Honestly, this was not what I expected at all. It was way less angst than I was figuring on. It was perfect for both Bishop and Edison, as they deserved the best. I was happy to read about an MC who was not a perfect 10, and struggled to be where he was. It was nice how much Bishop loved Edison and loved the way he looked. I adored all the food talk and cooking, as I am a foodie! I really like how Bishop lived for himself and made sure to keep pushing forward and I enjoyed how Mike and his relationship just got better and better. I thought the storyline in this was good and it made me want to read Trent & Wood's story sooo much. I cannot wait to dive in. Tor Thom is a great narrator and this was no different for this book. If a great redemption story is your jam, definitely pick this up.

Things I loved:

-Bishop and his dad working on their relationship, like literally, the fishing and bowling scenes? GTFO of here, was so cute.
-Bishop's dad calling him “lil homie”

I found this a long read that I had to keep coming back to.

I've read and enjoyed other books by this author but this one I struggled with!

Whole parts of this story could have been removed and it would not have affected the storyline at all including the character Skyler. He really didn't seem to be needed at all. It just seemed to drag for me

BUT I did like Bishop and Edison and their relationship with each other and their families. Each of them has insecurities but they are stronger together.

This is why I ended up giving the book 3 stars.

Another excellent read by AE Via. Bishop has been through heck and back with his childhood, being part of a gang and then prison. He constantly battles the fact that he is uneducated and can’t read. When he gets out of prison he makes vows to himself. Edison is a paralegal at an office building that Bishop is doing the landscaping for. The two bump into each other and slowly build a connection and then a friendship and lovers. But while they are building that relationship they have to contend with a coworker of Edison’s that is just a mean nasty guy and constantly trying to tear them apart and break them down. While there are some bumps in the road for the two, they keep going and keep getting stronger. Bishop just keeps one secret from Edi, he can’t read. These two are beautiful together. They see past the exterior and love what’s on the inside. More people need to be like them. They are perfect together. The writing was well down. The characters are amazing.

Thoughts while reading:
-hate how Edison lets people treat him
-can’t believe Bishop left Edison that way after Ed’s confession. How did he think Edison would feel?
-love how much Mike is trying and how supportive he is. Especially like how he pushes Bishop to help Wood (before I read that, was hoping Bishop visited Wood or dictated a letter to someone for him because of how good Wood was to him).
-Skylar needs to be written up for harassment. Also, he’s dumb as rocks to treat his boss that way.
-just tell Royce no, he can’t sit with them, no big deal. It’s their special first date, why would you let them join you? And I thought Royce was embarrassed by Bishop, why is he getting involved? The whole scene felt contrived and off. This book would be better with characters saying no a lot more, just frustrating to read, but I know it’s trying to create more drama, just unrealistic in my opinion.
-oh, Edison can easily not worry about Royce’s barbs and says he can do that no problem, but his reactions to coworkers seem to upset him.
-kind of surprised that Edison, with all of his insecurities, isn’t at all threatened by Royce who he admits is really attractive.
-Bishop’s reaction to Skylar’s gift is over the top.
-if Edison is a decent boss, and it sounds like he is, I can’t believe his entire staff hates him and isn’t shy about showing it. I’m thinking that wouldn’t fly in irl
-super annoying Bishop keeps dragging his feet in telling Edison about his illiteracy, especially after Skylar’s threat. The guy gave him a head’s up.
-not sure how Skylar thinks he’ll win Edison by treating him like dirt.
-Bishop had 30 minutes before Skylar took the mic and said he had to tell Edison something, so why didn’t he?

3.5 stars

Love love the premise, but like others said, it dragged a lot with unnecessary and unrealistic drama.

Read on kindle unlimited

Book safety, content warnings, and tropes & tags down below.

“Hold your head up, Edison,” Bishop said in a hushed rumble that Edison supposed was his version of a whisper. […] “With your head up, I can see you better,” Bishop rumbled, watching Edison as he backed away.

I’ve had this book on my TBR for aaaages, and I finally got to it. I’m glad I did, as I ended up loving it so much. I especially like Edison. He was simply a very lovely and endearing character. He’s also a plus size character, which I honestly often avoid reading, because of a lot of the themes popping up in those books can be triggering and difficult to read. This one had those themes as well. Edison is bullied by his coworkers (one awful one in particular), and he has horrible comments made about his body/looks and his eating habits, which was incredibly hard to read at times. What made it bearable, was how Bishop (the other MC) freaking adored Edison and his body. I never ever doubted his sincerity, and I think the author did a great job in making sure that it came through how attracted they were to each other. It was never ‘in spite of’ or ‘because of’. It just was.

It’s a longer book, and the slow burn with a building friendship and relationship was so right for these boys, who both had major insecurities about different things to work through. They were so good to each other though, and showed patience and kindness when they needed it. Bishop has had a very complicated and rough life up until this point (which I wouldn’t have minded being expanded on), and he’s working incredibly hard to turn things around.

“If my hands weren’t so dirty, I’d touch your handsome face. […]”

As mentioned, there is a lot of focus on food, bodies, and the teasing/bullying that Edison experiences. If you’re comfortable with that though, the love story in this is so sweet, and they both deserved to find someone good to spend their lives with.

⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️

⚠️ Tropes & tags ⚠️
Plus size MC
Ex con
Former gang member
Illiterate MC
Size difference
Strangers to friends to lovers
Class difference

⚠️⚠️ Content warning ⚠️⚠️
Fatphobia
Fatshaming
Bullying
Grief
Insecurities
Food-focused talk
Violent altercation
Explicit sexual content
Mentions of life in prison
Manipulative side character
Mentions of the death of a parent (off page, past)

⚠️⚠️⚠️ Book safety ⚠️⚠️⚠️
Cheating: No
OM/OW drama: MC goes on ‘date’ before meeting the other MC (nothing happens between them). An ex tries to create drama later, as well as a coworker creating trouble throughout the book. The MCs only have eyes for each other.
Third-act breakup: No
POV: 3rd person, dual POV
Genre: Contemporary romance, M/M
Strict roles or versatile: Strict roles

“You look really handsome today, Edison.” Those few simple words eased over Edison’s mind like a comforting caress, then slid down his spine. He wanted to record Bishop saying that statement in that sexy voice and replay it for his psyche all day—anytime someone tried to make him feel less than. Because an amazingly, fine specimen of a man like Bishop thought he was handsome.