Cold Pressed: Seacroft Book 2, Allison Temple

Life has definitely dealt two raw deals to Oliver and Nick.  But when one meet-cute turns into a meet-hate and a second chance through a blind date turns that into a meet-hot-against-a-brick-wall, you know we're in for a bit of a roller coaster.  There are definite lows and a few highs that speak to their souls and give them glimpses into another side of themselves, one they fear, and they'll have to choose if they'll give up what they could have for something they may not be able to save despite their best intentions.

This was hard.  I wish I could say I didn't like this book because there were some really hard moments here that frustrated me, hurt me.  But that's just not what I can say at the end.  I think it was a bit jarring because a lot of it was reality and reality isn't all sunshine, rainbows, and happy conclusions.

Nick was my favorite of the two.  He was believable in his struggle and since we spent a lot more time in his head, we got to know him more, to know how deep his confusion, frustration, and dissatisfaction went.  By the end there was no clear conclusion or fix for all the things in his life, but it was very clear that the best partner he could have is the one he got.  The situation with his son was heartbreaking and there were zero moments of saying just the right thing, coming to a perfect understanding, mending fences, building bridges...or pretty much any other trite cliche you can think of to describe fixing years and years of doing the wrong thing.  Instead, we get honesty and that honesty isn't exactly pretty.  I think Nick could and should have made much bigger strides to saying at least something, but where we end up shows that there is a ton of hopeful potential between them.  They're on the right path and Nick is committed to staying on it because beneath all his failings, he's so full of love for his troubled son that there's no other future he's willing to settle for if it means a life without his son.

Oliver's struggles stem from trying to live a life that wasn't his dream.  Having his heart and expectations crushed by a weak man did him no favors.  Except maybe that was the biggest favor; freeing him to find and build a life in Seacroft turned out to be the greatest gift.  In Nick he found someone that could support him in an adult way and could give him the love and passion he didn't know was absent from his previous life.  I enjoyed his eagerness to connect with Nick even if it all just began as an FWB situation.  I do wish he had been a bit stronger at the end instead of being constantly tossed around by his emotional turmoil, that he were less reactionary and used his intelligence to think his way through his situation rather than to just keep ramming his head against the wall.  I also wish there were more on the page about his tentative connection with Nick's son and not just the one moment in the interrogation room.  There is a lot to heal there.

Without the harsher realities of life it's cliche, and yet so very true, that we can't fully appreciate or enjoy the triumphs and happier moments in life.  A lot of time was spent in their heads and less on the action of the story so we didn't even really see things get going until probably halfway through, and then the really big stuff didn't come until near the end.  I wasn't a fan of the pacing or the navel-gazing, but I respected and grew to appreciate the story as a whole because it really was closer to real life than some imagined idea of life with a knowledge that the cheesy HEA is right around the corner.  Typically that's the kind of book I gravitate towards, but then I get surprised with a book like Cold Pressed and have to reevaluate why I shy away from stories that echo a less idealized version of reality.  So overall it was a bit harder to read, but no less satisfying when we see where they end up.  I definitely want to see Avery get his own story and to see Oliver and Nick's progress on the periphery.

*$3.99 on Amazon

No strings attached is all Oliver can offer. He's hiding a broken heart that holds him back from diving into a new relationship, but he'll go on a blind date to make his family happy. Just one date, though; he doesn't have time for love to derail his plans.

Divorced and demoted to the night shift, Nick has his own problems. He's got an ex-wife who needs him and a kid with one foot in juvie. The last thing Nick needs is to butt heads—or other body parts—with a tempting hipster who wears a sad smile on their blind date. 

Their chemistry can’t be denied, though, in an argument or in bed. No strings sex is uncomplicated and that's what Nick and Oliver need. But getting into bed together is one thing. Staying out of each other’s hearts soon becomes so much more complicated than either one imagined.

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