https://amzn.to/3to2Oc2
Quick and dirty, that's what I was expecting and that's what we got. What I didn't expect was the subtle cuteness or the awkwardness or the two-way pining that happened. Sawyer's friends were hilarious and I had no idea they'd even play a role, but the role they played actually made this short story much better. I have to admit, the synopsis really turned me off, but since I like this author I was willing to give it a shot and I'm actually glad I did. The set up for what's to come was the tiniest thread so I'm not sure what we'll get with Bad Boy, but if there are moments of cute like here in Side Character, I'm all in. There was a lot of depth missing as well as an actual promise of transition from crush to real, but if you only focus on the funny side characters and the awkward cuteness that was endearing, then I think you'll probably like this prequel just fine. 3 stars.
https://amzn.to/3xS3Lww
A tattooed reclusive ex-con and an imaginative, skittish, young man...on paper neither of them belong together, unless that paper is in a romance novel, then all bets are off and they're a match made in literary heaven. I liked Colton and Russ together when the moments were good and not awkward and I mostly enjoyed Russ' POV. Aside from that, the story was hit or miss for me and I'll be back because the group of authors are more intriguing than this particular coupling ended up being.
I think what bothered me the most was Colton's reactions and thoughts. There were so many moments that I rolled my eyes and either skimmed through or longed to skim through his portion of the story. Juvenile can be appropriate and amusing and endearing, but in Colton's case it was inconsistent and made me uncomfortable. Especially the jumping in the sack thing right away...way too soon and on the heels of some disturbing thoughts racing through Colton's brain.
It's Russ that saved it for me and while I wasn't a fan of everything he did, thought, or said, he was the character that I gravitated to from the very beginning. I like a bit of redemption with my romance and while I believe Russ had nothing to prove to anyone, he needed to show for himself exactly the type of man he was; a good man deserving of the young man that captured his attention and his heart, not to mention other bits of his anatomy.
There was some contrived drama that pushed the story forward but was honestly overkill and inappropriate, so I feel that could have been beta-read out of there, but I can't say I didn't understand why the author went in that direction. It was kind of an easy road forward conflict-wise and seemed ready-made for overreactions and prejudice to overcome. I wish it had been less predictable and more organic though. Other than that, I enjoyed reading this story and am definitely coming back because my curiosity has been piqued with the group of authors that deserve their own HEAs. 3.5 stars.
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