Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Ex-Daredevil
SERIES: Local Beats
AUTHOR: Zoe Lee
PUBLISHER: Foolish Endeavors, LLC
LENGTH: 261 pages
RELEASE DATE: December 3, 2020
BLURB:
When there’s no way to prepare for love, will they be daring enough to earn it?
Eliott
When a cute guy literally fell out of the sky and into my world, I couldn’t resist the challenging glint in his eyes. Gavin was the opposite of the kind of man I thought I was looking for, but maybe there was something more to him than just a daredevil who worked for a rock star.
Gavin
The last thing I expected was to be curious about the stuffy lawyer whose car I nearly crashed into during a skydiving mishap. There was no way a man like Eliott would ever be able to take me seriously. But I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to find out if we had anything more than mutual attraction in common, so I bet Eliott that I can get him to love something dangerous.
This is an opposites attract MM romance featuring banter and a bet. It is the second book in the Local Beats series, which can all be read as standalones, and has a guaranteed HEA.
REVIEW:
Gavin and Eliott meet in the most unusual way – with Gavin nearly landing on Eliott’s car! Eliott is incensed at Gavin’s lack of concern over the near disaster, but boy is he intrigued. Despite his effort to keep himself apart from Gavin, he gives in to his carnal desires immediately 🙂 Gavin, for his part, loved pushing Eliott’s buttons and so he’d like to maybe do it again 😉
The second time Eliott and Gavin are together, under a rather trumped up pretext, there are fireworks again. And thus begins a sort of hook-up with maybe the potential for more? And then there is the bet 🙂 A sort of date-off where each guy picks the date and after 3 dates each, a winner will be declared and the loser has to attend a boring work party or jump out of an airplane 😀 Then the games really begin.
Amidst the date planning, Eliott and Gavin’s lives also intersect when Gavin’s boss, a rock star, is getting a divorce and uses Eliott’s law firm. After a brief misunderstanding, Eliott and Gavin continue to text and talk and dare we say it? Date! This is sort of new for both of them and they both have some adjusting to make. Along the way Gavin meets Eliott’s friends and coworkers and of course they all love him 🙂 And Eliott meets the rock stars that Gavin works with – much to his chagrin. But they are both enjoying something totally new – even if they are both a bit scared! Things aren’t easy for them and both have to navigate a lot of discomfort and trying this relationship stuff on for size. There are stops and starts and a few misfires. Gavin has to prod Eliott a few times, too. But with help and good advice from friends, both continue to work on their insecurities and figure out what they really want.
Oh this story was so good! Eliott’s issues are deeply embedded in the way he presents himself to the world. It takes some time before we understand just what happened that has caused him to build such high walls to protect hiimself and his heart. Gavin, on the other hand, isn’t looking for more than a good time really because nobody has taken him seriously. Except that he senses he can have more with Eliott – but it’s WAY outside his comfort zone 🙂 Everything about their relationship and the way they fall into something that’s definitely more than sex, but neither wants to put a label on it, pushes each of them into more than they’ve ever thought they could have. Gavin has not seen himself as “enough” for someone to want him long term – he’s about the experiences and he’s not even let himself think about anything more permanent. Eliott’s convinced that no one would want to put up with his “boring” self and anyone worth having will lose interest and leave him. Luckily for both of them, that’s not the case at all and they bring out the best in each other – when they can get out of their own way and communicate! I loved how their friends helped each of them “see the light” as it were about how they would really be missing out if they didn’t figure out how to make their relationship work. This story is about having the courage to be yourself in front of another person and trust that you’ll be enough, as you are. So easy to say, so difficult to do! Well done and highly recommended!
RATING: 
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