Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  Chasing Fate

SERIES:  Friendship and Desire

AUTHOR:  Mia Monroe

NARRATORS:  Tim Paige and Liam DiCosimo

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH:  5 hours & 25 minutes

RELEASE DATE:  April 1, 2022

BLURB:

Hooking up with your friend is a totally acceptable way to pass the time until your soul mate shows up. Right?

I’m on a mission—happily ever after or bust. I just know my handsome, successful, bearded prince is out there waiting for me to find him. I’ve had my cards read a million times. This is my destiny. True, it’s been a challenge navigating the dating scene, but you have to kiss a lot of frogs to find your prince.

So when my childhood bestie reappears after years apart, announcing his desire to reconnect, it’s a pleasant distraction to introduce him to my world and help him acclimate again. He’s not my type at all, but he’s fun enough to pass the time with. Burnt out from chasing yet another potential Mr. Right, I happily accept the friends with benefits offer. I could use a bit of fun.

If only Diego had some of the qualities I’m looking for in a mate. Just because he’s funny, sweet, charming, and incredibly good at—um, anyway, he’s just not the one. He couldn’t be. The cards wouldn’t steer me wrong.

But the longer we do this, the more I wonder, are we just blowing off steam, or are we chasing fate?

Chasing Fate is a fun and steamy friends to lovers story featuring a devout believer in bearded princes, pining, sexual awakening, friends with benefits, and finding out maybe destiny doesn’t always work out the way you think it will. It is book two in the Friendship and Desire series featuring men finding out that maybe they were always more than friends.

REVIEW:

I will confess that I am a sucker for friends to lovers and in this case, it’s even more sweet because the friends have not seen each other in a long time and things have changed for both of them in so many ways since they were last together.  Sidney is adorable – but he has trouble getting out of his own way.  He wants to be in a relationship so badly but he keeps picking the wrong guys and so he’s kind of stopped trying.  He’s obsessed with his interpretation of a psychic card reading by his friend Isaac that convinces him that his soulmate will have a beard 😀

When Diego comes back into this life, he’s happy.  They were best of friends when they were kids and even though they lost touch and it’s been years since they’ve seen each other, it’s clear that they are able to pick up where the left off and are very comfortable with each other.  After Diego’s realization that he’s bi and that maybe he even leans more towards being attracted to men than women, he has also changed his whole life.  He’s completely open and honest with Sidney as to how he’s feeling and what he’s thinking and how he would really like Sid’s help and guidance.

When they adopt their friends with benefits arrangement, it’s clear that both guys will have a hard time not developing feelings.  But Sid is tenacious in hanging on to his “dream man” with the beard that he can’t see the forest for the trees.  Isaac is a wonderful and supportive friend who wants Sidney to be happy.  He realizes that Sidney has been burned and so he doesn’t trust himself.  It’s going to take more than Isaac cutting him off from the card readings.  Isaac helps things along a bit with Diego and finally Sidney is ready to accept that he is worthy of love and that maybe he’s been looking in all the places despite his relationship goals of Zach and Dom from the first book who went from best friends, housemates and business partners to lovers and then husbands 😀

Tim Paige and Liam DiCosimo are once again a divine audio narrator pairing.  I loved Liam’s performance as Sidney. He’s sweet and rather unassuming in some ways.  His growth in trust in himself and what he really wants as well as going for a something real with Diego was really a wonderfully moving performance.  Tim’s performance as Diego – the newly out bi guy who is kind of starting all over again and not so sure of his footing was also really well done.  These two are a match made in heaven narrating MM romances in my book and autobuys for me.  I’m really enjoying this series and can’t wait for the next one.  A real audio treat that I highly recommend.

RATING:

BUY LINKS:

Audible

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