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nicki_theoverflowingbookcase's review
4.0
Needing to find a date to his ex-boyfriend's wedding, Theo looks to his best friend to play matchmaker. But when the guy he is going to be set up with happens to own an adult toy shop, Theo needs a crash course. Who does he look to to help - yup - Camden who not only is his best friend but also happens to be in love with him. Once the toys come into play, sparks fly. Will they act on their inner desires? Or will they ignore their feelings not to rock the boat with the friendship? This book certainly lived up to it's name as it had the perfect combination of wonderful characters, a cute storyline and perfect chemistry. Another great addition to the Bold Brew Series.
valerieullmerauthor's review
4.0
Theo calls Camden, his friend, when he decides to attend a wedding of his ex. Theo is happy for his ex, but doesn't want to go to the wedding alone and calls Cam in order to form a plan. Cam, who would do anything for Theo, mentions his boss and Theo agrees. But soon, Theo is calling Cam for advice and one thing leads to another, and their friendships grows into something more. It's a quick read and when the two men become something more, something deeper, you root for Camden and Theo and their HEA.
ofbooksandromance's review
2.0
2.5 stars
I really wish I liked this one more than I did. It was really cute and sweet, but a lot of things didn’t work for me and I had a hard time believing these two were made for each other.
Brief summary:Theo and Camden have been best friends for years. Camden has been in love with Theo for ages but he’s scared to tell him because he doesn’t think he’s good enough for him and because he’s scared of losing his best friend. Theo asks Camden to find him a date to Theo’s ex’s wedding. Camden decides to pair him up with his boss at the sex shop where he works at and he then introduces Theo to sex toys to prepare him for their date. Then they start to have sex and Theo realizes he loves Camden too.
The things I enjoyed:
Most of the stories where someone has been in love with someone for years but doesn’t want to tell them, it doesn’t really make sense why. And here, it kinda did make sense. Theo and Camden had a third best friend before Nd Theo and that guy started dating and when they broke up, they stopped breaking friends and Camden didn’t want to lose Theo and it made sense in this context and I could understand why Camden was scared of telling Theo he loves him.
I really liked Camden. He was so sweet and he was so good to Theo and I really appreciated his character. I also really liked Theo. He was really awkward and not the best at social cues and I really loved that about him. I like how obvious he was sometimes, he was very sweet. I also really enjoyed the little glimpses of them when they were actually together, they seemed like a cute couple, I really would have liked to see them as a couple more.
I also really enjoyed the sexual exploration, I really enjoy a good sexual exploration and it was nicely done here.
What I enjoyed less:
I felt so bad for Cadem for most of the book, he kept trying to get Theo to date him but Theo was so obvious and didn’t understand that Camden really wanted him.
But mostly my main problem was linked to Theo. For most of the book, I just couldn’t feel that he was in love with Camden. I thought there was a massive imbalance between them because you could feel how much Camden loved Theo, but I never felt the same love from Theo. I spent a lot of the book feeling like Theo was only with Cam because it was convenient and routine (they had been best friends for over 20 years), he’s used to having him around, and he didn’t have to try and get to know someon else, he already knew Cam. And to me that never really felt like love from Theo’s side. Also Theo didn’t seem to really care about how things would affect Cam and only cared about his own feelings and it bothered me. Also, I love a good roleplay during sex and it can be really hot but I really wasn’t a fan of how all of their sexual encounters seemed to be roleplay, expecially the first ones. In a way, it was really impersonal and I didn’t like how it seemed that they had to pretend to be other people to enjoy the sex. I really couldn’t see their connection during the sex scenes because they kept portraying other people.
I also feel like the ending of the conflict at the end happened too fast, it felt a little rushed and I really would have loved to get more of that part.
Also, this is a small niggle but I really would have liked some more kink. I find that i’m not really a fan of the stories where there is kink but it’s really light, I much prefer having more kink in my stories. This book really could have benefited from more than roleplaying and using sex toys.
Overall this was quite a cute and sweet book and I realy wish I had enjoyed it more.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange of my honest opinion
I really wish I liked this one more than I did. It was really cute and sweet, but a lot of things didn’t work for me and I had a hard time believing these two were made for each other.
Brief summary:Theo and Camden have been best friends for years. Camden has been in love with Theo for ages but he’s scared to tell him because he doesn’t think he’s good enough for him and because he’s scared of losing his best friend. Theo asks Camden to find him a date to Theo’s ex’s wedding. Camden decides to pair him up with his boss at the sex shop where he works at and he then introduces Theo to sex toys to prepare him for their date. Then they start to have sex and Theo realizes he loves Camden too.
The things I enjoyed:
Most of the stories where someone has been in love with someone for years but doesn’t want to tell them, it doesn’t really make sense why. And here, it kinda did make sense. Theo and Camden had a third best friend before Nd Theo and that guy started dating and when they broke up, they stopped breaking friends and Camden didn’t want to lose Theo and it made sense in this context and I could understand why Camden was scared of telling Theo he loves him.
I really liked Camden. He was so sweet and he was so good to Theo and I really appreciated his character. I also really liked Theo. He was really awkward and not the best at social cues and I really loved that about him. I like how obvious he was sometimes, he was very sweet. I also really enjoyed the little glimpses of them when they were actually together, they seemed like a cute couple, I really would have liked to see them as a couple more.
I also really enjoyed the sexual exploration, I really enjoy a good sexual exploration and it was nicely done here.
What I enjoyed less:
I felt so bad for Cadem for most of the book, he kept trying to get Theo to date him but Theo was so obvious and didn’t understand that Camden really wanted him.
But mostly my main problem was linked to Theo. For most of the book, I just couldn’t feel that he was in love with Camden. I thought there was a massive imbalance between them because you could feel how much Camden loved Theo, but I never felt the same love from Theo. I spent a lot of the book feeling like Theo was only with Cam because it was convenient and routine (they had been best friends for over 20 years), he’s used to having him around, and he didn’t have to try and get to know someon else, he already knew Cam. And to me that never really felt like love from Theo’s side. Also Theo didn’t seem to really care about how things would affect Cam and only cared about his own feelings and it bothered me. Also, I love a good roleplay during sex and it can be really hot but I really wasn’t a fan of how all of their sexual encounters seemed to be roleplay, expecially the first ones. In a way, it was really impersonal and I didn’t like how it seemed that they had to pretend to be other people to enjoy the sex. I really couldn’t see their connection during the sex scenes because they kept portraying other people.
I also feel like the ending of the conflict at the end happened too fast, it felt a little rushed and I really would have loved to get more of that part.
Also, this is a small niggle but I really would have liked some more kink. I find that i’m not really a fan of the stories where there is kink but it’s really light, I much prefer having more kink in my stories. This book really could have benefited from more than roleplaying and using sex toys.
Overall this was quite a cute and sweet book and I realy wish I had enjoyed it more.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange of my honest opinion
apappashorii's review
3.0
As the third of the Bold Brew series, Perfect Matcha was a fun read that matched the overall tone set by other two books. It was light and digestible. An easy read. Erin McLellan's writing style was definitely more accustomed to my tastes. Her descriptions and use of imagery felt a step up from those of the previous authors. I also loved her seamless inclusion of consent into the sex scenes. Theo and Camden were so considerate and careful not to take advantage of each other during their bouts of lust, never assuming consent but always waiting for consent to be explicitly expressed. That being said, this book did fall a bit flat for me.
While I have been enjoying the Bold Brew series, I'm getting rather tired of the general sameness of the books. Theo and Camden were different characters, but like the previous couples, they have explosive chemistry and awesome sex only to fail to admit their love for each other until the very end. Now this general plot is fine. I have no problems with it. But when it is used for the third time in the same series and in the same short-length format as the previous books, it fails to bring anything new to the table. Though the friends-to-lovers trope had not been used before, the conflict of misunderstanding and refusing to confess one's true feelings was the exact same. The reason I'm relating this problem with book length is because I do not think I would have noticed this similarity if all of the novels had expanded their stories and fleshed out each of their couples more.
Nonetheless, the Bold Brew series is quite fun and perhaps I'll return to it sometime later. But right now, I need a break. The similarities I noticed were perhaps the fault of me reading each book one after the next. While the series is easy to binge, I recommend not going down that path for a better reading experience.
While I have been enjoying the Bold Brew series, I'm getting rather tired of the general sameness of the books. Theo and Camden were different characters, but like the previous couples, they have explosive chemistry and awesome sex only to fail to admit their love for each other until the very end. Now this general plot is fine. I have no problems with it. But when it is used for the third time in the same series and in the same short-length format as the previous books, it fails to bring anything new to the table. Though the friends-to-lovers trope had not been used before, the conflict of misunderstanding and refusing to confess one's true feelings was the exact same. The reason I'm relating this problem with book length is because I do not think I would have noticed this similarity if all of the novels had expanded their stories and fleshed out each of their couples more.
Nonetheless, the Bold Brew series is quite fun and perhaps I'll return to it sometime later. But right now, I need a break. The similarities I noticed were perhaps the fault of me reading each book one after the next. While the series is easy to binge, I recommend not going down that path for a better reading experience.
robazizo's review
4.0
Very cute! Adorable characters, a beautiful friendship and great chemistry add up to a lovely and warm relationship that you can believe in.
luellen1990's review
4.0
Title - Perfect Macha (Bold Brew #3)
Author - Erin McLellan
Genre - MM Romance
Published - March 2021
Pages - 147 Pages
Summary - Theodore Punch has spent years focusing on his career and is tired of being alone when he gets an invite to his ex's wedding he decides he needs a date to the wedding, he asks his best friend Camden to play matchmaker and set him up on a date. Camden has been in love with Theo for as long as he can remember but after Theo and there other best friend dated and broke up horribly he's terrified the same would happen to them. So he keeps quiet. Camden agrees to set Theo up with his boss. Theo panics because Cam's boss owns a sex shop and Theo has never used any sex toys so Cam decides to help Theo explore sex toys. Things get heated and feelings rear their head can Theo and Cam's friendship survive or will they end up the way Theo's last relationship did?
What I thought about this book - I really enjoyed this book. I thought Cam's character development was really good throughout the book. I would have liked to see Cam get answers to the way Theo reacted and the things he said, I also think this would have added to the plot.
I did enjoy the plot and the overall story. I will go back and read the previous two books and any other that come out int his series. This is a new author to me so I shall now look into other books by this author.
Would I Recommend - Yes
Would I Read Again/Continue The Series - Yes/Yes
Rating - 4*
Reviewed by LucyLui
Author - Erin McLellan
Genre - MM Romance
Published - March 2021
Pages - 147 Pages
Summary - Theodore Punch has spent years focusing on his career and is tired of being alone when he gets an invite to his ex's wedding he decides he needs a date to the wedding, he asks his best friend Camden to play matchmaker and set him up on a date. Camden has been in love with Theo for as long as he can remember but after Theo and there other best friend dated and broke up horribly he's terrified the same would happen to them. So he keeps quiet. Camden agrees to set Theo up with his boss. Theo panics because Cam's boss owns a sex shop and Theo has never used any sex toys so Cam decides to help Theo explore sex toys. Things get heated and feelings rear their head can Theo and Cam's friendship survive or will they end up the way Theo's last relationship did?
What I thought about this book - I really enjoyed this book. I thought Cam's character development was really good throughout the book. I would have liked to see Cam get answers to the way Theo reacted and the things he said, I also think this would have added to the plot.
I did enjoy the plot and the overall story. I will go back and read the previous two books and any other that come out int his series. This is a new author to me so I shall now look into other books by this author.
Would I Recommend - Yes
Would I Read Again/Continue The Series - Yes/Yes
Rating - 4*
Reviewed by LucyLui
nic55's review
2.0
2.75 stars. Yeah...no. I just didn't buy it.... I get that it's a novella but Theo and Camden's relationship just didn't have a natural progression. The roleplay stuff made me cringe. Camden was a good character, actually, which almost made it even worse. Theo was just SO emotionally constipated/unintelligent and not in a way that was sympathetic.
And what's even worse, I chose to read this to escape reading another probably 2-star romance. So unfortunate. I will be reading the other books in this series because I like the setting and, thankfully, the other books are written by different authors.
And what's even worse, I chose to read this to escape reading another probably 2-star romance. So unfortunate. I will be reading the other books in this series because I like the setting and, thankfully, the other books are written by different authors.
jodiexmae's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.75
jadesarah's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
“But I am right for you. I know I am. And I will always, always, always fight for you, Cam.”
A friends-to-lovers novella with one friend (Cam) very very aware of the fact he's absolutely in love with his best friend. So much it hurts. The other friend (Theo) who is slower to this realization. But both are idiots who love one another. So much yearning from Camden. And slight cluelessness from Theo until he has his omg-why-is-everyone-all-over-Cam-Oh-shit jealous moment. Delightful and hilarious. Even if I felt it was a little out of character for Theo but I could also see it was his feelings coming to the surface and he didn't know what to do with it. Amidst this is Cam and Theo's fool proof idea of Cam, who works in a sex toy shop, teaching Theo to become more comfortable with toys so he'd feel more comfortable to ask out Cam's boss Hawke. What could possibly go wrong?
This is a steamy novella with a sweet friends-to-lovers story with so much pining. Pretty much no angst. To the point where I'm not sure how I feel about it all feeling like everything was wrapped in a neat little now the whole time. Not even the slightest bit of conflict or reaction where Freddie or Hawke were concerned? Just a teensy little bit? No? Lol. It just felt too perfect is all. But saying that I did enjoy it.
But where's Hawke's book at? I would 100% read his book.
A friends-to-lovers novella with one friend (Cam) very very aware of the fact he's absolutely in love with his best friend. So much it hurts. The other friend (Theo) who is slower to this realization. But both are idiots who love one another. So much yearning from Camden. And slight cluelessness from Theo until he has his omg-why-is-everyone-all-over-Cam-Oh-shit jealous moment. Delightful and hilarious. Even if I felt it was a little out of character for Theo but I could also see it was his feelings coming to the surface and he didn't know what to do with it. Amidst this is Cam and Theo's fool proof idea of Cam, who works in a sex toy shop, teaching Theo to become more comfortable with toys so he'd feel more comfortable to ask out Cam's boss Hawke. What could possibly go wrong?
This is a steamy novella with a sweet friends-to-lovers story with so much pining. Pretty much no angst. To the point where I'm not sure how I feel about it all feeling like everything was wrapped in a neat little now the whole time. Not even the slightest bit of conflict or reaction where Freddie or Hawke were concerned? Just a teensy little bit? No? Lol. It just felt too perfect is all. But saying that I did enjoy it.
But where's Hawke's book at? I would 100% read his book.
flattrash's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
0.75
Camden Ray (30, boutique worker); Theodore Punch; Freddie
Hawke Howard (Camden's boss); Cassie (Camden's twin sister)
Camden, Theo, and Freddie are BFFS. Freddie and Theo used to date but broke it off. Camden is afraid to pursue his feelings for Theo and cause irreparable damage to their friendship.
Theo needs a date for Freddie's wedding. Camden recommends his boss, Hawke.
Camden gifts Theo a welcome-to-sex-toys basket to "prep" for his date with Hawke. He guides Theo over the phone and in person.
Camden gets awkward and sets up a group dinner to set Theo and Hawke up.
During Theo and Hawke's date, Hawke can see that he only has eyes for Camden. Freddie calls Camden out for being in love with Theo. HEA.
Hawke Howard (Camden's boss); Cassie (Camden's twin sister)
Camden, Theo, and Freddie are BFFS. Freddie and Theo used to date but broke it off. Camden is afraid to pursue his feelings for Theo and cause irreparable damage to their friendship.
Theo needs a date for Freddie's wedding. Camden recommends his boss, Hawke.
Camden gifts Theo a welcome-to-sex-toys basket to "prep" for his date with Hawke. He guides Theo over the phone and in person.
Camden gets awkward and sets up a group dinner to set Theo and Hawke up.
During Theo and Hawke's date, Hawke can see that he only has eyes for Camden. Freddie calls Camden out for being in love with Theo. HEA.