Sugar (The Beginning Of Always Book 3) by E.M. Lindsey

EM Lindsey once again writes and creates another masterpiece with Sugar.


From the blurb:

If Juno could describe his life in three ways, it would be:

A little lost.
A little happy.
And maybe a little hopeful.

At least, he was hopeful, but he stops feeling that way when a diagnosis falls into his lap and his entire world turns upside down. Panic sets in and he can no longer remember what it's like to see a light at the end of any tunnel.

Enter Piper, stage right. Juno has been crushing on the older man from behind his bakery counter since Piper started his mall security job. And just as Juno is certain everything around him is going to crumble, Piper appears and makes Juno an offer:

A single trip with a bucket list for everything Juno can reasonably see before he goes blind.

It’s not a cure. It’s barely hope. But it is something no one else can give Juno. And it helps that whenever Piper touches him, when he kisses him, it gives him visions of forever.

He’s terrified what the future is going to look like, literally, but he’s starting to realize there’s still a promise of happiness. He just needs to learn to let himself be vulnerable, and that’s the only real battle he has left to fight.

Sugar is the third book in The Beginning of Always series. It contains a swoony, steamy, age-gap, friends-with-benefits relationship, baked goods, northern lights, Jupiter’s moons, picnic dates, waterfalls, a road trip to remember, and the most tender-hearted happily ever after.


Angel's review:

There are a couple different things EM is known for in their writing. They are really good at building angst, they know how to make really strong emotional connections between the characters that you can't help but relate to, in addition to writing characters that the world views as disabled, but they showcase those disabilities in such a realistic and poignant way. They never fail to create such beautiful characters full of emotion, that are realistic, raw, and poignant.

The storyline of this book in particular hit me hard. All of the books I've read by this author I have loved and enjoyed, but there have been a few, this one now included, that I can relate to on a more personal level. My eyesight is not good, my eyesight is deteriorating the more time goes on, my mom has several different eye conditions some of which got passed down to me. While I don't have the same condition Juno has, I can relate to the fear, anguish, grief, and sadness at losing your ability to see the things you once thought you had so much time to see. In the beginning of this book Juno says he thought the doctor would prescribe him a strong prescription for glasses, and that's what happened to me. Without them though everything is blurry, I can't make out details, and I can't read anything unless it's right in front of my face. Reading about Juno's experiences was hard but so beautiful at the same time, while I don't have the same condition that was highlighted in this story, I found this to be a really profound way to write about deteriorating eyesight and the journey you have to go through within yourself trying to cope with what will become your new reality.

Piper... Piper is a complete sweetheart, he cares about Juno and just wants to do what he can to bring joy to Juno's life. Him being a retired astronaut was really unique! I don't think I've ever read a story that has had an mc who has been an astronaut so that aspect was really interesting to read about! Piper's character has a heart condition, which is something I can also relate to as I have several myself. I have always appreciated how much research and time EM puts into writing about each illness, disease, health condition, disability, ect. They really take their time to make sure it's as accurate as it can be within a fictional story. I thought both of these characters were really well written, and what they each individually were going through as well as going through it together was described and written in great detail, which I really enjoyed.

Since Juno is a baker and he had owned his own bakery, I was hoping for more scenes where he would be baking different things. That didn't happen though, there were a few mentions of him baking but not as many as I was expecting considering he's a baker. Although I do understand why that was not the focus of this story, the focus was on his journey with reconciling with the information his doctor dropped on him, along with him opening up to Piper.

The pacing was great, the relationship between Piper and Juno developed quite quickly compared to this author's more angstier romances, but I still really liked this and thought that the relationship development was beautifully done. This book is high steam so be prepared for that, this book is also a bit heav so if that's not your cup of tea, this may not be for you. Overall this book was exceptional!!! I can't wait to see what this author does next!!

Sugar is currently available as an e-book and paperback and can be read as part of your Kindle Unlimited Subscription