Growing Pains by Cass Lennox

Growing Pains by Cass Lennox

Review by Lauren

source: copy from Netgalley; all opinions are my own

Official Summary: Gigi Rosenberg is living his best life: performances in the big city, side gigs at a dance company, a successful drag act, and the boy of his childhood dreams who now adores him. Even if the boyfriend part isn’t the sparkly ride of passion he expected it to be, life is sweet. So when his sister’s wedding calls him back to his hometown, he sees an opportunity to show the hicks from his past how wrong they were about him. Only, his boyfriend isn’t quite on board.

Brock Stubbs left their hometown and his parents behind for a reason, and the prospect of facing them again is terrifying. He swore he’d never go back, but Gigi has made it clear refusal isn’t an option, and Brock will do nearly anything for him. There’s just one deal-breaker of a problem: Brock promised Gigi he was out to everyone, including his parents. He lied.

It’s magical to run into the sunset together, but staying the course takes work. For Gigi and Brock, going home feels like the finale of a long, disappointing year. Sometimes love isn’t all you need. 

Review: Growing Pains is the third in the Toronto Connections series and I absolutely loved it. I really liked the first two, but this is probably my favorite of the bunch. Gigi and Brock have a pretty big role in the second book - Finding Your Feet - but this book is all about them. The two have been dating for awhile now, after a high school history that left Gigi heartbroken, and things seem to be going well. That is until the two are supposed to go back to their hometown for the wedding of Gigi's sister. Brock is pretty adamant that he doesn't want to be there.

The thing with Brock and Gigi that might bother some is that they don't always communicate. However, there are reasons for this and they work for me, so hopefully you won't be agitated by that. The two fight a lot over the weekend, but truths are slowly revealed and hurts are addressed. While they might not be getting along all the time in the present, there are chapters that show their love story coming together in the past - and moments in the present that remind them and the readers that they are meant to be. There is drama - and some of it is quite serious (though that's not between our two main characters) and it definitely broke my heart a little. I loved these two together, and I thought their journey was written well!

Finding Your Feet by Cass Lennox

Finding Your Feet by Cass Lennox (Toronto Connections #2)

Review by Lauren

source: copy from Netgalley; all opinions are my own

Official Summary: While on holiday in Toronto, Evie Whitmore planned to sightsee and meet other asexuals, not audition for a dance competition. Now she’s representing Toronto’s newest queer dance studio, despite never having danced before. Not only does she have to spend hours learning her routine, she has to do it with one of the grumpiest men she’s ever met. Tyler turns out to be more than a dedicated dancer, though—he might be the kind of man who can sweep her off her feet, literally and figuratively.

Tyler Davis has spent the last year recovering from an emotionally abusive relationship. So he doesn’t need to be pushed into a rushed routine for a dumb competition. Ticking major representation boxes for being trans and biracial isn’t why he went into dance. But Evie turns out to be a dream student. In fact, she helps him remember just how good partnering can be, in all senses of the word. Teaching her the routine, however, raises ghosts for him, ones he’s not sure he can handle.

Plans change, and people change with them. Learning a few steps is one thing; learning to trust again is another entirely.

Review: Finding Your Feet is the second book in the Toronto Connections series, the first being Blank Spaces (you can read my review here). The couple in Blank Spaces does appear in Finding Your Feet, which I love when it comes to companion novels. As for the main characters in this latest book, we have Evie Whitmore from England and Tyler Davis who is living in Toronto as a dance teacher.

Evie is asexual and she's in Toronto to check out the sights (she'll be back in a few months time to attend grad school) and meet an online friend named Sarah. As for Tyler, he's a friend of Sarah's but he's not in the best place when the book begins as he's still trying to get used to being out of a relationship after dealing with an emotionally abusive ex. When Evie is pushed into trying out for a dance competition, she ends up being paired with Tyler for a Pride Day dance competition between the studio Tyler works at and another in the Toronto area.

Despite being very different, the two eventually get to know each other better - after a rough first start - and Evie even finds that she loves to dance. As someone who never danced growing up, but has taken a couple of dance classes as an adult, I could really understand Evie's enthusiasm. Granted, I didn't have to practice as many hours in one day as she did, since all the couples only have one week to get a dance together for the competition. It was an intense project, but I loved hearing about the various dance lessons.

One of the things that I really loved about this book - and the other, Blank Spaces - is that it's full of diversity. Finding Your Feet has Evie who is asexual but isn't opposed to sex if she really falls for someone. Then there is Tyler, who is a trans, biracial man. I liked the secondary characters too and they are all equally as diverse! The next book in the series (Growing Pains) will focus on Gigi and Brock, who you meet in Finding Your Feet. I can't wait!

Want to buy a copy of Finding Your Feet? Check it out on Amazon (I'm an associate, so I get a small percent of any sale. Thanks). Oh, and if you want to start with Blank Spaces, find it here.

Blank Spaces by Cass Lennox

Blank Spaces by Cass Lennox

Review by Lauren

source: copy from Netgalley; all opinions are my own

Official Summary: The decision to stop dating has made Vaughn Hargrave’s life infinitely simpler: he has friends, an excellent wardrobe, and a job in the industry he loves. That’s all he really needs, especially since sex isn’t his forte anyway and no one else seems interested in a purely romantic connection. But when a piece is stolen from his art gallery and insurance investigator Jonah Sondern shows up, Vaughn finds himself struggling with that decision.

Jonah wants his men like his coffee: hot, intense, and daily. But Vaughn seems to be the one gay guy in Toronto who doesn’t do hookups, which is all Jonah can offer. No way can Jonah give Vaughn what he really wants, not when Jonah barely understands what love is.

When another painting goes missing, tension ramps up both on and off the clock. Vaughn and Jonah find themselves grappling not just with stolen art, but with their own differences. Because a guy who wants nothing but romance and a guy who wants nothing but sex will never work—right? Not unless they find a way to fill in the spaces between them.

Review: I absolutely loved this story and I can't wait to read more by Cass Lennox. This is the first in the Toronto Connections series, so I'll definitely be reading on!

Anyway, this book is about Vaughn and Jonah, two vastly different people who just happen to both be gay and whose jobs intertwine. Vaughn works at an art gallery and when one of the painting goes missing, Jonah and his partner visit the gallery to determine if their insurance company needs to pay them. The theft seems suspicious, so they are waiting until they hand over a lot of money, as this is not the first time pieces have gone missing from the gallery.

Vaughn is well-dressed, comes from money, and doesn't like sex. It was obvious to me that Vaughn was asexual, but Vaughn doesn't have a word for it until later in the book. He just knows that sex isn't for him. He's still attracted to guys and would love to have a relationship, but he doesn't think anyone would be with him if they couldn't have sex. As for Jonah, he's a kid who grew up in the foster system and is desperate to make money and have a good life. He's also obsessed with sex, going out all the time and getting off with strangers. He's not dating. It just makes him feel better. It's a release for him.

Like I said, these are two very opposite men. I wasn't really sure how it would work, but it does. I won't say everyone will love their relationship but I liked that Lennox portrayed a modern relationship. It works for them. That's all I'll say on that. The theft mystery was really interesting and I was curious as to who was stealing them. It was a nice addition to the story. There are other secondary characters and story lines that are portrayed well in this book too. It was nice that it wasn't all focused on the relationship, as it made everything seem more real. Also, everything Jonah deals with is a good thing in terms of making him see how Vaughn could be a real asset to his life.

Overall, I really loved this one. I think it's great that more authors are exploring asexuality in books. There are varying types of asexuality and I think Lennox explained that well.