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redhairedashreads's review against another edition
3.0
3 stars - I liked it
This was a wonderful slow burn romance. David is a reserved and shy man who is trying to work through his grief and find love again. He was so sweet and nerdy that I instantly loved him. Robby is an outgoing and sweet man who is trying to build his confidence and go after what he wants. Robby and David’s relationship built slowly which made it feel very real, especially considering David is still dealing with his grief over the loss of his partner. These two were so sweet and perfect for each other and I loved seeing both of them let go of their pasts for a future together.
Trigger warnings: unexpected death of partner from brain aneurysm; grief; outing briefly mentioned;
violet_reads's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
minotaursmaze's review against another edition
3.0
A perfect lying in the sun reading a book, book. Easy sweet and short.
localogophile's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
slee907's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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
2.0
daniireads's review against another edition
3.0
cute, but…
Ehh… I loved the idea of this, but the actual book kind of let me down. The whole miscommunication trope & awkward dead boyfriend thing was just
Ehh… I loved the idea of this, but the actual book kind of let me down. The whole miscommunication trope & awkward dead boyfriend thing was just
shanameydala's review against another edition
4.0
I'm a fan of Portland and sweet love stories, so this fulfilled a couple of my boxes. I picked this up after reading Off Base and I will definitely finish the series. Annabeth Albert has easily become one of my favorite romance writers.
kaa's review against another edition
I'm not going to give this book a star rating, because I was already feeling judgemental about it before I started and I know I never really gave it a chance. Frankly, I picked it up because I was angry and wanted an excuse to be snarky, and (un)fortunately this story provided plenty of fodder.
I will start off by saying that I am generally skeptical about fiction set in Portland, especially queer fiction, because I know Portland well and I have complicated feelings about the city and its queer scene. (Honestly, at this point I should probably stop reading all fiction set in Portland that wasn't written by Ursula LeGuin or Greg Rucka...) It didn't help that the series is called "Portland Heat", because, well, those two things just don't go together. And after I saw the word "Hotlandia" in the blurb for book 3... nooope. That's not a word that should ever be used anywhere ever.
Given all that, it will probably not be too surprising that I didn't like the book. The use of contorted analogies to name-drop various Portland features was obnoxious (and why always the Columbia River? what about the poor forgotten Willamette?) and there were multiple inaccuracies in the descriptions. The Timbers game in particular had me rolling my eyes (there is ONE scoreboard visible at a time, Timber Joey doesn't lead chants, Portland crowds don't leave before the game's over...), but I'm a soccer nerd so I was extra critical of that part. Even when she's not rubbing your face in how *totally* Portland this book is, though, I'm just not a fan of Annabeth Albert's writing style. In a previous book, she compared the taste of one character's cum to, I kid you not, bleach, so I was already wary, and this novella didn't help at all. Plus, it's sort of weird that the grown men in her books regularly use words like "heck" - that makes sense for David, but you're really telling me that the hipster Portland barista doesn't swear?
I did like David, a lot more than I thought I was going to, but I didn't find the plot engaging in the slightest, which was true of the first book I read by this author as well. All in all, I think I'm probably done reading her.
I will start off by saying that I am generally skeptical about fiction set in Portland, especially queer fiction, because I know Portland well and I have complicated feelings about the city and its queer scene. (Honestly, at this point I should probably stop reading all fiction set in Portland that wasn't written by Ursula LeGuin or Greg Rucka...) It didn't help that the series is called "Portland Heat", because, well, those two things just don't go together. And after I saw the word "Hotlandia" in the blurb for book 3... nooope. That's not a word that should ever be used anywhere ever.
Given all that, it will probably not be too surprising that I didn't like the book. The use of contorted analogies to name-drop various Portland features was obnoxious (and why always the Columbia River? what about the poor forgotten Willamette?) and there were multiple inaccuracies in the descriptions. The Timbers game in particular had me rolling my eyes (there is ONE scoreboard visible at a time, Timber Joey doesn't lead chants, Portland crowds don't leave before the game's over...), but I'm a soccer nerd so I was extra critical of that part. Even when she's not rubbing your face in how *totally* Portland this book is, though, I'm just not a fan of Annabeth Albert's writing style. In a previous book, she compared the taste of one character's cum to, I kid you not, bleach, so I was already wary, and this novella didn't help at all. Plus, it's sort of weird that the grown men in her books regularly use words like "heck" - that makes sense for David, but you're really telling me that the hipster Portland barista doesn't swear?
I did like David, a lot more than I thought I was going to, but I didn't find the plot engaging in the slightest, which was true of the first book I read by this author as well. All in all, I think I'm probably done reading her.