A full 5 stars!
Honestly, if I could give more than 5 stars, I would. Let's call this a 5+. Any book that can have me crying for pretty much the whole time, but still leave me with happy feelings of it, deserves all the stars.

This book is just beautiful. It's an emotional story, and the writing is amazing. I mean, it's a Tal Bauer book. His words are so descriptive, his imagery so vivid, his characters so full of depth. I even find myself getting swept up in the way Tal punctuates. It's not very often in M/M romance that I see such meaningful comma placement or such provoking colons (I mean, like, the punctuation type of colon, obviously).

Anyway, back to the story.

Noël Bettancourt (high-strung PR guy from NYC) has been left at the altar by his cheating fiancée when the book begins. He's sloshed in the airport bar, and Wyatt McKinley (the sweetest gay cowboy ever from small-town Texas) saves Noël by keeping him company and buying him a burger. It turns out that they're on the way to the same resort in Cancun (Noël is going on his would-be honeymoon, and Wyatt is headed to his brother's wedding but is showing up a few days before the rest of the family), so they end up spending time together.

Magic happens. Then it doesn't.

Well, I won't spoil the story. But I will mention my favorite little pieces that happen after the happy first part of the book.
- Noël's emails to Wyatt that weren't supposed to be sent
- Wyatt sharing Son's Tears wine with Noël
- Wyatt and Noël both talking to Abel in their minds

This is such an emotional story (to me), and the emotion is really reinforced by how Tal's writing is structured.

His first, his only. Him, me. This bed, this night, us.

Maybe, maybe, maybe we could, one day... Lord, the thought of it--imagining it, coloring in the outlines, even thinking it was a possibility--walked like a ghost through my veins, so powerful it felt like a memory, something I had time-traveled forward and seen with my own eyes.

Abel, I'd murmur to the wind. I love your son, and I'm going to love him for all time. I promise, I swear. He'll never be alone. I felt wind slip down the back of my neck.

Some Details:
Pairing: MM, Wyatt & Noël
POV: 1st Person Dual
Tense: Past
HEA?:

Spoiler

Yes

Breakups?:

Spoiler

Yes, not a 3rd act breakup

Strict Top/Bottom?: Yes
Is Top or Bottom Bigger: Top is Bigger
Angst: 4/5
Spice Frequency: 2.5/5
Spice Level: 3/5

Tropes/Tags/Themes:
- GFY/Bi-Awakening
- Virgin
- Left at the Altar
- Second Chance
- Grief
- Raising a Family Member

TWs/CWs:
- Cheating (outside MCs)
- Death of a Family Member (off-page)

Milestones:
First Kiss On the Cheek:

Spoiler

22% : Chapter 5 / Page 90

First Kiss:

Spoiler

29% : Chapter 7 / Page 118

First Oral:

Spoiler

30% : Chapter 7 / Page 121

First Penetration:

Spoiler

35% : Chapter 8 / Page 141

Noël Leaves:

Spoiler

36% : Chapter 9 / Page 150

They Meet Again:

Spoiler

48% : Chapter 14 / Page 197

First L Word:

Spoiler

70% : Chapter 20 / Page 288

Second First Kiss:

Spoiler

70% : Chapter 20 / Page 288

Proposal:

Spoiler

98% : Chapter 28 / Page 400