Reviewed by Larissa

TITLE: Convincing Cole

SERIES: Shore Thing Book 1

AUTHOR: Jaclyn Quinn

PUBLISHER: Self-published

LENGTH: 218 pages

RELEASE DATE: April 23, 2021

BLURB: 

Cole Sullivan

Life’s been pretty amazing. Moving back to my hometown of Coral Pointe Inlet and opening Shore Thing Management with my four best friends is the best decision I’ve ever made. Falling back into old habits with an ex? Not so much. When Aiden, the sexy, straight owner of SandBar comes to my rescue pretends to be my boyfriend—handing me the flashlight I need to make my way out of the darkness—lines begin to blur. Suddenly, I’m falling again, but is it stupid of me to want Aiden to land by my side?

Aiden Rafferty

I’ve made a name for myself in this town. Granted, sometimes it’s passed around in a morsel of gossip over morning coffee. I’ve poured my heart and soul into SandBar, and despite some townspeople thinking I turned my back on the family business, it’s become a tourist hotspot. I see and hear a lot as a bartender, but I never get involved—until Cole. There’s something about him, something that makes me want to protect him. Problem is, he’s been hurt before. This fake relationship was my idea, so how do I go about convincing Cole there’s nothing fake about it?

REVIEW: 

Jaclyn Quinn kicks off her new Shore Thing series with Convincing Cole, a feel good romcom set on the sandy beaches of Coral Pointe Inlet on the Florida coast.  We meet five thirty-something best friends who have joined forces and wallets to open Shore Thing Management. The focus of this first book is gorgeous, all around nice guy Cole Sullivan, Hotel Manager for their co-owned Coral Pointe Inn.  He crosses paths with Aiden Rafferty, owner of the on-the beach, warehouse turned bar, SandBar Brewing Co., initially through Aiden’s cousin Sage, who is one of Cole’s four BFFs.  Cole and Aiden unexpectedly get to know each other very well when Aiden steps in and poses as Cole’s boyfriend to save Cole from the ridicule Cole’s ex, Drake Myers, is very publicly dishing out. Oh, did I mention Aiden is straight?  

The fake boyfriend, bisexual awakening storyline that plays out in Convincing Cole is irresistible.  The biggest draw here are Cole and Aiden.  Cole and Aiden are endearing characters and make an affecting couple.  These two men alone will keep you hooked from start to finish.  The found family aspect to the relationship between the five best friends is captivating.  I enjoyed their interactions and unconditional support of each other.  But the primary driver of this story is Cole’s relationship with Drake and it creates a complicated, frankly distressing, picture.

Cole and Drake were secret boyfriends in high school, out only to each other at that point, sharing their bodies and their secrets.  They had many special moments together, including being each other’s “firsts”.  But when college years hit, Drake broke it off.  Cole blames himself and his purported sexual inexperience for their split.  Through some misguided need to either fix things or prove himself, all these years later, Cole is still drawn to Drake.  He continues to hookup with Drake even though Drake makes no secret of the fact that he is not monogamous, and he treats Cole like dirt.

Somewhere along the way, Cole and Drake’s relationship turned into something toxic and ugly and I don’t think the story fleshed that out sufficiently.  It’s hard to believe that beautiful, kind Cole had no other prospects than the slimy, manipulative, vindictive player that is Drake.  Drake is verbally abusive to Cole, cruelly belittling and humiliating him in private and in public, yet he still expects to keep Cole all to himself.  Cole’s behavior is consistent with someone who’s been abused because he has been and continues to be. Repeatedly.  Cole sees it though and is trying to break free, but the battering that his self-confidence and self-worth take on the daily when Drake is around have undermined his belief in himself.

Aiden is the guy who gives Cole the “flashlight” Cole can use to find his way out of the dark situation.  Aiden shows Cole he is better and deserves better than Drake.  In the process, they fall for each other, hard.  The trajectory of Aiden and Cole’s relationship is less about Aiden realizing and coming to terms with his bisexuality, and more about convincing Cole that he is worthy of good things, good people and love.

It’s this relationship that ultimately makes Convincing Cole an overwhelmingly heartwarming read.  Aiden and Cole’s romance really is a beautiful, redemptive storyline.  They are an amazing couple; hot, sexy, sweet, kind and mature. They support and bring out the best in each other. They deliver gooey love proclamations and public declarations that will make any romance lover swoon. 

Consistent with that, Convincing Cole has a lighthearted, at times irreverent, tone.  The story has a bit of a college-age feel to it, even though the men are in their thirties.  It’s told in a free and loose, humorous, at times even juvenile, way.  And for the most part, that tone works just fine.  After all, this isn’t a heavy, high angst story.  However, let’s not forget that the Cole/Drake/Aiden dynamic has serious aspects to it that aren’t light and aren’t funny.  Drake’s verbal abuse is no joke.  I would have liked to see the tone pivot to match the more serious parts of the narrative.

Similarly, the story features a small-town element that usually is charming. Typically, the nosybody townspeople are intrusive in a good natured way. The interfering is done with helpful, affectionate intention.  It’s heartwarming and it’s humorous. The “Pointers” are nosy because they like the spectacle of it all and seem to thrive off negativity. I found it disconcerting and made me wonder if there are more people like Drake than like Aiden and Cole.

Notwithstanding the tone issues, I did enjoy the story and the world Ms. Quinn has started to develop.  She has so much potential for further world building and character exploration especially of Cole’s BFFs, and Aiden’s best friend Jared. I’m definitely interested to see what comes next.  While Convincing Cole may not have been the most convincing way to kick off this series, it did deliver a sweet romance and a terrific couple, which is more than enough for me to come back for Book 2. 

RATING:

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