Limelight by E. Davies

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Title: Limelight
Author: E. Davies
Series: Vino and Veritas #15
Published by: Heart Eyes Press
Release Date: August 12, 2021
Format: eARC
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
Source: Heart Eyes Press
Reading Challenges: Lenoreo's 2021 COYER Summer, Lenoreo's 2021 Diversity Reading Challenge
Find it: Goodreads ✩ Amazon
My rating:

Blurb:

Save the bees, ride a rock star.

Formerly famous . . . and planning to keep it that way.

After my band kicked me out, I ran away to Vermont, changed my name, and kept my head down. So far, it’s working and nobody knows who I am. Or who I was. Until I see geeky poet Caleb stumbling through his first open mic night and I can’t help rescuing him. He’s as sweet as the honey my bees make and sexy enough to make me rethink so many things. But I can’t tell him my secret, or I’ll lose the anonymous life I worked so hard to build.

Everyone warns me he’s too good to be true.

I can’t believe a gorgeous, successful winemaker like Tag is into shy, geeky little accountant me. But he helps me blossom and believe in my talent, and works his way into my heart and my bed… not necessarily in that order. I’m falling for a man for the first time, and now I know what the missing number in my equation has always been.

When lies are revealed, though, someone’s going to get stung . . .

My Review:

I received a free copy through Heart Eyes Press in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.

4 stars — If you’re looking for a sweet, super low angst M/M, look no further.  Occasionally I felt like it was a bit too sweet, but then you know what?  Sometimes I want all that happy.  Sometimes it’s nice to read the happy.

Caleb and Tag were just so freaking adorable, I can’t even.  Their meet-cute, their crushes, their first dates, their relationship developments — it was super fast, but it put the biggest smile on my face.  The giggling, the squealing, the nervousness, the shyness, the awkwardness — GAH!  SO GOOD!

I kind of loved that Caleb fit the mold of the stereotypical gay man — complete with slight lisp and no-apologies attitude.  I know that there are all sorts of gay people out there, just like there are all sorts of straight people (and people in between)…but I feel like most of the M/M love stories I read are written by women, and they rarely have an out and proud type of gay guy.  So this was an absolute delight and treat.  He was sweet, adorably awkward, but he knew what he was looking for and he wasn’t afraid to wait for it.  He was far from perfect, but he was perfectly adorable.

Tag surprised me with his own sweetness!  I swear, it’s like he was just looking for someone to shower all his love on — and he had a large well of love, let me tell you.  He could be awkward and nervous all on his own.  He was jaded by his experiences, but that just made him wary of letting people close I think…wary of sharing all of himself with someone.

You could see the conflict coming from a mile away, and it went about as I’d expect.  I appreciated that Caleb had Kelvin to help him see things in a different light.  I also appreciated that Tag took full responsibility for his part.  I also appreciated that it was a complicated situation, and I could understand Tag’s initial resistance.

Loved seeing these two explore their passions, and how supportive Tag was of Caleb’s dreams.  Not that Caleb wasn’t also supportive, but Tag was well on his way to success on his own.

Shout out to Queenie, the bestest best girl.

If you’re looking for a sweet and spicy happy love story, maybe as a palate cleanser for those books that rip your heart out, you need to check this one out.