Once Upon You and Me by Timothy Janovsky

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If you’re a romance junkie like I am, then it’s often typical to read a wide range of sub genres in the romance category. Every once in a while, I like to dive into the bi or male to male relationships.

This upcoming release is heavy on building relationships even with an age gap. Check out my thoughts on this sweet story.

Once Upon You and Me by Timothy Janovsky
Publisher: ‎ Afterglow Books by Harlequin; Original edition
Pub Date: April 29, 2025
ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1335574961

OVERVIEW:
When Taylor Frost’s boss, Amy, flies him across the country to prep for her daughter’s sweet sixteen at the Storybook Endings Resort in the Catskills, the solo mission is well within his wheelhouse. Taylor is excellent at his job—except, he’s probably not supposed to flirt with the resort’s mountain man of a manager, Ethan Golding. Because the rugged older man is also the birthday girl’s father, aka Amy’s ex-husband. Oops.

For Ethan, his divorce seemed like the bad ending to his romantic story. And now, making his daughter’s sweet sixteen dreams come true is the closest he’ll get to the kind of magic happiness in fairy tales. Until adorable Taylor has him wondering if maybe this is just the beginning of a more erotic kind of bedtime story…

The only problem is Amy. And how very not okay she’d be with the chemistry between her assistant and her ex.

If only forbidden flings ever led to happily-ever-afters…

Once Upon You and Me by Timothy Janovsky Review

This is the first time I’ve read this author, and I have to admit I don’t always go to male authors for romance novels. Maybe I’m stuck in that mental block where I feel female authors are more in touch with the romance parts.

But that’s not to say I haven’t read romance books by men before, and sometimes I’m blown away. I was very interested to see how this author tells his story.

With the leading character a burly, handsome divorced dad finds himself falling in love with a much younger love interest who happens to work for his ex-wife. This issue made for a lot of tiptoeing around and an slow burn.

I love the characters and how the author built them. They definitely offset each other well, and the most uncomfortable part really was the ex-wife. The guy’s discovery of each other was very sweet and they were very comfortable together, balancing well. There was not a whole lot of that getting to know you awkwardness to get through which was nice.

The setting was perfect and it really enhances the story by the fact that they could have time to get to know each other. While I would rate this as steamy, some of the spicier scenes were moderate and left me a little confused a time or two.

This book dived into a lot of introspection about loneliness after divorce and the difficulty in finding someone to share your life with again, especially when your ex is highly involved in your life.

I was a bit disappointed in the ending because I wanted something more than a long distance, but in the end we got our happily ever after and that is the most important part.

Overall, this book is a sweet read that fulfills our romance needs and desires. From loneliness to a long-distance relationship in less than ideal circumstances. So sweet and a bit steamy for the romantics out there.

4 STARS!!

Disclaimer: Affiliate Links have been included – Chris has personally reviewed the product listed above. She has not received any monetary compensation for her review but did receive a free ebook so she could evaluate and use it for this post. Her thoughts & opinions in this review are unbiased & honest and your opinions may differ.