Cloud Nine, Nailed It! #2 by Fearne Hill

Cloud Nine is the second in a series, with disability representation and a slow(ish) burn.  

From the blurb:

Bedroom eyes, that’s the name my mom gave them. Before I travelled to the UK, she issued me plenty of warnings: don’t look the wrong way when crossing the road, the first floor was the second floor, and no one would know what I meant if I asked for ranch dressing at a restaurant.

But the perils of shy, beautiful men like Tristan Carter? Men with walking canes and hearing aids and those damned bedroom eyes, hidden behind a curtain of silky blond hair?

She forgot to tell me anything about those. And I messed up badly. Monumentally. The kind of misjudgement that had me waking in a cold sweat, wanting to catch the next flight back to my pampered college life in the US. Except I couldn’t, seeing as I’d messed up there too.

So I stayed. I got a job, grew up, and learned some harsh life lessons. Worked out what I wanted to do with my future. Drank warm beer, chilled with my big brother. Ferried Tristan Carter across London. Helped him in and out of the car. Goofed around with him. Tumbled headlong in love with him.

Bedroom eyes. I’m an absolute sucker for those.

Sheena's Review:

I was so looking forward to Tristan's book after I met him in Cloud Ten. You could read Cloud Nine as a standalone but I'd recommend Cloud Ten first as there's a lot of crossover and recurring characters (Frankie from book 1 is Tristan's brother). Fearne Hill in the past has never shied away from difficult topics in her books, and Tristan here has Cerebral Palsy. He's so much more than his illness though, it doesn't define him, it's just part of him and who he is.

It's not glossed over, or romanticized, but tackled head on and I loved that. He has his limitations and that's addressed (I think) well. I was righteously indignant for him in his first meeting with Dominic, but Frankie's verbal smackdown was rightfully epic, and Dom worked so hard to redeem himself. No excuses, but he is a spoiled trust fund brat at the start, but soon learns some humility (with more than a little help from his brother, Frankie and all their friends)

I enjoyed this book so much, I loved seeing the development of Tristan and Dom's relationship, it's a slow burn and that really works for them both. Tristan gaining confidence is a thing of beauty and Dom falling for him slowly really is wonderful too. When they do eventually get together, I loved it. These two together, they are wonderful. Tristan brings out the best in Dom and in return he gets all the sunshine and warmth and happiness he deserves. This book made me cry, and laugh and I adored it.

Rating: 5 Stars

Cloud Nine is available to buy as an ebook or to read with Kindle Unlimited subscription.