Restaurant owner Tom Fearnes has loved his partner Cass for as long as he can remember, but their work often keeps them apart. When he meets a striking young man named Jake on the vibrant streets of Camden Town, their heady first encounter takes an unexpected turn.
Jake Thompson can hardly believe his luck when he wakes up in Tom’s bed. Tom is gorgeous, kind, and . . . taken. Tom’s explanation of his open relationship leaves Jake cold, but Tom is too tempting, and when hard times force Jake to accept Tom’s helping hand, he finds himself between two men who’ve lost their way.
Cass Pearson is a troubled soul. He loves Tom with all he has, but some days it feels like he hasn’t much to give. Jake seems like the perfect solution. Cass risks everything to push Jake and Tom together, but Jake resists, wary, until the darkness of Cass’s past comes to call. Then Jake finds himself the last man standing, and it’s time to dig deep and shine a light for the men he’s grown to love.
This book! It snuck up on me. I read the blurb and I thought to myself I've not read a MMM in a long time so let's give this thing a go.
Best decision I've made in quite some time.
Not only is it an incredible story of finding and falling in love in an unconventional way but it's masterfully constructed. These characters are all relatable and fallible which is what I loved most about them-how realistically they are portrayed. Never once did I think their behavior was improbable or absurd; they may be illogical at times but that's human nature and part of what made them so accessible. The fact that they keep trying even if they get it wrong sometimes resonated with me. They are always conscientious and sometimes they make educated guesses something I much prefer to omniscience. The best feeling I ever have as a reader is sinking into a character and the narrative, not just seeing the other characters through their eyes but trying to figure them out right alongside them and here I had not one, not two but three juicy characters to puzzle out-Tom, Jake and Cass.
I loved all these characters and even though we only get one chapter (the epilogue) from Cass's perspective he was my favorite. He's clearly hiding something that's eating at him. I was drawn in like the proverbial moth to his dynamic flame. I found myself constantly wondering what he thought or felt about any given situation. He's also a chef so... there is that. And he says the sweetest things.
"...I reckon you're everything me and Tom didn't know we were looking for."
Leigh did a phenomenal job of weaving this triad together. I had reservations deep into this narrative, but the way she went about making Jake and Cass friends first and seeing that friendship evolve into something more gradually solidified my belief in their longevity. Each of these men contributes to the relationship yet none of them are perfect and they realize and accept that about each other. If that's not love in its purest form, I'm not sure what is.
The only quibble I have is all the Brit speak, but I can't in good conscience deduct for that because (a) it lends authenticity and (b) it'd be hypocritical and American of me. So no. I just sucked it up and dealt and thought maybe I'd like to listen to this in audiobook one day to really get all the different accents.
I would recommend this to contemporary romance readers who enjoy reads without an abundance of antics who have an open mind when it comes to relationships.
A review copy was provided.
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