ is it lovely. The beautiful, lyrical writing and the tenderness of the characters felt similar...Read more
An emotional roller coaster worth ever penny and every second! Sweet and sexy, funny and heart breaking, I absolutely fell in love with Imre and Luka...Read more
...It's an absolutely beautiful book... meant to be read a few times over in a single lifetime.Read more
...For now, my heart is full because of this beautiful tale of two beautiful people.Read more
19 customers mention character development, 18 positive, 1 negative
This story was sweet, the characters were well developed, but most impressive was this author’s writing style, it was a pleasure to read....Read more
...I loved the story, I loved the characters, I loved the length....Read more
...in Imre and Luca almost immediately - both were rounded and dynamic characters. Their conflicts and story felt genuine and real....Read more
...The personalities, accents, and the emotions were perfection....Read more
16 customers mention pacing, 14 positive, 2 negative
...It has everything I love in a well-written romance: slow burn, falling in love instead of just lust, the way they grow closer emotionally in...Read more
This is a beautiful, slow paced story. It is a wonderful antidote these troubled times....Read more
...The relationship is beautifully, slowly built even if the MCs arrive on page with a backstory we must discover one tense chapter after another....Read more
...I did not sleep an entire two nights to read this. The slow burn is painfully slow, leaving you unable to put the book down....Read more
12 customers mention engaging, 11 positive, 1 negative
This book had me hooked. I did not sleep an entire two nights to read this....Read more
...It’s so worth it. Yes, it’s long but captivating from the beginning. I am soooo buying all his books after this....Read more
...Cade does it well. Completely engaging and entertaining in the best traditions of m/m romance with animals to cuddle and soothe.Read more
...mostly because I don't feel comfortable doing so, but this book really grabbed me....Read more
Epic love story
Updated for audio: First. This cover! Gorgeous! This stand alone was a loooong book – but Imre & Luca were worth it. Cole McCade weaves a beautiful story with so much detail that I’m fully immersed in this world. At first, it feels a little daunting, perhaps overwhelming, and I’m worried that I’m about to be drowned by someone who is just dumping words on the page. But there’s purpose and meaning and heart to his prose. The farm almost becomes it’s own character. I feel like I’m living at Lohere (and frankly never want to leave). I really enjoy age gap romance, however I admit to being a little worried with this one. Imre being a family friend and knowing Luca since he was 5. A twenty six year age difference. However, I think by giving the characters 10 years without seeing each other and by having them spend months together learning who they are as adults, McCade removed anything that could have felt creepy about it. Luca, while young, turns 20 and is a full grown adult. There’s definitely a slow burn here. When Imre & Luca finally come together it’s absolutely beautiful. Not without troubles. There was some angst and I found myself in tears at a few points, however it was a necessary emotional maturing and miscommunications that made sense for the characters. Lovely HEA and I’m a big fan of the epilogue. I loved this book so much and was simultaneously thrilled it was coming to audio and worried it wouldn’t live up to my expectations. Instead, I wish there was some way to give this more than the five stars I had when I read it. Philip Alces exceeded my wildest expectations on bringing Luca & Imre to life. They are exactly how I imagined them and at the same time so much more. The personalities, accents, and the emotions were perfection. I soaked up this narration and know that this is a book I’ll continue to enjoy annually with Alces in my ears.
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Top reviews from other countries
- BevSReviewed in the United Kingdom on August 7, 2018
Full of feels, a beautiful story from Cole.....
Format: KindleVerified Purchase - KimReviewed in Germany on December 5, 2019
Deep, unconventional romance
Format: KindleVerified Purchase - LiashReviewed in Australia on August 12, 2019
Beautiful and realistic read!
Format: KindleVerified Purchase - SunneReviewed in Germany on January 12, 2020
Very poetic and lovely with lots of flaws.
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
