FrankieNo one understands why I love him. Why I need him. Why I took him back. But they don’t have to.I know. Despite the hurt and the heartache, I see beneath his skin. And I’m different now. No more Flirty Frankie. I’m done with being King of the club.My dreams have changed, and so have I.I’m stronger. I believe in myself.And I’m a hell of a lot smarter than a year ago. Now it’s his turn to … a lot smarter than a year ago.
Now it’s his turn to show me the man he really is.
To prove it.
I’ve always loved him.
But that’s not enough.
I need to learn to trust him.
Aaron
No more excuses.
No more chances.
I make this right or lose him for good.
I have to do this.
No one has ever believed in me but him.
No one has ever wanted me but him.
I can’t let him down.
I won’t.
I can’t let myself down.
I’m trying, but it’s so damn hard.
No matter what they throw at me, I’m stronger.
And I’m going to make it.
I’m on my way.
With Frankie by my side.
I can see the future.
I have a future.
Us. Together.
Forever.
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This is a wonderful second chance story. Aaron has had a difficult life, and for a long time, he let that turn him into someone who used and lashed out at others. The person he hurt the most, besides himself, was his wonderful boyfriend Frankie, the only person who really loved him. Aaron’s actions sent him to prison for several months, and during that time, both he and Frankie changed. Now they’re back together, and they have to figure out if they can be happy together. Aaron has to prove himself over and over, not just to Frankie, but to all the people who care about him. And Frankie, whose love of dance and fashion has kept him going, starts to think that maybe he’s ready to make some changes, too.
I fell in love with Frankie right away. He’s talented, devoted, confident (mostly), beautiful, and madly in love with Aaron. It took me longer to get to know Aaron, probably because he was a work in progress. Once I realized what a good person he really was, there was no turning back. I was rooting for this couple to have all their wishes come true. The author just gets better with every book she writes. I loved this story, and I definitely recommend it. I look forward to the next story, and I hope to see more of Frankie and Aaron chasing their dreams.
Frankie, a dancer at Man Up, is determined to give his ex-boyfriend, Aaron a second chance. Aaron, just released from prison, has to gain back the trust of not only Frankie, but his family and his friends as well. Frankie is determined for his family and friends to see that Aaron has changed and that he’s not the man he used to be.
Aaron has to prove to Frankie that he’s the man Frankie wants him to be. He struggles with his own past, which caused a lot of his previous bad behaviors. Aaron is determined to show everyone the man he wants to be.
This is the second book in the Man Up series, it can be read as a stand-alone, but I highly recommend Rhoades (Book 1) and the prequel (Austin).
LOVED their story!! But!!! … I’m gonna start off by saying that the way Frankie, Aaron, Frankie’s parents, and a few other characters spoke made me a little nuts. I come from New York—born in Queens. Maybe because I live on Long Island and have for a long time now, I’m taken back that folks from Brooklyn still speak like Joe Pesce from the movie My Cousin Vinnie. “Da two yoods” kinda lingo … “What was you gonna do? He ain’t …” Gah! I laughed and cringed through every conversation, because technically, these are intelligent people, and I had to stop myself from thinking otherwise.
Anyhooo … Frankie is fabulously awesome throughout this whole book. Again, like Austin, he has so much to offer besides dancing. His biggest attribute? His unfaltering love and support, and his absolute faith in Aaron (his lover who was just released from prison) to turn his life around and be the best kind of man he possibly can. The enormity of Frankie’s love is so important because Aaron was NOT a good boyfriend before prison.
Aaron is my hero. He’s the underdog. With every crappy situation that popped up, whether it be from a homophobic co-worker or Austin or Frankie’s Mom who never hid her dislike of him, he could have easily caved in and had a violent reaction. Instead, Aaron rose above—using every ounce of restraint and calming exercises he’d learned from his therapist to not do or say something that’d get him in a heap of trouble. Aaron came from an abusive household and only knew one way to deal with life.
I will say that this installment was a bit darker because of what Aaron had gone through as a a child and in prison. His perseverance and commitment to Frankie—to not make a mess of the second chance he was given in every aspect of his life—has made Aaron my new favorite character of all Felice Stevens’ books.
“I love you. And love makes the impossible possible. It makes the unbelievable imaginable, and it makes what seems lost forever, able to be found again.” ~ Frankie
Yeah … that says it all. Can’t wait for the next one ~ Cort’s Story. I just loved this book so much ~
Whenever I open up a Felice Stevens’ book I know that I am going to get a story about family, friends, love, and overcoming trials and tribulations, and Frankie was definitely that book, although I really think Frankie should have been re-titled to Aaron, because it was Aaron that I completely connected with and it was Aaron who fought to overcome his past and his past mistakes to become the man that Frankie could be proud of. Now don’t get me wrong, Frankie also changed a whole lot and was no longer the same person who Aaron knew prior to his stint in jail…and Frankie and his crown look freaking awesome on the cover, but it was Aaron who did not have the love and support system of family and friends that Frankie always had, so it was Aaron who needed to learn that not everyone is your enemy or is out to hurt you. I loved, loved, loved the way Frankie loved Aaron and tried to show him that there is a better way to do things than always getting angry and fussing and fighting about things. However, I will admit that there were times when I felt like Frankie was a bit too pushy and needed to back off of Aaron, because there were things in Aaron’s past and not-too-distant past that were extremely painful, and for a man like Aaron, pretty embarrassing for him to talk about. I do have to admit that I wanted an epilogue for these two. Something about their story just felt like it needed an epilogue.
Frankie is a second chance romance that shows you what the power of love and faith in a person can do to help a person overcome their past and set them on a journey towards happiness and happily ever after.
Frankie is not the same man he was since Aaron went to prison. Aaron is determined that this time things are going to be different. This time, his inner demons aren’t going to win. This is an fantastic second-chance romance. The road that Frankie and Aaron take to get back to each other is so good! I totally loved the strength it takes for Aaron to overcome his fears and demons to prove his love for Frankie. Frankie isn’t without his very own personal demons either. Frankie makes some bad decisions that he must dig his way out of. I’m a huge fan of Felice Stevens, and I am so looking forward to reading Colt’s book. I’m also hoping we get to read James’s story some time soon. She keeps giving us little hints here and there. I totally love this series!!