The day Enzo Chevalier lost his hearing, everything changed. Forced to rebuild his future and fight for his dreams, Enzo refused to let anything take him down…until the man of his life walked out on him and shattered his heart.Florian Beaudry had his whole life figured out. His business was flourishing and everything was settling down at last. Or so he believed…until he walked in on his … his girlfriend and best friend.
Still on the rebound and unable to trust another man, Enzo never expected a chance encounter with Florian. The one person he thought he would never see again. The one person he missed the most.
Were they truly meant to get a second chance or were they doomed from the start?
REWIND is an MM romance novel set entirely in France. Though part of a series, it is a standalone story without a cliffhanger.
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What a shining gem this is!!
Florian was hurt in his past and his self esteem is low. His ex took advantage of that, misused him, threw him away and now he feels even lower.
Enzo lost his hearing eight years ago and recently also his partner who moved on without him.
When Enzo meets Florian in a bar we get to understand they have a history together and that goes back eight years.
So here’s their story. Be prepared for a beautiful and heartbreaking journey!
When the puzzle pieces slowly turn into a picture, we get to know what happened with them and why Florian disappeared without a word, why there is a deep scar on Enzo’s cheekbone and soul, and the scar on Florian’s soul may even seems deeper.
First I thought Enzo was a softy but ha! he is a teacher with a clear vision about teaching deaf children and volunteers at more than one job, he has his opinions and stand tall for them. He got a mouth so witty I loved it! Florian, dear Florian, what he has to go through, my heart hurts.
This story was absolute amazingly written, detailed environments and detailed with all the feelings. I felt all the emotions. This journey was clear and had a beautifully built up, every time a piece was revealed my mind shuddered, I was speechless. The alternating between past and present was so well done. Also seeing it all through Enzo and Florian’s state of mind was ultimate moving.
The author takes us in an excellent way into the world of the deaf. Enzo voices it all so well, we can understand some ins and outs how he lives with his deafness, it’s all fascinating. I always wanted to learn ASL and now even more.
The whole story was so realistic, the natural way of rebuilding a relationship, flawed characters, failing lovers and failing friends and families, also a lot of good discussions about life and the purpose of it. Last but not least we can enjoy some delicious bed-bathroom-shower-couch scenes. The moments where beautiful French words were spoken was incredible romantic.
A widely written story, in a comfortable pace, wonderful developed, it had a clear intelligent vision and beautiful woven sentences. It had touching passages, witty comments and a good sense of humor. There are heartbreaking moments, all deeply moving illustrated.
The story is about second chances, annoying and cruel ex partners, lovely friends, trust, letting go, giving over and finally be free to stand up for who you are and love the one you love.
Highly recommended!
5 stars
Heat Level: 3.75
Wow, what a story! So much heart, incredible!
I loved this story. An epic second chance romance, eight years in the making. Rowan’s writing is a joy to read, easy flow and so much detail and heart in each word! As a fellow bi/queer person, I appreciate her attention to detail of what being bi can entail and the biphobia/homophobia elements were so real, it felt like real life, which in many ways is very saddening. That being said these elements could be triggering for some readers. The book also features (youth) homelessness, parent abandonment, homophobia, hate crimes, HoH/Deaf discrimination, parental lies, features a physical attack and alludes to sickness and working on the street which could be triggering to some readers. Please read carefully.
Enzo and Florian are perfect together! They happen upon each other at the near perfect time in their adult lives and they realize their passion and love for each other never faded! I must say I hate when parents interfere/lie/make decisions for their children in the name of ‘what’s best’ and this is featured heavily in Enzo’s situation. Enzo and Florian are 18 when they are attached violently (for PDA) and the encounter leaves Enzo deaf. Enzo’s parent’s lie to him and say Florian now wants nothing to do with him and hasn’t called or came to visit. This is of course not true and the parents simply want someone to blame, which is ridiculous! Florian is disowned by his parents after the attack and forced to live on the streets until a friend finds him and his family takes him in. Rowan does an incredible job create the emotions around these situations, I felt the frustrations, dislike, outrage, confusion, betrayal etc for each character!
While the story is not overly long is is an incredible journey and epic second chance for Enzo and Florian. The love these two characters share flies off the page and you can’t help but fall in love with them too. A wonderful story of life, it’s challenges and its ups and downs, with loveable characters and talented writing; it’s a story you’ll fall in love with. A highly recommended read and I very much look forward to more stories from France by Rowan! Loved it!!
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A great story, hard to believe it’s this author’s debut novel.
I really loved this story. Friends to Lovers and Second Chance stories are my favorites and this one is great. Enzo and Florian were dating in high school and then something horrible happened that tore them apart. And the thing about that is neither of them knew exactly what was going on.
They meet again, unexpectedly, and the spark of attraction is still there but both of them are on the rebound and don’t know whether or not to trust their feelings. They rekindle their friendship and things progress from there.
The story had just the right balance of angst and romance. While there was dark content in the story, I thought the author handled it well. I’ve read very few books with deaf characters and I loved how Enzo was portrayed as a confident young man who didn’t let his hearing loss hold him back.
Rewind also contains an interesting cast of secondary characters and I’m looking forward to reading the next book by Ms. Shaw.
Advanced Reading Copy provided by A Novel Take PR but this review was voluntary and not influenced receipt of the ARC.
Rewind by Rowan Shaw is a Contemporary MM Romance that is set in. France and is scorching hot second chance romance. Enzo and Florian are great characters with a touching story. And a sexy story. It has some gritty drama, sweet moments and steamy hot sexytimes. I loved the interactions between not only Florian and Enzo but between their collection of friends. It’s well written and holds your attention. Very satisfying read.
I received an advanced reader’s copy of the book and I am voluntarily leaving my honest review and recommendation.
I loved Enzo and Florian. They are both amazing characters and this is a second chance novel. It’s written in dual POVs and also has flashbacks to their high school romance. Both of them grow through the book and I love that being deaf doesn’t stop him in any way.
This book also deals with bi- erasure, a topic I haven’t really come across before. It shows how a lot of people are ignorant about bisexuality or pansexuality and think it’s either strictly gay or straight.
I hated Enzo’s ex and I’m so glad he left him. I’m looking forward to Raphael and Adrien’s story, RETURN, which is the next in series. Also I loved Patrick, Enzo’s best friend and I would love read his story too.
*ARC provided by the author via A Novel Take PR in exchange for honest review