The universe is a glitterball I hold in the palm of my hand.Once the golden boy of the English literary scene, now a clinically depressed writer of pulp crime fiction, Ash Winters has given up on love, hope, happiness, and — most of all — himself. He lives his life between the cycles of his illness, haunted by the ghosts of other people’s expectations.Then a chance encounter at a stag party … a stag party throws him into the arms of Essex boy Darian Taylor, an aspiring model who lives in a world of hair gel, fake tans, and fashion shows. By his own admission, Darian isn’t the crispest lettuce in the fridge, but he cooks a mean cottage pie and makes Ash laugh, reminding him of what it’s like to step beyond the boundaries of anxiety.
But Ash has been living in his own shadow for so long that he can’t see past the glitter to the light. Can a man who doesn’t trust himself ever trust in happiness? And how can a man who doesn’t believe in happiness ever fight for his own?
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I loved this book so much it hurt.
One of my all time favourite romances. I’ve read it several times and adore it more with each read. Darian is a delightful character with a buoyant heart, opposite to our cynical leading man, Ash. They make an inspired and entertaining pair, resulting in a hilarious, sharply real, and heartfelt story. It’s no surprise Alexis Hall has won a RITA for his flawless writing and storytelling. Just gorgeous.
Alexis Hall is just magnificent. The way that Ash’s mental health is portrayed is the most authentic handling of anxiety/depression I’ve read. I love the complexities of the relationships, even with “side” characters. Amazing, as always.
The characters in this gorgeous book are realistically flawed and their story is told in Hall’s vivid style. I wept and laughed out loud and loved reading every syllable of this book. The moment I put it down I wanted to start it over.
This book came out of nowhere and wrecked me! I picked this up not expecting anything really and was blown away by its charm and rawness. The characters were so unexpected and intensely lovable.
What do you get when you mix a bi-polar depressed writer with a glittery, happy-go-lucky model? A one of a kind romance and super hot sex scenes.
Simply put I loved the characters! Even though Ash was a mess and had struggled with mental illness, he was a successful writer and had a wit and charm about him. Darian on the other hand was serious book boyfriend material. He’s from Essex (with the cutest accent ever, janarwhatamean?) and while he isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed he was wonderful.
This was a true opposites attract kind of romance. Ash and Darian have absolutely nothing in common and they come from very different background but it works. Mostly because Darian is such a nice guy who refuses to give up on Ash. I actually think he was too good for him, but I respect his choice!
Do yourself a favor and read this book. It’s absolutely worth it!
I am just sad it took me so long to read this book. I read For Real, which is third in the series, and adored it sooo sooo much so figured I would like the rest. Darian is outgoing and unapologetic in who he is. He was a wonderful character and I believe so perfect for Ash. Ash, well he has some mental issues, that Darian seems to help him with & without even knowing it. Darian by being Darian helps Ash become happy. Then of course there is the inevitable breakable, and it frustrated me that it took so long, as then it was the end of the book. Audio was awesome on this as well. Can’t wait to continue series.
I read this for the first time a few years ago but have been working on buying audios of books I love – so the Spires series is one I recently grabbed.
In some respects this is a difficult romance to get through because it’s not a lot of fun, happy feelings in comparison to Ash’s constant talk of Bipolar/depression/suicide. But that’s what makes it so heartbreakingly authentic. Folks who are really living this are living it daily, often minute by minute. Those who love them are left feeling the brunt, even if it’s not intentional/in their control.
While told entirely from Ash’s 1st person POV – Nicholas Bolton’s narration is so fantastic that it’s like listening to a cast production. (makes note to hunt down everything Bolton has ever narrated). Darian is beyond fabulous as Ash’s glitter pirate that I was in love with him before Ash was.
My only complaint – a recipe is not an epilogue. I wanted a teeny peek into, if not a happily, at least a coping well ever after. Still 5 stars though.
I wasn’t sure at all about this book given the blurb – not because it sounded like something I wouldn’t enjoy necessarily, but because it just sounded a bit cliche, self-serious and overwrought even for an angst-lover like myself. I was wrong – these two characters are some of the most believable I’ve ever come across in M/M romance – deeply flawed, and deeply loveable not in spite of but because of that very thing. I don’t usually go in for contemporary M/M, being more of a fantasy, paranormal or historical romance kind of girl, but this is honestly one of the most honest-feeling contemporary stories I’ve ever read, and just goes to show I should probably branch out more often.
One of my favourite romances of all time. As always with Alexis Hall, beautiful use of language. The depiction of mental illness was so real that it had me crying at times, but at the end was so hopeful for the future. Highly recommended!