Reviews for Show Me Wonders, Make Me Fall, Hold Me Under Water, Air, Earth, Fire Series by Riley Nash

Title: Show Me Wonders

Series: Water, Air, Earth, Fire Book 3

Author: Riley Nash

Genre: M/M Romance

Release Date: December 1, 2022

Reviewed by Angels With Attitude Book Reviews

ARC copies provided for honest reviews

5 stars across the board

"Just when I thought Riley Nash's writing could get any better, she went and produced this masterpiece! I knew from the very beginning I was going to have to forget life all around me and devote my time to completing Jackson and Oliver's story because there was no way I could put it down! It contained absolutely everything I wanted in a book and more, with it being a beautifully done second chance that was emotion-charged and angst filled." -Goodreads Reviewer

"It's overwhelming, raw, and absolutely brilliant. Riley Nash is phenomenal when it comes to writing emotional rollercoasters and heartbreak, and I honestly wasn't sure my heart would survive this story." -Goodreads Reviewer

Let's start off by saying this was a brand-new author for us, and our first book by them gave the reader everything they could ever want in a story. The characters were great, the story was heart-wrenching and emotional and just about tore my heart right out of my chest. The story was one giant emotional roller coaster by the middle of the book to the very end, I don't think the tears stopped flowing. This story was a cry fest for me.

Loved Oliver and Jackson together, total opposites yet everything each of them needed. Jackson has that alpha, dominate nature that soothes Oliver's soul and makes him feel safe and protected. Oliver is a mess, especially after his close call to death's door but, is coping and doing the best for himself and his daughter who he loves with all his being. Father and daughter, two peas in a pod. In Oliver's darkest times, he reminisces about the one person who got him through some of the darkest hours of his life, one he fell in love with and one who still has a hold of his heart.

Jackson story is filled with heartache and pain and a lot of bad breaks, life has been unkind and unfair but, along the way, he found the one man who gave him a glimpse of what happiness looked like and that would have to be enough to hold him over for even darker days to come.

Fate or the universe perhaps played apart in bringing these two together. We believed them to be soulmates. Their journey together had so many ups and downs and twists and turns and so many years lost that It just broke our heart. Loved that this couple was broken because it made these characters even more loveable, and they show their vulnerability which lead to so many touching moments between these characters, and we loved that.

Overall, a fantastic read for us, can't wait to get caught up on the series. This is the type of story, at least for us, that there are so many things you loved about it, you just can't list them all. Definitely one of our favorite same-sex couple characters for 2022.

I am not going to lie, when I first started turning the pages I was like we are not getting off to a great start as I am not really loving these characters, and I am definitely not into Victor. As the story progresses I warmed up to Ethan and really started liking him you could clearly see he was a good man loved his mom and made sacrifices for her but, I never felt he resented making those sacrifices. Clearly, Gray was a yes man and Victor's father nothing but a bully and a controlling freak who only cared about his image and nothing about his son. Well, I ended up loving Ethan, so there is that. Victor seemed like a spoiled little rich boy with a chip on his shoulders who was rude, obnoxious, clearly a bully and down right mean and uncaring at times. I was not a fan at all, dreading having to deal with him an entire story. As the pages turned though you started to pay closer attention to the man and what made him tick and all of a sudden bam things started falling into place making you realize something really traumatizing must have happened to this man for him to act out to protect himself. Not only that, you started paying attention to the signals or signs he was giving off and this became even more clear and at that point you felt you had the answers to what you were concocting in your head. Loved Ethan and Victor as a couple as we really felt that Ethan would be Victor's savior but, he would be in for the fight of his life. They had chemistry and they were so cute together. Loved the little things Victor did for Ethan, when he wasn't being a prick. Overall, this was an emotional tale of two men with baggage, ones was darker than the other but, out of the ashes, they learned to love. This story has more than a few surprises and by the end of the book we can't say we loved Victor, but we were liking him and the more time he spent with Ethan which you could clearly see that Ethan was making a différance in the healing process and with more time we probably would have loved him to. This story was full of a lot of messy bits and secrets and lies and where the characters have this love hate relationship on the surface but, it is anything but no matter what was between the men at the beginning the middle and the end their souls recognized one another and there was no way to fight fate..

What a great series this is that we thoroughly enjoyed Jonah and Gray's story, the ending just about tore our heart out. This is a slow burn romance with two people who are complete opposites yet gravitate towards one another. Soulmates, the one you were waiting for? Jonah is such a great guy, his only fault is that he needs to trust and believe in himself more. This man was kind generous, funny and just an all around nice guy so loving and caring. A little heartbreaker in my book, and all sexy and a bit goofy. Gray, a little complex and brutey, bossy, dominate and also a man who cares is hard-working and a workaholic who loves to read non-fiction, and he too is loving and caring when he lets those walls of his down to feel and express himself. What a pair these two were but, they fit both finding new versions of themselves along their journey together. The chemistry with Johan and Gray was off the charts, their sex life in and out of the bed ranged from sensual to down right dirty. All we have to say that is we loved this story and its characters and loved seeing Oliver, Victor and Ethan grace the pages once again. A heartfelt tale that reminds us love is worth fighting for.

Wait for me. Never let me go.

I fell in love with Jackson Moreno in hell, the only two survivors trapped in a catastrophic tunnel collapse. But when rescue comes, I discover he has secrets darker than I could have guessed. He disappears from my life as quickly as he came, and I can’t afford to chase after him when I have to raise my daughter alone.

I fell in love with Jackson Moreno six years later, on a bright summer afternoon, cleaning the lobby of a small-town bank. But he’s still running, and I’m struggling to keep my little family afloat.

I fell in love with Jackson Moreno in three feet of snow, in the middle of nowhere, after we lost everything. Because sometimes a tatted bad boy and a shy dad who loves knitting are destined to be together, no matter how many years and miles and memories pull us apart. No matter how many times we have to start over.

If we refuse to be broken, I believe someday we’ll find each other for the last time.

An epic, moving story of second chances and love that defies all odds, featuring a double gay for you relationship full of first times, hurt/comfort, a demisexual main character, and mental health representation!

Triggers (potential spoilers): includes a disaster situation with emotional distress, claustrophobia, darkness, and brief mentions of blood and dead bodies; also includes violence, drug dealing, mentions of suicide, and mental illness (depression, anxiety, panic)

 

Oliver takes a quick, ragged breath. “Would you like to go on a date with me?” he blurts, so fast it comes out as one word I have to piece together after the fact. As we stare at each other, I want it to be a ridiculous question, to be able to say what the hell are you on or what gave you that idea? But it’s not. I can only ask myself how could you let someone do this to you again?

And my only answer is the man in front of me, waiting with his chin up like he’s about to be decked. The mix of emotions on his face looks just as complicated as my own.

“Where do you want me to take you?” I listen to the words come out of my mouth like they don’t belong to me. I’m leaving. But not today.

His mouth opens and shuts a few times before anything comes out. “You want to be the one doing the taking?”

“I should probably buy you a drink first.” 

The man looks puzzled for a second, then laughs so loudly that he claps his hand over his mouth. He can’t stop smiling. “We have no idea what we’re doing, do we?”

I just shake my head, unable to take my eyes off him.

“There’s a bar about twenty minutes from here that’s having a band I like on Friday,” he offers tentatively.

“Okay then.”

“Well, alright.” He presses his hands to his flushed cheeks and huffs out a slow breath. “I guess that’s that.” Neither of us seem quite sure what just happened. It’s almost impossible to believe the moments that change your life can slip by so simply, in the breathless second between a question and an answer.

He picks up his bag. “I need to get back inside. See you later.”

“Uh-huh.” Before I can straighten up, he steps closer and pulls my hat off, setting it gently on the windowsill. His eyes flick between mine, the quiet look that holds more wisdom than he knows. Then he grabs one of my hands, wet paint and all, leans in, and pecks me on the cheek. Face burning, he steps back and makes a break for the door. 

Something tells me I won’t be seeing him again before Friday. Rubbing my sleeve roughly across my cheek, I go back to work.

Riley Nash, based in the rainy PNW, writes M/M romances about boys who fall hard, face the darkness, and never give up on each other.

Fueled by cute dogs, those weird Coke With Coffee drinks, and projecting my personal issues onto handsome men and making them fall in love.