Three Little Words by Allison Cassatta

Is it better to keep some secrets locked away?

Matt thought his life was perfect, but he learns there’s no such thing when the man he planned to marry breaks his heart and leaves him holding the pieces. Needing to escape and lick his wounds, Matt heads to New England to spend time on his brother’s lobster boat. A one-night stand proves to him that empty sex does nothing to mend old hurt, and neither does running away.

So when Matt’s best friend, Luke, a firefighter, is seriously injured, Matt steps up, even if it means facing bigotry and ignorance. Luke has been hiding his feelings from Matt all their lives, and revealing them after so many years won’t make life easier for either of them. But nothing worth having ever comes easily….

2nd Edition
First Edition published by Amber Quill Press, 2013.

Buy Links

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Dreamspinner Press

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Angie – ☆☆☆
The blurb for the book drew me in. I was so excited to read this book and then it just sort of flopped for me. Matt’s boyfriend leaves him a Dear John letter, his best friend Luke helps him pack up his stuff so he can go to New England and work on his brother’s lobster boat. Matt and Luke kiss, it was a hot kiss, but then Matt leaves and everything is left hanging. Matt meets a guy at a hotel when he was grabbing breakfast to finish the last leg of his trip to New England. Matt ends up hooking up with said guy a few days later. The chemistry between them was smoking hot and so was the sex scene. Matt knows he loves Luke though and doesn’t want anything more. Luke is hurt in an accident and Matt rushes to his side. Things happen with Luke’s family but Matt is right there by his side. These two have loved each other for over 20 years but never told each other, you would think the chemistry would be off the charts, but honestly it wasn’t. I know Luke was hurt and when they finally did have sex it was just okay. Everyone got their happily ever after, but it was just an okay book for me.

Characters: Well written
Sex: Yes
Religious: No
Would I recommend to others: Yes
More than one book in the series: Not sure
Genre: M/M Romance
Would I read more by this author: Yes


Sarah – ☆☆☆
I loved the blurb and really wanted to enjoy this story, but there is just way too much going on in this book. The story tracks Matt as he reestablishes his life after a Dear John letter from his long-term partner.

I really failed to warm to Matt. All the pieces of a great character are sketched in, but he never came alive for me. Luke is a more interesting character, but this is told from Matt’s point of view and Luke never felt like a fully developed character.

I struggled with the lack of a coherent plot right from the beginning. The rapid fire series of events at the start of the story lead to a long, slow hospital/invalid story during the second half of the book. In the first half, readers are treated to a series of very detailed mundane moments in Matt’s life. A grotty hotel is described in detail, banal conversations never seem to end, and there is something a little Forrest Gump about the series of vaguely related moments during the first half of the story.

I found the subplots somewhat bewildering. This is very much a telling story rather than a showing story and the pace just isn’t very consistent. Readers are told about Matt’s very complicated family history, but we never understand how the family history impacts the present. Luke’s family adds more conflict near the end, but I had to re-read the conversations Luke has with his mum before realising that it wasn’t me – there are definitely some continuity errors by the end of this story.

Again, I love a friends-to-lovers story, but the execution of this story left my head spinning.

ALLISON CASSATTA was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, where she lives happily with her amazing husband of over a decade. She has written more than twenty books with gay, lesbian, bisexual, and heterosexual pairings. Her passion is the beauty of love and the art of words.

Allison’s accolades include 2013 Top Pick of the Year from The Novel Approach, 2013 All Romance Ebooks Bestseller, 2012 Rainbow Book Awards Honorable Mention Winner, 2011 Best-selling Author, and 2011 Best Anthology. She is currently published with Dreamspinner Press, Fireborn Publishing, Amber Quill Press, and MLR Press.

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Three Little Words by Allison Cassatta to read and review.