Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE: Fool for Love

SERIES: Lost in New York #1

AUTHOR: Felice Stevens

PUBLISHER: Self-Published

LENGTH: 291 pages

RELEASE DATE: February 3, 2020

BLURB:

Can there be a second chance for a first love?

When Presley Dawson falls in love with a married man, he knows it’s wrong but can’t help himself. For the first time he’s wanted and desired and not so lonely. When his lover returns to his husband, Presley doesn’t worry. He always comes back—until he doesn’t. Years later, Presley is stuck in neutral and lonelier than ever. He can’t forget his past and doesn’t know how to reach for his future. When his best friend suggests a support group to work through his grief, Presley agrees but without much hope; nothing has helped before. At the first meeting, he’s instantly attracted to Nate and struggles not to fall so far, so fast. He won’t be fooled again. Nate Sherman is only attending a support group to get his family off his back. True, he hasn’t slept through the night in over three years, but he has reasons. Discovering your father—the man you love and idolize—is a liar and a cheater will do that. And dying in his girlfriend’s bed? No wonder Nate has trust issues. Meeting Presley changes everything. Nate sees Presley’s sweet nature and good heart and when he sets boundaries for their relationship, Nate surprises himself by willingly going along. With Presley by his side, Nate is able to sleep again and find the trust that he’s lost in himself and other people. He can even fall in love. But Presley is keeping a secret and if he tells Nate, it could be the end of everything between them. He knows it’s wrong to start another relationship based on a lie. But it isn’t a lie if you don’t say anything. Is it?

REVIEW:

Fool for Love contains enough baggage to fill an airplane. Each main character has a full set of Samsonite, plus a passel of carry-ons and an overstuffed garment bag full of guilt, grief, jealousy, anger, and loneliness. Presley and Nate are flawed men struggling to hold together a flawed relationship despite their love for each other. This is a story of redemption, of two men hurting, and the comfort they bring each other.  

Presley, or Press, succumbed to a married man with a baby and stayed with him for years, even after discovering his duplicity. Six years after the cheating loser lost his life in a car accident, Press is still grieving him. He’s afraid of being used again. Our other protagonist, Nate, is grieving the death of his father three years earlier, but he is consumed by anger for the man who wasn’t accepting of his homosexuality, and carried on an affair with his mother’s best friend for years while his mother was undergoing cancer treatment. As a result, he has big trust issues and can’t tolerate anyone who sleeps with a married partner. So that’s not such a good recipe for success. The two men meet at a grief support group: can they help each other get to the other side of that mountain of grief? What happens when Nate discovers Press’ past? Does his past define his future? 

Fool for Love is well-written and edited, consistent with Felice Stevens’ dozens of titles. The story is told in alternating first person point of view. There are very good secondary characters in Press’ best friend Frisco, who tells it like it is, and Nate’s brother Ethan, who possesses unfaltering kindness and patience for Nate. I am glad to see Nate’s anger doesn’t jeopardize his family relationships. The support group members aren’t too memorable, with the exception of moderator, Monroe, who is one half of the couple featured in book two of the Lost in New York series. There’s a bit too much time spent on platonic dating with Nate trying to get Press into bed while Press holds him off. It becomes somewhat tedious. 

Unfortunately, the book does have a downfall. The epilogue is nothing short of over the top and ridiculous. It is not in keeping with the warm and intimate nature of Press and Nate’s relationship. Otherwise, the book is a good one (with a cutie on the cover) that I recommend, particularly if you are one of Stevens’ many fans. 

RATING:

BUY LINKS: 

Amazon