Quick Reads and Quick Reviews 31

  

• Cake Clash, BL Maxwell and Claire Castle
• Trusting Jack: MC Securities Book 1, Ruby Moone
• Cowboy Rules: Breaking the Rules Book 4, Jacki James

Successful bakers, Finn and Josiah, were once lovers.  Not just lovers, but in love, the forever kind...or so they thought.  There's no denying their hearts still belong to one another, but neither of them have reached out after they were separated a decade prior.  A television competition, however, just might give them a chance to have the future they always dreamed of.  But first they'll have to navigate competitors, work through the pain of their separation, and learn who they are as men.

The premise of this story was so cute, I could hardly wait to dive in.  The final product, though, left a bit to be desired.  There was an immense amount of telling instead of showing, so much minutiae that I skipped pages of text and missed virtually nothing.  The relationship progressed very quickly after they were "reunited" and while I wouldn't have a problem with pretty much zero angst, it seemed too simplistic, as did the writing which was basic and lacked depth and punch.  Once they decided that there was nothing that would keep them apart, not even their roles in the competition, they wasted no time being together in every way possible.  The many, many mentions of their dwindling time together on the show and how they felt about that came off as the authors trying way too hard to make the future seem shaky and their present bittersweet.  Their deep moments felt a little juvenile, a little forced, and a lot too cheesy.  Overall, though, it was a sweet story with lots of passion and no real angst except the contrived descriptions of an unsure future following the show.  3 stars.

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I really liked both men and their vulnerability, quirks, and tender hearts.  There was something so innocent in their interactions that I found them endearing rather than lacking.  While the resolution of the drama was a bit quick with a giant save from the initial supposed villain, it didn't fully detract from the point of the story.  Michael learned to trust someone, to trust their word, their intentions, and ultimately, to trust his heart to them.  Jack grew to understand his own worth, a new way of interacting with someone he cared for, and what he should expect in return from them.  Both men were so good and needed someone special to highlight their goodness to themselves so they could heal and move forward.

There were a bunch of times I wasn't sure where their heads were, like why Michael, the naturally suspicious, very intelligent, successful tech and securities guy, would push to get a huge wad of cash to a severely shady character when he knew he could watch out for Jack well enough that they could have at least waited until the situation was more in their favor.  And I didn't mind the quickness of their relationship progression because we were so much in their heads, especially Michael's, so it didn't feel as fast as the timeline indicates.  Overall I found the story to be pretty sweet despite its issues.  3.5 stars.

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More benefits than friends, more friends than benefits, but never more than friends-with-benefits.  Lincoln wanted to change the status quo by moving into something a bit deeper despite his fears and relationship inexperience but he didn't anticipate Matt's fears and reservations being much larger than his own.  When Lincoln's father's health gives him a chance to change the scenery and get some space from his romantic problems both men find a bit of clarity regarding their hearts.  Lincoln wants to be free from Matt, but Matt realizes there's no one he wants more than Lincoln.  If he can find his courage he might be able to win his cowboy before it's too late.

Having gotten to know these men in the periphery of the other Rules books this story didn't feel like insta-love or insta-lust at all.  If read on its own, it might be seen that way, but the depth has been building for quite some time now and I couldn't be more pleased how these men finally get onto the same romantic page together.  They were hella steamy, so sweet I needed to brush my teeth, and they communicated.  Wait, they used their words?  Why, yes, yes they did.  Lots of points right there that they didn't shy away from expressing what they needed, wanted, feared, and hoped.  And when their hearts reached out to Spencer who needed them?  It's like they were already so united that they couldn't help but work toward the same goal.  I really loved how this story came together for these two men and that neither of them were ashamed of their "dating" history but knew that from then on it would be just the two of them.  Their expectations and fears were realistic and addressed appropriately.  I'm totally sold on Matt and Lincoln.  4 stars.

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