By: Sara Cate
“Amelia, I ache for you.”
Amelia Kade, age 25, has been in love with the same man for as long as she can remember. The problem is, it’s not just any man. It’s her dad’s best friend, Matis, and he’s 53. Matis runs a kink club in Paris, and has owned it for 30 years. Now it’s time time move on, but what once fulfilled his life, isn’t fulfilling it anymore, and he’s got nothing, just loneliness. Amelia proposes that she will help him find someone real, and he will help her find a good man. But no matter who each of them sets up the others with, it doesn’t work because Amelia is very much in love with Matis, and no matter how hard he tries to fight it, Matis is in love with Amelia. No matter the passion between them, this could destroy everything.
So… this is my first Sara Cate book and clearly, I’m VERY late to the party!!! I see why this author is loved by so many readers. Right from the very beginning I was drawn into the story. I enjoyed Cate’s decision to write some history for the characters. We didn’t just jump into things right away. We got just enough back story to enjoy the book without the backstory being too much.
There was a lot of chemistry between the two, but it never felt wrong. Amelia is adult, and very mature. Yes, there is more than 20 years between them, but it was made very clear that Matis’ interest only started recently, and not when she was any younger. I think that helped. The desire and the passion between the two of them was sizzling. Besides that though, there was also a tenderness between them that I really loved. Especially when Amelia went to see Matis’ mom on her own. Ugh, my heart melted.
I know this is supposed to be a forbidden romance because of the age gap and the fact that it’s her father’s best friend – but it didn’t feel very forbidden to me. Probably just uncomfortable for a lot of people in their lives.
Fair warning, there is some very spicy scenes in this book, and they explore Amelia’s desire to explore in that area of her life. Everything, however, is consensual, and there are boundaries.
Overall, I’m so glad I FINALLY read this author. Now to go back and read more!
Publish Date: September 1, 2026
Find the book here.
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