Alexandria Bellefleur

Sparks fly when a lovelorn romance novelist and a divorce lawyer who has sworn off relationships agree to cohost a podcast series offering dating advice to viewers, in Truly, Madly, Deeply, the next steamy queer rom-com from Lambda Literary Award winner and national bestselling author Alexandria Bellefleur. As a bestselling romance novelist, everyone thinks Truly Livingston is an expert on happily-ever-afters. She's even signed on to record a podcast sharing relationship advice. Little do they know she feels like an imposter--her parents just announced they're separating, she caught her fiancé cheating, and her entire view on love has been shaken to the core. Truly hopes the podcast will distract her... until she meets her cohost. Her first impression of Colin McCory is...hot. But then he opens his extremely kissable mouth. Colin's view on love just pisses Truly off, even if he does have an annoyingly attractive face. Bickering with a cynical divorce lawyer is the last thing she needs--so she walks out, with no plans to return. A few days later, Truly is surprised when Colin tracks her down, asking for a fresh start. Truly can't deny the little thrill she gets from Colin begging, so she reluctantly agrees. As they go from enemies to friends to something else entirely, Truly discovers they have more in common than she ever imagined, including their shared queerness. He's a genuinely good guy--charming, sweet, and equally as unlucky in love as herself--and there's something about Colin that drives Truly a little wild. When their attraction reaches a fever pitch, Truly is happy for the first time in years. Yet she can't help but wonder... is Colin truly, madly, deeply in love with her? Or is it all too good to be true?

Truly, Madly, Deeply

Cassidy Nolan

Sunlight glinted off the delicate platinum band on Truly’s finger, the radiant cut diamond throwing fiery sparkles against her skin.

One hundred fifty-four days until forever.

She drew back just far enough so that she could whisper against his lips. “Say it again? Please.”

“I love you,” Colin brushed the tip of his nose against hers. “I’m yours, Truly,”

“Me?” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I happen to be wildly in love with you. Isn’t it obvious? You fucking own me, Truly,” he said, voice raw, rough with emotion.

“No, listen to me. You think I’m not scared? Jesus, Truly, I’m terrified. I swear to God, it was like I walked into the studio that first day and I saw you and I just . . . I know love at first sight is bullshit, but I saw you and I didn’t know what was going to happen, but I had this feeling that nothing was ever going to be the same. My life was going to be divided into 

“Don’t be ridiculous. We’ve known each other a couple months. He doesn’t love me.”

“Sometimes that’s all it takes,” he said. “And before you ask me how I know . . . that boy outside?” Dad exhaled shakily and tilted his head back, staring up at the ceiling and blinking hard. “He looks at you the way I look at your mother. It takes a sap to know one, Truly, And Colin? Maybe he doesn’t even know it yet, but he is gone on you. Hook, line, and sinker. Call it a father’s intuition, but I bet my bottom dollar he tells you inside a month. And Truly, my dearest, darlingest daughter? I look forward to the day I get to tell you I told you so.”

“Because I’d like to keep you, too,” she confessed, heart in her throat.

 which was conveniently nestled inside Colin’s.

He cupped her face, his little finger pressing just beneath her jaw where her pulse pounded. His touch was solid and sure, and so unlike her skipping heart, racing over one beat and stuttering on the next. No one had ever made her heart skip a beat like he did.

“Jokes aside,” he said, “I’m pretty keen on being kept by you.”

“You said it yourself; we’ve all got flaws. But the day I don’t want you is the day the earth starts rotating backwards, okay?”

“That’s a hell of a bold statement from a guy who’s known me two months.”

“Remember this moment in twenty years. Can’t wait to tell you I told you so.”

“I liked you then, you liked me, we had food and a view. Ergo, according to your definition, a date.”

“We were sitting in a coffee shop. There was no view.”

“Sure there was.” He grinned and she already knew what was coming. “I was looking at you.”

She narrowly avoided choking on a mouthful of wine. “You saw me on Saturday—“

“Yeah, and I missed you as soon as I walked out your front door.” He crossed his arms. “What’s your point?”

“Don’t most people like to look at the things that make them happy?” It hardly made her special. “Don’t you?”

“Yeah.” Colin gripped her chin between his fingers, gently forcing her eyes level with his. “I do.”

 you taste like cherries.” He mouthed at her throat, teeth scraping the juncture of where her jaw met her neck. “You know that, Truly?”

Her name sounded like a benediction, whispered against her skin.

“St. James.” Colin set his phone aside. “Long time no see.”

Something inside her stomach fluttered. “Miss me, McCrory?”

He laughed and the butterflies trapped inside her chest fluttered frantically. “Don’t let it go to your head.”

Work hard doing something she loved, meet someone, fall madly in love, get married. Have a home, a life, as full of love and laughter as her parents had.

Everything she’d ever wanted had hinged on her belief in happily ever afters, but now she had doubts she’d never had before.

“Damn. Please, for me, tell him he’s been a very good boy and put him out of his misery?”

She buried her head in her hands and groaned. 

Lulu kicked her under the table. “The guy’s gagging for it. He’s humping your leg. Virtually. 

 you still haven’t addressed what you expected to happen when you walked in here. What if I had been shopping?”

Colin shrugged. “I suppose I would’ve learned whether you ever replace that stick up your ass with something a little more fun.”

“Truly, all I can say is, thank God your parents didn’t meet on 

 because Fanny St. James doesn’t exactly scream sexy historical romance novelist.

“I don’t know.” Colin looked thoughtful.“In the UK, fanny 

Caitlin leaned her hand on her chin, grin devious. “Go on, Colin. Say 

She didn’t know what the guy standing in the doorway had done to Caitlin to earn a greeting that abrasive, but 

 was he gorgeous. All mole-splattered skin and brown doe-eyes framed with black lashes so thick that at first glance she’d have sworn he was wearing eyeliner. Actually, no, 

 wasn’t right. Her eyes were brown, but his were the color of the tiger’s-eye wedged in her front pocket, the one she’d handpicked out of a big crate of polished stones on a fifth-grade field trip to Greenwater. The same stone she brought with her to every event for good luck. Dark penny shot through with tawny and gold. Chestnut hair fell in swooping waves across his forehead and grazed the collar of the lavender sweater-vest he wore over a plain white tee that hugged his biceps.

Six years ago, almost to the day, Truly first spotted Justin Gallagher in all his dreamy, sun-kissed, green-eyed glory and thought, 

 Now, bare from the waist down, wearing nothing but a red muscle tee, her fiancé looked the furthest thing from dreamy she could imagine.

two things. first, i have to say this was by FAR my favorite of alexandria's books so far and that just makes me more excited for her upcoming releases. second, i'm going to say, i think this would've been a five star BUT i had to deduct a star solely because of the "she put the A in ally" comment that was noted 

but never corrected or noted as being wrong. these statements are SO harmful to the ace/aro/agender identities and take away our rightful space in the community (which we already fight for having as it is). super unfortunate how this went unchecked.

ash (smokedshelves)

men like colin >>>>

two things. first, i have to say this was by FAR my favorite of alexandria's books so far and that just makes me more excited for her upcoming releases. second, i'm going to say, i think this would've been a five star BUT i had to deduct a star solely because of the "she put the A in ally" comment that was noted twice but never corrected or noted as being wrong. these statements are SO harmful to the ace/aro/agender identities and take away our rightful space in the community (which we already fight for having as it is). super unfortunate how this went unchecked.

I generally liked the other two Alexandria Bellefleur books I've read (Written in the Stars and Count your Lucky Stars) and I was excited for a bi4bi book but I'm afraid this one was a miss😭.

Sidenote: Tru and Colin are some real freaks and I respect that🫡

Opus Clopus

I generally liked the other two Alexandria Bellefleur books I've read (Written in the Stars and Count your Lucky Stars) and I was excited for a bi4bi book but I'm afraid this one was a miss😭.

Sidenote: Tru and Colin are some real freaks and I respect that🫡

🦇 Truly, Madly, Deeply Book Review 🦇

❓ #QOTD Do you believe in love at first sight? ❓

🦇 Sparks fly when a lovelorn romance novelist and a divorce lawyer who has sworn off relationships agree to cohost a podcast series offering dating advice to viewers. As a bestselling romance novelist, everyone thinks Truly Livingston is an expert on happily-ever-afters. Unfortunately, she feels like an imposter after catching her fiancé cheating learning that her parents are separating. When she meets Colin McCory, she's anything but ready for a relationship, even if Colin drives her a little crazy. Okay, a LOT crazy. Can he change her shattered view on love, or are there no more happily every afters?

💜 Excuse me while I shove my entire first into my mouth to squeal in delight from the absolute cutness of this. For the record, I read most of this between 10pm and 1am with my girlfriend fast asleep beside me. I lost track of how many times I had to stop reading to silence myself before some giddy, disgustingly adorable, definitely disruptive sound of glee escaped my body to keep from waking her up. 

💜 Now that we got that out of the way, why are we not talking about this book? You bookish bats LOVE asking about book boyfriends/girlfriends. Have you MET Colin? You need to meet Colin. Just, trust me. Listen to me. Meet this man.

💜 It's 2am as I write this all heart-eyed, with a fire alarm chirping across the house and a storm raging outside, and I don't care about any of it because this. WAS SO. CUTTTE. From the MOMENT Truly sets eyes on Colin, all bets are off. She describes him as gorgeous, her breath hitches, she (a writer) stumbles over her words. We expect that from plenty of rom-coms, right? But the moment they get at it, their witty banter CAPTIVATES, chemistry off the charts, screaming off the page. I told you I had to pause reading multiple times? Every, EVERY time, it was because of a quick-wit exchange between these two. Truly looks at him appreciatively at first, sure, but otherwise tries shutting her heart off. Colin, though? Colin is full-on SMITTEN over her. He's lost from the beginning and KNOWS IT from the very start. And then we get to the smut and woooooh I had to get out of bed to find water and the nearest AC vent.

💜 And then. AND THEN they both realize they're bi but have never been with someone of the same sex, and maybe don't quite feel "queer enough" because of it (please, check the quotes I shared!). Bierasure is a real thing, but it's not often that we talk about internalized biphobia (a topic I haven't seen in a book since Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales). Bisexuality is part of the queer spectrum. We're not confused, and who we're with does not change or negate or sexuality. This was such a perfect scene to read at the start of Pride Month. 

💙 The pacing for this one was a bit off for me. While I loved every scene, the momentum doesn't pick up until the very end, and by then, we're nearing the epilogue. The Parent Trap-esque sub-plot, while important to Truly's character development, felt awkward and a bit immature (though perhaps fitting for a romantic who defined love based on her parents' relationship). My biggest hang-up is the lack of real conflict, which is more internal (Truly's doubts about love) than external (which only manifest as Truly keeps Collin at arm's length...briefly). 

🦇 Recommended to fans of Practice Makes Perfect in search of a steamy, queer rom-com that's full of tension, heat, and witty banter. 

❝ No one, and I mean no one, deserves to be living rent free inside your head if they aren’t making you come so hard your brain leaks out your ears.” ❞

❝ “Maybe I don’t want to play nicely with you.” ❞

❝ Words were her thing, and Colin gave as good as he got. ❞

❝ Colin’s praise was like swallowing the sun. It left her hot all over, flushed not just in the face but from her hairline down to her feet, damp in the creases of her elbows and her knees, uncomfortably sweaty all over. ❞

❝ There’s no such thing as being queer enough. Action and attraction are two different things. You could go the rest of your life never dating a woman and it wouldn’t change a thing. If anything, I think you’re the perfect person to talk about bi- erasure in media because you spent the last six years in a straight- presenting relationship that was queer because you’re queer. And the gender of your partner? Doesn’t change that.” ❞

❝ Truly (11: 16 p.m.): Screw you, McCrory. Colin (11: 16 p.m.): Promises, promises. ❞

❝ As much as she got a thrill from playing verbal tug-of-war, there was an argument to be made for this tenderness, in laying down her sword and letting Colin hold her. ❞

❝ With anyone else she might’ve considered the moment broken, but with him it just felt like turning to the next page in a book she’d never read. A book she’d left lingering on her nightstand for weeks, picking it up and putting it back down, her hopes for it so high she feared there was no earthly way the reality of it could live up to her expectations, too afraid she wouldn’t like the ending. She didn’t know what would happen next, but for the first time, the thought didn’t make her want to close the book and it didn’t make her want to flip ahead. ❞

❝ I do like you. I like your obscure facts and how your eyes light up when you talk about them, when you share them with me. I like it that you aren’t afraid to call me out on my bullshit and that for some reason that’s completely beyond me, you haven’t given up on me even though I’ve given you a hundred opportunities and a thousand reasons why. For some reason you like me and most of the time I’m not even sure why, but you do and I like that, too. I pretty much melt when you say my name, it sounds better when you say it, and when I’m with you, it’s easy to forget what I’m afraid of, but when I’m not, I guess I have a tendency to get in my head.” ❞

❝ “You said it yourself; we’ve all got flaws. But the day I don’t want you is the day the earth starts rotating backward, okay?” “That’s a hell of a bold statement from a guy who’s known me two months.” “Remember this moment in twenty years. Can’t wait to tell you I told you so.” ❞

❝ “I see, caffeine and kisses are the way to your heart in the morning. Good to know.” ❞

❝ Love launched ships and started wars and inspired sonnets and drove people to madness. Love was heaven and hell, sin and redemption. It was as real to her as any other force of nature, hurricanes and earthquakes and lightning storms and meteor strikes. It fascinated her as much as it terrified her as much as it humbled her and— She’d spent her whole life trying to put it into words, eighty thousand of them at a time. Love had to be enough. There was no point if it wasn’t. ❞

Jazelle H

🦇 Truly, Madly, Deeply Book Review 🦇

❓ #QOTD Do you believe in love at first sight? ❓
 
🦇 Sparks fly when a lovelorn romance novelist and a divorce lawyer who has sworn off relationships agree to cohost a podcast series offering dating advice to viewers. As a bestselling romance novelist, everyone thinks Truly Livingston is an expert on happily-ever-afters. Unfortunately, she feels like an imposter after catching her fiancé cheating learning that her parents are separating. When she meets Colin McCory, she's anything but ready for a relationship, even if Colin drives her a little crazy. Okay, a LOT crazy. Can he change her shattered view on love, or are there no more happily every afters?

💜 Excuse me while I shove my entire first into my mouth to squeal in delight from the absolute cutness of this. For the record, I read most of this between 10pm and 1am with my girlfriend fast asleep beside me. I lost track of how many times I had to stop reading to silence myself before some giddy, disgustingly adorable, definitely disruptive sound of glee escaped my body to keep from waking her up. 

💜 Now that we got that out of the way, why are we not talking about this book? You bookish bats LOVE asking about book boyfriends/girlfriends. Have you MET Colin? You need to meet Colin. Just, trust me. Listen to me. Meet this man.

💜 It's 2am as I write this all heart-eyed, with a fire alarm chirping across the house and a storm raging outside, and I don't care about any of it because this. WAS SO. CUTTTE. From the MOMENT Truly sets eyes on Colin, all bets are off. She describes him as gorgeous, her breath hitches, she (a writer) stumbles over her words. We expect that from plenty of rom-coms, right? But the moment they get at it, their witty banter CAPTIVATES, chemistry off the charts, screaming off the page. I told you I had to pause reading multiple times? Every, EVERY time, it was because of a quick-wit exchange between these two. Truly looks at him appreciatively at first, sure, but otherwise tries shutting her heart off. Colin, though? Colin is full-on SMITTEN over her. He's lost from the beginning and KNOWS IT from the very start. And then we get to the smut and woooooh I had to get out of bed to find water and the nearest AC vent.

💜 And then. AND THEN they both realize they're bi but have never been with someone of the same sex, and maybe don't quite feel "queer enough" because of it (please, check the quotes I shared!). Bierasure is a real thing, but it's not often that we talk about internalized biphobia (a topic I haven't seen in a book since Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales). Bisexuality is part of the queer spectrum. We're not confused, and who we're with does not change or negate or sexuality. This was such a perfect scene to read at the start of Pride Month. 

💙 The pacing for this one was a bit off for me. While I loved every scene, the momentum doesn't pick up until the very end, and by then, we're nearing the epilogue. The Parent Trap-esque sub-plot, while important to Truly's character development, felt awkward and a bit immature (though perhaps fitting for a romantic who defined love based on her parents' relationship). My biggest hang-up is the lack of real conflict, which is more internal (Truly's doubts about love) than external (which only manifest as Truly keeps Collin at arm's length...briefly). 

🦇 Recommended to fans of Practice Makes Perfect in search of a steamy, queer rom-com that's full of tension, heat, and witty banter. 

✨ The Vibes ✨
📚 Bi4Bi / Queer Romance
📚 Contemporary Rom-Com
📚 Parent Trap Sub-Plot
📚 Opposites Attract
📚 Forced Proximity
📚 Witty Banter
📚 Musical Theatre References
📚 He Falls First

💬 Quotes 
❝ No one, and I mean no one, deserves to be living rent free inside your head if they aren’t making you come so hard your brain leaks out your ears.” ❞
❝ “Maybe I don’t want to play nicely with you.” ❞
❝ Words were her thing, and Colin gave as good as he got. ❞
❝ Colin’s praise was like swallowing the sun. It left her hot all over, flushed not just in the face but from her hairline down to her feet, damp in the creases of her elbows and her knees, uncomfortably sweaty all over. ❞
❝ There’s no such thing as being queer enough. Action and attraction are two different things. You could go the rest of your life never dating a woman and it wouldn’t change a thing. If anything, I think you’re the perfect person to talk about bi- erasure in media because you spent the last six years in a straight- presenting relationship that was queer because you’re queer. And the gender of your partner? Doesn’t change that.” ❞
❝ Truly (11: 16 p.m.): Screw you, McCrory. Colin (11: 16 p.m.): Promises, promises. ❞
❝ As much as she got a thrill from playing verbal tug-of-war, there was an argument to be made for this tenderness, in laying down her sword and letting Colin hold her. ❞
❝ With anyone else she might’ve considered the moment broken, but with him it just felt like turning to the next page in a book she’d never read. A book she’d left lingering on her nightstand for weeks, picking it up and putting it back down, her hopes for it so high she feared there was no earthly way the reality of it could live up to her expectations, too afraid she wouldn’t like the ending. She didn’t know what would happen next, but for the first time, the thought didn’t make her want to close the book and it didn’t make her want to flip ahead. ❞
❝ I do like you. I like your obscure facts and how your eyes light up when you talk about them, when you share them with me. I like it that you aren’t afraid to call me out on my bullshit and that for some reason that’s completely beyond me, you haven’t given up on me even though I’ve given you a hundred opportunities and a thousand reasons why. For some reason you like me and most of the time I’m not even sure why, but you do and I like that, too. I pretty much melt when you say my name, it sounds better when you say it, and when I’m with you, it’s easy to forget what I’m afraid of, but when I’m not, I guess I have a tendency to get in my head.” ❞
❝ “You said it yourself; we’ve all got flaws. But the day I don’t want you is the day the earth starts rotating backward, okay?” “That’s a hell of a bold statement from a guy who’s known me two months.” “Remember this moment in twenty years. Can’t wait to tell you I told you so.” ❞
❝ “I see, caffeine and kisses are the way to your heart in the morning. Good to know.” ❞
❝ Love launched ships and started wars and inspired sonnets and drove people to madness. Love was heaven and hell, sin and redemption. It was as real to her as any other force of nature, hurricanes and earthquakes and lightning storms and meteor strikes. It fascinated her as much as it terrified her as much as it humbled her and— She’d spent her whole life trying to put it into words, eighty thousand of them at a time. Love had to be enough. There was no point if it wasn’t. ❞

Truly, Madly, Deeply

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