4 out of 5 stars
Ebook. 1st edition. 220 pages. Published August 7th 2018 by Dreamspinner Press
Blurb:
It can take losing everything to
realize what you had all along.
Up-and-coming London chef Marcus Vine is poised on the edge of success, but the
only men courting him are investors. That leaves Marcus with some free
time—which is fortunate, because his godchildren need him.
A year ago, a horrible accident killed Marcus’s best friend, Raine, leaving her
children without a mother and her husband, Tom, without a partner. Consumed by
grief, Tom has been going it alone, refusing help, but when Marcus sees him out
with the children, it’s obvious that Tom and his two daughters need someone.
His persistent caring finally wears Tom down, allowing him to accept the
comfort Marcus offers. Soon Marcus is up to his elbows in homework, home-cooked
meals, and after-school activities. Over time he helps them rebuild their
world, until soon their lives are approaching normal.
Then the unexpected happens: Tom confesses he has romantic feelings for Marcus,
and nothing can ever be the same.
Likes:
- Slow burn.
- Kids weren’t annoying.
- Cute ending.
- Good smut.
- Interesting side characters.
- How Tom won Marcus back.
Dislikes:
- The idea of Marcus falling for his dead best friend’s husband put me off.
- Not very memorable.
- Epilogue fake-out.
- Tom’s journey of discovering his bisexuality was lackluster.
- Bathtub on book cover.
I’ll admit, the idea behind this book put me off at first. I’m down with single dads finding love, but the idea that Marcus would end up with his dead best friend’s husband was a little weird. Gladly, once I got into the book, it didn’t bother me. The story is set up in a way that doesn’t make Marcus and Tom’s relationship weird.
I’m also a little weary of kids in a romance. They can be good or bad, but these kids were fine. Present enough in the story to keep Tom and Marcus together, without distracting from the romance.
As for Tom and Marcus, they were fine. Not great, not terrible. Marcus was more likeable, being the only point of view character, while Tom’s journey of discovering his bisexuality felt lackluster. The smut was good, once the romance actually started. The first half of the book is focused on family affairs, and Marcus liking Tom but never intending to do anything about it. Literally it isn’t until the 52% mark that anything happens between the men. So when I say slow burn, I mean it.
Luckily there’s not a ton of angst. I was expecting a big blowup near the end, and there were issues, but nothing that couldn’t be overcome with some groveling. I actually really liked the way Tom made things right between them. It came full circle to something that had been referenced earlier in the book and it felt right.
The actual ending of the book – in the epilogue – was really sweet. I just didn’t like the beginning of the epilogue. It was one of those fake-outs that try to make you think that everything’s gone to shit, when obviously it hasn’t because there’s not enough room left in the book to have anything major happen. I don’t like that kind of thing. Readers are smart enough to see through that.
Overall, this book was good, but not great. I waited a few days to write my review and I actually had to go back and look at my notes to remember what the book was about. There’s nothing particularly memorable about it. That being said, it was a quick, fluffy read and that was what I was going for. Although I have to wonder why there’s a man in a bathtub on the cover. I don’t remember anyone taking a bath.
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