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randommichelle's review
3.0
TLDR: I enjoyed it--I just wish it hadn't been a trope that never works for me.
https://klishis.com/reading/archives/18471
https://klishis.com/reading/archives/18471
bookschaosnart's review
4.0
I loved how both JaQuan and Matthew complement each other while still having flaws. I'm honestly normally not a fan of characters with children (it's just so far out of my realm of imagination that I typically can't get into the story) but I grabbed this one because Jayce Ellis has been so good at what she does with characters that I gave it a shot and it blew me away.
endemictoearth's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
lezreadalot's review
4.0
“I don’t want to just go back to the old us. I want to be a better us.”
There's so so much that I loved about this book. I read it with permanent heart eyes glued to my face. It was so great to read some queer black love, in a really cute setup that combined some choice tropes and realistic scenarios, and had characters that felt like real people. It's an office romance, enemies to lovers, between two single black fathers who are trying to find their footing in their work lives, do their jobs as parents, while navigating love. It had a light easy vibe that made it a breeze to read. It wasn't laugh out loud funny, but it had fun moments that made me smile. There's a subplot with their kids that I really enjoyed.
And once again, it just does my heart and body good to read black romance, which I categorise a little differently in my head than romance that includes black characters. We all already know that it just makes me happy to see slang in books, and in the same way I especially enjoy it in fantasy, I also really enjoy it in romance? IDK, probably because for a long time (at least to my reckoning) slang like AAVE wasn't seen as a love language? So its inclusion feels revolutionary to me in a way that it probably isn't, lol, but still! It made me happy!
Really, the book only has one flaw, but it's major enough that it could have tanked my enjoyment a lot. And it almost did, but the aspects of the book/writing that I loved served to balance things out. Basically, I feel like the pacing is really off, in the progression of almost all of the relationships. This isn't insta-love, thank goodness (the enemies thing didn't last as long as I expected, but it lasted long enough). It's just that relationship milestones, and the ways that they talked about each other, and the ways that their family and friends perceived the relationship wasn't on par with where they actually were at in their relationship. If that makes sense? So while it's not insta-love, it did permanently feel like things were just slightly off-kilter, and that was maddening.
An early example is Matt's best friend telling him that JaQuan is The One for Matt, before she's even met him. This happens to varying degrees with other characters. There were also a few time-skips (a week long, a month long) that threw me off so much, because it assumes that certain things have changed, but we haven't gotten to SEE any of that progression. I want to see the progression! Or at least get a sense of it, so that when the L word come up, I don't feel like I've been cheated. Also, JaQuan is a bit of a loner at the beginning and makes a couple new friends. But they very quickly start playing a role in his life that would be more suited to old, close friends. Which, I get it, he didn't have any of those. But I feel like the decision to make Carlton and Lawrence brand new additions to JaQuan's life was a misstep.
This was still a really sweet romance, really steamy, great characters. I'm very sure I'd have found the aforementioned flaws a little harder to overlook if I wasn't continuously chomping at the bit for queer black romance that's as cute and well-written as this. I'd still recommend this, and I'll definitely read more from Ellis in the future (I'm really hoping that Tanisha and Angela's story continues!).
3.5 stars. (I waffled a lot on whether I'd round up or down. The book made me really happy so: up.)
☆ Review copy provided via NetGalley.
There's so so much that I loved about this book. I read it with permanent heart eyes glued to my face. It was so great to read some queer black love, in a really cute setup that combined some choice tropes and realistic scenarios, and had characters that felt like real people. It's an office romance, enemies to lovers, between two single black fathers who are trying to find their footing in their work lives, do their jobs as parents, while navigating love. It had a light easy vibe that made it a breeze to read. It wasn't laugh out loud funny, but it had fun moments that made me smile. There's a subplot with their kids that I really enjoyed.
And once again, it just does my heart and body good to read black romance, which I categorise a little differently in my head than romance that includes black characters. We all already know that it just makes me happy to see slang in books, and in the same way I especially enjoy it in fantasy, I also really enjoy it in romance? IDK, probably because for a long time (at least to my reckoning) slang like AAVE wasn't seen as a love language? So its inclusion feels revolutionary to me in a way that it probably isn't, lol, but still! It made me happy!
Really, the book only has one flaw, but it's major enough that it could have tanked my enjoyment a lot. And it almost did, but the aspects of the book/writing that I loved served to balance things out. Basically, I feel like the pacing is really off, in the progression of almost all of the relationships. This isn't insta-love, thank goodness (the enemies thing didn't last as long as I expected, but it lasted long enough). It's just that relationship milestones, and the ways that they talked about each other, and the ways that their family and friends perceived the relationship wasn't on par with where they actually were at in their relationship. If that makes sense? So while it's not insta-love, it did permanently feel like things were just slightly off-kilter, and that was maddening.
An early example is Matt's best friend telling him that JaQuan is The One for Matt, before she's even met him. This happens to varying degrees with other characters. There were also a few time-skips (a week long, a month long) that threw me off so much, because it assumes that certain things have changed, but we haven't gotten to SEE any of that progression. I want to see the progression! Or at least get a sense of it, so that when the L word come up, I don't feel like I've been cheated. Also, JaQuan is a bit of a loner at the beginning and makes a couple new friends. But they very quickly start playing a role in his life that would be more suited to old, close friends. Which, I get it, he didn't have any of those. But I feel like the decision to make Carlton and Lawrence brand new additions to JaQuan's life was a misstep.
This was still a really sweet romance, really steamy, great characters. I'm very sure I'd have found the aforementioned flaws a little harder to overlook if I wasn't continuously chomping at the bit for queer black romance that's as cute and well-written as this. I'd still recommend this, and I'll definitely read more from Ellis in the future (I'm really hoping that Tanisha and Angela's story continues!).
3.5 stars. (I waffled a lot on whether I'd round up or down. The book made me really happy so: up.)
☆ Review copy provided via NetGalley.
lolasreviews's review
3.0
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley and voluntarily reviewed it.
I liked the sound of this one and decide to request it when it showed up on Netgalley. When I was in the mood for a contemporary romance book I decided to pick this one up. I liked reading this book, although something was missing to fully make this a win for me. Learned Behaviors is the story of two workaholics who fall in love and have to navigate their beginning relationship while also navigating their work and family life.
I liked the set up of this book with both main characters being single dads and their only/ youngest kid being off to college now. I was especially curious to see how Jaq would deal with it, he became a dad when he was young and most of the past years resolved around his kid, now he has to figure out who he is. Sadly there wasn't as much focus on that as I had hoped, it mostly was about his work and the romance.
On the topic of work there are a lot of scenes resolving around that. And I have to admit at times it made me a bit uncomfortable with how their work lives went, these are both big workaholics who aren't always treated right by their boss or assistant. There are plenty of relatable scenes here and as someone who struggled with life and work balance in the past that part definitely felt realistic, but at the same time I just didn't find it that interesting to read about. The solution to some of the work problems is pretty clear while reading, but they didn't really seem to work on it at all until the last few chapters.
I liked both main characters. Matt had a bit of a gruff exterior at first, but it was nice to see him warm up to Jaq and the people they worked with. I liked reading about their relationships with other characters and how they dealt with it, although at times I would've liked a deeper look at their personalities.
Then there are plenty of side characters as well. I liked Matt and Kendra's friendship. As well as seeing how Matt interacted with his family, especially Halo and I had hoped for a bit more scenes were he tries his best to better relate to her. It was clear he wanted to, but it felt like it never quite made it into the book. It was fun to read about Jaq and his daughter and how they interact and resolve things. Jaq's new friends were nice enough, but it felt like they got added just so Jaq had his group of friends to talk with and ask for help at times. I never felt like I really got a good feel for their personalities. There are also some side plot lines regarding some side characters that don't get resolved, although I feel that some of Jaq's friends will get their own book and those were simply the set ups for their stories.
For a long time I didn't really feel the romance between Jaq and Matt. At first it just felt like mutual attraction and they didn't quite like each other. It had a bit of enemies to lovers vibe at first, but not quite, as that dislike part got resolved quite easily once they worked together more. I just didn't really get why they fell for each other and would've liked to see more scenes of them spending time together outside of work, especially the early start of their romance was mostly set at work. By the end I did warm up to them and liked the romance more. Until the forced drama at the end and the weird way one of them was going to solve it and then it was weeks later. Then there was the big gesture scene which didn't feel as fitting for the characters as what I initially expected to happen. I would've liked to see an epilogue as it would've been nice to get a glimpse of their future.
To summarize: this was a solid work place romance type story. I mostly enjoyed reading this book, but it was missing something to make me fully invested. I liked the set up of them both being single dads and how Jaq now had to figure out who he was without having to focus fully on providing for his kid, but I felt like that wasn't developed as much. I liked how relatable and realistic the works scenes were, but sadly I just didn't find it as interesting to read about. I would've liked a bit more scenes with the couple connecting outside of work. I liked the main characters, but didn't quite feel the romance for a long time. I didn't care for the drama toward the end and the way it resolved it felt a bit off. There are some interesting side characters and some plot lines that are left open probably for future books in the series. I felt that a work related plot line got resolved a bit too sudden and easily toward the end and would've liked a bit more build-up/ talking about that earlier. All in all if you're looking for a work place romance with a hint of enemies to lovers at the start this one might be for you.
I liked the sound of this one and decide to request it when it showed up on Netgalley. When I was in the mood for a contemporary romance book I decided to pick this one up. I liked reading this book, although something was missing to fully make this a win for me. Learned Behaviors is the story of two workaholics who fall in love and have to navigate their beginning relationship while also navigating their work and family life.
I liked the set up of this book with both main characters being single dads and their only/ youngest kid being off to college now. I was especially curious to see how Jaq would deal with it, he became a dad when he was young and most of the past years resolved around his kid, now he has to figure out who he is. Sadly there wasn't as much focus on that as I had hoped, it mostly was about his work and the romance.
On the topic of work there are a lot of scenes resolving around that. And I have to admit at times it made me a bit uncomfortable with how their work lives went, these are both big workaholics who aren't always treated right by their boss or assistant. There are plenty of relatable scenes here and as someone who struggled with life and work balance in the past that part definitely felt realistic, but at the same time I just didn't find it that interesting to read about. The solution to some of the work problems is pretty clear while reading, but they didn't really seem to work on it at all until the last few chapters.
I liked both main characters. Matt had a bit of a gruff exterior at first, but it was nice to see him warm up to Jaq and the people they worked with. I liked reading about their relationships with other characters and how they dealt with it, although at times I would've liked a deeper look at their personalities.
Then there are plenty of side characters as well. I liked Matt and Kendra's friendship. As well as seeing how Matt interacted with his family, especially Halo and I had hoped for a bit more scenes were he tries his best to better relate to her. It was clear he wanted to, but it felt like it never quite made it into the book. It was fun to read about Jaq and his daughter and how they interact and resolve things. Jaq's new friends were nice enough, but it felt like they got added just so Jaq had his group of friends to talk with and ask for help at times. I never felt like I really got a good feel for their personalities. There are also some side plot lines regarding some side characters that don't get resolved, although I feel that some of Jaq's friends will get their own book and those were simply the set ups for their stories.
For a long time I didn't really feel the romance between Jaq and Matt. At first it just felt like mutual attraction and they didn't quite like each other. It had a bit of enemies to lovers vibe at first, but not quite, as that dislike part got resolved quite easily once they worked together more. I just didn't really get why they fell for each other and would've liked to see more scenes of them spending time together outside of work, especially the early start of their romance was mostly set at work. By the end I did warm up to them and liked the romance more. Until the forced drama at the end and the weird way one of them was going to solve it and then it was weeks later. Then there was the big gesture scene which didn't feel as fitting for the characters as what I initially expected to happen. I would've liked to see an epilogue as it would've been nice to get a glimpse of their future.
To summarize: this was a solid work place romance type story. I mostly enjoyed reading this book, but it was missing something to make me fully invested. I liked the set up of them both being single dads and how Jaq now had to figure out who he was without having to focus fully on providing for his kid, but I felt like that wasn't developed as much. I liked how relatable and realistic the works scenes were, but sadly I just didn't find it as interesting to read about. I would've liked a bit more scenes with the couple connecting outside of work. I liked the main characters, but didn't quite feel the romance for a long time. I didn't care for the drama toward the end and the way it resolved it felt a bit off. There are some interesting side characters and some plot lines that are left open probably for future books in the series. I felt that a work related plot line got resolved a bit too sudden and easily toward the end and would've liked a bit more build-up/ talking about that earlier. All in all if you're looking for a work place romance with a hint of enemies to lovers at the start this one might be for you.
hijinx_abound's review
3.0
M/M, older characters, both single parents.
Workplace romance kind of. I enjoyed that these two were grown ass adults and that the author actually uses the phrase "Dicked down".
Workplace romance kind of. I enjoyed that these two were grown ass adults and that the author actually uses the phrase "Dicked down".
lovelynovellas's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
mommasaystoread's review
3.0
Learned Behaviors has a great premise, but I kind of feel like something was missing. The characters are likable for the most part. I did have some trouble with Matt, and maybe that's why I struggled. He just seemed to be stuck where he was, like personal growth was lacking. Another thing that fell short for me was the chemistry. These two were okay together, but they didn't make it to the point where I wanted to root for them. There was definite attraction, and I felt that, but that thing that pushes a couple over into real relationship territory was missing for me. That's to say that it's a bad story. It's really not. It is an entertaining workplace romance, and I appreciated that these guys are all grown up - their children are the new adults, so these are the guys who are supposed to have it all together. The fact that they really don't did go a long way toward keeping me turning the pages. I mean, do any of us really have it all together? So, in that, they feel more real I suppose. This is the start of a series, and I liked the secondary characters enough to see where things go. I'd say this one just wasn't for me for whatever reason, but it was still worth the read.
bacchusvines's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
How could you not love Jaq and Matt? Can there be more single/divorce dad romances? Jayce Ellis writes men that have personality, goals, and an explosion of lust on the side.