novel_nomad's review
3.0
A cute romance with good drama whilst breaking down toxic masculinity barriers. The classic geeky mc falls for the athlete next door, who turns out to be a sweetheart and geeky too. There was a lot of mental anguish as one character had been bullied into viewing himself in a certain light - but there were a community of people to help him through those tough moments.
xanthe87's review against another edition
5.0
I'm so in love with these characters. My heart went out to Jason and his complete lack of faith in himself and who he is, and then Channing is so adorable with his enthusiasm, happiness, acceptance and way of looking at the world.
A fake boyfriend story has recently become a favourite of mine and H.J. Welch has perfectly written easily lovable characters in a beautiful setting with a strong story that kept my interest the whole way through. The two men face some obstacles, especially one of Jason's workplace bullies trying to make life hard for the couple. Channing is amazing at bringing light to Jason's life whilst they take part in team building exercises. There are some great examples of relationship building, not just with the MC's but also possible friendships among the workmates and wives of Jason.
Everything seems to flow really easily as I read through the book, a natural progression for Jason and Channing as they move from reunited friends, to co-conspirators as fake boyfriends along to something a lot deeper than either man expected. Channing's journey is just as important as Jason's with his own personal revelations but Jason has spent so long putting himself down and not feeling that he belongs that when he gets the chance to explore, it's beautiful to read and experience.
Cannot recommend this story enough! There are so many emotions within the book from our two MC's but also a host of other characters that aren't shy in expressing themselves. Some of the wives on the team building become a bigger part of the story than you'd think they would originally. So excited for book five in this fourth series.
I received an ARC and am happily giving a review.
A fake boyfriend story has recently become a favourite of mine and H.J. Welch has perfectly written easily lovable characters in a beautiful setting with a strong story that kept my interest the whole way through. The two men face some obstacles, especially one of Jason's workplace bullies trying to make life hard for the couple. Channing is amazing at bringing light to Jason's life whilst they take part in team building exercises. There are some great examples of relationship building, not just with the MC's but also possible friendships among the workmates and wives of Jason.
Everything seems to flow really easily as I read through the book, a natural progression for Jason and Channing as they move from reunited friends, to co-conspirators as fake boyfriends along to something a lot deeper than either man expected. Channing's journey is just as important as Jason's with his own personal revelations but Jason has spent so long putting himself down and not feeling that he belongs that when he gets the chance to explore, it's beautiful to read and experience.
Cannot recommend this story enough! There are so many emotions within the book from our two MC's but also a host of other characters that aren't shy in expressing themselves. Some of the wives on the team building become a bigger part of the story than you'd think they would originally. So excited for book five in this fourth series.
I received an ARC and am happily giving a review.
meesha69's review against another edition
3.0
Simple book. Cute read. Good amount of steam. Tried tackling some sensitive issues like homophobia, body image, ect. Not a deep book but a pleasant enough read. Of course a nice HEA for our little couple. Recommend for a light read. Both MC were likeable.
cabc's review against another edition
3.0
I was expecting a cute, fluffy rom com and that's about what was delivered! What makes it slightly different is that the story absolutely recognizes what it is, makes a few jokes, and then runs with it. All of the characters are great, and there are quite a few side characters. The plot is predictable, but it's fun and the book is written well.
*spoilers*
I'm not a crazy fan of GFY or bi-discovery as it's not often done well (in my opinion), but this book handles all of its tropes well. Both characters have to discover themselves in different ways before they can truly have a relationship. What a relief that they're not trying to fix each other. There are no crazy revelations, but more recognition as things click into place, and that was also a breath of fresh air.
Now for the cons - these are my personal pet peeves / preferences and probably don't bother plenty of other people. I hate miscommunication that's drawn out, and this book has plenty of it. It doesn't drag on for too long, but enough that I just wanted to yell at the main characters to speak to each other like adults and stop making assumptions for the other. This is such a popular point of conflict in romance and I wish it would just go away. I think this book could do with a bit more editing in the sense that there are rambling paragraphs and unnecessary repetition. And I am not a fan of the epilogue, at all. It's basically a summary of everything you already know from reading the book and, in my opinion, adds nothing to the story.
With all that said - I absolutely recommend giving this a read! It was fun, light-hearted, and sweet. I've never read a book by HJ Welch before and I plan to read more from this author. Like the blurb says - this is completely a standalone and doesn't need to be read in a particular order or with the rest of the series. Happy reading!
*spoilers*
I'm not a crazy fan of GFY or bi-discovery as it's not often done well (in my opinion), but this book handles all of its tropes well. Both characters have to discover themselves in different ways before they can truly have a relationship. What a relief that they're not trying to fix each other. There are no crazy revelations, but more recognition as things click into place, and that was also a breath of fresh air.
Now for the cons - these are my personal pet peeves / preferences and probably don't bother plenty of other people. I hate miscommunication that's drawn out, and this book has plenty of it. It doesn't drag on for too long, but enough that I just wanted to yell at the main characters to speak to each other like adults and stop making assumptions for the other. This is such a popular point of conflict in romance and I wish it would just go away. I think this book could do with a bit more editing in the sense that there are rambling paragraphs and unnecessary repetition. And I am not a fan of the epilogue, at all. It's basically a summary of everything you already know from reading the book and, in my opinion, adds nothing to the story.
With all that said - I absolutely recommend giving this a read! It was fun, light-hearted, and sweet. I've never read a book by HJ Welch before and I plan to read more from this author. Like the blurb says - this is completely a standalone and doesn't need to be read in a particular order or with the rest of the series. Happy reading!
ktomp17's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this! Forced proximity with a fake boyfriend trope and it was well written. I liked how the angst and drama wasn’t surrounding the hidden feelings - when feelings start getting real, they actually talk about it. Yay! The main issue was Jason’s confidence and self-esteem. I loved how everything resolved and worked out. This was very lovely.
lillian_francis's review against another edition
4.0
I'm thoroughly enjoying this series. This one is fake boyfriends trope which is one of my favourites. It's also about discovering your true self and learning to embrace who you really are.
Channing was a cutie, someone always willing to help others. And while I wanted to shake Jason sometimes, I did think he felt authentic in his fears, especially with regard to the bullying.
A good tale needs a supporting cast and some of these come from the other books. I've not read Kris and Remi's story but I want to. They play a big part in this and I'd love to know how they for together.
Channing was a cutie, someone always willing to help others. And while I wanted to shake Jason sometimes, I did think he felt authentic in his fears, especially with regard to the bullying.
A good tale needs a supporting cast and some of these come from the other books. I've not read Kris and Remi's story but I want to. They play a big part in this and I'd love to know how they for together.
isalaur's review against another edition
5.0
I just love this series! I need to go back and read from season one because I really love Hidden Creek and want to move there!! I especially love the references to previous couples and people you just know are going to feature in future books. I can’t imagine the work in maintaining the bible for this series among so many different authors!
This book features Jason and Channing in what begins as a fake boyfriend situation that, as they usually do, turns all too real. Jason works for NASA and feels that he doesn’t fit in with his colleagues and not just because he is gay. At a department retreat held at a ranch in Hidden Creek he is continually the object of ridicule by one particular co-worker. This comes to a head when Channing, who was friends with Jason when they were children, overhears Jason getting abused in the grocery store. He realizes that Jason has invented a non existent boyfriend in an attempt to shut up the obnoxious colleagues and jumps in to become said boyfriend.
Things escalate from there as the awful colleague continually tries to humiliate Jason. Channing comes to the department retreat as Jason’s boyfriend and much to Leroy’s (the jerk) dismay things go well, the boss is impressed and the other people there accept them. Meanwhile Channing realizes his feelings for Jason are becoming real.
The crisis is easy to see coming and you kind of wonder why Jason and Channing aren’t more aware. The blow up is heartbreaking on several fronts. It really annoyed me that Leroy has been allowed to get away with his behavior…it just doesn’t seem realistic in today’s work environments. I wanted someone to stand up to him and was really disappointed no one did. Even when Channing calls out his behavior no one, boss included, responds.
The resolution is really nicely done and life affirming. There is a nice sense of acceptance that runs as a theme through these books and it doesn’t seem like a pipe dream kumbaya kind of thing but rather an imagining of a better place that we all could get to. Hidden Creek is the future we all hope can happen.
*I voluntarily read an ARC and this is my objective review.*
This book features Jason and Channing in what begins as a fake boyfriend situation that, as they usually do, turns all too real. Jason works for NASA and feels that he doesn’t fit in with his colleagues and not just because he is gay. At a department retreat held at a ranch in Hidden Creek he is continually the object of ridicule by one particular co-worker. This comes to a head when Channing, who was friends with Jason when they were children, overhears Jason getting abused in the grocery store. He realizes that Jason has invented a non existent boyfriend in an attempt to shut up the obnoxious colleagues and jumps in to become said boyfriend.
Things escalate from there as the awful colleague continually tries to humiliate Jason. Channing comes to the department retreat as Jason’s boyfriend and much to Leroy’s (the jerk) dismay things go well, the boss is impressed and the other people there accept them. Meanwhile Channing realizes his feelings for Jason are becoming real.
The crisis is easy to see coming and you kind of wonder why Jason and Channing aren’t more aware. The blow up is heartbreaking on several fronts. It really annoyed me that Leroy has been allowed to get away with his behavior…it just doesn’t seem realistic in today’s work environments. I wanted someone to stand up to him and was really disappointed no one did. Even when Channing calls out his behavior no one, boss included, responds.
The resolution is really nicely done and life affirming. There is a nice sense of acceptance that runs as a theme through these books and it doesn’t seem like a pipe dream kumbaya kind of thing but rather an imagining of a better place that we all could get to. Hidden Creek is the future we all hope can happen.
*I voluntarily read an ARC and this is my objective review.*
rocksfalling's review against another edition
2.0
Maybe I expected too much. This was a really sweet story which started out well but by the second half, I was getting bored. The conflict didn't seem that organic and the resolution was basically some new clothes? Book just wasn't for me.
2.5
2.5
vpeterson's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to like this one. I'm rounding up to 3 stars because of the HEA and I did like the end. But the majority of the book was not enjoyable for me.
I love a good geek/gorgeous man story, but Jason was just a bit too insecure for me. I almost stopped reading a couple times because it was too much. Even Channing was a little over the top for me sometimes - he came across as just a pretty face for a good portion of the book.
The ending was cute, but for me, didn't make up for the rest of the book.
YMMV, of course.
I love a good geek/gorgeous man story, but Jason was just a bit too insecure for me. I almost stopped reading a couple times because it was too much. Even Channing was a little over the top for me sometimes - he came across as just a pretty face for a good portion of the book.
The ending was cute, but for me, didn't make up for the rest of the book.
YMMV, of course.