Reviewed by Valerie
TITLE: Tough Love
SERIES: Men of Olympus #2
AUTHOR: Dianna Roman
PUBLISHER: Wild One Press
LENGTH: 277 pages
RELEASE DATE: October 25, 2022
BLURB:
Damiano’s parents have never had any faith in him, so it’s no surprise when his new boss doesn’t either. He’s determined to prove Graham Brandt wrong though, if only he could stop pushing the man’s buttons and dreaming about tearing them off. It’s frustrating being a hot-blooded young man, particularly when your sexy boss is straighter than the level he uses on job sites.
What do you do when your ex-wife won’t come home, and you can’t stop thinking about your obnoxious apprentice? You lose your damn mind, apparently. That’s the only explanation for why Graham agrees to let Dami teach him how to explore his unexplainable desires. When the lessons are over, however, Graham learns he may have misunderstood not only sex education, but Damiano Andropolis.
The school of tough love is in session, but who is teaching whom?
REVIEW:
Oh, Dami! Bubbly, bumbling, accident prone, overly optimistic Dami. He is so endearing and hilarious in Dianna Roman’s new, highly entertaining, opposites attract, grumpy/sunshine novel, Tough Love. This is book two in her Men of Olympus series.
Book one, You Again, starred Johnny and Aiden. Dami is Johnny’s cousin, and his love interest, Graham, is Aiden’s brother. Grumpy Graham is none too pleased when Aiden hires new college grad, Dami, to apprentice with Graham in their family’s brick masonry business. The results are less than stellar. Graham says his work takes longer with Dami’s help than without.
Dami is being suffocated by his micromanaging, patronizing Greek Mama. She has no faith in Dami, and won’t let him think for himself. He feels like he’s in a cage, but knows he’ll disappoint his parents if he tries to break free. He wants to support himself and be allowed to make mistakes like everyone else. Working for Graham – and being able to get out from under thumb and do something different than wash dishes in his parents’ restaurant – is freeing, even if he’s bad at it. Plus, Graham is his fantasy man whom he lusts over all day, although he’s the “most miserable man he’s ever seen.”
“That man has no idea the things we’ve done in my mind since I first laid eyes on him last summer.”
Graham has been married and divorced twice – to the same woman. He’s now waiting for Jen to come back to him for another attempt at their relationship. She kindly tells Graham no, but she implores him to think about his sexuality. Sex had never been good with Jen; maybe he’s asexual? She thinks he’s gay. A little more introspection has Graham admitting to himself he likes Dami.
“There is no way the first man I’m accepting that I’m attracted to is a perky-butted, cat-loving, dishwasher.”
(Graham is terrified of cats and it’s hysterical.)
When Graham admits his newly discovered sexuality to Dami, the younger man volunteers to be his gay sex coach. But Dami quickly grows addicted to Graham, for much more than physical attraction:
“My soul has been carved out, and this kiss is the final act of serving it up to him on a platter . He can have whatever he wants from me. As he smiles at me, I’m speechless and raw. I know we said no more lessons, but I just learned a life-altering one. Graham is my forever guy, my Mr. Right, my everything.
And Graham can’t get enough of Dami, but he fears they’re too different for Dami to return his feelings.
“There isn’t a part of him I don’t crave to touch twenty-four hours a day. There isn’t a secret of his that I don’t long to learn. There isn’t a sound or word he says that I don’t wish I could hear.”
What Graham doesn’t know is that he’s the first guy who’s ever thought Dami was special and believes in him.
Packed with tenderness, this delightful book is more than a rom-com. Both Dami and Graham are wonderful characters, and as a couple, they’re dynamite. Aiden, Johnny, Graham’s twin sister, Maxie, and his ex-wife, Jen, are highly likable, substantial characters that enrich the story. And even though Dami’s parents are unbelievably frustrating, they’re important to the story and Dami’s growth arc. Both men experience massive growth: Dami builds confidence, finds his internal strength, and breaks free of his helicoptering mama. Graham let’s go of the idea of reuniting with Jen. She’ll remain a close friend while encouraging him to explore his sexuality. I’m glad this wasn’t a story about him struggling to accept his newly discovered gay side. He wants Dami and goes for it.
I highly recommend this gentle, sweet, funny book.
RATING: 
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