A review by jamieb_19
The Marriage Policy by Riley Hart

funny lighthearted 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

4.0

...my favorite place to be is and always will be with him.

Eric and Donovan have been best friends since they were kids. Throughout growing up and into adulthood, they were each other’s person and would do anything for each other. When Eric finds himself in a situation where he’s injured and without health insurance, Donovan suggests they get married so Eric can use his insurance. At least until he’s back on his feet and can find another job. They do everything else together, so why not this? It doesn’t have to change anything between them. Except Eric starts to discover he’s probably not as straight as he always thought he was. As he starts to explore that with Donovan, the idea of this marriage having an expiration date becomes less and less appealing.

It’s a tale as old as time, right? Gay guy falls in love with straight best friend and ruins everything. I’ll never let that happen with us.

I thought this was cute. If you like codependent besties, Eric and Donovan have you covered! These two guys were soulmates, even before they gave in to any sexual or romantic desires. It was one of those situations where everyone around them knew they were perfect together and were just waiting for Eric and Donovan to catch up. A major benefit of them being so close is that they communicated so well. There were no secrets between them and very few boundaries. Eric was the type of guy who would just blurt out what he was thinking, and they both loved indulging each other, so it made the perfect recipe for Eric to explore his newfound attraction to guys in a safe and comfortable space. Donovan was a little more cautious only because he’d spent so long making sure Eric never felt uncomfortable by the fact that Donovan was gay. But I loved how Eric always went out of his way to reassure him that he could never be uncomfortable around him.

The story overall was very low angst. Just two besties with big hearts who only wanted to make each other happy at all times. It was sweet and very steamy. Once these two got going, they were pretty insatiable! I loved seeing them figure out they were actually in love. And I also loved the little found family that the Jilted Exes found, there were several great scenes featuring those three and their friends/partners!

"You’ve held my heart since the first moment I met you, I was just too afraid to let myself see it.”