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jennp28's review against another edition
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Cute quick read. Took me most of the book (up until the mention of the song Hat Trick Heartbreak) to realize these characters first appeared in the Fake Boyfriend series! (I don’t think reading those is a prerequisite though)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Stalking
Minor: Chronic illness, Gun violence, Homophobia, Death of parent, and War
aaminak's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Terminal illness, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
nickoliver's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I was pretty excited to start this, because it had a romantic trope that I really like (I don't read many books that include it, but when I do encounter it, it makes me happy): romance between a famous person and their bodyguard. Moreover, in the first chapter, I also realised that the famous protagonist, Harley, is the same Harley who also showed up in Finley's Fake Boyfriend series. And honestly, although I didn't care about Harley in "Hat Trick" (the only book he physically showed up in), I was still excited to see where this was going and if Finley could redeem him a little in my eyes (though I expected that, because I generally like Finley's characters, especially the ones from her newer books).
Anyway, the point is, I went into this book with a lot of excitement.
Since it had a stalker plot line, this book was a little bit darker and tenser than some of Finley's other books - some of the things at stake differed from the usual tensions -, which I welcomed a lot. Especially since Harley's panic about his stalker, and the way it impacted his life, was shown and discussed in depth. It wasn't just something thrown in at the beginning of the book so that the protagonists could meet but that was not developed otherwise. There was even an inclusion of therapy that Harley might need due to the traumatic events he went through. (Honestly, would've liked to see some of those sessions as well.) And while I went into the book knowing that nothing bad would happen - after all, this was a romance book, and not my first Finley book, at that -, the climax of the story still made me pretty anxious. And sure, the stakes were never quite as high as in an actual thriller book, but for a romance book, it really wasn't done badly.
I also appreciated that Finley didn't glorify the military. Brix, the bodyguard, as well as his co-workers were all ex-military, and it was shown that being in the military wasn't just some patriotic, heroic act that Americans always did willingly, but was often done out of necessity (for example, because they couldn't pay for college otherwise). These characters also talked about how being a part of the LGBTQ+ community was treated by the others in their teams, though that was mostly just put out there as a fact and not criticised per se.
Then, the romance of the book I quite enjoyed. I liked seeing Harley's side of things that I'd already seen from Jet's perspective in "Hat Trick". It was interesting to see the way he had felt during that time and the way he regretted the way he chose his career over love the first time. I got quite attached to Harley and was happy to see him bloom. I also loved that Brix helped him see his own worth and that Harley learnt, through him, to stand up for himself and fight for what he wanted. Overall, the relationship was very healthy and communicative, which I always love to see. Harley and Brix didn't hesitate to talk about their worries and hash out their pasts to each other.
The book also included the trope of having one character mistake his object of affection for a straight person, which is this kind of niche trope that I'm always a sucker for.
The supportive cast of characters was another thing that was done pretty well. All the characters were witty and loveable, and it was always clear to see how much they cared about the protagonists. Just as in Finley's previous books, the humour of these characters made me chuckle out loud several times, and I flew through the book in part because of that. I do think that Finley went a little bit over the top sometimes, especially with Iris; but it didn't bother me that much.
A character that I, personally, really liked seeing more of was Evah, Harley's fiancée. Instead of being just a one-dimensional woman who happened to be Harley's beard, she was fleshed out with her own dreams and desires and anxious thoughts. Her friendship with Harley was absolutely heartwarming, and I loved that they got along so well! Before making decisions about their public relationship, they always got together and talked about them and what they could mean for their respective careers.
The only thing I was a bit unsure about was the way the bodyguard-famous person relationship was portrayed. Obviously, I have no personal experience with having a bodyguard, nor have I ever met someone's bodyguard, so maybe this is completely normal. But I thought at times that the way Brix talked to Harley throughout the book as his bodyguard was a bit unprofessional at times? It felt a bit too chummy. Again, maybe it's normal to get so close to your bodyguard, but I just expected Brix to be more distant especially at the beginning of the story. It didn't take away my enjoyment, but it did throw me off at times.
Overall, I just really liked this book! The characters were lovely and entertaining, I liked a lot of the tropes that came up, the protagonists had chemistry and fit together very well, and the stalker subplot and the tenser scenes gave the book a little bit darker vibe than some of Finley's other books. Obviously, in the large scheme of things, this probably wasn't the most original book or anything, but I did really enjoy reading it.
Anyway, the point is, I went into this book with a lot of excitement.
Since it had a stalker plot line, this book was a little bit darker and tenser than some of Finley's other books - some of the things at stake differed from the usual tensions -, which I welcomed a lot. Especially since Harley's panic about his stalker, and the way it impacted his life, was shown and discussed in depth. It wasn't just something thrown in at the beginning of the book so that the protagonists could meet but that was not developed otherwise. There was even an inclusion of therapy that Harley might need due to the traumatic events he went through. (Honestly, would've liked to see some of those sessions as well.) And while I went into the book knowing that nothing bad would happen - after all, this was a romance book, and not my first Finley book, at that -, the climax of the story still made me pretty anxious. And sure, the stakes were never quite as high as in an actual thriller book, but for a romance book, it really wasn't done badly.
I also appreciated that Finley didn't glorify the military. Brix, the bodyguard, as well as his co-workers were all ex-military, and it was shown that being in the military wasn't just some patriotic, heroic act that Americans always did willingly, but was often done out of necessity (for example, because they couldn't pay for college otherwise). These characters also talked about how being a part of the LGBTQ+ community was treated by the others in their teams, though that was mostly just put out there as a fact and not criticised per se.
Then, the romance of the book I quite enjoyed. I liked seeing Harley's side of things that I'd already seen from Jet's perspective in "Hat Trick". It was interesting to see the way he had felt during that time and the way he regretted the way he chose his career over love the first time. I got quite attached to Harley and was happy to see him bloom. I also loved that Brix helped him see his own worth and that Harley learnt, through him, to stand up for himself and fight for what he wanted. Overall, the relationship was very healthy and communicative, which I always love to see. Harley and Brix didn't hesitate to talk about their worries and hash out their pasts to each other.
The book also included the trope of having one character mistake his object of affection for a straight person, which is this kind of niche trope that I'm always a sucker for.
The supportive cast of characters was another thing that was done pretty well. All the characters were witty and loveable, and it was always clear to see how much they cared about the protagonists. Just as in Finley's previous books, the humour of these characters made me chuckle out loud several times, and I flew through the book in part because of that. I do think that Finley went a little bit over the top sometimes, especially with Iris; but it didn't bother me that much.
A character that I, personally, really liked seeing more of was Evah, Harley's fiancée. Instead of being just a one-dimensional woman who happened to be Harley's beard, she was fleshed out with her own dreams and desires and anxious thoughts. Her friendship with Harley was absolutely heartwarming, and I loved that they got along so well! Before making decisions about their public relationship, they always got together and talked about them and what they could mean for their respective careers.
The only thing I was a bit unsure about was the way the bodyguard-famous person relationship was portrayed. Obviously, I have no personal experience with having a bodyguard, nor have I ever met someone's bodyguard, so maybe this is completely normal. But I thought at times that the way Brix talked to Harley throughout the book as his bodyguard was a bit unprofessional at times? It felt a bit too chummy. Again, maybe it's normal to get so close to your bodyguard, but I just expected Brix to be more distant especially at the beginning of the story. It didn't take away my enjoyment, but it did throw me off at times.
Overall, I just really liked this book! The characters were lovely and entertaining, I liked a lot of the tropes that came up, the protagonists had chemistry and fit together very well, and the stalker subplot and the tenser scenes gave the book a little bit darker vibe than some of Finley's other books. Obviously, in the large scheme of things, this probably wasn't the most original book or anything, but I did really enjoy reading it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Gun violence and Homophobia
Also content warning for stalking and bomb threat.