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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This is the type of book that I wish every book store had. The type of book I would hand deliver as if descending from heaven. I love it.

This book... so silly. It's both heartwarming and a bit odd. The MC was so incredibly oblivious that my SO kept catching me shaking my head with this bemused expression on my face. Theo also seemed quite 'young', even for the setting of this book.. The peripheral characters seemed much more age appropriate to the college 4th year-ish setting. The one thing that stood out to me, though, was the absolute open-mindedness and acceptance that Theo showed Jamie. To read about a male character who didn't have any hang-ups about his sexuality was amazing. His momma raised him right...

Even with the amusing, but frustrating main character, this book was a nice, refreshing, palate-cleanser. If you've just finished something dark and twisty or angsty AF, then give this a try.

This book was so adorable and sweet and happy making. I was giddy the entire time I was reading it! It had none of the typical NA tropes, which I was worried about. The romance was sweet, and slow burning, and incredibly fun to read about. I liked all of the main characters. And, I got to read about a demisexual character for the first time. Even if it was a side character, it made me really happy.

This would be the perfect book to get you out of a reading slump. I can't imagine someone reading this, and not being filled with joy. It's just so incredibly readable, and enjoyable!

Great easy read. A feel good story for so so days. I found it odd that Leo was still in undergrad and had financial aid problems even though he was a straight A student and his twin had no such issues (plus she was in a Master's program!). Anyway, this did not detract from the overall loveliness of the book. Congrats to the author.

*** Disclaimer : Received this book from the publisher via Netgalley***

I read this book as a recommendation from my buddy read partner Michelle as this was one of her first Netgalley requests. When she told me that it was about a pair of Leo twins with an astrology-loving mom that informs them about a new person entering their lives and making a lasting impression on them that could possibly lead to more, I was there to read it. I’m totally into astrology and so a romance about a Leo finding his Aires had me at hello.

I immediately went to request this book and once I had it I started reading it with a vengeance. I did love the writing and the cute quotes before each new chapter but the main reason that this book got a 4 star rating was because it was such a slow burn romance. At the 50% mark you can see in my status updates that I had stopped the book for nearly a month because I wasn’t even sure my MC’s were going to get together by the end. I think thats too long for someone to wonder that in my opinion.

The book literally took off for me at the 59% mark. Yes, I can be that specific because that is exactly when things were actually happening and our MC’s were finally making moves and decisions. I was relieved to see things progress forward. I experienced the same relief I get once I get out of those roundabouts on the road after making a 2nd or 3rd lap. Every romantic scene after the 59% mark was beautiful and touching. I really felt that they belonged to each other and those moments made the whole book for me.

If you love slow burns, this book is made for you. It draws that sexual tension out for a while. I am a bit more impatient so I needed to get there faster but once you get there, it is totally worth it. Thanks Michelle for the recommendation and thanks Netgalley for letting me review it .

Have fun reading 🙂

Jo

Nice and light and wonderful! I loved this book, the sibling relationship was perfect and relatable. I am loving this author!

I'm not a believer in horoscopes but that didn't matter; I loved this slow burn, fun, witty, gfy, ftl, romance.

The two MCs Theo and Jamie were adorable and surrounded by a great group of side characters.

This a feel good book which has you laughing and smiling all the way through.

This is one of the most cute little romance I have read in a long time. I love the quote of the day. Theo is clueless during the whole book that Jamie is in love with him. But when he figures it out he make it up the Jamie.

This was a very sweet story, and I enjoyed the interactions between the two main characters. I could have done with a slight bit more depth on some occasions as I felt scenes were a bit short, but otherwise I really liked it!