S.E.X. Review~ The List by Felice Stevens

Oops. He did it again.
Elliot Hansen has a terrible habit of falling in love with every man he dates.
His friends have had enough and make a list of Elliot’s perfect man.
That V …
Those abs ...
Shouldn’t a boyfriend be more than the sum of his parts?
But when sexy detective Winston Rogers bursts into his bedroom to arrest a burglar, Elliot knows he wouldn’t mind checking one or two things off that list with him.

What if you had it all?
Five years after the death of his husband, Winston Rogers is single and determined to stay that way.
He throws himself into his job—the more dangerous the assignment, the better.
He can’t face another risk to his heart.
But then a routine arrest in his neighbor’s bedroom leaves Win searching for more than evidence as the man’s sweet smile and vulnerable eyes strike a chord inside him Win had thought gone forever.

Why not enjoy each other with no strings attached? Win and Elliot decide to make their own list.
Rule #1: Strictly friends with benefits.
Rule #2: No doing anything stupid like falling in love.
Rule #3. ...
See Elliot and Win ignore Rules #1 and #2.

Felice Stevens reduced this reader to tears with her new book, The List. Sometimes sad, sometimes funny, The List left an emotional impact- a story of love lost, friendship, and love found.

Win and Elliot each had their own personal issues. Win, closed off from any future of love as he lived in the past with his husband’s death, with no thought of a prospect of companionship and love.

Elliot only wanted to be loved. Plagued by a past based on an unattainable goal, Elliot created his own family with his three best friends and jumped at the love-ever-after relationship soon after meeting a new man. For both men, a no-win situation dictated their lives, until a break in/attempted robbery brought Detective Win smack dab into Elliot’s bedroom.

I loved both characters and instantly felt the emotional turmoil they both retained. Ms. Stevens brought their characterization forward as she allowed them to write their own stories. The book was not forced, but real life, where not everything goes as planned and the HEA needed to be worked for.

As the men waded through their budding relationship, they learned so much about each other, but more importantly, they learned about themselves. Win realized that love could be found again, and Elliot found the will to face truths that plagued him all his life.

The secondary characters enhanced the overall story, and I cannot wait to see where Ms. Stevens takes them in future books.

A must read. The list may start out as a joke, but The List was the real deal.

Definite S.E.X.

A five handcuff review

~~~~~

2021 ©Evelise Archer All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, or have been used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, locales, or events is entirely coincidental. No portion of this work may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, or by any means, without permission in writing from the author.