Reviewed by Carissa
TITLE: Work in Progress
SERIES: Belladonna Arms #2
AUTHOR: John Inman
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 226 pages
BLURB:
Dumped by his lover, Harlie Rose ducks for cover in the Belladonna Arms, a seedy apartment building perched high on a hill in downtown San Diego. What he doesn’t know is that the Belladonna Arms has a reputation for romance—and Harlie is about to become its next victim.
Finding a job at a deli up the street, Harlie meets Milan, a gorgeous but cranky baker. Unaware that Milan is suffering the effects of a broken heart just as Harlie is, the two men circle around each other, manning the barricades, both unwilling to open themselves up to love yet again.
But even the most stubborn heart can be conquered.
With his new friends to back him up—Sylvia, on the verge of her final surgery to become a woman, Arthur, the aging drag queen who is about to discover a romance of his own, and Stanley and Roger, the handsome young couple in 5C who lead by example, Harlie soon learns that at the Belladonna Arms, love is always just around the corner waiting to pounce. Whether you want it to or not.
But tragedy also drops in now and then.
REVIEW:
I had a feeling I was going to like the Belladonna Arms. I wasn’t sure why. The place was actually kind of a dump. But hey, I thought, popping open the umbrella and ducking underneath it as I strolled out the door and into the rain, it’s kind of a happy dump. And happy is exactly what I need right now. Christ knows I’ve been morose long enough.
There is love pollen in the air at Belladonna Arms! Though, to be fair, that might just be the ash from Arthur’s cigars. But you can’t deny that people seem to be falling in love with each other all over the apartment complex.
Not that Harlie knows this when he walks into the Belladonna in the middle of a torrential rain storm. He is just looking for a place to live. Where he can write his next book and try not to think about his loser ex. He never expected that the world’s worst-dressed drag queen, or any of the other love-mad residents, would lead to his life changing forever.
Like how Sylvia–months away from he operation–would offer to get Harlie a job at the deli she works in. Which leads him to Milan, the world’s grumpiest baker–and probably the hottest one as well. But while the Belladonna is flowing with HEAs the bakery is suffering a bout of broken hearts. Not that that is going to stop Harlie from looking…but maybe he can hope that a little borrowed luck and love from the Belladonna might just bring him and Milana HEA of their own.
This book is pretty much fluff. Fluff that I enjoyed, but fluff nonetheless. There is some tension in the book (Sylvia, Arthur, ChiChi) but it comes from outside out MCs relationship, so this book have a very light feel to it.
I was really glad to see that this book was being written. I really liked the first book in the series, Serenading Stanley, and was looking forward to seeing all these characters again. Especially Sylvia. I really liked Sylvia (and her cookies. I really wish I could reach into the kindle and take one) and was thrilled we would get to see how she and Pete turned out. And they turned out damn adorable. Plue Arthur–poor fashion disaster, Arthur. He is a real character (hehe) and it was nice to see him get a happy ending as well. Even if I did get my hackles up when Harlie tried to change him. Not that Arthur couldn’t use a makeover (or you know, less than a gallon of makeup on his face), but Arthur is happiest when dressed ‘fabulously,’ so fab he must stay!
I kinda wish that there had been a bit more drama in this book. Outside of ChiChi and Ramon, that is (this still makes me sad. Not that ChiChi wasn’t a prick, but neither of them deserved this ending). Because it just seemed to float along, and there really was nothing there to build momentum on. I enjoyed seeing everyone again, and the sex was hot–as always–but this book definitely lacked some sort of kick.
But, hey, if you are looking for a book with little to no angst, I’ve got the book for you!
RATING: 
BUY LINKS:
I was so excited to see this book coming out, but NO!!! Not heartbreak for ChiChi and Ramon! Say it isn’t so 🙁
🙁
Sorry.