A fun and sexy romance where the kiln isn’t the only thing that’s scorching hot.
Leo Secombe loves his life, and he’s convinced himself he’s happy to be single. In his spare time, he keeps himself busy at a local LGBTQ centre that pairs a younger person with a community elder to help them feel included in today’s rainbow family. Leo and Clyde have been buddies for a few years now, and signing up … signing up for a pottery class seems like fun.
Merrick Bowman has been so focused on getting his pottery business up and running that he’s forgotten how to date. How to live, even. But when a young, bubbly Leo and an older, grumpy Clyde walk through his door, Merrick has no idea how much Leo is about to centre his world.
Throwing clay has been Merrick’s entire life, but Leo’s about to change all that. Maybe Merrick’s ready to throw caution to the wind. And maybe he’s ready to finally throw his heart on the line.
Throwing Hearts is 55,000-words.
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Throwing hearts is a sweet heartwarming story of Merrick and Leo. However, I felt like we got a second story in this book and oh so sweet.
There was no angry and just lots of oh so sweet. There are amazing friends including some senior citizens which I adored.
The author made sure to stress a lot of consent in this book. I actually loved the discussions Leo and Merrick had with each other.
This is a heart felt story of finding love, love of pottery, and finding love later in life again.
I listened to the story and the narrator did a great job.
This book is absolutely precious! Zero angst, super sweet and cute and fluffy, and so romantic it melted my heart!
Five amazing stars to NR Walker for this great story. Mm contemporary story set in Brisbane. Main characters Leo and Merrick. Merrick has a pottery studio and Leo and some senior members of a local LGBT+ group do lessons as an activity. Slow burn and amazing side story too. This story is sweet and beautiful. Another winner by NR Walker.
This was a sweet romance story with wonderful characters. The story had a few moral lessons and a few reminders that we are all allowed to be a bit different. Yes, pottery was also part of the story. Yes, pottery making leads to…things.
Narration was well suited to the story.
Throwing Hearts is an adorable and sweet standalone contemporary romance. Leo and Merrick are two young, professional men who meet at a pottery class. From the moment Merrick starts teaching the pottery class, he can’t take his eyes off Leo. While romance blooms between Merrick and Leo, a parallel romance grows between Clyde and Donny, two older men who’ve lived a lot of life and are now ready for their happy ending.
This entire book is full of fluff and sweetness with a smooth moving plot that just captured my heart. There was some angsty moments, but those were few and far between. Even though there wasn’t a lot of drama and conflict, I still found the entire book extremely interesting and enthralling. There’s just something so addictive about a true love story and watching people find happiness. I loved this book, and finished it with a huge smile on my face and a warm heart.
Throwing Clay and Love (an audio review)
Sometimes you just want a simple romance with great characters, a straight-forward plot, and a dash of humor. Well, this book had all of those. And lots of feels as well so yay for that.
I know very little about pottery. I think my mother still has the little container I made when I was, like, I want to say four…? That was the last time I tried my hand at it. I had an artist friend who was incredibly talented who worked with clay and her work always amazed me.
In this book we have Merrick the potter and Leo the fashionista. Leo works with older LGBTQ members of a local group and has been paired with Clyde. Cantankerous, often rude, always hilarious Clyde. One day they join the group for a series of pottery classes and even Clyde can see that Leo and Merrick hit it off right away. But both men want to take things slow – they both see this relationship has the potential for more. Add in a couple of scheming friends, some elderly nosy-bodies, and they do manage to go out on a few dates.
There’s another character I want to mention – Merrick’s Uncle Donnie. I loved his story and my heart went out to him. His integration into the story, and his connection with other characters, was perfect.
Have I said enough to entice you? I hope so, because this is a lovely book that everyone should enjoy. And I’ll just give a quick nod to Glen Lloyd. He’s been narrating some of Ms. Walker’s books which are set in Australia and he’s just perfect for them. I can’t wait for more from these two…
Sometimes I want to work for it. I’ll trudge through blood, sweat, and tears to claim that coveted happily ever after. And then I have those days that I would rather have it hand-delivered, tidy and neat with a bow on top. Life has been hard lately and I don’t always crave my escape time to be equally so. This was sweet with a bit of spice and…easy. It was just what I needed. I don’t dabble in the audiobook world a great deal but what an unexpected treat! I loved the narration as much as Walker’s smooth story and sweet guys. Between the accent and some of the steamier scenes, Lloyd brought heat to my cheeks more than once. In addition to blushing, I found myself grinning and chuckling as the guys muddled their way through their courtship. Yep, this definitely felt like courting (Clyde is absolutely correct), and I was smitten right along with them.
Both of the guys are delightful but let’s start with Leo. He’s sassy, easygoing, and has a huge heart. Anyone that takes care of the elderly by choice without expectations is a good egg in my book. Leo was paired with Clyde through a great community program a few years back and they’ve become quite close. They’re a hoot, a mischievous pair, and I couldn’t help chuckle at their antics. His other bestie and roommate, Kel, was another shining star. He’s been blessed with great friends but not great relationships. I loved his energy and drama queen tendencies. Merrick was drawn to his bright energy as well. Speaking of Merrick, what a gem. He’s exceptionally artistic and steadfast. His sole focus has been caring for his pride and joy, his studio. Running a business requires a lot of time and commitment and he hasn’t found anyone worth trying to add to the mix. Until now. Leo makes Merrick want to master his juggling skills. Patience is the key and not a natural trait of Leo’s. But some things are worth waiting for, right?
Merrick and Leo are adorable together. And their pottery play is sinfully erotic. Plan on crafting, coffee, and picnic dates. Additionally, Clyde and Merrick’s uncle hit it off. The front burner slowly simmered while the back one swiftly sparked. The only drama is wrapped up in Leo and the only angst is in sharing longstanding secrets. They twist, turn and throw more than clay. If you like Aussies and want charming and cute, let me grab a sparkly bow, and…you’re good to go.
Beware of: Grumpy old men are often full of surprises. Honest communication and sexual limits are laid on the table. And prepare for the undeniable urge to listen to Unchained Melodies.
This book is for: Anyone looking for some sweet and simple wooing, Throwing Hearts is just what you need.
Audiobook review:
Overall – 5
Performance – 5
Story – 5
A sweet and romantic story!
This book has a great cast of characters. The MCs, Leo and Merrick are fun and sweet together but I really enjoyed their interaction with grumpy older gentleman, Clyde, and Donnie, Merrick’s uncle. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Glen Lloyd’s performance of this book. I love his voice and I think he did a great job with the different voices he chose for the characters, especially for Clyde and Donnie.
Read the blurb if you want to know what the story is about. I just want to shout about how much I loved this; listening to it today while I did housework really made my day!
I won a copy of this audiobook from the author in a contest and am voluntarily leaving a review.
3,5 stars. I rounded up to 4 stars because this is N.R. Walker and I love her writing very much. She’s an auto-buy author for me and several of her books belong to my all-time favorites.
Not this one, though, and I have tried to figure out why not, maybe I’m still trying, so I’m not sure this review is going to make any sense at all, but oh well, let’s give it a try.
The first thing that nags me is that it is too insta love for me. It’s one of the few tropes I really dislike. I get it that you can find someone attractive at first sight and you want to get to know that person. Or maybe just want to have sex, and see where that leads to. I have a hard time understanding about the feels, about the almost certainty to spend the rest of your life with a person you only just met. For me, a relationship needs development first, whether it is through sex first and then on an emotional level, or whether it is through becoming friends, have sex and then notice there’s more to it than just that. It’s something personal and I don’t want to offend anyone who did experience insta-love. It’s just something my mind can’t wrap itself around, I guess.
So that’s probably THE reason to rate this one lower than my usual N.R. Walker book.
Because, as usual, the writing is flawless. I love how this author tells her stories, they’re always engaging and captivating. I do, however, believe that her writing is at it’s best when she tells angsty stories, with complicated mc’s. I discovered that the ones that are just supposed to just be sweet and fluffy, don’t work so well for me. (as was also the case with Finders Keepers, opposed to for example On Davis Row, which is definitely one of my favorite books of all time.)
That said, it’s not that I disliked the mc’s. Leo and Merrick were really nice, and they did have chemistry. For me Donny and Clyde stole the show, though. They were wonderful side characters, I loved Clyde’s grumpiness and the banter and I loved how he stood up for Donny and cared for him. So that epilogue…that was one moment that had me swooning!!
So, all in all, not a bad story. Not at all. It’s just not one that clicks with me on the level like N.R. Walkers’ other books do. And I’m sure there are lots and lots of people out there who will love this book tremendously.
Simply Lovely
Throwing Hearts is a great low-angst romance. Sweetness and heat is beautifully balanced, the plot well structured, and the characters really likeable with unique voices.
Great sweet escapism.
Throwing Hearts is a lovely low-angst romance. The combination of sweetness and heat hits the spot perfectly.
My face aches do much
I had no idea that i was smiling so hard whilst reading this book until my face started actually hurting.
NR Walker has done it again with yet another incredible book.
Each book is so well researched that you would believe she was a master at everything.
A must read if you want an HEA and a real good feel factor book.
I really enjoyed this story. Was light hearted but with emotion. Loved the side characters story that we get along with the story of Leo and Merrick. A great read by a wonderful author.
Gah, I loved this book, oh the feels. If you want something light & fluffy that has you laughing & smiling, this is the book to read. I laughed, I cried happy tears & couldn’t keep the smile of my face. Happy tears at the end, loved it so much.This book is so Swoon Worthy! I loved Leo & Merrick & Clyde & Uncle Donnie!
Throwing Hearts by N.R. Walker is one of those reads that makes me smile throughout the entire story. There is cute humor, kindness, and true love in the pages of this book.
Leo is 28 years old and one of the kindest people you will ever meet. He takes care of everyone and forgets to take care of himself. I loved his relationship with Clyde that kind of friendship truly is rare.
Merrick, he has a lot to give. He is kind and sweet. He has a few things to learn along the way, but I liked the complex nature of his character. He is a person you really would want as your best friend.
Overall, this is a beautiful love story. I loved reading it. When you want to fall in love with two beautiful men (they are beautiful both inside and out) I highly recommend this read.
Five Shooting Stars
Throwing Hearts is just what I needed! Full of banter and humour!
It’s a fun, easy read.
Loved the connection between the MCs. Enjoyed the secondary characters!
Highly recommended if you’re looking for s book to keeping smiling throughout!
This was the sweetest book I think I have ever read. Not only did you get Merrick and Leo finding love with each other but you also got Merrick’s Uncle Donny and Leo’s bridge-the-gap bestie Clyde falling in love as well. This book was about finding love at any age in any circumstance.
What a cute meet story!
I absolutely loved this book.
Leo and Merrick were great, sweet guys who actually took their time getting to know one another first.
Their road to relationship happiness was cute, sweet and completely realistic and believable.
I really enjoyed the injection of humor from the great cast of side characters.
Just a perfectly relatable slice of life story.
This has to be one of the cutest and sweetest books I’ve ever read. We don’t just get one love story, but 2 which span generations and are equally as beautiful. This book was full of laughs and heart and I could happily read about these characters for a long time. Even though the relationship developed somewhat quickly, the connection between the two MCs was clear from the get-go so it felt really natural. Clyde was a hilarious addition to the secondary characters and Uncle Donny made me tear up more than once. NR’s books are always great but this one was really beautiful and special and the last chapter was one of the best endings and HEA’s ever <3