Title: The Coincidence
Author: Felice Stevens
Genre: MM Romance
Release Date: March 21st
Hosted by: Buoni Amici Press, LLC.
Nice guys always finish last, and Coby Epstein is sick and tired of being last. After his boyfriend dumps him, Coby vows to take it slow and not jump into another relationship, no matter what his ninety-five-year-old great aunt says. When Coby sees his ex has moved on, he goes on a series of disastrous first dates and swears off men, determined to be alone. His best friend disagrees and finds the "perfect man" for him online and arranges a date. The only problem? Coby has no idea what she’s done.
Since childhood, Eli Kaplan has been his father’s greatest disappointment, a fact he’s reminded of at every opportunity. For years, he’s struggled with the knowledge that dating women doesn’t work for him. A late-night confession to his brother changes everything and Eli realizes, maybe, just maybe, he can come out, find himself, and find love. Eli takes the plunge and creates a profile on a dating website, not knowing what to expect. One night he chats with an intriguing man, and despite his nervousness, they arrange to meet for coffee. No big deal. They'll probably never see each other again.
On the day of their first date, nothing could surprise Coby and Eli more than to discover that they live in the same apartment building, on the same floor. In a city of eight million people, coincidences don't get crazier than that. But as the two men begin to weave their lives together with cautious optimism and hope for a future, they find an even greater thread holding their families together—one born from the ashes of a final solution that couldn’t destroy their ancestors’ courage, leaving scars that remain almost a century later. Past lives torn apart can be pieced together by a future no one could have ever imagined, where love is more than fate or coincidence. It’s meant to be.
Carra's Review
I can always count on this author for a solid romance, and that is just as valid here with The Coincidence as all of her other books that I’ve read. There’s a few different elements to this one—for Eli it’s coming out, virgin, first time with another man, and a difficult relationship with his parents; and for Coby it’s getting over an ex and trying not to to fall in love so quickly again. And to add an extra touch, there’s some serious family history on both sides that comes into play.
I really enjoyed both Eli and Coby’s characters. I liked that Eli had such a good relationship with his brother Darren even with the way their parents treated them in such an unequal manner, and that both of them stayed strong in standing up for themselves and supporting each other when it came to dealing with them. As for Coby, I thought he was a sweetheart, and very kind-hearted. They so obviously had a connection, and I was happy that things between them moved at a slower pace.
When it comes to the secondary characters, Darren and his wife Isabel as well as Coby’s best friend Addie and later her boyfriend Dave were all wonderful support to Eli and Coby, as were Coby’s mother and great aunt. Eli’s parents? Not so much. And their attitude for the majority of the story was so thoroughly negative that a scene near the end that was meant to show they may be starting to change their thinking didn’t ring quite true to me at all.
Eli and Coby felt very much meant for each other, and fit together very well. I found their story to be a solid one, and for me it’s somewhere between 3.5 and 4 stars. This book is meant for readers 18+ for adult language and sexual content.
Felice Stevens has always been a romantic at heart. She believes that while life is tough, there is always a happy ending around the corner, Her characters have to work for it, however. Like life in NYC, nothing comes easy and that includes love.
Felice has written over twenty books in the gay romance genre. Her books been translated into German, French and Italian. Her novel. One Call Away, part of her Soulmates series, was mentioned in Buzzfeed as one of the best “Out for You” gay romances of 2017.
Felice lives in New York City with her husband and two children. Her day begins with a lot of caffeine and ends with a glass or two of red wine. She recently retired from the practice law and now daydreams of a time when she can sit by a beach somewhere and write beautiful stories of men falling in love. Although there are bound to be a few bumps along the way, a Happily Ever After is always guaranteed.
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