Conventionally Yours by Annabeth Albert
Contemporary romance. M-M. Enemies to lovers troupe. Alternate chapters POV.
I expected the whole to be at a convention but this story starts much earlier with friends playing games together where they live and their lives changing as they travel together to Vegas and the ultimate convention for the gamers.
The friendship grows as their time on the road continues. Each allows a bit more of themselves and their situations to be shared. They deal with past hurts and uncertain futures and what will get them through today. The card games they play and the people they meet along the way is a bit of a metaphor for their lives. That’s stretching for me because as a general rule I don’t read beneath the surface.
The book has surprising depth as Conrad realizes, or at least acknowledges his pain and anger at his father and mother’s rejection of him.
Surprising for me, I loved their growth, their realizations and healing.
Not surprisingly, I also loved the HEA. Because romance is my jam. I will give a warning that this book is very heavy on gaming strategy but don’t let that get in the way of the relationships or romance.
?I listened to an audiobook version which was done by two narrators from the different POV’s. There voices were similar but just different enough to tell which character was up. They both did a good job with tension and other emotional stress.
I purchased the version I listened to but I do have to thank the publisher for a paperback copy a few years ago that I just never had time to read. Good romance read @Sourcebooks and @DreamscapeMedia.