Okay, MM romance with Jacob Morgan AND Teddy Hamilton as the narrators??? How could I not pick up the audiobook? And I would highly recommend it because I had the best time. I need more audiobooks with these two narrating together.

Rating: 4.5⭐️
Narration: 5⭐️
Spice: 2.5🌶

Moving into a new home was the easy part. The difficult part is to get it furnished, and Tommaso would rather have his tooth pulled than go around shopping for new furniture when he didn't know the first thing about what he wanted his place to look like or what "welting" was supposed to mean. He comes across Carter, who is an interior designer while he's out shopping, who offers to help him out of this situation.

Being raised in the kind of environment he had, Tommaso had learned to bury his deepest feelings for the longest time to be able to fit in with his family. But years of being told that it was wrong to like men had instilled a fear in him of accepting that fact about himself, which is why his attraction to Carter throws him off balance. It was a long journey for him to admit things to himself first, then Carter, and finally his family and friends, and I loved watching that growth for him.

Carter is this close to losing his battle against his doom spiral after his boyfriend dumped him when their business went sideways, leaving him with a lot of debt and on the verge of being evicted. He'd reached a point where he felt like he couldn't trust his own instincts. So when Tommaso reaches out to hire him to do the interior work for his home, he grabs at this opportunity with both hands.

The romance between Tommaso and Carter built gradually. Carter was the calm to the chaos in Tommaso's mind. He had a lot going on, but talking to Carter and being in his presence grounded him and made him breathe easier. He also understood Tom's struggles and gave him the space and safety to open up about feelings he'd never voiced out before. Tommaso's confidence in Carter helped him regain some of the optimism and love for his work again after feeling lost and almost giving up on his dreams. I also liked how Tommaso was the first to admit his feelings and also apologized when he messed up, and he was ready to wait for Carter to take his time to figure out things before moving forward.

The way these two did sweet little things for each other was adorable. All that talk about "sportsing" and getting Tom's opinions for the interior made me smile a lot. The way Carter did silly things to cheer Tom up after a rough match and how thoughtful Tom was of Carter and his friends too was so freaking sweet.

There was a lot of self-reflection for both characters, as individuals and as they navigated their relationship, and I liked that they communicated and took their time to be sure of their feelings.

The spice was good without it being overwhelming. It was kind of a slow burn with them testing the boundaries and exploring. Getting intimate with a man went against everything Tom had convinced himself of wanting for years, so being with Carter finally felt freeing, and he was able to understand the hype around sex. I liked that he was finally able to experience intimacy with a partner he actually wanted.

I also loved how Tom's teammates were supportive of him and the LGBTQIA+ community and weren't ashamed to show it.

I liked the conversation Tom had with his ex-wife, which was a closure he needed to put his past behind and embrace his sexuality without being drowned in guilt and regrets.

The -0.5 is because I wanted a confrontation between Tommaso and his uncle. After tormenting him all his life, I wanted there to be that moment between them that felt like a closure for Tommaso. And I wanted more interaction between Carter and his family. I wanted to know more about his family, to understand their dynamics, and for Carter to introduce Tom to them too.