The Remaking of Corbin Wale: An M/M Holiday Romance

There was much to like in this book. I completely bought the somewhat far-fetched premise of the book--Corbin's feral nature and his ability to speak with animals, etc. I liked Alex and Gareth as well (I hope Gareth and Orin end up together!). The town did seem much too small to be Ann Arbor. The writing was definitely above par for romance fiction.The one thing I couldn't get past though and I found disappointing after all the good stuff was the trope (certainly not unique to this book) that in an MM romance one guy has to be small, slight and "beautiful" with long hair and is even mistaken for a girl and the other has to be big, a former football player and is needless to say always the "active" partner in the sex scenes. Corbin even uses a vibrator! Too often, it seemed like you could change the pronouns and you'd have a straight romance. It's kind of a throwback to the early days of the gay rights movement ("Which one of you is the woman?"). Does this trope appeal to straight women readers? The best MM romance writers create characters with differences of course that provide obstacles but at least give us a relationship between men who relate to each other as equal partners and that does not rely on ancient stereotypes.

Based on the stellar reviews, I paid full price for this book; something I rarely do. I wasn’t disappointed. It’s an interesting book with a very unique MC. Corbin is in his head nearly all the time. What started out as a survival/defense mechanism became his way of life. No one ever took the time or interest to pull Corbin OUT of his head. Until Alex.The writing is really, really great. Wonderful descriptions of baking, cooking, art and the emotions that go into creating something meaningful. I liked how baking became a metaphor for affection, transformation, growth, strength and probably other things I didn’t pick up on. If Parrish can make me pause over the description of a SALAD (“looked like spring, smelled like summer”), just think about how many other times I paused as she described the intricacies of Corbin Wale. Corbin’s awareness of his mind/body during the sexytimes felt a little overwrought, but I guess that’s in line with his character. He’s either all or nothing.It’s a very “thinky” m/m romance. It’s certainly not a breezy read (it’s not dark, it’s just complex). It’s a slowwwwwww burn, but it (mostly) makes sense how the MCs come together.I have a few quibbles.Corbin is 3-4 years younger than Alex but he reads as much younger. Almost childlike because of his lack of experience/socialization/exposure/conversation/inclusion etc. Other than the feeling of connection that Alex had, and the fact that Corbin is like a wounded baby bird, I wasn’t sure what Alex saw in him other than the need to protect him. They didn’t feel like equals to me in age or mental acuteness (Corbin isn’t dumb, but he’s definitely emotionally stunted in many, many ways), so it felt a teeeeny bit skeevy to me that Alex was so attracted to him.Corbin has a treasure trove of sextoys. Where did he get them? He doesn’t have a computer. No smartphone. He can barely have a conversation with someone. I can’t imagine him walking into a store and buying those kinds of things. He doesn’t have much money (because he can’t hold a job). How does he even know such things exist? He was raised by his reclusive aunts. He didn’t associate with anyone at school. There’s no mention of a TV in his house (which would be pretty unlikely, knowing his aunts). Where does an isolated, insulated, detached man learn about and buy a wide variety of sextoys? It’s a mystery.I hope we get Gareth’s story next.

My Review:I picked up this book entirely on the recommendation of several readers that I respect their reading tastes. I'm so glad I did. This story is so...gah, anything I say won't do it justice. Just know that Corbin Wale is unlike any character I've ever read, but that gave him a magical, romantic quality that I adored. He made this book. He sees the world on a totally different level than most people and that's an incredible gift, especially for those around him who listen to him. And that's the gift that Alex receives...getting to see the world through Corbin's eyes.And I know that's all incredibly vague and maybe even slightly off-putting, so let me see if I can do a better job describing this book...To most the world, Corbin Wale is odd, weird, maybe a little "off". He wasn't raised normally so he doesn't act as most people would expect. He says things that most people can't even interpret, but that's because he sees the world differently than most. I think he probably has a bit of psychic to him, but I think overall he's just incredibly intuitive. To complicate that, he spends the majority of his time alone and has been pretty traumatized by his life...everyone around him died when he was very young. That's a lot for a young mind to deal with.But if anyone takes the time to listen to Corbin, what he has to say is really astute.Alex is the first person to really listen and I think understand Corbin, although he's had people in his life who have been kind (although he's had just as many or more treat him cruelly, which is heartbreaking).Alex has come home after a hard breakup and ends up reinventing his mother's coffee shop into a bakery. The bakery turns out to fulfill his dream, but Corbin is the icing on the cake that he never expected. At first, Alex sees Corbin as someone a bit weird, but he's drawn to the strange man and begins to really talk to him. And then he uncovers the beauty that is Corbin.I loved this story so much. This book was a book that I read just for me over the holiday break and I'm so glad I did. I fell in love with Corbin and fell in love with Alex just for seeing the magic within Corbin, too. It's a beautiful story about love and life and I thoroughly LOVED reading it. Merry Christmas to me!

“The problem is that even if you don’t touch, even if you keep things back, even if you don’t go out to dinner or to the movies, the feelings are still there. Because love doesn’t live in kisses and flowers and first dates. It lives in your mind, in your heart. The problem is that I already love you.”This is a beautiful holiday romance.It's hard to label this book and hard to go into detail without spoiling it but this is a special book. It's meaningful and leaves an imprint.This book paints a picture of the world and shows that it isn't so straightforward. That it isn't just one thing. That it isn't just one or the other. Billions of us on this planet and we live, experience life, see the world all different and it isn't all the same but we can still live our lives together while experiencing it differently.Alex and Corbin's love is beautiful and timeless. It takes a while to get there but it's no less because of that.Corbin, oh, that boy did things to my heart. There were moments with him that he was just so earnest, so determined, so precious that my heart felt like it was going to burst.Then, there were times that, actually, he shattered little pieces of my heart and yes, I cried.Corbin is different and the beauty in that, in him, is a wonderful thing.“He cried because reality had cracked open and inside had been another reality instead of nothing. He cried because no one had ever tried to understand him before, and Alex was trying. He cried because even if Alex didn’t believe the curse was real, he believed it was true for Corbin. He cried because maybe, after a lifetime of living inside himself, he wouldn’t have to be quite so alone.”Alex may fit more into the 'normal' label by society's standards but he is a wonderful, beautiful human too.He is strength and determination. When it comes to his friends and family. And definitely when it comes to Corbin. He is intrigued and when he feels this connection with Corbin, he wonders about it but he never backs down. No matter how much time it takes he wants to get to know this beautiful boy that the town people all whisper about, that steer clear of him, the boy that comes and sits in Alex's new bakery with his sketch book and draws away for hours, he doesn't want to keep his distance, he wants to close the distance.I loved Alex's openness and acceptance when it comes to Corbin, when it came to his best friend Gareth who was going through a horrible thing, with his mom and moving on. He's a stand up guy all around.He and Corbin deserve each other so much.The writing in this book is magical. And it shines through the story. That's how I'd describe this book; it's magical. I don't believe in it much these days or humanity but that's exactly what Roan Parrish done here, she showed how magical humans and love and acceptance can be. It honestly left me breathless at times how beautifully written this story was.This is definitely a holiday romance that stands out against the rest.The only reason this isn't 5 stars is that the pacing was just a little too slow for my liking, but I can still appreciate it.That epilogue was gorgeous. Hit me in all the feels.Also, this book made me hungry, I've never had the majority of the foods in this book but I want to now.Alsoooo, while this book is more on the relationship/emotional development, this is HAWWWT.I hope this isn't the last of these characters that we see.Something TOTALLY happened with Gareth and Orin at that camping trip!! I hope they get a book.(P.s. I'm realllly curious about Corbin's Aunts and everything with his family)

I LOVED this. Corbin is just the sweetest thing and has such a beautiful mind and outlook. I really enjoyed the connection between the two MCs and Alex is the perfect balance for Corbin. This book was different and beautiful and was a great introduction to Roan’s writing for me. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of her books now as the writing is wonderfully descriptive and the stories and feelings come to life so well and completely. A new favorite author for me I think. I need a Corbin in my life. <3

If anyone asks me, "Viano, what does true love feel like?" I will proceed to shove this book in their faces. God, I'm so soft right now. If you're looking for a magical book with all of the falling in love and slow burn and mutual pining, then this is the book for you.I want to know more about what happened with Gareth, though; a lot of things on his end seemed unresolved, and yeah, I know it's not his story but I was just as invested, okay?Highly recommend this book, for those cold, lonely nights.

This is a charming, tender story of a young man, Alex, returning to his hometown only to encounter an enigmatic, shy stranger he belatedly recognises as a bullied outcast from his old school and their relationship develops as Alex learns how to encourage Corbin to share his thoughts after years of isolation and alienation. Their gradually building trust and affection is portrayed with compassion as Alex' confidence and Corbin's otherworldly insight grow together into a place that can connect and sustain them both. It's a pleasurable book, sweet and sad and life-affirming, warm and lovely and full of the soft mysteries of a world that can't be fully explained but can still be made joyful.

The title and graphics for the book cover are a winner for me. It makes you think of magic and fantasy...Once you start to understand a bit about Corbin, the cover just fits.Alex clearly has a good heart if not a bad run of luck...well from his point if view..Corbin I am sure would see it as something else.. Corbins character was such a breath of fresh air.Corbin...What can one say without giving too much away. You need to read this just to open you mind to another way of living..See life not dictated by rules/time/places/people.Alex..on the surface seems like most kind hearted people..He has a strong sense of protecting those he cares about. When Corbin shows up Alex sees beyond what everyone else sees when they look at Corbin. Not just how he looks or acts...Can Alex reach out and connect with Corbin within their worlds.Corbin knows what he wants. Love! But for Corbin it's not that simple to have..