What does his cousin want? And is it something Lenny can give him?
Though I will try and write this without spoilers it may contain some, so just be warned!!
"Anyta Sunday is rapidly moving up my list of favourite authors. It's like when I first read Kaje Harper or Eli Easton or Tj Klune or Eric Arvin or a million other authors I love...I get all excited at the start of the book. The promise of something brilliant to come. I feel so sorry for people who don't read and don't get this feeling."
So I read Taboo for You and decided that I needed to read more Anyta Sunday, I already had Lenny for Your Thoughts on my kindle so this was the one I chose. A decision I did not regret. Firstly I would like to say this is my third Anyta Sunday book and each and every one of them felt like completely different reading experiences. The writing is always easy to read and Anyta is one of my favourite character writers EVER. Each story almost feels as if it is written by a completely different author - kudos for this, so often I read books by authors I love to find the same recycled, rejuvenated storyline lurking in each one. Though each book is different this author has the ability to pull you into her story, that ability to weave a story that makes it compelling reading - you know the ones, just one more page and I'll stop, okay maybe just a bit more.... and then you find you're turning off your kindle as your hubby's alarm is going off. It's a sign of a GREAT book, but plays havoc with your sleep patterns. This book was no different, I could not stop reading once I had started.
Okay, so this is kinda spoilery, but honestly I don't think I could review it without you knowing this. This book is about two cousins falling in love. It is. Some frown at this incest - personally I don't see the big deal. *shrugs* In England it's legal for cousins to marry and (though obviously this is not an issue in a novel with gay MC's) even though there is concern about birth defects, if it was that prevalent in cousin marriages pretty much our entire upper class, and certainly the royal family from years ago, would all have suffered from them. As I said in a novel with gay MC's this isn't an issue anyway, so as far as I'm concerned No Problemo. But be warned, if this is a squicky area for you DO NOT READ.
"You know that gut clenching, stomach turning, this is why I read moment. 54% is where it's at here."
As I may have mentioned in my review of Taboo for You, Anyta Sunday is rivalling Eli Easton as Queen of UST (Unresolved Sexual Tension) and this book was NO exception. It once again had my favourite ingredients, best friends to lovers and UST. Oh my god the UST. I need a shower (cold) just thinking about it. Lenny, Carolyn (his sister), his cousin Julien and other bestie Ben form a formidable foursome. Best friends throughout their childhood in a small village in Eastern Germany, their lives have been changed and marred by the wall that had been gone since they were tiny. Along with the amazing Oma we follow the lives of these four, specifically Lenny, from when they young to present day. It is written in a style that switches between current day and the past - other reviewers have said they have found this annoying, me not so much, actually, it didn't bother me at all.
In fact I think it added to the story because even as we got to the end of the novel, to the current day, it was impossible to tell how things would work out. I had no idea if there would be an HEA or an HFN. I really, really didn't, again no spoilers but I will say Anyta Sunday writes with such grace that I felt the ending fitted the story perfectly. Lenny was such a well written character that I truly felt everything he did, I was desperate for things to turn out the way I wanted them to. I rate books how I felt about them and this one was definitely 5 hearts all the way through for me.
If you've not tried Anyta Sunday I would totally recommend either this or Taboo for You. Yet again I have found another auto-buy author.