Made in Lisbon: Made In Book 5, Ana Newfolk

The freedom found in second chances and the peace found in deep and abiding love are priceless.  What Vitor never expected was Tiago, a young man nearer his son's age than his own, to be his second chance at life and love.  These men had a relatively hard road to their forever with so many roiling emotions inside that led them both away and toward one another.

Both Vitor and Tiago had compelling stories before they got their own.  I can't say that I would have imagined them together when we were introduced to Tiago or learned about Vitor in previous books in this series, but after seeing them together it became clear that they were what one another needed.  There were a few moments that were more frustrating than liberating, but as their story unfolded and we see where they ended up, I'd be hard-pressed to say that those moments were unnecessary for them to finally have what they deserved.

Well, except for one moment.  I found the big mystery and lie from Vitor's first husband to be incredibly underwhelming.  It was so built up that I expected something relatively Earth-shattering, but the big secret was so minor in any iteration or perspective that I have no clue as to why that was the secret chosen.

Even with that unfortunate bit it was Vitor that held my attention right from the start.  The way he needed to come to terms with his grief was believable and his decision to be with Tiago was appropriately angsty.  I'm glad that when he had his "aha!" moment regarding his feelings he didn't hesitate any further.  He was the solid presence, openly affectionate, and understanding partner Tiago needed to overcome his own set of trials.

Tiago was more difficult for me to love.  Not because he was a poorly written character or that his story wasn't organic, it's that he was so selfish at times.  Seems contradictory because of his commitment to finding something from his past so he could move on toward his future, but it still came up so many times.  It was as if he became so fond of his blinders that he became the kind of partner who expected the kindness and giving heart Vitor offered but wouldn't see beyond himself to offer in return.  His decision to keep information secret wasn't even for a good enough reason in my estimation either.  He kept it to himself for a rather predictable reason and then compounded the problem by putting virtually everything above Vitor that he forgot all about it and then couldn't see the parallels between their situations that would have given them something infinitely tender and deeper.  His obliviousness and secrecy bothered me more than anything else.

When the truth came out in a pretty bad way, as it always does, Vitor was well within his right to react as he did.  Tiago knew the significance of what he was doing and did it anyway.  And again, it was Vitor that needed to make all the necessary steps to keep them together.  Not a fan that the relationship felt lopsided.  Their resolution was incredibly sweet though, so I think it made up for quite a bit of frustration I was feeling up to that point.  The whole family's coming together was so sweet that I almost forgot about the rest of what upset me.  It was a long time coming and I was overjoyed that things worked out as they did.  The tone of the story was exactly right for the series and I'm still very much a fan the world created.

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Can you get more than one true love in a lifetime?

Three years after his husband’s death, Vitor is still grieving. Too young to be alone and too old to start again, he feels stuck. Accepting a new job in Lisbon is just what he needs, but it also means going back to the city that sealed his fate nearly thirty years ago.

Between looking for his missing brother and running an LGBTQ Youth Center, Tiago doesn’t have  time for dating or commitment. When his best friend asks him to find a family member that ran away years ago, Tiago welcomes the distraction.

A past full of secrets.

An anonymous kiss that turns their world upside down.

When past and present clash, will the two men put everything aside and give themselves a chance at happiness? Or are the things keeping them apart stronger than the feelings keeping them together?