My review will be published on my blog on September 7, 2019. Link will be active then!

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Patrice is a newly appointed professor when he is reunited with ADA Easton. They come from different backgrounds, Patrice was a refugee raised by a strong and vibrant single-mother. Easton comes from a privilege that he’s embarrassed by… and he throws himself into his work. Lack of attraction isn’t a problem for these two men. They had a few nights together the previous summer and have now found themselves living int he same town. The attraction is still there on both sides.

The problem is that Patrice seems to feel that he can’t open himself up to someone like Easton.

There’s a lot going on in this story and it’s a bit tricky to unpack. Herrera has touched on some really timely issues considering the current political climate in the US. The town that is the setting for this story has had several occurrences of people of color being harassed by law enforcement officers. Patrice is very political. He’s well-known on twitter for his outspoken views, he volunteers where he can and he tries to speak up for what he believes in at every possible occasion. As ADA Easton does his best to fight for justice, but some things are out of his hands or have to be handled with political finesse.

Time and again these two men find themselves retreating from each other as the situation around them becomes more and more volatile.

Patrice was a difficult character for me to like. His views on what happens in the US … and to him and his friends were absolutely right. There’s something very broken about the system but I found it difficult to take how quick he was to take out his frustration on Easton. This is definitely an HFN ending, but I can’t say I’m very convinced that these two characters would find a way to stay together given the complexities of their lives.

There were a few things that bothered me a little once the book concluded. Patrice is a professor but there’s very little characterization in terms of him as a teacher. There are a couple of really brief scenes during which he’s at work, and that’s it. It seems as though him being a professor was more of a throw-away fact.

The political issues and challenges in the book are very real and authentic. I was a bit disappointed that there was no resolution to the ongoing issue in their town. There really was little forward movement at all in terms of what Easton and Patrice were trying to accomplish. The story felt a little unfinished to me, but it is categorized as a “M/M romance” so I may have been expecting too much from the plot! Kudos to Herrera for getting me that interested that I wanted it to continue!

All in all, this was an engaging read and gets 3 stars from me!

Hoo boy! A queer mixed race HOT HOT HOT romance. Plus one that does shy away from discussions of race and the current socio-political climate.
I may be a little bit In love with Patrice...

Excellent read! I adored the dynamic between Patrice and Easton, the activist and the lawyer. They both deal with some important issues, internal and external. I liked how they were clearly on the same side, but took some time to navigate what that meant and how they could make it all work together.

Thank you Carina Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

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(¸.★¨*.¸¸.•`★¤4.5 stars. This is what I look for in a story.¤★¨*.¸¸.*ˑ˞★

As a Caribbean woman, I can truthfully say that this book was quite impressive and mind boggling.

Impressive as the author, Caribbean born herself understands the struggles and layered this book with sincerity. Patrice Denis was Haitian born. Though he had a somewhat life of privilege, he was knew the struggles of his people and those that confronted him when he found asylum in American. With his mother by his side, he learned the art of perfection and fighting for those who could not fight for themselves.

Mind boggling in the sense that the author could have seasoned the book with angst and rage on the homophobia, but she made it a non focus. And trust me, homophobia among the Caribbean is dreadful.

Assistant District Attorney Easton Archer was like woah. Here was a man who wore his heart on his sleeves. I just wished I had read the other books before I started this one, but the synopsis drew me in faster than the first two in the Dreamers series. The story started with an obvious continuation as these two men had already had an affair months earlier and the book picked up with them meeting again. I can say, even if you have not read the other two books, it was still somewhat easy follow. [Still plan on reading those though, LOL.] The awkwardness and the heated chemistry lit fire and made this reader wanting to go on and on despite life calling.

Patrice and Easton were drawn to each other and they had quite a bit of issues between them. Patrice was annoying at times and it was like he could be so cold and uncaring. But this reader soon realised that it was his way of protecting himself. I loved Easton and his stance on a lot of things and am glad he stood up for himself when needed.

Relationship goals? Somewhat. But love is never an easy road and when the race card is played, someone always ends up hurt. One just has to learn to fight for forever. An amazing read and highly recommended.

I voluntarily and honestly reviewed this book without bias or persuasion from Carina Press
Reviewed by Cee from Alpha Book Club