Seal the Deal (Kings of Heart Book 4)

**Arc Reader Review ** Will start this off by saying, I cannot recommend this series enough. I have loved the journey of getting to know the King brothers and their partners. Seal the Deal is book 4 out 4 in the Kings of Hart series. I have read the previous books and fell in love with this series in no time. This book focuses on the oldest brother, Andrew King as he enters a fake dating agreement with Nicholas Whitmore. Saying I was ready for Andrew's story would be a massive understatement (you can ask Lucky how many times I brought it up). I related so strongly to Andrew as some one who grew up undiagnosed and ended up self diagnosing as Autistic in my late 20's. While I loved Emmy and had some parts of him I could relate to, I really saw myself and struggles in Andrew. And it was also nice to show that even in a loving environment. there are still struggles of just existing as something considered different. "Not that Andrew wants to die, far from it, just sometimes being a person feels like too much work." was one of the most relatable quotes. Andrew King is a good man and it was so emotional to watch him as he found his home in Nicki. Nicki is an a******. Plain and simple, he does not try to be liked and honestly, I, like Andrew, can appreciate that. I love him as a character, especially for what he give Andrew, which is a safe space to just BE. Nicki sees Andrew for who he is, his "Princess" who carries too much for everyone else. The rage room scene felt so…

I relate to Andrew King. I, too, am an autistic eldest child who is Tired. Tired of? Everything, man, can life just stop lifing at top speed for a minute? Sometimes I wish I could go through life more like a Nicholas Whitmore, just giving zero cares and ready to burn every bridge at a moment’s notice because forgetyou, that’s why, lol. It was SO GREAT to see these two get together. Their early verbal sparring matches? Sublime. The man who can’t say no and yet never asks for help from anyone, and the man who can’t bring himself to care about anyone. Andrew has been struggling in silence because nobody seems to notice how much energy and raw effort he has to expend making it through the day (big mood). How perfect, then, that Nicholas would notice the countless ways Andrew shows up for everyone but himself. Nicholas is unrepentantly selfish, and Andrew is irritating to him at first; because what does this random guy off the street (or the Khaki Warehouse, in this case) think he knows about his life? Andrew is resigned to suffer through their fake dating arrangement; because what’s one more thing to suffer through in life? Through spending time together, they come to understand each other better almost in spite of themselves, and I loved it. It was such a wonderful, emotional ride!! I especially enjoyed Nicholas’ inner journey; from someone who sees caring about others as a weakness that will only hurt him in the long run, to a devoted partner who realizes just how special…

This was my favorite book of the entire series. Andrew is the oldest King brither and while we get to know him through the other's stories, I was so happy to have the chance to see into his head. Autism and ace experiences are different for everyone and it was heartbreaking to see events from Andrew's pov where he knows he is the first to be called for emergencies, but the last one when it is good news. I felt that so hard. When we meet Nicholas, he was entitled d*ck. He had a horrible upbringing, saddled with two narcissistic parents who threw all the money at him, but were incapable of love. That version of Nicholas definitely did not deserve Andrew. But as the story progressed, we see a seismic change in Nicholas because he WANTS to be worthy of Andrew. I love that he taught Andrew how to be a little selfish and that Nicholas loves every piece, quirk, aspect, literally everything about Andrew. He soothes sharp edges left from past hurts that Andrew endured while being soothed by Andrews steady love and support. This was a beautiful story, so much so that I've already read it twice. Andrew and Nicholas are perfectly matched and I enjoyed watching them fall in love.

I've really enjoyed all of the other books in this series -- the mental health rep is A++ all the way through -- so I wasn't *surprised* that I loved this book, but I was still *delighted* that the end of the series didn't let up on the awesome and the feels. Andrew was just...god, I saw so much of myself in him, especially when he talks about how absolutely exhausting it is to be THIS person with THIS brain ALL the time. I think this is the first MM book I've read with an ace MC that didn't shy away from the ace character deciding to have some sexual experiences, completely on their own terms. It was both a brave choice by Lucky and, I think, the correct one. The ace spectrum is so broad, and as Andrew himself says, sometimes it's not that you're sex-repulsed so much as it's just that you can't muster a care to give about sex. One of their sexual encounters, especially, struck me as such a brave authorial choice because things didn't go right and *that was okay* and darn, I really needed that in my life. Nicki is the biggest, b*tchiest cinnamon roll ever and by the end I absolutely ADORED him. His absolute devotion to Andrew, his willingness to do anything and everything that would make Andrew happy, and how his rough edges just completely dovetailed with Andrew's....ahhh, chef's kiss. I'm truly sad that this was the end of the series, because I would have kept reading for five more books, but it *was* the natural end, and I suppose that's better than shoehorning in more…

Getting to read andrew and Nicki’s story was such an honor. With all of the King men, it is clear how much lucky hart has put into them; with Andrew it is clear he is something special. For all of the people who have been caretakers, who have felt shame around their sexuality, who feel the exhaustion of being a person—this book will make you cry while healing something in you. Thank you for writing this, thank you for sharing them with us.