Plot: 5/5
Spice: 2/5 (maybe 2 open door scenes and one is really only half)
Characters: 5/5

Overall reco: Holy fucking shit.

I'd had a few book reviewers say that this book was a 6 star read and after my last book didn't really scratch the angst itch I read a sample and was immediately hooked. The writing style was different but I had absolutely no issues reading it, in fact I loved it. Never once felt lost about who was speaking or what was going on. It would give me fucking major god damn anxiety about the chapter.

This book would be a 6 star read for me. It broke me. I cried. I screamed. I shouted. I sat up at 2am and started cursing out characters. That happened twice. Fucking idiots.

I'm still very much in shock from reading this book, from being blindsided by this book. It's been a while for a shifter book for me and I kind of felt Ox's confusion, even though the author laid it on pretty thick. Still, that didn't detract, only added. This book wrecked me and I'm so glad I can read the next one right away because I'm not ready to be done with these idiots. I am sad to be out of Ox's head though, I felt so comfortable with him. I felt like he was pack. 

 

Plot: 3/5 (Romanticized look at addiction)
Spice: 3/5 (Open door explicit, but limited scenes)
Characters: 4/5 (Felix is king)

Overall reco: The characters in the book felt very immature, but that kind of felt like the point. They make terrible decisions throughout (

Jake getting a sponsor so much younger than him, developing a relationship with said sponsor, jakes anger, their choices at some moments

) but I honestly felt like that was the point. The author writes at the beginning that they themselves were not an addict but loved someone that did. At that moment I wasn't expecting realism in terms of the drug use or the programs (12 step and other) and the writing about that was mostly vague so I was able to suspend my disbelief about it.
Really, the story was tragic. I was expecting something very dark and sad and it it was sad and frustrating. It felt a lot like a Romeo and Juliet situation where bad shit was just compounding and compounding. I was in the mood for something sad and I was truly frustrated by the book until the very end. The last 2 chapters absolutely killed me. I fucking cried and then I cried talking about it.
In the end, this book is a really romanticized look at addiction. If you are looking for something realistic, this isn't for you.
Also, I could leave Jake. Felix was the star of this book.


(Other Notes)
I didn't realize how little time had passed in the book until closer to the end. I think most of the twists and turns happen over a a few days. I kept thinking it was happening over weeks or months. But once Felix and Jake meet it apparently goes fast? Which.. boggles me a bit.
There was something I really hated in the book:

On the way to rehab, I understand why the bathroom sex. Jake was freaking out and Felix wanted to calm him down. I thought the whole scene was fucking stupid but 'understood' when I didn't understand was the point of the old man in the bathroom. That felt gross and unnecessary, especially the fight they get into with him about it. Like you are ON YOUR WAY TO REHAB. LEAVE

. 

Plot: 4/5
Spice: 4/5
Characters: 5/5

Overall reco: Going into this book I had been told over and over that Cade was the best of the bunch and honestly? I spent the first 1/3 of the book thinking he was a good boy but not much more than that. I loved Willa and I was happy to just be reading about her. Her attitude and jokes and witty comebacks were great. I absolutely loved how she pushed back when she did.
Then Daddy Cade showed the fuck up and I understand. I totally understand the hype around this novel. I highly enjoyed their dynamic and the banter and how fucking adorable Luke was. I'm really just enjoying my time here on Wishing Well Ranch and honestly, I'm looking forward to the next book, even if I don't read it right away. 

 Rating: 2.75, rounded to 3
Note: People are saying this can be read as a standalone. I HIGHLY disagree. I did not read the other books in series and on several occasions the book is clearly referencing another event that was likely a major plot point in another book.

Plot: 3/5
Spice: 2.5/5
Characters: 3/5

Overall reco:There is an interesting book in here, and maybe if I'd read the other books I wouldn't be judging this so harshly but this was advertised as a complete stand alone during the ARC sign up. Shit, the one I saw didn't even mention that there were other books. My process for rating books is looking at my list of read books and going 'if I was to reco this to my past self, what would I tell them to read before?' And that's how I settled on 2.75. It would probably be higher if you read the other books in the series and were not sure about the drummers story. It's pretty good for a hurt/comfort book, not the best for sure, but there were things about it I liked. Jordan's chapters while Mac was

on tour

  really hit hard. I agree with others that say this wasn't friends to lovers this was fucking idiots to lovers. The whole middle part of the book, all the way up to

when Jordan quit

was fucking enjoyable and totally had me forgetting the initial frustration with this book.

I want to say that had I not been reading this as an ARC, I would have DNF'd this book before the good stuff. I don't want that to encourage people to push through a DNF, but if you are doing this as a standalone and struggling, maybe go read the others and then try again.

(Rant Time)
About that not a standalone thing. There is a specific plot point that comes up halfway through that comes out of fucking left field and probably spoiled an earlier book, not that I care that much about it, but it creates a fucking weird plot hole in this one. beyond that one event There are weird cuts in the beginning that cause the book to feel disjointed and I think that's because they are cutting around chapters that happened in other books. At least, that's what I'm rationalizing. Specifically 

  chapters 2 & 3. Toby returns from rehab. We go from a bar that I THINK is before we go see Toby? To after some fucking blow up that I THINK is because Mac is drunk or maybe had drinks?

  We don't see the interaction. So I can only assume this was in another book and we are getting Mac's POV after the moment. I was already struggling with getting into this authors style and this was jarring.
Time jumps?
I feel like the author forgot to tell us when time jumped in the beginning. Like we get the hints in the dialog but a few chapters in we start to get "one year later" in the chapter heading and holy shit I wish the first few chapters had that. I was so distracted at the beginning trying to understand what was going on. How long ago was the last chapter? Did it happen immediately? No? Yes?

Plot holes
I an not one of those people that keeps detailed notes in books. I do notice plot holes or things that don't make sense to me. It's not always and really depends on how into the book I'm in. But enough of them will rip me out of a book. There are several inconsistencies that just fucking bothered me about this book.
First, 

Jordan decides he needs to quit and distance himself from Mac. So he calls the security company to quit, only for them to say they don't rehire. Which leads to the deepfake reveal that is clearly in another book and pissed me the fuck off This feels like a BFD and it's just glossed. But the head of security says that he was hired by Mac directly. I have no idea that is true but assuming it is, how does Jordan not know? Has he not filed taxes? Looked at his paychecks? No idea when this happened but at this point it's been at least 6 months of book time. I'm going to go out on a limb and say this happens in book 1 because Rex seems involved and I think book 1 is Rex. Also, Jordan swaps out with other security guards to avoid Mac but um.. that's a big fucking risk for that security company to take. Like holy shit. Not to mention the blow up that Ian and Mac have in the middle of Europe about Mac wanting Jordan back and Ian being all 'I'm head of security and what I say goes'. So he does work for you? I want to note I do contact work where my paycheck comes from company A while I work for Company B. I report to Company B for everything but if Company A told me something they are my actual employer and I listen to them.. So when that hole thing with quitting happened I was just fucking mad and confused 

.
Second, 

What the fuck was the 'bus incident' at the beginning with Rex that the Therapist mentions? Also, what the fuck was the point of the prologue? Other than to show us Mac has always been out and proud? 

Third, 

Um. Jordan is the emergency contact for Mac even though they haven't talking in well over a year and the last thing they DID talk about was effectively a break up? oh yeah "not third act break up" they break up every other chapter and then have a car crash instead. These guys are super huge rockstars that own their own building but don't have a staff that keeps these forms updated?
Also, that car crash scene was fucking ass. I'm sorry. What was the fucking point of that aside from more references to the deep fake and making Jordan almost run away? Like Rex comes into yell at Jordan to not abandon his brother and like cool, but like the whole fucking thing felt extra unnecessary? Mac and Jordan were finally connecting and it all just felt like it was go get a hospital bed scene? It didn't feel like EITHER of them grew from that and if the point was to put pressure on Jordan's previous trauma of family dying (which feels SUPER fucking glossed over) that was not communicated well. 

Fourth, 

Um the epilogue. What? Just fucking what? He was working on that while Mac was finishing the Europe tour? Right.. when he 'cut ties with the guys from sentry' and 'poured himself into his gym'? But he was able to gain access to the empty space in the family strip mall building? and totally fixed it up and had Peach do a nice mural. While they are short staffed at the security group, right after being in the hospital with really significant trauma. 

The sad thing is that I probably would have been able to just accept this part because its the end and cute but by this point I was feeling nitpicky and kind of angry about this clearly-not-a-standalone-standalone

I recieved a copy of this book for free for an honest review.

 

Plot: 3/5
Spice: 3/5
Characters: 4/5

Overall reco: Miller and Talon was very interesting and had take that we've seen before from Eden Finley but I love how every time they present these stories the angle is different enough that it expands a thought that I hadn't really spent to much time in before.
I thought Miller and Talon's story was cute, I really enjoyed their dynamic. How they struggled with Jackson, how they struggled with themselves. Miller's

injury and how that played into their dynamic. I really enjoyed the parallel's when it came to them being out as well. Training and grown have setbacks, how you handle those setbacks are often how you recover. This was mirrored in their conversations about being out. and I loved it. Miller wanting ot be out and being okay with it until it was happening and then getting cold feet and then them processing that. It was great to see Talon not throwing it in Miller's face and just keeping steady.

I wouldn't see you this series based on this book, but if you've read the other Fake Boyfriend books and are on you Sadenverse journey, this was enjoyable.

(Other Notes)
I think other books stated that they were a standalone or could be a standalone. This book will spoil Book 2 and Book 3 of the Fake Boyfriend series, so keep that in mind. 

 It was a cute 55 page romp. Noel was cute and flirty.
You didn't need to know anything about hockey for this or the MLK world but really it was just OK. Maybe it's because I'm coming off a book that broke me but this was just kinda eh. We'll see if any of this is important in the Dirty Groom book. 

 

Plot: 5/5
Spice: 3/5
Characters: 5/5

Overall reco: I would give this 6 Stars if I could. How do I write a review for a book that has so completely shifted my definition of good? The way that Tal Bauer drops paragraphs about something is just amazing. I feel like this is the first book that I've read that is dense with descriptions that didn't drive me so fucking mad. This was a slow burn, a delicious and agonizing slow burn.
But it wasn't just a story about 2 people falling in love and getting over trauma, it was a story about healing for both a dad and a son. Emmet and even Bowen's stuff was riveting and a joy to read about. Fuck I would read a novella about Emmet and Bowen's fucking friendship and be so happy for it. Watching the slow and methodical steps that Luke went through to try and find his way back to Emmett, it felt so honest. Every time Luke doubted himself it felt heartbreaking but understanding.
I loved the way that Luke would describe things. Yes, soul of an artist, but the whole time he was clearly falling for Landon he would think and say things that were so swoon worthy. I would have to pause reading and melt in those paragraphs. Landon's a lucky guy.
I feel like I can't recommend this enough. I honestly have the worst book hang over from this book now. I have a goal of 100 pages a day and I've done great all month but this book has put me in the best kind of tailspin. 

 

Plot: 3/5
Spice: 3/5
Characters: 4/5

Overall reco: Ollie and Lennon were adorable. It had been a while since I'd read the 2nd book and sort of forgot who Lennon was for a moment. I laughed when I realized. I also realized I totally picked Lennon wrong in the other books, he was absolutely adorable and continued to be. The characters felt a bit more rounded out in this book than the last on where I felt like we only got to know Noah. Ollie was the heavier of the two in this book but I didn't feel like that was at a detriment to Lennon.
I read this in a day because I couldn't put it down, it was super enjoyable.


Sometimes I find a quote in a book that just tickles me so good that I want to run around and be like "SEE! See this is comedy!" I love Clark, he gave me so many of those while reading this but I think this was my favorite, because I laughed so fucking hard:

Other notes
So, in my review of the 2nd book I said that you didn't need to know the 1st book story to get that one. This one I felt you did. Matt/Noah along with JJ are featured heavily in this book and Lennon has a history with these guys already. Don't read this book before you read Trick Play. 

 

Plot: 4/5
Spice: 4/5
Characters: 5/5

Overall reco: I do not generally like second chance romance. I mean, fuck I hate it when theres a 3rd act break up and the FMC just ignores some stupid fucking thing that the MMC did even thought I thinks it fucking unforgivable (*cough* the perfect fit *cough*). This is probably the first second chance romance that I enjoyed and rooted for. I ate this book up, ate it.
Vi was adorable and easily lovable. She felt like she had depth and every single one of her actions felt believable and rooted in her character. I never once felt like a decision she made didn't make sense for either her trauma or her child. Her and Scottie are my book girlfriends. I love them.
Rowan is the most golden retriever to golden retriever. I loved how he was written and, again, he felt so real. His actions made sense for his character, eve the thing that happened in the past.
I was unsure going into this second book when I learned that it wasn't the same author as the first book and I'm so glad I didn't let that push me off. I will probably keep an eye out for Paisley Hope in the future. Her characters here felt so deep and real and good.
 

It's really dull and I kind of have no interest in going back to it.