All He Ever Needed, Cate Ashwood

The transition from friends to lovers is not one that every friendship can survive.  When Ethan reveals to Jase his long-held secret it's met with stunned silence, then full support, and finally incredible interest.  Ethan's revelation and Jase's reaction to it is promising but neither man is willing to look beyond their week away from everyone and everything to see how their day-to-day lives will affect the changes their time in the cabin has wrought.  Time will tell if their budding romance can endure the scrutiny of the outside world; it just might spell the end of their easy decades-long friendship too.

Ethan and Jase are cute together and I really liked how their friendship was first and foremost for most of the book.  While they were definitely stoking the fire between them during their time in the cabin, the time spent in that idyllic setting showed that they were aware of where they started and where it could lead, from the ramifications to their actions and to the tenderness between them.  Seeing that they had such a great foundation I was looking forward to how they would build on that for the romantic aspect of their relationship and if it would really stand up to their normal lives.

I generally have a hard time when jealousy is used as the main kick in the pants necessary for admitting and expressing feelings.  It felt here like it was an afterthought that could have gone without, especially with Jase's revelation earlier that day.  Tyler's part was predictable, all except for his counsel to Ethan regarding Jase.  I loved that he called him out for their epic miscommunications and abysmal communication in general.  Someone had to say it, not just the reader shouting at our book either in our heads or out loud.

Jase's freak-out is predictable and so was Ethan's reaction.  Both men are dealing with their respective paths in understandable ways and though their end resolution is good, it's Jase's courage that steals all the attention.  Despite all of Ethan's frustrations, once Jase fully commits he goes the distance and beyond to ensure that the future he wants is the future he gets.  With his determination and dedication to creating a future with Ethan the story took all the right turns to get to a great HEA that was full of love and acceptance.  Their journey to get there was definitely bumpy and the ending was well-earned.

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