Review: Dear John by Christina Lee (Aqua Vista #2)

Note: An advance reader copy (ARC) was provided by the author via Gay Romance Reviews.

We're back in the small Californian town of Aqua Vista with the second book in the series by the same name. Dear John is a second chance M/M romance from Christina Lee, and if you've read the series starter, Just Jack, then you would have remembered John McCoy, younger brother of that book's titular character, Jack. Now, John has only ever loved one man--his husband, Micah Malone. They were only twenty-one when they exchanged vows, but eight years ago, John encouraged Micah to follow his dreams, even if it meant John staying in Aqua Vista to take care of the bar he opened and Micah being in Los Angeles to try and make it in Hollywood. Neither thought they would be apart for as long as they were, leading separate lives. The death of Micah's grandfather has him returning to Aqua Vista. Will this be the last call for John and Micah's marriage or will they finally have a happy ending?

Who doesn't love a couple who are each other's first love have an opportunity to get things right and have their happily-ever-after, especially since the reason for the separation wasn't anything one would deem unforgivable or irrepairable. There was no denying that John and Micah still loved each other, even with the time that's passed and the physical distance between them, but I appreciated that life also went on for these two. There was a firm understanding of where their relationship stood--they may have been married, but they were also legally separated, so it was clear that they were not holding each other hostage with the vows they had exchanged eight years prior. Unnecessary drama was nowhere to be found, because at the end of the day, John and Micah were adults who had things to figure out and they did, earning and deserving their HEA. Dear John garners four stars.

Date Read: 04 May 2025

Learn more about Christina Lee.

Purchase Dear John on Amazon.