Hello Forever by Sarina Bowen Series: Hello Goodbye #2
Published by Rennie Road Books on July 14th 2017
Pages: 217
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A basketball game changed both their lives. When they were only teenagers, Axel and Caxton were caught making out in the woods at church camp. And afterward, Cax had disappeared from all the youth group activities.
Six years later, Axel is astonished to spot his first love’s face in the crowd of a college basketball game he’s watching on TV—at a school which has just offered him a job. It’s a thousand miles away, in a tiny rural town. But suddenly, he can’t wait to get there.
Cax can’t believe his eyes when Axel appears in the same Massachusetts town where he now lives. And he’s still just as drawn to Axel as ever. But he can’t let himself go there again, because loving Axel will mean giving up everything else he holds dear. Both men have so much to lose. But as far as their love is concerned, it's Hello Forever.
Hello Forever was previously published as It's Never Over. This is a stand-alone novel with no cliffhangers. Readers of Goodbye Paradise will get to check in on Caleb and Josh and their clan.
Hello Forever is another example of just how sweet and real Sarina Bowen’s M/M romances are. That’s not to say there’s no heat, but the focus is on the emotional connection between the main characters.
Axel is an out and proud gay man. A new job brings Axel to a small college town where the only person he knows is Cax, the man he’s loved most of his life and who suddenly cut him out of his life after they were caught in an intimate moment as teenagers. Unsure of how the new town will accept his sexual orientation, Axel hesitantly attempts to settle into his new life while dreading the pain and awkwardness he will feel when he inevitably sees Cax. Axel’s loneliness is palpable, but I really admired his strength and determination.
Cax is a deeply closeted gay man who has everything to lose if he acts on his sexual urges or is even seen in public with Axel. I respected Cax’s willingness to sacrifice his own happiness to protect those he loves. He lives in constant fear, but Axel has an amazing level of patience and understanding. The magnetism between them can’t be denied.
It is easy to sympathize with the challenges of their relationship and rejoice in their joy, regardless of your sexual orientation. That’s a true hallmark of Sarina Bowen’s writing. Axel and Cax’s relationships with the humorous supporting characters make the story more entertaining.
There is a wonderful build-up between the couple and the main antagonist. I think more could have been made of the consequences following the climax, but the story is enjoyable nonetheless. I’m counting this as a charming and sexy winner.
Recommended for fans of:
Second chance romance
M/M romance
Forbidden romance
**ARC received in exchange for an honest review.**
About Sarina Bowen
Sarina Bowen is the award-winning author of more than thirty contemporary novels. She has hit the USA Today bestseller’s list nineteen times and counting. Formerly a derivatives trader on Wall Street, Sarina holds a BA in economics from Yale University.
Sarina is a New Englander whose Vermont ancestors cut timber and farmed the north country since the 1760s. Sarina is grateful for the invention of indoor plumbing and wi-fi during the intervening 250 years. She lives with her family on a few wooded acres in New Hampshire.
Sarina’s books are published in over a dozen languages on five continents.
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