Author: Cardeno C.
Publisher: Self-Published
Pages/Word Count: 274 Pages
At a Glance: A cheesy and sweet feel-good story.
Reviewed By: Janet
Blurb: The moment naïve, optimistic Jonathan Doyle glimpses a gorgeous blue-eyed stranger from afar, he believes in love at first sight. Unfortunately, he loses sight of the man before they meet and then spends years desperately trying to find him. Just as he is about to give up, Jonathan gets a break and finally encounters David Miller face to face.
Successful, confident David turns Jonathan’s previously lonely life into a fairy tale, giving him more than he ever imagined. But the years spent searching were hard on Jonathan, and he’s terrified his young son and scandalous past will destroy his blossoming relationship. For David and Jonathan to build a future together, they’ll both have to dig deep: David for the courage to share himself in a way he’s never considered and Jonathan for the strength to tell the truth.
Review: The tone of this story is set by the opening line, “Do you believe in love at first sight?” And thus we are invited into a fairy tale romance, but we are not asked to believe along with Jonathon, rather, to enjoy the story and watch what unfolds.
This story, of all of the Home series books, is the most cheesy, sweet, and unbelievable, but it is acknowledged by the characters in such a way as to include us in the story and participate in the disbelief David feels at his words and actions. We don’t scoff at the sweetness because we feel the earnestness that Jonathon and David feel; we are swept into the whirlwind of emotions and uncharacteristic actions that occur so rapidly in the story. At the same time, the very basics of living are transposed on the characters: cooking meals and doing laundry, daycare for Sam, and working for a living are balancing the sweetness of the new love and intense physical relationship that Jonathon and David are experiencing.
And time passes. Time is one of the best parts of this series. Each book is a standalone story, but characters crossover into other books at very different times in their own stories. What this use of time does for us as the reader is give us a sense of maturity in the relationship – Yes, they move in together very quickly, but they do real things and have real bumps in the road, and the bonds that grow are felt to be accurate to any couple in their situation. In this particular story, this means that the fairy tale aspect dissolves into a really sweet story as time passes, and the characters grow so much that they get recognised as being real to the reader as well.
This is a character driven book, light on plot but strong in character development and relationship building. Jonathon grows into a confident young man, aware of his strength and sure of his place in David’s life, and David grows into an aware partner, capable of supporting another and able to show his love of family.
Cardeno C. has created a world in Emile City that is inviting and charming. It is an ideal in equality that I would love to see in reality. The craftsmanship involved in creating this series is absolutely mind boggling. I can only imagine the flowcharts and timelines that must have been used in writing this series to incorporate all of the characters and accurately reflect their individual situations at an appropriate time in each book. The bonus ending added to each book with the rerelease of the series is the icing on the cake, still sweet but adding a richness that is appreciated and resonates with each couple. I can so easily picture the dinner that is being cooked in David and Jonathon’s kitchen.
Love at First Sight is my personal favorite of the Home series, although He Completes Me is a very close second. I love it for the guaranteed feeling of happiness I get each time I read it. I also like that Sam is simply a part of Jonathon; that David loves him first for that, and grows to love fatherhood second. I will continue to recommend this book as a feel good story, one that delivers far more depth and comfort than could be believed possible by the description and beginning alone.
You can buy Love at First Sight here:
