Reviewed by Larissa

TITLE:  Faking a Groom

SERIES: Marital Bliss Book #3

AUTHOR: DJ Jamison

PUBLISHER: Self published

LENGTH: 362 pages

RELEASE DATE:  September 20, 2020

BLURB:

Can two men fake an engagement for the greater good? Avery Kinkaid has been bowing to his father’s will far too long. But when his dad supports anti-LGBTQ legislation, he’s had enough. Sen. Kinkaid says things would be different if Avery had a fiancé in the wings. Well, fine: He’ll just have to get one. Rory Fisher is an activist with a heart of gold and nerves of steel. He’s not afraid to call Avery on his BS, and that’s why Avery knows Rory is the perfect fake fiancé to help him take a stand. If he still feels a little too much for his ex, well, he can shove that down and suck it up to beat his dad at his own game.Until Rory encourages his most hidden desires. Until he makes Avery feel stronger, braver, and freer than he’s ever been.Loving Rory is easy, but Avery’s father won’t just sit back and let them have their happily ever after. They will have to fight: for their love, for justice, for a future together.This is one power struggle they can’t afford to lose.

REVIEW:

Avery, Avery, Avery … I really didn’t expect to swoon for him as hard as I did.  He is broken and hurting and trying to find the courage to be on the outside what he feels on the inside. He finally decides to push back against his domineering father and calls upon the least likely candidate to help: his high school love, Rory, who Avery left behind when he ran away from who he is out of fear.

Rory is a great character: open, accepting, encouraging and willing to fight for what he believes in.  He’s the perfect support for Avery, who is digging deep to find love, mainly for himself, but also from a partner.  Particularly in the early parts of the book, Avery’s isolation and loneliness are so evident and poignant, your heart can’t help but break for him. The writing here is so on point in communicating that feeling to the reader, subtly but powerfully.  Here’s an example: Avery meets Rory’s cat, a stray that Rory took in. Avery remarks to himself (and the cat) how that is so typical of Rory with his heart of gold, always willing to take in and love the strays, cast-offs, loners and anyone in need. Avery then whispers to the cat, “He probably won’t keep me though.”  My heart.  That monologue epitomizes Avery – alone, desperate to be seen and loved and not believing that anyone would want to know him, be with him, or love him.  Avery struggles to understand who he is and that there’s nothing “wrong” with how he views himself, how he feels, or how he wants to express that to the world around him.  He is in pain and feels like he needs to hide himself away.  But with Rory’s encouragement, we get to watch Avery timidly come out of his shell over the course of the book, and it is a beautiful thing to see.

There are so many moments like the stray cat monologue that are crafted by the author to make Avery’s struggle evident  (Avery’s reaction to the notes and pictures in the lighthouse is another stellar example), and it gets you right in the feels every time.  Kudos to the author for such excellent writing.  It’s appreciated when an author allows the reader the opportunity to read between the lines and trusts that they’ll correctly interpret and understand the message.

It’s notable how great this book is notwithstanding that there’s nothing particularly novel about the premise or even the events that transpire. The book’s primary impact is not due to the plot (although the plot does have an important political undertone and message about LGBTQ+ rights), but rather a result of the characters being so well crafted and the romance being so well done.  It really makes the book something altogether different.

I highly recommend you give this a read so you can meet and fall for Avery too.  You do not have to read the prior books in this series first, although you might prefer reading Surprise Groom before reading this one since the main characters show up prominently here and many of the events of Surprise Groom are referenced.  This whole series is terrific and I highly recommend you read them all.

RATING:

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