Reviewed by Kat
TITLE: The Best Man Problem
SERIES: Perfect Opposites #1
AUTHOR: Jace Hadley
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 56k words
RELEASE DATE: June 11, 2022
BLURB:
I’m not a one-night stand guy, but I’d make a hell of an exception for the chance to push his buttons the fun way…
David has two settings: zero and one hundred. His all-or-nothing brain drives boyfriends away and leaves his academic career a mess. After his latest relationship dies with a whimper, he just wants to forget about romance.
Jeremiah call-me-Jay Somerfeld is charming, sociable, and the rising star of his department. All that’s missing in his life is love. But Jay has a bad habit of crushing on straight guys—like his hunk of a colleague David Merrick, who glowers every time Jay flirts in front of him.
When David turns up as a groomsman at Jay’s brother’s wedding, those glowers turn to smouldering looks. Jay gets the picture: David’s not so straight, and a wedding fling is definitely on the table.
The more time they spend together, the more David comes to realize that the real Jay is someone he could fall for in a hot second. But he’s not sure if he’s ready for serious again.
After two years of pining, Jay is ready to take everything David’s willing to give him. Will he be left broken-hearted when David decides it was all just a fling?
REVIEW:
I brand new book and series from a first-time new author.
David Merrick has had a rough day and it’s only morning still. First Felix, his boyfriend of 4 months, unceremoniously dump him before breakfast then decides they must do an autopsy of the relationship before he can depart for work. Now he’s late to campus, no coffee in sight and currently late to his meeting with his boss, Lucille, department chair. Oh, and the cherry on top, Jeremiah “Jay” Somerfeld, the other professor of nineteenth century globalism at the University of Kelowna is sitting there waiting too. Just shoot me and get this over with. But it gets worse. Lucille has decided that Collaboration is key to this year’s conference in Vancouver and assigns both men to work together. Just great! Now he is stuck with the gorgeous, well put together younger man that insists on flirting with every man that walks behind his boyfriend back. Can this day get any worse? But he is getting away to his best friend Brian’s wedding and just needs the down time to reflect. That is until he realizes that Brian’s brother and best man in the next room at the resort in Banff is Jay!
This was a fun little mistaken beliefs and getting to know someone in a new light kind of book. David had assumed that when Jay referred to Eddie as “his new soulmate” that they are a couple and Jay was out on the make behind his back. David is a strictly one-man, monogamous relationship kind of guy and can’t tolerate cheating. When the misunderstandings come to light at the bachelor party both men take advantage of two years of repressed desires. But a night in the hay after two years of misunderstanding and David slipping out before dawn doesn’t set well.
I will say that the on/off, not forgiving went on a bit longer than I cared for. Yes, both men obviously desired the other. And yes, David is literally right off his fourth break up in two years. And yes, David had some major baggage with ex’s. But talking it out instead of sticking your tongue down the other man’s throat might have been a wiser idea. Especially when the bride, groom, David and Jay are all so close and it’s a wedding. I know that David didn’t seem good with words but he seemed to be a very eloquent writer so, in this day and age, text it! Plus, David is in his 40’s and Jay is 35. Jay might not be super experienced at relationships and David seemed to not fare well at them but grow up and talk it out. You were in a truck overnight. Pull your big boy panties on and talk!!!
This could have also had another once over in the editing. Just little mistakes but they would pull me out of the story.
I will say that I liked both men and liked the story. It was a good first effort and shows great promise for a fun new series.
RATING: 
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