Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Last Minute Boyfriend
AUTHOR: Erin Becker
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 184 pages
RELEASE DATE: October 20, 2021
BLURB:
Who knew delivering food to a rude, narcissistic jerk would lead to me posing as his boyfriend for a week?
Growing up in the big city, I haven’t experienced much outside the concrete jungle. So, when Liam McKenzie asks me to be his fake boyfriend at his brother’s wedding, I jump at the chance to leave the big city behind for a fancy ranch in Montana. It doesn’t hurt that Liam is the sexiest man I’ve ever seen.
Falling for him wasn’t part of the plan. So, when he starts letting his guard down and showing me who he really is beneath that icy exterior, things get complicated. I have a horrible track record in the dating world. I always get attached and then they never stick around. But this time feels different.
Can I pull off being a last-minute boyfriend or will this end in disaster?
Last Minute Boyfriend is a low angst MM romance featuring fake boyfriends, an evil rooster, kisses under the stars, and a guaranteed HEA.
REVIEW:
Liam is a bit of a jerk. He reminds me of that old St. Elsewhere line – he’s not into relationships but receptacles. He’s had a bad breakup and he’s determined he’s never going to be hurt again. So instead, he’s into hookups and really he’s not all that discerning about that either. But then he needs a date to his brother’s wedding. He doesn’t want to hear the disappointment and pity from his mom and brother about him not having anyone. So he needs a last minute fake boyfriend to take to the wedding. Let’s just say his search is pretty much in vain with his hookup guys. But then he’s stuck with an awesome idea when Jake, the waiter at his favorite ramen place delivers his lunch.
Jake is a sweet and somewhat naive young man who has never really had a family. Growing up in the system, he’s longed for someone to just love him for who he is. He seems to always pick the wrong guy and his roommate Rorey tries to tell him he’s just too nice and trusting. Rorey does not particularly like this last minute boyfriend arrangement with Liam, but obviously Jake is an adult and make his own decisions. And of course he will be there to pick up the pieces if things go south.
Once we get past a couple of leaps of faith like last minute requests for a week off being granted and agreeing to pose as a boyfriend for a week in exchange for some interesting perks, Jake and Liam start to work on their plan. Liam knows that his family will love Jake. What’s not to love? He’s cute and sweet and warm and genuine – nothing like Liam! He just needs to make sure HE doesn’t fall for Jake.
Once they arrive for the wedding in Montana, Jake is overcome with how wonderful Liam’s family really is. He’s never had a mom and when Liam’s mom offers her comfort, he takes her up on it. He’s having fun and he really really wants Liam. But Liam is keeping his distance. Until he isn’t. And then he runs hot and cold and Jake has NO idea what’s going on. Liam shares his history with the bad boyfriend. But when Liam loses it, Jake has decided enough is enough. The question is will Liam come to his senses?
This is the first novel from this author. I’m recommending it with some reservations. It’s told in alternating first-person POV from both MCs – and it’s clear who’s head we are in with each change of narrator. This is tough to do well and at times, I felt like dialog and internal monologues got a bit a bit clunky periodically. I also really really didn’t like Liam at first. He really is an ass – and being hurt by an ex is not a good enough excuse. Running through assistants like changing socks is NOT the mark of a good leader/employer/boss or even interviewer! Strangely, while he’s looking for a last-minute boyfriend, Liam is disgusted by bad behavior from dates towards himself and wait staff, so he kind of talks the talk without walking the walk – but more on that. It took a lot for me stop really kind of despising Liam. He was a total self-sabotager and he just needed to get out of his own damn way. The ghost of relationships past just about destroys any hope of a future.
I of course loved Jake 🙂 He’s a complete sweetheart and so deserving of love. Liam’s bad behavior is not something he should have to put up with and I’m glad he stood up for himself. He figured out he was worth more and was not going to settle for not being treated with respect and honesty. But most important, he discovered he was worthy of being loved exactly as he was. He didn’t need to be anything else, because he’s perfectly him and is finally appreciated for just that.
Liam’s family are a real bright spot in this romance. Liam’s mom and his brother and his fiance were just lovely. Liam’s worry about disappointing them was misplaced and this problem he created around that nearly cost him the man he could really be happy with. Frankly without them, Liam would probably have never pulled his head out of his a$$ and done the right thing. Bravo for moms and brothers who are straight shooters!
This is a really nice first effort that had a few issues, but I was able to overcome them and overall enjoyed the story. The angst is not drawn out, but you will be wanting to throttle Liam repeatedly. If you’re a fan of fake relationships, forced proximity and grumpy/sunshine tropes, I think you will enjoy this.
RATING:
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