4.5 Big Happy Stars!!! My heart broke so many times with this book. Darcy is the biggest sweetheart ever and anyone who doesn't feel for Caleb is probably already dead.

Darcy, born of the cooler Oregon wilds, is a fish out of water living in the New Orleans heat. When his business partner, cum best friend, cum sort of girlfriend (friends with benefits but who's keeping track) wants to move their online magazine office to the Big Easy he reluctantly agreed. Now their relationship is falling apart (Chester you're clearly the devil), Darcy's melting in the heat, and he's never been more miserable. Even the magazine has lost its appeal for him.

Enter Caleb! Caleb is a breath of fresh air. A world renowned photographer and Pulitzer Prize winner, Caleb is just looking for a distraction while he deals with some family issues. The open art director position at a local internet magazine seems perfect. One look at Darcy's bright blue eyes behind his adorable glasses though and it's more than a temporary job Caleb wants.

As these two fall, and fall hard, for each other they are left navigating a mine field of personal relationships, past history,and not for nothin', the minor inconvenience of Darcy's long held belief that he was straight. Both men have to face things about themselves and each others pasts and hope their relationship comes out stronger on the other side.

Ok, I want to pack Caleb up in a bottle and put him away so no one can ever hurt him again. Probably should be a Darcy shaped bottle though as it's the only way Caleb will be happy. While it's Darcy's heart that gets bruised in the book, Caleb never deserved the pain he suffered in the past. I loved watching Darcy heal those rough edges. When Caleb lashes out, in that moment of desperation, I was just begging Darcy to see through his pain to the wound underneath. It was so frustrating to watch him run away nursing his own wounds, justified though they were. I wanted to cry that he didn't know Caleb better than that. Yet at the same time it made such complete sense. They don't know each other better than that.

And it's for that reason alone this book loses a 1/2 star for me. This isn't just a case of insta-love, it's also a gay for you story. I found that dual aspect a little hard to believe, especially in the time frame of about a week. Yet, it's so well written and I just fell in love with both characters, so frankly I just didn't care about that minor hitch. The chemistry between these two was just palpable. I mean, who wouldn't drool over Caleb, tattoos, a bike, and this bad boy adrenaline seeker attitude...YUMMY! And Darcy, well he's just too cute for words! I wouldn't kick either of them out of my bed. *le sigh* And for re-read, after re-read, after re-read I won't have to. ;)

This book will definitely go on my worth it list. Anytime I want a pick me up or a dose of hot sugary sweetness this moves to the top of the list. Darcy I'm glad you kicked that awful manipulative bitch Bailey to the curb. Caleb, go get your man! This book is thoroughly enjoyable, with just enough angst to keep it interesting and as all the great love stories have, a HEA to dream on.

3.5 Stars?

I don't know where to begin here. Okay, I guess I'll start with Caleb. Mmmmm...Caleb. That drawl, that Cajun accent, the French...Mmmm. What I didn't like were all the damn nicknames. Holy sheep! Pick one or two and call it a day, would you. Darcy, Darce, Dar, bebe, beb, baby, cher, and I am sure there were more in there too that I am forgetting.

So, Caleb is a freelance? photographer/artist/business owner. He has actually won a Pulitzer for his artwork and is VERY successful around the globe. He's back in New Orleans because of his sick mother and he needs a job to keep him busy, not because he needs money. When he walked in for his interview he was expecting a woman, and rightfully so with the name like Darcy he was supposed to be meeting. Instead he's met with beautiful blue eyes and a "tight ass". Caleb is immediately drawn to him and making some pretty great innuendos. Professional, no, funny, yes.

Darcy Butler is a Oregon native who moved to New Orleans to start his e-magazine business. It's cheaper down there than it is in Oregon. He was doing fine and then Caleb contacted him about a job and being as Caleb is over qualified he can't resist meeting with him. What Darcy wasn't expecting was his stomach to turn into knots at first sight.

Caleb comes on pretty strong. It's kind of intimidating at first, but then you realize that it's just Caleb. This is how is his.

Spoiler

What I don't understand is what did they do for each other outside the bedroom? What did they have in common? Why are relationships solely based on sex lately? I want to see a life outside the bedroom! How could they love each other without really knowing each other? Talking with one another? They spend a week together and FOUR months apart! The stuff Caleb said at the end there in the stairway was HORRIFIC! But, Darcy gave in too easily and ran away when Caleb needed him most. He should have stood by him and made him see that Darcy did love him past and all.

Oh and can I just say I LOVE Amber :) Hate Bailey and Chester, but I love me some Amber! I wish she had a bigger role in this.

Overall, 2 words: CONDOMS & LUBE!!!!!!!!!

I wanted to like this. I really did. But while the plot was... entertaining, and the characters were fun, there were so many spelling and grammatical errors that they kept jarring me out of the story.

The worst part was the awkward way the oh-so-awkward dialogue (there are ways to convey the fact that a character is speaking with an accent that don't involve badly-written attempts at Cajun) was written, with people jumping from one phrase to another in the middle of a sentence, without so much as a comma to set them apart. Could have done without the internalized homophobia of both the main characters, too.

This is my first book by Mercy Celeste.
I have no issue with insta love stories. The issues I had with this particular story is the soppy, totally unrealistic way these guys spoke to each other. I did not see any chemistry at all, all I saw was a Mills and Boon style story that would have been over the top for a m/f couple and it certainly went way over the top for a m/m.
The storyline itself was just nothing. I did not like the spiteful behaviour of one of the MC's. Just not likeable characters at all.
After reading other people's reviews, I was so looking forward to this, expecting a sweet romantic love story. Unfortunately it fell way short of the mark for me, and I don't think I will be trying another book from this author.

This was good, but a few things kinda felt off to me. I thought the thing with Chester was added just to add some more drama. Why in the hell would you seduce a guy's GIRLFRIEND to try to get the GUY'S attention and seduce him? It just made no sense. I felt the Bailey stuff was unresolved, too. But I really loved Caleb and Darcy, and was glad they got their HEA.

Love conquers all!

This has to be one of the best M/M stories I have ever had the pleasure to read. I can't believe that I haven't stumbled across this author before today, but I will be checking out the rest of her books now.

This book has everything that I could possibly want. The "Nice Guy" with the heart of gold, the "Bad Boy" with enough skeletons in his closet to choke a horse, the jealous ex-girlfriend who can't go, a love story that hit me right in the feels & smexxy times that are steamy enough to melt my panties! If you haven't read this book yet, you're missing out!

I really loved Darcy and Caleb, bad bay meets nerd. The story itself is very simple but the life story of Caleb just breaks your heart.

Loved it. The setting, New Orleans, the story, the drama, the romance, the main characters... everything.

4.5 Stars
Re-read 6/24/18

I read this book for the first time in 2014 when I was relatively new to M/M. The novelty of guy-on-guy romance captivated me, and it didn't take much for me to fangirl out. Things have changed. It still doesn't take much to catch my attention, but keeping it can be an uphill battle. I never thought I would routinely skim through the sexy parts, but I do now. As a result, I didn't approach this re-read with high expectations.

I'm so glad I was wrong! [b:Behind Iron Lace|25835612|Behind Iron Lace (Iron Lace, #1)|Mercy Celeste|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1435820617s/25835612.jpg|17623702] stimulated all of my pleasure zones, and I was charmed from beginning to end. It was even better than I remembered. I've added this book to my list of comfort reads and look forward to picking it up again in the future. Darcy & Caleb forever!

I really didn't know what to expect from this one. I've had it on my to-read shelve for a while, but never really had the urge to read it. Now I wonder why!

I very quickly fell in love with the 2 MC's. One is sweet, innocent and a little confused, the other a bad boy (and I do love the bad boys!). There were some strong extra characters in the story as well, but they never took anything away from the focus on Darcy and Caleb. I loved the way their relationship was allowed to develop. I really have only one complaint...I want more lol!