Rating: 4 Stars

Publisher: K.M. Neuhold

Genre: Gay Romance

Tags: Contemporary, Friends-to-Lovers, Second Chance Romance, Series

Length: 111 Pages

Reviewer: Cindi

Purchase At: Amazon

Blurb –

Of all the places in the world I expected to see Real Wilson again after fifteen years, the ferry to a gay vacation island was not one of them.

I thought I had one chance to kiss him, and I blew it. We were sixteen, and I was an idiot. But now, here he is, standing right in front of me, looking at me with that same expression of awe and adoration that I never lost my addiction to.

We have a week together on Palm Island, but there’s no way that’s going to be enough.

The locals are quirky, the dress code is more than a little lax, and I’m determined to prove to him that this is more than just a vacation fling…it’s The Real Deal.

Don’t miss this sweet, steamy, quirky prequel to The Off-Season Series, where the only thing wackier than the island legends are the locals themselves.

***This short story was previously published as part of the Your Book Boyfriend’s Boyfriend Giveaway. BUT it now also includes two additional Palm Island Prequel bonus scenes that you won’t want to miss!

Review –

I’m late to the party for this series, but I’m really glad I was able to start it with this story. I was able to learn a little bit about the island and some of the characters before reading book 1. I also know that I want to read Raven’s story sooner rather than later.

The last time Flynn saw Real they were sixteen and Real had attempted to kiss him. What did he do when his best friend tried to kiss him? He freaked out and ran off. Not only did he run off, but he and his family moved right after, so there was no chance to talk to him about the almost kiss. Oh, he’d known they were moving, but he’d been so angry about it that he refused to accept it so he never told Real.

He’s regretted it ever since.

When he sees Real again on a ferry headed to Palm Island – known as Handjob Island to the locals – he knows he’ll do everything in his power to keep from having to let him go again.

Palm Island isn’t your typical vacation spot. It’s gay paradise, where people go to let loose without judgment.

Real’s being hit on by a hot guy when somebody calls his name. He looks over, shocked to see Flynn, his childhood best friend that he’s not seen in fifteen years. Flynn wasn’t just his best friend. He was the one who got away.

Sometimes I wonder why I continue to bother. Fuck knows my stupid heart is still stuck on the one that got away all those years ago.

I chuckle to myself. Robbie would be rolling his eyes hard at me right now if he were here.

“You’re on your way to Gay Orgy Island, and you’re about to start reminiscing about the boy who wouldn’t kiss you when you were sixteen?”

Real also thought Flynn was straight, when Palm Island hasn’t exactly been advertised as a hetero vacation spot.

Uh, no. Flynn is out, proud, and sees this as his chance to make up for how he handled the almost-kiss a decade and a half ago. Real was his one true love, regardless of how young they were at the time. Unfortunately, it clicked that how he felt went way beyond friendship way too late.

It takes almost no time for these two to play around a little on the island a few hours later. Flynn can’t believe his luck. He’s finally getting a chance to make up for what he did years before. Real, on the other hand, is scared to death of getting too close. His trip to Palm Island was after he found yet another boyfriend cheating on him. He’s always been about relationships. Flynn, on the other hand, has only had one-offs, with no chance of a relationship coming out of them. When Flynn tells him he’s never been in a relationship before, Real deflates and tries to pull away.

Only Flynn won’t let him. He sees this as his second chance, and he’ll do everything in his power to continue way beyond the week on Palm Island. What he doesn’t know is that Real’s always seen him as the one who got away, the only one he could ever love, regardless of how young they were when they were friends before.

For readers like me who are new to the series, this is the perfect intro. It introduces the island and the quirky locals with their quirky names. It also opens the door for the official first book in the series, Perfect Ten.

Overall, a nice story. There wasn’t a whole lot to it, so I can’t say much more than I already have. I’m such a sucker for a good second chance story, and I liked Real and Flynn together.