Reviewed by Jenna
TITLE: A Casual Thing
AUTHOR: Annabelle Jacobs
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 156 Pages
BLURB:
Patrick Mason travels to Bristol to spend the summer with his brother, Ben. He’s cat sitting for the first two weeks while Ben goes on holiday. But Ben neglected to tell him he wouldn’t be doing it alone. Will Adams—Ben’s mate and Patrick’s long-time crush—is staying in Ben’s guest room while he waits to move into his new house after a breakup. Against his better judgment, Patrick convinces Will that a little no-strings fun is just what they need. Patrick doesn’t want to get involved with a guy on the rebound, and Will isn’t interested in starting something serious with a student. But Patrick’s never been good at separating sex from feelings, and this time is no exception. As their weeks together draw to a close, they need to decide if they have something worth pursuing or if it’s really just a casual thing.
REVIEW:
I really enjoyed this book. Patrick and Ben end up staying together in the same house for a few weeks in summer. Neither knows they’ll be sharing the house, but Patrick doesn’t complain since he’s had a crush on Will for some time. Will knows about Patrick’s crush, and is a little uncomfortable with the arrangement. However, when Will accidently sees Patrick naked, he changes his mind. The two admit they are attracted to one another, and agree to be together just for sex. The agreement starts off with a lot of sexual tension and slowly progresses from touching to intercourse. Although they are both trying to keep emotional distance, it is almost impossible to do so when they are so affected by the intimacy of being together. By the end of the book, it becomes clear they are more than friends with benefits, but making the jump to a relationship is harder than what either expects.
I think this book was pretty hot. I was on the edge of my chair, forgetting to breathe during their first time together. After this first time, I was anxious for them to be together more, but Will seems to be avoiding Patrick, and I started to wonder where their whole arrangement was going. They agreed to have sex, but it seemed like Will was afraid of becoming attached at every step. Since this ends up being the case, the chasing and running away seemed warranted. I liked the premise of this book, and was glad there was no cheating, even though they weren’t technically dating. Though I wasn’t particularly moved by the relationship that develops between them, I was happy with how the story ended. Overall, this was an enjoyable book, and I look forward to reading more from this author.
RATING: 
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