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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Bad Deal by Annabeth Albert is a cute fake-dating bodyguard romance. I thought Ambrose and Harley were really cute together, and it was sweet watching them tumble into love with relatively low angst. Ambrose is a showrunner and Harley works security for the network. A mugging and some fan protests lead Harley to posing as Ambrose's boyfriend to protect him at a family wedding. This book has all the tropes that I'm here for: slow-build mutual crushes, road trip romance, only one bed, fake dating at a family event. Plus throw in a weirdly cute dog, a supportive if overbearing sister, and great friendships.
Harley's journey to figuring out his identity and feelings was very well done, and I loved that Ambrose's show was a part of that. It was really cool to have the discussions of media representation, network shows vs. streaming, and even just how intense fans can be about media they love. I was a bit miffed we didn't get to learn Ambrose's plans for the show's end lol.
There's great mental health rep too, with discussions of anxiety and PTSD, and normalization of these conversations and of therapy.
I loved all the family and friendship moments in this book. To me, that's one of Albert's strengths, writing great scenes with families and friends where everyone is distinct but also fit so well together. The teasing and banter is always a good time. Ambrose's sister and Harley's siblings were so fun.
I did find the third act break-up a bit forced, and I just wish they had more of a conversation about Harley's romantic interest in Ambrose since the beginning makes a big deal about him never having experienced that before.
Rating: 3.5/5
*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Harley's journey to figuring out his identity and feelings was very well done, and I loved that Ambrose's show was a part of that. It was really cool to have the discussions of media representation, network shows vs. streaming, and even just how intense fans can be about media they love. I was a bit miffed we didn't get to learn Ambrose's plans for the show's end lol.
There's great mental health rep too, with discussions of anxiety and PTSD, and normalization of these conversations and of therapy.
I loved all the family and friendship moments in this book. To me, that's one of Albert's strengths, writing great scenes with families and friends where everyone is distinct but also fit so well together. The teasing and banter is always a good time. Ambrose's sister and Harley's siblings were so fun.
I did find the third act break-up a bit forced, and I just wish they had more of a conversation about Harley's romantic interest in Ambrose since the beginning makes a big deal about him never having experienced that before.
Rating: 3.5/5
*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
This was adorable! I loved Harley and Ambrose and their romance so much! The road trip! The fake dating! The spicy scenes! The caretaking! The dog! I'm a sucker for the bodyguard trope and this book may be one of my favorites for it! I can't wait to get the next book in the series! One of my new goals is to read every book from Annabeth Albert's backlist because I have loved everything of her's I've read so far!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Violence
Minor: Ableism
4 stars - It was really good
TV show creator Ambrose has a crush on Harley, the head of security for his current production. When Harley saves him from a parking lot mugging they both start to realize they have feelings for each other. Add in a fake boyfriend for Ambrose’s nieces wedding and things between Ambrose and Harley quickly head up.
This was a wonderful and sweet romance. Harley and Ambrose are both in their 40s and have stable careers. They expect to be single for the rest of their lives and are quite surprised by their feelings for each other. I really loved that we have an older, mature couple finding love. Harley is a veteran who has never had a relationship and frequently bashed on them in the past. But being around Ambrose changes everything for him. Harley may not have any experiences with a relationship, or with another man, but he really is a wonderful partner. I really loved how sweet and protective Harley was. He may be a protective security guard but he also was never pushy or controlling about security. He was always making sure Ambrose was comfortable with everything and put his needs and feelings first, which I loved.
“No matter how far I fell, he’d catch me. His strength, in all senses of the word, made it so easy to let go and soar.”
Ambrose is a successful TV show creator. He has a very successful career and is determined to finish his show how he wants to. Ambrose also has an anxiety disorder and has a very small and ugly support dog that doesn’t like anyone. I really loved how Harley never made Ambrose feel bad about his anxiety disorder and went out of his way to include Hercules (the dog) in as much as possible. Their relationship was sweet, steamy, and a lot of fun. I especially loved all the discussions about what each they liked and that sex wasn’t the main focus for them.
Overall, this was a wonderful low-angst romance story with a lot of steam and comfort. If you love fake relationships, one bed, praise and edging kink, and a whole lot of comfort, then pick up this book.
Trigger warnings: mugging attempt; anxiety, panic attacks, PTSD
One MMC is a show runner for a network queer, time traveling show and the other is from previous books in the series, one of the co-owners of the ex-military security company. Nothing bad, nothing to write home about.
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Harley and Ambrose weren't what I was expecting, but I enjoyed this a lot.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
This was just so so sweet, very low on drama (a favourite of mine) and the characters were adorable.
After loving the first two books and seeing the ways both couples found a way to be together, I just loved seeing Harley and Ambrose getting close and having one very healthy relationship. They talked, communication is very important, and what they had at the start of the book simply bloomed from that.
The fake relationship was shortlived because it was so not fake literally from the beginning and I loved how they didn't pretend their feelings weren't there. They embraced them. What resulted was one hell of a sweet ride, in more senses than one. There are roadtrips and they had a very special third passenger; Hercules, Ambrose's chinese crested dog. MVP for sure. So cute in the less objectively cute way.
I really enjoyed seeing these two men in their early 40s find a way into each other's arms and find a well deserved happily ever after.
After loving the first two books and seeing the ways both couples found a way to be together, I just loved seeing Harley and Ambrose getting close and having one very healthy relationship. They talked, communication is very important, and what they had at the start of the book simply bloomed from that.
The fake relationship was shortlived because it was so not fake literally from the beginning and I loved how they didn't pretend their feelings weren't there. They embraced them. What resulted was one hell of a sweet ride, in more senses than one. There are roadtrips and they had a very special third passenger; Hercules, Ambrose's chinese crested dog. MVP for sure. So cute in the less objectively cute way.
I really enjoyed seeing these two men in their early 40s find a way into each other's arms and find a well deserved happily ever after.
Received from the author's publicist, thanks!
I really enjoyed this book. Both of the MCs were older, 40 and 41, and it was really nice to read a romance with slightly older characters. They have their jobs and their lives more or less figured out and these days that's what I want to read about. Folks like me. Not teenagers who don't have their shit together, flailing around at everything.
So, in this one we have Ambrose who is a writer for a popular TV show and Harley who is a private security guard. Harley has a pan-awakening and I love how it was written, like, 'oh, all these other things make so much more sense if I'm pan' and he's just good with it.
While there perhaps wasn't a lot of racial diversity in the book, there was decent queer diversity. Gay, pansexual, someone who uses they/them pronouns. And it was all just how it was, there was no questioning, especially when Harley was introduced to Ambrose's nibling (a gender neutral version of niece/nephew).
This has two of my favourite tropes, fake dating and there's only one bed, so it had me right from the start.
I haven't read the first two books in this series, but I didn't really need to have, as any characters from the first two books who were introduced, it was explained who they were and how they connected. I was a bit leery about a series with ex-military MCs (Harley in this book), but it didn't feel overly ra-ra military to me and I will probably try to find the first in the series.
I really enjoyed this book. Both of the MCs were older, 40 and 41, and it was really nice to read a romance with slightly older characters. They have their jobs and their lives more or less figured out and these days that's what I want to read about. Folks like me. Not teenagers who don't have their shit together, flailing around at everything.
So, in this one we have Ambrose who is a writer for a popular TV show and Harley who is a private security guard. Harley has a pan-awakening and I love how it was written, like, 'oh, all these other things make so much more sense if I'm pan' and he's just good with it.
While there perhaps wasn't a lot of racial diversity in the book, there was decent queer diversity. Gay, pansexual, someone who uses they/them pronouns. And it was all just how it was, there was no questioning, especially when Harley was introduced to Ambrose's nibling (a gender neutral version of niece/nephew).
This has two of my favourite tropes, fake dating and there's only one bed, so it had me right from the start.
I haven't read the first two books in this series, but I didn't really need to have, as any characters from the first two books who were introduced, it was explained who they were and how they connected. I was a bit leery about a series with ex-military MCs (Harley in this book), but it didn't feel overly ra-ra military to me and I will probably try to find the first in the series.