Reviewed by Donna

 

TITLE: The Only Guy

SERIES: The Guy #2

AUTHOR: Skylar M. Cates

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH: 220 Pages

BLURB:

Aaron Weiss knows how to escape. Years ago, he ran from a romantic disappointment and impulsively joined the Army. Now, he’s forced to take a medical discharge and readjusting to life at home proves a challenge.

Jesse Ross knows how to hide. He realizes he’s an oddball, and that he’s an outsider within his own family. He also knows his secret love since childhood, Aaron, only wants his good-looking, favored older brother. Yet Jesse could never completely abandon his intense feelings for Aaron. Over the years, Jesse was a faithful pen pal to him. Still, he’s shocked to his core to find Aaron on his doorstep.

As long-buried secrets and past hurts take center stage, the two are overwhelmingly drawn to each other. But it’s their future that may force them to risk everything.

 

REVIEW:

Friends to lovers. It’s a much-loved story line. Any romance reader has likely read dozens of them and despite the slight variations we all know how that story goes. All you people out there who have read The Guy from Glamour, well, if your thoughts work anything like mine you probably heard Aaron telling his story in that first book and made assumptions. For those who haven’t read Guy from Glamour this is how it went.

Dean Pierce is one of the main characters from that book. He is a military man who needs to go home to raise his orphaned niece. During the course of Dean’s story he receives a phone call alerting him that Aaron Weiss, his best friend back in the army has ended up in hospital. Dean rushes to his bedside and amid the “I’m gay” confessions and declarations of undying friendship Aaron gives us a peek at the story of why he ran off to join the army. Namely, he was in love with his best friend Gregory and when he kissed him, Gregory acted disgusted and they ceased to be friends. As soon as I read that I was like, yep, that’s book two right there. Aaron and Gregory.

So… apparently I was wrong because as you can plainly see from reading the blurb, this book is Aaron and Jesse, Gregory’s little brother. I really hate being wrong.

Then after reading the blurb I figured, so Aaron ran off and joined the army but remained close to Jesse because they’ve kept in touch. I assumed Aaron would surprise Jesse by turning up to visit and they’d be excited and hug and suddenly discover there were shared romantic feelings between them. They’d be almost at the point of declaring their love when (da da daaaaa) Gregory would appear and admit that he made a mistake and demand that Aaron choose him instead. Perhaps there’d even be fisticuffs, if only because I love using that word.

I should really stop assuming if I hate being wrong so much because that isn’t how it happens either.

The reality of this story was quite a bit less dramatic and to be honest I’m not sure if I don’t like the version in my head better, as daytime dramaish as it may sound. It just felt to me that something was missing from this book. I did enjoy The Only Guy and I’ll go as far as suggesting that most readers will probably enjoy it too but the thing is, when something feels not quite right but you’re not sure what the problem is, you tend to dwell on the negatives trying to figure out just what you felt didn’t work. Well, that’s what I do anyway. I should probably avoid speaking for everyone.

Is my problem with the characters? Maybe. Aaron, I quite liked. He’s having to deal with a few changes at the moment, such as leaving the army and his newly discovered attraction to his first love’s little brother. So as annoying as his actions are towards the end of the book, I’ve magnanimously decided to forgive him.

Jesse, on the other hand incited the urge to hug and bitch slap simultaneously. The poor guy suffers from terrible anxiety and is treated badly by his family, I totally understand why he has zero confidence to attempt to make a move on Aaron. However if the man of your dreams, the only man you’ve ever loved arrives on your doorstep would you go out of your way to be an asshole and chase him off? And would you not at the very least shave off the crazy mountain man beard?

Despite all that, these two are pretty great together as a couple. I thought the sex was hot and interesting. They can’t be the only ones to enjoy it, it needs to hold my attention too. Which it did.

Gregory is, I believe, my biggest disappointment. I really really wanted a big dramatic scene where Gregory decides he wants Aaron but Aaron chooses Jesse instead. Well, I’m not saying it had to happen exactly like that but some sort of drama surrounding that little love triangle would have been appreciated. That all just seemed to wrap up way too neatly and with little fuss.

Ok, so like I said, I probably am focusing a little too much on the negatives here but it just bugs me that I can’t figure what didn’t quite work for me with this book. Maybe it was totally my own fault and my preconceived ideas were my problem.

If you haven’t read The Guy from Glamour but want to check this book out, go right ahead, reading them in order isn’t necessary. Although, my favorite part of this book is when it takes us back to Glamour for Anthony and Dean’s wedding and if you have read the first book then you’ll probably love that bit too. The characters for the third book seem to be lined up and ready to go so I’m guessing we have at least one more book to look forward to in this series. (And there I go assuming again.)

 

RATING:

 

 

BUY LINKS:

Dreamspinner Press

 Amazon

ARe