We start the book with Evan Cerelli dealing with his wife's sudden death. He is shattered but he has to keep on going, he has 4 kids to take care of, a job - he is a homicide detective - and all in all he is willing to put himself aside so he can do what needs to be done even if he is dead inside. His wife was everything to him, he loved her fiercely and he actually have never been with anyone else since they met at high school. She is all he knew.
Matt Haight is having some sort of midlife crisis. He is stuck in life. Since he lost his job as a cop he struggles with himself. This is what he wanted to be yet he screwed it up and now he works in security which he couldn't care less for, he lost his friends from the force (the few he had) or he just forgot to be in touch, he lives in an empty studio apartment and life in general isn't working for him.
Matt and Evan meet at a retirement party to Matt's old partner. They connect through their shared empty and sad vibe. They start meeting for beer and as meeting increase and the the alcohol levels rise both Matt and Evan start to open up to one another. It's easier for both of them to talk to someone who understand - grief, loneliness, guilt.
Somewhere along the way attraction starts to build side by side with affection and then love. It was building beautifully. Though they are "menly men" you would think never confess to their feelings, these two does, on their fear, their anger, their confusion. All of it, so the story didn't drag because of "stupid fights" it DOES have a major crisis when one of them realizes how much is at stake. I should say that I didn't understand the last chapter and the way they worked their differences. But the whole of the book was SO amazing I could totally forget and forgive this point :)
It was beautiful seeing Matt getting close to Evan's kids. Though I'm not into kids in books, I think their role was done really well. Not too much children yet not forgetting they exist. It was obvious how much Matt is missing a family, as it was obvious how much Evan was missing a partner in life and in his family. The kids might not NEED another person in the family, but as they come to realize Matt is making their father happy - a happy father is better than the gloomy one they had for the passing year. Also Matt is handling them great and a sweet friendship builds between them all. I just really enjoyed seeing the development of this new family.
Matt is really sweet. Beneath the macho and womanizer facade he is a great guy that wants to love and be loved he just never found someone who actually GOT him and could handle him. Never had someone to take care of, someone he WANTED to take care of. So when he feels Evan's need he is right there by his side. I think out of the two I somehow loved Matt more than Evan who mostly was dealing with some sort of depression. He was sinking too easily. At times I was quite angry with him for forgetting all about himself. But I couldn't really be angry with him for long as he was still grieving which was totally understandable.
Near the end we meet Jim who is one of the MC in the next installment in the series. He is Matt's friend. Won't say more about it not to spoiler but I SHOULD say that Jim is a total sweet heart (as well) and I'm really looking forward to reading his HEA.
Additional Details: Kindle Ebook, 336 pages, 15-16 December 2014 / On GoodReads
ABOUT THIS SERIES
Faith, Love, & Devotion is a MM Romance series by Tere Michaels.
Most of the series centers around the romance between New York City Vice Detective Evan Cerelli and former Homicide Detective Matt Haight. The second novel in the series centers around another couple - Jim (Homicide Detective James Shea) & Griffin Drake (A screenwriter) - after their novel the series continues with two more books of Evan and Matt (concluding the series after these) including a meetup with Jim & Griffin in the 3rd novel.
This series is absolutely AMAZING. The romance between Evan and Matt was beautiful and sensitive especially because they were both in a very difficult state when they met and also because they were both "straight" and never considered they might be attracted to men. So the romance between them had a "confused feel" to it on both sides, trying to deal with life, label and stereotypes as well as the "simple romance". I loved that even though it was very heart clutching at times and very emotional I didn't feel it was stretched just for the sake of having an argument, it all felt very genuine and real. The struggles feeling very understandable. With Jim and Griffin it was different, and not only because they are both openly gay. They had a different relationship but also a very sweet one, the love building in a very easy going way.
The 5th installment was published as a bundle with the 4th one. Better buy the bundle now since the 5th installment isn't available as a standalone (both together are about a novel's length). These two installments aren't very necessary to the general plot but I guess you mostly need to read them to understand Where Jim and Griffin are in their relationship as well as what's up with Miranda (Evan's oldest daughter).
The 5th and 6th installment are different in the sense we get both couples together. It's a bit crowded yet having them both together is like getting a cookie and a piece of cake together :) The HEA was beautifully made in the 6th installment.
Then we got the very last one. If you wanted a HEA a true one, I believe we've totally got it in the very last installment. It's not the usual book with a coherent story line, it's a collection of stories, of our three couples (though it's mostly Evan and Matt), the kids, growing up, getting older, getting married, having kids. Life. Family. Love. All entwined together.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Books:
Most of the series centers around the romance between New York City Vice Detective Evan Cerelli and former Homicide Detective Matt Haight. The second novel in the series centers around another couple - Jim (Homicide Detective James Shea) & Griffin Drake (A screenwriter) - after their novel the series continues with two more books of Evan and Matt (concluding the series after these) including a meetup with Jim & Griffin in the 3rd novel.
This series is absolutely AMAZING. The romance between Evan and Matt was beautiful and sensitive especially because they were both in a very difficult state when they met and also because they were both "straight" and never considered they might be attracted to men. So the romance between them had a "confused feel" to it on both sides, trying to deal with life, label and stereotypes as well as the "simple romance". I loved that even though it was very heart clutching at times and very emotional I didn't feel it was stretched just for the sake of having an argument, it all felt very genuine and real. The struggles feeling very understandable. With Jim and Griffin it was different, and not only because they are both openly gay. They had a different relationship but also a very sweet one, the love building in a very easy going way.
The 5th installment was published as a bundle with the 4th one. Better buy the bundle now since the 5th installment isn't available as a standalone (both together are about a novel's length). These two installments aren't very necessary to the general plot but I guess you mostly need to read them to understand Where Jim and Griffin are in their relationship as well as what's up with Miranda (Evan's oldest daughter).
The 5th and 6th installment are different in the sense we get both couples together. It's a bit crowded yet having them both together is like getting a cookie and a piece of cake together :) The HEA was beautifully made in the 6th installment.
Then we got the very last one. If you wanted a HEA a true one, I believe we've totally got it in the very last installment. It's not the usual book with a coherent story line, it's a collection of stories, of our three couples (though it's mostly Evan and Matt), the kids, growing up, getting older, getting married, having kids. Life. Family. Love. All entwined together.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Books:
1. Faith & Fidelity [Evan & Matt] (Published 23 September 2008) ★★★★★
2. Love & Loyalty [Jim & Griffin] (Published 8 September 2009) ★★★★★
3. Duty & Devotion [Evan & Matt] (Published 23 March 2010) ★★★★★
4. Cherish [Evan & Matt] (Published 20 November 2012) ★★★★
5. Cherish & Blessed [Evan & Matt/Jim & Griffin] (Published 13 February 2015) ★★★★
6. Truth & Tenderness [Evan & Matt/Jim & Griffin] (Published 1 May 2015) ★★★★
7. Forever & Ever: A Collection of Stories [EVERYONE!] (Published 25 December 2018) ★★★★★
5. Cherish & Blessed [Evan & Matt/Jim & Griffin] (Published 13 February 2015) ★★★★
6. Truth & Tenderness [Evan & Matt/Jim & Griffin] (Published 1 May 2015) ★★★★
7. Forever & Ever: A Collection of Stories [EVERYONE!] (Published 25 December 2018) ★★★★★
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