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A review by koistyfishy
One Night Standard by E.F. Dodd
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
4.5 Astroglide Stars ⭐️
Spicy Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
I had such a good time with this! Oh my gosh! Just HAPPPY SQUEALS!
𝙎𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨:
Coral Triton (yes, I did roll my eyes a little at her name because it's REALLY FISHY) is a professional mermaid who has landed a job at a hotel in Las Vegas to star in and direct an upcoming Mermaid Extravaganza show. This is a critical make-or-break phase in her life, so she doesn’t want to mess it up. When she arrives in Vegas, she bumps into a stranger and has an embarrassingly adorable meet-cute involving a jumbo bottle of lube. Later, she runs into him again at a bar, and the two have a wonderful, steamy, glorious night together. BUT it turns out this man is Jamie Standard, her boss’s brother, who’s dealing with a PR nightmare that’s hindering his ability to close the biggest deal of his life. So, his baby sister suggests the two should fake date to improve his image after a video of them (with her as a mermaid) goes viral. And fake relationships always stay fake, right?
𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨:
What I loved about Coral is how incredibly genuine and straightforward she is. She’s super passionate about what she wants to achieve, and nothing will stand in her way. She’s brave, says what’s on her mind, and has this magnetic energy that draws people to her. She’s undeniably beautiful but not vain, and she has this wholesome, sweet, caring nature that makes you want to love her.
Jamie is the perfect example of what I love seeing in an MMC. Jamie is the perfect example of what I love in a male main character. He’s incredibly self-aware, speaks his mind, and doesn’t shy away from confrontation or awkward conversations. He’s obviously ridiculously handsome and confident in the boardroom, successful, but also an utter gentleman—sweet and generous. What makes him even better is that HE’S NOT PERFECT. He knows when he’s made a mistake, owns up to it, and if it’s his fault—HE APOLOGISES! You don’t always see that in men...
I absolutely ate up the banter in this book. It was epic. The connection and chemistry between these two are spectacular. Their interactions, their conversations, their quirky little exchanges—it all just kept me hooked. They make you wish that you were that smart to be able to respond like that, but not in a way that makes you feel stupid. It’s just two people with undeniable chemistry, and everyone around them can see it too.
I also loved that Jamie’s sister was supportive of the relationship. I didn’t want to see any “forbidden drama” related to that, and it made me happy that it never happened. She wanted Jamie and Coral to be happy and was so supportive of their relationship!
My one concern with this and why it wasn't a full five stars for me is that that initial first night went on a little bit long. I love smut. I read a lot of smut. I read a lot of different smut. And whilst the smut in this was refreshing and had some of the best micro tropes that I absolutely adore! It just felt like that first evening went on and on and on and on and on and I was skimming the smut. The story stagnated for a while before the big reveal of who Jamie was...
Other than that, this was such a wholesome story. It was just a cute and sweet romance that had elements of being fairytale-esque but still feeling real. There was really good representation of Coral's chronic illness, and I appreciated the way that Jamie respected and considered her celiac disease before eating certain foods. He was the MVP and he challenged those who thought it was no big deal. It's WHY HE IS JUST A STANDOUT GENTLEMAN AND PERFECT MC...
𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▶ Dual POV
▶ Forced Proximity
▶ Strangers to Lovers
▶ Boss's Brother
▶ Age Gap (She is 32, he is 39)
▶ One Night Stand
▶ Mermaids
▶ Rich Boy X Poor Girl
▶ Fake Dating
𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙧𝙤 𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▷ Good Girl
▷ Under Table Touching
▷ Grey Sweatpants
▷ Suit Daddy
▷ Dirty Talk
▷ Mirror Sex
▷ "Out of our systems"
▷ Forehead Kisses
Overall, if you're looking for a cute little romance to do with a mermaid with two characters that have excellent banter and chemistry, I would highly recommend you pick this up.
Thank you to E.F. Dodd, NetGalley and Sugar Beaver Books for the gifted copy.
All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Spicy Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
I had such a good time with this! Oh my gosh! Just HAPPPY SQUEALS!
𝙎𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨:
Coral Triton (yes, I did roll my eyes a little at her name because it's REALLY FISHY) is a professional mermaid who has landed a job at a hotel in Las Vegas to star in and direct an upcoming Mermaid Extravaganza show. This is a critical make-or-break phase in her life, so she doesn’t want to mess it up. When she arrives in Vegas, she bumps into a stranger and has an embarrassingly adorable meet-cute involving a jumbo bottle of lube. Later, she runs into him again at a bar, and the two have a wonderful, steamy, glorious night together. BUT it turns out this man is Jamie Standard, her boss’s brother, who’s dealing with a PR nightmare that’s hindering his ability to close the biggest deal of his life. So, his baby sister suggests the two should fake date to improve his image after a video of them (with her as a mermaid) goes viral. And fake relationships always stay fake, right?
𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨:
What I loved about Coral is how incredibly genuine and straightforward she is. She’s super passionate about what she wants to achieve, and nothing will stand in her way. She’s brave, says what’s on her mind, and has this magnetic energy that draws people to her. She’s undeniably beautiful but not vain, and she has this wholesome, sweet, caring nature that makes you want to love her.
Jamie is the perfect example of what I love seeing in an MMC. Jamie is the perfect example of what I love in a male main character. He’s incredibly self-aware, speaks his mind, and doesn’t shy away from confrontation or awkward conversations. He’s obviously ridiculously handsome and confident in the boardroom, successful, but also an utter gentleman—sweet and generous. What makes him even better is that HE’S NOT PERFECT. He knows when he’s made a mistake, owns up to it, and if it’s his fault—HE APOLOGISES! You don’t always see that in men...
I absolutely ate up the banter in this book. It was epic. The connection and chemistry between these two are spectacular. Their interactions, their conversations, their quirky little exchanges—it all just kept me hooked. They make you wish that you were that smart to be able to respond like that, but not in a way that makes you feel stupid. It’s just two people with undeniable chemistry, and everyone around them can see it too.
I also loved that Jamie’s sister was supportive of the relationship. I didn’t want to see any “forbidden drama” related to that, and it made me happy that it never happened. She wanted Jamie and Coral to be happy and was so supportive of their relationship!
My one concern with this and why it wasn't a full five stars for me is that that initial first night went on a little bit long. I love smut. I read a lot of smut. I read a lot of different smut. And whilst the smut in this was refreshing and had some of the best micro tropes that I absolutely adore! It just felt like that first evening went on and on and on and on and on and I was skimming the smut. The story stagnated for a while before the big reveal of who Jamie was...
Other than that, this was such a wholesome story. It was just a cute and sweet romance that had elements of being fairytale-esque but still feeling real. There was really good representation of Coral's chronic illness, and I appreciated the way that Jamie respected and considered her celiac disease before eating certain foods. He was the MVP and he challenged those who thought it was no big deal. It's WHY HE IS JUST A STANDOUT GENTLEMAN AND PERFECT MC...
𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▶ Dual POV
▶ Forced Proximity
▶ Strangers to Lovers
▶ Boss's Brother
▶ Age Gap (She is 32, he is 39)
▶ One Night Stand
▶ Mermaids
▶ Rich Boy X Poor Girl
▶ Fake Dating
𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙧𝙤 𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▷ Good Girl
▷ Under Table Touching
▷ Grey Sweatpants
▷ Suit Daddy
▷ Dirty Talk
▷ Mirror Sex
▷ "Out of our systems"
▷ Forehead Kisses
Overall, if you're looking for a cute little romance to do with a mermaid with two characters that have excellent banter and chemistry, I would highly recommend you pick this up.
Thank you to E.F. Dodd, NetGalley and Sugar Beaver Books for the gifted copy.
All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Gaslighting and Abandonment
Minor: Sexual harassment