Reviewed by Danielle

TITLE: Before the Call

SERIES: A Small Town Hearts Novel #2

AUTHOR: Emma Alcott

PUBLISHER: Self Published

RELEASE DATE: January 27, 2020

LENGTH: 3026 KB

BLURB:

Rule #1 Don’t fall for the ridiculously hot straight guy
Rule #2 Especially not if he’s your best friend
Rule #3 Extra-especially not when you’re supposed to be his private tutor
Rule #4 Oh, god, but those eyes
Rule #5 Okay, maybe eyes are fine if you don’t look south
Rule #6 Don’t look south
Rule #7 You looked south, didn’t you?
Rule #8 Are you even listening?

Gabe Mitchell isn’t listening. What’s worse, ever since he moved back to the small town he thought he’d left for good, he’s turned into a habitual rule breaker.

Falling for his straight best friend, Clark Summers? Check.
Falling for his straight best friend, Clark Summers, who also happens to be his newest mature student? Check.
And don’t you dare get him started about what’s going on down south, because Gabe doesn’t need to check that to know he’s in deep.

It’s a good thing Clark’s missed him these last four years, and a better thing that he’s willing to do whatever it takes to have Gabe back in his life, because rules are about to be broken. All of them. And Clark’s only rule? The one about being straight? It might just end up broken, too.

Before the Call is the second book in the Small Town Hearts series, which features heroes scattered across the rural United States who find love where they’re least expecting it. In addition to friendship that turns red-hot, you can expect to find generous servings of vanilla ice cream that are anything but vanilla, interesting “tutoring” techniques, a nerd who’s head over heels for the best friend he can’t have, and a jock who loves his Dork even after years apart.

REVIEW:

After the first book in this series I was very much looking forward to the next one and it didn’t disappoint!

This is a slow building, friends to lovers story. It is incredibly sweet and cute.

I loved the clumsiness of one of the characters. I also liked the sweet sexiness radiating from both men and the pages of this story.

Very delightful is the family, the kids and the side characters. I do have to make a note that I did miss any interaction with mum. She just seems to basically only exist off page.

It is slow building/burning for sure but the friendship and tenderness makes up for the wait if you want to call it that.

The interaction between Clark and Gabe is wonderful and it is so fun to see Clark realising that he isn’t so straight as he thought he was. Watching him find out that perhaps Gabe is the “thing” (in this case definitely person!) that has been missing all this time.

Clark in his role as caretaker of his family is someone you want to hold and help out and Gabe’s insecurity is something that makes you want to protect him.

I do have to say I did had something that really bothered me and that was the constant mention of dork. A few times okay but it really was there constantly and although I get the sentiment behind it for me it became a disturbance at some point.

Being a small town story you feel like the inhabitants are so familiar. And the little drama that is obviously there makes it more intimate and real.

I do have to say I really like this new contemporary line by this author especially as that is my preferred genre.

So if you are looking for a nice m/m romance, pick this one up (and the first book in the series ). You won’t be disappointed if you give it a shot!

RATING:

BUY LINK:

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