Reviewed by Larissa
TITLE: Budding Attraction
SERIES: Divorced Men’s Club, Book 3
AUTHOR: Saxon James
NARRATOR: Nick J. Russo
PUBLISHER: May Books
LENGTH: 7 hours and 2 minutes
RELEASE DATE: December 8, 2022
BLURB:
Ford
I’ve never thought much about Orson Naples.
He’s a cute guy who I’d seen around town a few times, but then one day he up and left and didn’t reappear until a few years later. No one knows where he went or what he was doing, all this gossipy town knows is that he’s a widower, owns the florist, and is friends with that divorced group that hang out at the Killer Brew all the time.
But then one day I step into his flower shop and go from rarely thinking about him, to him constantly being on my mind.
There’s a restlessness to him that I’m dying to unlock answers to.
And his eyes linger on me a little too long for a straight man …
Orson
Ford Thomas is a pest. A delightful one. A tempting one. But I’m too old for games.
The ones I’ve played in the past have always led me to trouble which is why I vowed to settle down and live a quiet life.
So when Ford walks into my shop all uncontained energy and flirty quips in a pair of heavy work boots, I know I should show him the door.
I don’t need fun. I don’t need experiences.
Especially when those experiences have me questioning things I thought I knew about myself.
REVIEW:
Saxon James has a way of creating lighthearted, playful banter that feels authentic and completely engaging, and Budding Attraction puts that talent on display. She’s also quite good at friends-to-lovers, opposites-attract relationships, and in this third book in James’ Divorced Men’s Club series, you certainly see that with her sweet, sexy romance between Orson the florist and Ford the mechanic.
The Divorced Men’s Club series name reflects a theme – one door closing doesn’t preclude another from opening, and kindred spirits can provide the needed support for starting over. Indeed, the book’s titular Divorced Men’s Club brings us a group of older (40s), mature men who have lived life and experienced some ups and definitely downs in the romance department. But despite that history, a second chance at love appears.
Ford, a big, brawny, tattooed macho man with a heart of gold, is generally happy with his single status; plus, it gives him license to flirt, and he is an unapologetic one at that. Orson is struggling more than Ford, though. He’s less happy with his work-all-the-time life, but isn’t sure how to work through the lingering grief and guilt about moving on after his wife’s death a few years before. He recognizes it’s time to move on and embrace something new – he just doesn’t know what that new thing is and he doesn’t know how to do it.
It turns out what’s new for Orson is really a someone rather than a something: Ford, whose obvious attraction to Orson and incessant flirting lead to Orson’s discovery that he has an attraction to guys, or at least one guy in particular. Ford proposes that they casually date, which Orson refuses because he’s straight – that’s his story and he’s sticking to it. But he happily agrees to go out on friends “dates” so long as he can maintain that they are not real dates. While seemingly opposites, Orson and Ford get along famously, have lots of fun and laughter, and if some frisky, fooling around ensues, all the better. Orson rationalizes it as exploring his sexuality and Ford is endlessly patient and happy to support the cause. I’m not sure who Orson thinks he’s fooling with this folly of “not dating” while clearly going on dates. Certainly not Ford. But Ford bides his time, slowly giving Orson what he wants and only when Orson is ready for it, and he ultimately reaps the rewards.
James creates natural pairings that you might not predict, but certainly make sense once observed. She also portrays the patient, thoughtful development of the romances; it allows the men to work through skittishness from prior relationships. If UST is a side effect, I’m not complaining, and James gives that to us in spades. Ford is such a special guy, and I loved how seamlessly his relationship with Orson morphed from friends to lovers. Without realizing it, they became each others’ missing piece, and the transition is seamless.
The text threads between the DMC men are present in all of these series books but are met with varying degrees of success. The conversations here are much better than in previous books. They are consistently funny while also giving insight into each of the men.
Nick J. Russo’s vocal performance on the Budding Attraction audiobook is excellent. He is one of the most technically precise narrators out there, and while that precision sometimes interferes with his emotional connection to the story, that is not the case here. Orson and Ford’s voices fit how I heard them in my head when reading on text alone, and are logically connected to the personalities Orson and Ford display on page. Russo consistently delivers their voices, and it’s easy to tell who is who at any given point in the story. The area that typically bothers me in Russo’s vocal performances is his pacing, but here it’s nuanced and appropriate throughout.
James is setting us up for a fascinating romance for Art, a staunchly single member of the DMC, who has nevertheless been a stalwart, vibrant presence throughout these books in supporting if not driving the connection between the couples, like Orson and Ford. I am eager to find out what comes next for him and the men of the DMC.
RATING: 
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