Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  Teddy

SERIES:  Elite 8 Studios

AUTHOR:  Emmy Sanders

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH:  313 pages

RELEASE DATE:  April 25, 2024

BLURB:

Waking up married is bad enough. Having feelings for my husband? Pure disaster.

Teddy
I wasn’t looking for attachments. I certainly wasn’t looking to get drunkenly hitched to my coworker’s best friend, the very man I’ve been denying an attraction to for over a year.

The thing is Kipp is gorgeous and kind and a self-proclaimed mess, and now that we’re married—and living together—all I want is to take care of him.

But Kipp is only just learning about his submissive side. It doesn’t matter how good he is for me. It doesn’t even matter that he turns to putty every time I call him doll.

He’s not mine to keep. Our husbands-with-benefits relationship is temporary, and once we get divorced, everything will go back to the way it was. Kipp and I may have shared our I dos, but let’s face it…

Falling for the man who wears my ring would only end in heartbreak.

Teddy is a wake-up-married romance between a teddy bear adult entertainer and the hot mess he shacks up with. There’s caretaker-Dom elements and a gentle exploration of kink, spanking (but not as punishment), only one bed, plenty of lighthearted mayhem, and one very HEA. It’s book five in the Elite 8 Studios series but can be read as a standalone.

REVIEW:

Note:  This is the fifth in this series and contains some spoilers for the preceding books.

I cannot even express how much I love Kipp and Teddy.  Immediately Kipp was so endearing 🙂  And Teddy was so caring.  These two may appear to not have anything in common from the outside, but they really are a perfect match.  It just takes them both a little while to understand just how well matched they are.  And of course given that their was a blackout drunk wedding that they can’t remember, it’s not so surprising that they take a while to come to the conclusion that there really is something real between them.

Kipp is such a happy guy.  Despite the loneliness he sometimes feels and how he sees himself as a bit of a train wreck, he really is such a charming and caring person.  I absolutely adored how he had made his coworkers into a family just by how he tried to make it a fun and supportive place for everyone.  It’s obvious that his boss and his colleagues really care about him.  Teddy is a bit of a tougher nut to crack because he has really been horrible mistreated in the past. He’s terrified of being left again with a broken heart.  In fact he’s pretty sure he won’t survive such a thing, so he agrees to a sort of relationship with Kipp that doesn’t involve “feelings” – meaning it’s only sex and only for as long as they stay married so that Kipp can save face.

This whole husbands with benefits thing is going pretty well.  Kipp is definitely loving it – he’s wanted Teddy since the first time he saw him.  What he doesn’t know is that Teddy felt the pull immediately as well, but was reluctant to act on anything because of his past.  But the closer they get and the more they explore the dynamics between them, the more Teddy is scared to death about what will happen when Kipp decides he’s ready to move on.  Teddy will be devastated.

Of course they both have to deal with their pasts – and that’s hard.  Kipp’s family is not coming around.  They don’t except that he’s gay and they certainly don’t accept that he’s married to a man.  It’s really disappointing but Teddy is there to console him and assure him that they are wrong!  Teddy’s past is frankly even more toxic and nefarious.  His ex is a real piece of work.  But Teddy eventually spills the tea and Kipp is not fooled into believing the lies being spouted.

When Teddy has to leave town for a bit, both men realize just how much they have come to rely on each other.  It’s time for Kipp and Teddy to be honest with themselves and each other.  This is far from a marriage of convenience at this point.  But will they be brave enough to admit that what they have is real?

This is a completely engrossing story!  The whole drunk married thing was so perfect.  I loved Kipp from the first sentence.  He is one of the most adorable, charming and earnest characters I’ve read.  The characterization and personality is on full display from the get go.  I loved his snark, his self-deprecating tone, his vulnerability and his fierceness.  He really comes into his own in this story with Teddy by his side.  Teddy is so closed off to begin with.  He’s been burned badly and he’s nursed that hurt for five years.  Even his colleagues at Elite 8 don’t know what’s going on under the hood with him.  He’s held everyone at arm’s length, despite all evidence that they’d have his back no matter what.  He’s so watchful and careful about Kipp – but it’s not for the reasons everyone assumes.  He knows that Kipp is like catnip for him – the perfect kind of guy that he yearns for.  But he also doesn’t want to go through the pain he’s already been through once.  It takes time for him to realize that Kipp is nothing like his ex.  Kipp would never willing hurt anyone.  He’s a total sweetheart, despite the pain he too has experienced with his family’s rejection.  He’s never found the right guy – assuming that he’s just too much for anyone.  He considers himself a hot mess – but boy does Teddy want Kipp to be HIS hot mess.  I loved how their relationship changed over the course of the story.  They each had to share painful pasts in order to be the right support for each other.  Teddy might be a big strong guy, but he’s been devastated by betrayal and the questioned his own worth because of it.  Kipp and Teddy were perfectly suited and once they admitted their feelings there was no stopping them!

The whole Elite 8 family gets in on this romance.  Alex and Niko and Dixon especially are there for Niko’s best friend Kipp and their colleague Teddy.  Teddy’s grandparents were rocks for them both.  I can’t wait to see what’s next for Emil/Felix 😉  This whole series is a gem and once again, more evidence as to why Emmy Sanders is an autobuy author for me ever since I picked up Fool Hearts in 2022.  She continues to write beautiful romances with passion and humor and heart.  This might be my favorite book in this series so far 😀  Highly recommended!

RATING: 

BUY LINK:

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