lyssachelle's review
4.0
Cate Ashwood’s tale of one-night-stand turned surprise coworkers is a great premise, but in the end I was left feeling like the story didn’t live up to its potential. There’s a lot to love, but so much more that could have been!
I was excited to read this because “We had great sex and thought it was a one-time thing, but UH OH, you’re my ________” is one of my favorite tropes. In this story, we get not one but TWO nights of passion before Nick and Callum realize they’re coworkers. Meeting up at an out-of-town bar and having a great night of sex, grumpy medic Callum is willing to leave it at that, but Nick keeps haunting his mind. The draw of a second night is too great, but any idea of a third is soundly stamped out when Callum discovers that Nick is the new recruit that is replacing his partner. Annnnd, there’s no fraternization. Nick and Callum try to remain professional but, as they get to know each other, their chemistry leads to feelings. And a HEA, natch.
Fair Trade is very good but needed more to be a 5 star read for me. The chemistry is hot, the kink is light but steamy, and the eventual true affection is just lovely. It was interesting that Callum was older but less dominant, but they don’t make a big deal about it. Callum isn’t weighed down with baggage about what that means for his (toxic) masculinity, and Nick respects and appreciates Callum for his age and experience, even as he doms the hell out of him. I appreciated that Callum and Nick stayed interested in each other, but professional while they were working, with no back-of-the-ambulance hanky panky. They are in a high-pressure medical field and respected their jobs and the people they cared for.
The problem is, Fair Trade had a hint of a lot of really great plot points but they just did not completely pay off. I just had the weird sense that there should be more to the story, like characters and character arcs were being set up, and yet did not go anywhere. The first, glaringly obvious one is that this is part of the Bold Brew shared universe, but they visit once and you could have switched the name “Bold Brew” with “Starbucks” and no one would be the wiser.
There were hints of background characters that I thought would play a bigger role than they did, and I expected more calls, more interactions with the community. The setup of Nick and his overbearing sisters could have been fun and funny...but instead just faded off the page.
For instance—Iris was a nice addition and her death was upsetting if a little predictable. (If there’s a wacky old lady, she’s gonna spit some wisdom that turns the whole book around, or she’s gonna kick the bucket as a plot point. Guaranteed.) However, I didn’t feel her death as deeply as I should have because we meet her in Chapter 13 and she’s gone by Chapter 15. I mean, I love old ladies as plot points! Give me the ALL wacky and slightly inappropriate women who have no more f*cks to give and say what they want! Have them teach me their ways! But Iris is supposedly so important that Nick completely loses sight of his training, and she’s only in a few dozen pages.
(though, while I complain about Iris’s death, the scene in which Callum takes care of Nick, and then vice versa, in the aftermath is achingly sweet.)
My biggest letdown is that there was SUCH a quick turn from Callum’s realization that a relationship with Nick will not end up like his previous one in Harrison, to undying love confessions and resolution. Callum is staying away not only because of the no fraternization policy but also because of something in his past. “Harrison” is literally mentioned once in Chapter 2 before it’s mentioned on one page in Chapter 19 and is used as the reason that Callum pushes Nick aside, and then Callum suddenly realizes that it won’t be like Harrison and he will do anything to keep Nick in Chapter 21. Nick literally says, “Who is Harrison,” and I was right there with him because I had forgotten about it completely! Harrison was apparently a big turning point in Callum’s life, but we aren’t able to deal with or understand the trauma that he was dealing with, and the story is poorer for it.
Honestly, this feels like a full-length novel that the author wasn’t able to finish. And not because they ran out of material, as the author has set up more than a few avenues for exploration, but like they ran out of time. You can tell when an author just gives up or writes themselves into a corner, and this wasn’t it. If I found out that the author had a maximum word count to meet and had to pare the story down and I’d 1000% believe it. This needed about five more chapters for it to be 5 stars.
While I’m disappointed in the brevity of this story, I do think it’s a worthwhile read! I read it with more of a critical eye but, as a casual reader, I’m sure you’ll be able to enjoy it for what it is—a sweet, low-angst love story.
**I received this as an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews, this is my honest and unbiased review**
I was excited to read this because “We had great sex and thought it was a one-time thing, but UH OH, you’re my ________” is one of my favorite tropes. In this story, we get not one but TWO nights of passion before Nick and Callum realize they’re coworkers. Meeting up at an out-of-town bar and having a great night of sex, grumpy medic Callum is willing to leave it at that, but Nick keeps haunting his mind. The draw of a second night is too great, but any idea of a third is soundly stamped out when Callum discovers that Nick is the new recruit that is replacing his partner. Annnnd, there’s no fraternization. Nick and Callum try to remain professional but, as they get to know each other, their chemistry leads to feelings. And a HEA, natch.
Spoiler
Fair Trade is very good but needed more to be a 5 star read for me. The chemistry is hot, the kink is light but steamy, and the eventual true affection is just lovely. It was interesting that Callum was older but less dominant, but they don’t make a big deal about it. Callum isn’t weighed down with baggage about what that means for his (toxic) masculinity, and Nick respects and appreciates Callum for his age and experience, even as he doms the hell out of him. I appreciated that Callum and Nick stayed interested in each other, but professional while they were working, with no back-of-the-ambulance hanky panky. They are in a high-pressure medical field and respected their jobs and the people they cared for.
The problem is, Fair Trade had a hint of a lot of really great plot points but they just did not completely pay off. I just had the weird sense that there should be more to the story, like characters and character arcs were being set up, and yet did not go anywhere. The first, glaringly obvious one is that this is part of the Bold Brew shared universe, but they visit once and you could have switched the name “Bold Brew” with “Starbucks” and no one would be the wiser.
There were hints of background characters that I thought would play a bigger role than they did, and I expected more calls, more interactions with the community. The setup of Nick and his overbearing sisters could have been fun and funny...but instead just faded off the page.
For instance—Iris was a nice addition and her death was upsetting if a little predictable. (If there’s a wacky old lady, she’s gonna spit some wisdom that turns the whole book around, or she’s gonna kick the bucket as a plot point. Guaranteed.) However, I didn’t feel her death as deeply as I should have because we meet her in Chapter 13 and she’s gone by Chapter 15. I mean, I love old ladies as plot points! Give me the ALL wacky and slightly inappropriate women who have no more f*cks to give and say what they want! Have them teach me their ways! But Iris is supposedly so important that Nick completely loses sight of his training, and she’s only in a few dozen pages.
(though, while I complain about Iris’s death, the scene in which Callum takes care of Nick, and then vice versa, in the aftermath is achingly sweet.)
My biggest letdown is that there was SUCH a quick turn from Callum’s realization that a relationship with Nick will not end up like his previous one in Harrison, to undying love confessions and resolution. Callum is staying away not only because of the no fraternization policy but also because of something in his past. “Harrison” is literally mentioned once in Chapter 2 before it’s mentioned on one page in Chapter 19 and is used as the reason that Callum pushes Nick aside, and then Callum suddenly realizes that it won’t be like Harrison and he will do anything to keep Nick in Chapter 21. Nick literally says, “Who is Harrison,” and I was right there with him because I had forgotten about it completely! Harrison was apparently a big turning point in Callum’s life, but we aren’t able to deal with or understand the trauma that he was dealing with, and the story is poorer for it.
Honestly, this feels like a full-length novel that the author wasn’t able to finish. And not because they ran out of material, as the author has set up more than a few avenues for exploration, but like they ran out of time. You can tell when an author just gives up or writes themselves into a corner, and this wasn’t it. If I found out that the author had a maximum word count to meet and had to pare the story down and I’d 1000% believe it. This needed about five more chapters for it to be 5 stars.
While I’m disappointed in the brevity of this story, I do think it’s a worthwhile read! I read it with more of a critical eye but, as a casual reader, I’m sure you’ll be able to enjoy it for what it is—a sweet, low-angst love story.
**I received this as an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews, this is my honest and unbiased review**
xanthe87's review
4.0
Fair Trade is the seventh book in the Bold Brew series and, whilst there's only a couple of visits to the coffee shop, there's also a little bit of kink to link it to the series too.
Nick has just moved back to town and Callum is not looking forward to working with a new rookie when they both take a night away from the stresses of everything and have a random hookup together a few miles outside of town. When it comes to meet their new colleagues at the station, it turns out Callum's new partner is none other than Nick.
It shouldn't be a problem to just say no to anything more between them but things got hot and heavy very quickly for the two men and an intense attraction keeps them coming back for more. Callum is the one turning Nick down as there's no fraternization at work but there's clearly something between them, from how well they match in the bedroom to how well they get along out of it, even working well together pretty much straight away. They are quite sweet together as there's a little bit of a push/pull going on with one wanting to go full steam ahead whilst the other is pulling. I enjoyed that part of the relationship and how things develop for them across the story. There's not a huge amount of angst which is good considering it's a shorter story but the story unfolds quickly enough and is moved through time at a speed that feels like it's a natural progression for the two men.
Another good addition to the series. It's light on the kink, with some dom/sub tendencies, and an enjoyable story overall.
I received an ARC and am happily giving a review.
Nick has just moved back to town and Callum is not looking forward to working with a new rookie when they both take a night away from the stresses of everything and have a random hookup together a few miles outside of town. When it comes to meet their new colleagues at the station, it turns out Callum's new partner is none other than Nick.
It shouldn't be a problem to just say no to anything more between them but things got hot and heavy very quickly for the two men and an intense attraction keeps them coming back for more. Callum is the one turning Nick down as there's no fraternization at work but there's clearly something between them, from how well they match in the bedroom to how well they get along out of it, even working well together pretty much straight away. They are quite sweet together as there's a little bit of a push/pull going on with one wanting to go full steam ahead whilst the other is pulling. I enjoyed that part of the relationship and how things develop for them across the story. There's not a huge amount of angst which is good considering it's a shorter story but the story unfolds quickly enough and is moved through time at a speed that feels like it's a natural progression for the two men.
Another good addition to the series. It's light on the kink, with some dom/sub tendencies, and an enjoyable story overall.
I received an ARC and am happily giving a review.
unwise_samwise's review
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
katiemulcahy122's review
3.0
This is more like a 2.5, but I'm rounding up because it really was better than the last in the series. However, there were some things about this that kept getting in the way of really liking it. I thought Nick and Callum were great and I was generally fine with the timeline/pacing, but their backgrounds weren't clear and it limited the emotional aspect. Also, the coffee shop was barely a thing and I was really hoping for an epilogue that would have them firmly in the community there (which I realize is a personal thing I wanted, but I thought it would be good since they barely talked about anything).
feistyredhead82's review
4.0
Two men thought what they shared was a one night stand. But after it was over they wanted more. But when they start work on Monday morning their lives are tuned upside down when they realize they will be EMT partners. But the pull they have for each other doesn’t diminish it only grows stronger with every passing day. These two are on a crash course and neither of them know what’s gonna happen. I totally fell in love with Callum and Nick. I loved their dynamic and that the gruff broody Callum submits to Nick so easily. Can’t wait to read more from this series in the future
onceupon_a_bookdream's review
3.0
Me: "oo I like the sound of this one "
Also Me: "nope don't do it. You said you were done with this series."
Me : "this is the last one I promise, I mean what if I don't read it and then I miss out on something good."
.
.
Thankfully I enjoyed this much better than the last two in this series. It still is the lowest kink level ever but atleast the characters were likable and their connection believable.
Also Me: "nope don't do it. You said you were done with this series."
Me : "this is the last one I promise, I mean what if I don't read it and then I miss out on something good."
.
.
Thankfully I enjoyed this much better than the last two in this series. It still is the lowest kink level ever but atleast the characters were likable and their connection believable.
annas_sweets_and_stories's review
3.0
I think I'm more annoyed at this book than anything else. It's fine. There's nothing wrong with this book, it was good story. But it did not belong in this series. This is supposed to be a multi author series surrounding this queer friendly kink-friendly coffee shop called Bold Brew. in all of the previous books Bold Brew has been an integral part of the storyline and it made sense. But in this one it's less than a side note, It is barely a blip in the story. This book does not belong in this series and that annoys me because I compulsively cannot stop this series and I feel like I just wasted time. Maybe wasted time is wrong, more like I feel a little bit cheated because I am pretty much in love with this coffee shop and the idea of it and think it's super awesome and would love to have something like that in real life, and so to have it just be a one-off quote or we're going to stop and get coffee " and that's it pissed me off.
Otherwise this book is fine. It's about paramedics. One of them his partner just quit and started a new job and his new partner is his hookup from the night before. It's fine slightly kinky.
Otherwise this book is fine. It's about paramedics. One of them his partner just quit and started a new job and his new partner is his hookup from the night before. It's fine slightly kinky.
punkrockromance's review
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
airy's review
1.0
This went from I hate you to I love you in 2 minutes. There was no emotional development.