Reviewed by Marieke
TITLE: The Last Guy Breathing
SERIES: The Guy Series
AUTHOR: Skylar M. Cates
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 268 pages
BLURB:
Henry Clueley doesn’t want to be in Glamour, not after moving far away to overcome a difficult, if privileged, childhood. He’s no longer that pudgy kid desperate to escape his hometown, but it still holds painful memories. When his recently widowed mother needs him, however, “dependable Henry” does the right thing—even if it means leaving the IRS to take a boring corporate position. Things don’t stay boring for long. Soon Henry helps the local sheriff’s department unravel a crime. Posing as half of a fake couple seems like a fun idea… until Henry learns he already knows the deputy playing his other half.
Deputy Locke may be new to the Glamour Sheriff’s Department, but he’s fought his way up in the world and is determined to make a good impression. He keeps his private life quiet, even from his beloved younger brother. Locke knows better than most the need to protect what’s his.
Henry resents the arrogant, gorgeous cop, and Locke thinks Henry is sheltered and spoiled. Their secret and steamy encounter only adds to the animosity. As they join forces, Henry thinks a relationship with Locke would be catastrophic, but the white-hot passion between them makes it hard to resist.
REVIEW:
Henry Clueley is a nerdy kind of guy, who used to be chubby. He’s moved back from Washington DC, to take care of his mother after his father passed away. His mother has always lived in denial about how her husband treated her and their son, and sort of retreated into her own little world. She has no clue (no pun intended) about finances, and doesn’t want to be bothered with it.
Locke has had a very rough childhood, with a mother who was addicted to gambling and later leaving her family altogether. A father that had basically checked out of life and a little brother to take care of. They were poor and moved from town to town, never having a steady place to grow roots.
Henry and Locke meet when Henry gets multiple speeding tickets with his Ferrari. Locke thinks Henry is an arrogant spoiled rich kid, and Henry finds Locke rude, arrogant and hostile––which he is. But their opinion changes when they have to start working together on a fraud case.
Somehow this third book in The Guy series, isn’t as great as the other ones. It isn’t bad, but it’s just not great.
Henry starts out to be a bit spineless and boring. Too insecure on the inside, yet obnoxious on the outside. He does get better once we get to the sex, slash relationship part. In fact, the whole books gets better the further you read. The beginning was just very predictable and boring.
We get to meet James, Locke’s little brother, who ends up in a relationship with the Anthony’s sister––who we’ve met in his book. There are a few story lines that cross each other throughout the book, and most have a function. But the romance between James and Gina is more of a extra, nice but sometimes a bit confusing and annoying when you were just really into the investigation part.
Both Locke’s and Henry’s mothers are bad role models, and I wanted to slap them both, at times. Cynthia, a woman who worked for Henry’s company before she killed herself, gave up her baby. Basically, all the mothers in this book were iffy, which irritated me (being a mom myself). The fathers were just as bad, so no help there for either of the two main characters. I don’t know why this bugs me so much, but it does.
The investigation was confusing until the last bit, which was good or it would’ve all been too predictable. The main characters weren’t very likeable in the beginning, but the improved later on. They didn’t become loveable, but they were okay in the end. All in all, a reasonable amusing book, but not the best in the series.
RATING: 
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