Enay QueerBooklover's Reviews > Say My Name

4.5 stars

Another fantastic read from an author that’s becoming a one-click buy for me.

Swoon /5 🥰🥰🥰🥰
Angst /5 🥺🥺🥺🥺
Steam /5 ♨️♨️♨️♨️♨️
Plot /5 🧐🧐🧐🧐
LOLs /5 🤭🤭🤭🤭

Travis walks into his home to find his live-in boyfriend being intimate with another guy. When they break up, and Travis moves into a new place, he finds that his neighbour is that same guy, Mateo. Of course, Travis hates him & they antagonise each other every time they meet, but they both internally acknowledge how attractive they find the other. This attraction explodes when Travis locks himself out of his home during a snowstorm, (good old forced-proximity trope!) and ends up sheltering at Mateo’s place. And a dare turns into their first sexual encounter that’s down & dirty, kinky, and OH SO HOT. Piercings for the win (love a book where piercings & the way they’re used are featured!) Right from the first time, it’s intense. Mateo is a dominant & focussed lover, has a collection of toys in a room he has set up for “play”, and enjoys orgasm control, breath play, mild impact play, and degradation & praise kinks. Travis is surprised that he does too, and his craving for Mateo’s unique brand of attention starts here. He tries to maintain his hate for Mateo, but the craving is too strong. And Mateo soon realises that, while usually everything is about sex for him, his attraction has feelings attached.

I often feel that the enemies-to-lovers trope is too unrealistic, too “Insta-love”. However, Ashley has done a fantastic job at making this believable - Travis maintains his anger at Mateo for causing the breakup of his relationship, even while he can’t resist him, and Mateo slowly but surely becomes more addicted to Travis & falls beautifully & believably in love. Their sexual connection is en pointe & oh-so-spicy, Mateo’s need for Travis is enviable, Travis’ support for Mateo during family issues is sweet, and they get their HEA. Couldn’t ask for more.

Check out my reviews and MM content on Instagram, Threads, Facebook, StoryGraph & Bookbub, all under the same name! I gratefully received an advance copy and this is my honest review.

Content warnings for infidelity, emotional abuse & gaslighting, grief (relationship breakup), sexual content, toxic relationship, parental abuse, homophobia, sexual assault and minor blood play.