Review: Imago - Imago #1

9:43 pm 21 February 2017

"I believe I found a type of butterfly that exists only in my belly which only makes itself know when I think of you."

Imago was an incredibly sweet and feel-good romance between two amazing characters. The strong, solid, and outdoorsy, Jack Brighton meets the bowtie wearing, nerdy, eloquently speaking butterfly specialist, Lawson Gale.

These two hit it off almost immediately. Their romance happens pretty quickly, all in a about a week, but there wasn't any rush or insta-love. The guys take their time getting to know each other. Their dates where some of the highlights of this story! The first one being especially memorable. It was very romantic and swoonworthy.

There is no angst in this story. Jack and Lawson's developing romance is similar to the rapid life of a caterpillar emerging into a beautiful butterfly. Starting off small and ending in a fully developed romance, an imago, if you will. The progression of the story flows naturally. I particularly liked the slow build up, and focus on tender kisses and hand jobs, than full on sex. These guys take their time and doesn't rush to bed the moment they are alone. There's lots of flirting, talking, touching, and kissing. I found them more enjoyable than their first time actually. The scenes are high on steam, but also have all the feels.

Lawson was adorable. His blushes and fashion style charmed Jack, as well as me. He talks like he's "just swallowed the Oxford Dictionary". It made their conversations and dialogues interesting to say the least! I loved them, they made me giggle and smile a lot while reading. Lawson might seem timid, but I assure you he is not. He makes his opinions known in his own way.

I loved the alternating first person point of view, getting to know both Jack and Lawson's thoughts and feelings. Jack is a mountain of a man with an eye crinkling smile and a warm, calloused handshake. He ticks all of Lawson's boxes. Jack shows interest and respect in Lawson and his work, something Lawson hasn't really experienced from previous partners. Jack gets completely lost in Lawson, and it's a beautiful thing to witness.

"You are sublime."

"Oh." He blushed, and the colour that crossed his cheeks matched the delicious colour of his lips. "No one's ever called me that before."

I ran my thumb across his cheek. "Then they were fools."

If I have to mention a small niggle, I do feel the ending was a bit rushed. The last chapter was a sort of epilogue to tie up and round off the story. I would liked to have been around for those happenings, instead of being told of them in hindsight.

Imago is an easy and very enjoyable read. I loved this story. It grabbed me from the start, and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Jack and Lawson. I giggled, and smiled, and swooned my way through their story. NR Walker's writing is beautiful as always, making me fall in love with her characters from the first page.

I cupped his face in my two hands and fluttered my eyelashes against his cheek.

“What are you doing?” he whispered.

“Butterfly kisses,” I murmured before pressing my lips to his once more.