Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Like I Promised 
SERIES: Heather Bay
AUTHOR: Charlie Novak
NARRATOR: Dan Calley
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 5 hours and 57 minutes
RELEASE DATE: August 15, 2022
BLURB:
Falling for my childhood sweetheart wasn’t part of the plan.
Moving back to Heather Bay wasn’t on Oliver’s agenda for the summer, but after inheriting a cottage in dire need of renovation, he doesn’t have much choice. Supervising the builders should be easy…except the man in charge is Oliver’s childhood best friend and ex-boyfriend.
Lane’s spent nine years desperately trying to forget his first love, but that doesn’t stop him from fantasizing about Oliver in every spare moment once he discovers Oliver’s back in town. Falling into bed together isn’t supposed to mean anything, even if Lane’s emotions feel too big to be ignored.
Being drawn to each other is one thing, but being stuck together after disaster strikes the renovations is another. The pull of the past is strong, but Oliver and Lane have been down this road before. This time they’ll need to learn from their mistakes so they can finally keep their promises.
Like I Promised is a steamy second-chance contemporary MM romance featuring former childhood sweethearts, interfering friends, questionable barbecues, a very lazy Collie, cozy coffee shops, and secret beaches.
REVIEW:
I really enjoyed this super cute rather low angst story of second chances between childhood best friends and former lovers Lane and Oliver. It’s a classic tale of one young man believes his destiny is in the big city and one who has no intention of leaving his beautiful small home town. When the city boy, Oliver, is called back to the hometown after inheriting his grandmother’s property, his thrown together with his ex, Lane who will be managing the renovation on said property. The cottage had operated as a Bed & Breakfast, so there is a lot of renovation to be done – bathrooms, bedrooms, kitchen, you name it. Can you say awkward??
Despite a bit of a bumpy start, Lane and Oliver agree that they can make this work. They will keep it professional 😉 But then there are some issues with the orders for the cottage reno and Oliver is left without a working kitchen. Lane’s mouth gets ahead of his brain and he invites Oliver to stay with him. Before long though they are giving in to their renewed lust for each other. They agree to keep this to a friends with benefits/fling while the renovations are happening since Oliver’s life is in London. He’s working remotely during this period, but his job in publishing is back in London.
The longer Oliver and Lane spend time together, the more they each have doubts about what will come next. Oliver is getting tired of the cost of living and the hustle of London. Lane has no intention of leaving Heather Bay and he’s really like to make things work with Oliver. Despite the near decade they’ve been apart, neither has actually stopped caring about the other. Their relationship fell apart before because the couldn’t communicate. They literally cut off all communication when Oliver left. This time, they both want to get it right. Thankfully they have family and friends who want to make sure they don’t blow it this time 😀
These guys are kind of adorable and a little bit clueless. Lane has really good friends who have his back and want to see him happy. Thankfully they recognize that Oliver is really the answer to his prayers. I loved Sparrow, Lane’s dog getting into the act. Truthfully these guys needed this time to mature and figure out what they really wanted in life. Thankfully the answer was right in front of them. They grew up, figured out how to articulate what they wanted and needed and the timing was finally right. Sweet and romantic and sexy.
Dan Calley does his usual great job narrating this book. He displays his usual sense of humor, drama and tenderness in performing this book. Oliver and Lane are guys who need some help to see what’s right in front of them. There are plenty of smexy times and fun with friends and real love between them. Recommended and can’t wait for the next one.
RATING: 
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