Serious, responsible Seth longs for sexy, outspoken Eli but must decide if he's willing to veer from his safe life-plan.
When Eli Block steps into his parents’ living room and sees his childhood crush sitting on the couch, he starts a shameless campaign to seduce the young rabbi. Unfortunately, Seth Cohen barely remembers Eli and he resolutely shuts down all his advances. As a tenuous and then binding friendship forms between the two men, Eli must find a way to move past his unrequited love while still keeping his best friend in his life. Not an easy feat when the same person occupies both roles.
Professional, proper Seth is shocked by Eli’s brashness, overt sexuality, and easy defiance of societal norms. But he’s also drawn to the happy, funny, light-filled man. As their friendship deepens over the years, Seth watches Eli mature into a man he admires and respects. When Seth finds himself longing for what Eli had so easily offered, he has to decide whether he’s willing to veer from his safe life-plan to build a future with Eli.
Seth Cohen
Twenty-seven. That’s how old I was when we met. Well, it was how old I was when meeting meant something. No. It was how old I was when meeting meant something to me. Never mind. That’ll all become clear.
The point is that at that time in my life, I thought I was straight. Typically, when you say you thought you were straight until [insert-anything], the first question is, “How old were you when [insert-anything] happened?” with a chaser of “How could you not know you were gay before that?” It’s a fair question, because I think most gay people do know before they hit their late twenties. But for me, Eli Block was the first guy to ever hold my attention. Not the first to grab it, mind you, just the first to capture it and hold on. That said, women hadn’t ever held my attention for…
The story spans from 2001 to January, 2014
Cameo Appearances:
I enjoyed Eli's character as he attempted to get Seth to fall for him and it was only his young age that helped Seth keep him at arm's length. ....It was hard to define what the funniest part of the story was....Eli finally got his man, but it wasn't until he had given up proving that persistence does pay off! The love between Eli and Seth was beautiful and inspiring.
Truly, this is one of the nicest books I have ever had the pleasure of reading. I simply loved the characters – I am a sucker for decent people – the story, the humour, the build to what was to come, what the reader is hoping for, a realisation of what they had both built, where they had come to. And also, I have to be honest, the lovemaking, for that's what it was. I simply adored the layout of the book with the wedding invitations at the start of chapters. The weddings that Seth Cohen officiates are just so inventive and dare I say it, some are probably close to being true. This is the end of a series and no author could hope to finish up with two more wonderful characters and on such a beautiful note. Highly recommended reading.
This was such an enjoyable story. I love Eli's vibrant personality. He is in touch with who he is and what he wants. He is sweet, caring, and so young when we first start this book. Seth is the careful one, the one who has his life planned out. Eli calls him "old man" and it fits, as he always plays it safe and has responsible adult advice when Eli talks to him. It was fun watching them both grow and change throughout the story. Cardeno C. has a lovely way of telling a story. It is humorous, sweet and thoughtful. Some of my favorite parts involve the weddings that Seth officiated as a rabbi. After the first one, I realized eating and drinking while reading could be hazardous to my health because I was laughing so much. Even though this was the last book in the series, I never felt I was missing something....I have come to adore Cardeno C.'s work. I know I will enjoy a well-written, thoughtful story with a happy ending. I definitely recommend this book and look forward to going back and reading the rest of this series.
Seth and Eli are wonderful characters. ...Eli's unrequited love and Seth's confusion and fear, they are two emotionally-driven characters. And so perfect for one another. I enjoyed Seth's journey of self-discovery. Finding and accepting himself and then accepting his feelings for Eli show Seth in a whole new, stronger, more confident light. And Eli's growth and maturity, his journey from child to man, is great. To see the lust-addled boy grow into an amazing, confident (still lust-addled) man is a beautiful part of this book. And to see those men dance around one another throughout their lives only to find each other at the perfect time. ... So, not only is this story a beautiful tale of true love, meant to be, soul mates - whatever you want to call it - it's also a hilarious peek into the life of a rabbi and his many adventures into weddings. I'm telling you guys, the "wedding curse" that Seth suffers had me rolling with laughter, tears running down my face.