Sebastian Smythe is an accomplished chef and restaurateur with several businesses and has the perfect life. That is until his long-term partner decides he no longer wants to be with him. Suffering the devastation and loss of his “boy,” Sebastian struggles to let go of the past and move on and find someone new with his ex’s shadow still hanging over him. Richie Bellinger has his life mapped out … mapped out for him by his girlfriend. A career in management once he’s completed his masters at university. Then marriage, followed with a house and two point four kids, and they’d all live happily ever after.
Only the universe seems to have other plans for him. With his mother diagnosed with breast cancer and his father having done a runner, Richie finds himself dropping out of uni and applying for the position of office assistant at the restaurant, La Trattoria Di Amore, to earn money to pay the mounting bills.
Richie’s well-organised life is turned on its head when he meets the enigmatic Sebastian. All the things Richie thought he knew about himself and what he wanted are challenged at every turn.
Will these two learn that there is more to life if they just let go? Can they both accept each other, slot the puzzle pieces of their lives together, and reform their future?
Warning
Some of the content of this book is sexually graphic, with the use of explicit language and adult situations involving two males. It is only intended for mature adults. This book contains Daddy kink, gay for you, and a significant age gap between the characters. There are also potential grieve triggers around a family bereavement.
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I LOVED THIS BOOK!! It’s not a run of the mill Daddy/Boy book. Richie is being torn to pieces by the illness of his Mom. He is dealing with the worst life can throw at you. Seb owns the most popular restaurant in town. His life is also be blown to pieces. Adam is Richie’s best friend. When he calls about a job opening, Richie finds some hope. Meeting knocks Seb and Richie back a few paces. Seb is a Daddy trying to keep it under wraps. Richie is straight and doesn’t understand any of it. Acceptance, Trust, Heartbreak are just a few of the hurdles these two face. Understanding, learning and love are the things that seem unreachable. This is a MAGNIFICENT Book of how to overcome what life throws at you. I really ENJOYED this book. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!
Sebastian’s world is turned upside down when his boy, Ellie, decides to leave him. When his suffering spills over into the business he owns with his friend, Carl, enough is enough and they decide to hire someone to help out, Richie. Richie has his own problems that he’s dealing with, but when he meets Seb for the first time, he’s a little confused when he starts to feel things he hasn’t felt before, not even with his girlfriend. There are issues throughout this story that each character is dealing with, so in my opinion, this isn’t your typical romance and that kind of appealed to me. The age gap, daddy kink, although it didn’t really get in depth with that like I was hoping, and the GFY does hit the spot for me. The ending was different than I expected and won’t be for everyone as this is an ongoing story and is carrying over into the next book, which I totally love. I love an ending that leaves me with wanting more, and this one did just that. This one was better than I was hoping for and I’m glad I gave it a try. I can’t wait for book two in this series.
This is a new author to me & I was pleasantly surprised at how well this MM romance (with an undertone of “Daddy Kink” with a physical age gap) was written. The plot is interesting, well-thought out & written. The unique characters are well-developed & display realistic emotional flaws when they are placed in unexpected situations.
It is about: a older man & chef (Sebastian aka Seb) with a successful restaurant who is devastated & crushed by his “boy” (Ellie) leaving him, he later comes into contact with an apparently straight young man (Richie) who has just started working for him. Richie’s best friend (Adam), Sebastian’s head chef (Carl), Richie’s extremely ill mother (Marian), a judgmental & callous girlfriend (Millie), A greedy father (Mr. Bellinger)
There is: some twists, some drama, memories, attractions, emotional turmoil, greed, discipline/spankings, humor, love, happiness, steamy scenes & love. I look forward to the next book about Adam & Carl.
JP Sayles is a new author for me but I can tell you, she and I are going to get to know each other well! This book grabbed me from the very begining…it made me laugh, it made me want to yell, it made me mad, and it made me cry. It had me so wrapped up in the story I just had to see what would happen next, because I just couldn’t put it down and that makes this book an ultimate read. Fitting the pieces of their life together for Seb and Richie is hard work for both of them because of their pasts, but in the long run it will get them both to the ultimate prize a love to last a life time.
Sebastian’s longtime boy has left him and he’s in a funk about it, still not getting over him, or understanding why he dumped him.
Richie needs a better paying job, one that will help pay off the debts caring for his ailing mother is leaving them with. So it seems that when Richie’s best friend, Adam, encourages him to apply at the restaurant where he works, that it would be a good sign that Richie gets the job. But is it? It could be a good sign when he and Sebastian fall into a relationship. Except Sebastian still isn’t over his ex, nor is he any further into understanding why his ex left him, so he’s still the same controlling person he was before. Sigh…
I wanted to love Puzzle Pieces, and I did love parts of it, but as a whole, it just did not work for me. Richie and Adam are the bright spots of the story. The writing style, what with multiple POV switches that aren’t marked, and Sebastian’s terrible character, all served to dilute my enjoyment of what could have been a good story. So I’ll just say that Richie’s adorable character saves this from a lower rating, and wish that he had been paired with a more equal partner and that the writing had been as good as Richie and Adam are.
Heat in the kitchen but somewhat disjointed
May 22, 2019
3-3.5 stars
While I really felt sympathy and a connection with Richie and his ailing mother at the beginning, something about the romance and power exchange part of the story was a bit off. Richie, who starts the story as a tower of strength for his mom, devolved into a weepy, clingy submissive. I never really warmed up to Daddy Seb, the other main protagonist, and the story timeline and change of viewpoint was a bit confusing. The end left me hanging.
I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.
This book is the first I have read by this author. It was ok but i struggled with some of the back and forward / bouncing of time almost between chapters. It felt a little disjointed. the story concept, the characters and the setting were all good but it was a little distracting in parts the way it was written. I do love daddy kink and Seb and Richie were wonderful.
Puzzle Pieces by J.P. Sayle is the first book in the new series, La Trattoria Di Amore. It is a fantastic story with interesting and entertaining characters. It has the Daddy/boy kink and an age gap (NOT age play) between the main characters. Seb and Richie have great chemistry and their interactions were sweet but had heat too. There was a little drama, some humor and lots of well written story. Definitely worth the read. And after that epilogue I really cant wait for the next book.
I received an advanced reader’s copy of the book and I am voluntarily leaving my honest review and recommendation.
OMG!! This was my first daddy kink book. And it was amazing!!!
Let’s check important points:
Adorable/sexy characters – check
Very hot sexy time – check
Interesting plot – check
Well written – check
JP Sayle wrote characters with flaws which that makes them so much more interesting. I loved that daddy try to improve himself for his boy.
I really loved the slow pace of their relationship. It makes things more realistic and it keeps the reader just on edge.
Daddy and his boy are wonderful together.
I won’t say more to not spoil the story. Let’s just say I’m not aroused by the daddy kink lifestyle and still I found the sex scenes extremely hot!!!!