Book Review – Leo by Mia Sheridan

Leo (Sign of Love, Leo)
I love this author. I totally do. Because each book that I’ve read from her “Sign of Love” series, I’ve at least… REALLY liked. Such as “Stinger” (porn star meets “serious girl”) and this one, “Leo” (foster kids that grow up together, learn to love and make “young” promises that their futures might not be able to guarantee).

And then… there is that ONE that I loved to the point of wanting to shout it from the rooftops. That would be “Archer” (<— my review). I adored him (and her!!!), I was delighted by the uniqueness of the story, the life experiences and the growth. The characters, their realism, and the realistic progression of their meeting, friendship and… their potential. Plus it had a few VERY angsty parts that I could relate to. That I could believe and that had me all knotted up, stressed and yet delighted the entire time. One of my all-time favorite books, and so beautifully written, I will recommend it to the end of my days!

But I digress! This review is about “Leo” (the first book in the series) that many of you have been recommending to me since it’s release:

Beth: hey there i just Finished Leo by Mia Sheridan and i LOVED it, could not but it down. Totally has a Bad boy feel to it, Almost like a Christan Gray and Travis Maddox (whom i love) 🙂

Anna: Leo…don’t even get me started on Leo. Give it a read, you won’t regret it!

Polly: I loved Stinger but I loved Leo more. Go for it!

Louise: I am at page 50 and I am loving it!

Kandace: I agree, I loved Leo more.

Louise: I loved stinger so much it is almost unbelivevable to love leo more!

Maryse’s Book Blog: Whoa I have to read Leo, ’cause I LOVED Stinger!!

Liz: You have to read the first two Leo and Leo’s Chance. At the top of my best of 2013. If you loved Carson you will adore Leo. Happy reading.

Renate: Leo was truly special, not better per say…but like I said…the male characters Mia Sheridan writes about inspire us to feel for them and root for them as well. Stinger was a great read too But Archer and Leo were special!

Tess: Just finished Leo & Archers Voice, loved them both, but I definitely loved Leo more!!! It’s at the top of my list so far this year

…and you’ve been recommending it even more so once I fell head-over-heels with Archer. Strangely enough, I kind of… skipped ahead and went for the more “crazy-sounding” blurbs” of her later releases and skipped #1 (this one) altogether. Hey… what can I say? Male porn stars and male “hermits” apparently do it for me,  —> reading-wise. 😉 There’s just so much to explore when it comes to those kinds of characters, you know?

So what’s this one about? (I have to short form this ’cause this story takes a few turns that I don’t want to divulge here).

Leo and Evie were foster kids from abused homes that shared a period in their young lives together. From childhood to early teens, they were inseparable. And as teens… things progressed between them… deeeeeeply. A true, soul-deep love.

He’s my best friend in the world, the boy I’ve grown to love intensely, the boy who makes me want to stay awake because realty is better than my dreams.

And when Leo is ripped from her as he moves to a new state (with his new adoptive parents), he promises that he will keep in touch, begs her to wait for him, and swears to her that he will come back for her once she turns eighteen…

“I don’t care how far away from each other we are. You. Are. Mine. I’ll wait for you. Promise me you won’t let anyone else touch you. Promise me you’ll save yourself for me.”

Alas… high school sweetheart love stories don’t always go as we “dream” them. And when we meet with Evie again as an adult, nothing becomes more apparent than this. And the fact that she is still not over it.

Sounds good, right? It is! Mind you, it was not as exciting for me (as it had a more common theme), once it hit adulthood.  Working girl (with a tragic past) meets wealthy GQ-like hottie… that well… has his own issues to contend with. 😉

SLIGHT SPOILER ALERT do not read this little part below, if you haven’t read Leo yet… skip to the “come back” section. LOL!

And well…..

…..

…..

……

I saw “it” coming a mile away. Oh don’t get me wrong… it was a wonderful, heartfelt reveal. But I struggled with my “guess” all the way through (sure of what I suspected and I was right), and despite my struggle with the “how is it even possible that…??” and of course, was awarded with an appropriate answer. Made sense.

But still… if I’m going on what makes a book my favorite, if we’re dealing with a “crazy twist” reveal type of impact, I always seem to connect more with a story, when what I “think” is gonna happen… proves me way off. THAT makes me *squeeeeee*. This one, well. I saw it coming, so I lost that *surprise* factor.

Okay you can come back now!!

Still, though. Well written, with a fervent love story that kept me reading to the end. Did I put it down? Yes. I didn’t have that sense of urgency to devour it like I did with Archer. But!! Did I want to pick it back up again? Absolutely! And I hear that if I read “Leo’s Chance” (book #2 in the series), I will likely love it even more. 🙂

4 stars overall (3.5 for the slightly more usual/predictable story, although the romantic intensity had me at a 4-star level, especially that ending!). Perhaps Archer has ruined me for all others. 😉 Even works from the same author!

P.S. Thank you to the author for sending me this review copy (wayyyyyyy back when… )