Reviewed by Larissa

TITLE: Mergers & Acquisitions

AUTHOR: Jodi Payne 

PUBLISHER: Self-published

LENGTH: 212 pages

RELEASE DATE: April 13, 2021

BLURB: 

New York attorney Teague Whitaker is so close to making equity partnership he can taste it. He’s spent two years cultivating a relationship with the Avenstone Group and he’s finally landed them, bringing in a big-money deal in a big-money industry.

Jason Kovacs is…from Jersey. He’s been a barista, a bike messenger, a third-shift stocker at D’Agostino. He tries out new jobs and quits them all the time, not because he hates them, but because he doesn’t love them. But that changes when he lands a job dancing at The Wiggle Room.

When Teague bellies up to the bar, Jason can tell he’s had a bad, bad day. Jason also knows money when he sees it, so he swoops in on the polished hottie, hoping to make bank. Stunned by the unexpected loss of his career-making deal, Teague is there to drink. He’s looking for a distraction, and chatting up the buff and pretty boy that just swiped the cherry from his whiskey sour is a damn good start.

Neither expects sparks to fly with one unplanned kiss, but that’s just the beginning of the unexpected for Teague and Jason. They’re from the same city, but they’re living in two different worlds. Their relationship may be unconventional, but if they can meet in the middle—halfway between Wall Street and Jersey—they just might make it work.

REVIEW: 

Jodi Payne’s Mergers & Acquisitions may sound stodgy and serious, but don’t let the title fool you.  Romance oozes from every page of this book.  The title metaphorically, and ironically, reflects the escapist content of this love story between Teague Whitaker, a successful New York attorney specializing in, you guessed it, mergers and acquisitions, and exotic dancer, Jason Kovacs.  Following the romance formula, Teague and Jason’s relationship takes its place front and center, forming the heart and soul of this story.

Mergers & Acquisitions hinges on one of the classic obstacles to a HEA for the featured couple:  social/economic class disparity.  Essentially, the story presents the opposites attract trope expanded to encompass more than just personal differences (appearance, personality, proclivities, etc.) but the clash of external factors that the couple cannot control or “fix”.  Ms. Payne then wraps this conundrum up in a modern fairy-tale type retelling that hearkens back to Cinderella – but with a twist.

Teague and Jason’s love story bears a remarkable resemblance to the story arc of Pretty Woman.  A rich, successful businessman who’s had a very bad day seeks to escape and wash his day away.  In so doing, he encounters someone willing to give him a “physical” distraction to help him forget his troubles.  The two have a startling, unshakeable connection so after they go their separate ways, the rich man tracks them down and convinces them to continue in a relationship of some sort.  From there, the two improbably fall for each other notwithstanding their differences, societal attitudes, professional challenges, and nasty, jealous, sabotaging work colleagues. I won’t spell it all out here (what fun would that be?), but as you read M&A, you’ll see the resemblance.  

Working from that irresistible premise, Ms. Payne sets us up for a story that won’t be entirely surprising but will be sweet, swoony, and aspirational.  And despite the similarities, which tend toward superficial plot elements, the messaging of the two stories is actually quite different.  

Teague and Jason have different histories.  They have had different opportunities in life.  These and other factors land them in their current dichotomous state.  Midtown (aka “Wall Street”) Teague’s white-collar wealth and highfalutin colleagues ostensibly set him apart from blue-collar, can’t-keep-a-job, “Jersey” Jason.  But Teague’s identity isn’t tied to his job, or those material trappings and status markers.  He’s down-to-earth, kind, generous, and open-minded.  

In contrast, and perhaps surprisingly, Jason is the one who hitches his identity to his job.  Jason finally lands a job in an exclusive club as an exotic dancer.  Unlike his prior jobs, he sticks with this one because he loves it and it suits him.  He’s also damn good at it, thank you very much.  Jason loves to socialize, flirt, and make people feel good.  And, yes, as part of his role, he does give private lap dances, but with a clothes-on, hands-off policy.  While that is enforced as much as it can be, it doesn’t eliminate the inherent dangers from drunk, sex-crazed, entitled strangers. But Jason can take care of himself.  He doesn’t need some white knight riding in to rescue him from his own choices. 

As such, Ms. Payne deftly turns the Mergers & Acquisitions title into clever messaging.  Jason and Teague come together through inevitable, undeniable attraction and white-hot chemistry.  In prototypical romance fashion, they merge their bodies, hearts, and souls. But there’s more work to be done.

Teague and Jason’s distinct worlds collide and there’s no easy fix for the socioeconomic disparity between them.  Neither man can change their past, their pedigree, or their social status.  They can, however, change their attitudes.  And that is a crucial piece of their relationship puzzle.  Ms. Payne expertly and subtly postulates that the greatest obstacle to the romance between Teague and Jason doesn’t emanate from external forces after all.  In fact, it’s personal and psychological: Jason’s defensiveness against people’s judgment of his chosen profession.

Thankfully, Ms. Payne doesn’t pander to expectations and refrains from turning Teague into a self-entitled, patronizing benefactor who looks to merge their worlds by throwing money at the problem. Rather, she creates in Teague a multi-dimensional, charismatic man who just wants the best for the people he loves.  Teague not only respects Jason’s autonomy, but he accepts his choices.  He demonstrates admirable restraint and a lack of jealousy even in the face of Jason doing his job.  While Teague would love to eliminate threats to Jason’s welfare, he trusts Jason to know what he can handle and provides support when and if needed.  

Jason, for his part, maintains his pride and dignity, stands his ground, but ultimately shows enough flexibility to embrace Teague and all he is offering.  Additionally, M&A lacks all signs of the power imbalance you might expect between these two men.  A shrewd choice on the part of Ms. Payne as it imparts an implicit, ironic commentary on “acquisitioning” Jason and his love.  There is simply no leverage to exert.  Just respect and trust to give.

We all know that in real life, it’s not quite as simple and satisfying as it seems when we reach “The End” of a fantastical fairy tale romance. There’s a reason we don’t see the “after”, when the challenging minutiae of everyday living presents itself.  But this is a romance after all, so it doesn’t have to be real or even entirely plausible.  Just plausible enough to convince us to go along for the ride.  Ms. Payne expertly blurs the lines and keeps our attention where it should be: on a beautiful love between two endearing men who deserve a solid HEA.  We are certainly going to believe they get it (dammit), no matter how unlikely it may seem if we think about it too hard.

RATING:

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