Review of Loving Love by Jessica Frances

Seventeen years ago, Rian fled Midsummer and her horrible parents, leaving behind the love of her life. Finally able to face her past and the consequences of decisions made at seventeen, she comes back and soon finds out that not everyone in her family is awful. Her brother Rocky and his husband Conner welcome her with open arms. As to Love, the girl she left behind, she’s now an amazing woman who makes Rian’s heart stutter just as much as when they were teenagers.

The first six books in this series are m/m and this seventh and final can be read as a standalone but I did feel a bit lost at the beginning. I didn’t mind the feeling in chapters told from Rian’s point of view, since she’s missed so much too, but with Love, there were so many references to past events that it kept distracting me from the story. I ended up reading the blurbs and a few reviews of the previous books, which at least made me feel like I knew anything essential to the dynamics of the characters.

From what I gathered, Love and Conner tend to get into trouble all the time. Love is an investigative journalist, and when this story begins, she’s investigating drug-related deaths at the local high school. Will her investigation put Rian in danger? You bet it will! The whole story is rather predictable but in a nice, comfy way. Rian and Love are total sweethearts, Conner is the ideal best friend, Rocky is the tough teddy bear big brother we all need, Love’s mother is the best.

The other day, someone in one of my favourite lesfic groups on Facebook asked about cosy mysteries. This is exactly what I expect from a cosy mystery. It’s straightforward, it’s entertaining, there’s some suspense but it’s not exactly scary. Cosy really is the right word. Don’t expect more from this book than what it is: a light, easy second-chance romance with some mystery on the side. Sometimes that’s more than enough.