Brave for You

Oahu Lovers Series, Book 1

De: Crystal Lacy

Narrado por: Iggy Toma

Less than a year after moving to Hawaii, construction foreman Nate Ellison's wife leaves him and their infant son for another man. Months into single-fatherhood, Nate meets Andrew "An" Hoang and is slowly drawn into An's life. Through An's friendship, he finds himself finally enjoying his new home in paradise.

An Hoang hasn't had a real relationship in years. With his pediatrics practice and a niece to care for on his days off, he doesn't have the headspace for more than a simple roll in the sack. But when he meets Nate - who just happens to be the gorgeous construction worker he encountered in the lobby of his apartment building - something about Nate makes it impossible for him not to care. When Nate needs An's help with his son, An doesn't refuse.

What happens when Nate's past and An's old-fashioned parents interfere just as the two men begin to fall for each other? Will they find the means to be brave and give their love a chance to flourish?

©2018 Crystal Lacy (P)2018 Tantor

A paradise for two with babies

Sometimes, you just want to enjoy a low-angst, all good feels, slow-burn, sweet romance without being under an angst umbrella with a pack of Kleenex. 😁 I mean I love that bittersweet angst and heart wrenching emotional stuff but occasionally, we all need a break from books that make us cry. 😌 And so, this friends to lovers, GFY book is my version of Hawaii vacation. 😉 And Iggy Toma was my hunky boyfriend during this vacation. 😂👏


Nate is clueless about how to normally function his life with his infant son while working long hours at his job after being abruptly left by his wife. Cue and enter Doctor Andrew Hoang, Nate’s new savior and hottie neighbor who happens to be a pediatrician. 😉 Nate doesn’t know where his wife is or whether she will ever come back. And An is temptation incarnate, sweet, considerate, understanding and way too sexy for Nate’s liking. 🔥 While being a seemingly perfect man, An has his own problems too. While dealing with his homophobic parents and helping his sister singlehandedly raise a daughter, pining for his not so straight neighbor who’s still married to a runaway wife is definitely not a good idea. 🙂 But An has been following rules for all his life. And Nate is impossible to resist with that shy and charming smile and down to earth personality. Plus, he loves Neal, Nate’s infant son who’s very attached to An. After mutually deciding being friends is better than being something more, both An and Nate finds that it is impossible not to want something more from each other. 😌 It’s time to man up and chase the man you are dying to be with. And a HEA will be there for one who relentlessly pursue their dreams. Nate and An just need to be life in each other and give this relationship a shot. 😉


It was slow-burn, sweet, romantic and just a bit tiny angsty at the end before their epic HEA. I have always loved interracial couples and I do believe authors need to venture more into this sub-genre. So kudos to Crystal Lacy to pulling off a lovely interracial love story. 👏 And did I say there’s popping that butt cherry of our virgin Nate? 😁 That was one hot scene! 🔥 I liked that there are very believable and lovely secondary characters in the story. I really loved the presence of two kids in the story and MCs’ sisters. It makes the story really realistic. Overall, enjoyable, fun and heartwarming. 😊 And as always, Iggy Toma did a stellar job narrating this story. Highly recommended to anyone who are looking for low-angst GFY stories with friends to lovers trope. 😌


4.5 a paradise for two with babies stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫




Audio rating

story - 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narration - 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Performance- 4.75 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟
Overall - 4.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Boring

I didn’t find the characters interesting. It was blah and bland. The only character I liked was the little girl.

I found a new author to like

A new author to me.
I enjoyed.
Sweet slow burn romance. Not overly schmaltzy or sentimental. Maybe a bit dramatic in the third act, but a really well done ending. I’ll definitely look for more from this author.
Iggy Toma does a good job with this one. Captures the feel of the writing well.

a straightforward plot with just enough twists

this was a nice romance with some of the twists and turns on the traditional gay man. it shows some significant family dynamics that are relatively correct with the cultural issues. All in all a fun read.

LOVE IT

If I Was Able To Leave More Then 5 Stars For Each I Would.