Reviewed by Larissa

TITLE: Swiped by My Dad’s Best Friend

SERIES:  Thrust into Love Book 1

AUTHOR: DJ Jamison

PUBLISHER: Self-published

LENGTH: 308 pages

RELEASE DATE: May 20, 2021

BLURB: 

Cooper Rutledge: frat boy, general screwup, and…Daddy’s boy?

On the surface, I don’t take things too seriously.
Not my poor grades, or my hookups, or my inability to find my purpose.
But that was before.

Before the daddy of my wet dreams swiped right on my pic.
Before he turned out to be my father’s best friend.
Before I convinced him to indulge in one night of pleasure with no strings.

I didn’t count on how magical it would be.
I didn’t know that when he spanked me and offered words of praise, my soul would drink it up.
I didn’t realize how right Daddy kink would feel.

One night could ever be enough.
Because I do care. Too much.
And when life sends me into an emotional tailspin, Trace steps up to support me—proving he cares too.
Everything has gotten very real, very fast.
But are we ready for the fallout?
I can’t let anyone, not even my father, come between me and Trace.

I’ve finally found my Daddy, and I’ll fight to keep him.

Swiped By My Dad’s Best Friend is a contemporary age-gap M/M romance that includes light daddy kink and no age play.

REVIEW: 

Swiped by My Dad’s Best Friend is the first book in DJ Jamison’s new Thrust into Love series, which shares the same fictional universe as her Love Notes series. Cooper is a brother in the same fraternity as Ace from Secret Admirer (one of my top books of 2020) and Jonas from Naughty & Nice (a cute holiday story).  Jonas and Ace have both graduated and Cooper is a 5th-year college senior, still trying to find his path, much to the chagrin of his overbearing father who happens to also be the college Dean.  (Ace and his boyfriend Benji make a cameo appearance in Swiped which is a bonus.) 

In Swiped, Ms. Jamison charts a challenging course for our couple, Coop and Trace, Coop’s Dad’s on again off again best friend.  The twenty-year age gap between them is the first hurdle.  But that’s resolvable but simply not giving a sh!t what other people think.  And they don’t … for the most part.  Trace fleetingly doubts himself because of the age difference, more from the “why would Coop want an old guy like me” point of view and less from concern about societal acceptance.  Coop is only bothered by it because it’s a basis for his father to object to the relationship.   

This story, per its title, initiates from Trace swiping right on Coop’s profile on a hookup app.  They meet up, and even though they haven’t seen each other in a decade, recognition kicks in quickly.  Coop’s family has a history with Trace.  Trace used to be Coop’s Dad’s best friend until his Dad accused Trace of having an affair with Coop’s Mom.  Tensions mounted and then Coop’s Mom got a new job and they moved away.  It happened so abruptly that Trace and Coop’s Dad lost the opportunity for explanation and reconciliation so their friendship just fell apart. 

Now that Trace is back on campus for an event, he and Coop’s Dad see each other again and begin to repair their friendship.  Trace recognizes the irony in losing that friendship the first time due to a false accusation of sleeping with Coop’s Mom but jeopardizing the reestablished friendship through his relationship with Coop, who he actually is sleeping with.  Nevertheless, the forbidden nature of their relationship doesn’t hold them back long.  Like magnets, they can’t stay away.  They fall into a Daddy/boy dynamic that neither knew they wanted or needed until it organically manifests between them, fulfilling both of their needs.

The story arc in Swiped isn’t really about the romance between Coop and Trace, although it might seem that way.  The romance, the #CoopandTrace as a couple, marks the inevitable destination, the end goal that both men recognize and accept easily.  But the story itself actually chronicles how Coop and Trace each shore up their own identities and belief in themselves so that they can be the best partner for the other.  Like the houses Coop rebuilds and repairs as part of his charity initiative, Coop and Trace have to patch up their respective flaws, bolster their weaknesses, and exterminate any toxicity from interpersonal relationships, like with Coop’s Dad.  Swiped shows how this improbable couple commits to their relationship by establishing a solid foundation they can build on together.

Swiped showcases Ms. Jamison’s solid writing, an engaging plot, and two relatable, likable men.  Coop and Trace’s emotional connection resonates, although their chemistry did not feel as strong as some of Ms. Jamison’s other couples, like Ace and Benji.  The story focuses more on Coop and less on Trace and that lopsidedness results in diminished engagement with the couple, the likely culprit of the perceived lack of chemistry. 

Ms. Jamison provides a detailed 360-degree view of Coop’s life, including his friends, his activities, his family, and his internal struggles.  However, we only get a slice of that view for Trace. Who else does Trace have in his life?  Who has he had in his life before Coop?  Does he have other friends, other interests, family?  We don’t really learn much about his background or how his life has played out over the last decade in the wake of his closest friendship falling apart. 

Notwithstanding, Ms. Jamison still got me hooked on Trace. He’s respectful, thoughtful, and freely gives of himself.  He’s dedicated, committed, and an overall kind person.  What’s not to love?  I think the reason I noticed the absence of background and context for Trace is because I liked him so much.

Overall, Swiped by My Dad’s Best Friend provides a welcome escape into an enjoyable story and sets up the backdrop for future books.  I’m looking forward to what comes next and hoping we see more of Coop and Trace and their hard-fought and well-deserved HEA.

RATING:

BUY LINKS: 

Amazon