Ten days to finally make the leap from friends to lovers….Craig and Mitchell have been friends for years, but each of them reached a point where that camaraderie became… more. Mitchell’s kept his feelings close to his chest. So has Craig, but now that they’ve graduated from UMKC, he knows it’s his last chance to show Mitchell they’re meant to be before their careers take them to opposite sides of the country.
He insists they can’t leave Missouri behind without one last adventure. Mitchell agrees to a road trip to visit all the touristy spots and say goodbye to their home state.
As they spend their days and nights together, buried feelings rise to the surface and hope blossoms. When their journey ends with a dance beneath the Branson stars, will they find love and a future together at the end of the road?
States of Love: Stories of romance that span every corner of the United States.
Buy links: Dreamspinner | Amazon
Cat gives this one 3 Meows with a 3 Purr heat index...
Mitchell and Craig have just graduated college. Both men have had secret crushes on each other. Now they are each starting new lives in new states on each side of the country. Craig suggests a road trip as a farewell but secretly plans to tell Mitchell how he feel. Mitchell issafraid to go, fearing Craig will figure out he has feelings for him and ruining thier friendship.
I like these States of Love books. It’s like going on a road trip without leaving your home. They are usually low angst, sweet with a little heat, and romantic
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I liked both Mitchell and Craig. I was rooting for them through the entire book. I also liked that we went to many tourist sites in Missouri and with me being a Missourian I could relate. I’ve been to most of these places and loved someone else’s take.
I did feel the story was just a little slow and a few things on Mitchell’s part got a little repetitive. But the story fit the line. Was interesting and romantic, especially the end.
If you like New Adult romance, Friends to Lovers, secret crushes, road trips, and a sweet and sexy romance this is for you.
Excerpt...
EPIC. THAT’S what Craig had said. Come on, it’ll be epic, Mitchell.
To be fair, his best friend had caught Mitch when his defenses were down. He’d broached the subject at the pool, the sunlight dancing across the water, momentarily blinding anyone nearby. Heat rose from the ground, shimmery waves hovering over the concrete, reminding him of why they’d come out to the pool in the first place.
The air-conditioning in their antiquated apartment could barely keep up and the cool water had beckoned them on that lazy afternoon. The temperature had been unbearable for days and it wasn’t even technically summer yet. If you don’t like the weather, just wait fifteen minutes. Having grown up in Kansas City, Mitch had heard that all his life, and usually the expression rang true. Not this time. This heat wave had arrived strong and kicked everyone’s ass before it’d settled in for a nice long stay.
With college graduation firmly in the rearview mirror and a new job coming up, Mitch had been restless. He’d needed something to do for the next couple of weeks. He’d felt numb—almost lethargic—after spending weeks cramming for finals, interviewing for jobs, and preparing for graduation. With nothing demanding his attention, his mind had wandered where it shouldn’t—to a place he’d long abandoned. A place that made him want what he knew he couldn’t have. Still, no matter how many times he’d tried to censure himself, the what-ifs played havoc in his mind.
Tendrils of hope had already sprouted, slowly weaving through him. Mitch had fought it, truly he had. At night he’d lain in his bed, forcing himself to face away from the wall separating their bedrooms and pretend he wasn’t aware that his best friend was mere feet away. Mitch could hear every small sound, every step in the room, every shift on the mattress. He’d closed his mind to it—burying his head under his pillow and damning to hell the architects who had designed the paper-thin walls in their apartment building.
But it hadn’t worked. Nothing worked. The ache had only grown until it had morphed into a huge gaping need that threatened to follow Mitch all the way to his new life in West Virginia. For years, he had worked hard to keep those damn feelings at bay and yet, here he was, almost across the finish line and dangerously close to letting his secret out. Emotions were swallowing him up and he was losing control.
What he needed was something to fill the time—something to occupy his mind.
Sarah Hadley Brook lives smack-dab in the middle of the Heartland and is the mother of two wonderful young men, as well as two cats. During the day, she works in the nonprofit world, but reserves evenings for her hobby-turned-passion of writing, letting the characters she conjures in her mind take the lead and show her where the story will go. When not working or writing, she can be found reading, working on dollhouses, trying her hand at new recipes, or watching old movies and musicals. In her ideal world, Christmas would come at least twice a year, Rock Hudson and Doris Day would have costarred in more than three movies, and chocolate would be a daily necessity. She dreams of traveling to Scotland some day and visiting the places her ancestors lived. Sarah believes in “Happily Ever After” and strives to ensure her characters find their own happiness in love and life.
The cover looks great. Thank you for the review =)
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