Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  Coming Out at Crofton Hall 

SERIES:  Modern Crofton

AUTHOR:  Rebecca Cohen

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH:  346 pages

RELEASE DATE:  November 2, 2023

BLURB:

After years of hiding who he is, Hollywood A-lister Dorian Marsten has come out. The chaos and unplanned events that follow lead him to Crofton Hall to stay with his friend, Ben Redbourn, Earl of Crofton.

A near tragic incident leaves Dorian needing a boyfriend, and Alex Reynolds, Ben’s new secretary, agrees to play the part. Alex will not put up with any prima donna actions from Dorian, and Dorian may have finally met his match.

Meanwhile, there is a new baby at Crofton Hall. The arrival of the Viscount of Crofton has left his parents, Ben and Ashley, run ragged and life will never be the same again.

Book six in the Modern Crofton series.

REVIEW:

NOTE:   This is the sixth book in the Modern Crofton series and it builds on the first five titles.  It is recommended to read them in order as this book contains major spoilers for the previous books.

This was another lovely book in this series.  We’ve met most of the players in the previous books, including Dorian, who was a bit of a jerk (or worse) in the past – particularly to Robin, his former PA/secret boyfriend.  Alex is new to Crofton Hall, recently hired as Ben’s new secretary.  What with Ben and Ashley having a new baby to look after, Ben needs some help with the Hall and all his other endeavors as Ashley is taking time away from work to be the main carer for their son Davy.

When Dorian decides to come out without any warning, well things go a bit off the rails for him.  He retreats home to the UK and wishing to lie low for a bit, he moves into Crofton Hall at the behest of Ben, one of his best friends.  Robin, his ex and his new boyfriend Simon are around and Robin isn’t that keen on Dorian still, but they won’t exactly be in each other’s hair.  The fallout from this unplanned coming out though does affect Robin and even worse it affects Simon.  In the meantime, Dorian needs to repair his image a bit and take the focus off of Robin.  He needs a “public” boyfriend, and Alex just may fit the bill.

Alex has his own issues.  He really likes his new job and he’s helping Dorian also get his affairs sorted – with social media, emails, finding a new agent, etc.  His family is also in need and it’s serendipitous that Doran could use a fake boyfriend for a bit to ease back into public life.  As money is no object, this could work out well for both of them.  So they agree and start their “relationship” for public consumption 😉

Of course being together and fake dating leads to some real feelings.  Alex makes Dorian’s life so much easier and better.  He’s good at organizing, he’s clearheaded, he’s not a gold digger and he’s a genuinely good and smart person.  But they have rules, right?  And once their agreement is up, they can go their separate ways.  It’s a win-win, right?  Ah, maybe not so fast.

This story is really about Dorian and Alex, a sort of unlikely pair – the movie star and the executive secretary.  Dorian has made a bit of a mess of things and he’s very lucky his friends are there to support him after he comes out without a plan after having been a closeted big Hollywood star for over decade.  Alex’s family being in a bit of a pickle puts them together in the familiar “fake boyfriends” trope.  It’s a super slow burn – like literally they don’t really get together until quite late in the book   There is a lot relationship development and the majority of the story focuses on Dorian facing up to his past mistakes and making things right.  He grows up a LOT.  Alex is a huge help to him – in many many ways.  Alex also learns to see himself in a new light which leads to him feeling perhaps worthy of a man like Dorian.  The author does a great job of including the past couples in this series without having them take over the book.  There is a lot about Ashely and Ben dealing with a new baby which was very realistic.  I really like this series and can’t wait for forthcoming books 🙂  Highly recommended.

RATING:

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