Saving Juniper House means winning landmark status—or losing everything.
Falling for the older man helping him do it was never part of the plan.
Avery Kim is done being treated like the charming, easygoing one. When the fight to protect Juniper House reaches its most technical, high-stakes phase, he volunteers to lead the landmark campaign and prove he can carry something serious all the way through. The historic Chicago apartment house that once sheltered him is finally close to survival—but only if Avery can convince the city that its story matters enough to preserve.
The problem? Hope alone won’t win this battle.
Enter Julian Mercer: devastatingly composed preservation architect, freshly burned out, recently divorced, and planning to leave Chicago the minute he finishes one last meaningful project. He takes one look at Avery’s heartfelt, messy first draft and sees a sentimental disaster in the making. But the longer they work together—through oral histories, city records, late-night strategy sessions, and June Armitage’s hidden penthouse archive—the more Julian realizes Avery is far sharper, stronger, and harder to dismiss than anyone expects.
And the more dangerous it becomes to keep this professional.
Because somewhere between dusty floor plans, whispered interview tapes, and long nights in the studio, Juniper House stops being just a legal case. It becomes a map of everything both men are afraid to want: permanence, legacy, and a future that doesn’t end in leaving first.
But a luxury developer is fighting dirty. Public pressure mounts. Julian’s ex offers him an elegant out-of-state escape. And Avery’s oldest fear—that he will never be taken seriously enough to hold something this important—keeps rising at the worst possible moment.
To save Juniper House, they’ll have to make the city believe in the building’s history.
To save themselves, they’ll have to believe they deserve a future in it.
Set against crisp Chicago days, rooftop suppers, old guestbooks, hidden letters, glowing marquee lights, and the cozy warmth of chosen family, Permit Me to Love You is a swoony, sexy MM age-gap romance about archives, architecture, public battles, private longing, and the kind of love that turns staying into a choice.
Come home to The Juniper House and fall hard for the unforgettable final book in this warm, witty, deeply romantic series.
You’ll love this if you like…
age-gap romance with a composed older hero and a younger man proving his strength
slow-burn chemistry built through research, paperwork, and late-night teamwork
hidden archives, queer history, and preservation-as-love vibes
found family, cozy city atmosphere, and meaningful community stakes
emotionally rich HEAs where love and home are both earned
