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Book Review – Tied Together by Z.B. Heller

Tied Together

Tied Together by Z.B. Heller

M/M Romantic Comedy Standalone

To start off the review, I must qualify this with the fact that I am not normally an m/m fan. Nor have I read the Moxie books by ZB Heller beyond a short story. But the promos were so cute, and I just love Zolie, so I wanted to get out of my comfort zone and go for it.

QUOTE MARKSugar, spice and all things nice. If you have a schlong, you belong. If you have a cooch, you can scoot along.”

I thought Tied Together by ZB Heller would be an over the top laugh-fest, more silly than serious. And while there are some light-hearted, laugh out loud moments, this was a true, sentimental, angsty romance. And I loved every second of it.

The book was told in basically three sections spanning many years. We start by meeting Ryan. Ryan is in high school, very well adjusted, gay, and accepted by his family. He is popular, confident, and just a great, outgoing guy.

Brandon was the opposite. He lived in a trailer park with abusive, homophobe parents, and could never, ever let on that he liked boys. He just spent his time studying, and often being bullied. Until one day Ryan stuck up for him against the bullies, and they became best friends.

Brandon loved Ryan, but his fear of coming out was so strong he never admitted he was gay, so Ryan just wished for it.

QUOTE MARKTo a night of friendship,” I said, clinking Brandon’s glass. What I really wanted to say was, “Here is a liquid potion that will automatically turn you gay so I can get well acquainted with your butthole.”

These guys were so close, and even with the funny and silly, they gave me all the feels. Ryan was funny, and Brandon was sad. Together they made a very interesting story, with a couple you know are meant to be together if they could both just get over their own drama, even after many, many years.

When they finally get together, I was ready to have a party.

Tiedquote

But of course, it isn’t that easy
..

Likes:

  • Funny, laugh-out-loud lines.
  • That it was a much deeper story than I expected.
  • Not so much sex that I was freaked by it.
  • A true second chance, even third chance romance.
  • Just enough angst
OK, a lot of angst.
  • I loved both characters.
  • I enjoyed Moxie in the small dose I had.
  • Lots of banter, my favorite thing.
  • Well done male POV.
  • Brought tears to my eyes a few times.

Dislikes:

  • Desperately needed another round or two of editing, but not so much that it detracted from the story.
  • There were a few scenes that felt a bit repetitive.
  • Brandon’s changes seemed very dramatic, and I would have liked a little more back story on them.

Not sure:

  • Steve Buscemi and Brad Pitt were Ryan’s “angel and devil” on his shoulders. While it made for some funny moments, I found it hard to get it with the names, but it was better once I realized who Steve was (so look him up here)

Rating: 4.5 Stars, 3 Heat

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Flame_THREE copy

The Down and Dirty:

I was pleasantly surprised at how much I really loved Tied Together. It started off with a bang and was funny off the bat, but it mellowed into an angsty, emotional love story spanning 14 years. ZB Heller’s writing style flowed well, and the humor blended well into the book without going over the top. I fell in love with and rooted for the characters, but found that the editing errors detracted from the great story. Still, I look forward to reading more m/m from Zolie, because she does it so well!

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Comments

  6. Heather D says

    I read a lot of m/m books, but I hadn’t run across this one yet. I just bought it and I’m looking forward to reading it. Thank you for the great review and the giveaway!

    Reply

  7. Karen G. says

    Thanks for the post. I love when a book can make me laugh, and Steve Buscemi is one of my favorite actors too! I will have to check this out. =D

    Reply

  11. Elaine Coates says

    I love Zolie’s writing! I love when I can read a book and laugh but then it touches your heart as well.

    Reply

  17. Leslie Justice says

    I’m not usually a m/m reader, but your review has made me wanna check it out. 😀 Thank you!

    Reply

  18. Clarisa Barahona says

    Love the sound of this book! I haven’t read many m/m books, but I have many in my TBR list, now including Tied Together ? thanks so much for the giveaway as well! ❀

    Reply

  19. Ashley Jasper says

    Fun review. Way to have to look up Steve (he totally works as a devil on the shoulder). Thanks for the chance.

    Reply

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