Reviewed by Tori (Vicki)
TITLE: It Was Always You 
AUTHOR: L.A. Witt
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 220 pages
RELEASE DATE: March 22nd, 2018
BLURB:
Tyler Schaeffer’s whole world has been yanked out from under him. Job? Gone. Marriage? Kaput. With nothing to keep him in Chicago, he’s headed home to Seattle to lick his wounds and start over. To his surprise, his high school best friend—the man he ghosted five years ago—swoops in to help him pick up the pieces.
Justin Tucker still stings over Tyler vanishing, but when his old friend needs help, saying no is out of the question. Justin’s got a spare room, and he’ll do anything he can to help Tyler get back on his feet.
As the guys find their way back to friendship, Justin’s old feelings find their way back to the surface. He long ago made peace with Tyler being straight, but that doesn’t make twenty years of longing any easier to bear. Now he’s wondering if he can really handle having the man of his dreams living under his roof and out of his reach.
Except maybe Tyler isn’t as far out of reach as either man thinks…
REVIEW:
Tyler and Justin go back to middle school, and have been friends ever since. Justin has been out for some time, Tyler is straight, but happy to hang out with his gay best friend through school. Then the two went their separate ways, as Tyler went off to school in Chicago and got married. Even then, they remained friends, seeing each other as much as possible, until five years ago Tyler vanished from Justin’s life. Now, Tyler is coming home to Seattle after a nasty divorce, and Justin offers him a place to stay, and a chance to get his life back on track. The two are happy to reunite as friends, and Justin will just have to get over his 20 year-long infatuation with his straight best friend….
This is a pretty basic story, the two have been friends forever, grew apart due to the evil ex-wife, and are now back together as friends. Of course we know it’s not going to stay that way, and it’s no spoiler to say they end up together. I liked the two men just fine as individual characters, and they are good as friends. I can’t honestly say what my opinion is of them as a couple, since they don’t get together until over 80% of the book has passed! Then there is a sex scene, and bam! The book is over. Just like that.
So I can’t say that I really got much out of this book. Way too much time is spent agonizing over Tyler’s ex-wife, who of course, as all ex-wives have to be, was nasty. Too much time is spent on Justin’s obsession with Tyler, wishing he was gay. Then to go until the end of the book before they get together? Before there is any sort of emotional or physical connection? 200 pages? Ugh. I am all about a friends-to-lovers story, but you have got to get them together and give us a chance to see them as a couple after all that time as friends. It just didn’t work for me.
But it was a sweet story, low angst, low drama, just two guys hanging out, a lot of moping around, some pool, some pizza, and eventually sex. I assume they live happily ever after, but who knows with an ending like this, they could have changed their minds by morning!
I am a fan of L.A. Witt, and just read several books by her, one of which I gave a 4.5 heart rating, so I normally love her books. I’m sorry that I didn’t care for this one more than I did. It had potential, but just didn’t manifest for me.
RATING: 
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