Two Marlboros: A Slow-Burn M/M Romance Paperback – 16 Aug. 2024

This is a very Slow-Burn romance. Alan is a quiet thoughtful New York detective. His boyfriend Oliver had died six months previously. With his partner, Ash, he investigates a post office robbery. One of the witnesses is a young man called Nathan, who comes out as gay. Ash knows that Alan is gay too and contrives to set them up on a date. A spark occurs between the two of them and the novel explores the connections between the robbery and Nathan's friends as well as the romantic connection growing between Alan and Nathan. Alan has to sort out his grief at losing Oliver and his guilt that he might be falling in love with Nathan. At the same time, Nathan has to discover what kind of relationship he wants, especially as his first boyfriend comes back onto the scene. The detective case and the romantic relationship dovetail and our interest and concern are involved with both.This is a confident and assured exploration of a relationship between an older detective and a younger student where it is not about power but friendship . Will that friendship turn to love? I liked this novel very much.

Was a bit hesitant to pick this one up, but it was excellent. So chock full of relatable life, great insights, believable characters, and unpredictable plot twists. I really wasn't sure how it was going to end right to the end, an end which was unexpected and really well executed. No spoilers, but it was satisfying and drew a few happy tears - that only happens when you get truly lost in the plot.I'm not the only one who's lost a couple of days of their life to this story, but I am enriched and a better person for reading it - I hope others feel the same way.

Enjoyed this book from start to finish and shows parts of what people can be going through that you don't usually get in these kinds of books

I was pretty unimpressed for a long time with this story, but call me a sentimental fool because that ending (hard as heck earned HEA, to be sure) was magnificent.While I loathed the internal battles and completely understand, most the time, Alan’s struggles, Nathan annoyed me immensely. Then, again, I tend to forget what it feels like to be in my early twenties and feeling as he did (I’m sure, nay, I know I was a spoiled brat), so perhaps I wasn’t giving him a fair shot.Overall, I may not turn to reread again so soon, but I’m very glad I did.Probably didn’t need to be 600 pages, but hey, I love a long read.

Trust the title when it says this is a slow burn romance…that slow burn just made it all the better when things finally played out though!! If you love finding love after loss books as much as me, you HAVE to read this book!!! These two were endearing right from the start and at times I found myself rushing through because I JUST HAD to KNOW what was going to happen. Others I slowed down because how could I not savor this beautiful love story?!? Loved it!!!

If you remember what it was like to sit down in a comfy chair, your favourite reading spot, maybe a glass of wine, and picked up a real paper pages, hardcover book and read it, maybe for days. That is what this book--at least, an ebook version--is like. It says it is a "slow burn" and it is that, but at 600+ pages, the authours did a splendid job of letting that build.I was a bit confused at first as to who the MC's were but eventually they coalesced into an intriguing relationship. The plot kept twisting and turning so that when you thought where it was going, it changed. For ebooks, if the "print page" count is <200 pages, I ain't buying, but the sheer length of this one sold me immediately. You won't regret spending your time with it, trust me.

If the author/editor had cut the repetitive interior dialogue by half, I wouldn't have skipped 40% of the book to find out how it ended. If you like endless ruminating (that begins about 30% of the way through), this book's for you.

I lost 2 days to this book. I couldn't put it down! It was beautifully written. Simply the best romance story I have read in a long time. I hope this turns into a movie someday.