Review: LOVED!!!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 30, 2014
I found Riley Hart's books when I came across Collide.  I went on to read Broken Pieces after delaying it for a while (not sure why, and boy was I wrong to wait!!!).  So, I waited ever so impatiently for Stay to come out.We got to see the  Wes and Braden's first interaction, a one night stand, during Collide.  And they both expected that that would be the extent of their interactions.  At the time, Wes was losing his beloved sister Chelle, and dealing with the fact that he would be taking over custody of her four year old child, Jessie.  And Braden?  Well, Braden was always out just for a good time.When Stay begins, Wes has lost his sister, and is now coping with how to make this transition to becoming Jessie's full time caregiver, find a job, and work through the grief over losing Chelle.  What he did NOT want was a relationship with Braden.  Neither was looking for a relationship.However, Wes needed some help with Jessie, and Braden was able to provide that help.  Assisting with daycare for Jessie, and taking care of some of the little things.  Braden really fell in love with Jessie before he fell in love with Wes.What I enjoyed most was the slow burn.  Although, they picked up in the same place, with their previous interactions, their emotional interactions really took time.  It was not instantaneous that they were able to make the emotional connections.  It was the little things that came together to make that happen.  Yes, of course, there were issues to overcome, but the biggest issue was Wes realizing that it was okay to not only love someone outside the family, but also to need and want that person.What a beautiful love story this was.  This book was not just about a story between two men.  This book was a story about two men finding a way to make themselves a family in every sense of the word.My final rating was 4.5 stars.  I would have loved so much more of Wes and Braden (Braden's cocky attitude and smart mouth were awesome!!!).