OMG, I'm not eloquent enough to describe how much I love this book. I had an incredibly busy week the week I decided to pick this one up. Sadly, I couldn't read more than an hour at a time and I was freaking hooked. When I had to be away from the book, I was thinking about it. And when I was reading it, I didn't want to put it down. At. All. AND this was my second time reading it. Lol. AND as soon as I was done, I wanted to read it all over again.

One of the top books of all time. I'm not sure if I loved this more or less than Glitterland. Maybe it's a draw? This one is a bit less heavy than Glitterland but if you loved that one, you'll love this one too.

There was so much about this book that I loved. I think Hall has a way of writing open door sex scenes that really connect the characters - they fully help build and move the story along emotionally. One of the things that really struck me in reading this was how present Toby and Laurie are in their sex together, not just with each other but the space they are inhabiting while having sex - there's so much talk of surfaces and tactile feelings that I think are so succesful on reading. I think the emotional journey that both Toby and Laurie go on is very compelling, and while Toby is young there's a lot of maturity in the journey that he goes on. Laurie is almost the less mature one as he tries to decide for toby what his life should be without really talking to toby about it. they keep crashing against one another's notions of who the other person is and what they want and i found it very believable and compelling.
My biggest complaint I think is that it felt just a little too long, and while i don't know what you would trim i think it would have benefitted from a slightly swifter pacing. I also think i'd recommend the physical copy over a digital as I didn't know what the stars were reference too and then at the end when i learned it was too hard to really appreciate the annotations.

What an absolute ride! By far Alexis Hall's steamiest book and possibly my favorite in the Spiers Universe so far. I absolutely loved what Hall did here. Both characters communicated their needs and were so in-tune with one another that it made the steamy scenes that much better. I also loved how the age gap was highlighted by two very distinct voices. We are treated to a dual POV in this book which worked really well and each character had such a distinct voice that I think perfectly encapsulated where they were in their lives. Laurie sounded 30-something while Toby sounded 19. Both characters are also grappling with crippling anxiety around being 'left behind'. The discussions they have concerning this anxiety and their exploration into kink were very well done. All together a really enjoyable (SPICY) read!

The real benefit of AJH annotations is not only the insightful literary criticism, the explanation of intent, or even the "omg I'm so old" jokes. It's going from the semiotics of power to how asses taste 🤌

To wax poetic and navel gaze for a bit, reading an AJH book is often exactly what I need in the moment. Both in a "readers bring meaning to the text" Barthes-y kind of way and a "'every man is a piece of the continent' and sometimes I need to read about how believing 'in kindness and also in mischief' is the best thing" kind of way. And also because they're the perfect balance of pretentious twattery (affectionate) and goofballing. The structure and the verb tenses and the voices, but also the pie and the cologne and "love is a perpetual state of semideranged partiality."

For Real is earnest in the best way. Expressing the submission and vulnerability required to actualize the mortifying ordeal of being known via a d/s relationship is fucking chef's kiss delicious.

It's a book about kink and grief and timeless bridges between people, but for me? Right now? It's what happens when the dreams have gone away and it's only me left. It's quoting John Donne and Song of Solomon and finding holy communion in queerness.

"These were the rosary beads of my submission. Though my only god was love."

Zing, you know?

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

For Real is another stellar installment in the Spires series. This queer age gap romance is emotional and sweet, which is not the first thing readers think of when it comes to a story focusing on kink and BDSM. Alexis Hall’s indelible characters are wonderful to spend time with as they fall in love and find their HEA.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Middle aged sub Laurie is cynical and done with the BDSM scene when he meets Toby. Toby is a very young and enthusiastic dom who is still working out what to do with his life. At first glance they appear unevenly matched. As they spend more time together, though, their more intimate activities are where their connection is strongest. But can they fully develop their relationship on emotional levels too?

I get the biggest kick out of Toby, even when I more easily relate to Laurie’s “I’m too old for this stuff” attitude. Toby’s ability to adapt to different environments, whether it’s dinner at Oxford, a kink party, or baking lemon meringue pie, is enviable and entertaining. Laurie’s reservations make sense, though, especially when they are because he cares so much for Toby, not less.

Usually I have a tough time with an age gap story where one of the characters is as young as 19. For Real is one of the few stories where it works for me, mostly because it feels like Toby and Laurie are on equal footing. Each one fumbles the emotional piece of their relationship at times, and it doesn’t seem like there is a true power imbalance.

The Spires books are very emotional, and they lean into all the angst. I especially enjoyed the author annotations in this edition of the book; getting to see Alexis Hall’s thoughts on revisiting this specific story is a treat.

For Real is still one of my favorite Alexis Hall books. The story takes conventional ideas about romance and BDSM and turns them upside down in the best ways. If you like hot, emotional queer romances, For Real shouldn’t be missed.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this edition of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I feel like I’ve been trying to brave this review for years now. For real. I still don’t have the words to do it any kind of justice. My heart is just too zing.

For Real was the first Alexis Hall book I ever read, back in the day, and I feel like it changed some things fundamentally and permanently for me. So of course I’ve been waiting for this rerelease like my next breath. I may know some (ok, maybe a lot) of the text off by heart but I’ve yet to read the bonus story of the exquisite and impossible Jasper, Laurie’s mercurial and brilliant friend from Oxford, and I cannot even.

It’s probably a cliche to suggest that For Real ascends the genre tropes it examines. Like, this is an age gap romance between the dual narrative POV protagonists Toby, a baby Dom just starting in life but so emotionally layered and brave and honest he flayed me just as effortlessly and instinctively as he does Laurie, a significantly older Sub who has not yielded, not really, for a long time. But it’s also so much more. The longer you live, the more of a pummelling your heart tends to take so protective scar tissue forms around it. So whilst he’s utterly gone for Toby, or course it will take much time before Laurie can trust this really is for real. At least for now. So don’t go into this book expecting instant gratification. Things move quickly, but prepare to be emotionally edged.

For Real is also of course a kinky book. But while Laurie might be jaded, the way Hall uses sexual intimacy in all its glorious imperfections and messiness as a way to explore characters and allow them to negotiate and communicate and build their relationship dynamics never feels gratuitous but fresh and new and so bloody genuine it hurts. It hurts real good.

As ever, Hall’s wider cast of characters is rich and fascinating, and they bring vital external viewpoints to both the main characters. Like Toby’s convention defying mother Coal, his very imperfect but loving grandfather or Laurie’s significant people from Oxford. The Oxford chapters, by the way, are the most satisfying and delicious and suave and competent and cinematic and swoony all at once. Much like Toby in his vintage tux. Is there a scene that involves competently and intimately fixing another man’s bow tie? Why of course there is. It wouldn’t be a Hall book without it, now would it?

Perfection does not interest me. Human fallibility and life lived and loss and messing it up and being terrified and doing it anyway do, very much so. And what is more terrifying and exposing than love? When it goes beyond infatuation and lust and BDSM protocols? When it’s, ahem, for real (do you see 😄).

Oh, the author annotations are beyond charming, as ever. What a delightful treat to get to peek behind the scenes of creating this treasure of a book.

For Real is the third book in Hall’s utterly incomparable Spires series. And you get to meet the patient and willing Dom the Dom before he gets his very own much anticipated book in the nearish future.

ARC received with thanks from NetGalley

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca for this ARC! Oh! My! LORD! I very truly never wanted to put this book down, every time I did felt like a crime. Laurie and Toby's chemistry is electric and complicated and messy and I'm obsessed with it. This is the hottest book of Alexis Halls that I have ever picked up. Every single chapter delivers in such an incredible way. And the Lemon Meringue Pie scene?? DELICIOUS. The heart f this book too is so tender. Showing that no matter age, vulnerability can get to us all in real and upsetting ways and you need to learn to communicate how you are feeling and what you need in a very real way. I have already annotated the ARC and I just know that in my next reread the notations are going to go even crazier. What an incredible unbelievable read.

Yeah this whole series will just be a 5 star streak for me I guess. Alexis Hall just knows how to write the perfect combination of realistically flawed characters and complicated life situations paired with a good amount of hilarity.
I barely read any BDSM stories before and so I went into this with no expectations at all.
The main theme of this series seems to be “moving on/healing” and this story was just as beautiful as the others.
Laurie has been in a long term relationship since his teens, acting out his kink only with this one partner. But since their relationship broke up he doubts he could ever find that sort of connection and trust in another person, giving his complete submission again. Until he finds Toby, a man almost two decades younger and maybe twenty pounds lighter than him at a fetish club.
I love it when authors play with the expectations people have for what certain MCs have to look/be like and this was perfectly done here. A young, tiny, soft Dom who’s a complete newby, working in a café because he’s a little lost and an older Sub, who’s a doctor and owns his own house.
Both of them have their own issues to work through in this, be it trust, self doubt or faith to be enough for the other person. It was a little messy, but totally believable and just right for these two. And in the end they both found exactly what they were looking for in each other.
This was definitely the steamiest Alexis Hall book I’ve ever read, and I’m glad it wasn’t as “hardcore” as I’d expected. The steamy scenes were beautifully written and gave an insight about what this fetish really means for people who are into BDSM.

I don't typically seek out romance novels that feature BDSM, but For Real really worked for me because Alexis Hall didn't write a book about BDSM. He wrote a book about two people who fall in love, and who happen to share that particular kink. BDSM brings them together but it's not what keeps them together. I loved how the acts of dominance and submission were used as vehicles to show how there is vulnerability in dominance and power in submission. Laurie and Toby felt...for real. I'm sorry. I had to say it.

In this rerelease I really enjoyed the author annotations. They provided wonderful insight into numerous scenes, as well as helpful context for Toby's numerous literary references that flew over my head previously.

This book unfortunately wasn’t for me. I finished it but could have easily DNFed it at several points throughout the story. I couldn’t get past the age difference between Laurie and Toby, though I do want to stress that theirs is a completely legal relationship between two consenting adults, and the issue is mine alone. For that reason I found myself skimming a lot of their sex scenes, which are unfortunately a big part of the book. There were some parts I enjoyed, however, like Alexis Hall’s skill in creating an engaging cast of supporting characters and their care with representing believable queer relationships. I am likely in the minority in my opinion of this book, so take this review with a grain of salt.

I was expecting a lot of things from this book. Well-written characters per Alexis Hall, a whole lot of sex per the subject matter, a whole lot of great sex per Alexis Hall. And it delivered on all of those fronts, the scenes were hot and they escalated really well, the trust and aftercare were there, I'll never look at lemon meringue pie the same. BDSM as a practice is not my world so I won't try to make comments on accuracy, but they felt very handled with care and without judgment.

And the blurb brought in that there would be the definite romantic element too, but. I was not prepared. For how emotionally invested I was gonna be in them. At all. Like. Of course there would be an inevitable point where past and present met and it went bad where I had to put the book down and just breathe for ten minutes because I was racing heart short of breath sick with worry for the both of them. And while that is lowkey normal for me, I get very invested in my gays, I'm usually more aware of it happening, but they snuck up on me, and honestly how dare they?? Distract me with just so much amazingly written sex that I didn't even realize I was head over heels for them?? This is like the fourth book in a row that I've ugly cried for, I might need some self care to check in on that lmao but ANYWAY thank you and I loved it.

I'm definitely looking to mix more smutty MM romance in with the tamer contemporary romances, and if this has been an indication of what I'm in for, I'm not even ready.

I have read a reasonable number of Hall's books (I think this was my 5th) and yet I am always completely floored by the skill that he demonstrates in his writing. For Real is a contemporary age-gap romance with the very prominent BDSM elements.

It is rare that an age gap romance works for me as the dynamic is something that I find incredibly challenging; the number of age gap romances that I have enjoyed I can count on a single handle. This book has very securely earned a place amongst that elite club. There are two reasons, in my opinion, that the age gap of this book works so well: 1) it is incredibly self-aware that this gap exists and the characters are grappling on-page with the implications of such a significant gap and 2) the fact that the younger party is the dominant creates a power dynamic that seems to work well to counter-balance the age power dynamic.

This re-released edition of For Real comes with incredible annotations from Hall that feel as though you are in a book club with the author. I particularly enjoyed reading the ways in which this book was created as a way of challenging ideas about what kink is and is not, as well as the narrow view of penetration being an act of submission. This exploration is further executed by the fact that this book is told through dual POV so the reader is able to experience both the feelings of submission and of dominance and the way that submission can come in many smaller ways.

Be aware that this book does come with a little bit of emotional weight that comes from something external to the characters' relationship but has an impact of them all the same.

Alexis Hall is an incredible writer who have yet to read a book from that didn't completely blow me away with the authenticity of the relationships he writes. I definitely recommend this book to anyone that is even vaguely interested.

Thank you to NetGalley and Casablanca books for giving me an E-arc of this book! I just want to start off by saying that I am a huge fan of Alexis Hall’s! I started by reading their Boyfriend Material series… which I know is newer compared to the Spires series. I honestly love that Alexis is getting the chance to republish their older books and I hope that happens with the rest of the Spires series. Glitterland was my first introduction to Spires and I absolutely loved it. I then reading Waiting for the Flood and was a little disappointed in it compared to Glitterland. When it came to For Real, I was coming in with mixed feelings.

For one… I did not know how I felt about the age gap. At first glance, a 19 year old and a 39 year seemed REALLY weird to me. However, I must say that this was done in an excellent way. I really feel writing a story with this much of an age gap is pushing the boundaries a little, you would have to do the story really well in order to make this not creepy. To me, I felt the age gap was portrayed very, very well. While this book is very much a kinky and sexy book, I feel that it did not develop into cheap trash like some romance stories could. While there were multiple beautiful sets scenes (not recommending to my students btw), the core of the story was still romance and wanting to love and be loved.

I for one really enjoyed this book and felt like I couldn’t put it down! Congrats to Alexis Hall for another amazing novel.

No. No. No. And did I mention Absolutely Not?

If I had known "washed up" was mid forties and "young" was 19, I wouldn't have even bothered. I don't wanna hear reasons why this book is good. If you think a fully grown man surrendering his heart and giving in to loving a 19 year old boy is okay, then you have other problems you need to address. Hall just keeps getting worse and worse.

Laurie is a really tired and pissed-off trauma doctor trying to get into a BDSM club called Pervocracy. If that sentence puts you off, then this book probably isn't for you, but if you too are excited to meet all the diverse and zany characters in Alexis Hall's world, then read on!

The night is going somewhat well in the club, until Laurie spots his ex-dom, Robert, who's here with his new partner. A distraction from this pain catches Laurie's eyes: a skinny teen who looks so out of place that Laurie needs to make an awkward introduction. Did I say awkward out loud? Awkward! Chatting, the teen comes across as teenage version of Laurie: intelligent, clever, educated. Except teen declares himself a dom, but bemoans the lack of recognition as a dom (which, quietly, doesn't sound like dom behaviour, but we all have to learn...) Thus begins the how-will-they-make-it-work romance of Laurie and Toby.

The point-of-view alternates chapter-by-chapter between Laurie and Toby. There is discussion of domination, submission, descriptive sex play. A lot of it, long sessions of sex, what's going on physically, mentally and emotionally. Again, if you don't think you'll enjoy these scenes then this is not the book for you. Contrasts are made in sex and power, kindness and tenderness, age and education. Then there is what we want to give, what we want to take, what we're willing to have taken, and that which we will not give up.

Alexis Hall often seems to write about complicated characters and oddly off-balanced relationships, and this takes the cake: the middle-aged sub being dominated by the clueless teenager who's still finding his feet. He has fantasies inside his head but wants to make them real .. for real. Alexis is inviting us to learn and think about how others may think, outside the cookie-cutter stereotypes and boxes we often think in.

He makes every moment count, meaningful, which makes it a very cerebral book at all times. You get to hear what is going through the character's head at any time, their thoughts, motivations and reactions. Alexis Hall is a -smith of both the word and the heart
This edition is scattered with footnotes from the author, discussing what was on their mind during writing, or what's on their mind now rereading their work some ten years later. Fascinating insight, whether you've read this book before or not.

In all, it is a contemporary romance that certainly provides a new and diverse view.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This is 500 pages of fantastically written heartfelt and sexy storytelling with compelling characters and a deeply emotional love story.

I loved this book when I first read it and having now read the newest additional I can confidently say that this book and the series it belongs to are some of my all time favourite romances.

Toby and Lorie are expertly written characters. They are both completely raw, fearless and true to themselves at all times. They complement each other beautifully and bring out the absolute best of each other while they begin an unexpected age-gap romance that involves a lot of self-discovery and sexual exploration.

Alexis Hall has perfectly explored mental health issues within a relationship and how outside complications can positively and negatively affect a new romantic connection.

I am overjoyed that along with the entire series’ new editions release comes the possibility of new readers to experience and fall in love with amazing love stories and characters.

Splendid. This book was splendid.

I'm not even sure I'm capable of writing how wonderful these two are as individuals and together. Toby and Laurie are just splendid.

Laurie is 37 years old and Toby is 19. So if you're not comfortable with age gap books- I'm sorry but you're missing a BIG ONE romance story.

Toby is the youngest in this relationship but Laurie is the one who has the biggest personal development. I'm speechless!!!!

He had to learn how to love without care of what people think. And TOBY!!! MY good, he's just so sweet 💓. He's the cutest little thing 😍 🔥.

Love love love this story.

Thank you NetGalley, Alexis Hall and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca for providing me this eArc.

“There’s risk inherent in most things that matter.”

Alexis Hall is an auto-buy and auto-read author for me. He manages to write some incredibly intense, vulnerable stories with the undercurrent of humor that I always love. This one is a bit out of my comfort zone with a significant age gap and some BDSM, but the underlying story is really beautiful.

Laurie hasn’t moved on from his last relationship, though his friends are trying to nudge him through. He meets Toby, who’s nineteen, and they have this instant connection. Laurie is eighteen years older than Toby and struggles with the intense feelings he has. He’s so convinced that he’s wrong for Toby and worried about how it will look. Laurie seems to really struggle with his feelings and commitment after his previous relationship. There is an underlying trauma there for him, and seeing him try to work through that to acknowledge his feelings for Toby is portrayed really beautifully.

I particularly loved Toby. He’s so raw and vulnerable. He’s at this point in his life where he feels lost and he just wants Laurie to admit his feelings. He often feels inferior in that he works in a cafe and Laurie is a medical consultant. Toby is still really smart, but he didn't like university. He feels like he doesn't have a trajectory and is very defensive about it. When Laurie tries to help him, Toby takes offense, feeling like Laurie is trying to be a parent rather than a partner. There’s a lot that they have to work through, and Laurie eventually becomes the person who helps Toby figure out what he wants to do in life. For me, this was probably my favorite moment of the book. Laurie starts to admit and acknowledge his feelings for Toby, and Toby allows Laurie to help him with this life plans as his partner.

The way they finally come together just feels so lovely and I did like the slightly ambiguous ending, which really feels realistic. It feels like both characters complete their arc in a very raw and vulnerable way. This is such a fabulous story,

I've been really enjoying The Spire series. I love how they are all stand-alone stories exploring different relationships and why the two main characters work together even if on paper maybe they shouldn't. Out of the Spire novels I would say I think For Real might be my favorite yet that I've read. I think what makes For Real my favorite is how much I found myself relating to Toby. Maybe more than I would care to admit. Toby and Laurie are so adorable together. Watching both characters discover more about themself and become more comfortable in their own skin was a fun journey to be on. If you want a fast-paced pace spicy romance novel with fully developed characters that even though at times you want to yell at them for their choices mostly you just root for them to figure things out. I would pick this book up.

Alexis Hall never disappoints. I haven't read the other books in the Spires series, and this was a great start to my reading journey! Alexis is such a witty writer and never fails to make each character uniquely different. As Heather K on Goodreads says, "I regret nothing." I too regret nothing. 10/10. 5/5. 100/100. Go read it.