4 out of 5 stars
Ebook, Kindle Unlimited, 123 pages. Published September 2014 by The Romance Authors
Blurb:
Wealthy, attractive Lucas Reika treats life like a party,
moving from bar to bar and man to man. Thumbing his nose at his restaurateur
father’s demand that he earn his keep, Lucas instead seduces a valued employee
in the kitchen of their flagship restaurant, earning himself an ultimatum: lose
access to his father’s money or stay in the middle of nowhere with a man he has
secretly lusted over from afar.
Quiet, hard-working Jared McFarland loves his farm on the
outskirts of Hope, Arizona, but he aches to have someone to come home to at the
end of the day. Jared agrees to take in his longtime crush as a favor. But when
Lucas invades his heart in addition to his space, Jared has to decide how much
of himself he’s willing to risk and figure out if he can offer Lucas enough to
keep him after his father’s punishment is over.
Likes:
- Jared.
- The gradual transition from barely acquaintances to friends to lovers.
- The smut.
- The story was cute, sweet, and short.
- Low angst.
Dislikes:
- The suddenness of the ‘I love you’.
- Lucas was unlikeable at first.
- Ending was abrupt.
For a novella, the relationship in this book had a good progression. Jared and Lucas started off as distant acquaintances. They knew each other – enough for each to have developed a physical attraction to the other – but not well enough to know any of the deeper stuff. And while the majority of the two weeks they were living together happened off page, it was enough to know that they had spent quality time together building a friendship.
I liked Jared’s character right from the start. He was living what a lot of people would call a simple life, but he liked it. the only thing missing was romance. Lucas on the other hand shows up and immediately starts acting like a spoiled, rich brat. I did warm up to him after reading about what he was going through, and why he thought he father was punishing him. Lucas is still a true spoiled brat, but his ability to change for the better, fit in with Jared’s life, and actually be helpful really won me over.
My big issue with the book was the love bomb. It was so sudden and out of the blue that it stuck out in a bad way. The guys had literally just agreed that they were boyfriends when it happens. The rest of the mini-speech, where Jared asks if Lucas is willing to give their relationship a chance, is really good. I just wish the ‘I love you’ had been an ‘I really like you’ instead.
Overall, I really liked this story. It was a quick read with lots of fluff and some great sex scenes. The ending was a bit abrupt, but that just made me want to read the rest of the series.
Be sure to check out the reviews for the second two books in the series – Jesse’s Diner and Smitty’s Sheriff.
Love is Love Reviews 