Reviewed by Larissa

TITLE: Dauntless

SERIES: In Vino Veritas, Book 6

AUTHOR:  Victoria Denault

PUBLISHER: Heart Eyes Press

LENGTH:  226 pages

RELEASE DATE:  September 22, 2022

BLURB: 

He’s everything I’ve ever wanted, at the worst possible moment.

One and done. That’s always been my motto when it comes to guys, because I’m not about to pull someone else into the closet my parents have locked me inside. I’ve been waiting years to claim my inheritance and live the life I want to live–out, free, and oh yeah, rich.

So why is the universe dropping the sexy farm boy with the lazy smile into my life right now? When Bowen Whitlock says he’ll join my band, and later my bed, I know one time won’t be enough.

But loving Bowen is dangerous for me. And he has his own struggles, like keeping his family afloat and trying not to get fired from his job at Vino and Veritas. But he lives his life with an authenticity that gives me a tantalizing taste of living my truth.

My secret relationship with Bowen is everything, until someone betrays us in the worst possible way…

REVIEW: 

Victoria Denault’s Dauntless rounds out the six-book In Vino Veritas series with a sweet, sexy, if tropey romance between Bowen and Chase.  Bowen and Chase are complete opposites but have evident chemistry from the get-go, and Denault does a nice job of developing their relationship.  However, ironically, the things I liked most about this story are also the things I initially liked the least.  The closeted rich kid hiding himself away to collect on his inheritance is an oft-repeated trope, as is the “I refuse to date a closeted guy again because I got burned” trope. Trotting out these two, frankly tedious, tropes didn’t make me happy, … that is, until I experienced how Denault deftly weaved them together into a show of their dauntless pursuit of happiness together.  

These two men should have found themselves in never-the-twain-shall-meet territory – fundamentally incompatible.  Chase is staunchly committed to staying closeted until he reaps the financial rewards of his family heritage.  Bowen adamantly refuses to go back into the closet for any man ever again.  But they share one very strong commonality – their undeniable connection makes them both want to break their own long-established rules.

Denault tells a love story with complexity where the push and pull, give and take between Bowen and Chase creates a really deep and balanced relationship that I was totally invested in.  It felt authentic, not gimmicky or tropey, and the circumstances of their relationship, the baggage each man brought to the table, felt meaningful, not trivial.

Dauntless is a highly enjoyable love story that I recommend, and it’s a great way to close out this series (although we can always hope they’ll be more!)

RATING:

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