Review: Leo Loves Aries by Anyta Sunday

Author: Anyta Sunday
Series: Signs of Love #1
Pages: 377

A new person will enter your life in the early year, Leo. Look past any moments of frustration they might bring and laugh—this could be the start of a thriving friendship.

Theo Wallace usually laughs at the horoscopes his mom sends. Still hung up on his ex-girlfriend and practically friendless, this one begs him to reconsider. Because a friendship that stuck, that thrived…

Well, that would be a reason to leave past pains behind and look to the Bright Future.

When his sister Leone challenges him to find her the perfect date for a spring wedding, Theo uses it as a chance to make new friends. Theo’s ex economics tutor and newest roommate Mr Jamie Cooper seems to be a possible and convenient match. Real convenient. Like written in the stars, convenient.

All he has to do is make sure this Jamie is good enough. Could really be the one for her, and the friend for him.

But watch out, Leo, the stars have a surprise in store…

My plan for this book was to be the first for the year 2020, but my reading got more fluid thanks to my days off and it has become the last of the year 2019. I started this season with an awesome book by Teagan Hunter and I have finished it with an even more awesome book by Anyta Sunday. This reader is pleased!! I love stories full of heart and humor. The first stop in the Signs of Love saga has plenty of both.

In this story we meet Theo, an economics student who is still wounded after a painful break-up with his former girlfriend. That pain is shared with his sister, Leone, because her broyfriend broke up with her to start a relationship with Theo’s ex. When they are invited to the dreadful wedding, both of them decide they don’t want to go alone. So, they promise each other to look for a suitable date to take to the wedding. At the same time, they are looking for a new roommate. There enters Jamie, a former tutor of Theo who is charming and good-looking. In other words: Leone’s future date and a perfect friend in the making. But it is friendship enough for Jamie? Theo is up for a big surprise…

This is my first book by Anyta Sunday and I must admit I have fallen in love with her style. This is the kind of story that makes me feel good. That gives me energy to deal with anything bleak in life and makes me weirdly hopeful. Yeah, during a short period of time life will be splashed with more pink tones than usual thanks to the sweet overdose of good vibes delivered with this book. And all of that awesomeness is produced in a very simple way. Nothing convulated or twisted in the search for so-called originality. It’s an everyday story massively enhanced by the immeasurable hearts of the characters and the neverending banter they exchange. I am hitting my head against a wall for pushing this book for so long!!

I’m not afraid to say that 80% of my love towards this story is due to the characters. Without any shred of doubt, I would put Theo on my Top 5 of favourite characters of this year and he would easily make my Top 10 for favoruite book characters of all time. He is so easy-going and funny that I only needed a couple of chapters to bow before him. Instant book boyfriend! And those are not his only good qualities: he is loyal, sensitive, smart, always ready to help… A total catch that makes me wonder how could anyone break up with him. I know love is complex, but Theo makes so easy to like him. I felt so comfortable besides him the whole story. And Jamie is not far behind. He is the adult of the pair, but that doesn’t mean he is dreadfully serious. Not by a long shot. When Theo gets lippy with him, Jaime is more than capable to counterattack with as much wit as his playful roommate. And that has made my day. My smile couldn’t be bigger if I pulled the corners of my mouth. So, yeah, the former tutor is good-humoured, sexy, hardworking and with the perfect measure of cockiness. Another one that made me sigh as a lovebird. I don’t mind adding him to my book boyfriend list, too.

But those are not he only characters that shine. Leone, Sean, Ben, Kyle, the mothers… All of them have a scene to show how great they are and to put their weight to build the superb story that is Leo loves Aries. For the first time in a very long time, I have zero complaints about the cast. I only wish I could be a candidate for that room that is free now in Theo’s and Leone’s house.

And the romance… that is how is done. At least how it should be done to wow me (which is not the main concern of any author, but let me dream…). I LOVE me a slow dance. This time it has been extra sweet and extra funny thanks to Theo and his charming oblivious ways. I just wanted to grab the guy and throttle him to make him realize the good thing that he was missing, but I must admit the sluggish pace has worked miracles in this story. Faster would have been way more boring. Yes, I have suffered. But it has been good suffering. I wouldn’t mind being assaulted with more of it.

I got this book for free in Amazon a while ago and it was lost in the sea of free books that this obsessive reader has been filling over the years (about 16K free books and growing). I wonder what other treasures I have buried there. Maybe I should make the resolution of reading more free books instead of getting them and forgetting they exist…

2019 – Book Gallery

I almost forgot about the new word in English to learn! I can even feel Jamie’s frown for that unforgivable slip-up on my studies. From the bunch that I have highlighted, the one that has made the cut is:

flak: strong criticism or opposition