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geminienergy 's review for:
Filthy Bromance
by R. Cayden
Oh my god, this book is unequivocally a 5 star for me.
first impressions
Everything about this story is done so well. The exploration of Everett and Reggie’s sexuality both emotionally and sexually feels very realistic. I really liked the way the author handled their bi-awakening as they two grew closer. Even when they start doing sexual acts, the emotional component between them is explored in a very realistic way. Even the smut between them has an accurate portrayal of two guys learning their way around things.
And the characters themselves are SO charming, especially Reggie. Reggie is the ultimate himbo MC. He’s effusively positive, goofy, and an unexpected source of support for Everett the other MC who starts off grumpy but can’t help lightening up around Reggie.
The progression of their relationship from friends to lovers was executed flawlessly. It didn’t feel like things were rushed between them nor was it dragged out either. I thought the pacing was perfect. I hesitated wanting to read this story because I am not a tennis fan and was afraid the sports jargon would deter me, but the tennis aspect, while it plays a big part in Everett’s motivation, doesn’t really monopolize the story at all.
R Cayden says in their disclaimer that they write “easy reads” and this I can totally agree with as a first-time reader. The tennis stuff didn’t bog down the story at all, it just did enough to propel the relationship dynamic of Everett trying to figure out how to balance being a talented pro tennis star and also realizing that maybe he doesn’t want the spotlight and he just wants to be with Reggie as a normal bloke. The chapters are short and easy to read, and the story just FLIES by you. I literally shirked from some of my IRL obligations because I was so invested in Reggie and Everett’s relationship and I NEEDED to know what happened next in their story. I have never been so sure of a 5/5 rating in my life
characters
Reggie is by far my favorite MC in this story. He’s literally got major golden retriever energy/a total himbo. Even though he’s a total muscle head, he has an easy confidence to him. He knows what he wants and he’s not afraid to be complimentary and say how he feels. The support between him and Everett is EVERYTHING. Reggie is Everett’s biggest supporter and fan throughout, and the way his light boosts up Everett’s confidence and brings him out his negativity is so amazing. His devotion to Everett and Everett’s career as their personal relationship becomes to develop is SO CUTE.
Everett is also a really lovely character because even though he’s pro tennis star, his chapters are very personable. The conflict of him wanting to recover from his injury and fix his career is one important plot point, and the other of him realizing his feelings for Reggie and rediscovering his sexuality was another. Both of them felt well written and I was satisfied with the conclusion to both. I felt that the use of side characters was neither too intrusive, and it was really cool especially to see how Fox/Owen weren’t just ‘yes men’ to Reggie and gave him solid, grounding advice of when he needed to slow down.
+ loveable himbo MC Reggie
+ realistic portrayal of sexuality discovery, first-time sex between men
+ very well paced progression of both the sexual nature of Reggie/Everett’s relationship and the emotional one; even though things get handsy, they still take their time to wade into things. They become good friends first but there is still an emotional slow burn
+ hot dirty talk, smut scenes (of which there is a plethora), scent kink is one of my favs and it shows up so many times
+ even though this has a sports element, the sports doesn’t bog down the storyline. In fact, many of these are just a few pages or timeskipped over. The crux of the story is Reggie and Everett’s relationship and how they fit each other into their lives given their circumstances
+ a fun entertaining read, chapter count may be high but the chapters are short and divided well
first impressions
Everything about this story is done so well. The exploration of Everett and Reggie’s sexuality both emotionally and sexually feels very realistic. I really liked the way the author handled their bi-awakening as they two grew closer. Even when they start doing sexual acts, the emotional component between them is explored in a very realistic way. Even the smut between them has an accurate portrayal of two guys learning their way around things.
And the characters themselves are SO charming, especially Reggie. Reggie is the ultimate himbo MC. He’s effusively positive, goofy, and an unexpected source of support for Everett the other MC who starts off grumpy but can’t help lightening up around Reggie.
The progression of their relationship from friends to lovers was executed flawlessly. It didn’t feel like things were rushed between them nor was it dragged out either. I thought the pacing was perfect. I hesitated wanting to read this story because I am not a tennis fan and was afraid the sports jargon would deter me, but the tennis aspect, while it plays a big part in Everett’s motivation, doesn’t really monopolize the story at all.
R Cayden says in their disclaimer that they write “easy reads” and this I can totally agree with as a first-time reader. The tennis stuff didn’t bog down the story at all, it just did enough to propel the relationship dynamic of Everett trying to figure out how to balance being a talented pro tennis star and also realizing that maybe he doesn’t want the spotlight and he just wants to be with Reggie as a normal bloke. The chapters are short and easy to read, and the story just FLIES by you. I literally shirked from some of my IRL obligations because I was so invested in Reggie and Everett’s relationship and I NEEDED to know what happened next in their story. I have never been so sure of a 5/5 rating in my life
characters
Reggie is by far my favorite MC in this story. He’s literally got major golden retriever energy/a total himbo. Even though he’s a total muscle head, he has an easy confidence to him. He knows what he wants and he’s not afraid to be complimentary and say how he feels. The support between him and Everett is EVERYTHING. Reggie is Everett’s biggest supporter and fan throughout, and the way his light boosts up Everett’s confidence and brings him out his negativity is so amazing. His devotion to Everett and Everett’s career as their personal relationship becomes to develop is SO CUTE.
Everett is also a really lovely character because even though he’s pro tennis star, his chapters are very personable. The conflict of him wanting to recover from his injury and fix his career is one important plot point, and the other of him realizing his feelings for Reggie and rediscovering his sexuality was another. Both of them felt well written and I was satisfied with the conclusion to both. I felt that the use of side characters was neither too intrusive, and it was really cool especially to see how Fox/Owen weren’t just ‘yes men’ to Reggie and gave him solid, grounding advice of when he needed to slow down.
+ loveable himbo MC Reggie
+ realistic portrayal of sexuality discovery, first-time sex between men
+ very well paced progression of both the sexual nature of Reggie/Everett’s relationship and the emotional one; even though things get handsy, they still take their time to wade into things. They become good friends first but there is still an emotional slow burn
+ hot dirty talk, smut scenes (of which there is a plethora), scent kink is one of my favs and it shows up so many times
+ even though this has a sports element, the sports doesn’t bog down the storyline. In fact, many of these are just a few pages or timeskipped over. The crux of the story is Reggie and Everett’s relationship and how they fit each other into their lives given their circumstances
+ a fun entertaining read, chapter count may be high but the chapters are short and divided well