Sharon’s review & release blast ~ Love You Like That by Scarlett Cole

It is never a bad thing when two people find their perfect match and that describes Alex and Zoe. Filled with laughter, understanding, smoking intimate moments, and most of all love; Love You Like That was an excellent addition to this series. ~ Sharon – Simply Love Books

Trigger warnings: gender identity bashing by a parent, unsupportive parents of a child with a disability, attack (off page) but aftermath on page, light BDSM play

The Sad Fridays are headed out on tour and things have changed rapidly in their lives over the last year; three of their members have found love, one has a baby on the way, one has worked through addiction, and they are all beginning to realize that their lives will never be the same. Love You Like That is a friends to lovers story between two people who want to be loved just as they are; a pansexual rock star and a deaf former musician turned personal assistant.  Both of these characters have had to overcome some obstacles in their lives, neither has been very successful in the love department, yet they really seem to “get” one another which leads to a silly bet and eventually deciding to see where the feelings they have towards one another go.

I’ve been waiting for this book, Alex King, percussionist and backup drummer in the band Sad Fridays, has interested me from the start. I love his outlook on life and relationships, his tender heart, and his unique sense of style. After two failed relationships Alex made the decision to just enjoy the company of a partner and feels a long term relationship isn’t in the cards for him. He also has decided he’s going to be the best wingman ever for his friend Zoe Atkins when she heads out on tour with them. Zoe isn’t completely comfortable touring with the band but when her apartment suffers some structural damage she agrees. Losing her hearing was a blow to Zoe who was on her way to becoming the best percussionist in the world. With constant pressure for her family and even her best friend to return to music, Zoe knows it wouldn’t be the same, she fears she could never be at the level she was before she lost her hearing. She enjoys touring with her best friend and the band especially Alex who has grand plans to find her a hot one night stand.  While hanging out with her, Alex learns how Zoe’s deafness affects her, how he can do better when communicating with her, and he begins to realize he likes her more than he probably should. Watching her go to dinner with another man is torture and he decides it’s time to tell her how he’s feeling.

I loved the way these two characters jelled, how they really got one another. They listened when the other one talked, they asked questions, they educated themselves, and they were each other’s champion as well as each other’s soft place to land. I loved the trust that built between them and the way they grew to know just what the other one needed.  At times, I felt this story was bit chaotic and full; Alex’s pan sexuality, Zoe’s deafness, the band’s tour, family issues, Zoe’s life changes, the community art center, the BDSM play, Alex and Ben’s mother’s situation, and that’s not even all of it. That said I appreciated the lengths Ms. Cole went to in order to educate readers on pan sexuality, deafness, and even BDSM. It made me realize how exhausting life was for Zoe on a daily basis which just made me love and appreciate her character all the more.

It is never a bad thing when two people find their perfect match and that describes Alex and Zoe. Filled with laughter, understanding, smoking intimate moments, and most of all love; Love You Like That was an excellent addition to this series.