Reviewed by Larissa

TITLE: Perfect Matcha

SERIES: Bold Brew Book #3

AUTHOR: Erin McLellan

PUBLISHER: self-published

RELEASE DATE: March 11, 2021

LENGTH: 147 pages

BLURB: 

After years of focusing on his career, Theodore Punch is tired of being alone. But landing a good man isn’t easy. When Theo needs a date for an ex-boyfriend’s wedding, he knows just the solution—a matchmaker. And there’s no better matchmaker than his social butterfly best friend, Camden Ray.

There’s only one problem: Camden has been in love with Theo for half their lives but doesn’t have the guts to come clean. Camden will do anything to make Theo happy, even if it hurts, and he already has a match for Theo in mind—his boss, the handsome owner of the local adult novelty shop.

Now there’s another problem: Theo has zero experience with toys. Luckily, Camden is only a phone call away and more than happy to walk Theo through naughty gadget lessons. Spicy phone calls, a dash of role play, and a load of pesky emotions brew between them. It’s not the match either of them intended but could be the perfect solution to all their problems, if their friendship can survive the infusion of feelings.

Perfect Matcha (Bold Brew Book 3) is 35k words of friends-to-lovers, matchmaking fun with plenty of steam. It’s part of the multi-author Bold Brew universe centered on an inclusive coffee shop in a fictional city. Each Bold Brew story can be enjoyed as a stand-alone.

REVIEW: 

I loved everything about Perfect Matcha, the third book in the ten book, multi-author Bold Brew series based in a shared universe that revolves around the titular LGBTQ+ inclusive coffee shop, Bold Brew.  It was unexpected too, although in retrospect, maybe I should have known how much I’d enjoy this book.  The “punny” title signals from the outset that the author has delivered a creative, captivating read. Camden’s ill-advised matchmaking attempts for his long time BFF, Theo, and the cup of matcha tea Camden (unknowingly) “woos” Theo with on the daily are indeed a perfect metaphorical match(a) for Cam’s struggle to love Theo without putting himself on the line to love Theo.  The writing is crisp, descriptive and engaging.  There’s just the right balance of steam, swoon and angst to keep you flipping those pages.

I loved Camden and Theo, individually and even moreso as a couple.  Despite this being a short, novella length book, the author created complex, multi-faceted characters.  They are real, relatable, adorable and so obviously fit together.  The love they have for each other is swoon-worthy.  Cam and Theo each have their own baggage to work through, and neither of them is perfect.  We see both of them struggle with conflicting emotions of adoration and frustration, happiness and anger, joy and loneliness, discomposure and security, and all of these in relation to each other.  The author made them very real and engaging using few words.

I also loved Cam and Theo’s dynamic.  Cam and Theo have been best friends for 23 years, Cam secretly in love with Theo for the bulk of them.  They know (almost) everything about each other. They are practically inseparable, and are fully integrated into each other’s lives in a meaningful way.  Yet, they couldn’t be more different.  Cam is the college drop-out, uber popular party boy to Theo’s nerdy, intellectual, reserved demeanor.  What you see is not what you get, though.  

Cam has matured.  He’s no longer that same guy he was in his teens and early twenties.  He looks back and sees his mistakes and now wishes things could be different.  His psyche and soul need some healing.  He gives everything to those he loves, generously and without hesitation.  He truly has a heart of gold, particularly where Theo is concerned.  We see throughout the book how Cam will inflict pain on himself if he thinks it will achieve something that will be good for Theo, that will make him happy.  Case in point:  finding Theo a boyfriend despite the fact that Cam is hopelessly in love with him.  

Probably the greatest motivation, and conversely, biggest impediment, to Cam’s actions vis-a-vis Theo is his fear.  You wouldn’t think such an outwardly calm, confident, extroverted guy would be an internal basket case.  Cam is not afraid of losing Theo;  he is petrified.  Cam, Theo and their other childhood best friend, Freddie, were inseparable until Freddie swooped in and snatched up Theo’s affection, leaving Cam to pine away from a front row seat.  

When Theo and Freddie’s relationship crashes and burns years later, it leaves their friendship in tatters, so much so that Freddie debated inviting Theo to his wedding and Theo debated going.  Faced with the very real and present consequences of risking a friendship for romance and having it fail, Cam remains frozen.  As the saying goes, “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush”, and Cam would rather have Theo as a friend forever, than try for more and lose him. 

Understand though, Cam is not just giving up on a romantic relationship with Theo; he’s giving up on love entirely.  As he admits, he can never fall in love with anyone else, not while he’s still in love with Theo.  But because Theo is the single most important person in his life, Cam’s trapped himself.  He’ll never get over Theo, but he’ll never take the chance to really be with him either.

Ironically, Theo is the brave one in that respect.  He may be naive, inexperienced and introverted and often obviously nervous, but Theo is the one who seeks out what he wants.  Theo asks for Cam’s help, not just with the matchmaking, but then with the sex toys.  Theo is the one who takes charge in their relationship, even though Cam may be in charge in the bedroom.  He is also the one who recognizes he has to step up and make himself emotionally available to Cam and ultimately take the leap from friends to forever lovers.

I loved the open and non-judgmental way this story presents sex toys and kink.  It spices up the sex scenes and provides a vehicle for Cam and Theo to “cross the line”.  But more importantly, it provides freedom for both Cam and Theo – freedom to be with who they want, the way they want to be with them.  Theo, in particular, unlocks a whole new part of himself, his inner “kink” as it were.  The pleasure and exhilaration he experiences during role play or using toys with Cam translates into an overall calmer and more confident Theo. 

Most of all, I loved that there is more – seven more books set in this colorful, captivating Bold Brew world where a coffee shop serves as a community gathering place that is welcoming to the kink-friendly.  Great series.  Great stories.  Grab this book and your coffee (or perfect cup of matcha as the case may be) and settle in for a fun, happy, heartwarming read.

RATING:

BUY LINK: 

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