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mathmagicalreader's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
jennp28's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.0
One night stand turns to coworkers turns to fake dating turns to HEA. Pretty cute chemistry between these two but a few moments of “get over yourself” to be annoyed by.
a_hooman's review
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
brutalistemerald's review
2.0
Oz and Reeve have a one night stand, but then Reeve discovers that his new job at Vino & Veritas has a very familiar stock assistant. They become friends and more. Oz has never had a boyfriend before and Reeve is determined not to repeat all the mistakes he had in his previous relationship so he resists. On top of their complicated friendship, Oz needs a date to his sister’s wedding, so Reeve agrees to pretend to be his boyfriend.
This fell a bit flat for me. I was never really convinced by why Reeve couldn’t let himself have another boyfriend. The were references to his previous boyfriend, Micah, but no real detail as to what happened other than him falling for Micah and Micah leaving him. I would have had more empathy for Reeve’s reluctance to be in a relationship with Oz if there had been more context.
The fake boyfriend bit felt totally unnecessary and didn’t come with any of the normal thrills that cane bring to a story. Also, all the stuff about their jobs and their families expectations *yawn*. None of it felt convincing, which I think is really surprising for this author. I’ve enjoyed other books by Marley Valentine much more than this one. It was disappointing and just a bit blah. It’s not awful, but I do wonder if the multi-author V & V universe and all the constraints and expectations that must come with it stifles authors’ creativity sometimes.
This fell a bit flat for me. I was never really convinced by why Reeve couldn’t let himself have another boyfriend. The were references to his previous boyfriend, Micah, but no real detail as to what happened other than him falling for Micah and Micah leaving him. I would have had more empathy for Reeve’s reluctance to be in a relationship with Oz if there had been more context.
The fake boyfriend bit felt totally unnecessary and didn’t come with any of the normal thrills that cane bring to a story. Also, all the stuff about their jobs and their families expectations *yawn*. None of it felt convincing, which I think is really surprising for this author. I’ve enjoyed other books by Marley Valentine much more than this one. It was disappointing and just a bit blah. It’s not awful, but I do wonder if the multi-author V & V universe and all the constraints and expectations that must come with it stifles authors’ creativity sometimes.
gray_inbetween's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
dre_3's review against another edition
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? No
2.0
caseroo7's review
5.0
I loved this one! I have loved everything I've read from Marley Valentine and this was no exception! Reeve and Oz were great! Super hot together and I loved their connection. This was such a good story, I didn't want to put it down except when life got in the way and forced me to. I honestly can't wait to read more from Marley Valentine. If you are looking for a sexy, emotional and captivating romance, Marley Valentine is an author you should check out!
pewterwolf's review against another edition
4.0
RTC. In two minds to round up to 4 stars or round down to 3 as, while I did like (mainly because of Oz), I'm not sure how I feel about this one.
Better-written review/write-up to be found on The Pewter Wolf Reads at a later date in August 2021.
*
One of the things I like about my dipping into the world of Vino and Veritas is that it's making me try out new authors in the MM romance subgenre (a genre I am still quite new to). Hence me preordering this, [b:Stronghold|58375849|Stronghold (Vino and Veritas)|Ana Ashley|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1624127423l/58375849._SY75_.jpg|88707815] & [b:Undone|58418320|Undone (Vino and Veritas)|Leslie McAdam|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1624572133l/58418320._SY75_.jpg|87759418] after being involved in the cover reveal earlier this year.
This would be the fourth Vino and Veritas book.
So why did I want to read this one? Because it sounded like fun with just the right amount of angst (seem to have discovered that while I like reading romance, I am very much on the little to no angst reader). Plus, nothing to do with the hot cover model. Nope... not at ALL!
Anyway, the plot: Oz and Reeve meet via a dating app for a one night hook-up. While Oz doesn't do relationships and is trying to be happy (though his parents think he's cruising aimlessly through life), Reeve is trying to live outside his shy self and get away from expectations that are expected of him. The two share one hot unforgettable night and, a little while later, discover that they both work at Vino and Veritas.
The two decide to be friends, though it's obvious that they're both besotted with each other. So when Reeve to help Oz out by pretending to be his boyfriend for his sister's wedding (hello troupe!), both begin to wonder about themselves and each other. But the lines between what's fake and what's real blur as they can't seem to keep their hands off each other...
I want to say something here. This isn't as light a read as I was expecting, but found the issue of self-esteem and both Oz and Reeve having parental issues gave this book its weight. Yes, we follow Oz's relationship with his parents who, while well-meaning, are passive aggressive in what they say whereas Reeve's parents/issues are more behind the scenes/outside the story (we were told, not shown) as they are passive, but quite controlling on how they treat him and his sister.
I did like this, but I think I like it because of Oz. I loved reading from Oz's point of view and, for someone who says at the very start that he isn't into doing relationship, I love how quickly he realises and wants a relationship with Reeve. Reeve... I did like reading him, but out of the two characters, I preferred Oz's chapters. I wonder if other reviewers on here are right in saying that the reason for this is because we knew Oz and we got him, while with Reeve, though he is a nice, shy guy, we never really knew him...
I did like this and I am happy that I have read it (though the conflict annoyed me because, when it happened, I wanted to shake Reeve. Yes, I knew it was a HEA but it frustrated me) but it might have no hit the mark like my other MM romance reading of late. Will have a think about this.
Better-written review/write-up to be found on The Pewter Wolf Reads at a later date in August 2021.
*
One of the things I like about my dipping into the world of Vino and Veritas is that it's making me try out new authors in the MM romance subgenre (a genre I am still quite new to). Hence me preordering this, [b:Stronghold|58375849|Stronghold (Vino and Veritas)|Ana Ashley|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1624127423l/58375849._SY75_.jpg|88707815] & [b:Undone|58418320|Undone (Vino and Veritas)|Leslie McAdam|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1624572133l/58418320._SY75_.jpg|87759418] after being involved in the cover reveal earlier this year.
This would be the fourth Vino and Veritas book.
So why did I want to read this one? Because it sounded like fun with just the right amount of angst (seem to have discovered that while I like reading romance, I am very much on the little to no angst reader). Plus, nothing to do with the hot cover model. Nope... not at ALL!
Anyway, the plot: Oz and Reeve meet via a dating app for a one night hook-up. While Oz doesn't do relationships and is trying to be happy (though his parents think he's cruising aimlessly through life), Reeve is trying to live outside his shy self and get away from expectations that are expected of him. The two share one hot unforgettable night and, a little while later, discover that they both work at Vino and Veritas.
The two decide to be friends, though it's obvious that they're both besotted with each other. So when Reeve to help Oz out by pretending to be his boyfriend for his sister's wedding (hello troupe!), both begin to wonder about themselves and each other. But the lines between what's fake and what's real blur as they can't seem to keep their hands off each other...
I want to say something here. This isn't as light a read as I was expecting, but found the issue of self-esteem and both Oz and Reeve having parental issues gave this book its weight. Yes, we follow Oz's relationship with his parents who, while well-meaning, are passive aggressive in what they say whereas Reeve's parents/issues are more behind the scenes/outside the story (we were told, not shown) as they are passive, but quite controlling on how they treat him and his sister.
I did like this, but I think I like it because of Oz. I loved reading from Oz's point of view and, for someone who says at the very start that he isn't into doing relationship, I love how quickly he realises and wants a relationship with Reeve. Reeve... I did like reading him, but out of the two characters, I preferred Oz's chapters. I wonder if other reviewers on here are right in saying that the reason for this is because we knew Oz and we got him, while with Reeve, though he is a nice, shy guy, we never really knew him...
I did like this and I am happy that I have read it (though the conflict annoyed me because, when it happened, I wanted to shake Reeve. Yes, I knew it was a HEA but it frustrated me) but it might have no hit the mark like my other MM romance reading of late. Will have a think about this.