A ring of braided grass. A promise. Ten years of separation. And memories of an innocent love with the power to last through time.When Luca Ward was five years old, he swore he would love Imre Claybourne forever. Years later, that promise holds true—and when Luca finds himself shipped off to Imre’s North Yorkshire goat farm in disgrace, long-buried feelings flare back to life when he finds, in … when he finds, in Imre, the same patiently stoic gentle giant he’d loved as a boy. The lines around Imre’s eyes may be deeper, the once-black night of his hair silvered to steel and stone…but he’s still the same slow-moving mountain of a man whose quiet-spoken warmth, gentle hands, and deep ties to his Roma heritage have always, to Luca, meant home.
The problem?
Imre is more than twice Luca’s age.
And Luca’s father’s best friend.
Yet if Imre is everything Luca remembered, for Imre this hot-eyed, fey young man is nothing of the boy he knew. Gone is the child, replaced by a vivid man whose fettered spirit is spinning, searching for north, his heart a thing of wild sweet pure emotion that draws Imre into the compelling fire of Luca’s frustrated passions. That fragile heart means everything to Imre—and he’ll do anything to protect it.
Even if it means distancing himself, when the years between them are a chasm Imre doesn’t know how to cross.
But can he resist the allure in cat-green eyes when Luca places his trembling heart in Imre’s hands…and begs for his love, over and over again?
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I absolutely loved this story of a love that was a long time in the making. With an age gap and a father’s best friend trope, this already has two of my fave tropes, but the characterization is what makes it shine. The writing is gorgeous (if a little overwritten at times) and while the book moves slow, it fits the setting and the characters. A love story that will stick with me.
Just lovely. I adore age gap romances, and this one was superbly done. I adored both characters, and I didn’t feel like killing either of them at any point of the book, which happens far too often. It was just a sweet, compelling romance. Do give it a try.
An ultimate friendship – a deep-rooted love, wrapped in soft silk like a precious treasure.
This way of writing is just superlative. The love is deeper, the tension intenser, the snow whiter, the grass greener, an all-consuming love story with details that touched my heart like electric sparkles and stopped my breath more than once.
Luca, nineteen years old, came back to the goat farm after ten years.
Imre a silver fox, Luca’s parents best friend, lives there alone and runs the farm. Luca promised Imre, as a young boy, that he would always love him.
He has to stay at the farm for several months, a decision made by his parents, because of a rebellion action. He just doesn’t want a third parent… and Imre.. just wants to be there for Luca.
The strength Imre had was impressive because how could he ever resist the beautiful young Luca with his green eyes and full lips, it was almost impossible. The longing and yearning, intense, warm and touching, the slow-burn is almost unbearable
Several times there came an answer where I totally forgot the question, because of the absorbing sentences between them.
Excellent written love story with a large vocabulary and every line is just reaching sky high.
Deeply sensitive, deeply moving story, sometimes my heart cracked and sometimes it swelled out of my chest. Every scene was delightful, fragile, tempting, enticing and unbelievable powerful. The story had a beautiful way of putting down the essence of demisexuality.
Consistent personalities and well developed. All the wonderful activities around the farm were very varied and enjoyable.
“Nothing isn’t better than something”
Highly recommended story in which I can’t find any downside.
Kindly received an arc from the author
4.5 stars
Over and Over Again is a long book within the genre and while it is a slow-burner, this May-December romance never felt clunky and my attention didn’t wane. I’ve been a fan of this author’s writing style for a while now, and those talents were on full display here- the chemistry, rhythm, and character depth were great and the story different and interesting. Add to that a smooth writing style that captured a myriad of emotions, and I really couldn’t ask for much more.
I’ve read a number of May-December romances, and Over and Over Again offered one of the more unique set-ups with Luca coming to stay with Imre, a family friend, after getting in repeated trouble at home. I loved that the men had a rich history filled with love and good memories because it both established a connection and created potential conflict. The length afforded the author plenty of time to establish and develop both Imre and Luca and he took full advantage, giving the reader a full picture of the men independently and as a couple. I enjoyed watching Luca grow and mature over the course of the book, and seeing those changes play out in his responses to Imre and his father toward the end made them more noteworthy. I also liked how the men’s relationship deepened over time. Although the connection and chemistry between Imre and Luca was always palpable, it became more vibrant as their bond deepened. The time and care the author dedicated to making the emotions and experiences come alive ensured I remained invested cover to cover. I’d recommend Over and Over Again to readers who love a romance focused on the characters and their relationship changing and growing over simply telling a lust-fueled story.
*eARC provided by author. This review was not influenced by the author in any way*
This is the age gap friends to lovers trope-flipping goat-tending demiromantic m/m romance you never knew you needed!
This story is a beautiful tale of epic love spanning years and transcending age. Large age gap but two souls who belong together. There’s a hurt/comfort element there too that I really enjoyed and slight Daddy flavour that’s understated. I adored the cultural depictions of Imre’s history adding richness and depth to his character. A highly sentimental and gorgeous story full of rich detail as well as plenty of lust, longing and bone deep love.
First. This cover! Gorgeous!
This stand alone was a loooong book – but Imre & Luca were worth it. Cole McCade weaves a beautiful story with so much detail that I’m fully immersed in this world. At first, it feels a little daunting, perhaps overwhelming, and I’m worried that I’m about to be drowned by someone who is just dumping words on the page. But there’s purpose and meaning and heart to his prose. The farm almost becomes it’s own character. I feel like I’m living at Lohere (and frankly never want to leave).
I really enjoy age gap romance, however I admit to being a little worried with this one. Imre being a family friend and knowing Luca since he was 5. A twenty six year age difference. However, I think by giving the characters 10 years without seeing each other and by having them spend months together learning who they are as adults, McCade removed anything that could have felt creepy about it. Luca, while young, turns 20 and is a full grown adult.
There’s definitely a slow burn here. When Imre & Luca finally come together it’s absolutely beautiful. Not without troubles. There was some angst and I found myself in tears at a few points, however it was a necessary emotional maturing and miscommunications that made sense for the characters. Lovely HEA and I’m a big fan of the epilogue.