It's no secret I'm a huge Riley Hart fan, but some of her earlier backlist can be a little hit and miss. I liked this story enough, it just wasn't one of my favorites. 

After a disastrous relationship, Noah comes back to Blackcreek after being gone for 17 years. He immediately runs into (or gets run into) by his childhood best friend, Cooper. Cooper offers him a place to stay and their friendship picks up like Noah never had to leave. When Noah tells him he's gay, Cooper stars re-evaluating his feelings towards his friend. Not only are they feelings he's never felt before, but he struggles with the repercussions they could have on his family and his career. 

What made this book for me was Noah and Cooper's chemistry. Immediately there was something there between them, and it's really no surprise Cooper couldn't help but give in. But I'm not going to lie, I didn't love Cooper. I think he needed some therapy, which in my head Noah talks him into one day. I never doubted his love for Noah. He just had a lot to work through and wasn't perfect in how he went about it. I liked Noah, he had his boundaries and said what he needed. He was respectful of what Cooper was going through but also had his limits. They were good together, their issues were never the fact they don't work but rather how to make that work. 

More things I liked were their flashbacks to their childhood, you could tell how much their friendship meant to each of them, and the drama. I do wish the ending was a little more drawn out. I'm going to continue on with the series, I'm definitely curious about the next couple and want to see how Noah and Cooper are doing after everything. 

Read if you like: 
• friends to lovers 
• sexual awakening 
• small town romance