Winner Take All (Longview Romance Book 2) by Ellie Roth

"Don't break his heart. Don't break his heart. Don't...." oh boy........

From the Winner Take All blurb:

“You cannot just send me a text with the words ‘I think he’s in love with me’ and expect me not to come over.”

When the most powerful magic user in the tristate area loses his powers, Shiki Gonzalez’s ranking goes from third place to second place overnight. Unfortunately, the one thing holding him back from finally claiming the title of grand champion is taking down his old enemy Michael Vernon, and despite eight years of trying, that’s the one feat Shiki has never been able to accomplish. This time, though, Shiki has a plan.

Mehmet Argitakos is thrown for a loop when his longtime crush Shiki approaches him with a proposition: Shiki will help Mehmet climb his way up the ranks of the advanced Blizzard tournament if Mehmet teaches Shiki how to fight like the former titleholder, Mehmet’s best friend Chris. But taking down Vernon is a cause Mehmet can definitely get behind—and Shiki’s notorious penchant for casual intimacy doesn’t hurt, either.

As the cold days of training blur into long winter nights, Shiki’s and Mehmet’s worlds slowly start intertwining. But guarded Shiki doesn’t let down the walls around his heart for anyone, and Mehmet wants to be something more than just the next warm body in Shiki’s bed. With the Blizzard on the horizon, will their partnership crack under the strain or evolve into something more?
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Winner Take All is a contemporary LGBTQ+ romantic fantasy that features a modern world imbued with magic, a slow-burn friends-with-benefits romance, found family vibes, tragic backstories, mild to moderate steaminess, major angst, and a happy ending for our protagonists (with a few plot threads left open for later books). Can technically be read as a standalone, but is best enjoyed after Just Like Magic.

*Content warnings available on website.


Miki J's review:

This one takes up pretty much straight up from book 1, so yes, you will need to read them in order. No way it can be stand-alone. 

Now, the fallout from book 1 reverberates in this book and is the driving force of why Mehmet and Shiki start talking....they both have a need that will be fulfilled by each other....and then that takes an emotional turn with plenty of feelings. Add in the twists and heartbreak (and yes, TW's oh for sure !!!)...... and you're on one heck of that ride. This book & series is intense....yes it's romantic but also bittersweet. While they do fall in love, it's the actions and words and consequences that's the battle. As for that ending, YES !!!!! 

PS - I'm with Mehmet - pineapple is a perfect pizza topping !!


Winner Take All is currently available as an e-book, paperback, and hardback.