Leaving his enormous family behind, native New Yorker, Elijah, decides to move to Brighton Pier for a fresh start. Being part of a large LGBTQ community and landing his dream job at Inkubus, a local tattoo shop, is too big of a draw for him to turn down. But just when he thinks his new life is going perfectly, he finds out his burgeoning relationship is nothing more than a friends-with-benefits … friends-with-benefits arrangement to the man he was swiftly falling for. Suddenly, everything that felt so right to him feels all wrong, and he wonders if New York, with his family, is where he is meant to be after all.
Jake has worked hard for the life he’s made for himself in Brighton Pier. His life as a bachelor is pretty set in stone. Running his own business and spending time with his family and friends is enough for him, or so he’s convinced himself. Though he’s met a man he cares for, he’s adamant about keeping his single life as is. He has his reasons for not wanting to commit to the beautiful man he’s irrevocably drawn to. He just hopes their friends-with-benefits arrangement will be enough to keep Eli in his life.
When tragedy strikes, and Jake’s world is turned upside down, his instincts lead him to lean on the one person who’s become someone special, despite his best efforts to try and push him away. Eli—unable to turn Jake away when a loss so great takes the strong man to his knees—steps selflessly into the void in Jake’s life, regardless of the toll it takes on him. As both men struggle to deal with their own emotional turmoil, their lives veering off course, they grow inevitably closer as the days pass. But even so, they are still left wondering—can two people, drawn together by tragedy, turn a devastating situation into a fresh start? Or is it too late for a new beginning?
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I loved this book. Friends with benefits and all the angst and pining? Sign me the fuck up!
Eli and Jake are amazing together. There were so many times when Jake was being super dense, i just wanted to scream at him to open his eyes. Loved Nick and Dylan. Those kids are so strong. I loved them as a family. Nina and Stan are really great.
I loved all their friends. Especially Ryder!! I can’t wait for his and Avery’s book!! Oh and will Kenz get a book? I think I already like Charlie.
I’m pissed that it took me so long to read this book but on the other hand I’m glad I don’t have to wait much for the next books.
Read this book NOW!!
I really loved these two men and the family they created. While the event that made them a family was horribly tragic, it made Eli and Jake who both had doubts about themselves see that love really is the balm to the soul. All of the secondary characters were amazing and I cannot wait to read each of their stories!
KU. This was quite the emotional ride. While there was some angst between the MCs, most of it was from external sources.
Eli comes from a big happy family in New York, but is living his dream as a tattoo artist in Brighton Pier. Jake is successful as the owner of Inkubus, but still carries emotional scars that lead him to feel unworthy. When Jake becomes the guardian of his nephews he asks for Eli’s help. Eli worries about having his heart smashed again.
I love authors that can make me laugh, and cry, and root for the characters to be together. Not just because of smoking hot sexual chemistry, but because they will make a healthy long term match as well. Jaclyn Quinn totally pulls that off here. Jake & Eli grow and heal as well as create their “new normal” with Jake’s nephews. There are family jokes, hard conversations, tears, victories ~ all packed in to a book I read in one day (laundry, smaundry ).
This is my first book by Quinn and was recommended to me because I was looking for a specific trope. But this series is actually a spin-off of the Haven’s Cove series ~ so I’m going to go back and read those before I continue with this Beyond The Cove series.
Great book. Love the characters, main and secondary.
So I’ve finished this book at 1am this morning and I wanted to review it right away but went to bed instead because I thought that a good sleep will help me write down a review that will do this book justice. So here I am at 6pm with still no words but I’ll try to do my best
This book was an emotional rollercoaster. It had me crying like a baby, laughing my head off and feeling butterflies in my stomach. I love Jake and Eli. These two man will steal your heart from the very first chapter. I loved Jake’s heart with wanting to do the right thing even when he doubted himself. I HATE his parents. And Eli ; that man has the biggest heart. I loved how he stepped up even when he thought he was only set to be pushed back by Jake. As the story develops you get to understand why Jake is the way he is when it comes to relationship. I was loving how much he was trying to make Eli see that he was it for him.
Jaclyn Quinn is one talented author. She was my first MM read at the beginning of this year and I’ve been the BIGGEST fan ever since. If you haven’t read any off her books you need to do that now. I super excited to see what she has in store for us next and to see her become one of the best author in MM romance.
***Review copy requested and reviewed on behalf of OMGReads Blog***
A heart can only pine for so long before the ache takes over. For Elijah, he feels like he’s approached that point over and over but after hearing the callous words from Jake, the man he hoped could be more, he’s finally done. Jake sees what he’s doing is hurting Elijah but he just can’t stop because he doesn’t feel worthy enough to give Elijah what he deserves. Until a tragedy brings Jake to his knees and Elijah to his side. Navigating loss, heartache, and the casualties of the devastation bring both men closer together until they think that maybe, just maybe, they might be able to make things work after all; or maybe their closeness is just a product of hurt and comfort and it won’t last. Without courage they might lose it all before they can speak their hearts.
From their first coupling until the end, it’s clear Elijah and Jake have serious chemistry. It’s that chemistry and the hope for more that brings Elijah back for more over and over again. Finally, when he declares he’s had enough, Jake begins to show his possessiveness, a possessiveness that has no place in the face of his rejection of Elijah’s heart. I was pretty disgusted with Jake’s treatment of Elijah and the things he’d say to their partying coworker. All the broken pieces of our hearts, mine and Elijah’s, are mended by Jake’s confession near the end though. In fact, it’s Jake’s heart that made me fall in love with this story so hard.
There was so much pain, so much raw honesty over and over here. From the horrendous grandparents, the grief of so many, the fallout of the grief and recovery, the passion, feeling undeserving, the tenderness and healing, feeling worthy…I was moved all throughout the story and couldn’t have predicted just how much I would love the journey. It’s family that can bring us down or lift us up, but it’s the chosen family that gives our heart a home, enhances the meaning of who we are, and provides a place to land when life throws us its worst. From lows to highs, the family Jake and Elijah surround themselves with are some of the best humans and it was a pleasure to read this story.