You know what I need to read more LGBT+ romance novel but Tea was amazing and I loved every second of it and I can't wait to read more from Matthew J. Metzger in the future.

Lovely writing but an overused romance trope, in my opinion. It was DNF after the first few pages. I’ve read other books by this author, but this wasn’t for me.

Just trying to get my thoughts together, well I'm a bit speechless right now... so many emotions!

Matthew J. Metzger's new novel, Tea is an absolutely beautiful love story. I started reading this one with no idea what it was about and where it was going to go, so I just sat back and enjoyed the ride.

John’s story is easy to fall into, and his reactions to everything that happens to him are so authentic. The way he embraces all of Chris’ issues - it just goes to show how sweet of a guy he is, as well as how desperately he wants to love someone. It broke my heart.

Every Metzger novel I've read has been completely unique, and Tea had just enough of the darkness that I expect in one of his books, but the feels? Wow. Watching John and Chris fall in love (and spill all their secrets) is one journey I highly recommend taking!

The title of this book was initially a little puzzling to me as the story here is about two complex characters who find love and a relationship after they meet, well, ok, when one of them spills the coffee of the other one (close enough). John has just been through a terrible break up. He is in a cafe and stumbles into Chris and spills his coffee, offering to buy him another. John is instantly completely enchanted by the lovely Chris, who invited him to join him. Turns out Chris is blind. John totally falls for him.... They start spending a lot of time together and their relationship progresses. Several obstacles occur with Chris and his illness, and John and his previous relationship/issues. I liked it though. Good writing, interesting premise, something a little different. Looking forward to the second installment....

I really struggled to read this book. It was very dragged and just felt a bit boring. Hurrah for more trans representation in queer literature though.

4.5 Stars

John is a big, burly, electrician whose last lover turned out to be a two-timing arse. Daniel had never planned to be a true partner to John, and turned on John is a terrible betrayal that's left John concerned that he's maybe more forceful with his lovers than he intended to be. Mired in low self-esteem and self-doubt, he's stopped dating for the past 9 months.

He stumbles into a crowded tea shop one rainy afternoon and meets the most beautiful younger man. Chris invites John to share his table for tea. John accepts, entranced by Chris's charm--and it's a comfortable chat. John's confused why someone so lovely would flirt with an ugly mug like him so openly, but soon realizes that Chris is blind. And, he's sure it would be bad for him to accept Chris' invitation for a date. Yet, lonely and buzzing with excitement, John agrees.

Over the course of several dates, spanning weeks, Chris and John spend more and more time together. Chris reveals the source of his blindness, and his daily battle with severe epilepsy. It's also a bit of a surprise that Chris is transgender. John's so caught up in love, that he's willing to pursue a relationship--even though he's sure outsiders will have a bad impression of such a thug "caring" for a blind man. As Chris notes, he's always seen as an invalid, and anyone with him as a carer, not a partner.

John's troubles with his past lover leads him to keep Chris a bit of a secret. He's afraid to make any mistakes--and it ends up isolating Chris, for a bit. In order for John to develop a healthy relationship, it's clear he needs to seek outside help--and it's a good moment for him to reflect on the emotional damage he's been hiding. I felt as though this all read very strongly true. Chris and John each have challenges they need to face--sometimes together and sometimes alone. They do support each other well, and John comes to terms with his self-hatred through careful introspection. It's a tender experience, and I think I adored both John and Chris in equal measure. I'm glad it's the first book in a series because I'd like to spend more time with these guys in the future.

John is wrecked after a bad ex who was just nasty. Even though it has been awhile, John hasn't gotten over the emotional turmoil that was caused. Anxiety, panic attacks, and overall uncertainty with his life are squarely on his doorstep. Kind of closeted-at work and in sports-he has never had to claim his sexuality. When he meets Chris, things start to change.

Chris has his own issues, it's not all mental. His biggest obstacle is being legally blind. When he accidentally spills tea, John is helpful. Chris is entranced with the voice and wants to get to know the owner. They embark on an unusual journey of discovery. Issues they never thought would surface, do, and demand to be heard.

I liked the characters and the way they handled most of their situations -John more so than Chris. John was in therapy, but Chris was not. He could have benefited from seeing one. It was evident that he needed some professional to help him sort through his issues

I also questioned some of their sexy time, based on John's past. I kind of questioned it, and it was not addressed, so let it go.

Both men are very complex and have their own set of issues. Do I want to continue to read about them?? I am not sure yet.

*~~*ARC kindly provided to me for an honest review *~~*

- Review to come

Review originally posted on my blog with added content on Mikku-chan / A world full of words

I have some problems with John's backstory. Metzger mentions how victims are almost never believed (and that is a large part of why John is so screwed up), but at the same time plays into the narrative that victims are liars. I don't really think it brought anything to the narrative either. Metzger could have used almost any other false accusation and I would have found it a bit more palatable. Still, while your are reading the book, the writing is so good that it's really only when you take a step back to think it through that this comes across. The relationship between John and Chris is well-balanced. There's lots of communication, a major plus to me, between them, no one stews in their own thoughts and feelings. While I'm not sure it's exactly realistic how little harassment Chris gets for his disabilities and being trans*, I will never complain when disabled trans* characters are portrayed just living their lives unencumbered by harassment.

Tea was an unexpectedly angsty book with a lot of emotional baggage to unpack.

I really, really like Matthew J. Metzger and I've read a ton of his stuff, so I had an idea of what to expect with Tea going into it. I knew (or at least suspected) that one of the two MCs would be trans and that I would get a good, meaty story with some heat to it.

The blurb for Tea doesn't give much away, and I was pretty surprised at how weighty the story ended up being. I'm not sure if the content of the story is meant to be a spoiler, but I was not expecting a disabled MC (which I actually loved since romance with characters with disabilities is something I actively seek out).

However, the angst is more than one MC being trans and disabled. The MC who narrates the story, John, has so many issues due to trauma from his previous relationship. He went through something really horrific with his previous boyfriend, and I felt for him and his struggles.

The combo of John and Chris's problems were very heavy, but I admired Matthew J. Metzger for tackling the breadth of their pain. I think stories like Chris and John's need to be told, and I think that their lives are more common than we think.

My problem wasn't so much that the story was very heavy, but that it was a slow story and I had a hard time staying focused on it. The beginning really grabbed me, but then some of that momentum petered away and I wasn't as drawn to the story. There is also instalove, which I always struggle with, and I sort of wish that we didn't get that here, though I know instalove is something that can actually happen in real life (or insta-intense-chemistry).

I think trans and disabled people will feel seen by this story, which is really important and shouldn't be minimized. However, though I enjoyed Tea, it wasn't as compulsively readable as other stories by this author.

*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*

I received this eARC from publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was a lovely romance between two seemingly flawed characters. It was intense, racy, and beautiful. I felt overwhelmed at times, but enjoyed the Chris-John journey.

Matthew Metzger always writes beautiful, emotional and intense books, and Tea didn't disappoint. We have John who went through a horrific breakup that leads to his anxiety attacks. Chris is trans, blind and has epilepsy. They book a chance on love and won. Both have families that are overprotective and doubts their abilities to find love on their own. Once you get their know their families they are hilarious and have no filters.
I have read all Matthews books and so far this the best one. This book has everything romance, angst, food, and old-fashion

I chose this book because of the cover. However, as I got into the book I found I really enjoyed it.

A sweet love story that had many ups and downs was just what I needed for a quick weekend read.

This story was sweet, dazzling and had many surprises. I liked that two rather flawed characters could come together to create something wonderful.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 5 stars
🔥🔥🔥🔥 Heat Level: 4

Wow, just wow!! An amazing and compelling story of chance, trust, love, and hope! I couldn’t put it down!

Honestly, the cover of this book appealed to me (I love tea!) but once I read the blurb I was intrigued, little did I know I’d be drawn into a story that was not what it seems and would break my heart, only to put it back together in the best way!

This is my first book from this author and my first book featuring a transgender main character and it was amazing! The story follows a wonderful meet-cute of two polar opposite characters and explores their lives, pasts, hopes, and personal demons as they navigate their way to a new relationship together. I loved John! He is a wonderfully real character that stole my heart. His personal demons were confronting at times and all I wanted to do was give him a giant hug and tell him it’ll be okay! I felt for John as he faced his demons and loved Chris’s sense of humor and his spark as he encourages John and discovers more about himself as they progress in their relationship. Chris was not what I expected after the meet-cute but was so much better! He had so much vitality in spite of all his challenges, a wonderful sarcastic streak and such sass and humor I was laughing out loud!

Matthew writing felt so raw and real to me. I think its a testament to his talent that he has created two characters that have so much depth and desire that they have the ability to help heal each other. John and Chris are such exemplary characters that will honestly hold a special place in my heart and I can’t wait to see where they go next!

A highly recommended read that has the ability to surprise you, make you cry, laugh and hope along with the characters and feel their connection continue beyond the last words on the page!

Thanks for reading! For great stories, reviews and more please visit https://bookstattoosandtea.wordpress.com 📚

The blurb for this is quite vague so I had no real clue what to expect here.So this review is going to be just as vague.I think the Author may have included more detail in the blurb if he wanted people to know beforehand? Maybe I'm wrong-who knows but I'm not giving too much away.What I will say is if you've read books by him before you might have an idea,kind of...

This turned out to be so much better than I thought.About 30% in I kept thinking how much more is left to tell....turns out a lot and it was really quite special.

John and Chris meet in a coffee shop when John accidentally spills a drink on him.John is so drawn to the beautiful young man in front of him.Chris is flirty,charming and John finds himself captivated by him.



The stranger was tall and lean, with a halo of messy black curls that surrounded his face and threw the ethereal beauty of that smile into sharp relief. The smile itself was formed out of the most ridiculously kissable mouth John had ever seen.(...)


This is so difficult to explain without going into both men's backgrounds but this story gave me so much joy,so many emotions.In this superficial world we live in,it seems physical appearance is becoming more and more important and this was such a refreshing change because John wasn't perfect,or at least he didn't think he was but it turned out he was perfect because he had such a beautiful soul.Both men had their own demons to fight but they fought them together and it was so special...

A big shout out to John's sisters(who I loved), and Chris's crazy family.These supporting characters fit into the story perfectly.

This might not be a conventional love story but a love story it most definitely is.....turns out I could have read about John and Chris for a lot longer....



He was in love again. He’d found love again. He’d found trips to the coast, pints at the bar, terrible jokes, wonderful sex, the feel of feet tangled together at the end of a warm bed in the early morning. He’d found laughter, and remembered how to smile. He’d found safety , (...)

I liked this novel, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if it hadn’t been quite so over the top.

The book opens with a meet-cute in a coffee shop when John accidentally spills Chris’s coffee and buys him another to make up for it. John is a big guy—6’8” and full of muscles—and by his own admission looks like a thug. His appearance has been used against him in the past by an ex who accused him of being abusive, which caused so much trouble for John that he now suffers from anxiety attacks. That trauma also leads John to second guess himself when it comes to getting involved with another man. While he falls hard for Chris, the fact that Chris has a disability as well as a chronic illness makes him nervous, because it would be even easier for others to perceive them as a mismatched couple. Chris also brings his own baggage to the relationship, because of his health issues and because he is trans, both of which lead him to at times question John’s feelings for him.

The book is told from John’s perspective, which is clearly that of a man who’s been traumatized. He was gaslighted by his ex to the point that he almost believes that he is a bad guy, that he’s so big and mean looking that it might be possible that someone would look at him and be afraid to say no to anything he says. He regularly turns into an anxious mess as the story progresses. While the relationship that develops between him and Chris is positive, I was relieved when the author finally got him into therapy. Even the love of a good man isn’t a cure for the level of PTSD he displays.

All of that would have been enough for me in terms of subject matter, but then there’s Chris, too. Giving him both a disability AND a serious chronic illness felt like overkill. Chris is also a bit difficult to like at times. For example, he is quite prickly about things that he sees as feminine—Chris doesn’t want John to call him baby, rejects the idea of “making love” in favor of shagging, etc. He’s got some issues of his own to unpack, it seemed to me, but they aren’t really acknowledged in the story.

And THEN there’s Chris’s family and their alternative lifestyle, as well as the fact that one of them is super eccentric, and I was just, “OK, now, enough” (To be clear, I don’t have a problem with the lifestyle described, just with piling on more on top of everything else.)

Metzger is a good writer, but in my opinion he tends toward the more extreme in terms of his plotting and characterization. This one was just a little much for me. But it is apparently the first in a series titled A Cup of John, and I have to admit I’m curious about what happens next.

A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.

<i>ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review</i>

I was incredibly excited about this one, because it’s about a queer trans man written BY a trans man. <b.>Also, the main character (Chris) is blind, has epilepsy, and at one point calls his lover interest, John, “sweetheart.”</b> For the record, endearments are my number one enjoyment in life. I choose partners SOLELY based on their use of endearments + ability to hug.

Overall, this book lived up to what I was expecting! There were some elements that were anticlimactic. And I didn’t like the way Chris treated John’s panic attacks. I may have interpreted this completely wrong, but Chris basically said “if you continue to have panic attacks, we won’t work out long term.”

John seeks professional help, which I was happy to see him do. <b>But I feel like it Chris was a jerk about it!</b> I could never date someone who said that about my own anxiety. Which, that’s fine if it’s a deal-breaker. But I think it was hard for me to emotionally invest in their relationship because Chris was weird about it. Yes, Chris’ family triggered John, and maybe Chris didn’t want to have a relationship that was separate from his family? But mental illness isn’t something that gets cured; it’s always going to exist for John. <b>But John <i>is</i> learning some coping strategies, which Chris is v supportive of.</b> AND HE CALLS HIM SWEETHEART?????????????? c: c: c: c: So, it’s fine.

Overall, the prose was nice & the plot kept me engaged (even though it wasn’t exciting as far as chemistry??? idk I just didn’t feel that ////giant adorableness/// in their interactions). But there was polyamory rep, a non-binary character, and discussion about consent in sexual relationships. I recommend if you’re looking for a cute story with excellent representation!

John is struck dumb when he first sees Chris, he’s never seen anyone so beautiful and just can’t resist joining him even though he knows that he really shouldn’t. Never mind Tea, this is a creamy mug of hot chocolate with whipped cream, marshmallows and sprinkles. Parts of this book gave me such a warm happy feeling, I totally loved John and Chris’s story and am looking forward to the next one. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I received this book as an ARC from Ninestar Press in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book was very unexpected from reading the description. There were parts of the book I found relate able to readers however, the book jumped around a lot in the context making it very difficult to understand the premise of the story. While reading the book, I was wondering why Matthew Metzger wanted to title the book just Tea where the story is about something completely different than Tea. As I was finishing the book, the book was enjoyable and I finally was able to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

We will consider adding this book to our Fiction section at our library. That is why we give this book 3 stars.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book. It's an entertaining read with a nice but somehow complicated story raising a few questions. I don't want to go into details and spoil reading the book. Well written and enjoyable.