Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Milo 
SERIES: Finding Home
AUTHOR: Lily Morton
NARRATOR: Joel Leslie
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 9 hours and 30 minutes
RELEASE DATE: June 2, 2020
BLURB:
Once upon a time, a brave knight rescued a young man. Unfortunately, he then spent the next few years bossing the young man around and treating him like a child.
Milo has been burying himself at Chi an Mor, hiding from the wreckage of his once promising career and running from a bad relationship that destroyed what little confidence he had. Niall, his big brother’s best friend, has been there for him that entire time. An arrogant and funny man, Niall couldn’t be any more different from the shy and occasionally stuttering Milo, which has never stopped Milo from crushing wildly on the man who saved him.
However, just as Milo makes the decision to move on from his hopeless crush, he and Niall are thrown into close contact, and for the first time ever, Niall seems to be returning his interest. But it can never work. How can it when Milo always needs rescuing?
From the best-selling author of the Mixed Messages series comes a story about a man who needs to write his own happily ever after.
This is the second book in the Finding Home series, but it can be listened to as a standalone.
Content warning: There are descriptions of domestic abuse in this book.
REVIEW:
Note: As this is book 2 in this series, it contains major spoilers for book 1 🙂
Milo is in an abusive relationship. His older brother Gideon grows concerned when he hasn’t heard from him and he sends his best friend Niall to check on him. What Niall finds is a young man who is a shadow of his former self. He’s too thin, too timid, too quiet and worst of all, his childhood stutter seems to have returned. This seems to be all thanks to his abusive older boyfriend, Thomas. Niall takes him away to heal – to Chi an Mor, the estate that Niall manages for his other best friend Silas.
Once at Chi an Mor, Milo get back to his craft of art restoration. He’d thought to be an artist, but he just doesn’t feel like that is his calling, but he is aces at restoring old paintings. And certainly Chi an Mor has plenty. He’s set up in his own rooms, he helps around the estate and he’s developed a wonderful friendship with Oz, Silas’s partner. He’s welcome into a found family as he doesn’t have much contact with his own. But there is the underlying current of this lifelong crush on Niall.
As Milo grows stronger, he asks Niall for help and they start what is maybe a fling? Except of course feeling get involved sooner rather than later. But there are complications – like Milo’s age, Niall’s friendship (with Benefits) with Gideon (Milo’s brother), Milo’s lack of experience and his self-esteem issues. Niall has a playboy reputation – more of a one night stand kind of a guy. But he’s careful with Milo and his heart. But he does want to be there for him without giving away his hand.
As they grow closer, they have to wrestle with what it is that they are really doing. And does Milo depend on Niall too much? Will Niall get bored of him sooner rather than later? From Niall’s perspective, won’t Milo get tired of the countryside and want to return to his glamorous life in London? There are just so many things to consider. Then there is Gideon. How will he feel about his best friend and sometimes lover taking up with his much younger brother? Only time will tell 😉
This story is a bit heavier in some ways than the rest of this series with a little less focus on the humor and snark than some of the author’s other books. Milo has been in an abusive relationship and while Niall gets him out of that situation, it’s up to Milo to heal. He’s given the time and space to do that and the respect. The love and support of Silas, Oz and Niall go a long way in helping him regain his confidence. He’s also able to excel at this work which he also takes great pride in. But he’s not had good luck with the one boyfriend he’s had and when Niall offers to teach him the ways of sex, he takes him up on it since he’s always had a crush on the man and he trusts Niall not to hurt him. Niall spends this story coming to admire and love the man that Milo has become – so different from the boy who used to trail after him and Gideon. He sees his strength and beauty and resilience when Milo doesn’t see himself clearly. But then hearts get involved and things get a bit messy 🙂 Watching these two very different men figure out their path was very satisfying. As usual, Joel Leslie does a brilliant job with the voices. I loved visiting with Oz (he’s still as hilarious and snarky as ever) and Silas again and spending quality time at Chi an Mor. Lily Morton is an autobuy for me and this book is just another reason why. Recommended and on to book 3 – Gideon’s story!
RATING: 
BUY LINKS:
Audible