This is my first book by this author. I’m glad I took the chance! Sometimes you just never know when you read a new to you author. But I was pleasantly surprised.
Overall this was an ok read. It was a fast read! I read it in one day.

I liked the characters. I wish it was a little more detailed in some parts. The instant love going on in this book was outa control! Case and Rawley meet then like a week later is when they actually get together. Rawley was an it’s all it nothing kinda guy! I wasn’t feeling that. I mean... especially since they didn’t really talk during that week. Rawley was pretty much avoiding Case.
I just thought it was a little over the top. And Rawley’s jealous/ possessiveness he had with Case.
It wasn’t overbearing but enough to be like why are you acting like that. It’s way too soon to be acting like that.

But even though those things bugged me. I still liked the story. I liked how Rawley dove right in with Case. He didn’t shy away from him. Or try to hide him.
Case I felt could’ve been a little more upset with certain situations that Rawley did to him. But I also liked how he was willing to change his life and give Rawley a chance.

Overall this was an ok read.

4 stars

Synopsis: Case is trying to leave his old life behind, so he heads out to his aunt's place. Along the way, though, his car craters, his phone has no battery, and Case is left walking down what seems like a deserted road in the middle of a heavy rain storm.
Rawley is the sheriff, and when he finds the abandoned car, he looks for the driver. When he finds him, Rawley is attracted to him, but isn't out in the small community. Rawley hasn't lived in town that long, and while he knows that he would be accepted, he doesn't really have any reason to come out.
Both Case and Rawley, for various reasons, are hurting from their pasts. Case feels as though he has been used by his boyfriends and his lifestyle, and Rawley lost his partner a couple of years earlier. At first, Rawley doesn't take Case seriously, because he is quite a bit younger, and had a lifestyle different from anything Rawley had ever thought of. Plus, Rawley doesn't know if he can really feel anything after losing his partner in the way that he did.

What I liked: that Rawley was intent on making changes once he got to know Case a little, but it wasn't for Case, it was because Rawley wanted to be more himself. Even though he knew that he had made mistakes and had let himself be used, once Case was done with all his boyfriends, he never went for the self-doubt. Case and Rawley were honest about themselves with the other person, so they each knew what they were getting in to. I also liked that Case could recognize quality in people, and that he appreciated it, whether it was for friendship or love.

What I didn't like: there was a lot happening in what felt like a very short amount of pages. I would have liked to have seen more exploration between Rawley and Case, and seen more of the relationship.

Overall impression: I enjoyed the story telling, and really enjoyed Rawley and Case. I would have liked to have seen more of the surrounding characters, but the story was well-written. There is a little angst, but it is not caused by crazy misunderstandings. This is a feel good book that reads really quickly.

*I received a free copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Holy Insta-Love, Batman! And holy magic dick, Batman!

I took a chance on a new-to-me author, because the blurb of this book was intriguing. Rich party-boy/man-whore seeks new life away from the six maybe-boyfriends who'd only use him for his money and runs to his aunt's house in small-town Clover City, where he meets older, grumpy, closeted sheriff, who's still nursing a broken heart and carrying some massive guilt after his PD partner/secret lover died, back in Denver, during a domestic disturbance call gone very wrong.

I liked Case(y) initially - I could see that he was tired of being used and adrift, not sure of his way, and I hoped that he would find what he was looking for. He was immature to some extent (breaking up with his many boyfriends via text is just one example) and in desperate need of some direction in his life, something that would make it meaningful. But then, one of Case's ex-BFs tracks him down and instead of sending the guy back to where he came from, he puts him up in a hotel and pays the bill? Where was his spine? It's not like this happened shortly after Case's arrival - no, ex-BF shows up when he's already deeply involved with the sheriff. What gives?

Rawley, the closeted sheriff, is still mourning the loss of his partner, a death for which he blames himself, though he has built himself a quiet and mostly content life in Clover City. He's lonely, of course, even though he'd deny that if asked. Rawley takes one look at Case and wants. Grumpy sheriff wants the younger man, and after dragging him away from a barbeque to his house and sexy times, the sheriff is completely in lurve with the younger man, wants to keep him always, but also wonders if Case's man-whore past is not entirely a thing of the past. Jealousy is an ugly thing.

There were some sweet moments too, and this book is entertaining. The plot flows well, I liked Case's aunt Sylvia (she was a sweetheart), and the townsfolks were nice too.

Rawley just came on too strong sometimes, and I thought that the age gap was actually hindering them. Many times, Case acted like a doormat, and I wondered if he saw Rawley as a father figure too, instead of only a lover and an equal. Rawley had some hang-ups about Case's age as well and a bit of a dominant personality that, while it suited Case's character, was for me a bit too much. I like equality in the relationship, equal standing from a maturity perspective as much as possible, and I didn't get that here so much.

Some of the plot points had me scratching my head, such as the rapidity with which Rawley stops grieving his ex-lover after meeting Case and their first bedroom encounter. Not only that, he also quickly gets over his guilt, a guilt that he's carried with him for two years and that he's worn like a shield to keep everyone out. Similarly, Case has one encounter with our grumpy sheriff, gets fucked through the mattress, and suddenly swears off anyone else's dick - never again will he have sex with anyone else, because... well, I guess because Rawley's dick is magic too. It's so magic, actually, that Case willingly puts up with Rawley's jealousy and distrust in his statement that he's done being a party-boy/man-whore and came to Clover City for that reason - to be done with that life.

The ending felt a little too abrupt to me. I still had questions. What is the punishment Deputy Ted promised at the end? Is Jordan, the ex-BF, going to get that talk Case wants to have with him, and why, oh why is he still in town when the book ends?

So, this wasn't a great read, but it did keep me entertained. Case and Rawley had some good banter going on, and while the relationship smacked of insta-love, they do get a rather nice HFN that will likely lead to a HEA, even if that must happen off-page. I could see Rawley open himself up to new beginnings and a second chance at love, and I could see Case find what has eluded him so far - someone who cares for him not because of what he can do for them, but for who he is. And don't we all want that, too?


** I received a free copy of this book from its publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Book – Only You
Author – Kay Doherty
Star rating - ★★★★★
No. of Pages – 141
Cover – Nice!
POV – 3rd person, dual character
Would I read it again – Yes!
Genre – LGBT, Contemporary, MM, Romance


** COPY RECEIVED THROUGH NETGALLEY **



WARNINGS: deals with issues of mental health and PTSD



The acknowledgments highlight an early warning that this book deals with the invisible illness that is PTSD. As someone with an invisible illness, though not PTSD or a mental health issue, the acknowledgment speaks to me in a way that promises to handle these issues with gentle awareness, compassion, understanding and, most of all, an intimate awareness of how debilitating and all consuming an invisible illness can be. That is before taking into consideration outside influences, such as other people's impressions and their treatment of those invisible illnesses, which can often be as debilitating and harmful as the PTSD itself.

.

Holy cow! That was an emotional rollercoaster and a half!

This is a new-to-me author and I'll definitely be giving Kay Doherty another go in the future. The writing was spot on, exactly my kind of writing style, and with exactly my kind of balance between description and dialogue.

With great attention to detail – well balanced, not over-done or exaggerated – the story began with a great set up of mood, location, atmosphere and characterisation, beginning the story with our all important introduction to Casey, on the day all his luck has run out. I loved that we were immediately in his head space and aware of his issues, without it being an info-dump. Then, when the POV switched to Rawley, I was thrilled. Dual POV is my favourite, especially when one of the MC's is a broody, grumpy sheriff!

Both these MC's have a past and a history that has left deep emotional scars, but they work so well together. I could feel the chemistry between them the minute they met, and that carried on throughout the story, growing and becoming solid. Saying that, however, I really loved how realistic they both were. Rawley and Casey accepted that they barely knew each other, that their feelings were based on lust and a physical attraction, and some deep seated need to be loved. It didn't stop them from being together, but I always knew they were going in with their eyes wide open. Each of them, at some point, considered the challenges and consequences – Casey's numerous boyfriends, Rawley's past, their age difference, how little time they'd known each other, Rawley being closeted in town, even the consideration that Casey might leave and go back to his numerous boyfriends. Though they often got swept up in the romance and the lust, neither of them ever forgot the bigger picture and that's rare to find in a romance novel.

What I also loved – but can't say too much about, because it would be a huge spoiler – is that even the MC's have to face the consequences of their actions. I'm talking about the end of the book, which is why that's all I'm going to say about it. It's great to see it happening, because it's real and logical and, sure, it may not be romantic, but the author sure made it feel right for the characters and the moment. And, in a way, it really was quite romantic, all for reasons I can't explain.

Were there any negatives? There were some minor editing issues, with a missing word in one or two places, but surprisingly very little for an early release/ARC copy. I did find that some of the early chapters had a flow/timeline issue that just didn't have the seamlessness of the rest of the novel, but those are all minor things and really didn't make an impact on my reading.

Overall, it was a fantastic read. It really lifted my mood with the perfect ending, despite the rollercoaster I'd had throughout. I loved everyone! Jordan was over the top. Trent was adorable. Aunt Sylvia was amazing! Jake and Ryan were brilliant. Ted is awesome! Everyone is awesome!!! In fact, I would absolutely love to read more about this little community, especially if Ted or Trent were to have a story of their own. Please????

In the end, I can only say that it was pretty perfect. From the chemistry, the characterisation, the plot, and the writing style, it all came together in a great book that dealt sympathetically with some very serious issues. It's a story of self-discovery, of healing, of emotional torment, of self-acceptance, of recovery, and of the realities of PTSD. But it's also a story about growth, love, change, and letting go of the things that hold a person back and stop them from moving on.

~

Favourite Quote

“The way his aunt was talking, Case had to wonder just how well she was acquainted with the sheriff. Uncle Ed had been dead for five years, but Aunt Sylvia was still fairly young and lively. If Case found out he was salivating over his aunt's newest, much younger love interest, he was going to dig his eyes out of his skull.”

““You don't stop loving someone just because they die, Rawley. You loved him then, you love him now, you will continue to love him for the rest of your life.”

This book was okay, nothing special. It had the usual flaws- Too much telling, not enough showing. Undeveloped characters, rushed relationships, and everything was overly dependent on sex, even while they were talking about how there was more to their relationship than sex. Overall, it wasn't the worst thing Ive ever read, but it certainly wasn't the best.

Only You had some potential and actually started off really good for me and then it completely derailed and was a bit of a mess IMO.

I love a irritable, but sexy sheriff so I was looking forward to this book. I actually didn't feel like Rawley's PTSD played a big role in the book and expected it to have a bit more impact but the fact that it didn't was fine and didn't effect my enjoyment of the book. As mentioned the book started off promising. I felt the chemistry between the sheriff and Case(y) and loved the scene where Rawley pins Case to a wall during a town BBQ and then drags a very willing Case to his truck and then to his house where some pretty hot sex takes place.

Unfortunately Rawley kind of turns into an immature, jealous man when Case gets a text from one of his ex-boyfriends. Case is also a pretty immature character who is basically a big ol' slut who is sleeping with six men back home until he wakes up and figures out that they are just using him for sex and money. Although he's basically using them right back for sex. He decides to change his life although not really seeing that as he starts having sex with Rawley within a week of meeting and the first time Rawley shows an interest. There's quite a bit of cheesy dialogue (especially when Rawley answers Case's phone the morning after their first night of sex when he sees it's his aunt). BTW - didn't really see why the previously closeted sheriff would answer the phone knowing that Case's aunt would know they spent the night together and the fact that she's a big gossip. Although I could understand Rawley's jealousy a little bit when he sees the text he continues to throw jealous fits and demand that he be the only guy in Case's life (after just being together the one time).

Case is an idiot at times. The author continually brings up the fact that he has six boyfriends back home and was having sex with all of them (sometimes more than one at a time) for the past few years. So Case breaks up with all the men via text (apparently he isn't mature enough to do it in person) and then one of them comes to visit him. Instead of insisting that he means it and they are broken up he pays for a hotel room for his ex for a couple of weeks so he can stay near by. I never understood this and it's never really explained except that it adds a little drama to the story by having Case's ex hanging around.

Rawley is also still dealing with the loss of his partner (both romantic and professional) when he was killed a year ago. In the span of days Rawley gets over this and figures out he wasn't to blame for the shooting. (Which reading the flashbacks seemed really strange and although I'm no expert on police procedure I'm pretty sure it wouldn't happen like that).

Case and Rawley fall in love instantly. This was a huge case of instant love and it didn't work for me at all. Rawley is a jealous jerk who leaves town for a week and doesn't tell Case that he's leaving or why until he gets back. Case tells Rawley he doesn't want to jump right into a relationship but wants to date but as soon as Rawley gets back from his week away he's admitting his love.

Finally, this book ends at a very bizarre point. There's no real feeling that the book is over until you turn the page and realize that it is. Definitely could have used an epilogue or at least a bit of a wrap up at the end.

So after a promising beginning the immaturity of the MC's and the instant love had me rolling my eyes and I this one just didn't really work for me.

I enjoyed this book, however it is not one that will stay with me for a long time. Just a good comfortable read. I enjoyed it and I am interested in seeing more from this author in the future.

I really enjoyed this story. You’ve got a young man looking to change the direction of his life so he heads to his Aunts small town and you’ve got this older man looking to start over after a tragic past also in the small town. They connect, fall completely in lust and then in love. The story has some bumps with twists and turns that add to the story.
But I will say, I felt like there were parts of the story left unfinished. Maybe a second book will be coming out to help tie up the loose ends. Also, there were several secondary characters that deserve a book of their own.

This was a cute romance. The plot revolves around two men, each with their own problems who happen to fall in love. Case has money and six boyfriends that mooch off him, while Rawley is working to forget his dead partner and trying to be in a place to be in a relationship. The mental and emotional issues are well developed, and the topics maturely handed. Case's exes are treated with as much respect as he can give them, and third parties attempt to give advice that feels real and supporting. On top of that, it's a pretty light, fluffy romance to read. Definitely recommend.