Just Forever is the promised sequel to last year’s Just a Taste, which told the story of Lake and Ryker, two guys who’ve known each other since childhood and were, briefly, step-brothers when Ryker’s mum was married to Lake’s dad – and who got married for money and then fell in love.

Note: This is a direct sequel to Just a Taste and won’t make much sense if you haven’t read that book first.

We left them at the end of that book looking to make a future together, with Lake planning to go to medical school and Ryker on the verge of a career in the NHL. Neither has any illusions about how tough the next few years are likely to be given the gruelling schedule of games and travel NHL players have and Lake’s impending heavy work/study load, but they’re solid and know they can deal with anything as long as they have each other.

Just Forever picks up the story around a year later with big changes on the horizon. Ryker, now fully recovered from his broken femur, is getting ready for his first season on the ice and Lake is about to start medical school. They’re still deeply in love and deliriously happy; Lake is still his prickly, snarky, glass-half-empty self and Ryker is still the big, mushy cinnamon roll who sees the best in everyone – even Lake, much to Lake’s surprise. They’ve agreed to keep their relationship under wraps for the sake of Ryker’s career, although it’s more because Lake doesn’t want Ryker to encounter any negativity or have to deal with homophobic arseholes than it is Ryker being terribly reluctant to come out.

They both knew keeping their relationship a secret wouldn’t be easy – especially as they struggle to keep their hands and eyes off each other in public – but what Lake hadn’t anticipated is the loneliness. His fellow med students attempt to make friends and invite him out, but he doesn’t take them up on it for reasons that don’t relate simply to his natural inclination to solitude – he’s an introvert, yes, but mostly, he’s worried that he might let something slip about Ryker and isn’t willing to risk it – and hiding, pretending Ryker is nothing more than his roommate, is exhausting. Ryker realises what’s going on and hates the thought that he’s pulling Lake back into the closet, but Lake insists he’s fine, even though Ryker knows full well he isn’t.

This is the main driver of the story, which the author has this time around described as “porn with vibes”. There are a lot of sex scenes and the vibes aren’t too angsty (there are no silly fights or break-ups) and the only real bit of drama comes when Lake’s bio-dad reaches out to him (which just kind of fizzles out). I did appreciate that the author has upended the usual closeted-player trope by having Ryker knowing exactly what’s going on with Lake and being fully prepared to tell the truth about their relationship, and that she doesn’t go for some big coming-out scene and instead has Lake and Ryker doing what’s best for them at their own pace and on their own terms.

I’m a big fan of Briar Prescott’s contemporary romances, but I have to admit that I struggled with this one. Lake and Ryker are a great couple and I like them together, but the first half of the book is sex with a lot of introspection about how much they love each other, how perfect they are together, and how wonderful and sexy the other is – and it tipped my mush-o-meter into the red. The book, as a whole, is a bit too sappy for my taste; the author’s excellent dialogue and trademark snark-as-love-language are still much in evidence, but it just wasn’t enough to cut through so much syrup.

Honestly, there’s not a lot new here – it’s more of a ‘slice-of-life’ story as Lake and Ryker start to navigate their new normal. I read through my review of Just a Taste as I was preparing to write this one, and realised that I’d said pretty much everything about the background and characterisation in that review and that I’d just be repeating myself by talking about Lake’s abandonment issues and emotional barriers and Ryker’s almost endless patience and understanding here. Lake is making progress, it’s true, with being more sociable and open with people, and it’s a measure of how far he’s come that he doesn’t disappear for weeks when something goes badly and he instead turns to Ryker for help.

Ultimately, I kind of wish we’d left Lake and Ryker at the end of Just a Taste being desperately in love and looking forward to a future together, because while Just Forever is fun, with plenty of great banter and hot sex, it doesn’t really add much to their story (and honestly, I started skimming the sex scenes after the first couple). I remain a big fan of Briar Prescott’s work, but I don’t think I can offer more than a qualified recommendation this time around.