Reviewed by Sadonna

 

TITLE:  Kiss My Axe: MM Frenemies to Lovers Romance

SERIES:  Maple Mountain Lodge

AUTHOR:  R.M. Neill

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH:  243 pages

RELEASE DATE:  February 22, 2024

BLURB:  

Perry

You know that saying, keep your friends close and your enemies closer? Well, whoever said that never had the misfortune of meeting Roman Auclair.

Sure, he’s sexy and wears a corset like nobody’s business, but he’s arrogant, entitled and so damn judgemental he should sit on the Supreme Court.

I’d rather sleep with a porcupine than bunk with him.

But I promised my brother I’d help and I’m a man of my word.

It’s not like falling in love with my complete opposite is possible anyway.

In fact, I’m pretty certain I’ll always be single.

Roman

You know that saying about stereotypical frat boys? Young, dumb and full of—yeah, that one. Nobody wears that dated cliché more than Perry Attwater.

Except he’s a good 15 years removed from college.

Sure, he fits every one of my lumberjack fantasies, but the man doesn’t know the difference between lace and linen. He’s crude, messy, and unashamed about his lack of fashion sense.

I’d rather use my best fabric scissors to chop wood than share a space with him.

But I promised my best friend I’d make our shared accommodations work.

It’s not like I’ll fall in love with a plaid loving mountain man. Love is for losers.

And I always win.

CW: mention of parental death

Kiss My Axe, is book two in the Maple Mountain Lodge Series and can be read as a stand alone. It’s low angst, frenemies to lovers, forced proximity and snark for days.
This story features an ex police diver who can’t stop helping people, a former male model turned lingerie designer in need of an attitude adjustment, grapefruit slices as a love sign, and the absolute worst timing to say I love you.

REVIEW:

I really enjoyed the first book in this series and I was anxious to see what kind of a story Perry, Leaf’s brother would get as I called out at the end of my review for Beauty and the Beard.  This is another opposites attract here with the beautiful and fashionable Roman descending on the Inn where his bestie Sasha now lives with his beloved Leaf.

When Perry and Roman meet, let’s just say that they do not get along. In fact, they are really oil and water.  Roman has agreed to move to Sasha in order to get his design business off the ground.  He’s not good on his own – has separation anxiety and abandonment issues because of losing his parents as a young child.  He’s close to his two sisters but his bestie Sasha is the one he’s depending on.  But now Sasha is living with Leaf and so they will be somewhat separated.

When Roman arrives at the lodge, a suite has been made ready for him – with his fabric ready and an update to the space for him.  He’s not impressed with Perry in his work clothes and his kind of brusque manner 😉  But Perry and Roman go beyond banter and are kind of rude to each other.  Roman and Perry are pretty prickly and he takes everything Perry says in the worst possible way.  This makes Sasha pretty unhappy because Perry is a good guy.  He reminds Roman that Perry is a good guy and they got off on the wrong foot too at the beginning because he was protestive of Leaf.

Perry continues to accommodate Sasha for the most part and he’s also quite attracted to him.  There are multiple misunderstandings here.  When Sasha needs a care, Perry helps him get the right vehicle.  This is surprising to Sasha and sort of begins the thaw between them.  When they return, there is a big problem with Sasha’s suite.  Since the Maple festival is in full swing, there aren’t any rooms or anywhere for Sasha to go.  Perry has the space though and so Sasha ends up going with him.

Once Sasha moves in, he’s surprisingly comfortable!  He gets the best sleep he’s had in years.  He’s also thrown off be seeing Perry in a “compromising position” which makes him prickly again 😉  But their attraction is pretty obvious and finally Sasha gives in.  But then they dance around each other again.

When Perry has a bad night, Sasha steps in and comforts him.  And it turns out that he and Perry share an unusual common past event.  Surprisingly this draws them closer.  They figure out a way to live together.  Their previous missteps aren’t completely gone and their issues still pop up, but they seem to have found a way forward.

This was such a good romance.  These guys act like they can’t stand each other – both prickly and overly blunt.  There are valid reasons for their behavior because of the past baggage they have about loss and abandonment.  When they finally give in to their chemistry though, things really take off.  Their heat is scorching 🙂  I loved seeing Roman and Sasha’s friendship.  I enjoyed Roman and Perry’s push-pull relationship  Perry really IS such a good guy and Sasha is much more tender than his prickly shell would indicate.  While opposites in appearance, both are just hiding their vulnerabilities from each other.  When they allow themselves to share their pasts, their burdens and their fears, they are finally able to overcome them.  Together.  Lovely.  Highly recommended.  And for those who love lace and corsets, you will LOVE this one 😉

RATING:

BUY LINK:

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