The One Who Saves Me (Home #5)

Title: The One Who Saves Me (Home #5)
Author: Cardeno C. and Alexander Collins (Narrator)
Publisher: The Romance Authors LLC
Release Date: February 15th 2016
Genre(s): M/M Contemporary Romance
Length: 6 hrs and 45 mins
Reviewed by: Belen
Heat Level: 4 flames out of 5
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Blurb:
A Book in the Home Series

At fourteen, Andrew Thompson and Caleb Lakes become best friends. As the years pass, they stand by each other through family trauma, school, and the start of their careers. They share their first sexual experiences as friends, learning and experimenting. And they talk each other through countless dates and breakups. Decades of trust and loyalty build a deep and abiding friendship —until Andrew suffers a tragedy. Caleb moves in with him, and the parameters of their unique relationship blur.

Wrestling with feelings he can’t articulate, Andrew spirals into self-loathing. Caleb struggles to help his friend heal, but he longs for more than Andrew can give him. After so many years, neither man knows how to break out of his established role. After all, boyfriends come and go, but best friends are forever

Told in alternating POV, this is a friends to friends-with-benefits to lovers story with most chapters bringing a new year in the lives of best friends Andrew Thompson and Caleb Lakes. They’ve always had an unconditional love for each other, sharing all their firsts including their first kisses and all their first sexual moments.

I really enjoyed Alexander Collins’ narration. Though he doesn’t do a huge difference in the Andrew and Caleb’s character voices, he does a good job overall with the tone, pacing, and other character voices.

Though when they live apart, over the years they see each other often. They have a rule that if neither is in a relationship with another man, they can also come together sexually as well. Cardeno always writes such wonderful sex scenes, and Alexander Collins has a great delivery of the heat and chemistry between the two characters.

I absolutely love the first two-thirds of this story. The genuine love, respect and affection between Andrew and Caleb is so wonderful to witness. Though the two date other men, they always come back to one another.

“And I think for some reason, you keep choosing guys who don’t deserve you.” Caleb managed to turn Andrew around. “Listen to me. I know you.” He lifted Andrew’s chin, forcing their eyes to meet. “I know you. You are more than enough in every possible way.”

Unfortunately, there’s a period in the story where it became utterly frustrating for me. Caleb and Andrew, who had always talked everything out before, suddenly stop communicating well with one another and their relationship becomes completely platonic. It’s at that time that my old nemesis miscommunication comes by to play. I hated it, and I’m going to be honest and admit it almost ruined the story for me.

Thankfully, it’s after a friend’s new boyfriend points out that they not only belong together, but could actually be having a real relationship with one another and the only thing stopping them is their own stupidity, that Caleb finally realizes his blindness and their relationship gets back on track. Once they begin communicating, and sleeping with each other again, the story realigns and I was happy again.

“It took me years of failed relationships and dozens of self-help books to recognize what was right in front of me all along. But now I know. It’s us, you and me, what we have together. That’s the permanence I always wanted.”

This friends to lovers story has humor, romance, hot sex, and lots of wonderful feels.