REVIEW: Under the Shade of the Sycamore by VL Locey (Love's Journey #3)

UNDER THE SHADE OF THE SYCAMORE

Love’s Journey - Book Three

by VL Locey

Release Date: September 3, 2026

Review

A gorgeous story. A small-town boy making it big on a reality TV show and falling for the famous show’s host. It’s a modern-day fairytale.

You cannot help but fall for Kinder. The kind, optimistic, caring and helpful man is the kind of person you want to burn the world down to make sure they get their happiness. Even in the midst of a highly competitive TV show, he always remains kind and helpful.

Not gonna lie, I was worried about the potential repercussions of Kinder flirting with something special with Claude, surrounded by cast and crew. Even when you know there will be a HEA, I liked them both and didn’t want to see things implode.

This is written from a single POV, so I don’t feel like I really got to know Claude, but Kinder, Kinder is delightful.

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Synopsis

When you think you’ve finally found your place in the world, something unexpected has a way of stitching itself into the seams.

Kinder Graham is on the brink of everything he’s ever wanted. A self-taught designer, his sharp eye, daring silhouettes, and relentless ambition have earned him a coveted invitation to showcase his work on an exclusive fashion reality show in Paris. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime—the kind that launches careers and rewrites futures. Armed with talent, nerves, and a suitcase full of dreams, Kinder arrives in France determined to prove he belongs among legends. That is, if he can survive the tutelage of Claude Barrons…

A household name in haute couture, Claude is as enigmatic as he is brilliant—an icon whose designs have shaped decades of fashion and whose reputation is as meticulously curated as his collections. Draped in quiet confidence and effortless elegance, he commands every room he enters…always with a tiny, impeccably groomed dog nestled in a sling at his hip, peering out at the world like it owns it. To Kinder, Claude is everything he both admires and fears: experienced, untouchable, and wholly out of reach.

As erratic production shoots stretch into late nights and the pressure of the show mounts, Kinder begins to see beyond the legend. Beneath Claude’s cool exterior lies a man who understands creation, sacrifice, and the lonely cost of brilliance. Between whispered critiques, shared sketches, and quiet moments stolen under dancing boughs, admiration turns into something far more dangerous—and far more irresistible.

Under the Shade of the Sycamore is an age gap, slow burn, mentor/mentee, rich man/poor man, MM romance set against the glittering backdrop of Paris fashion. It features a rising American designer with everything to prove, a legendary French icon with nothing left to lose, a very opinionated dog with impeccable taste, late nights in dimly lit ateliers, espresso-fueled mornings, tension threaded through every glance, and a breathtaking runway where more than one heart is on display…all leading to a beautifully tailored happily ever after.

About VL Locey

V.L. Locey loves worn jeans, Dr. Who, Torchwood, belly laughs, yoga, reading and writing lusty tales, walking, Greek mythology, the New York Rangers, comic books, and coffee. (Not necessarily in that order.)

She shares her life with her husband, her daughter, one dog, two cats, and a flock of assorted domestic fowl.

When not writing lusty tales, she can be found enjoying her day with her menagerie in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania, fresh cup of java in hand.

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