Geordie De La Rosa is a legend among wine lovers in Napa Valley. His ultra-fabulous style paired with a penchant for leading impromptu sing-a-longs has made him a star attraction at Conrad Winery. Co-owning a well-respected winery was never Geordie’s aspiration but he likes the niche he’s made for himself. He won’t deny that his job and his friends have helped ease his heartache and grief after … after the death of his longtime partner.
Levi Yeager excels at the art of reinventing himself. He’s been a minor league baseball player, a college coach and now a restaurant owner. The problem is he doesn’t know anything about the food business. And when his chef quits unexpectedly, he’s afraid his new venture is doomed. But Levi isn’t a quitter. It may be the only thing he has in common with the beautiful, sassy man from the neighboring winery who agrees to help get his new business up and running. Neither man counts on their fast friendship or the wild attraction they feel for each other. However, they know they won’t stand a chance until they let go of the past and lean into forever.
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This book has been sitting in my TBR in my kindle forever and I finally finished it. What an emotional read with great feeling of loce, family, friendship. Levi and Geordie are beautiful and strong and colourful. Although this is part of a series it can definitely be read as a stand alone
I was three pages in and my emotions were already overflowing in this book. Other fans of this series are probably with me in stating that, after meeting Geordie, I needed him to get his second love. I knew it would take time and I knew it would be emotional but I needed him to find love again and get his HEA. This book gave me that and much more.
This story was beautiful and heartbreaking but thoughtful and absorbing. Levi was lovely and so dang earnest. The way he treated Geordie made me swoon and just be so happy for the two of them.
Read this book and series!
First I’d like to start off saying that I have not read any other books in this series and Lane Hayes is a new to me author, now that I have that out of the way I will say that this book can be read as a standalone and I didn’t feel as if I was missing anything but I am sure for those that have read the series and knew Geordie and Mike when they were together before his passing this story will pull at their heartstrings much more. I did shed tears believe me, I went through quite a few tissues but I am sure if I knew Mike when he was alive and was now watching Geordie make the steps to move on it would have been much more emotional. I had the pleasure of listening to this audiobook and I have to say that the narrator Nick J Russo did a wonderful job with the story. His voice inflections were great and I could really get a better feel for each of the characters because of it.
Levi, can I just say this man stole my heart right from the start. He knew that Geordie lost Mike almost four years earlier and he was so sweet with him, he gave him the space he needed to work through things but made it known that he wanted him in no uncertain terms. Geordie had a lot of guilt in his desires towards Levi but I’m sure everyone goes through that after they’ve lost a partner they had been with for so long. I loved the over-the-top flamboyant Barbara loving Geordie, he was Mike’s Queen but I am so glad he was going to give Levi a chance.
This was an emotional read at times so I would advise you to make sure you have tissues handy because you never know when you’ll need them. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a good LGBTQ read that has the heat factor rather HIGH. Things were very spicy between Levi and Geordie and not always in the kitchen 😉 Happy Reading or Listening!!!
**I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Readers/Listeners Copy of this audiobook**
4.5 stars-
Oh, Geordie. I knew this story would wreck me a little and it did, but in a wonderfully healing and fulfilling way. The seventh book in the Leaning Into Stories collection, Leaning Into Forever can be read as a standalone without losing any of the emotional intensity or connection to the characters. Certainly if you’re a fan of stories that deal in love after loss and the vulnerability a new relationship entails, this is a title you shouldn’t pass by.
Even though I’ve been a fan of this author for a while now, I’m always struck by her smooth, almost lyrical writing style which never fails to draw me in. As with the other couples in the Leaning Into series, I fell hard for Geordie and Levi. While I knew and loved Geordie based on his cameos as a secondary character in the previous books, I was pleased to discover more facets of his personality and get his full story. I also adored Levi and thought he complimented Geordie well. With how much build-up there was to Geordie’s story and given Leaning Into Forever is told entirely from Geordie’s point-of-view, I was really happy Levi’s character depth and growth wasn’t overshadowed. Instead, I felt like I got to know both men well in this touching romance. Chock full of lines begging to be highlighted and swooned over, Levi and Geordie were a sweet and fun match. Miss Hayes does a fantastic job capturing this couple’s connection by including those moments- be it through dialogue, actions, or looks- that solidify their chemistry and inevitably deepens the relationship. I especially loved how well Levi read Geordie and all his little nuances, making the romance come alive a bit more.
Leaning Into Forever definitely made me feel. Going in, I suspected a lot of tears and sadness, at least at the start. While there were certainly moments that broke my heart a little and had me dabbing my eyes because the emotion and Geordie’s grief was so palpable, this wasn’t a sad story. Rather, Leaning Into Forever had an uplifting, life-affirming quality to it that touched me and certainly left a mark.