The Boyfriend Act by Parker Elliot

Amazon

The blurb for this book had me excited. And the book itself did not disappoint.

Personally, I love a good friends to lovers book.
I also love a good book where one discovers that they are bisexual.

Toby and Liam are good friends who work together.
When Toby needs a date for his sister's wedding, Liam wants to be that boyfriend.
Liam is straight but he's a wanna-be actor and thinks a weekend pretending to be Toby's boyfriend will be a good acting experience.
But then sparks ignite on that trip.
After agreeing that it was a one time thing, they are both disappointed.
Toby is hurting with having to be around Liam everyday.
They could be together, as both want, if they could just admit their feelings to each other.

It is a really sweet story.
The men are good together and their chemistry is great.
I also loved the writing style and pace of the story.

One Time Offer by Carrie Ryder

Amazon


This is a very quick, cute read.

Liam is turning Twenty-One and is looking to celebrate with a weekend of fun and sex.  He ends up writing an ad looking for a partner for the weekend.    His best friend Nic thinks it's an awful idea, but helps him by going along to supervise the dates.

Those dates?  Well, let's just say that they don't turn out to be anything like Liam was hoping.  Between the awful dates, Liam and Nic are able to hang out.

What Liam ends up finding is an actual lover.  It just turns out to be someone that he wasn't expecting.

This story was short, but full of fun.   Getting to enjoy this ride with the boys was entertaining.  And it's always fun to find love in unexpected places.

Mister Bridesmaid by Ivy Oliver

Amazon

What a great little love story.

It is a fun, light and quick read.

Julian has always had a crush on his best friend's brother.  He certainly never expected to have something happen though.  Colton is ten years older than Julian and is also very aloof.  But then Julian is asked to be the Man of Honor at his friend's wedding and he runs into Colton again.  As usual,  Julian is intimidated and acts stupid and tongue tied when they are together.

Then they celebrate the stag night together in Vegas.  And then wake up married.

Julian has no memory of the wedding.  And Colton is freaked out because his dad will never accept him being with a guy.

From the very beginning, I loved Julian.  He is just so adorable.  The adventures of the stag night are fun despite the fact that they are initially awkward together.   When they wake up married, the roller coaster of events that follow are romantic, sweet, mysterious and captivating.

In the end, they need to decide if they can be together despite the challenges involved.  Their road will be thwarted by meddling parents, some backstabbing friends, and some jealous cousins.

If you like the best friend's sibling trope, you will surely enjoy this story.  It has it all - the secrecy, the roadblocks and the romance.  I highly recommend it.

Taunting Tony by Marie James

Amazon

Taunting Tony is a really charming story about two men who are attracted to each other, but have to hide it from their friends.

When Joey meets Tony, their is an instant attraction.  So much so that they even share a kiss.

But things get complicated when Joey's brother, Jon, introduces Tony to their group of friends.  Within that group, there is a RULE.  No one is allowed to hook up with someone in the group.

Joey and Tony try to fight their attraction, but they aren't able to do so for long. Some of their friends find out, but they still keep the secret from Jon.

Joey's best friend, Andy, is in love with Jon.   Jon certainly seems attracted to her.  But he fights that attraction because of the rule.  Unfortunately for Andy, Jon has many, many hook-ups with other girls, and doesn't hide that from Andy.

Things come to a head when the group of friends go on their annual cruise together.   This is Anthony's first time with them, but they made sure to include him.

During that cruise, Joey and Anthony disagree about telling Jon about their relationship.  And Andy gets more and more frustrated with Jon, thus causing major friction among the friends.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story.  I enjoyed the writing style and the pace of the plot.  The chemistry between Joey and Anthony was wonderful.   There are a lot of fun moments in the story.  The storyline may have been a little predictable, but it was enjoyable.  I was hooked from the beginning and couldn't wait to see how it all unfolded.

Ben's Rainbow by Victoria Sue

Amazon

A beautiful story about two men who both think they aren't worthy of the other. It is the 3rd book in the series, although this is the 1st one I have read.

Ben is a former fashion model.  He was driven to success and put his career above everything else in his life.  But everything changed when he was in a fire and suffered bad burns to his face, neck and shoulders.  

His boyfriend at the time was Zach, who was a world famous photographer. Zach's main career passion is photographs the hardships of those who are ill and suffering, along with the trying to share the damage of war-torn countries with the world through his photos.  He is absolutely in love with Ben, but he leaves to go on an assignment after a fight with him.

Zack rushes back to Ben after he hears about the fire, but he can't find him.  He searched for him for 4 years.  Then, during an assignment, Zach suffers near blindness from an undetected eye condition.   He is sent to Rainbow Key to rest and heal.  When he gets there, he has no idea that he will be finally finding Ben.

I absolutely enjoyed this book.   Both characters, at the time that we meet that, are very likeable.   We discover Ben's former flaws as the story continues, but he definitely manages to redeem his past selfishness.

Zach is a beautiful soul.  He is just a very likeable guy who really helps to keep Ben balanced.  When we meet him, he is damaged mentally from suffering this near blindness.  He is grieving the potential loss of his career.   As he reconnects with Ben though, he finds that he isn't focused on his vision anymore.  He is finding love again, and thus happiness, as well as the strength to finally take care of him health and career.

Both men are physically damaged.  One has facial scars, the other is losing his sight.  This makes both of them think the other won't want to stay with them.  Both men are afraid of rejection.  And both men have just been hiding from the world.  But, through patience and communication, as well as clearing up some misunderstandings from their past, they may be able to accept that they love each other.

I adored the secondary characters and plan on going back to read the first 2 books in the series to learn more about them.

I really enjoyed this story.  It was an emotional journey.  It was a pleasure to see their progress as they grew as people.  They were both able to find love by figuring out what is truly important in life. It was a tough process at times, but it was beautiful and meaningful.

All about Sawyer by Marissa Holt

Amazon


During High School, Kace became infatuated/obsessed with Sawyer.  Since then, he compares every guy to Sawyer.  No one has come close though, so he is still alone.

But then he walks into Steam, a hot strip club, and sees a Sawyer look-a-like dancing.   But this tattooed bay boy stripper is actually his dream guy.  Problem is, this isn't the version of Sawyer that Kace wanted.   Well, not at first anyway.

Sawyer has changed from his high school golden boy days as a way of rebelling.  When he sees Kace at Steam, he is immediately intrigued.   When he pursues Kace, he eventually figures out that they went to high school together.

Kace is not sure what to do.  Is it actually possible to end up with your dream guy?  Was it destiny?

Personally, I really enjoyed this book.  It was a sweet story.  It moves along at a fast pace and you can't help but to keep reading.  Kace was just a wonderfully likeable guy, from the very beginning.  It took me a little longer to warm up to Sawyer, but he is really a great guy. I loved how open he was about his job and didn't offer any apologies for stripping. And I really enjoyed Sawyer's relationship with his nephew.

I definitely enjoyed watching Kace realize that his dream guy isn't perfect and that he really likes this new version of Sawyer as a person.  The push and pull of their attraction was wonderfully written.   And their chemistry is hot.

And the ending is just perfect!

Destiny Collides Past and Present by JP Sayle

Amazon


When Stuart sees Joe for the first time, it was all about the eyes. He was mesmerized by them and never was able to forget the man with those eyes. Years later, when he runs into Joe again, he, of course, is instantly attracted to him. Problem is, Joe has had an abusive past from which he is on the run.

And don't forget the Guardian cat named Princess who in here to protect Stuart.
And some hot sex.

I really liked Stuart and Joe. Their chemistry was undeniable. And their stories were very intriguing. You couldn't help but to route for them to get over their pasts and find happiness together. They were both survivors and desperately need someone to love and care for them.

The issue I have with this story was the writing style. It is actually very beautiful, full of description after description. JP is clearly a talented writer. But, for some reason, I just don't enjoy this style of writing. I find it too descriptive and that it slows down the story. I can appreciate it, I just don't love it. I would have enjoyed it much more if there was less writing with a faster plot.