Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: Hate To Love You
SERIES: Epic Love #1
AUTHOR: Carrie Davis
PUBLISHER: Naughty Nights Press LLC
RELEASE DATE: April 21, 2020
LENGTH: 188 Pages
BLURB:
He loves him, he loves him not…
Oh who is he kidding, he can’t live without him.
Dexter McKenna is the man Matthew Sullivan both loves and hates. He’s outgoing and athletic, the kind of guy Matthew’s father always wanted him to be. And, he’s the last person Matthew wants to see at his sister’s wedding.
While undeniably attracted to Dexter, Matthew still resents him for his father’s constant comparisons.
When Matthew finds out Dexter is equally interested in him, it forces him to overcome his painful past so he can move forward with his future.
REVIEW:
After a lifetime of not being the athletic son is father wanted, Matthew puts the final nail in his virtual coffin by announcing that he’s gay. His childhood misery wasn’t helped by being constantly compared to his sister’s boyfriend, Dexter, who he loves and hates in the same breath. As soon as high school is over, Matthew heads to New York for college and stays there – eventually excelling at being a theatre teacher. Seven years later, he returns to his childhood home for his sister’s wedding. Dexter is there as best man. In Matthew’s eyes, Dexter is the best man in every respect, but he must overcome a few emotional hurdles first.
Throughout his childhood, Dexter has kept his secrets. The main one being his affection for his girlfriends’ brother, Matthew. After coming out and being similarly rejected by family, he has more in common with Matthew than either expected. When they meet again, sparks fly, but Dexter knows that before they can have any romantic entanglements, he must first get Matthew’s trust.
Hate To Love You is a sweet story told in the first person, past tense, from Matthew and Dexter’s viewpoints. Parts of the book reads like it’s a chat over afternoon tea. By that, I mean that it is not overly detailed, with minimal scene-setting and the basic facts of how they came to be where they were. The story stays focused on events between Matthew and Dexter rather than the scenery or getting sidetracked by people around them – which was refreshing.
Matthew is immediately likeable. He has a self-deprecating, yet sarcastic way and I loved many of his descriptive turns of phrase. Given how the book is written, and the similarities between Matthew and Dexter; there are lots of mirrored feelings and experiences. Both believe the other is perfect, and there are some favored words such as melting.
This tale is fast-paced. But what makes this story a lovely, relatively short read, is the pace, the phrasing, and the brief yet meaningful encounters that enable the boys to settle unfinished business and move on. It isn’t one of those stories that will leave you crying on a train, but Hate To Love You, has a place in today’s reading habits, for those who want something short, sweet, and ultimately satisfying.
RATING: 
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