ARC Review: Marc Jillson & The Gazebo (Love Inscribed #2) by Anyta Sunday

Blurb:

Want true, heart-throbbing romance? Put down the Cheetos, and stop being a jackass.

The question is, can I do it?

I’ve been an epic dick to my friends, my uncle. Him.

Travis Hunter. Photographer, econ-student, paraplegic. Can I redeem myself? Apologize? Make a fresh start?

Hunter seems to think so. Even roped me into saving his favorite gazebo from the bulldozers.

The confidence of this man amazes me. He’s no bullshit where I’m all bullshit. I throw up walls where he knocks them down.

He’s beautiful, too. Strong arms inked with hummingbirds, a wide teasing mouth, and blue eyes that read me like an open book.

He looks at me, and I look away.

These shivery feelings I have for Hunter? They can’t happen. I don’t deserve him.

Where did I put those Cheetos?

~ ~ ~

"Marc Jillson and The Gazebo" is a sweet, sexy M/M romance with humor and a definite HEA. This New Adult, college, redemption story is book two in the "Love Inscribed" series. 

The books in the "Love Inscribed" series are standalone romances, and can be read in any order.

Todd's rating:

This was a fun, cute continuation of the "Liam Davis and The Raven" story, which ended with Marc Jillson being a right prick, but upbeat Hunter still showing some interest.

As the story began, with his former crush, Jack, in prison, Marc had a lot of soul searching to do, since his previous arsehole ways had burned a lot of bridges that he found himself needing.

You see, while trying to impress Jack, Marc had cruelly and repeatedly made fun of both Liam and Liam's wheelchair-bound BFF Hunter. Pretty shitty, right?

Despite all of that, Hunter was able to cut straight through Marc's bullshit and see the worthwhile person under his well-constructed shell of lies.

The story was told entirely from Marc's POV, and for a large part of the book, his main internal conflict was the realization that Hunter was probably too good for him. A point actively stressed by Quinn, Hunter's friend and Liam's boyfriend.


Then for Hunter, after unsuccessfully dating several guys, he had a deep insecurity that he would ever find someone who could feel that dealing with his paraplegic status was worth the effort required to date him.

The parts where we discovered the true meaning behind his "DeMage" gaming screen name and confession that "Nobody wants to date this forever" broke my heart right down the center. : (

This one was definitely an extreme slow burn, but the first parts of the story seemed a bit slow, too, although I'm not sure precisely why I felt that way, as there was plenty going on, yet mentally, there seemed to be a slight lag.

However, it was during the last half of the book that the story really grew wings and flew for me, as three, yes *three*, different romances began to take shape and take firm steps toward their HEA's.

As the story progressed, after an initial ambivalence, I got attached to that damned gazebo, too, and was about to step in front of The Bulldozers of Destruction myself, all "You Shall Not Pass!" style. Viva la resistance, bitches!

The steam was there, flip-floppy, and pretty hot, but not the main focus of the relationship between Marc and Hunter, plus, I found it to be informative in relation to the mechanics of sex for someone with no feeling from the waist down, which was pretty enlightening.

And regarding the angst, just as a teeny warning, the story did hint at the possibility of martyr behavior and a "Big Misunderstanding" looming on the horizon, but those were blessedly avoided here.

I'd rate this one at 4.25 *the-ending-was-everything* stars and recommend it to Anyta fans, for sure.


My ARC copy of the book was provided by the author in exchange for a fair, unbiased review.

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