Take a photo of a barcode or cover
stephanie_inman's Reviews (228)
This is the second book in Anyta Sunday's Signs of Love series. The first, Leo Loves Aries, is one of my all time favorite books ever. Whether that gave me hope for this book, or made me more critical, I don't know. What I do know is that Percy and Cal have made their way into my heart, right alongside Theo and Jamie.
This is a slow burn romance. And I do mean slow burn. There aren't a lot of what we have come to think of as intimate scenes at all, and the ones we have don't happen until the second half of the book. Does that mean there's not intimacy? Not at all. We may not have kissing and sex, but what we get is two men who are developing the foundation for a strong relationship, with one of them being completely oblivious to the fact that the notion even exists for the other. (And when we do get to the kissing and sex, holy hotness. It’s everything that you want in a good book scene. Hot, sexy, fun. Also, there are a lot of feels in here, which makes it also pretty damn swoon worthy)
The book begins when Percy comes home. As a teenager, he was kicked out by his parents, after he came out to them. His aunt, Abby, took him in. She loved him. She was his family. She became his home. And now she is gone, having passed away. And Percy finds himself alone and grieving.
Living across the street from Abby and Percy are the Glovers.
Cal Glover has returned home to help his mom. His dad has decided that being a full time husband and parent isn't what he wants anymore, and this leads Cal to drop out of university.
Percy and Cal have known each other since Percy moved in with his Aunt Abby. They had an awkward first meeting, and since then have been each other's verbal sparing partner. They aren't exactly enemies, but they also aren't friends.
Percy has lost so much in his life, and he's just ready to move on. The memories of being in the house he shared with Abby are too much. He's also just gone through a break up with his boyfriend, who told Percy that he didn't see himself as having a family with Percy. Percy thinks that Josh (his ex) doesn’t see Percy as being family material. Percy decides he's going to have to learn to be okay being alone in life. He's home, but only long enough to sell Aunt Abby's house, and decide where to go from there.
Now, this is where Ms. Sunday shines; We know Percy and Cal, but Ms. Sunday also brings us into this neighborhood of wonderfully, quirky, fun neighbors. One of whom is Crystal Wallace, Theo and Leone's (from Leo Loves Aries) mom. Of course, Crystal is more than happy to offer both Percy and Cal some helpful tips, using their astrological signs.
We also get to see Percy interact with the Glovers. Cal's family is amazing, and although details like the ones with the Glovers aren't the point of this story, there's something about having them there that adds a warmth to it.
I absolutely loved seeing Percy and Cal together. Their chemistry is amazing. The wit, the sarcasm, the snark. It was some of the best verbal foreplay I have ever read.
I also love how Ms. Sunday handles sexuality. Not everything is gay or straight. We have two characters here who realize how they feel and how they identify, but it's not a "one size fits all" sort of thing. I wish more authors realized that sexuality is a spectrum. There's no right or wrong way for someone to identify. And, as the case with this book, things aren't always what they seem.
This is a slow burn romance. And I do mean slow burn. There aren't a lot of what we have come to think of as intimate scenes at all, and the ones we have don't happen until the second half of the book. Does that mean there's not intimacy? Not at all. We may not have kissing and sex, but what we get is two men who are developing the foundation for a strong relationship, with one of them being completely oblivious to the fact that the notion even exists for the other. (And when we do get to the kissing and sex, holy hotness. It’s everything that you want in a good book scene. Hot, sexy, fun. Also, there are a lot of feels in here, which makes it also pretty damn swoon worthy)
The book begins when Percy comes home. As a teenager, he was kicked out by his parents, after he came out to them. His aunt, Abby, took him in. She loved him. She was his family. She became his home. And now she is gone, having passed away. And Percy finds himself alone and grieving.
Living across the street from Abby and Percy are the Glovers.
Cal Glover has returned home to help his mom. His dad has decided that being a full time husband and parent isn't what he wants anymore, and this leads Cal to drop out of university.
Percy and Cal have known each other since Percy moved in with his Aunt Abby. They had an awkward first meeting, and since then have been each other's verbal sparing partner. They aren't exactly enemies, but they also aren't friends.
Percy has lost so much in his life, and he's just ready to move on. The memories of being in the house he shared with Abby are too much. He's also just gone through a break up with his boyfriend, who told Percy that he didn't see himself as having a family with Percy. Percy thinks that Josh (his ex) doesn’t see Percy as being family material. Percy decides he's going to have to learn to be okay being alone in life. He's home, but only long enough to sell Aunt Abby's house, and decide where to go from there.
Now, this is where Ms. Sunday shines; We know Percy and Cal, but Ms. Sunday also brings us into this neighborhood of wonderfully, quirky, fun neighbors. One of whom is Crystal Wallace, Theo and Leone's (from Leo Loves Aries) mom. Of course, Crystal is more than happy to offer both Percy and Cal some helpful tips, using their astrological signs.
We also get to see Percy interact with the Glovers. Cal's family is amazing, and although details like the ones with the Glovers aren't the point of this story, there's something about having them there that adds a warmth to it.
I absolutely loved seeing Percy and Cal together. Their chemistry is amazing. The wit, the sarcasm, the snark. It was some of the best verbal foreplay I have ever read.
I also love how Ms. Sunday handles sexuality. Not everything is gay or straight. We have two characters here who realize how they feel and how they identify, but it's not a "one size fits all" sort of thing. I wish more authors realized that sexuality is a spectrum. There's no right or wrong way for someone to identify. And, as the case with this book, things aren't always what they seem.
Again with the sex positive heroine, which I freaking LOVE. I was so excited for Frannie’s story, however I felt this one did fall flat. The conflicts seemed a little immature for a woman whose main problem with having a relationship with the male MC was their age difference and his lack of experience. (Hallelujah! We have a rarity in the romance genre. A MALE virgin!) Also, I just found it a bit dull.
This is only the second book I’ve read by this author, and I’ll admit, I haven’t been wowed by the actual plots, but I do love the characters. They are quirky (not in that over done way, but more in a real life way) and people you would actually want to hang out with. The writing is funny. The author has a voice that I can actually relate to. She is definitely writing for a new generation/type of romance reader. The world is changing. I’m not young, but I am still pretty progressive when it comes to things like sexuality and gender roles. It seems a lot of romance books slut shame their female characters, or make them out to be unrealistic pillars of virtue. The author here makes it abundantly clear that it’s okay for women to have a healthy sex drive, even if she isn’t in a committed relationship. It’s so much more relatable than most other romance books out there. These are the characters we need in this genre.
This is only the second book I’ve read by this author, and I’ll admit, I haven’t been wowed by the actual plots, but I do love the characters. They are quirky (not in that over done way, but more in a real life way) and people you would actually want to hang out with. The writing is funny. The author has a voice that I can actually relate to. She is definitely writing for a new generation/type of romance reader. The world is changing. I’m not young, but I am still pretty progressive when it comes to things like sexuality and gender roles. It seems a lot of romance books slut shame their female characters, or make them out to be unrealistic pillars of virtue. The author here makes it abundantly clear that it’s okay for women to have a healthy sex drive, even if she isn’t in a committed relationship. It’s so much more relatable than most other romance books out there. These are the characters we need in this genre.
