Jackson
I had one goal, and that was to gain my independence. I almost had it, until one night when I lost everything in an alley. Had it not been for Sebastian Moore, I think I would’ve died. He saved my life. Sebastian Moore. The guy no one knows anything about. He gives nothing away, not even a smile, but that’s all I wanted to do, was make him smile.
Sebastian
I had never truly known Jackson Hall before. He was a good worker and that’s what my business needed. Then one night, unable to stop my curiosity, I followed him. I wanted to make sure he was okay. He wasn’t, and I arrived just in time. He has suffered and sacrificed, but never known security. I wanted to be the one who made him feel safe.
Deanna’s Review: 2⭐️
Note: Up until now, I’ve shared reviews of books I’ve loved with you. But I wanted to share these thoughts on this book that I really hated. It was an ARC (advanced reader copy), and rather than leaving a negative review on Amazon and Goodreads, I’m posting it here and not tagging the author for obvious reasons. If you are curious about the book, I encourage you to check it out, as these are my personal thoughts.
I want to begin by saying that this book had potential. The basic story of Jackson and Sebastian is adorable. Sebastian is the grumpy owner of an antique shop where Jackson works. Jackson is your textbook sunshiny guy, always smiling and happy at work in spite of the challenges his life has thrown at him. These two come together in a roundabout way, and I can appreciate the utilization of the “there was only one-bed” trope, but the writing was disjointed and in desperate need of developmental editing.
And while I’m on the subject of developmental edits, there is an entire scene that should have been removed, as it did nothing to move the plot forward. (At least, I don’t think it did… I had to skip it or risk DNFing it.) This book is an MM romance – meaning both main characters are men, and the story is about their coming together. At the end of chapter 16, the PoV (point of view) switches to Quinn – Sebastian’s sister – where she and Ian – Sebastian’s business partner – sneak off into a bathroom for some sexy time. The moment the PoV switched, I went to the next page. When I saw the word “pussy,” I skipped straight to chapter 17. I’m not a reader of MF romance, so that word automatically gives me the ick – but only when referring to the female anatomy (apparently, I have a feminization kink, but that’s something for another review!).
This little tryst between Quinn and Ian happens before Jackson and Sebastian even kiss… why?! It really threw me off. It was like the author had an intrusive thought and decided it was a good idea to keep it smack in the middle of Jackson and Sebastian’s story. The better way this could have been handled, in my humble opinion, is to keep that separate. Let Jackson and Sebastian have their book, and at the end, add near the end the couple’s suspicions about Quinn and Ian having a thing going on – but please save the sex between them for their book!
Speaking of the end of the book… we go from them officially moving in with each other to the epilogue… FIVE YEARS LATER!! There are so many areas in this story that could have been expanded and areas that could have been cut. It had the potential to be something really good… it just isn’t.
As always, thanks so much for taking the time to read these reviews, and I’d love to hear from you in the comments if you decide to read any of the books I’ve shared with you. Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram for additional book reviews and book promotions.
XO,
Deanna.