Come What May: All Saints, Book 1
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars | 424 ratings
Price: 19.68
Last update: 10-08-2024
About this item
Jonas needs Tate. He just doesn't know it yet.
Or at least he doesn't want to admit it. Because there is no way Jonas Ashcroft is gay. He's a straight, carefree frat boy player, just like any good son of a conservative state senator. If only his struggle to convince everyone - especially himself - didn't leave him so miserable. No matter how many girls or bottles he drowns himself in, Jonas can neither escape nor accept who he is.
Enter Tate. He's smart and confident and instantly sees right through Jonas' surly exterior. Sure, he's done things in life he's not proud of, but he knows who he is and what he wants. And what he wants is Jonas. As their easy friendship intensifies into something more, Tate introduces Jonas to a life he's never known. One filled with acceptance and sex and a love that terrifies and excites them both.
But some inner demons refuse to be shaken off so easily. When Jonas' old life barges in, he faces a shattering choice, one that could destroy everything he and Tate have fought so hard for. Sometimes love just isn't enough - and sometimes it's exactly what you need.
Book One of All Saints, the brand new series from A.M. Arthur.
Top reviews from the United States
This one was intense from the start because it's very rare to come across a spoiled, rich, college-age guy who is so straight that he can't contemplate being friends with anyone who is openly gay. Jonas Ashcroft also is completely convinced that his life is a waste of time because he's not smart, or at least has been told that repeatedly throughout his life by his overly ambitious, verbally abusive father, who just happens to be a Congressman. The fact that he's not that dumb doesn't prevent him from getting expelled for a year from college for a prank he commits with other frat boys, the details of which are not disclosed until near the end of the book.
That prank outrages his father so much that he banishes Jonas from Chicago to Wilmington, Delaware, where he is to work at no pay at the thrift store run by his Aunt Doris and Uncle Raymond (his mother's brother). There he is given room and board and introduced to a whole new way of life, if not thinking, by Tate (the smaller blond on the cover), the two-years-older former street hustler who has founded and is now running an LGBT shelter across the road from the thrift shop.
The introduction is not pleasant, but Tate is not about to let this spoiled brat beat him at the game of life. Before he knows it, Jonas is questioning everything about his life to date and his future, but his biggest failing--which turns out not to be his lack of smarts--is his complete inability to break away from his father's overbearing influence and his mother's vapid indifference.
There are a whole lot of well-developed characters here who eventually connect with Jonas to bring him a less than perverted idea of what family and friendship means. His relationship with Tate takes root, blossoms, and opens to the world--but not without consequences which bring shock and conflict into play.
The support of acquaintances and friends (some from other series by Ms. Arthur), and the discovery of the root cause of why he is so learning-challenged (surprise, it's not what you might think), eventually builds up his confidence enough to deal with situations he never would have expected when he landed in Wilmington.
This book took a few chapters to get me going, only because I was really interested in how Tate would turn Jonas into a friend and eventual lover. Then it took off and couldn't quite put it down. Another good start to another series.
A.M. Arthur books are just some of the best. They really are. Excellent plots, wonderfully developed characters and delightful dialogue. I think I've read them all, and now eagerly away the next in this new series. Sadly I have to wait until September!
I did notice one error in this book, which to me seemed kind of glaring. Hate that it slipped through the editing process. At one point, Jonas wakes up to head to work on a Monday. But the thrift store is not open on Mondays. We hear about the store schedule earlier in teh book, and 'closed on Mondays' is referred to again later in the book as well. Small potatoes problem, but it did distract me.
A huge PLUS for this book was the appearance of characters from another A.M. Arthur series. We get to briefly see Alessandro, Ezra, Donner and a few others. Oh, and we visit the Pot O Gold as well! (Like seeing an old friend.)
Some of the best lines and phrases from the book:
"I need that on a t-shirt. A dude's hand on my cock is like, whoa."
"Sex is easier when both bodies are squished together, not five feet apart."
"Dating was a better way to put it than we spend a lot of time naked, alone, not actually going anywhere."
I hope you enjoy Jonas' and Tate's story as much as I did!
This was my first time reading ms Arthur's work, and I was totally blown away.
Deep, meaningful story. Brilliant, error-free writing (and editing); wonderful world-building; lovable, well developed characters.
There is absolutely nothing here not to like.
Buy and read with confidence. Highly recommended!! Worth every minute and every cent!
Very beautifully written love scenes.
Very explicit and frequent.
Heat level: five flames.
Standalone story with a delightful HEA.
No epilogue, but the book rounded off nicely, so I didn't feel I needed one.