Noah Dixon is damaged goods. After an accident leaves him physically scarred and emotionally vulnerable, dating isn’t in the cards, so he throws himself head-first into his retail job. When he’s obligated to attend his best friend’s engagement party on Fire Island, it dawns on him he’s about to spend yet another weekend feeling totally invisible and alone among a swarm of gorgeous men. That’s …
That’s when the idea of an escort comes in.
After Will Crossen was forced to put his theater major on hold in favor of two jobs to tackle his ailing mother’s hospital bills, he tells himself becoming an escort isn’t that big of a deal. It’s just another form of acting, right? He doesn’t expect his newest customer to be the cheery, overconfident sales associate he avoids like the plague at his day job. Talk about awkward.
But what happens on Fire Island stays on Fire Island…especially when a smoldering attraction sparks into flames. Will doesn’t feel so alone anymore, and for the first time, Noah realizes someone is seeing him behind all the scars. But between their jobs, Will’s massive familial responsibilities, and Noah’s vulnerabilities, they don’t stand a chance unless they find a way to let love speak louder than their demons.
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This is a M/M ‘forbidden’ romance. Noah has a lack of confidence/low self-worth issues that are primarily caused because of an accident in his youth. He has legit reasons as he had been rejected on many occasions. Will is working as an escort (in addition to his day job at the store with Noah) to earn extra money required to take care of his mom who has some health concerns. Neither interacted much with the other, but both were secretly attracted to the other. Then Noah is in need of a buffer for a party with his dear friends and low and behold, Will shows to to help. Of course Noah is paying Will, the escort. As they get to know each other, they form a close bond, yet in the back of Noah’s mind, he questions if anything is real, or is it all part of the job on Will’s end. This is a slow moving story and takes some time to read. Both characters have their pros and cons that could make or break their relationship, though both are generally good and kind people. There is a sweetness to the story. There isn’t much humor as it is a more dramatic read. There is sexual content that may be more suitable for mature readers. It alternates between POVs.
4.5*
Love Me Louder completely overwhelmed me. It’s such an emotional, heart-wrenching story that will punch you right in the feels. But it’s also very sweet and heartfelt and hopeful.
I loved the journeys Noah and Will went through during the course of this book. They each had their own burdens weighing them down and to see them come out on the other side happier, lighter, and more content felt like a weight was lifted off of my shoulders! I loved how, after an initial hesitation, these 2 came to mean so much to each other. They learned to trust and open their hearts. I’m so happy that Noah and Will found each other.
Noah is one of those characters that just kills me! He’s damaged- not just physically, but emotionally as well. My heart didn’t just break for him, it shattered. I wanted to wrap him up in my arms and carry him away. Finding that business card was the best thing that could have happened to him. The best thing that could have happened for him, and for Will as well.
I enjoyed this story immensely!!!
It had everything I want in a romance: emotional depth and a real connection between the MC’s, great chemistry and a lovely slow-burn hurt/comfort theme.
Throw in the excitement and angst that comes with falling for a fake boyfriend and I knew I was in for an allnighter because no way was I putting this book down!
Noah feels inadequate and has a very low self-image, especially with regards to his appearance. Initially, this skews his view on the world, read Will, and he has a difficult time accepting that Will might be genuinely attracted to him.
Will takes care of his mother and works two jobs to make ends meet, giving up his dream of a career in the theatre. I love his sense of responsibility and family.
Noah and Will dance around each other and their true feelings for quite some time, afraid to give too much away and get hurt, hesitant to believe that what they share between them could be real.
I love how the fake boyfriend trope was written here, with the closed-off colleague turning out to be an escort! The author didn’t take the easy way out by turning the route of insta-lust, but slowly let the feelings build, raising the emotional stakes bit by bit.
We get to reconnect with some of my all-time favourite characters as well, which was a delightful surprise!
Tate & Sebastian are such an adorable couple and I loved that Tate’s alter ego, Frieda Love, was the one to give Noah and Will that final little nudge to help them confess their true feelings to one another!
As is the case in all her books, Christina Lee surrounds her MC’s with engaging, three-dimensional secondary characters, be they family, friends or co-workers, drawing us into the wonderful fictional world she created. If only there was a portal the reader could step through to make their acquaintance!
I loved the title of this book so much!! Its message is incredibly apt and feels so true to these two amazing characters.
The extraordinary Frieda Love sums it up marvelously:
“Sometimes people need you to love them a little louder!”
Noah Dixon, insecure, all around sweet guy. Will Crossen, aloof, gorgeous. Noah doesn’t know Will very well, even though they work together. When friends of Noah’s decide to have a birthday party, Noah does something he never thought he’d do. He hires an escort. Who his escort turns out to be comes as somewhat of a surprise. Noah and Will each have their own demons to overcome, but can what happened on Fire Island stay on Fire Island?! I’m a huge fan of Christina Lee. She writes such amazing stories, and this one doesn’t disappoint. This is such a sweet story. If this is your first book by Christina Lee, you couldn’t have picked a better place to start.