One regular guy who happens to be a preacher… ruling elders wanted a safe poster child for inclusivity—in other words, they wanted the rainbow flag without letting it fly.
Plus one easygoing, new age kinda guy…
Seth Thomas owns Holistic Healing, a metaphysical shop and yoga studio. He’s never really been a relationship kinda guy, but only because he hasn’t met the right man yet. Seth is laid back and goes with the flow. When fate drops a hot preacher in his lap, why wouldn’t he accept the gift?
Equals a pair of men who click from the start.
The two men find it almost too easy to get together, especially Gabe, who is fully embracing his bi side for the first time. Nothing in life is simple though. While Gabe and Seth are busy falling in love, they face an anti-gay hate group, a divided church, and a ruling elder who is hell-bent on sowing discord. Between Gabe’s patient wisdom and Seth’s snark, the pair fight the growing drama with the strongest weapons in their arsenal: love and humor.
This is the third book in the LOVESTRONG series about finding love and being yourself in a small town, and the third in series. Intended only for 18+ readers, this is an mm romance full of all the fun, fluff, and feels you’d want from an S. Hawke book.
Note: This isn’t a trigger warning, but please be prepared for a few instances of ignorance and hate speech, and mentions of violence. This is a romance, not a sermon—but please keep in mind that the main character is a pastor dealing with real-life issues in his church and these truths are reflected in Gabe.
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I really liked Gabe as a character. He’s a preacher who is not conflicted over his sexuality and is not hiding anything. He’s bisexual and he makes no apologies about who he is, even in the face of bigotry and hatred. I enjoyed reading about his strength and grace of character. Gabe handles himself very well, and even though he’s a man of God, he’s still a man. Watching him and Seth fall in love was sweet and wonderful. Seth was cute and funny and I loved his laid back attitude.
Overall Rating: 4 Stars. Gabe has to be one of my favorite characters in the LOVESTRONG series. He’s not a pushover, but he’s not domineering. He’s a perfect balance of firm and loving. The writing was good and enjoyable. This was a wonderful book.
I loved the book just from reading the synopsis. A pastor and a methaphysical healer?!?! Not a typical pairing but it works for Gabe and Seth. The book is hot and sweet without being too over the top. I really enjoyed seeing Gabe portrayed more Than just his job as a pastor.
This is a great addition to the LOVESTRONG series. Yoga teacher Seth and reverend Gabe should be an odd match, but they are actually perfect for each other. Gabe’s sense of humor lets him appreciate Seth’s snark, and the way they care so deeply for each other almost immediately is heartwarming. This story features a fun, supportive, and sexy romance growing in the midst of a hate being stirred up by a horrible person in Gabe’s church. Harold Danvers first appeared in How Not to Blend, and his evil homophobia is even worse here. He goes to great lengths to spread his agenda of hate and intolerance. Luckily, Gabe and Seth have a great group of supporters, and many of them are members of the church.
There are some scenes when I feel like the teasing goes on a bit long when a serious conversation needs to happen, but that doesn’t detract from a very good story. I love the way the author, through Gabe, offers so many strong arguments against those attempting to use a few verses from the Bible as an excuse to condemn others. This storyline is handled well, without making the reader feel preached at. I appreciated this book, and I am excited that the next installment will be out soon. This is a series I really love!
This was my first read in this series, and I really enjoyed it! I liked the characters, especially Gabe, and the way he was portrayed as a normal human being trying to find himself and what was important to him. Being a man of God doesn’t mean you have to be perfect. I also liked the way the two MCs respected each others’ opinions and their right to believe in what they wanted. I enjoyed watching the relationship between them develop, even against a backdrop of some contention and people professing one thing, but acting in a contrary way. Good story, with some sey times, too.
I received a complimentary ARC, and this is my honest, voluntary review.
So much to love in this story. And yet, for many who read without truly considering the subject matter or one of the protagonist’s description, you’ll probably find a mix of opinions. A bit of a disclaimer that seems like it would be common sense given the synopsis, but you never know these days. This features a preacher…a PREACHer. So is this a little preachy? Uh, yeah. Does it work? Definitely. The struggle of the individual that happens to be a leader of a Presbyterian church speaks his heart during scenes of him doing his job, sharing himself with the object of his affections, and in the course of dealing with the drama that is going on with his congregation. So, yes, there’s preaching. I think it fits and don’t think I’m being preached to, mostly because many of his thoughts echo those of my own heart.
Removing the more philosophical debating, this is a story of self-acceptance and struggling against those that would persecute based on hypocritical views. I liked Gabe’s portrayal as a “regular guy” because I was able to separate the religious debate from the man. His job was religious by nature, but he knew himself and his path of self-discovery was pretty well described. The relationship he was building with Seth was amusing, heartfelt, and definitely all kinds of steamy. Both men had views that differed in some places and were compatible in others.
By focusing the story on the church drama that affected their relationship kept it about accepting themselves for who they are rather than trying to change the person into who and what you think you want in a partner to match your preconceived notions of “ideal”. Sometimes the partner that matches our pictures isn’t the best choice. The antagonist was prejudice in the form of one super hateful hypocrite that plagued the characters in the first book. Seeing him get his comeuppance was pretty great since he really was a terrible human.
Things were resolved a bit simply, but I didn’t mind that too much since they had to face quite a bit to get to their happy ending. As for the familial reconciliation/closure, that was left a bit open-ended and gave both hope and sadness. It was the reaction of Seth that proved their partnership is one born of love and understanding. While I’m not sure I would have ended that bit with a couch-breaking scene, there’s no denying that their solid emotional foundation was enhanced by incredible chemistry. This was a couple I believed in and was glad to get to know. From the intimations surrounding Shaw, the next installment in the series is bound to have more angst than we’ve previously experienced, but I’m definitely in to see him get his HEA too.
I have read 2 full novel and the 2 novellas for this series and all I can say is I never want this series to end.
Each story is so wonderfully told and I am so invested in each character we meet along the way. I love how even though a character doesn’t seem significant in the moment, the next story could be where we get a little more info then a story of their own.
Also I am not sure if our Matthews’ brothers will be part of this series or not but BIKERS!!!!!
If you are invested in the Clark/Gray story line from book 1…never fear it continues in this one…..
Wow! Susan Hawke once again knocks it out of the park with this story! Being someone who does go to church, I really enjoyed this unique perspective of a bisexual pastor dating a man outside of the church. I really liked Gabe and Seth’s relationship and was so excited to read this story because Seth appeared in the previous book and being able to dive more into his story was amazing! This story was a fun read, full of fun characters, frustrating moments, and a hot couple who work so well for each other! Highly recommend reading this book and of course the other books in this series!
I absolutely loved this latest book in the Lovestrong series!!! I adored Seth and Gabe they were so good for each other and the chemistry between the two was off the charts hot!!! I really liked Gabe’s approach on religion and how he made sure to point out that it excluded no one. I loved that. Their story was funny, chemistry off the chain, the romance so sweet, and the hot steamy moments well freakin hot!!! There were moments that broke my heart….Clark especially. I hope he gets the chance to heal and live his authentic life in peace. I absolutely loved this book….my favorite by this author hands down. I see my self rereading this book a lot!!! I can’t wait to see what comes out next….well done!!!!