Do something new today.Why he looks at his horoscope every day, Elias Hood doesn’t know. It’s all garbage, and no nickel fortune ever helped him climb all the way up the corporate ladder. He’s about to make Vice President. Rocking the boat with “something new” is the last thing on his mind.But there’s this guy.Ty Green can make friends with a tree and Elias can’t help falling for his easy-going … falling for his easy-going vibe and his perfect smile. He’s a fellow Capricorn, like Elias, but that’s as far as their similarities go. Ty works to live—he doesn’t live to work. When Elias takes his horoscope’s advice and asks Ty out, both men are in for a shock. But as Elias’s walls start to come down, they might just realize that they have more in common than they think. In fact, they might even want the exact same thing.
Who knows? Maybe horoscopes aren’t just trash after all.
[Elias was originally published as Picture Winter in October 2017. This rerelease has a brand new cover and title, but no content changes.]
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Chocolate makes everything better
I have to begin by sharing that Eli gives the most thoughtful gifts. In fact they made me teary-eyed. “It’s how I see you.” Gah, the feels and the love tugged right at my heart. Ty and his laughter are infectious though. His smiles and his pure joy made me happy. Ty’s family while a bit overwhelming is just what Eli deserves in life. I loved how he and Ty brought out the best in each other and how Eli opened up and rediscovered his passion. Together they make a beautiful picture.
Thank you for the ARC read, I voluntarily give this book an honest review. Stupid horoscopes and their brighterside cheer-up, why Elias thought is was a good idea every morning to read them was beyond him. After one grumpy run in with a city worker Elias is driven to prove he is a nice person, finally after three days of bringing surprise treats to the young man he gets a name. Ty loved his job but not everyone can say that…right? After his little fun with a grump on the sidewalk he never dreamed that said grump would try to make up for his attitude. Getting to know Elias more he can wait to caught the rear smiles and laughs that his bubble personality pulls out of the hot handsome but silent guy. Can two Capricorns have a connection more than friends? Will seeing Ty living the life that made him happy help Elias get the courage to follow through with his? Is it shame of a job that will hold Elias back from a happiness that he just found, which will come first in his life? Career views or love? Just loved this sweet but steamy romance read, with a herd of crazy characters.
This was a really sweet romance. Fast paced and a bit insta lovey but I thoroughly enjoyed it. While I am not a Capricorn I could relate to Elias’ personality. He was very much not a people person and used his actions instead of his words to show he cared. Ty while having some of the same personality traits was different in a lot of ways. He wore his heart on his sleeve and was such a cinnamon roll you couldn’t help but adore him. He was the perfect counterpart to break to Elias’ walls. I loved their friendship and let’s be real the sex scenes were fantastic .
I just love Amy Aislin’s writing and the characters she creates. Elias is another great one and if you want a light low drama romance with a happy ending this book is for you.
Independent reviewer for Gay Romance Reviews, I was gifted my copy of this book.
Elias is plodding along, not particularly happy, as such, but getting by. He has a good job, and will be making VP shortly. Then he meets Ty and all bets are off. Ty brings something out in Elias, and Elias in Ty, and they just have to get past their *initial* thoughts about each others jobs.
SO!
I am ALL about my books feelings and this book right, hits a whole damn lot of them! I have not had such a cute story, that left me with so much warm and fuzzies in a long damn time! And I really REALLY enjoyed it!
Both Elias and Ty have a say, in the third person. So we get all the things Elias was thinking about when he meets Ty and Ty tells him off for putting his rubbish in the wrong bin. We get all of Ty’s emotions when he realises how much more than friends he wants to be with Elias. We get it all.
It’s not especially explicit, but damn, it’s hot! There is chemistry, right from the start, between these two and it burns bright and hot the whole way through.
It’s a bit emotional in places, when Elias is talking about his family and his past, and I was tearful at that point. Ty’s family is great at taking Elias in as one of there own though.
There is no violence, no nutty ex, no major break up. And THAT, my book friends, is what I LOVED most about this book. The fact that; yes they fall out; but it’s such a minor, silly thing, and it’s resolved pretty quickly, but it’s not relationship-break-up material, you know? It’s a falling out over the choice of words one of them used, and everyone is happy after they talked it out.
They get their Happy Ever After in a very, almost fairy-tale like way, and I really REALLY enjoyed it!
4 wonderful stars (Can’t quite stretch to 5 and most of the webistes don’t do halves!)
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Elias and Ty had a light, sweet and fast romance. I loved the lightness of this story and the humor from all of the characters. It was a lovely progression of a quick love into something that hopefully lasts forever. Perfect in between, quick read.
Nice low angst love story.
Elias is the second book I’ve read recently by Amy Aislin that I’ve had on my e-reader for quite a while. I fell in love with her books when she had only a few published. At the time, I didn’t make time to read her backlist even though I purchased a few of them. I’m glad this promotional opportunity came up because it meant that I would now make the time to read Elias (originally published as Picture Winter).
This isn’t a really long story at only 172 pages but Amy knows how to write a story with a lot of depth without adding a lot of unnecessary filler. Elias grabbed me right from the start and didn’t let go. It really got to me in places and which resulted in tears more than once. This is always a good sign that I love the book I’m reading.
Elias has never had a relationship but something about this guy who hassled him about recycling one morning on his way to work got to him. He wasn’t very nice in response to Ty’s chastising him for throwing his paper into the wrong trash bin and he later regretted it. To apologize he buys coffee for Ty and that is the start of what eventually becomes a relationship.
Elias is a pretty low angst story. There has to be a certain amount of conflict to keep things interesting but it was mild compared to some stories and I like that from time-to-time. Elias and Ty start out as opposites – Ty works for the city in garbage collection and Elias works as a manager for a company that assists other companies going through reorganization. As the story goes along, we eventually learn that they aren’t really opposites as much as it seemed at first.
The blurb kind of makes you think that the book is about horoscopes, and that Elias is driven by his, but I didn’t really get that vibe very much. To me this was a sweet and spicy story about a man (Elias) who has lost a lot in his life and the boyfriend who helps him learn to stop and smell the coffee. I really enjoyed this one.
***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com***
I really loved Elias. What a great story about Ty and Elias. Their romance was fast and super cute. I enjoyed all of it. It happened so fast and it was a great little romance. I thought they were so sweet together and another bonus, they were Canadian! I definitely recommend this book.
Elias by Amy Aislin is a contemporary m/m romance with insta-love, steamy connections, humorous family interactions and very little angst. Elias and Ty are good characters that are opposites but yet fit perfectly together. Sweet love story that will make you smile.
Elias by Amy Aislin is a re-release title. The name has changed since I did not read this story the first time, I have no idea if the storyline has changed dramatically or not. I felt this book was okay. Nothing too over the top and the characters are very likable. I did not feel the emotional pull to these two men. That is where this book becomes just okay for me. They are pretty lukewarm for me.
Elias has a wicked sense of sarcasm. Lives in walking distance to his work. Responsible person he is also kind and thoughtful.
I liked the astrology stuff sprinkled into this story.
Ty ends up being confused by Elias. Suddenly the man keeps getting coffee and hot chocolate from a guy he barely knows. He is a city garbage man. Wonders what a guy like Elias sees in him.
Overall, a pretty good story. It just needs a little more something, it is an okay read and I am glad I got to meet Elias he is a character worth knowing.
Four twinkling stars
A sweet, low angst story with very funny characters! I loved this tale set in Toronto a lot and recommend it for a quick fun read!
4.5 sweet and fluffy stars!
This was precisely what I needed to read with all its awkward sweetness, super low angst, and self acceptance. The meet-cute was exactly that, a cute moment that led to more and more and more. There was little conflict and it was resolved quickly so the overall feel of the story was kept light. And with such a sweet outcome, there wasn’t much reason for me not to love this story. It gave me all the feels I could want and just enough steam to make it spicy.
The conflict revolved around the issue with their jobs, mostly the perceptions of others regarding those jobs and their own satisfaction in them. Despite seeming like a large issue in their own minds, the situation was resolved quickly with patience, remorse, and the best insight from an awesome father. Ty’s dad really is the best, with the way he handled his wife, loved his kids, and gave the loving, blunt advice they needed to hear.
There’s no denying that this is a simple story, one that doesn’t take you on a roller coaster of emotion, nor does it have an overly complicated plot. I think that’s the beauty of a story like this though; it lifts you up, gives you all the sweet feels, a sense of passion, and the sense that certain things just don’t have to be hard to be right. Like I said before, this was what I needed when I read it and I’m sure I’ll need those same feelings again so this will be going on my re-read list for sure.
This was a sweet story of tightly wound Elias finding love and family with sanitation worker Ty. These men were different in many ways, but they fit together perfectly. Ty helped Elias relax the grip he had on his long-held views of success, and Elias helped Ty to have more faith in himself. The character who had the most growing to do here was definitely Elias, and I enjoyed watching him become a happier, emotionally healthier person. I smiled as these two quickly became a wonderful couple. Ty’s family provided support to both men, and I loved them for it. This romance wasn’t completely angst-free, but the troubles that came up were dealt with quickly and satisfactorily. I will very likely be reading this one again!
Elias is reserved and closed off with set ideas for the his path of his life. Ty is so open and his life is so full of sunshine. I loved watching these two fall in love and grow.
This is a wonderful story about learning to see people for who they are as people not by what you see. I definitely recommend this book!
Elias from Amy Aislin has simply the best meetcute scene I have ever read!
We begin with the very serious Elias, who humours a work colleague by reading the daily horoscope. Today’s astrology says to “be nice”, which is ridiculous – Elias is always nice… isn’t he? Until he realises he’s grumpy to the city worker who schools him in recycling etiquette.
Elias feels bad for snapping and goes back the next day with coffee as a peace offering. The adorable city worker doesn’t appear to be impressed, but Elias won’t stop until he’s made amends – after all, his horoscope said to be nice.
Ty is passionate about recycling and preserving natural resources, and just has to say something when he sees the office worker putting the paper in the wrong bin. He becomes amused though when the serious man in a suit continues to attempt to atone for his error – after all, he’s really hot and is bringing him treats!
When Elias’ horoscope dares him to try something new, he gets to know Ty and the sizzle begins.
The relationship that builds in this book is sweet, relatable and dotted with humour. Ty and Elias bring the heat and passion as a balanced couple making the novel effortless to follow and most enjoyable to read.
If you love a story that makes you glow from the characters’ discovery of following their hearts and passion, Eliasby Amy Aislin will make you gasp, swoon and smile.
If you’re looking for a feel-good read, with barely any angst, this is your book. Sometimes you just want to feel happy when reading, and it’s okay! I do, too. This book was like coming in from the cold to enjoy a cup of hot chocolate while curling on a comfy seat in front of the fireplace, and a really good story to boot!
Elias had his life all planned out. He wanted to be as different as his birth parents as he could possibly be. His life was run by order, making money, having a dependable job, and being a dependable worker. He even had hopes that his work ethics were going to get him a promotion. That was his plan…until he read his horoscope, and it told him to be nice to others, to brighten someone’s day, and then to try something new. So he did all those things, and his course changed.
This is a story of love, but also of learning to be true to yourself and to have the guts to go after what you really want. The job Elias was in was not his passion. In fact, he hated it, but he had committed to it. His passion was photography, which he was doing as a hobby. Could he bring himself to go after his dreams? Maybe…I will let you find out for yourself when you read it.
This was a fun, easy read. I found myself smiling fairly often. To me, that’s a good sign. What I was reading evoked emotion, and that is something I look for when I read. I want to ‘feel’ the story. I loved Elias and Ty. While we did get to learn about Ty, this book was mostly Elias’ journey, and it is one worth reading.
***Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure. A review wasn’t a requirement.***
Elias is a sweet, low angst, humorous story. I hadn’t read it previous to the re-release. I loved that the main conflict in the story stemmed from a true to life problem rather than a more contrived conflict. Ty’s family and their contributions to to the story line helped to show Ty and Elias’s differences but also how they were able to fall in love so quickly. Definitely worth a read especially right now.