Just Like That

A great start to this series. Just Like That is the first book I've read by Cole McCade which is a shame considering I have several other books by him in my digital library. I say that because this was a really great book and a great introduction to his writing. Now I have to find the time to read his other books that I own. Reading them won't be a hardship; finding the time is another matter. 😊 This is a great age-gap story. One of the things that makes a great age-gap story for me is that the age difference isn't beat to death in the book. I think it's maybe mentioned once or twice but the older man, Fox, doesn't go around saying I'm too old for you, we shouldn't do this, etc. which happens in so many books. The choice of names for the characters in this story was interesting. I don't believe I've ever known a male character with the name Summer. His last name is also unusual – Hemlock. The older character also has an interesting name, Fox Iseya. He is half Japanese so Iseya makes sense but Fox for a first name seems unusual. This really doesn't have anything to do with the book itself, it was just something that I found interesting. I loved how the story unfolded; how Summer never gave up trying to coax Fox out of the shell he had built around himself after his wife died. Each of the characters has things that they fear and those fears are confronted during the story. The writing was richly descriptive and flowed nicely, keeping my attention from beginning to end. I felt really bad for Fox and how he just closed himself off after his wife died. For someone who presented such a strong and overbearing personality with his students it was almost difficult to see him break – but it was necessary for his character to face the things he feared. This is the first book in the Albin Academy series and I'm looking forward to reading more. Sometimes it's fairly easy to guess who the next book in the series might be about but I really have no idea this time, which makes me even more eager to read book two, Just Like This, which should release in December 2020. A review copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley but this did not influence my opinion or rating of the book. ***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com***

An absolutely lovely romance. In Just Like That Cole McCade spins a tender and emotional story. The characters are deep and intricate, and their relationship is wonderfully complex. With the added bonus of Cole McCade’s truly beautiful writing, Just Like That is a moving story I won’t soon forget.