This is my review for the re-release, out on Tuesday, which was my fourth time reading For Real. It's actually the first romance book I ever read, so I don't think I'm capable of being normal about it, but I'm gonna give it my best shot. Basically, if you haven't read this book, I highly recommend reading it, and if you have read it and are at all open to re-reading, I highly recommend a re-read of this new version.

There are bound to be people for whom age gap and kink are automatic nopes, and that's obviously fine. I'll say that I'm not generally much of an age gap reader, and I think it's handled extremely well here. I do like reading about kink, which is written about in this book in it a way I rarely see it portrayed. If it's less that those are hard no's for you and more that they just often aren't your jam, I do think it's worth giving this book a try, because it is so thoughtful in the portrayal of both elements.

So, ummmm... this book is really good? I'm always sort of dumbstruck by how good it is. And I find new things with every reading of it. And I think it does things that are still rarely done in the romance genre. I feel like if I try to say more about the characters or story I'll never shut up so I'm just going to leave it at that.

The Spires books all have a recipe included, and I've made the lemon meringue pie from this one and it is LIFE CHANGING PIE. I enjoy baking and am pretty good at it, but I find pie terrifying to make and this one was magically not at all hard and turned out absolutely perfect. Like I still have a picture of it on my phone two years later because it should be on the cover of some pie magazine or something. And I love recipes written in the voice of the character, they are such fun. So if you're at all into baking you should totally make the pie. It's particularly satisfying to serve it at like a family function or whatever because it's impressive and because you know it's secretly kinky queer lemon meringue pie, which is obviously the best kind.

Weirdly, the ARC doesn't have the bonus story about a side character that's going to come with the actual book, so I can't comment much on that. It used to be sent out when you subscribed to the author's newsletter, so I did read it at some point, but I don't remember it in detail. I'm fairly certain it's a bittersweet story, rather than a happy one, so it might be a bit of an odd note for ending a romance book. But again, can't be sure because it isn't included in my ARC.

I have a surprising amount of strong mixed feelings about the author annotations included in this re-release. Honestly, if I was reading the book for the first time I think my reading experience would be hampered by the annotations. I think first time readers would most enjoy the story if they hold off on reading the annotations until the end. But I have no self-control and would find the annotations really distracting, so I probably wouldn't be able to hold off until the end even if it was my first time. The thing is that if you stop and read the annotations as you're reading the story, it really disrupts the flow of the book. And I feel like the annotations are very much aimed at readers who are already familiar with the story and the Spires series. They are notes from an author going back and reading their work after years of being away from it, so it sort of takes away from the immediacy of the story if you're reading it for the first time I think? Anyway, this might be a me thing, but I'd suggest not reading the annotations until the end if it's your first time reading the book.
If, however, you're doing a re-read of the book, I think the annotations add a great new element to the experience. It's so interesting to hear the author's intentions around the structure of the book and other aspects that I never would have thought about. So, yeah, love the annotations for re-reads but not so much for first reads. Also, the way the annotations are done (there are stars in the text rather than like numbered annotations) made it kind of tricky for me to match up the annotations with the corresponding bits of text. I don't know if other people will feel the same but I didn't love the style used.

So my final thoughts are:
Should you read this book? YES!
Should you make the pie? YES!
Should you read the annotations? MAYBE!

Love this book and loved getting to revisit it with some new behind the scenes knowledge. Will definitely be making the pie again soon.

Oh my, I loved this book. As always, Alexis Hall created something funny and sweet and poignant. A very different and pleasant view of the world of BDSM with a an unlikely dom and an older sub. You fall in love with them and their humanity immediately.

Love love love it and couldn't recommend it anymore. My favorite of the Spires books so far and by far.

The second I read the plot I knew I would love this book more than anything. And that’s it. I love this book more than anything. I love it so damn much. LGBT+, BDSM, age gap, roles reversed? Sign me in! This is the best thing I have read in months!
I fell in love so much with Laurie. It was prevedibile, I know. An emotional constipated daddy? Of course I will love him with all my heart. But Toby, oh my God, Toby was a real surprise to me. He’s has so much fierce, so much strength, so much life. And he is 19!!!
Love how their relationship evolve, love everything about them, about this book. I don’t think I will be able to stop thinking about it in a while.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

I just really didn't like this. I couldn't get into it. The characters didn't work for me and I didn't feel like there any spark or vibe between them, I usually enjoy Alexis Hall's work but this wasn't for me.

I’ve really enjoyed the Spires series and Laurie and Toby’s story is no exception!

Laurence (Laurie) Dalziel is an older man and a doctor, something that doesn’t leave him with a lot of free time. Since his ex left, he’s been struggling to find himself again and definitely struggling to find happiness. He’s going through the motions and isn’t especially happy to even be doing that most days. Tobermory (Toby) Finch is a young man and a line cook at a caf in London, something he enjoys but it doesn’t pay well at all. He’s not sure what to do with his life - he’s at a weird turning point with a lot of things but feels too young and too inexperienced to do much more than he is.

These two together are completely unlikely, but from the first time they meet, they keep each other on their toes. Even though they shouldn’t work together, they’re everything the other is looking for and more, something that becomes apparent from even their first time together. Their relationship is definitely grumpy/sunshine and dom/sub driven, but it’s so much more than that - they’re both on a journey to find their happiness again and they help each other along the way. But there is a lot of miscommunication and lack of communication happening between these two that I could have done without…just give each other your cell phone numbers already!! Despite that, I loved how easily Toby fit into Laurie’s strange academic world and how Laurie tracked Toby down when he made a mess of things.

If you love unlikely pairings with lots of snark and banter, this one is definitely for you!

Not my favorite of Alexis Hall's work, but still a deeply funny and emotional story. Loved the very open and vulnerable communication, especially given the themes of the story. Too many people get the BDSM aspect of relationships wrong, but this was well thought out and written.

I really liked the plot of this book. The characters too. A younger fellow (who dropped out of University, and is at a crossroads in life,) is discovering his sexuality and what kinks he likes. Turns out he likes to dominate. Another man, a decade or so older is not looking for anything long term (still not over his ex,) see's the youngin' in a club and has a fascination with him. Good thing he is submissive. Should be a perfect match. One is learning, one is teaching without actually teaching, until eventually the 'grasshopper' becomes the teacher. Plenty of bumps along the way as they both learn about the other and what makes them tick, and how to handle this new found relationship. There is some humor. Plenty of self-deprecating. Some self-loathing. The book tends to be a bit long winded in my opinion. Not that it was filled with fluff, but it just seemed to be a bit wordy. (Like it seemed to take awhile to get to the point in some instances. It is a British based book, so be prepared if you are from other countries, that the language used is going to be as such. It alternates POVs. There is sexual content that is suitable for mature readers. The book as a whole is very sexually driven given the theme (plot) of the book, so even the scenes that aren't the graphic sex scenes, the conversations most likely are about it.

*I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I first read For Real back in July 2020, and it was one of my favorite books of that year. While I’ve read many Alexis Hall books and many queer books since then, it remains the gold standard of what I look for in higher-heat romance.
I love the nuances to the characters, with jaded sub Laurie and emotionally intense, somewhat naive young dom Toby. I loved the mutual care in their relationship, from Laurie guiding Toby to Toby making Laurie breakfast after a night together. It provides a great interrogation into the power dynamics, both in the real world and BDSM world, and flipping them on their head.
And the balance between the steamy scenes and emotional buildup is absolutely palpable. Their growing connection is believable, and I wanted them to work it out, even as they doubted they could make it work.
Something I remembered from my previous read is that Hall does some creative things with POV, especially in the last chapter. But while the final “official” chapter “headhops” between the two first person perspectives without tagging them, I noticed this time around that Hall made sure to make the voices distinct enough that we had gotten used to them when they were tagged. And for most of it, you get context clues, through each naming the other, so I found it much easier to follow on reread.
This book was just as enjoyable the second time around, and I’d enthusiastically recommend this book to readers interested in an introspective take on queer romance with BDSM.

I've read For Real before, of course, and listened to it on audio. So revisiting it now was an interesting experience. I wish there were a way to do a "compare" (the way you can in a word processing program) to see exactly what's been changed between the two versions. Alas. As it was, and given that it's been a while since I last listened to it, I didn't spot any specific differences.

A couple of things stood out for me on this reread. One was my increasing discomfort with the age gap between the characters. No, there are no hard-and-fast rules about love (assuming both parties are adults), but even though we see the many ways in which Laurie and Toby are right for each other, the experience gap between them makes it hard for me to believe that they'll work out in the long run. Then again, that gap is only going to narrow as they both get older, so perhaps I'm being too pessimistic.

The other thing that I noticed, perhaps all the more because I wasn't focused on the sex (I just haven't been in the mood to read sex scenes lately), was Toby's relationship with his grandfather (and with loss and grief). I thought that aspect of the story was particularly... I'm trying to find a word without the ugly connotations of "masterful" and failing. "Skillful" doesn't do it justice. I loved it.

I enjoyed the extra depth the annotations offered (and I was sad that the "Aftermath" was "TK" in the ARC).

Overall, if you read MM romance at all, you want to read this series.

My thanks to the publisher/NetGalley for an advance copy of this new edition.

Kink is a big part of this book but, fair warning, this book is not about some generic declination of sub/dom dynamics but it’s about what kinds of kink works for you. At times the dynamic between the two characters gets blurred or even inverted, but I think it worked well given that Laurie had been complaining since the very beginning about how the classic tools of kink (leather, St. Andrew crosses, sex parties) didn’t work for him anymore.

For Laurie kink had been kind of a natural part of his relationship with his ex so years after their breakup he is tired of uphelding some standard definition of sub and he’s also tired of being lonely. So his relationship with Toby is very unusual but I also found it poignant and real.
I personally think the person you fall in love at 19 is usually the worst, but I was able to suspend the disbelief (most of the time). Their age and economic status is wildly different in a way that subverts expectations and I liked the approach of integrating kink in this dynamic because it was a “whatever works for us approach” which for me personally is the healthiest way to introduce kink in your relationship (or build your relationship around kink like in this case).

This is a new edition and I liked the changes, especially the fact they took out all the times Toby called Laurie “dude” (in the worst possible moments).

I wish Hall’s book were shorter cause they feel long to me but also the author has this ability to pluck at every single heartstring I posses which I begrudgingly enjoy. That dance lesson scene made me so happy, everything was perfect.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review

The Alexis Hall Sequel Curse continues. It's amazing how much I really love the first books in their series but cannot bring myself to like the following stories.

I'm also super thrown off by the age gap, I know it was coming, but there is nowhere in the blurb that it's an almost-40 year old and a 19 year old. That's just...not good.

I DNF'd after like 15%.

One thing about me, I love imperfect characters. Gimme your messy, flawed, damaged wrecks of human beings and I will love them - and I love Toby and Laurie!

Laurence Dalziel is a shell of a man. After the dissolution six years ago of his twelve-year relationship, the 37-year-old is cynical toward both love and the BDSM scene. Reluctantly joining his friends at a sex club one night, he assumes he’ll find a stranger to hurt him, feel nothing emotionally, rinse and repeat. Instead, he crosses paths with 19-year-old Toby Finch, a fledgling dom who couldn’t look the part less. Something in Toby calls to Laurie, and they embark on what seems a doomed affair.

The subversion of roles and expectations in this novel is delicious. Laurie is surly, confident, large, and a damn doctor. On the surface, he screams “dominant,” but he craves the release of submission. And Toby, small, young, and achingly insecure, knows to his depths that he wants to dominate and hurt his partner. Though everything on paper says these two won’t work - their age, education, interests, experience - their souls recognize one another.

Laurie is broken and Toby is lost, and these two screw up a lot along the way to their HEA. Their stumbles and foibles made them feel real, and I love that they’re both described as average in appearance - people who don’t look like models bone and fall in love, too! The angst is top tier and I love the snarky banter.

The spice is HOT! I love the portrayal of not only the kink, but what it means to each participant. Graphic smut with heavy emotional significance? It’s my catnip. There are a lot of scenes, but they all illuminate something essential about the characters.

This is being re-released after being picked up by a traditional publisher. It is part of an interconnected series, but can be read as a standalone (I did). If you’re interested in angst, flawed characters, BDSM, and sad bois, I think you’ll love this!

*I received an advanced reader copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my review*

Such a lovely book about relationships, being vulnerable not matter how old you are. People who expect something similar to Boyfriend Material might be surprised at how different this is. But I'm not. It shows Alexis Hall's range as a writer, and there's a reason why they will always remain an auto-buy author.

This was the first book I picked up in almost two weeks and much like my last foray into a Hall reread.. I made this an intentional choice. I needed a (almost sure to be) guaranteed good time. And much like the last revisit to an old favourite, I was also curious to see if Hall would make any changes for the transition of FOR REAL from indie to trad.

While I can't say I noticed anything that stood out, it was a great time. Also, based on the fact that this was annotated with commentary.. I don't think we had updates. And also, more author commentary please. That was a lot of fun.

My biggest worry about revisiting this favourite wasn't that I would dislike the story because I was pretty sure the connection surrounding an older and experience sub and the unexpected and far too young dom, both more than the labels attached to them, would still land. But I knew this was very sex-forward, with many a'kinky scene (the layers of this, I am hilarious), and I'm just.. less into the graphic stuff these days. But I shouldn't have worried because the exceptions to this rule tend to be when I'm a) into the characters and b) when those moments don't actually feel like needlessly edgy filler where everyone becomes professional sex workers and instead are relevant to the development or actually align with the characters' true nature. So, check, check, checkity check.

But there's more than just kinky sexcapades. There's talk of loss and grief (of loved ones, of a relationship, of an anticipated life), uncertainty surrounding one's future when things haven't exactly gone the way of your (and others') expectations, and the fear surrounding opening yourself up to something new. It's tender and sweet and brave and raw and just a little silly. I had such a good time revisiting this world and these characters and would definitely recommend if this feels like something that checks any of your boxes.

4..5 stars

Amazing. It takes all the typical romance tropes and turns them on their head. Usually the dom is the older, more experienced one. Here it’s the sub. I love how that slight change made such a huge impact on the story. And how it added to the overall conflict.

Alexis Hall does it again! This book is packed with all the laughs and feelings and I enjoyed it immensely.

I love that you can always count on characters from Alexis Hall's books to be so multidimensional and utterly human. This book delivers a truly human experience of navigating relationships and differences in relationships. I loved watching Toby and Laurie open up and let themselves being vulnerable with one another. We watch them navigate an age difference as well as what they actually want from each other.

This book was all about finding the right person for you. It was spicy and romantic and I absolutely loved it. Highly recommend you add this book to your reading list if you've love books where messy characters come together and find themselves and happiness.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4.25/5 Stars

DNF at 30%

I started this expecting something Boyfriend Material-adjacent, and so within the first few pages, I knew this wasn't what I expected. I tried to stick it out, but this one just doesn't seem like it's for me. Maybe I'll give it another try at some point, but for now, it's going onto the DNF shelf

For Real follows Laurence Dalziel and Toby Finch who meet and become instantly enamored with each other. Laurie is almost two decades older than Toby and despite all "logical reasoning" finds it difficult to stay away from the young, brash and brave Toby.

What follows is a beautiful and vulnerable journey of two men learning how to be with each other and trust each other and lean on each other. Its equal parts intense and quiet and sexy and awkward as they try to fit each other's pieces.

I was really excited to read this for the first time, and for the most part I did enjoy it . Laurie and Toby both felt very complex and compelling and you really appreciate each of their journeys in their relationship.

Another part that I really enjoyed were the author annotations that were in the book. I do wish they were in a more easily accessible place instead of right at the back of the book, so it would be easier to read them - but I can see how that would be difficult to implement considering how long some of the annotations were. Formatting aside, it was fun and insightful to read the author's thoughts alongside different scenes.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the arc.

4.5 Stars
This book shocked me. I was initially hesitant to read it as I thought the subject matter would be difficult. I was pleasantly surprised to see how fleshed out the MC's were. While this isn't my cup of tea, their relationship worked, even despite the age differences.
I loved Laurie and it was hard to see him fight what he desires. Toby is cross between a teen and an adult and even though they seem in love the reader hopes their joy lasts.
Well written and recommendable..
Special thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book for my reading pleasure.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you, thank you, thank you Sourcebook Casablanca and NetGalley for yet another masterpiece by Alexis Hall.

I know I may have an unhealthy obsession with Alexis, but praise must be made where praise is due.
I discovered Alexis not too long ago, always thanks to Sourcebook Casablanca and NetGalley, with 10 Things that Never Happened and I never looked back since. I proceeded to read every single book Alexis has ever written and listen to the audiobooks (particularly if voiced by Will Watt). And you may ask yourself, Costanza aren´t you tired of reading the same author back to back all the time? Answer: no! Alexis is a genius -no I´m not exaggerating -, he makes me laugh and cry in the span of three pages, and his writing style is so witty and genuine that I feel like I´m reading the story of one of my crazy friends even though these are just characters and they don´t really exist.

For Real is the newest Alexi´s baby and if you like spice, BDSM, feelings, self-discovery, and lemon meringue pie, well you HAVE TO RUN THE 11TH OF JUNE BECAUSE YOU NEED THIS. YOU NEED IT.

And bear in mind, I´m not saying this because I am biased, I was very skeptic in the beginning. This was the first time a synopsis by Alexis didn´t immediately capture me. I´m not a big fan of the age gap and I didn´t know if I liked the idea of BDSM, but like always Alexis is just the best.
The way he approaches all the themes, the spicy scenes, and the overall plot is just too good. There are various points this book was so gently handled.

I don´t think I have anything else to say. I would probably spoil something and I don´t want to. This book needs all the spotlight like does Alexis!