THE NOVELLA Love To Hate You by Matthew Dante is a heartfelt romance about a gay man living a fast-paced lifestyle in Los Angeles, who, when betrayed by his fiance and so-called best friend, returns to his hometown of Chicago to try and pick up the pieces of his life and start again.
I really enjoyed these characters—especially our main protagonist, Adam. I felt his pain of betrayal; dare I say, I was angrier than even he was. That’s a good sign for a reader so soon into a book. The author writes the opening scene of revealed infidelity and backstabbing liars so elegantly and emotionally raw that I reread it several times. Call me a masochist, but I was there with Adam feeling everything he felt—and I loved it. I was riveted by his shock and hurt because I connected with him from the start and liked his demeanour and personality; the emotional resonance of this event’s brutal unfairness toward Adam transferred from the page to me, the reader. The scene is not long; the build-up, the revelation, and the fall-out happen quickly. So, producing this visceral reading experience speaks highly to Dante’s ability to emote through fiction successfully. And this is just the first chapter!
The playful contest of spiteful one-upmanship between Adam and Jake, the hunky love interest, was delightful to experience—I didn’t know which one at any given moment to root for. That is one of Dante’s strengths: creating characters that can be both likeable and insufferable simultaneously.
The possibly budding romance between these two men who SO DON’T WANT TO GO THERE with each other (or so they try to convince themselves) is great fun. Frustrating sometimes, sure, but in the best possible way. Dante doesn’t just throw Adam into Jake’s arms after his personal betrayal for easy comfort or a quick roll in the hay to assuage feelings of past hurt, and that’s best. Take me on the journey to an earned, genuine, lasting love. And the author does just that.
This cozy M/M Romance with just enough steam is a new favourite of mine, and I hope Love To Hate You eventually has a sequel. Note: Along with a new cover, 5000 words have been added to the original text, which has only added to the emotional depth, humour, and sexiness of the story.
Love To Hate You is available for purchase at amazon.ca and amazon.com. For more information about this author, follow Matthew Dante on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.
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