Can’t Live Without You

Lovely written book that brought tears to my eyes. I give it five stars!

Heat Level: 3 flames out of 5
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

This review is based on the Audiobook version of Can’t Live Without You by Andrew Grey. This is the second work that I am reviewing of this very prolific author. Can’t Live Without You is a second chance romance between Hollywood actor Justin Hawthorne and his hometown love, George Miller. It is a poignant story of a love lost and reclaimed over a period of time. The plot, Justin left his hometown, best friend, and love after his father tossed him out of the house when Justin came out to his parents. Coupled with the threat to George, Justin left to follow his acting dream. Years later, when a deathbed plea comes saying that his father wants to see him again Justin makes the trip back home in time to see his father die. Justin also finds out that George, now a nurse, has been taking care of his father over the last couple of months. Reconnecting with George brings back many memories, good and bad. They also realize that the love that they once had never stopped. The chemistry between Justin and George is fun, hot, and challenging. This story moves quickly. The excellent narration by Jeff Gelder kept me interested in these characters throughout the story. This story had an interesting happy ever after ending. There was strong character development. We are given glimpses of the lives of both main characters allowing us to feel a strong connection to both Justin and George.

PLOT: 5 Stars
CHEMISTRY: 5 Stars
PACING: 4 Stars
ENDING: 5 Stars
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 5 Stars
NARRATION: 5 Stars



Review Copy of Can't Live Without You provided by the Dreamspinner Press I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. Reviewed by Mollien from Alpha Book Club

Judging a Book by it's Cover:
Very nice composition. Small town main street on bottom gives it a quaint and artistic feel. The men are arranged and dressed casually. A gentle palette and strong, plain font make it very legible. Synopsis is enough to give you the feels and makes you want to read more.
Looking Deeper:
Third-person narrative.
Falling in love with your best friend should be the highlight of your life, but when your parents are close-minded and kick you to the curb when they learn you're gay? Well, that's the worst. The people who were supposed to love Justin most failed him. Another threat from an outside source was just too much and put him on the run. Always the one performing in theater or drama clubs, he headed to Hollywood with dreams of hitting it big on the silver screen. George was devastated when his best friend never came back to his house from work the night he was kicked out. For seven years, both men went through the motions of "moving on" with their lives, but not wholeheartedly and it took only one phone call to bring Justin back to face his past and the men to discover what was left behind.
Both men were very likable. Their chemistry, aided by history, was intense while the compatibility was rather sweet. A handful of secondary characters added some much needed depth and dimension to the plot. Shirley's warm acceptance and hilarious anecdotes of her youth were fun. Ethan's loyalty and protectiveness was amazing; a true friend there. Roy, Adam, and others gave only the tiniest glimpse of what things might be like as a high-demand actor. The token small-town gossips and bigot bully were also accounted for. The dialogue and interaction between the cast was wonderful and felt natural. There were trivial conflicts that were resolved quite easily, but no overall big drama or hurdles to overcome. The story flowed very well and was a sweet contemporary. There was some minor predictability, but was not off-putting. The conclusion wraps up in a satisfying epilogue.
This was my first time reading Andrew Grey although I've purchased a few others. His writing style is very enjoyable.
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Rating: [R] ~ Score: 4.2 ~ Stars: 4

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⭐ ⭐ **** Disclosure of Material: I received this book for Review from RBTL Book Promotions and the Author/Publisher. I was not compensated nor was I required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising". ***** ⭐ ⭐

Justin Hawthorne and George Miller grew up together they were best friends until they hit their teens when they fell in love with each other. They were each other’s firsts for everything until Justin’s father threw him out after Justin told him he was gay and in love with George. Justin went to George’s place where he felt safe until after work that night when something happened to him that made him leave town immediately and never look back.
Seven years later and Justin is now an A list movie star when he learns that his father would like to see him before he dies. Justin is incredibly resistant to seeing him as he has never forgiven him for throwing him out of his home then to make matters worse his father never told Justin when his mother died! When Justin arrives at the hospital the first person he sees is George, the he learns that George has been his father’s home-nurse for the last several years. Unfortunately, Justin’s father dies within minutes of Justin’s arrival and Justin is completely lost as to how he should feel and behave. The one good thing to come out of the entire experience is reconnecting with George. As George and Justin sort through his family home and all of his father’s things George tells Justin what has happened in and around town since he left. Justin is bewildered when he learns about the changes his father made but as far as he sees it, it’s too little, too late because if his father had changed so much surely he would have attempted to make contact earlier?
As George and Justin get closer and their love for each other is rekindled George knows there’s something Justin isn’t telling him about the night he left town and took George’s heart with him. When Justin finally breaks down and tells George exactly what happened that night George is devastated but at least now he knows and understands why Justin did what he did. Both Justin and George know they have limited time together because Justin has to be back in California in a few days to start filming his next movie because of this neither make any promises except to try and move on after their week together is over.
I must say Can’t Live Without You is one of Andrews deeper more emotional stories. The depth of emotion between the MC’s is very evident and although you know they both want a second chance at love the odds do appear insurmountable. I can’t recommend this book enough! Do yourself a favor and grab your copy now.

Omg Andrew what a lovely book. And of coarse I cried periodically through it between Justin leaving again and those two had to get it together. I just loved that book. Thank you for writing it. And just for that, you will get another full box of lemons when they are available!