Stars: 5

This is my second Anyta Sunday book (the first being True Colours – click the link to go to my review of that). And wow, she just gets better with every book (even though Leo Loves Aries was written before True Colours).

I just loved this book. I read it in one sitting – lying in my bed with my tablet slowly draining its battery. Everything was just fantastic and I just love everything in the book.

Now I’ve read other reviews and some people are unhappy about the fact that Theo’s sexuality was never mentioned. I for one didn’t have much of an issue with it, as fluidity of sexuality is a very real thing and Theo might not even know what he’s feeling – if he’s gay, bi, pan etc. and he might not want to know – which is fine, as you don’t have to label yourself with whichever sexuality – meaning you can be bicurious or questioning or even just not straight – and that’s okay.

So it’s an absolutely gorgeous fluffy m/m romance book that you have to read – and will probably be the book that I’ll go to after reading a bad one.

The characters are fantastic. They’re funny and real and lovable and I just want to eat them all up – in a loving way, okay? Well, all except the exes. They can go die in a hole. I loved that Leone was blind and that was represented well, not made fun and she was still treated like a person. I loved the minor characters – can we get a whoot-whoot for the demisexual minor character – whom I think is Ben - but don’t quote me on it or shoot me. Just tell me if I’m wrong and I’ll edit the review.

And yessss for the relationship. I shipped it all the way and was groaning at my tablet because slow burn is the best and worst of the bloody tropes.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It's a cute romance, with funny moments, making the book a quick and light read. I loved Jamie's characters, but I sometimes felt that Theo didn't deserved him? Althrough the book, he doesn't see how Jamie is into him, thinking this is what best friends do. It was funny at the beginning, even adorable, but sometimes it just wasn't credible enough for me. I had to roll my eyes at certain moments in the book.
Also, I didn't really like the part when Theo decides to have a relationship with Jamie. He describes himself as "not sexually repressed", and it's okay if people don't want to label themselves and everything, but in this situation, it really feels like Jamie is just an experiment for Theo, that he just does this out of curiosity, like when learn this about Theo out of nowhere. I would have appreciated some description about Theo's sexuality, how do he feels about all that, so the situation could be more understandable. So I was quite uneased at this moment, but overall I appreciated the book, as the romance was quite adorable.

I don't have much experience with Anyta Sunday, so I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading 'Leo Loves Aries.' Needless to say, I loved this book.

For a good chunk of the book, Theo's pretty clueless. He's completely unaware that he and Jamie have an intense flirtation going on, and that this feelings for Jamie are far beyond friendship. I thought Theo was hilarious and cute.

Jamie's perfection personified. Kind, patient, and sexy. I had no trouble understanding why Theo fell for him!

This a book where readers really see the relationship development. Jamie and Theo gradually go from strangers, to friends, to best friends, to lovers. I enjoyed every step of the journey.

The slow build-up was sweet and funny. Beyond simple attraction, both Theo and Jamie just clicked together, and the two were clearly much happier by being in each other's lives.

Both Jamie and Theo were burned before, so learning to trust is an uphill battle. But once the two got over their hang-ups, the outcome was so, so good.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I know I'm late to the party, but I'd recommend this book to anyone looking for a sweet and funny MM read!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 39%

The idea of the zodiac signs being tied into a slow burn queer romance is what really got me interested in this book when I saw it. Unfortunately, none of those three traits worked for me in this book. I guess was expecting this to read more like an edited book and less like a generic fanfic. The whole time I read Leo Loves Aries I was forcing myself to "just get through the next chapter then you can take a break."

The part I was most excited to see was a plot with astrology tied into it, but I didn't get that. At the beginning, Theo and Leone's mother read their yearly horoscope to them, but they don't even believe in the stuff themselves, so they pretty much brush it off. The only part of their mother's lecture that sinks in is that Aries is very compatible with Leo. This starts Theo's plan to find an Aries man for his sister, and near immediately finds out Jamie is an Aries. Other than that, there wasn't much about astrology. At least Theo and Leone act like stereotypical Leos. I found some Aries aspects in Jamie like his wit and sense of humor, but he also had quite a few traits that didn't typically fit with Aries. Honestly, I would've guessed he were a Capricorn if I hadn't been told. The reason for his non-fitting traits could have been explained by birth charts, but there wasn't any talk of astrology past the first few chapters. That was the biggest disappointment.

I don't know what it is about the romance genre, but it takes so much to get me interested. So maybe this was doomed from the start. What really bugged me from the start is that this is another "I didn't know I was gay until I met you" plotlines. Don't get me wrong, these plots can totally work (see: "Honestly Ben" by Bill Konigsburg), but this one really didn't. Theo spends so much of his time trying to set Jamie up with his sister, Leone, so that she can move on from her ex who is about to marry Theo's ex, but apparently hangs out with Jamie enough that he falls for him? Talk about complicated.

Of course you can tell by the description alone that Theo and Jamie end up together, not Leone and Theo, but this is also really obvious within the text. From the start, Jamie is flirting with Theo, and Theo flirts with Jamie without realizing, which I wouldn't expect from a "friends to lovers" book. Not only that, but the relationship feels forced. The only thing Theo and Jamie have in common is economics, but that's only because Jamie is amazing at it and Theo desperately needs to pass his econ class. I didn't finish the book, but I got almost halfway and still I didn't feel the two click.

Then there was Theo's immediate jealousy of Jamie's friend Sean. All Jamie did was mention that he was helping Sean move into his new place and Theo got defensive. That's not even a romantic thing for Jamie to do. Theo also had not shown signs of being attracted to Jamie previously, so the jealousy was awkwardly placed to say the least. There are better ways to develop the romance and create angst than this.

Alright, so, I don't have a twin sister, or even a sibling close in age to me, but I have plenty of friends with one or the other, and the twins' relationship also felt unnatural. It's hard to describe, but there wasn't much familial chemistry. A lack of sibling rivalry (although maybe it comes in later with them both interested in Jamie), a lack of talking about family inside jokes and stories from growing up, etc. They felt like two friends who weren't that close and liked to lightly pick on each other. Also if the main characters were going to be twins, wouldn't it have made more sense to make them Geminis? ;) Guess not, since this astrology aspect was nothing but a quirk to make the synopsis stand out.

One of the few things that makes the twins connect is that Leone is blind and Theo has to help her every once in a while. However, Leone doesn't read like a blind character. She reads more like a character who is blind for the sake of diversity. What I mean by this is that her blindness is only mentioned when she's put in the a situation where she needs to be lead around, and even then is only briefly mentioned. There is nothing about her reading braille or using a cane to navigate or having other tools that blind people use everyday. She's the type of disabled character that is disabled for show and is written in a way that you can tell the author is scared of messing up this representation so they almost avoid talking about it. Yes, it's horrible to see disabled characters who's most prominent feature is their disability, but this isn't any better. It's entirely possible to explore the character's disability while also giving them other aspects to their life, but Sunday seemed to have just avoided talking about it at all. Maybe she shouldn't have made Leone blind.

Final thought: Overall, I guess Virgo readers just aren't compatible with writers on the Cancer/Leo cusp. I really wish women would stop writing m/m romances.

An adorable, sometimes angsty story about an oblivious student and his new roommate with a happy ending and some explicit themes. All in all, nice read to relax and enjoy.

Twins Theo and Leone have both lost their significant others to each other. Theo's girlfriend and Leone's boyfriend paired off and the twins decide to lick their wounds with school work and junk food; until their wedding invitation arrives in the mail. They both agree to show they've moved on by not only attending the wedding but choosing dates for each other. When Jamie Cooper applies to be their roommate, Theo thinks he's perfect for his sister but finds Jamie so infuriatingly amusing that their friendship deepens to something more.

As far as "gay for you" romances go, this one does it right. I've read too many of these where the straight guy has all these icky feelings about another man's naughty bits and has to get over that because he's attracted to a specific man. Here, Theo had dated only women in the past and considered himself hetero but Jamie as a person, sparks his interest. Theo doesn't stress about his orientation or how he can't understand being sexually attracted to another male; all he knows is he adores Jamie. This makes their pairing all the more genuine and it was easy to get invested in what's happening to them.

As for the rest of our cast of characters, they are all written very well so they feel real; flaws and all. The steamier scenes are placed perfectly within the narrative, despite the short courtship. You don't get the sense Theo and Jamie tumble around randomly just because there hasn't been a sex scene in a while. They make an adorable couple to follow on their journey and the ending is sweet and satisfying.

If I had a gripe, it would be some unexplored bits like Theo's fear of water and you don't get to know the ex's very well. I thought the water would come into play in the climax of the story and other than Theo's ex - Sam - being thoughtless, they don't get much back story. Those are VERY minor criticisms and didn't take away from my enjoyment of this book.

If "gay for you" is your thing and you want a fairly lighthearted M/M romance, I recommend this. Theo and Jamie are just all around fun to read. 4 out of 5.

Wow, this was funny and cute af. I literally just spent the last three hours sitting in front of my computer with a smile on my face. Literally the only possible explanation is that reading this book replaced my personality with someone else's because I, Emma Manos, NEVER read contemporary romance but I enjoyed this SO MUCH.

The plot is pretty much like any other fluffy romance but somehow the characters were all really cool and not overly cheesy ??? also, the main character is bisexual (although it was a bit frustrating that the story kind of avoided that word), his twin sister sister is blind (and funny and loves books so pretty much I love her), there are quite a few gay characters, and there's a demisexual minor character (which was super freaking awesome because it was the first time I'd read a book with a demisexual person, I feel like romance books are usually all about this sense of instant sexual attraction and it's like ummm that's not how it works for a lot of people and that's also okay!!). Basically, the story itself was cute af and then there was so much positive representation and it just made my heart so happy. I'd recommend this to anyone who likes snarky banter and slow-burn romance and feeling overly sappy about fictional characters.

I love the little quotes and pics throughout this book!!

I opened this expecting something amazing, and I wasn't disappointed. Theo and Leone are twins whose exes are getting married. Their mom is really into horoscopes, but they don't usually listen to them. Oh and they're looking for a roommate.

Jamie is looking for a room, what a coincidence, or fate! I loved everyone in this story, I loved how it flowed, the characters were real and flawed and likeable. It's a nice, slow burn. I'm a big fan of gfy and happy ever afters. Sometimes I think Theo must be the blind one because how could he not notice certain things? I was totally drawn into their story and couldn't put it down.

I received an arc of this.

Leo Loves Aries is a fun, fluffy m/m romance that really keeps your turning pages. The dynamic between the two main characters is really fun and carries this story, and I loved their banter.

The premise is basically a "will they get together, will they not get together" type plot and while that is kind of generic I didn't really find this book boring or tropey.

I think it has many positive aspects to take away, like positive/healthy sex scenes and a good relationship between the two characters. Both of them help and benefit eachother and challenge eachother to be better and I liked that.

The main characters sister is also blind and thats portrayed really well and I thought she was a great and unique character and I'd have loved to see more of her story.

I just wish that the lgbt+ representation regarding Theo had been done better because it's unfortunate the author didn't take an oppurtunity to write some really good bisexual/pansexual representation when she easily could of.

This is definitely a good one for a sick day or rainy day when you just wanna curl up with a quick, cute book that doesn't require too much thinking.

This book has me scanning the daily horoscopes!

Leo Loves Aries by Anyta Sunday is the first book in a series called Signs of Love. It is a contemporary, M/M romance. Due to explicit sexual situations, this book may not be appropriate for younger readers.

Theo and his twin sister, Leone are nursing broken hearts. They each had a major breakup and now the two who broke it off are engaged. To prove to themselves that they are over their lost loves, they have decided to accept the invitations to the wedding and provide one another with dates. Theo doesn’t believe anyone can measure up to his ex-girlfriend and is hoping to find someone he can pass the time with. While Leone is looking for her true love. With a little help from their mother’s belief in the power of horoscopes Theo is find his sister her perfect Aries.

When the two of them require a roommate to help cover their finances, Theo has a brainstorm. Since he needs all the help he can get in school to maintain his ‘A’ average, he enlists Jamie Cooper, a previous tutor, to see the spare room. When Jaime decides to take Theo up on his offer, he becomes a fixture in the lives of the twins. The more Theo gets to know Jaime, the more his affection for the man grows. He decides that he must not have had a true best friend before because this feels so different. When he finds out Jaime is an Aries, he decides to be a match maker for his new best friend and his sister. However, things don’t quite go according to Theo’s master plan.

This was such a sweet, romantic story. Needless to say, it wouldn’t have been right without a happy ending but readers won’t be disappointed. The book is light-hearted and funny while allowing for touching, rather tear-inducing moments. I was particularly impressed with the authors’ ability to write such endearing characters. They were all very unique and wonderful, each providing a different look at life. They had difficulties, such as Leone being blind, but that was not given voice as a negative circumstance. It was simply the way things were and no time was devoted to dwelling on it. That added another layer of charm and tugged on the heartstrings in a different way than making her a tragic character would have done. The dialogue between Jamie and Theo was outstanding. The chemistry between the two leapt off the page. I loved the use of dialogue for quotes that Theo left for Jamie. It made me smile as a header for each chapter.

I have a bit of a pet peeve when a writer does not do enough research for the location they are writing for. For example, if I were to write a story based in India, I would need the dialogue and interactions between characters to reflect that. There should be no doubt in a reader’s mind where the location is. Although this book was another example of that lack of research, it honestly didn’t lessen my affection for the story. I ignored the fact that they were from supposed to be from Wisconsin and Minnesota and the story remained wonderful.

I give this book 4 stars for my pure enjoyment. It was a quick pace, which allowed me to reread some of the dialogue I wanted to commit to memory. I will, without a doubt, read the next book available in this series.

Cute story but not something I could really get into.

This... just wasn't my kind of book. There was no plot except Theo trying to set Leone and Jamie up together, and I just found it quite superficial and predictable. Although I guess if you want a fluffy contemporary romance you might like it, maybe. I'm not really a fluffy romance kinda guy, so, that's probably why I feel lukewarm towards this book.

I stayed up until 3am reading this, it was that good. I absolutely loved it. It had the perfect amount of build up and all the stuff that makes me swoon. I will be thinking about these 2 for a long time & will definitely visit them again.

"Leo Loves Aries" is a great love story. It's about Theo, who has so far only been with women and is looking for the perfect date for his sister, and Jamie, his roommate, who slowly becomes his best friend and then so much more. The relationship between the two of them was beautifully written and the development towards romance did not go too quickly, but also not too slowly. It was very entertaining that Theo was pretty much clueless at first; he did not get that Jamie is interested in him and not in his sister. This leads to some moments where you want to grab and shake him, but at least you also get to read about Jamie's solution to the problem (which was great). Overall, the love story is just about perfect and there are many sweet (and hot ;) ) moments between the protagonists.

Because Theo and Jamie are friends first, you not only get a slow build-up to romance, but scenes that show how much they complement each other and that they fit together. The friendship is very close and one feels that they would walk through fire for each other; they build trust, take care of each other and can also have fun together. To put it simple: they have everything a good relationship needs, including, of course, a very strong chemistry.
I liked the fact that Theo has no identity crisis when he realizes he is attracted to a man; he simply accepts it, but also notes that he is in a privileged position because he does not have to fear how his family will react. The sexuality of the characters was only one aspect of them, but they were not defined by it (same with the blindness of Theo's sister Leone) which I liked very much.

The protagonists are both great characters that the reader easily falls in love with. The minor characters are also well written and I enjoyed that friends and family were also important for the story.

My rating for "Leo Loves Aries": 4.5/5 stars and a recommendation. Read it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this free copy.
I had looked at this and passed by as I did not think it would be for me.
However, for anyone who wants a warm, cosy and well-written romance this fits the bill nicely.
Jamie and Theo were interesting characters and the relationship developed in a reasonably realistic way for this genre. The sex was likewise mostly believable.

This book contains one of my favourite tropes in fiction, so it's no surprise that I fell in love with it, and the characters within.

It left me feeling very warmfuzzy as I like to call it, clutching my ereader to my chest and grinning big time because sometimes all a girl needs, especially when feeling sick as hell, is a damn happy ending and that is precisely what I got.

Leone and her brother Theo's relationship only served to enrich the book, and Mr. Jamie Cooper is one of the more fun characters I can recall reading in this genre.

This book is written with a lot of heart which is easy to see within the writing as the characters are fully fleshed out with lots of personality.

I would recommend this to anyone who likes the genre.

I freaking LOVED this book! I read it in less than 24 hours and it make me laugh and smile throughout the whole book! And then it make my chest literally ache and I felt that anticipation in my belly because I just needed them to figure it out! Jamie was my fave, I loved him so damn much and Theo was adorable. At first, I was thinking, "he cannot be this naive!" but then I thought back to when I was in college and I was the same way...oblivious. Especially when you are feeling things you have never felt and just don't understand until it knocks you on your ass. I am obsessed with m/m love and romance and this just fueled my addiction!

Clueless and oblivious, Theo doesn't realise that the easy sarky banter he slipped into with his new roommate is actually flirting. After all he's never been attracted to a guy before.
This story was cute, light, and low-angst. The guys had perfect chemistry both in bed and out of it and a great banter between them. I loved the notes and texts, the horoscopes from Theo's mum and the 'quote of the day.
The side characters were equally endearing: Theo's blind sister and Jamie's best friend, Sean, the gay couple, Ben and Kyle (and yes please to their story), and both mums. Didn't really like any of the exes, but I guess they served their purposes.
The follow up short story, catches up with the boys a month or so after the end of the first book. Still as sarky and bantering brilliant together but Theo has backed himself into a serious case of blue balls due to his competitive nature. Then a run in with Jamie's arsehole ex and a dance with the green-eyed monster makes Theo realise that he doesn't need to be best at everything, not when he's already won the most important thing.
Adorable.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Angie – ☆☆☆☆☆
I can’t even do this book justice with my review, just know that I freaking loved this book!!! I normally hate slow burn romance books, but this one just worked! It sucked me in and I couldn’t put the book down. I just loved Leo and Jamie and then Leone and eventually Sean. The chemistry between Jamie and Theo was off the charts and I also loved how the author handled Leone and her being blind. As soon as I finished this book I dove into the next book, which is a short story called Leo Tops Aries (Signs of Love #1.5), which was amazing as well. I simply cannot wait until the second book comes out!!!

Characters: Well written and easy to relate to
Sex: Oh yeah!
Religious: No
Would I recommend to others: Yes
More than one book in the series: Yes
Genre: M/M Romance
Would I read more by this author: Yes


Erica – ☆☆☆☆☆
5 slow-burn stars.

Leo Loves Aries is the epitome of slow-burn, and it's done right. The romance between the characters, the connection, the tension and chemistry, and the friendship is beyond realistic, leaving the reader feeling as if they are on a true journey. No insta-anything. No ‘I think you're hot so it must be love.’

If you're new to Anyta Sunday, all of her fans expect a slow-burn romance, witty, humorous banter, and fully developed heroes with engaging side characters. The pacing is slightly on the slower side, but not bogged down with unnecessary detailing. The plot is character-driven, without a ton of bells and whistles to distract from the flawless storytelling.

Leo Loves Aries is based on the compatibility of the astrological signs.

Theo and Leone are twins who were both ditched by their boyfriend and girlfriend, when the pair fell in love with each other. Feeling the burn when they receive an invitation to their exes' upcoming wedding, they vow to find the other a date, to prove they are over them.

Amongst the angst of past hurt, the twins are in need of a new roommate. Jamie walks into their lives, a past tutor of Theo's, and their world opens up in ways they didn't imagine.

Theo hasn't ever truly connected with another human being, not as tightly as he has with his twin. What he felt with his ex was bland, uninspired, but he assumed that's how it always is. As his friendship grows with Jamie, the connection is intense and life-affirming, but Theo is emotionally blind, whereas his sister is physically blind.

Leo Loves Aries is the slow-burn journey as Theo comes to terms with falling in love for the very first time. The reality of the emotion. While his sister falls head over heels too.

Theo is our narrator – his personality is infectious, even his flaws. The banter between him and everyone is humorous yet never over-the-top. It's written in a dry, witty way that suits my reading style best.

The side characters are just as appealing. The twins' mom is a zany character, obsessed with astrology. Jamie's mom is quintessentially an understanding, supportive mom. Leone and Theo's friends, Ben and Kyle, are awesome. Jamie's BFF Sean is a solid guy. It was refreshing to see a supportive cast actually be supportive, with normal human emotions, instead of being vindictive or flighty.

Leo Loves Aries was a soothing, relaxing, romantic book, with a ton of heart-string tugging. The angst and humor weren't over-the-top, and I had no frustrating urges as I read. It was a pleasure to sit back and relax on a dreary Sunday.

Recommended to Anyta Sunday and MM romance fans.

*Note: I've stated this in past reviews of books by this author, and others. I don't down-rate due to this, but I do know there are sticklers who may become irritated by it, which is why I mention it.

Using the word-spelling of the writer's origin is acceptable and unavoidable. However, if writing a story while using colloquialisms, slang, and the differing word usage from the region, it throws the reader. Also, destinations and times of travel must be taken into account. If you're not from the region, a bit of research is in order.

I wasn't sure the locale of Leo Loves Aries until I saw commentary on Lake Erie, which had me doing a double-take. I discovered they lived in Pittsburgh, and were traveling to places which would take much longer than the 4 hours stated – MUCH longer. 12+ hours of nonstop driving, actually. It's not a hop and a skip and a jump from Pitt to Wisconsin and Minnesota. As a Pennsylvania resident, I can guarantee no one from the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, or New England would use singlet as a term. Which is why I thought this story didn't take place in the US. However, I am happy to see that there weren't as many of these issues cropping up as in books in the past. Other than singlet and the wrong travel times, I thought the author did a wonderful job bridging the gap to sound as if the characters were born in the US.