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ilaurin's review
4.0
A bit too much based on sex for my liking but nevertheless an enjoyable, light romance
meeks3's review
3.0
Real Men Will is the one book out of the series that I don't know how to describe. Beth and Eric are both fascinating characters and after two books of reading how parental and almost uptight Eric is it was nice to get inside his mind and see how he views the world. The relationship between Beth and Eric may quite possibly be the hottest in the whole series. The fact that the two of them feel comfortable enough with one another to vocalize some of their fantasies in the bedroom and then enact them. Yup, hot. The contradiction (on the outside) of Beth and Eric worked really well and it was fun to see how they would end up meeting in the middle.
As far as the Donovan family, I was getting really tired of reading about Eric and Jamie having yet another fight so I was pleased when that finally came to a head. Everybody in that family has insecurities and secrets and clearly they would all greatly benefit from sitting down and having an open and honest conversation with one another (if only it were that simple). But what was nice to read the continuation of the family's story and read about the progress of the brewery.
I'm not sure if Victoria Dahl is planning on writing any more to this series but if she doesn't I think this book was a fine way to close. It not only wrapped up many of the overarching book problems, but it left everyone with warm fuzzies at the end. And really, isn't that what you want at the end of a book like this?
PS: I did not know that Eric and Beth's one night stand was the topic of a novella written before this series came out. In many of the reviews I read, people questioned if you would be able to pick up on the fact that something occurred between the two characters if you didn't read the novella first. As an individual who did not in fact read it (and still has not) I can tell you that I knew something was up with Beth in the first book of the series when Tessa was in White Orchid and Beth freaked out a bit. I had no idea why she was freaking out, but that made me question what was going on. Then in the second book when during the Sunday dinner a comment is made about White Orchid and Eric freaks out I realized that those two had to be connected in some way. So no, you don't have to read the novella first to pick up on anything because Victoria Dahl left enough hints in the other books for the reader to pick up on something being there.
As far as the Donovan family, I was getting really tired of reading about Eric and Jamie having yet another fight so I was pleased when that finally came to a head. Everybody in that family has insecurities and secrets and clearly they would all greatly benefit from sitting down and having an open and honest conversation with one another (if only it were that simple). But what was nice to read the continuation of the family's story and read about the progress of the brewery.
I'm not sure if Victoria Dahl is planning on writing any more to this series but if she doesn't I think this book was a fine way to close. It not only wrapped up many of the overarching book problems, but it left everyone with warm fuzzies at the end. And really, isn't that what you want at the end of a book like this?
PS: I did not know that Eric and Beth's one night stand was the topic of a novella written before this series came out. In many of the reviews I read, people questioned if you would be able to pick up on the fact that something occurred between the two characters if you didn't read the novella first. As an individual who did not in fact read it (and still has not) I can tell you that I knew something was up with Beth in the first book of the series when Tessa was in White Orchid and Beth freaked out a bit. I had no idea why she was freaking out, but that made me question what was going on. Then in the second book when during the Sunday dinner a comment is made about White Orchid and Eric freaks out I realized that those two had to be connected in some way. So no, you don't have to read the novella first to pick up on anything because Victoria Dahl left enough hints in the other books for the reader to pick up on something being there.
bookloverchelle's review
4.0
In my opinion this was the sexiest, and the dirtiest, in the trilogy and I LOVED IT! There was great build up to this final story with Eric. I was always wondering why he had such a stick up his a&$ and this is such a wonderful wrap up to his issues and how he finds love. Great chemistry between Eric and Beth. I was so sad for it to end. I'm really hoping there will be more in the world of Donovan Brothers Brewery so I can revisit these characters!
tessisreading2's review
3.0
Way too many subplots. I have been reading Dahl lately while I'm on a contemporary kick and I still haven't completely warmed to her work; she writes fun, witty romances, but the plots are generally lackluster to me, and this is a prime example. There are too many side plots, there is too much going on, and they often stretch the bounds of plausibility in ways that wouldn't be problematic if the book as a whole were more outlandish. However, she's usually writing very down-to-earth stories. In this one, for example, the romance would have been sweet and interesting except for the fact that Dahl piles coincidence upon coincidence to get her hero and heroine speaking to each other after the initial Big Reveal.
impatienke's review
emotional
lighthearted
medium-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? Yes
4.0
scoutmomskf's review
5.0
Very good book. This continued the story of Beth and Eric that was begun in the anthology "The Guy Next Door". I was bummed at that time that they left the story hanging - it would have been better as the beginning of this book. If you haven't read the story, you don't know the background. This book was full of all kinds of angst. There was conflict between Beth and Eric over his lying about his name. There was conflict between Eric and Jamie for that, and other unresolved issues. There was inner conflict with Beth's keeping what she does secret from her father. And Eric's conflict with himself because he isn't happy and doesn't really know why. Plus we are waiting for a resolution of the whole Kendall issue. I did like both Eric and Beth. Eric was determined to make the brewery everything his father would have wanted. Unfortunately, he tends to be rather controlling which ticks off his brother. When he meets up with Beth again she discovers his deception, and is understandably angry. She is also still physically attracted to him. I loved the way that they found that they couldn't stay away from each other. And the more time they spent together, the more they actually liked each other. Both of them had issues with trying to be something they weren't, which caused many of the problems they had with each other. I wanted to smack Eric and Jamie a few times, to get them to actually talk and listen to each other, but things did work out for them in the end. The scene between them at the cemetery had me in tears.
thisismenow's review
5.0
While I loved the first two books in the Donovan Brothers Brewery series, I felt somewhat apprehensive about Real Men Will. This was mostly due to the fact that I wasn't a huge fan of Eric's in those books.
Then I read Just One Taste from The Guy Next Door anthology, which featured Eric and Beth and many of the events that are mentioned throughout Real Men Will, and that helped significantly to change my mind about Eric.
With each of the books, I really noticed that it was all a matter of perspective, so that really softened me to Eric and his stance on things.
I also really liked Beth. She seemed like a great counterpart to Eric because they were so similar. Needless to say, I really loved the characters in this one.
I also enjoyed that plot points from the first book carried through into this one. Overall, I thought this was an excellent end to a awesome series. My only complaint is that there aren't more Donovan Brothers because I'm greedy and would love to see more of these characters.
Then I read Just One Taste from The Guy Next Door anthology, which featured Eric and Beth and many of the events that are mentioned throughout Real Men Will, and that helped significantly to change my mind about Eric.
With each of the books, I really noticed that it was all a matter of perspective, so that really softened me to Eric and his stance on things.
I also really liked Beth. She seemed like a great counterpart to Eric because they were so similar. Needless to say, I really loved the characters in this one.
I also enjoyed that plot points from the first book carried through into this one. Overall, I thought this was an excellent end to a awesome series. My only complaint is that there aren't more Donovan Brothers because I'm greedy and would love to see more of these characters.