I always turn up at just the wrong moment. I never know how to make the most of a situation; I don’t know the right thing to say, or when I should come or go. Let’s just say I have really shit timing.I’m not a smart guy. I don’t have great ideas. I’m practical, a hard worker; someone who lives for his family, and for the air that she breathes.It’s just a shame that the “she” in question never … question never knew this. It’s a shame that I waited all these years to make my move. It’s useless to tell you, readers, that it was already too late; that I’d screwed everything up, once again. And, this time, my mistakes forced her to come home.
Except she didn’t want to stay.
And now she hates me – or maybe she doesn’t. I still haven’t worked out what’s going on between us, but like I said, I’m not the sharpest tool in the box. And even though this could be my last chance, I’m not going to be the one to ask her to stay. Not even if she turns out to be the one I’ve always waited for.
Because she doesn’t belong in this place.
And she doesn’t belong in my life.
My name is Alex Brennan, and this is my story: of how I realised I’d lost the most important person in my life, before I even had her.
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3.5 Stars!
I enjoyed the first half of the story, because for one, it was written mostly on the hero’s POV. The hero wasn’t some hot guy that plays around and he was in love with his best friend.
Some may find the hero coward or lack bones to speak up how he feels but somehow, the writings made me believe that he was just that type of person. He’s sweet and think of others first than himself.
The daily struggle of Alex tugs my heart. At least, for the first half… his fears, disappointments and love towards Ellie was just hard.
Sadly, once everything was brought out to light, I find it too cheesy to my liking. I’m more into angst filled reads so probably, it’s just me.
I’m a bit disappointed for not getting a longer glimpse with regards to Alex and Ellie’s relationship during their younger days. How they became the best of friends, when does Alex’s feelings starts to bloom and vice versa. His struggle to cover his feelings, her denial or longing or anything that’ll led us to believe their strong love.
Oftentimes, I felt like being told that Alex really love Ellie very much, so the reality that Ellie was unaware of it was not believable. The whole town actually knows, except for Ellie. How naive/numb/ stupid can she be? I mean, even Justin knows.
Copy provided in exchange for an honest review.
This is a very sweet and delicate book, when I said delicate I mean it like you will feel scared for Alex or Ellie because both parties are on a thread of something coming towards the end or of something new.
It’s like walking on eggshells because its like you don’t know what’s gonna happen, Alex does something stupid or he does something right but then waiting for the shoe to drop. The romance was very sweet but heartbreaking at the same time. The plots that encountered not only with Alex but with Ellie was very unfortunate for both of them to ever have a happily ever after. I love the characters, especially Alex and Ellie.
I could relate to Alex in a way for not being the brightest and shitty timing because I’m that way too. I’m not bright but I can be smart not realizing it.
Ellie is a strong female character who stands her ground & stays true to herself. Family and tradition was highly mentioned to be the most important aspect in their lives which I love wholeheartedly!
The reason why I’m not giving it a high rating like 4 is because I had a hard time empathizing the romance with the main characters. I could understand partial of it but it was just not clicking to me, I don’t find a flaw in the book whatsoever but I want to be honest with myself.
This book was just not for me but I’d highly still suggest to romance lovers, it’s sweet and heartbreaking but its not sad either! Just saying your heart will be tugged maybe?
Received this digital arc copy from the author and her team for an honest review!
Love on the rocks
The Best Man tells the story of two childhood friends from a small town in Ireland that drifted apart when they were young adults. Reunited several years later, they struggled to overcome their past and forge a path to the future.
Our thanks to the author for the advanced reader’s copy.
Alex and Ellie were best friends. Ellie’s outspoken personality had always enchanted the quiet and introspective Alex.
When Ellie left town to go to university, Alex knew she would not come back. He tried to move on with his life, but he kept her in his heart.
What Alex could not have predicted was that, several years later, Ellie would return engaged to his best friend Chase.
The story is very emotional. Alex is an interesting beta hero. He is handsome and kind but lacks confidence. He is not brilliant or spirited; he is just a regular guy.
My heart went for him. As I said numerous times, I’m a sucker for unrequited love.
I think the story could have been a little shorter. It was nice to accompany the characters’ journey, but it dragged a little in places.
I loved the side-characters and the setting. Ellie’s brothers were so friendly and fun, and Alex’s kid was simply adorable. Most of the story takes place inside Ellie’s family’s whiskey distillery, or around the beautiful countryside of Ireland.
I was fascinated by the whiskey production and the workings of the distillery. The traditions and the sense of community that surrounded the business were very captivating.
Keep in mind that the characters consume plenty of alcohol. I guess it is kind of expected from people whose livelihood is connected to the production of spirits.
Overall, an engaging and emotional read.
Disclosure: I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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I enjoyed this “friends to lovers” story. With a wedding-stopping beginning, I could tell that there would be a lot of angst, but from the setting of Ireland, I expected some fiery exchanges as well. I wasn’t wrong. I thought the book took a while to get going, but as it is the first in a series, the author obviously had to establish both the setting and the characters. I’ll certainly tune in for the second in the series. For more thoughts, please visit my blog at Fireflies and Free Kicks. This review was written based on a digital copy of the book, and all thoughts are my own.
A friends to lovers romance that is sweet and a bit emotional. I admit that I had mixed feelings while reading this story at first, was not a fan of Ellie and Alex, but it sucked me in and I really enjoyed it. These characters grew on me and I found myself rooting for their happiness and to overcome all that error between them. A first for me author that I want to read more from.
What a great story this turned out to be!!! It wasn’t just a romance story, far from it, it was a story of family and friendship and growth and perseverance and love! Alex and Eliie both are characters that you will connect with and root for. Their story was engaging from the very beginning and it will tug at your heart until the very end! The secondary characters all enhanced the story and added lots of laughter to what could be considered a very emotional story depending on what your threshold is. I myself found it more hopeful that angst/emotional. Their backstory along with present day just rang so hopeful and full of love for me that I smiled thru this entire book!
Copy provided for blog tour review
3.5 Stars
This one started off a little slow for me, but once I got into it I flew through the pages. I wanted to shake Alex a lot while reading this book. Alex and Ellie needed to communicate better. Though Alex is super cautious when it comes to risks with putting his heart on the line with Ellie you can tell how much he cares foe her. That’s one of the reasons Alex wins me over. When he loves he loves firecly. He truly sees the real Ellie when others don’t. There are plenty of feels in this book. This book also had me laughing. Alex’s son has a mature wise soul. Good book over all.
This is the 1st on a series and is Alex and Ellie’s story. This is a sweet story which is filled with heartbreak, family, tradition, and is an emotional roller coaster journey throughout. I was intrigued with this story and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.
A.S. Kelly is one of the authors that I don’t need to think about if I’m going to read her. I love her writing and all her books so far were a great read.
I absolutely loved Alex. That man was waiting forever for Ellie but faith and world always got in the way. It was heartbreaking to read how much his own happiness he was giving away in order to keep Ellie and everyone else happy. He was willing to stay in the shadows forever if need be but thank God his chance finally came and he took it.
This is the first book by this author that didn’t make me ugly cry for which I’m grateful. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series.
***Review copy requested and reviewed on behalf of OMGReads Blog***
The Best Man by A. S. Kelly is the First book in the From Connemara With Love Series. This is the story of Alex and Ellie. This starts with Ellie set to marry someone else…Alex’s best friend. They all have been friends but Alex has always had deeper feeling for Ellie. But Alex finially gets the courage to stop their wedding with a bomb shell that takes everyone by surprise. But what he has done seems to have cost him more than he thought. This was a good friends to lovers story. I hope to read more from this author soon.