Charlie Sunshine (Close Proximity #2)

As promised, here's me binge-reading through yet another author. This time, we have Lily Morton's Close Proximity series. The second novel is titled "Charlie Sunshine."

["Sometimes love is a lot closer to home than you think.

Charlie Burroughs can’t keep a man. All he wants is a good relationship like the ones he sees his friends having, but none of the men he picks ever work out. Despite him trying to be the perfect boyfriend, the men are either threatened by his looks or his epilepsy or a combination of the two. It’s lucky that he has his best friend Misha to turn to. The two of them are closer than peas in a pod and fiercely loyal to each other. He can’t imagine his life without Misha in it.

Misha Lebedinsky is the complete opposite of his best friend. Being the support system for his mum and twin sisters leaves Misha with neither the time nor the inclination for a relationship. Quick and frequent hook-ups are his favourite means of communication and any other pesky emotional needs he has are met by Charlie, who he’s devoted to. He lives a life of happy compartmentalization with no intention of ever changing.

All of this changes when the two best friends move in together. Being in close proximity means that they suddenly start to see each other in a very different light. But Charlie struggles when his drive to be the perfect partner clashes with the fact that he’s in love with a man who knows every little thing about him. And even if he can get past that, can a relationship ever work with a man who’d need a dictionary to tell him what love means?

From bestselling author Lily Morton comes a love story about a sunny librarian who has relationship written all over him and a cynical banker who doesn’t even have it in his blurb."]

This one was fucking obvious after reading the first book, but still, I loved. every. moment. of. it.

Also, yes, I really (really) did need to include that last part in the book's blurb. ;)

This book was......sooooooo fuuuuuuuuucking goooooooood. I mean like, it took them a lot of time (a loooooooot) and some meddling from their friends and an 80s-themed night at the club, but they eventually worked it out. Sorta, it wasn't all rainbows and butterflies, as no relationship is, but they talked (after shouting at each other--a lot--and getting shit-face drunk), really talked and it all worked out in a happily ever after.

A little (okay, really upset over here) that I can't find the short story that Lily wrote to accompany this book anywhere (and I heard it was fabulous and adorable :( ).

#bestman #chariesunshine #afterfelix #closeproximity #closeproximityseries #lilymorton #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Best Man (Close Proximity #1)

As promised, here's me binge-reading through yet another author. This time, we have Lily Morton's Close Proximity series. The first novel is titled "Best Man."

["Zeb Evans doesn’t do messy.

The product of a disorganised and chaotic childhood, Zeb likes order and control, and as the boss of his own employment agency he can give that to himself. Life runs along strict lines and he never mixes business with pleasure. Everything in his life lives in neat, alphabetized boxes. Until Jesse.

Jesse Reed is Zeb’s complete opposite. He’s chaos personified. A whirling cyclone of disorder. He’s also charming and funny and a very unwanted distraction.

Which is why it comes as a complete surprise to Zeb to find himself asking Jesse to pose as his boyfriend for a few days in the country at a wedding.

Zeb doesn’t do impulsive, but as the time away progresses, he finds himself increasingly drawn to the merry and irreverent Jesse. But can he bring himself to break the hard-won lessons he’s learnt in life? And even if he can, how could Jesse be attracted to him anyway? He’s so much older than Jesse, not to mention being his boss."]

 These two. I mean, like...wow. I loved this book. It was a little reminiscent of "Oz" with the interview and the protectiveness that Jesse has for Zeb and how Zeb just wants Jesse to be happy. But it was more too. Their dynamic was all there own.

It was messy and it was impulsive and chaotic and charming and funny and beautiful. There was a few angst moments, some really harsh moments, but it (obviously) all worked out in the end. ;)

A little (okay, really upset over here) that I can't find the two short stories that Lily wrote to accompany this book anywhere.

#bestman #chariesunshine #afterfelix #closeproximity #closeproximityseries #lilymorton #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

The Worst Chosen One Who's Ever Been Chosen

Look at my brand-new Simon Snow/Carry On gear!!

"The Worst Chosen One Who's Ever Been Chosen" aka the most subtle and sarcastic way possible that Baz could flirt. ;)

Someone tell me not to get a tattoo of Simon's sword (or Baz's wand)...

#anywaythewindblows #waywardson #carryon #fangirl #rainbowrowell #magicath #carryonsimon #simonsnow #snowbaz #bazpitch #tyrannusbasiltongrimmpitch #dragons #watford #books #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Short Stack: Finding Home

Along with the three main novels within the Finding Home series, Lily Morton wrote several accompanying short stories and bonus scenes that happen after as well as during their respective novels. All of these works have been published into a singular text titled "Short Stack." Lily calls it the "What happens after the happy ending?" stories.

Each couple gets their own set of stories. Oz and Silas from "Oz," Milo and Niall from "Milo," and Gideon and Eli from "Gideon." In total, there are 8 additional stories in the Finding Home series alone (the Mixed Messages series has the same short stories/bonus scenes content in "Short Stack").

I think this is a brilllllllllliant idea (said both obnoxiously and with a British accent). I love deleted scenes and bonus-after-the-fact/written-just-for-fun/fans scenes, but sometimes I'd hard to keep track of where they are (BookFunnel, ProlificWorks, etc) or how to download them (if they're even available to download anymore). This was suuuuuper (again, please read as both obnoxiously and with a British accent) convenient and suuuuuper amazing.

My favorite: “Ten Minutes Peace”

My least favorite (but not hated): "Messages" (it was just a bit repetitive)

Favorite couple: Oz and Silas (but Gideon and Eli were a close second)

They were a mix of bitter (a few of the deleted/bonus scenes) and happy (well, all of the parts after the happily ever after). And again, I really appreciate not having to slip back and forth between different tabs on my phone and trying to figure out on which website which author uploaded which story.

#oz #milo #gideon #shortstack #mixedmessages #mixedmessagesseries #findinghome #findinghomeseries #lilymorton #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Gideon (Finding Home #3)

As promised, here's me binge-reading through yet another author. This time, we have Lily Morton's Finding Home series. The third novel is titled "Gideon."

["Gideon Ramsay is so far in the closet he should be a talking faun.

A talented, mercurial, and often selfish man, Gideon has everything he should want in life. Fame, money, acting awards – he has it all. Everything but honesty. At the advice of his agent, Gideon has concealed his sexuality for years. But it’s starting to get harder to hide, and his increasingly wild behaviour is threatening to destroy his career.

Then he’s laid low by a serious illness and into his life comes Eli Jones. Eli is everything that Gideon can’t understand. He’s sunny tempered, friendly, and optimistic. Even worse, he’s unaffected by grumpiness and sarcasm, which forms ninety percent of Gideon’s body weight. And now Gideon is trapped with him without any recourse to the drugs and alcohol that have previously eased his way through awkward situations.

However, as Gideon gets to know the other man, he finds himself wildly attracted to his lazy smiles and warm, scruffy charm that seem to fill a hole inside Gideon that’s been empty for a long time. Will he give in to this incomprehensible attraction when it could mean the end of everything that he’s worked for?"]

This had some serious potential to get A LOT more angsty and heartbreaking than it was, and I'm really grateful that Lily kept it less dramatic than it could have gotten. It was perfect just the way she wrote it.

Gideon is a grump, and Eli is the sunshine. Except, Gideon finds it really had to not be happy around Eli, and Eli realizes that Gideon is bored and unchallenged and completely and utterly lonely. They make each other's life brighter and happier, and there's this trust there that developed so naturally and so easily.

Compared to some of her other novels, there wasn't as much on-page, spelled-out sexual scenes, but there was sooooooo much fucking fluff. So much fluff. It was like a warm little Cornish summer day with flowers and jam and tea and laughter. I'm honestly, really jealous; I don't even need the romance right now (I'll take it sure), but I really want a vacation similar to this.

Trigger Warning: homophobia, near-death-experiences, etc 

#oz #milo #gideon #shortstack #findinghome #findinghomeseries #lilymorton #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Milo (Finding Home #2)

As promised, here's me binge-reading through yet another author. This time, we have Lily Morton's Finding Home series. The second novel is titled "Milo."

["Once upon a time a brave knight rescued a young man. Unfortunately, he then spent the next few years bossing the young man around and treating him like a child.

Milo has been burying himself at Chi an Mor, hiding from the wreckage of his once promising career and running from a bad relationship that destroyed what little confidence he had. Niall, his big brother’s best friend, has been there for him that entire time. An arrogant and funny man, Niall couldn’t be any more different from the shy and occasionally stuttering Milo, which has never stopped Milo from crushing wildly on the man who saved him.

However, just as Milo makes the decision to move on from his hopeless crush, he and Niall are thrown into close contact, and for the first time ever Niall seems to be returning his interest. But it can never work. How can it when Milo always needs rescuing?"]

For having such a “hopeless crush,” it took Milo a loooooong time to realize that he loved Niall (spoiler alert). Like a long time. Whereas Niall— okay so maybe that’s so many spoilers. ;) 

I think the timing of things could have been adjusted a bit to help flow better story-wise and emotion-wise. It was a little jerky in spots.

HOWEVER, the story and the character grow was amazing and beautiful. It was about overcoming your past and accepting that you’re not what others say you are. It was about loving someone and learning to love yourself along the way. It was about fighting for yourself and for those who need a little bit of back-up until they’re able to fight for themselves (and not having to do anything by yourself).

Trigger Warning: domestic violence

#oz #milo #gideon #shortstack #findinghome #findinghomeseries #lilymorton #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Oz (Finding Home #1)

As promised, here's me binge-reading through yet another author. This time, we have Lily Morton's Finding Home series. The first novel is titled "Oz."

["What happens when temporary becomes forever?

Oz Gallagher does not do relationships well. Bored and jobless after another disastrous hook up, he decides to leave London for a temporary job in the wilds of Cornwall. Surely managing a stately home on a country estate will be easier than navigating the detritus of his relationships at home. Six months there will alleviate a bit of his wanderlust and then he can come back to London as footloose and fancy free as the day he left it.

However, when he gets there he finds a house in danger of crumbling to the ground and a man who is completely unlike anyone he’s ever met. An earl belonging to a family whose roots go back hundreds of years, Silas is the living embodiment of duty and sacrifice. Two things that Oz has never wanted. He's also warm and funny and he draws Oz to him like a magnet.

Oz banks on the fact that they're from two very different worlds to stop himself falling for Silas. But what will he do when he realises that these differences are actually part of the pull to one another? Will falling in love be enough to make him stop moving at last and realise that he's finally home?"]

Silly me thought I loved the last Lily Morton book I read a lot. That one doesn’t even compare to this one. 

They just complimented each other. Silas was large and open-hearted and warm and just possibly too nice. Oz was tiny and feisty and sharp-tongued and scorned by the world. Both were protective as fuck and in a constant whirl of unhappy, unfulfilling, and shockingly similar failed relationships (if you can even call them relationships). 

It was so sweet and mutual pining and growing up emotionally and learning about yourself and lovely. 

#oz #milo #gideon #shortstack #findinghome #findinghomeseries #lilymorton #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks