Genre: Contemporary Romance
LGBTQ+ Category: Gay
Reviewer: Maryann
Get It On Amazon
About The Book
Following a devastating break-up with his fiancé, Adam moves from the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles back to his hometown of Chicago in the hopes of mending his broken heart and starting a new life. Adam quickly learns that being single and living alone means having to become self-reliant. With each moment of self-reflection and self-discovery he begins to rebuild his life.
As Adam attempts to adjust mentally and emotionally, he meets his new neighbor, Jake, a tall, rugged man, who seems hell bent on making Adam’s life miserable. As the two men enter into an epic battle of the wills, they desperately and sometimes hilariously try to outwit the other. Is Jake truly as terrible as he seems or is this a rouse hiding something much deeper? Which neighbor will come out on top or will they finally learn that they are better when together?
This is the story of mending a broken heart… while battling the stubborn man who lives next door!
The Review
Adam Miller, has everything – a luxury condo, a great job as an assistant chef, and a very successful fiancé. Adam has been living with Scott for six years and they recently became engaged. Adam has worked hard to be patient and not rush the love of romance.
They are living the high life in the fast paced world of Los Angeles. Having a rare chance to be home early, Adam is thinking about his lover and having some much needed alone time with him. As usual, there’s always housework and chores for him to do.
Scott had always done the “fix it” work and let Adam know constantly that he wasn’t capable of anything but housework.
But when he gets home, his thoughts of time with his lover are destroyed when Adam can’t believe what he walks in on.
Stunned, he turns around and never looks back. He goes back home to Chicago in hopes for some time and much needed space to get his life back in order. Even though his mother wants him at home, she helps him find a place of his own. Adam knows it’s better for him to be isolated and to work through what he believes are his flaws.
A trip to the grocery for the last bottle of 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Red wine has Adam facing the “Wine Thief,” who is now his enemy. Adam makese the decision to stand up for himself and confronts the “wine thief.” Even though he never gets that bottle of wine, he starts to question himself – is he being too judgmental and snobbish when it comes to his thoughts about that man?
Jake the “wine thief,” unbeknownst to Adam, is his neighbor. Adam doesn’t know anything about Jake ,but a war starts between them anyhow.
Jake is somewhat gruff and snarky. He’s also a life saver to his sister and her two boys. He gave up much of his life to help her during a rough time, and has been there for them ever since. He owns his own business but is able to do some work at home. He also gets “Jake Days” several times a month, with the house to himself to have friends over.
Can Adam and Jake outsmart each other? Who will win the battle of the neighbors?
Matthew Dante creates a wonderful romance with “Love to Hate You”. It’s a quick, well written, easy read, filled with emotional moments and humor. It’s also a story of abuse – not physical but mental – and how much the constant barrage of negative words can cause a person to believe bad things about themselves and act accordingly. There are also many moments of self-examination for Adam as he works through his past trauma with Scott.
Dante is really clear in presenting his characters. Adam and Jake both are very likable. Along with those two, the secondary characters bring a sense of warmth to the story – Erin, Jakes sister and his nephews, Josh and Blake. I also enjoyed Adam’s mom and dad, Joan and Phillip and the realtor Lisa.
Family, friends, kids, bikes, clay, cupcakes, boxes and wine make for a delightful new gay romance from Matthew Dante!
The Reviewer
Hi, I’m Maryann, I started life in New York, moved to New Hampshire and in 1965 uprooted again to Sacramento, California. Once I retired I moved to West Palm Beach, Florida in 2011 and just moved back to Sacramento in March of 2018. My son, his wife and step-daughter flew out to Florida and we road tripped back so they got to see sights they have never seen. New Orleans and the Grand Canyon were the highlights. Now I am back on the west coast again to stay! From a young age Ialways liked to read.
I remember going to the library and reading the “Doctor Dolittle” books by Hugh Lofting. Much later on became a big fan of the classics, Edgar Alan Poe, Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker and as time went by Agatha Christie, Ray Bradbury and Stephen Kingand many other authors.
My first M/M shifter book I read was written by Jan Irving the “Uncommon Cowboys” series from 2012. She was the first author I ever contacted and sent an email to letting her know how much I liked this series. Sometime along the way I read “Zero to the Bone”by Jane Seville, I think just about everyone has read this book!
As it stands right now I’m really into mysteries, grit, gore and “triggers” don’t bother me. But if a blurb piques my interest I will read the book.
My kindle collection eclectic and over three thousand books and my Audible collection is slowly growing. I have both the kindle and audible apps on my ipod, ipads, and MAC. So there is never an excuse not to be listening or reading.
I joined Goodreads around 2012 and started posting reviews. One day a wonderful lady, Lisa Horan of The Novel Approach, sent me an email to see if I wanted to join her review group. Joining her site was such an eye opener. I got introduce to so many new authors that write for the LGBTQ genre. Needless to say, it was heart breaking when it ended.
But I found a really great site, QRI and it’s right here in Sacramento. Last year at QSAC I actually got to meet Scott Coatsworth, Amy Lane and Jeff Adams.
