For the Love of Flowers (For the Love Of #1) by Kelsey Hodge

Revisit the beginning of the For the Love Of series by Kelsey Hodge in For the Love of Flowers. The love of his life is a police detective, and Lorenzo really doesn't want to be involved in the family drug business anymore, but can he be honest with his family and his police detective boyfriend? 3 of our reviewers have read this and you can read their reviews below. 

From the blurb:

LORENZO

I was never meant for this life. I never wanted to follow what my father had planned for me, yet I didn’t have the strength to leave. Then one day, he came into my shop and my double life started. I was
always looking over my shoulder, constantly scared that my secret would be discovered… until the day the secret must come out. Now I must be brave enough to fight for the life I want or die trying.

WYATT

I was happy with my life; I had worked hard to get to my position, and I didn’t see it changing until the day I walked into his shop. I thought we had always been honest with each other until the day his secret came out. Now I must decide if I trust him enough to do what is needed and risk losing him, just to have the future I never realized I wanted

For The Love of Flowers is the first in a series love redemption and out for you MM romance and is guaranteed HEA.

SNik's Review:

First in series (For the Love Of). Established couple. 

Florist Lorenzo and police detective Wyatt have been together for 2 years and couldn’t be any more in love. But Lorenzo is hiding the fact that his family is responsible for major drug dealing in the city and his father is grooming Lorenzo to take over the business. 

When the truth comes out, Lorenzo risks everything for the life he wants with Wyatt, but it will take a lot to gain back Wyatt’s trust. 

I did wish for more glimpses into Lorenzo and Wyatt’s relationship showing them interacting together more in the past and their personal backgrounds, as well as Lorenzo’s relationship with his immediate family. 

It is easy to feel the love between Lorenzo and Wyatt, they are both willing to sacrifice to stay together and there are some heart wrenching scenes. 

Steamy scenes, unexpected and interesting supportive secondary characters, and some action help lead Lorenzo and Wyatt to their HEA.

Rating: 4 Stars

Janet's Review: 

For the Love of Flowers started with the couple already being in a committed relationship. Wyatt was a narcotics police detective and Lorenzo owned and worked at his flower shop. But Lorenzo was hiding a huge secret. 

Kelsey Hodge is a new to me author, I’ll definitely be looking for more by this author. All the side characters really helped tie the whole story together. 

It was well written and a page turner. Definitely recommend!

Rating: 5 Stars

Sarah C's Review:

It is rare when we get a book featuring an established couple, but For the Love of Flowers gives us just that. It also gives us an incredibly compelling mystery and a lot of heart.

This is the story of Lorenzo and Wyatt, a couple in New York who have been together for two years and are already deeply in love by the time the story starts. However, not everything is as perfect as it seems on the surface. For one thing, Lorenzo has been lying to Wyatt since day one. Wyatt believes he is Lorenzo Ricci, employee at the local flower shop where they met. In truth, he's Lorenzo Romano, owner of the flower shop and son of a crime boss. Not only is his father the son of a crime boss, but Lorenzo is being groomed to take the throne when his father retires. The novel opens on Lorenzo committing a murder before we know anything else about him.

Wyatt, on the other hand, is a narcotics detective, investigating a drug ring that is about to hit too close to home. The truth comes out early in the book, opening up Wyatt and Lorenzo to an uncertainty that has never been in their relationship and a desire to bring down Lorenzo's father, Alfredo Romano.

The love between these two men is palpable on the page. It is believable and a beautiful study of what someone would do for the person they love. There are lines crossed and actions previously deemed unforgivable forgiven. Wyatt finds himself compromising certain beliefs and values he's always held in high regard in order to continue being with Lorenzo and to keep him safe. Lorenzo prepares to make the ultimate sacrifice for the same thing. It is powerful.

The book also has amazing side characters in Wyatt's partner, Liam, and Lorenzo's brother, Marco. They pop off the page and you can tell that there's something else beneath the surface between them (but that's for the sequel).

Hodge does a wonderful job of creating romance and suspense and writing a book that makes me not want to put it down. However, there were a few things that kept this from being a five star review. Some sections of the writing didn't flow properly and there were a lot of editing issues. There was also one part of a love scene that fully pulled me out of the scene for a moment. None of these things affect my enjoyment of the story or my love for these characters.

After all, I love a flawed morally grey protagonist.

WARNING: this book does contain murder, violence, drugs, general criminal activity, and homophobia. If any of these issues bother you, do not proceed.

Rating: 4 Stars

For the Love of Flowers is currently available as an e-book and paperback and can be read as part of your Kindle Unlimited Subscription