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gillianw's review
4.0
Reviewed for Just Love
3.5 stars
I certainly do enjoy a friends-to-lovers story, and Kit and Dante were quite adorable as they stumbled their way into a relationship with each other. Aside from some very minor issues, I quite enjoyed this book from new to me author, Nicole Field.
Dante has had a crush on his older brother’s friend for as long as he can remember. But the age difference between the two of them has meant that Kit hasn’t ever really looked at Dante as a potential lover. At least not until a fateful meeting at a gay bar that leaves Dante hopeful, and a newly single Kit looking at Dante with fresh eyes when Dante makes a surprising confession.
“You…had a crush…on me?” Kit asked, barely above a whisper. It was as though all the upset behind his words evaporated behind the fact that he couldn’t quite believe this.
Dante stared right back at him. “Don’t tell me you didn’t know. It sure as hell felt obvious to me at the time.”
Kit shook his head slowly. “I didn’t know,” he said.
“Well,” Dante said, nodding his head once, sharply. “Now you know.”
“Okay.” Kit looked kind of lost, as if he didn’t know where in his apartment to look if he wasn’t looking at Dante.
It wasn’t the most effusive response that Dante could have hoped for.
There is some back and forth on Kit’s part while he tries to sort out his feelings for his best friend’s brother, and while I normally find that kind of waffling incredibly annoying, I appreciated Kit’s hesitancy to start something with Dante. The false starts felt more honest than irritating, as Kit has to weigh up the possibility of losing a friendship (if the relationship fails) against the romantic feelings he’s developing for Dante. When Kit does make up his mind, though, he has no qualms in letting Dante know how he feels.
After a long moment, Kit lowered his gaze and walked to the bed. He raised his eyes again as Dante’s palm cupped his jaw. “Are you okay?”
A hesitation, then a smile. “I’ve never seen this side of you before,” he murmured.
“Dominant?” asked Dante
Dante watched Kit’s chest rise with his breath. “Hellishly sexy,” Kit replied.
While Kit and Dante dance around each other, there are some very nice scenes with them that involve a weekly dinner with Con (Dante’s brother & Kit’s bestie) and Maggie (Con’s wife). Ever since the relationship between Con and his parents broken down, due entirely to Con’s transness, the brothers make an effort to meet up for dinner to replace the dinner with parents that Con is no longer allowed to attend. I liked how Dante and Con carried on this family tradition, with zero fucks given on Con’s part that his parents are no longer a part of his life.
Where this story kind of felt false or slightly off for me, was the storyline regarding the unfair dismissal case that Kit and his lawyer partner, Con, agree to take on. I just didn’t feel that this part of the story flowed with the rest of the book and using the case as a device for Kit and Dante to face their Big Misunderstanding didn’t really feel important enough for it to crush Kit as much as it did.
My other minor quibble is that the parents in this book come off as rather cookie cutter “bad” and “good.” Con and Dante’s parents are your typical rich pricks, more concerned with keeping up appearances rather than their children’s happiness, whereas Kit’s mum comes off as this slightly incompetent (except in the kitchen, of course) earth mother who hugs everyone. I think most people fall in between those good and bad categories – although there are always exceptions – and it would be nice if fictional parents were able to be as complicated and nuanced as their kids, instead of being painted with broad strokes.
Having said that, there is still a lot to enjoy in this book and if you are looking for a sweet little friends to lovers story, you aren’t likely to be disappointed in this one.
I received an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review
3.5 stars
I certainly do enjoy a friends-to-lovers story, and Kit and Dante were quite adorable as they stumbled their way into a relationship with each other. Aside from some very minor issues, I quite enjoyed this book from new to me author, Nicole Field.
Dante has had a crush on his older brother’s friend for as long as he can remember. But the age difference between the two of them has meant that Kit hasn’t ever really looked at Dante as a potential lover. At least not until a fateful meeting at a gay bar that leaves Dante hopeful, and a newly single Kit looking at Dante with fresh eyes when Dante makes a surprising confession.
“You…had a crush…on me?” Kit asked, barely above a whisper. It was as though all the upset behind his words evaporated behind the fact that he couldn’t quite believe this.
Dante stared right back at him. “Don’t tell me you didn’t know. It sure as hell felt obvious to me at the time.”
Kit shook his head slowly. “I didn’t know,” he said.
“Well,” Dante said, nodding his head once, sharply. “Now you know.”
“Okay.” Kit looked kind of lost, as if he didn’t know where in his apartment to look if he wasn’t looking at Dante.
It wasn’t the most effusive response that Dante could have hoped for.
There is some back and forth on Kit’s part while he tries to sort out his feelings for his best friend’s brother, and while I normally find that kind of waffling incredibly annoying, I appreciated Kit’s hesitancy to start something with Dante. The false starts felt more honest than irritating, as Kit has to weigh up the possibility of losing a friendship (if the relationship fails) against the romantic feelings he’s developing for Dante. When Kit does make up his mind, though, he has no qualms in letting Dante know how he feels.
After a long moment, Kit lowered his gaze and walked to the bed. He raised his eyes again as Dante’s palm cupped his jaw. “Are you okay?”
A hesitation, then a smile. “I’ve never seen this side of you before,” he murmured.
“Dominant?” asked Dante
Dante watched Kit’s chest rise with his breath. “Hellishly sexy,” Kit replied.
While Kit and Dante dance around each other, there are some very nice scenes with them that involve a weekly dinner with Con (Dante’s brother & Kit’s bestie) and Maggie (Con’s wife). Ever since the relationship between Con and his parents broken down, due entirely to Con’s transness, the brothers make an effort to meet up for dinner to replace the dinner with parents that Con is no longer allowed to attend. I liked how Dante and Con carried on this family tradition, with zero fucks given on Con’s part that his parents are no longer a part of his life.
Where this story kind of felt false or slightly off for me, was the storyline regarding the unfair dismissal case that Kit and his lawyer partner, Con, agree to take on. I just didn’t feel that this part of the story flowed with the rest of the book and using the case as a device for Kit and Dante to face their Big Misunderstanding didn’t really feel important enough for it to crush Kit as much as it did.
My other minor quibble is that the parents in this book come off as rather cookie cutter “bad” and “good.” Con and Dante’s parents are your typical rich pricks, more concerned with keeping up appearances rather than their children’s happiness, whereas Kit’s mum comes off as this slightly incompetent (except in the kitchen, of course) earth mother who hugs everyone. I think most people fall in between those good and bad categories – although there are always exceptions – and it would be nice if fictional parents were able to be as complicated and nuanced as their kids, instead of being painted with broad strokes.
Having said that, there is still a lot to enjoy in this book and if you are looking for a sweet little friends to lovers story, you aren’t likely to be disappointed in this one.
I received an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review
ariadna's review
1.0
This book. #Tiredsigh
I'll start with the one positive:
there's plenty of good queer rep in this story. IIRC, there's a gay guy, a bisexual guy, a few transgender characters (not the MCs), and even some queer youth. On top of that, there are 5 female characters who have distinct personalities and interact with the MCs in ways that make sense for the story. I really appreciated seeing all these characters talk to each other, hang out, etc just like, you know, real life.
THAT SAID, it's not that I need action-y premises or wall-to-wall sex for me to fall in love with a book. BUT, if a story is going to happen in an everyday setting, I do need something to keep me interested.
Unfortch, this novel is INCREDIBLY DULL. Like, this story is the book version of a pair of white cotton socks. You might wear them and think "yeah, they're comfortable, but there's nothing super amazing about them." And that's exactly how I feel whenever I think about this book. My mind just goes zzzzzzzzzz.
The basic premise is Kit (a gay lawyer) is trying to get over his most recent break-up at the same time that Dante (a business owner who is also bisexual) seizes on the opportunity to get with Kit, the one guy he's crushed on for years. Complicating matters is the fact that Kit works with Con (who is Dante's older brother and Kit's BFF.)
As far as the romance goes, it's pretty serviceable. Kit and Dante get together in a mildly cute way and then story kinda stagnates. We follow along in their day-to-day lives. For example, Kit's representing a guy in a labor dispute and we get to sit with him as he discusses the minutiae of labor laws. Talk about ELECTRIFYING! #NOT
And then, around the 63%, Kit snaps at Dante after a terrible day at work. Dante tries to calm Kit down and Kit ends up breaking up with him. Just like that.
Eventually, after some minor groveling in Kit's part, they get back together, blah, blah, blah.
The sex scenes were of the "fade to black" variety. TBH, I don't think that adding super graphic/on the page sex scenes would've helped the story.
One thing I thought of as odd was a paragraph around the 43-44%. The context: Kit and Dante are about to kiss and then Dante thinks this:
His voice was low, still holding only the edge of the growl from earlier. It was the tone of voice he'd used to bring various men and women to their knees over the years of his sexual promiscuity. He was very confident when it came to his own sex appeal. And he was confident that he'd now given Kit something more to think about than whatever plan Kit had been able to come up all on his own.
Is it me or is that a backhanded ~compliment~? The correlation between Dante being bisexual + promiscuity made me side-eye the story.
Oh, and there's a random scene around the 86% in which Kit takes Dante to introduce him to his mom. Which was strange because it was played as if Kit's mom had never met Dante. The reason it doesn't make sense is because the story brings up Kit's friendship with both Con AND Dante (again, spanning years. Like, at least 20.) So, I'd think that, at some point, Dante would've met Kit's mom.
EVEN WEIRDER is that Dante asks Kit about Kit's father. Again, wouldn't Dante know what happened to Kit's dad given that he's known Kit since he (Dante) was 8 years old? #ImeanHUH???
TL;DR: This story is a slice of untoasted white bread without any butter, jam, marmalade. You might eat it if you're hungry, but it's not delicious. Do I recommend this novel? No, it's too bland. It's not terrible but the boring factor is so high that I can't think what would be appealing about it.
Also, this is the second book in a series. I read it without reading the first one and it made sense. AFAIK, the first book is about Con and how he ended up with his future wife.
I'll start with the one positive:
there's plenty of good queer rep in this story. IIRC, there's a gay guy, a bisexual guy, a few transgender characters (not the MCs), and even some queer youth. On top of that, there are 5 female characters who have distinct personalities and interact with the MCs in ways that make sense for the story. I really appreciated seeing all these characters talk to each other, hang out, etc just like, you know, real life.
THAT SAID, it's not that I need action-y premises or wall-to-wall sex for me to fall in love with a book. BUT, if a story is going to happen in an everyday setting, I do need something to keep me interested.
Unfortch, this novel is INCREDIBLY DULL. Like, this story is the book version of a pair of white cotton socks. You might wear them and think "yeah, they're comfortable, but there's nothing super amazing about them." And that's exactly how I feel whenever I think about this book. My mind just goes zzzzzzzzzz.
The basic premise is Kit (a gay lawyer) is trying to get over his most recent break-up at the same time that Dante (a business owner who is also bisexual) seizes on the opportunity to get with Kit, the one guy he's crushed on for years. Complicating matters is the fact that Kit works with Con (who is Dante's older brother and Kit's BFF.)
As far as the romance goes, it's pretty serviceable. Kit and Dante get together in a mildly cute way and then story kinda stagnates. We follow along in their day-to-day lives. For example, Kit's representing a guy in a labor dispute and we get to sit with him as he discusses the minutiae of labor laws. Talk about ELECTRIFYING! #NOT
And then, around the 63%, Kit snaps at Dante after a terrible day at work. Dante tries to calm Kit down and Kit ends up breaking up with him. Just like that.
Eventually, after some minor groveling in Kit's part, they get back together, blah, blah, blah.
The sex scenes were of the "fade to black" variety. TBH, I don't think that adding super graphic/on the page sex scenes would've helped the story.
One thing I thought of as odd was a paragraph around the 43-44%. The context: Kit and Dante are about to kiss and then Dante thinks this:
His voice was low, still holding only the edge of the growl from earlier. It was the tone of voice he'd used to bring various men and women to their knees over the years of his sexual promiscuity. He was very confident when it came to his own sex appeal. And he was confident that he'd now given Kit something more to think about than whatever plan Kit had been able to come up all on his own.
Is it me or is that a backhanded ~compliment~? The correlation between Dante being bisexual + promiscuity made me side-eye the story.
Oh, and there's a random scene around the 86% in which Kit takes Dante to introduce him to his mom. Which was strange because it was played as if Kit's mom had never met Dante. The reason it doesn't make sense is because the story brings up Kit's friendship with both Con AND Dante (again, spanning years. Like, at least 20.) So, I'd think that, at some point, Dante would've met Kit's mom.
EVEN WEIRDER is that Dante asks Kit about Kit's father. Again, wouldn't Dante know what happened to Kit's dad given that he's known Kit since he (Dante) was 8 years old? #ImeanHUH???
TL;DR: This story is a slice of untoasted white bread without any butter, jam, marmalade. You might eat it if you're hungry, but it's not delicious. Do I recommend this novel? No, it's too bland. It's not terrible but the boring factor is so high that I can't think what would be appealing about it.
Also, this is the second book in a series. I read it without reading the first one and it made sense. AFAIK, the first book is about Con and how he ended up with his future wife.
calissa's review
3.0
Bad Beginnings is a sweet romance that does a fantastic job of modelling respectful behaviour in a number of different ways.
It's a friends-to-lovers story. Kit is a lawyer who has started a private practice with his best friend. Having recently split up with his boyfriend, he's beginning to realise how claustrophobic his life has become: it's all work and no play. While he's not exactly happy about this and yearns for the steady relationship his best friend has, Kit is not the outgoing sort. The end of his relationship was a blow to his already low confidence. He's uncomfortable in his own skin and he's a bit embarrassed when Dante finds him at the gay nightclub he's been pushed into visiting.
Dante is the brother of Kit's best friend and has all the confidence Kit lacks. He runs his own tabletop gaming store, which automatically made him my favourite. He's also great with people, a caring and considerate guy who tries to help others. When he discovers Kit is single again, he's thrilled--and he makes his interest plain--but he also never pushes Kit. At every turn, he seeks Kit's consent and backs off when it isn't given or is withdrawn.
Consent is not the only way in which the book models respectful behaviour. Kit's BFF, Con, is a trans man. This is not looked upon favourably by Con and Dante's parents, who persistently misgender and deadname Con. However, this is never shown on screen. Whenever it takes place within a scene, the author is careful to paraphrase rather than trigger readers by depicting it directly.
Sex is also not depicted directly, so if you like your romances sweet rather than steamy, Bad Beginnings is a good choice.
The relationship between Kit and Dante is the biggest strength of the book and is let down by a weak crisis point. When Kit loses a work case, it triggers a crisis of confidence. However, it's a sub-plot that never had much strength behind it. It's a little too vague how Kit managed to lose the case and not entirely plausible that he's never lost up until that point--particularly since the business has been running long enough to have two employees other than Kit and Con. Kit displaces his feelings of inadequacy by starting an argument with Dante. While this works, the resolution between them came a little too quickly. Instead of seeing Kit wrestle much with what he's done, we jump back in after he's already got his life pretty well put back together. It felt a little glossed over, with the story all too eager to focus on the next obstacle of Dante's parents. The book could have benefited from a bit more length.
Nevertheless, Bad Beginnings was a charming read. I'm delighted to discover that Con's story is told in the first book, so I will definitely be checking that out.
Disclaimer: I was provided with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This review first appeared on Earl Grey Editing.
It's a friends-to-lovers story. Kit is a lawyer who has started a private practice with his best friend. Having recently split up with his boyfriend, he's beginning to realise how claustrophobic his life has become: it's all work and no play. While he's not exactly happy about this and yearns for the steady relationship his best friend has, Kit is not the outgoing sort. The end of his relationship was a blow to his already low confidence. He's uncomfortable in his own skin and he's a bit embarrassed when Dante finds him at the gay nightclub he's been pushed into visiting.
Dante is the brother of Kit's best friend and has all the confidence Kit lacks. He runs his own tabletop gaming store, which automatically made him my favourite. He's also great with people, a caring and considerate guy who tries to help others. When he discovers Kit is single again, he's thrilled--and he makes his interest plain--but he also never pushes Kit. At every turn, he seeks Kit's consent and backs off when it isn't given or is withdrawn.
Consent is not the only way in which the book models respectful behaviour. Kit's BFF, Con, is a trans man. This is not looked upon favourably by Con and Dante's parents, who persistently misgender and deadname Con. However, this is never shown on screen. Whenever it takes place within a scene, the author is careful to paraphrase rather than trigger readers by depicting it directly.
Sex is also not depicted directly, so if you like your romances sweet rather than steamy, Bad Beginnings is a good choice.
The relationship between Kit and Dante is the biggest strength of the book and is let down by a weak crisis point. When Kit loses a work case, it triggers a crisis of confidence. However, it's a sub-plot that never had much strength behind it. It's a little too vague how Kit managed to lose the case and not entirely plausible that he's never lost up until that point--particularly since the business has been running long enough to have two employees other than Kit and Con. Kit displaces his feelings of inadequacy by starting an argument with Dante. While this works, the resolution between them came a little too quickly. Instead of seeing Kit wrestle much with what he's done, we jump back in after he's already got his life pretty well put back together. It felt a little glossed over, with the story all too eager to focus on the next obstacle of Dante's parents. The book could have benefited from a bit more length.
Nevertheless, Bad Beginnings was a charming read. I'm delighted to discover that Con's story is told in the first book, so I will definitely be checking that out.
Disclaimer: I was provided with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This review first appeared on Earl Grey Editing.
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