Most Of You (The Beginning Of Always Book 2) by E.M. Lindsey

Most Of You is a story about redemption, facing your past, and learning how to deal with trauma. 

From the blurb:

There he was…

Shirtless.

Wearing glasses.

Chopping wood like some kind of fantasy lumberjack.

And Emil was officially helpless.

Moving to the East Coast, Emil was there for two things exactly: to become a better person, and to face the part of his past he’d spent his entire life avoiding.

He most certainly hadn't planned on falling in love.

It was one thing to sleep with his absurdly hot neighbor for a single, steamy one-night-stand, but it was quite another to become friends. And the longer Emil knows Renzo, the harder it is to walk away.

However, Emil has no faith in his ability to change, no matter how hard he tries, and he just wishes Renzo would believe him. He just wishes the man would stop giving him hope that behind those soft kisses was everything he’d ever wanted, and more.

Most Of You is a stand-alone, angsty, one-night-stand to lovers romance with mall Santa mishaps, bonfires, New Year's kisses, the merits of a well-made hot chocolate, tons of praise, and a steamy, swoony happily ever after.

Angel's Review:

Emil and Renzo's story is full of emotions and found family moments. 

I usually always enjoy EM's stories. The way they write their characters makes them so realistic. Their stories are so poignant and full of emotions. I liked how Emil's character was redeemed in this book, he went from being a bad guy to bring a person who made a bad mistake. He learned from that and is striving to do better, to be better. I think that's really beautiful, and relatable. I feel like a lot of people could relate to Emil's character in one way or another, and I find that so special. 

Renzo's character has gone through a lot in his life. When his parents died, he resumed taking care and raiding his brother Matty, and his now ex boyfriend was manipulative and toxic. Not just in the way he treated Renzo, but also in the way he treated Matty. Something I really loved about the characters in this book is how prevalent going to therapy was in their lives. Each character said how much it's helped them, and how they've learned things about themselves they hadn't acknowledged before. 

Matty's character was definitely my favorite and I am hoping that he gets his own story, eventually. I loved his child-like sweetness and how he was as protective of Renzo as Renzo was of him. His character was just so sweet and so loving. 

I thought the overall story was good! What made me rate this a bit lower is because this book was full of spicy scenes.. and while that necessarily isn't a bad thing, it just isn't my cup of tea. I was hoping there would be more relationship building, dates, romance, etc. But there was more of a spotlight on spicy times than those other things. That's just my personal preference, though. Overall, a good story! 

Rating: 4 Stars

Molly Otto's Review:

Two men treated so wrong and neglectful in their pasts and learned to move forward to be better. Emil had never been taught to be compassionate, and when things went so badly in HALO, he had a wake-up call to realize change was needed or he would forever be miserable. Renzos' previous relationship broke his trust in a way that made him not be able to trust himself.

This is one of those stories where both parties understand they need to grow to be better. Mistakes do happen because guess what? They're growing. Their passion is exceptional and draws them back even when fear keeps blocking them from going full in. A beautiful love story where, yes, you cry, but the pain is worth the beauty of the overall story.

Rating: 5 Stars

Most Of You is available to buy as an ebook or to read with Kindle Unlimited subscription.