Hello Forever: Hello Goodbye, Book 2

This is another "gee we had a thing in high school but haven't seen each other in years" coincidental re-meeting. This time centered on a minor league sports franchise. Not very memorable but pleasant to read. Decent sex scenes (decently indecent) and enjoyable. Interesting drama with a homophobic father who turns violent.

I love the fast paced feel. There's plenty of humor, sexiness, and angst. Sarina Bowen can't write a bad story. I've loved everything she's written, hope she has a new book soon I'm just about finished with her entire list.

4.5*Another heartfelt, heartwarming, and heart-tugging love story from Sarina Bowen! Hello Forever is a poignant story of two friends torn apart by unfortunate circumstances, only to be reunited years later by a twist of fate. It’s a story of second chances, friendship, love and acceptance.Neither Axel nor Cax forgot their first love. They had such a special bond as children, one that only grew stronger as they entered their teen years. It’s a bond that, even now, after being separated for years, is undeniable and unbreakable. But circumstances still conspire to keep them apart- while Axel has never denied who he is, Cax has hidden his true self for years. With a grade A bigot for a father, Cax believes it’s in his best interest, as well as for the benefit of his brothers, to keep his feelings for Axel repressed. And oh the heartache and sorrow this causes! No one should have to go through life pretending to be something, or someone, they aren’t.Just when it seems things might finally be starting to look up for these two, trouble rears its ugly head, once again in the form of Cax’s father. As difficult as it is for Cax to put the brakes on things, Axel and his brothers mean too much to him, to let anything happen to them, because of him. Axel’s acceptance of Cax’s decision to distance himself shows what a truly remarkable human he is. Although he’s waited 6 years to find him again, Axel is willing to wait even longer, if that’s what Cax needs.Both of these characters are so endearing and just incredibly likeable. Axel is patient, supportive, kind, and compassionate. He’s willing to be there for Cax no matter what. Cax has been so stifled in his young life, it was tough to read about everything he’s had to deal with. But he’s strong and caring, and loves with his whole heart. His brothers and Axel are his entire world.I loved that even after 6 years apart nothing had changed in the way Axel and Cax felt about each other. Although those years saw them follow very different paths, once they were back together time stood still and it was like they had never been apart. You can just feel the emotions between them, as you sit there rooting for everything to work out in the end, because these two young men deserved so much happiness.I would be remiss if I didn't mention Josh and Caleb, because JOSH and CALEB! I may have cried the first time they made an appearance, I love them so. They were a sweet addition to this story, as their friendship was something much needed in both Axel and Cax's lives.I've really loved these 2 books and it was so wonderful to see them tied together.

This is more of a 3.5. Enjoyed the sweet love story about boys ripped apart at a young age and able to reconnect and heal years later. Axel was just what Cax needed in order to be his authentic self and stand up for his brothers against his father. His father is truly unhinged. Emotional abuse, physical abuse and the ultimate bully, he finally is put away and the two can begin living their lives and showing the boys what a happy, safe home looks like. I liked this second installment of the series. Hoping Jason gets a book

4 stars -- I received a free copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.Another solid M/M romance from Ms. Bowen!! While I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as Goodbye Paradise (which is a really hard book to live up to since it was a 5 star read for me and contained so many little things that made it a perfect Lenore book), I was still sucked into this story and stayed up until 2:30 in the morning finishing it.The POVs in this story weren't structured in the same way as the previous book, this one was more close to alternating chapters (with some exceptions, as it made sense for the story). I didn't mind the change. It made more sense for Cax and Axel's story, and I felt like I got what I needed as a reader as the plot progressed.There's something about the different struggles that LGBT folks face when deciding when to come out that just rips open your heart, you know? And Cax in particular had a tough road to walk. I can't imagine having to survive an abusive father no matter who you are, but especially as a gay kid when he is ridiculously homophobic and bigoted. And I really got how his upbringing and experiences and the state of his family influenced his choice to remain mostly in the closet, especially if he wanted to maintain a relationship with his brothers. Do I believe that he couldn't have found another way? I'm not sure. But for who Cax was, it made sense...he was flawed, but doing the best he could with what he knew. I enjoyed seeing him grow stronger over the course of the book, with setbacks here and there, but eventually standing up and accepting himself with no apologies.While Cax's journey was perhaps more heartwrenching in some ways, I felt closer to Axel in this story. It wasn't that he didn't have his own struggles to go through, even as someone who was able to come out of the closet with support from his Mom. He really showed that you can be "out and proud", but still fear the backlash that may come from people he meets. And how that fear can make for a lonely existence sometimes. AND how loving someone in a closet can really have adverse affects on you as well.I loved Cax and Axel together, and loved hearing about their past as children. If I had one complaint, I wish we'd gotten a bit more from the romance. It's not that it wasn't deliciously steamy, or that they didn't have chemistry, but it just felt like something was missing to really push it over the top for me. Honestly, it could just be that it's hard to follow up the love of Caleb and Josh from the previous book.The plot took a few twists and turns I wasn't expecting. Like, something would happen and I would assume that I knew how it was going to play out, but then it would go in a slightly different direction. I like that, it felt authentic to the characters. That's not to say that there weren't some things that were definitely foreshadowed and didn't shock me, but it was nice to be surprised on some things. Wow, that was really vague and confusing, sorry. :PAgain, this story is strong in secondary characters, with so many playing important roles. And I loved so many of them, from the reappearance of Caleb and Josh (squee!), to Boz who was so funloving, to Amy (though I wish we could have seen her a bit more), to Jason (perhaps we'll see his story in the future?), to even Cax's brothers. I love when a book has a great supporting cast.So yeah. I always hate writing these last paragraphs, I never know how to end a review. Obviously I thoroughly enjoyed myself, and what more can you ask for? OH! And can I just say that Caxtastrophe and Axeldental were the most hilarious email names?? Loved it!

Basketball always brought them together...Now it might just tear them apart...A heart searing read. From start to finish, I was rooting for these characters and their HEA.It was hard won and full of swoonworthy moments.Full of sports, love, family, hate and attraction.Perfect for readers of contemporary romances.

I picked this one up because of the basketball on the cover and I really enjoyed it! I do want to mention that some of the subject matter is heavy and one of the parents is very homophobic and their is an assault related to that. Please read with care.But I loved the found family elements and the basketball mentions!

An incredible story of second chances and overcoming parental homophobia and bullying. Two young men torn apart meet again years later. Cax is bullied and harassed by his obnoxious Father and lives an uneasy life always wary, and now Axel is back and things just got a little intense. There are sweet hidden moments of joy but fear over ran all feelings of love. A lovely, enjoyable read.

“His kisses were just as urgent as mine, probably because he understood. It was now or never for us. The future was getting uglier by the minute.”I've not been able to read at all lately, couldn't get into anything so a miserable funk ensued. Even books by my ultimate faves weren't working for me. It's been hell but browsing my kindle for books I've had on there for a while and decided on this and I'm SO glad.Axel and Cax were young boys who were friends who, as they were growing started to realize their feelings and attraction much more, they were caught kissing by the pastor of the summer camp they attended and consequences ensued, years later Axel takes a job in a small town. A small town that Cax is now living in. Axel is an out gay man, Cax isn't, he lives in fear which is understandable and the weight of responsibility on his shoulders. But when faced with their pasts it ain't so easy to ignore.'He looked up at me with fearful eyes, and I didn’t know what to do. Here I had all this joy, and he was afraid of how he felt. I raised my hand up to brush a thumb across his cheekbone. “Don’t be sad.”'Gosh, I loved these two. Their relationship wasn't a slow burn but kinda was. There was a carefulness to it but then there wasn't, there was hope mixed with lust mixed with FINALLY having everything they ever wanted even if it felt they were on a time restriction.My heart was hurting for them, for Cax especially but also for Axel. It just wasn't fair. And while I can't say I get Cax's predicament because personally I don't but then you meet his father and you take yourself out of the book and realize the world we are living in right now, it's not that hard to try and understand it, I sympathised with him and hurt so much for him, I did. I wanted more for him. But I also hurt for Axel and for a moment kinda wanted him to try and date Jason. But as great as Jason is, Axel and Cax belong together and they showed that.“Been waiting…” he said between kisses. “…my whole life to get you naked.”“You don’t have to wait anymore.”It wasn’t the most original line, but I liked delivering it. Just for tonight I could be that guy—the one who drinks at a gay bar and has se. x in a hotel room. And with Axel Armitage, who I’d wanted my whole life."I was so invested in this and didn't want it to end. They had such gorgeous, tender moments together that sometimes were wrapped in heart break it killed me. But they overcame enormous hurdles and continue to work on them. They grew and they loved. They were sweet and sexy. I loved how Cax came to fight for himself and for Axel, while it was rooted in what his *** hole father done, it was more because Cax had done a great job convincing himself he was fine going the way he was but once he had the other side of it; the real happiness, the love, the more, he just couldn't happily go back to the before, it changed things inside of him. I think it happens with all of us. We experience something more, something we wanted but never believed would happen and something clicks inside of us and kinda changes us, for the better. And I'm glad this happened for Cax because he deserves the happiness and so does Axel.He dropped his elbows onto the bed, and covered my mouth with his. We kissed hungrily. Desperately. As if this were the last kiss we’d ever have. It wouldn’t be. And that made it even sweeter. “Oh f***” I moaned into his mouth.“F*** yourself on me, baby. I want it.”Some other highlights for me:We also get more of Josh and Caleb which I LOVED, I think they fit perfectly into this book, into Axel and Cax's lives.Jason was awesome. Please tell me we're getting his book. Pleaaaaaaseeeee.Axel's mom. We had the unfortunate time of meeting Cax's father (I use that word loosely) who is a motherf--er (and that one very strongly) but Axel's mom? She is amazing! I kinda wanted her to move to town.Boz. Dude was the best surprise. I hope he and Suzie last.Cax's brothers even when they're angry and struggling through their own things, I loved getting to know them and the beginning of their dynamic together, Cax and Axel and the boys.The emails and the banter was cute AF.The ending was so lovely and real because there was no magic change for them but they continued to grow together and adapt.I could happily read another Cax and Axel book but was happy with this one!Just some observations;While characters were nicely developing, sometimes felt underdeveloped, maybe a little rushed at times?The ending too felt a tad rushed and that there could've been just something more.Amy just disappearing for a chunk of the book even just from being in contact with Cax.The brothers, would've loved much more with them because love the family dynamic, minus the father of course.This book made me swoon and sigh, made me feel, and gave me hope. Good things may not be happening right now, personal struggles may be happening right now but maybe we'll get to a place that we want to be, a happy one, one day.

Whoa man, what a book. I know this one was previously published as It's Never Over though I had never read it before. This novel unlike the first in the series was so full of emotional angst it elevated the story from good to terrific. Paradise Gone was such a wonderful romance, there was only a smidgen where you weren't cheering the lads on. In Hello forever, the family issues Cax had were enough to rise anxiety levels and have you thinking HEA was never going to be on the books.Cax and Axel. two boy who meet when they're eight, become best friends who fall in love when they;re teens only to be wrenched apart by Cax's father who is a homophobe. 6 long years go by and the men meet at College where Axel is now employed as a sport marketer. Surely its just a matter of getting back in touch with each other? I wish. Extremely well written, enough angst to sink a small ferry, and smoking hot sexy times between to men who still love each other despite being separated for 6 years. I cant wait for the next installment if there is one. needed more than 5 stars

Prima verhaal. Gevoelig en mooi om te lezen.

.This is such a sweet and steamy romance and easy to read. It’s a Friends to lovers M & M romance.Josh and Caleb are the cutest they compliment each other well and enjoyed how the story developed. ..You find 2 boys in love despite there living conditions against them, I enjoyed how the character development was written and how Josh and Caleb came to terms to be openly gay when there whole life it has been a sin and wrong.It was not as religious as I thought it was going to be which I didn’t mind. ..If you haven’t read this book, I highly recommend