Reviewed by Kat
TITLE: The Half Baked Plan
SERIES: Love in No Man’s Land (Book 2)
AUTHOR: Becca Jackson
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 328 pages
RELEASE DATE: April 19, 2023
BLURB:
Lucas
Fire took out my business, my apartment and almost my life a few weeks back, and now I’m living in my best friend’s house while I rebuild, and he travels the world. He found his perfect match and now It’s time I found mine.
After years on my own, I want a family, but I have zero hope in finding my match while I’m still completely crushing on the hottest builder in the world, and to make matters worse, he’s now my roommate.
I thought sharing a house with Carter would help me get over him. I’d see why he’s never had a boyfriend, or anyone worth bringing around town. I’d discover all of his faults up close and squash the perfect god-like image I’ve cemented in my mind all these years.
Problem is, no matter what annoying habits I jot down on my list, the more time I spend with him the more I’m convinced Carter is everything I will ever need. Now I just have to figure out a way to tell him.
Carter
With Michael traveling the world, it’s just Lucas and me in his house while we rebuild the café, bakery, and apartment. I’m happy for Michael. I really am, but seeing another friend get their happy beginning shines a light again on the fact that I might never get mine.
I’m sick of being everyone’s best friend, yet no one’s boyfriend. I want my happy beginning too. I want someone to pick me. To want me. To love me.
So I do what any single guy would do, I sign up for speed dating. Blind dates suck but I’m never going to find the one if I don’t start putting myself out there.
The problem is, the more time I spend living with Lucas the more I realize, I don’t want any of these random hookups. I want the sweetest guy I’ve ever met. The one who bakes me cookies to make me smile. So now I have to figure out a way to show him I can be an awesome boyfriend. I can be his happy beginning if he will just give me a chance out of the friend zone.
REVIEW:
I am really enjoying this series by this new author.
Lucas lost everything when the fire ravished his business that he and Michael have built. Along with their business he also lost his home on the second floor and everything that was important to him. All he has left is a hand full of momentous and a lifetime of memories. But one of his best friends Carter has promised that he will make it even better. What Carter doesn’t realize is that now living together at Michael’s house (while Michael is exploring the world with Bear) is torture. He has had a secret crush on Carter since they first met and it’s getting stronger and stronger. Unfortunately Carter just doesn’t see it or just doesn’t feel that way even though all their friends do. So a list of things about the habits Carter does will extinguish the flames right? Or will it just endear him more???
This was a bit angsty the first half of the book. The whole I like him but he doesn’t see me with both men went on a tad bit longer than I would have liked. Carter may have been a bit oblivious to Lucas before they were forced to live together after the fire. With Michael and Bear/Bobby gone on their adventure it left the two men alone and very quickly Carter discovers how much he likes and wants Lucas. And there were lots of moments where others talking to Lucas about how much desired Michael had to have been overheard by Michael. I mean everyone knew that Lucas secretly wanted Carter and they caught on real fast that the feeling was becoming mutual. So I just needed it to move a bit fast for the final “I like you” phase. Once they finally admitted their feelings the book flowed nicely from there.
That being said, I really liked the pairing of Lucas and Carter. Lucas had lost so much in that fire and how sweet Carter was to give him anything back he could was touching. Both men are just really nice, caring and giving guys and you couldn’t help but want them to wind up together. I loved how Lucas was so orderly and Carter was just oblivious to things. I mean who could miss the grocery list on a fridge and not figure out what it was??? And Carter and Lucas’s Christmas gifts…**swoons** how sweet 💕. Also, the thought and work Carter put in to Lucas’s new home, especially the bathroom, was just beyond caring and loving.
I am hoping that we get more of the Crystal Queer teams stories in the future. This has been a fun, sweet series so far and I’m looking forward to visiting Normanland (No Man’s Land) soon again.
RATING: 
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