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4.17 AVERAGE
4.17 AVERAGE
ARC Review:
The Reality of Wanting Him is book one if the Love Without Labels Series this one follows Blake and Liam.
Blake is your adorable clueless rich boy. After he didn’t make it in the NFL his life really doesn’t have a purpose. He doesn’t work, he parties and only hooks up. Until an ultimatum forces him to settle down and be married by 30 or he will be cut off. Desperate he applies for a reality show Love Without Labels confident that he will be paired with a woman until he realizes that the person he had a connection with is a man.
Liam is a farmer. His future is that farm and he wants a partner that could be a part of that future. He doesn’t come from money, he has some trust issues thanks to a past relationship but he’s a caretaker. Struggling to find a partner he applies for the reality show and he becomes excited when he forms a connection with Blake but he can’t stop thinking that something could go wrong.
This two were adorable together. Their connection was instant. And I enjoyed how that connection grew without actually seeing each other first. I loved Blake’s enthusiasm. The spice was so good. And I can’t wait for book 2.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
No
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Reality of Wanting Him - Lexi Amber/Bec Benson
5/5✨🌟
- City boy/farmer
- Anonymous texting
- Small town
- Biawakening
* SPOILERS *
𝘐 𝘵𝘶𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘪𝘯, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘴, “𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘬𝘦. 𝘚𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩.” 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘢 𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩. “𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘓𝘪𝘢𝘮.” 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘰𝘬𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘈𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥, 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘶𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘳𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮, 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴.
Oh.My.God. This book is probably my top favorite low angst, make me swoon book of the year. I absolutely devoured this in a day and a half. This book made me smile and laugh so much. These two authors meshed so well together that I need more from them!
I was not expecting Blake to be the whimpering mess or the submissive one in the relationship but it was seriously the perfect mesh for the two.
I have to say that I’m so glad that Blake stood up to his mother and called her a b*tch after what she did. And on his wedding day.
The sweetness of this book was everything for me. Blake is just the most adorable MC I’ve ever read. His bi-awakening was simply perfect. I loved how it didn’t phase him that the person he’s been so into was a man when he thought it was a woman the whole time. The way he owned it and made Liam realize he wanted him on numerous occasions was perfect.
I just loved how he called the chickens his babies and his freak out when Liam threw the chicken had me dying with laughter.
The ending when Liam read his mother’s letter had me in tears. I loved how Blake and Liam made his mother’s dream come true with the farm and to finding a man that appreciates him.
I cannot wait for the next story and the glimpse we got makes me want so much more. Please tell me Ashley gets a story too?!
I received a copy of this book and this is my honest review.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
5 Cuddles Stars ⭐ | 5 🌶️
ARC Read: 10/07/2025
I received this ebook for free from the author and I'm leaving this review of my own accord. Thank you Lexi Amber & Bec Benson for this gift. 🥰
What to expect from this book? 🤔
🫶 MM Adult Slow Burnish Rom-Com 🫣 🥵🤌
Opposites Attract
Forced Proximity
Trust Fund Baby x Farmer
Blind Dating
Anonymous Texting
🎥 Reality Show
Only One Bed
Possessiveness
MINE
Cuddle Slut
Touched Starved
First Times
Liam Being A Consent King
Soft Dom/Sub Dynamic
Rimming
Hands Free
Edging
Manhandling
"Use Me" x "Such A Good Toy For Me"
Praise Kink
"Good Boy"
Needy Whimpering Mess
Brat Vibes
Oblivious MC x Guarded MC
Bisexual Awakening
🐓 "Chicken Daddy"
Big City x Small Town
Broken Trust
Some Hurt/Comfort Moments
🙌 Loving All The Characters In This World
Content/Trigger Warnings: unintentional pronoun misgendering, death of a parent to cancer (off page), cheating on a MC (off page), homophobic parent, homophobic stereotyping/comments (on page), calling a homophobic shitty mother a bitch.
Cover: 5/5
Story: 5/5
Series: Love Without Labels #1
Format: Ebook/ARC
POV: 1st Person - Dual POV
Plot: 5/5
Main Characters:
5/5 - Liam M., 28 yo, he/him
5/5 - Blake B., 29 yo, he/him
Side Characters: 5/5
Steam Level: 5/5
Romance: High Focus
Favorite character?Chicken Daddy
It was just this year that I read this two authors debut books. I love them immensely.
So it goes without saying that I freaking loved this co-write so much.
They work so well together, I think we have an "Sadenverse" on our hands! Can't wait to read more of the Bexiverse. 🤭
I can’t express how much I love B & L and their story.
And how thankful I am for making me laugh so hard... I needed it.
Humor: High Focus
Angst: Low Focus
Cheating? No
The Ending: 5/5
HEA/HFN/Cliffhanger HEA
This is my 2nd book by Lexi Amber & Bec Benson.
Enjoyment: 5/5
Love Without Labels Series:
1. The Reality of Wanting Him - 5,0 stars
Next Kieran & Jace's book
Expected on 30/12/2025:
2. The Reality of Wanting My Bully
!! I don't equate fiction stories to real life. It's a matter of personal taste and what you are willing or want to tolerate in the books you read. We all have different opinions and preferences when it comes to the kind of books we enjoy, so it's important to respect and remember that it's just a book!!
Hope this review was helpful.
Where To Find My Reviews: GOODREADS|STORYGRAPH|BOOKBUB|
My Socials: LINKTR.EE|INSTAGRAM|BLUESKY|TIKTOK|FACEBOOK|TUMBLR|AO3|
ARC Read: 10/07/2025
I received this ebook for free from the author and I'm leaving this review of my own accord. Thank you Lexi Amber & Bec Benson for this gift. 🥰
What to expect from this book? 🤔
🫶 MM Adult Slow Burnish Rom-Com 🫣 🥵🤌
Opposites Attract
Forced Proximity
Trust Fund Baby x Farmer
Blind Dating
Anonymous Texting
🎥 Reality Show
Only One Bed
Possessiveness
MINE
Cuddle Slut
Touched Starved
First Times
Liam Being A Consent King
Soft Dom/Sub Dynamic
Rimming
Hands Free
Edging
Manhandling
"Use Me" x "Such A Good Toy For Me"
Praise Kink
"Good Boy"
Needy Whimpering Mess
Brat Vibes
Oblivious MC x Guarded MC
Bisexual Awakening
🐓 "Chicken Daddy"
Big City x Small Town
Broken Trust
Some Hurt/Comfort Moments
🙌 Loving All The Characters In This World
Content/Trigger Warnings:
Cover: 5/5
Story: 5/5
Series: Love Without Labels #1
Format: Ebook/ARC
POV: 1st Person - Dual POV
Plot: 5/5
Main Characters:
5/5 - Liam M., 28 yo, he/him
5/5 - Blake B., 29 yo, he/him
Side Characters: 5/5
Steam Level: 5/5
Romance: High Focus
Favorite character?
It was just this year that I read this two authors debut books. I love them immensely.
So it goes without saying that I freaking loved this co-write so much.
They work so well together, I think we have an "Sadenverse" on our hands! Can't wait to read more of the Bexiverse. 🤭
I can’t express how much I love B & L and their story.
And how thankful I am for making me laugh so hard... I needed it.
Humor: High Focus
Angst: Low Focus
Cheating? No
The Ending: 5/5
HEA/HFN/Cliffhanger HEA
This is my 2nd book by Lexi Amber & Bec Benson.
Enjoyment: 5/5
Love Without Labels Series:
1. The Reality of Wanting Him - 5,0 stars
Next Kieran & Jace's book
Expected on 30/12/2025:
2. The Reality of Wanting My Bully
!! I don't equate fiction stories to real life. It's a matter of personal taste and what you are willing or want to tolerate in the books you read. We all have different opinions and preferences when it comes to the kind of books we enjoy, so it's important to respect and remember that it's just a book!!
Hope this review was helpful.
Where To Find My Reviews: GOODREADS|STORYGRAPH|BOOKBUB|
My Socials: LINKTR.EE|INSTAGRAM|BLUESKY|TIKTOK|FACEBOOK|TUMBLR|AO3|
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was such a fun concept! I would 100% watch this if it was real! A small town rancher, a rich city boy, a cute pup, and lots of chickens. I loved Liam and Blake, I’m excited to read the rest of the series.
*****
I received an ARC of this book from GRR, and this is my honest review
*****
I received an ARC of this book from GRR, and this is my honest review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was such an enjoyable read. After being on a reality show kick, this book was released at a perfect time for me to read. I love how funny the Blake and Liam were. The way the book was structured made it fun and quick to read, love the interview snippets being added to most of the chapters. I really liked how we saw their relationship development in such a unique or love is blind type of way.
I definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys Love is Blind, Married at First Sight and Love Island. This book definitely has the element of all those reality dating show. This book didn’t have a lot of spice but I think the spice level was reasonable and made sense to the story.
By no means this was a perfect book but it definitely was entertaining and funny and a quick read.
I’m excited to read the next book in this series, especially after being introduced to both characters in this book and how private they were about what happened between them.
I definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys Love is Blind, Married at First Sight and Love Island. This book definitely has the element of all those reality dating show. This book didn’t have a lot of spice but I think the spice level was reasonable and made sense to the story.
By no means this was a perfect book but it definitely was entertaining and funny and a quick read.
I’m excited to read the next book in this series, especially after being introduced to both characters in this book and how private they were about what happened between them.
medium-paced
Really enjoyed this one. It takes shows like Love is Blind to the next level and removes gender from the equation which is a cool idea. And I wish there were more “straight” folks who would be open to the idea of falling for someone outside of their typical “type”. Also loved that there was so much gender neutral language around people and partners because of this concept. More of that in general please!!
Blake is such a golden retriever and I kind of love how he just chaotically charges into things. The two of them are super hot together. And there’s lots of animals! How could you go wrong?
I received an ARC of this book from GRR. This is my honest and voluntary review.
Blake is such a golden retriever and I kind of love how he just chaotically charges into things. The two of them are super hot together. And there’s lots of animals! How could you go wrong?
I received an ARC of this book from GRR. This is my honest and voluntary review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Infidelity
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
OH MY GOD!!!!! Another absolute hit by Bec Benson & an AMAZING introduction for me as a reader to Lexi Amber. These two created the most lovable, sweet characters. Blake and Liam instantly stole my heart and kept it through this entire book.
As a reader, I am not typically drawn to books that don’t have some type of dark or angst element to them. This was such a nice refreshing palate cleanser after a lot of dark romance LOL. I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did, as this type of book just usually isn’t my speed. But gosh I was WRONG!! This book was hands down a 5 star read for me.
I loved Blake and his utter obliviousness while chatting with Liam. I love that their love was organic and they loved each other as people before truly seeing one another. I loved the family vibes Liam had. His relationship with his dad and subsequently Blake’s relationship with Liam’s dad was adorable.
Not a complaint in sight for me. The book is fairly fast paced, but I loved that. It kept me engaged which is a big plus in my book (LOL pun intended). I can’t wait for y’all to read this!!!
As a reader, I am not typically drawn to books that don’t have some type of dark or angst element to them. This was such a nice refreshing palate cleanser after a lot of dark romance LOL. I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did, as this type of book just usually isn’t my speed. But gosh I was WRONG!! This book was hands down a 5 star read for me.
I loved Blake and his utter obliviousness while chatting with Liam. I love that their love was organic and they loved each other as people before truly seeing one another. I loved the family vibes Liam had. His relationship with his dad and subsequently Blake’s relationship with Liam’s dad was adorable.
Not a complaint in sight for me. The book is fairly fast paced, but I loved that. It kept me engaged which is a big plus in my book (LOL pun intended). I can’t wait for y’all to read this!!!
I don’t watch reality tv shows but I know there are some out there with the premise of people finding love but they’re usually in person. So the premise of this book intrigued me from the very beginning when it came to a dating show where you won’t know anyone’s gender, age, what they look or sound like.
In this book we meet Blake and Liam. Two men living completely different lives looking for love but not for the same reason. You get to see their relationship progress slowly during the begging of the “show” and even when they finally meet in person.
Although there was a bit of confusion in their initial meeting, these two men made it work on their own terms and in their own time. I loved them so much and their communication. They talked things out and made sure they were both on the same page. Watching them fall in love was such a fun ride. We got to see who they were as individual people and as a couple. We get to see what their life was like before the show and what it was like after.
Blake and Liam’s story was magical. They fit so seamlessly together and Blake really fit into Liam’s farm life soooo damn easily while also being the best dang chicken daddy to his babies. I think that was my favorite part, the way he instantly fell in love with the chickens on the farm and wanted them to have the best of everything 😂
In this book we meet Blake and Liam. Two men living completely different lives looking for love but not for the same reason. You get to see their relationship progress slowly during the begging of the “show” and even when they finally meet in person.
Although there was a bit of confusion in their initial meeting, these two men made it work on their own terms and in their own time. I loved them so much and their communication. They talked things out and made sure they were both on the same page. Watching them fall in love was such a fun ride. We got to see who they were as individual people and as a couple. We get to see what their life was like before the show and what it was like after.
Blake and Liam’s story was magical. They fit so seamlessly together and Blake really fit into Liam’s farm life soooo damn easily while also being the best dang chicken daddy to his babies. I think that was my favorite part, the way he instantly fell in love with the chickens on the farm and wanted them to have the best of everything 😂