Duo review by Anabela & Kat

TITLE: Pretty Perfect

SERIES: Boys In Makeup Book 1

AUTHOR: Christina Lee & Riley Hart

PUBLISHER: Christina Lee & Riley Hart

LENGTH: 261 pages

RELEASE DATE: January 16,2020

BLURB:

Jesse

After spending the first part of my life trapped in a small town where it wasn’t okay to be a makeup-wearing boy who liked boys, I swore I’d leave and never be anything but loud, proud, and unapologetically me. I’ve kept that promise. I’m following my dreams, have an apartment with my bestie, and get to dance my nights away at one of the hottest gay bars in Portland.

 

The only downfall is Dane, the sexy bartender with a perma-scowl always aimed my way. The tension between us is so strong that even the clubgoers notice, and they eat that stuff up. Our boss makes us dance on the bar together every Friday night. I might shake my booty a little more with Dane just because I love getting under his skin. It’s not my fault he doesn’t know how to have any fun…but I kind of want to teach him.

 

Dane

I got burned bad by my last boyfriend. Thankfully, my sister, Bree, and my niece, Hailey, make my days a whole lot brighter. I’m getting back on my feet, including a decent job as a bartender. But working in a gay club makes it harder to keep to myself. No way do I want to get reeled in by another charming, pretty face and get hurt again, and definitely not by someone like Jesse, whose audacity frustrates me to no end.

 

So why do I want to shove him against the wall and screw that boldness right out of him?

 

Only…sometimes he’s pretty sweet, especially with Hailey. As we go from enemies to angry hookups to friends, our feelings are changing and moving into uncharted territory. This can’t go anywhere. Jesse and I are like oil and water; we just don’t mix…right?

 

 

REVIEW by Anabela

Enemies to lovers is my favorite trope, because it always cranks up my engine to see two guys spending their energy trying to pass off badly concealed desire as hate. All that passionate animosity that turns into scorching fire once they surrender to their need to touch one another, a fire that would burn away any pretense of hate.

 

Just like Jesse and Dane. Their hate was never believable, not with the way they would eat each other whole with their eyes,or how they use the mandatory friday bar dance as an excuse to touch and rub against each other. There’s a lot of sexual tension between them, despite how much they try to deny it. Months and months of pressure buildup, and it only gets worse. So, why not do something about it? In a storage room, and just to get it out of their system? Once should be enough, right?

 

Well, once isn’t enough. Obviously. There’s so much chemistry, so why not see if it eventually runs out? The thing is,the more time they spend together, the more they realize there’s a lot more to them than meets the eye. And what do you know, maybe Captain Cranky Pants Dane and drama queen Jesse might be more compatible than they could ever of imagined. And, if they open their hearts, they could see they’re Pretty Perfect for each other.

 

The book is angst free, and I appreciated that. It’s a funny, light story of a relationship’s development, from enemies to lovers, to friends and eventually more. Dane and Jesse together definitely fogged my glasses , but they also provided the best entertainment, with their quick verbal jabbs and their banter. They’re surrounded by amazing secondary characters, who helped with the varying moods of the story, adding cuteness, laughter and at times, sadness.

 

Lesson learned from Pretty Perfect? Never judge only by appearances. Or by grouchy answers or sassy retorts, as the book’s case may be. Look beyond and if you’re lucky, you’ll find your happily ever after.

 

RATING:

REVIEW by Kat

I have loved books by both these authors and when they write together I am sure I’m going to get something great. I was definitely not disappointed.

 

Jesse is the man he has always dreamed of being. Out, beautiful and proud of who he is now that he’s up in Portland. It was something he could have never been while he was back home with his parents on the farm out in the middle of nowhere. He is making all on his own by dancing at The Playground, one of Portland’s hottest gay bars, to help pay for college and his share of the rent he pays his best friend/roommate Seth. Friday nights are busy and the crowds eat up the “Coyote Ugly” dance he has on the bar with “Captain Cranky Pants” aka Dane, the sexy, hot bartender with the perms-scowl on his face. Dane just wants to get by after his ex left him high, dry and devastated. But the cute little twink Jesse that Chet, their boss, set it up for him to dance with on his bar will be the death of him. Rich, entitle brat that reminds him so much of Steve that he can’t see straight. After a rather invigorating dance Jesse and Dane wind up in the store room and they both see stars because the sex was so hot. But what do they do now???

 

I wasn’t sure what to think of what Jesse would be like when I read the small blurb. I expected a damsel-in-distress guy with lots of makeup and that was my bad. Jesse grew on me right from the start. He is really all alone on his own. If it wasn’t for Seth I’m not sure how he would have ever survived this long or reached for his goals. He’s strong and is determined to make his way all on his own terms. He isn’t willing to be shut up in a life that isn’t him. I know that he loved his parents but their constant judgement was taking a toll on him. With all the pressures that he is under it’s no wonder that he suffered from migraines. I knew right from the start that I would fall for Dane. He’s my favorite kind of character. He’s sweet, loyal and caring but was horribly taken advantage of by a user. These two are the perfect match and their slow-burn romance was made sweeter by being there for each other when needed.

 

I was pretty sure I was going to dislike Jesse’s parents. Their Bible-thumping blasts on Jesse’s sexuality and condemning him to hell grated on my nerves but I was so proud of Jesse and his standing up for himself. They all surprised me in the end.

 

But the driving force, in my opinion, of getting Jesse and Dane together and opening up their minds and hearts is Hailey, Dane’s precocious 4 year old niece. She is simple adorable and loves her Uncle Dane and Jesse and they love and adore her. She is the perfect catalyst to pull these two stubborn men together and open their hearts to love.

 

I can tell I’m going to love this series and can’t wait for the next book. I’m really looking forward to Seth’s story and hopefully still seeing Dane and Jesse more.

 

RATING:

 

BUY LINK: 

Amazon