In Lovers Leap by JL Merrow, good-looking, confident, Michael is used to thinking only of himself. Until one day when he ends up getting a very WET wakeup call that has him falling for Rufus faster than he fell into the ocean! Keep reading for my review of this awesome new romance from an author I will definitely be seeking out again!
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Lovers Leap by JL Merrow
Purchase Links: Amazon
Title: Lovers Leap
Series: N/A
Author: JL Merrow
Publisher: Riptide Publishing (February 29, 2016)
ISBN-13: 978-1626493834
Genre: M/M, Contemporary
Length/Format: ebook, 202 pages
Heat Rating: 2
Star Rating: 4
About the Author: Learn more about JL Merrow by checking out the author’s website or following along on Facebook or Twitter.
Book Blurb:
Good-looking, confident, and doted on by his widowed mum, Michael is used to thinking only of himself. Getting shoved off an Isle of Wight pier by an exasperated ex ought to come as a wake-up call—but then he meets Rufus and he’s right back to letting the little head take charge. Rufus is cute, keen, and gets under Michael’s skin in a disturbing way.
Would-be chef Rufus can’t believe his luck when a dripping wet dream of a man walks out of the sea on his birthday, especially when Michael ends up staying at the family B&B. Life is perfect—at least until Michael has to go home to the mainland.
Rufus can’t leave the island for reasons he’s entirely neglected to mention. And though Michael identifies as bi, breaking his mum’s heart by coming out and having an actual relationship with a guy has never been his plan. With both men determined to keep their secrets, a leap of faith could land them in deep water.
My Review:
In Lovers Leap by JL Merrow, Michael has come over the the Isle of White with his girlfriend of a few weeks for a holiday. When he dumps her at an inopportune time, he ends up in the ocean and not very happy about it.
Rufus sees this handsome creature walking out of the ocean and thinks surely the God of the Sea has been incredibly generous! He takes him home, dries him off and proceeds to fall in love. Unfortunately, both guys have a LOT of issues to work through before they get their happily ever after.
I spent some time browsing the other reviews of this book before I started writing. A ton of the negative reviews flat out say that they disliked Michael’s character with a passion. I can honestly say that I felt exactly the same way at the beginning and even most of the way through the book. He is a total jerk about a whole lot of things in this story. But, that is his character and I don’t think that deserves a bad rating. As the story progresses, you start to see this tiny kernel of ‘good’ inside of him. A warm, fuzzy feeling he gets when he looks at Rufus or the way he acts around Liz’s little boy. By the end of the book, I really did like him SO much more!
Rufus is a total sweetheart who uses his culinary skills to cook for his Dad and step mom’s bed and breakfast. He is the glue that keeps everything together but that means sacrificing a lot of what HE really wants. He is a bit too nice and I think Michael steamrolls over him occasionally but you do see him grow up a bit as the book progresses and I love that he finally got his happily ever after.
The author did a phenomenal job with secondary characters and I loved every single one of them. They are three dimensional people and you just feel like you know them by the end of the book. Rufus’s dad who is accepting and just a tad bit overprotective. Liz who is such a spunky little character she just takes charge no matter what is going on. And even Michael’s mom who loves her son so deeply but had such a hard time accepting his sexuality. Overall, the secondary characters really just made this a wonderful, well rounded story.
The writing flowed well and even when the drama was high, the words were somehow lighthearted and brought a smile to my face. And there is definitely a fair amount of drama in Lovers Leap. Everyone has their own little slice of angst to deal with but in the end, they all get their happily ever after.
And can I just say that I LOVE how the author ended this story? You get a ‘4 years later’ epilogue and I wont give away any spoilers but just know that Michael is still that perfect balance of total jerk and hopelessly mushy romantic.
If you are looking for a VERY British, high angst romance with a unique cast of characters, I think you will really enjoy Lovers Leap by JL Merrow!
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