Talk to Me: Sloan Brothers Book 1, D.K. Sutton

Chase and Max were good for one another, but only when Chase let his guard down and stopped jumping to conclusions and when Max pulled up his big boy pants and learned to sincerely apologize without feeling unjustly inferior.  Once they did that they had a clearly wonderful connection.

It took a while for me to really sink into the story because there were quite a few moments that made me pause.  Anxiety is no joke at all, but I have to wonder how much Chase was doing to find acceptable coping strategies beyond verging on a shut-in when things would get bad.  He was judgmental, defensive, and insecure.  None of that had anything really to do with his anxiety.  I have family with anxiety and a myriad other conditions so this is in no way shaming anyone, it's just a comment on how little Chase did to manage his issues.  His reactions to people based on his past relationship with a self-centered extrovert were absolutely understandable, it was just going too far and preemptively judging others before he did any self-reflection to see how he could create a better life for himself without the crutch of a possibly unreliable partner.

Max's childishness wasn't unlikable, it was just too much at times.  The fallout of his actions was absolutely predictable and seemed unimaginative.  It wasn't bad or even poorly written, I just wasn't thrilled by how it played out.

Overall though, this story had lovely sweet moments.  If there were more depth and less of the back-and-forth that spent way too long on inner monologues and over-analyzing their situation I would have truly enjoyed this story a lot more.  What we were given was a good start and I'm hoping the next story improves on the relatively good bones we have in this story.

I'm also interested in the short story that features the other surprise workplace couple we caught a glimpse of.  From what I understand, if you sign up for the author's newsletter you can read their story?

*$3.99 on Amazon

Max

Chase Corrigan is the competition and the reason I can’t sleep at night. How does he beat my customer service numbers—and get the bonus—every month? We’re complete opposites. I’m a people person, and he avoids everyone. Sure, he’s gorgeous with long blond hair and icicle-blue eyes, but I like my guys a little more thawed out. I’m determined to take him down.

All that changes when my plan backfires. I get to know the real Chase and realize why he’s so private. I can’t stop thinking about him. The problem? I’m a casual-type of guy. And Chase Corrigan has serious written all over him.

Chase

Maxwell Sloan is everything I detest in a man. He’s loud, obnoxious, and way too full of himself. He loves being the center of attention, while I just want to be left alone. I’m not competitive, but I enjoy beating Max out of the top spot each month. It also makes me his favorite target.

When Max and I are thrown together on a work project, I want to throttle him. He makes me so angry—and more alive than I’ve felt in a long time. But I’ve been with men like Max before, and I’ll never put myself in that position again. If only my heart would listen.