3.5 stars. Writing-wise, this wasn't my favourite thing, but I still had a pretty good time with this romance just because it features characters that you don't read about very often. Bishop is a ex-gang member, ex-convict, trying to put this life back together, do the job he loves, and overcome his illiteracy. Edison is shy and introverted, struggling with his self-esteem after years of being made fun of for his weight, and still mourning the loss of his father. They meet when Bishop's landscaping crew get's a job at Edison's place of work. It's a sweet, slow romance, though not exactly slow burn. I really enjoyed the sympathetic treatment of ex-cons, and even more so, Bishop's illiteracy and the struggles he went through in trying to learn. That part felt super true to life. The romance was really cute. They were super sweet together, so supportive of each other. It made me smile so much, especially the way Bishop got smitten so fast, and his little pet names for Edison. An interesting titbit is how they were both best friends with their fathers, but in very different ways.

I didn't always love the way Edison's weight was written about. A lot of the time, his attractiveness seemed to hinge on the fact that he'd lost of lot of weight in the past years, before the book began. The plot involves secret keeping, which I didn't mind at all at first, because it's the kind of secret where you 100% understand why someone wouldn't be comfortable with revealing it until good solid trust is built up. I just wish it hadn't come out at like the 99th hour. It would have been nice to explore the vulnerability it created before the book ended. The most annoying thing was definitely the conflict with the "villain". I am so tired of romance books that create villains without giving me a concrete reason as to why they're antagonistic. And I mean, we did get a reason. It was just flimsy as heck and not believable. You can only stretch irrational jealousy so far.

Listened to the audiobook as read by Tor Thom, which was really enjoyable, save a few hiccoughs here and there. I probably will continue the series at some point, because the relationship in the next book looks like it will be an interesting one. I haven't read many ex-con romances; I'm glad that this was a mostly good one.

Content warnings:

Spoiler

fat shaming, ableism

.

5⭐️ This was my first book by AE Via and I loved it. Delicious slow-burn with hurt/comfort and amazing spice. I adored the dynamic between Bishop, an illiterate ex-con, and Edison, an overweight, insecure corporate executive. They were both grappling with not feeling good enough and it was so sweet to watch them validate, support, and care for one another. Bishop especially was so swoon. He tried so hard to be worthy of Eddie. So damn sweet.

There’s a good amount of OTT outside drama but I think it all worked well.
I can’t wait to read Trent’s story.

3.5*

4 stars. This was a really sweet story about Bishop, an ex con with a gentle soul and heart, and Edison, an executive who struggles with his weight and his own self worth.

I don’t know whom I loved more, Bishop or Eddie. They are both so damn lovely. Bishop is working for his dad’s landscaping company and struggles to overcome and hide his illiteracy. Eddie is an under appreciated office manager and paralegal who self comforts with food and hears himself up regularly for not being “fun.”

I like how Eddie’s weight was handled. He had lost weight but only because before his dad died, he’d started preparing healthier food for them because of his dad’s hypertension. But losing weight for looks wasn’t the main focus. And Bishop with his hard body loved and worshipped Eddie’s softer body beautifully.

CW: mild violence when the douchebag employee of Eddie’s gets his comeuppance.

I took off a star because the end was super rushed and overly dramatic.

No cheating.
No OM/OW drama save for a few people hitting on Bishop and douche employee who keeps bothering Eddie.
No breakup.
Virgin MC (Eddie)

This book was so good. I loved reading Bishop & Edison's story. It was truly heartfelt and romantic. The main character aren't your typical ones, but then again Mrs. Via, likes to make her men seem real. Bishop is an ex-con that is trying to turn his life around by working for his father and Edison is a plus size man that most people seem to dismiss. These two are opposite in everyway, but the way they come together is beautiful. The slow build up to their relationship was everything. They took their time to get to know one another first before jumping into bed together. The side characters were also great and stood out as much as the two main leads, and I can't wait to see the next story that was being hinted at.

Special thanks to Tantor Audio for the audio CD (that I lost... I have no forking clue where it went) in exchange for an honest review!


YES! YES! YESS!

I went into this with very low expectations (which seems to have improved my experience...) First of all, I didn't think this was a gay romance. I requested this a longggggggggg time ago so I might have known it was gay as of requesting it but I completely forgot by the time I started reading it.

Because of this, I was already excited from page one and things only got better because.... WE FINALLY HAD A MALE LOVE INTEREST WITH A REALISTIC BODY... Now, because I hate generalizations with a fiery passion, I need to say that there are definitely adult romances out there with a physically realistic male character but they are few and far between and I don't see them very often in straight romances and even less in gay romances.

So, I was ecstatic when I was introduced to Edison who was physically realistic. Now, I will admit that Edison was a little ridiculous as far as characters go. So was Bishop. They were both pretty unrealistic and cliche with Bishop being dark and brooding and Edison being naive and nerdy. But they were both indearing so I was able to look past it.

I liked the conflict that Bishop had to face. It was definitely unrealistic and I kept thinking There is absolutely no way it would go down like that in real life but it was enjoyable to read.

The sex scenes were okay... They were decently steamy and really sweet. Tor Throm was a decent narrator, too. It was admittedly strange whenever he said "F**k". There was just something about the way he said it that sounded... off. I don't know.

Overall, this book was surprisingly enjoyable and I definitely recommend giving it a try!

Bottom Line:
4 stars
Age Rating - [ R ]
Content Screening (Mild Spoilers)
Positive Messages (4/5) - [Honesty, Bravery, Not being ashamed of your own shortcomings, self love]
Violence (2/5) - [Brief fights]
Sex (4/5) - [Detailed sex scenes, Sexual themes, Kissing]
Language (3/5) - [F**k, C*ck, D*ck, Sh*t]
Drinking/Drugs (3/5) - [Alcohol]
Content and Trigger Warnings - Homophobia, Body shaming, Mild violence
Publication Date: September 27th, 2019
Publisher: Independent
Genre: Gay/Romance

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Review to come

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Currently reading this one. Thanks Tantor Audio for the audio file!

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