Reviewed by Larissa
TITLE: Fair Trade
SERIES: Bold Brew Book 7
AUTHOR: Cate Ashwood
PUBLISHER: self-published
LENGTH: 150 pages
RELEASE DATE: April 6, 2021
BLURB:
After working with the same partner for almost fifteen years, she ditched me for a cushy teaching job. And I thought things couldn’t get worse.
I was wrong.
Because walking into the ambulance station to see my new rookie is none other than the guy I’d picked up in a seedy bar would’ve been bad enough.
Except we hadn’t just hooked up.
Nope.
What we’d done went so far beyond an anonymous one-nighter.
And now I’m not sure what to do with myself, because being with Nick isn’t just against station rules.
It’s against mine.
But I can’t seem to stop, and what’s even more concerning…
I can’t make myself care.
REVIEW:
Fair Trade is Book 7 in the ten book multi-author Bold Brew series. Here, we meet Callum, an EMT/paramedic whose long-time ambulance partner has just left to take another job. Lamenting her departure and his life in general, Callum finds himself a hot AF hookup. Turns out his hookup is none other than his new partner, Nick. Of course neither of them know that until they’re introduced to each other at the ambulance station the next day. Fair Trade then follows the push/pull dynamic of Callum and Nick’s relationship. The overwhelming lust and attraction towards each other at odds with the prohibition on dating coworkers. Callum is fighting against their undeniable pull towards each other, while Nick pushes seemingly without regard for consequences.
If you’ve read the prior books in the series, you’re probably wondering how Bold Brew, an inclusive, kink-friendly coffee shop located in fictional small-town Laurelsburg, ties in with this set-up. The answer is, it doesn’t. There are two common themes across the Bold Brew series romances so far: All of the characters frequent Bold Brew, with Bold Brew playing a significant role in the romance. All of the romances include some kink, which makes sense given that most of these guys are introduced to each other through the kink-friendly Bold Brew coffee shop.
Fair Trade, however, doesn’t fit that mold. Bold Brew really plays no role. The shop appears about halfway through the story simply as a place they can go for a coffee break. There’s no other connection to these two as far as I can tell. Similarly, the author includes some kink in Callum and Nick’s relationship, but it didn’t feel organic. I almost felt like it was added in order to fit the theme of the series.
Putting that aside, Fair Trade has some definite plusses. Hot sex. Check. UST for days. Check. Likeable characters. Check. The connection between Callum and Nick is undeniable and from the moment they meet, it is clearly much deeper than just sex and getting off. There’s a bit of an enemies-to-lovers feel to the story at the beginning, and there’s definitely some peril and suspense and potential for some hurt/comfort later on.
Undoubtedly, Fair Trade has the bones of a terrific M/M romance. However, the story felt like a sketch that hadn’t yet been filled in with color and detail. There’s definite chemistry between Callum and Nick, but there’s also emotional complexity that the story just scratches the surface of. The author references backstory about each man’s family, but doesn’t elaborate on it even though family clearly impacts both of them. The potential in this story is enormous and the author’s writing skill is clearly up to the task of exploring it.
Fair Trade really needed to be doubled in length in order to flesh out these aspects fully. In its current form, though, it felt forced into the Bold Brew novella format. At 150 pages, Fair Trade simply didn’t have the time or space to allow the story between these men to develop and play out. Sacrificing what could have been made out of Nick and Callum’s relationship for brevity doesn’t seem like a fair trade to me.
I would love to see the author expand this story. I’d absolutely grab that longer version and I have no doubt it would be a hot, sexy, sweet, satisfying read. As for Fair Trade in its current form, it was still enjoyable, just frustrating for me due to seeing what could have been (or could be). So if you’ve been reading the rest of the Bold Brew series, it wouldn’t be a wrong choice to give this a read. You may very well like it much more than me.
RATING: 
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