2.5 to 3 stars

I wanted to love this book but there is just so much angst I can stand and this has too much.
There were pages and pages and pages of back and forth if they should be together or not that I just got bored. I have to say the best part of this was the last 25%, that was very entertaining and engaging. If this wasn't so long and had more plot than just angst, this would be an amazing second chance book.
I liked Andy and Shane's story overall I just wish it was better.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

The First Man tells Shane and Andy’s love story from it’s rocky beginnings to their in-the-works HFN.

As expected after reading the sinopsis, this story packed quite the punch. The “feels” will tug at your heartstrings, the frustration will have you reaching for an outlet of your own and the camaraderie between the friends will have you smiling from ear to ear.

I loved getting to know Andy and Shane, both as individuals and as a “couple”. Their story was heartbreaking and sweet and so very frustrating. I understood where they were coming from and appreciated the author’s effort to present all their history. The more I read, the more invested I became. But the more invested I became, the more annoyed I felt. One minute I wanted to comfort them and within the next I wanted to smack them upside their heads. True story.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed every bit of angst brought to the page and relished in Andy and Shane’s obvious connection and undeniable chemistry.

I admit that the story dragged in places and that the push/pull dynamic these two carry-on throughout the book was frustrating. But ultimately, it served to highlight the main reason Andy and Shane took so long to be a couple and made their HFN that much more satisfying.

Although this is book 2 of the From Connemara With Love series, it can be read as a stand alone. I enjoyed the cast of secondary characters and what they brought to the story as well as the dynamic of this close group of friends.

All in all, a heartbreaking yet sweet and steamy romance with all the feels. 😌

This was such a gripping, angsty, emotional, poignant and sweet small-town, friends-to-lovers M/M romance! I rooted so for the main characters and suffered with them in their longing, heart ache and fight to deny their feelings. But at times I was also so annoyed and angry with them for not trusting their friends and family, and for being so afraid to trust each other and to allow themselves the lives they both deserved.

The First Man is the second book in the From Connemara With Love series, but it can very well be read as a standalone. The main characters from the first book, The Best Man, have important roles here too, but focus in this book is on Ellie’s brother Shane and his long secret love, Andy.

For seventeen years, Shane and Andy have kept their feelings for each other a secret. Even to themselves; not admitting what they really are to each other, nor that what they are feeling is true love. Instead, they’d both done all they could to deny the feelings, to avoid touching each other, to suppress all emotions, ending up heartbroken and living a life in constant torment and hiding their true selves.

It took me a while to get into this book though. The angst and heartache were so raw already from the start, which was a bit hard to relate to until we were provided with the backstory from Shane’s and Andy’s long history and how they first fell in love. And since I hadn’t read the first book, it was a bit confusing with all characters at first, especially as the same person could be referred to by either his first name or surname without any explanation. But once I understood the latitude of Shane’s and Andy’s love story, and the reasons for their actions, I rooted so much for them both. They were both so adorable, so broken, so much in pain and yet always putting other people’s needs and wishes before their own happiness.

This book is one of the honest and rawest descriptions of how devastating love can be that I’ve ever read. The love between Shane and Andy was so obvious and strong, and they wanted each other so much it almost destroyed them to hide it. At times it was almost too painful to read about their distress and longing, and I wanted to scream at them both to just be brave and take a chance on each other.

There were two things I had problems with though. The first was the premise that Shane and Andy had to keep their love a secret. I felt that the fear of not being accepted by their friends, family and the small town didn’t really add up with the way the other characters in the story were described. Their friends and family all seemed open-minded enough and obviously loving them, so the need to stay in the closet didn’t seem fully authentic. It also made me annoyed that Shane and Andy never even gave their friends and family the chance to get to know the real persons, but lived their lives constantly pretending to be someone else. And then there was the issue with how the love story started. I really did not like that they started to have an affair when Shane was only sixteen to Andy’s twenty-one. The age difference was no problem when they were older, but the idea that Shane was so young, even though he was the one taking all the initiatives, just didn’t sit well with me.

But all in all, The First Man was a gripping, devastating and utterly honest love story that was both heartbreaking and heartwarming. It was my first read by Alex Kelly, but it will certainly not be my last.

Thank you NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for the opportunity to read this gem in advance. (It will be released on 25 February.) All opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book is part of a series but you don't need to read the other books to understand it. The two main characters own rival bars in Ireland. They live in a small town where being gay is not as advertised as it might be in other places. Andy and Shane have hooked up several times but can't be in a relationship because one is the other's brother's best friend. Most of the book is dialogue and I found it hard to keep up with all the characters and keep track of who was talking.

I absolutely LOVED this book. I love the second chances/first love romance trope and this book fit that category very well. The angst in this book was also something I really enjoyed. I never really expect this from contemporary romance books but I laughed quite a lot and it was great to take me away from the current situation we live in. I adored the characters and found that although it took me a while to get into the book the characters swayed me in the end and it became a favourite.
Will definitely be rereading and would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a fun light read.

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Shane is best friends with Andy's brother, and Andy is best friends with Shane's brother. Living in their small town, the boys grew up together. Shane and Andy have been in love with each other since Shane was 16, but fear of what others' reaction would be, they have spent the past 17 years trying to deny their feelings until they couldn't anymore, then pretending nothing has happened.

This book is the second in the From Connemara with Love series but can be easily read as a standalone. I wanted to like this book, but I just couldn't get into it. The first two thirds of this book were just showing over and over how angsty both Shane and Andy were over their relationship. Basically nothing happened to farther the plot in all that time, and it got old quickly. Additionally, the author would flash back to a scene from one man's point of view, and then later flash back to the same scene from the other's point of view. Seeing the scene from the other man's eyes didn't add to the story. I feel like this book could have been half as long without losing any plot. Also, Shane and Andy had a habit of referring to each other as just <i>him</i>, and they did not have their own voice, so it was hard to keep track of whose point of view we were reading.

I LOVED THIS BOOK! As someone who is back with their first love after going down separate paths, I absolutely loved this story and could relate. My heart broke for the main characters and how they were treated by some of their family and town. I would love to read the rest of this series. I will miss Andy and Shane!

As the summary made me believe, it was quite angsty, but I enjoyed the way Andy and Shane’s relationship evolved until there was real hope for them, despite a terrible beginning.

The real beginning of the relationship happens way before the beginning of the book, but there are several flashbacks to help understanding how everything started. Those past scenes–that are quite steamy–give the basis of their problems. Problems that didn’t change overtime, until the beginning of the book. That element kind of annoyed me actually. Why didn’t it happen earlier? 17 years is a long time. And it’s not like their situation changed.

Here the small town is an unknowing enemy. Though we learn later that it isn’t as toxic and hostile as they were afraid of, it’s mostly because of it that Shane and Andy can’t have a public relationship. I loved the setting in Ireland, it was quite exotic.

I thought the push/pull between Shane and Andy was a bit unhealthy, but when they decided to finally go for it, they make a nice couple. I don’t know that I’d recommend this book to everybody, but if you like angsty MM romances with a happy ending, you’ll like this one.

Quickie

- Series: From Connemara with love #2 (can be read as a standalone)
- Hashtags: #MM romance #small town romance #Ireland #brother’s best friend #best friend’s brother #secret relationship #slight age gap
- Triggers: sex between a teenager and a young adult
- Main couple: Shane Johnston & Andy Veldons
- Hotness: 3/5
- Romance: 4/5
- + I enjoyed the dynamics inside the group of friends; and characters are in their thirties, yay!
- – I wasn’t a fan of the long dialogues without any tags though, it was hard to follow sometimes

“You can’t keep hold of someone who doesn’t want to stay - not even when you’re willing to fight for it.”

The First Man, is a friends to lovers drama centered on Shane, a legacy man who works for his family’s distillery, and Andy, a pub owning man with the burden of the world on his shoulders. Both were born and raised in the same small, Irish town, and became friends with each other’s families. Little do their families know, Shane and Andy have been engaged in an affair that’s spanned 17 years. The pair are stuck in secrecy due to Andy being afraid of the possible consequences that going public with the relationship could bring.

What I Loved:
-Being able to read both Shane and Andy’s respective points of view.
-The tight knit friendships where friends become chosen family.
-The sleepy small town Irish setting.
-The humor sprinkled throughout all the drama.

What I Didn’t Love:
-The book felt too long and very drawn out (especially for the first 75% of it).
-Andy and Shane spent too much of the book stuck. There was no forward progression for so long that things became very repetitive and the amount of angst shared between the two of them reached unheard of levels.
-The order of events was oftentimes hard to follow due to lots of jumping back and forth in time.
-The initial age gap between Shane and Andy. The affair between the pair begins when Andy is 21 and Shane is only 16. While only some of the book takes place at the beginning stages of their romance, those sections just didn’t sit well with me. I was totally fine with the age gap once the pair were both in their twenties, but prior to that, it was difficult to stomach the intimate scenes shared between them.

For most of the book, I was convinced that it was going to be a two star read, but the last 25% of the book redeemed it for me. The book took a turn that I wasn’t expecting and things finally picked up. I ultimately really enjoyed the ending.

The First Man is book two of Alex Kelly’s, From Connemara With Love Series, however, I easily read it as a standalone. While I struggled at times to like The First Man, I’ll more than likely give another book in the series a chance.

Thank you to NetGalley for the copy of this book!

This story was open and honest--very refreshing in its storyline. I didn't realize that it was a sequel, but I didn't find that too inhibiting when I read it. If anything, it made me want to read more by this author. I really liked the banter between Shane and Andy; the tension was realistic without being overwhelming, and I think the story arc wrapped up nicely !

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review! This book was absolutely adorable! I was in such a mood for a m/m romance, and this one hit the spot! Just enough steamy scenes that it left me satisfied but it wasn't too far over the top. The characters' self-deprecation sometimes got a little old, but I absolutely love Shane and Andy! I thought that some of the characters got a little confusing sometimes (I thought for a looooong time that Brennan and Alex were two different people) but that may be partly on me, since I have not read the first book in this series. I plan on correcting that very very soon! I would absolutely read anything else that follows these characters. Hopefully they all get translated to English soon!

I loved this book! It was heartwarming and strong. It was exactly what I needed with everything going on in the world! A happy little escape!

*Reviewed NetGalley ARC*
(Spoiler at very end of review.)

Shane Johnson has been in love with Andy Veldons since he was 16-years-old. He has always felt a connection to his best friend's older brother, but at the age of 33, a quick touch of the hands when no-one is looking and stolen kisses in the backroom don't feel like enough. Shane is tired of pretending Andy isn't anything more than a friend, but is incapable of walking away when Andy asks "tomorrow?" While Shane knows he's only asking to see him tomorrow and nothing more he seems incapable cutting Andy out of his life. Andy knows he's hurting Shane, but is convinced openly loving him in their small hometown would be disastrous for both of them both professionally and personally. Andy can't afford to let his younger brother down or see Shane turned away by his family. But as their friends move forward with their lives and Shane's sister gets closer to marriage the men are forced to reassess whether they are willing to settle for anything less than one another's love.
VERDICT is that this book is a very every day romance story. I sympathize with Shane and Andy and the predicament that they find themselves in as the only two (known) gay men in a small town. I was really intrigued by the dual narration and past to present flashbacks. Being inside both characters heads helped create a little more tension in a book where the struggles taking place were predominately internal. While I would not want to minimize the internal struggle of both characters, I really had some trouble getting through this novel as I kept waiting for something "more" to happen. I was never really worried about either character walking away and it was more a matter of would something compel them to finally acknowledge their love publicly. We get our happily ever after in the end (this is a romance after all) but it was a bit anticlimactic and seemed to get overshadowed a bit by another couples wedding and pregnancy announcement.

This book was hot and cold for me. The promise of angst and small town, second chance romance was encouraging but from the get go I was supremely confused about everything. The names are exceedingly confusing; I didn't know who was related to whom and half the time was confused with the age and relationships. Multiple times I thought there were three people in a conversation but in fact there were only two because some characters are referred to with multiple names. The dialogue wasn't tagged most of the time, which wouldn't be an issue except the lead in paragraph and interjected descriptions did nothing to specify who was talking. It didn't help that there was only one consistent non male character to switch up pronoun usage.
I also was deeply deeply uncomfortable with the age gap. It doesn't matter much at the age of 33 that the Andy is 5 years Shane's elder but learning that they first got together when Shane was 16 and Andy was 21 made my skin crawl. It also felt rather intentional that the age gap wasn't mentioned until the very end to make sure I wasn't constantly questioning how gross the relationship was. And Andy mentioning that he felt guilty and took advantage of a teenager doesn't negate the fact that he still GOT INVOLVED WITH A TEENAGER anyways. Intent doesn't excuse action. After that, I simply coloured Shane as a teenager groomed by a trusted family friend for 17 years of his life, unable to see that the on and off guilt based relationship was toxic and unhealthy. The idea that Shane had to fix Andy was disgusting in addition to that.
I also deeply deeply disliked how all the straight characters were butthurt about Andy and Shane not coming out to them. This kind of writing only ever comes from straight people, centering queer stories about coming out around the heterosexual people around them. The fact that the empathy and emotional labour fell on the only two gay men to comfort their family for feeling offended that they were kept in the dark more than understanding the actions and the environment that made these two men feel the need to stay secretive is what clearly shows there is no real nuanced understanding of queer people at all.
Additionally there were so many instances that read as weirdly feminine for two small town gruff men to be doing with each other. All of these typified feminine actions were in sexual situations which AGAIn made me so uncomfortable. That made this book lean towards a weirdly fetishized gase of a MLM relationship than a representative one.
While I was rooting for all the characters and eventually came around to liking them, there were too many red flags for me to consider this a good gay romance.

I didn't read the first book, but this one I loved from the first pages. There is something special with stories in a small town, with small community, and love that can be that deep and passionate. It was frustrating but also really lovely. This book made me so emotional. I was enjoying it till the last page.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The story follows along Andy and Shane, who share one big secret for many years: Their love for each other. Yet, they cannot share their love in public and are afraid of losing everything. Both also do not want their small town to find out about the two men loving each other.
Shane and Andy try to resist each other, but no matter how hard they try, they always find their way back to each other and have to admit that, no matter what they do, they only want each other.

This book made me feel ALL THE FEELS!

Honestly, I just wanted to grab Shane and Andy and just shake them throughout the whole book. The book is filled me with so much frustration. Two amazing men who just cannot find their way to each other, mainly because Andy always decides that this cannot continue between both of them. Two men who love each other so passionately and deeply, yet cannot be truthful towards themselves and their families.

This book is filled with so many emotions and I loved how it was written. We get to know so many of the characters‘ thoughts and feelings, which definitely helps the reader to connect to the story. I absolutely loved that it was written from both‘s POV since we then get to know how both are actually feeling individually and how they are handling the situation. I also loved the fact that some scenes were repeating itself, but written from a different POV in order to understand everything.

This book felt so pure and raw. It definitely represented how heartache really feels. The feeling of longing for something which you cannot have. Or you can have.
I was really emotional when reading the story, since I just wanted both of them to be happy and I totally understood their fears, yet it was obvious that everyone of their friends and family were open-minded. Yet, both decided to hide their feelings from the public which hurt themselves even more.
Near the end, there was a certain point which completely broke my heart and I was really scared for a moment. I definitely did not see that coming!

I did not enjoy how both characters were so dramatic about their hidden love and their fear of others seeing them together or finding out about their love. It was quite a rollercoaster ride - yet, if you are really scared of something, you probably would act the way Shane and Andy did, so I totally understand it but it still felt a bit unnatural.

In the end, I absolutely loved this book and I will check out the author‘s other books! Thanks again for this chance!

I think I WANTED to like this one more than I actually did, so I went 3.5 stars and rounded up to 4 because I liked the characters and the author's ability to bring them to life. The story just lagged a bit in the middle for me. Another thing is I wonder if I've read so many of these type books of the forbidden gay relationship that I've kinda gotten numb to them? Regardless, Alex Kelly tells a good tale even if we've been in a similar story before if we read lots of book like this one. Thumbs up and a fun read. 4 stars.

After reading the first book, I was excited to jump into Shane's story because I really enjoyed his character in the first. He's funny and a little mysterious and I wanted to know about his secret relationship. It turns out they have a lot of history, like seventeen years worth, which you would not have known at all while reading the first book. Unfortunately, this book fell into the same problem the previous one did, everything is pretty drawn out and the characters circle the same problems again and again.

Andy is afraid for everyone to know that he's gay and thinks he isn't good enough for Shane. Shane would happily tell everyone that he's in love with Andy, regardless of the consequences, but holds back for Andy's sake and not knowing where Andy really stands. They both have issues with their surnames and the stigma around them, similar to how Ellie felt in the first book.

We also continue to see Alex and Ellie's relationship, though I wish they had continued more with a happy ending instead of continuing to have the same struggles they did in their book. They're together, but still suck at communicating and Alex is dragging his feet to set a date to marry Ellie.

I did like the sweet and steamy moments between Shane and Andy. They were seriously steamy, which I enjoyed more than I expected to. They also both clearly love each other so much and when a traumatic event happens, it brought them closer and brings everything more out in the open. At least they get a happy ending (I think)!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

After reading the first book, I was excited to jump into Shane's story. He's funny and a bit mysterious and I wanted to know about his secret relationship with Andy. It turns out they have a lot of history, like seventeen years worth! Unfortunately, this book fell into the same problem the previous one did, everything is drawn out and the characters circle the same problems again and again.

Andy is afraid for everyone to know that he's gay and thinks he isn't good enough for Shane. Shane would happily tell everyone that he's in love with Andy, regardless of consequences, but holds back for Andy's sake. They dance around each other, hook up and then pretend they're just friends. I started to get tired of this and I can't believe that Shane was willing to wait all those years instead of moving forward with his life.

We also see that Alex and Ellie haven't made much progress either. They're together, but still suck at communicating and Alex is dragging his feet to marry Ellie. I wish they had been in the book less because I'm over that couple.

I did like the sweet and steamy moments between Shane and Andy. They both love each other so much and when something scary happens, it brought them closer and put some things into perspective. At least they sort of got a happy ending.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The thing is it is not a super bad book but is not a good book either. I feel like it could have been a good book, the basic plot is not bad, but the execution was pretty flawed on several occasions unfortunately.
It is a very angsty story with a focus on how the main characters just cannot be together, but they have wanted each other for 17 years. The entire book is basically them telling us how much they want each other and cannot even imagine being with anyone else. And basically, that is the only thing that is going on. This could have worked much better, but the fact is it drags on way too long, this story should have been cut in almost half. At around 40-50 % I was pretty fed up with them just telling me they cannot be together and I almost DNF the book. The book did improve after 50% because then it felt like the story actually started to progress – but that progression should have come way earlier. They have already wanted each other for 17 years it is not unrealistic for the relationship to progress a bit faster. I ended up not caring too much about the main characters because the plot felt like it dragged on too long.

I do feel like the cover for the book do give a wrong impression of the book. The original black and white covers are more suited to the story. And this story is not bad, but it should be marketed like the angsty story you have or people that do not like these types of stories pick it up because of their wrong impressions from the cover.

I did not like that Alex Brennan was all the time called by his first and last name. The first time he was called by his last name I was super confused before I realized Brennan was his last name and not a new character. You can call a character by two names but maybe give a heads up and explain quickly why. Because now he is called both by the main character in his mind in the same paragraph and I found it odd.

There is way too much of the first couple from the first book in the series in this book. I do enjoy some peaks with the first couple’s happiness in the nest books in the series, but they just had problems. I did not enjoy seeing them either because I did not read the first book because according to Netgalley this book is going to be published before the first book. If that is the case, I would say it is not really a smart decision because it does not feel like a standalone in a series, I whish I had read the first book before this one.

In summary I would say this book has potential, but I think it would need to be shortened down to be a good book.