Thank you to Lauren Blakely and her team for the advance reader copy of Limited Edition Husband, the fourth story in the Winner Takes All series.
Another sports M/M from Lauren Blakley, which was an overall enjoyable read but it felt like it lacked something special.
I am a Lauren Blakley review team member, but I remain honest and genuine in my reviews.
One weekend with no strings was supposed to be the plan.
After barely escaping my last train wreck of a romance, I’ve got a new dating goal—play it cool.
I stick to that strategy when I meet a hunky Brit at a fundraiser and ask him to grab a drink. But he’s newly out and eager for all the things he’s never done, so he ups the ante with the wild suggestion that we jet off to the city of sin for a weekend, then say goodbye.
But instead, thanks to blackjack, a bet and some bourbon, we’re saying I do.
And in the morning I’m asking myself what the hell have I done? I can’t risk being the football player who’s also a playa. We’ll just undo the holy matrimony right this stinking second.
Except, the pics of our nuptials are splashed all over the Internet, and my agent says we need to stay Mister and Mister until the brouhaha blows over.
Thirty days as fake husbands with the charming Brit who’s determined to prove that he’s nothing like my ex?
My bruised heart can handle that as long as I don’t fall for my husband.
And I won’t. When we split for real, he’ll be an ocean away.
Contents include: A sarcastic, romance-phobic American football player, a charming and dirty-minded British businessman, an Elvis impersonator, white-hot first times, dangerous decisions, and a sexy, witty, emotional fake marriage, first times MM standalone sports romance!
Check out my more detailed thoughts below…
- Characters: Our heroes are Hunter, a British TV producer and Nate, an American football star. Nate brought some adorable shy energy. He was newly out as Bi, so he is dealing with many insecurities and self-doubt about being with a man for the first time. Lauren loves to make one of the characters a virgin so he takes center stage. While Nate is the much more experience one of the pair. The San Francisco Hawks player is pretty fresh off a divorce and has not really re-entered the dating scene. I enjoyed the warmth Nate gave off, he seemed like a good brother and a good friend. Realistically though neither character impressed me all too much, they were likeable guys but not standouts.
- Setting: This story has a few settings from San Francisco, to Las Vegas, to London. The best part of the story was the part set in Las Vegas. They stayed at the Extravagant Hotel (love a Lauren Blakley easter egg) and it provided fodder for so many hot scenes, including one too many drinks and one too many weddings.
- Pacing: I had some big pacing issues with this story. First off the beginning dragged a bit, I know there needed to be some time to establish how these characters met and who they are. I do think that section could have been condensed so that readers can get swept up in the accidental Las Vegas wedding a bit sooner. Those passages were the shining star, so we needed to get to them sooner. The rest of the books also felt bogged down, my heart just was not in it and it put me in a bit of a reading slump.
- Romance: This couple had really great tension. What great chemistry as both characters oozed sex tension. Lauren keeps writing these characters who just cannot get enough of each other. The best part in many ways was their insatiability, the physical part of their relationship was much stronger than the emotional part. I found I just did not grow that attached to these two, it may be different for other readers. So, please do not let my review disparage you, if you have enjoyed this series it is worth picking up this instalment!
Limited Edition Husband receives three out of five stars.
You can pick up the story below…
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Thank you again to Lauren and her team for the review opportunity. Thank you for reading and supporting my blog!
