Asking for a Friend by JJ Harper

Title: ⟫ Asking for a Friend

Author: ⟫ JJ Harper

Rating: ⟫ 2.5/5

Blurb: ⟫ Lando writes about romance for a living yet shuns it in his life.

After too many failed relationships, Lando Hardwick has enough. No more dates for him. His taste in men is abysmal. He always falls for the ones who are only looking for fun.

Hesketh Trent has stopped searching for a boyfriend. They only see him as a walking cash machine, only care what he can buy them. What has happened to romance, love?

Getting soaked by scolding coffee is the worst way to start the day, but hell’s bells, the man is divine. Even though the man ticks all his boxes, no way is Lando giving him his phone number. He’ll be like all the rest: one hot night and he kicks him out the door.

But Hesketh doesn’t give up so easily. The cute redhead with no brain-to-mouth filter intrigues him as no man has ever done.

A cat and mouse chase is on, with Lando as the mouse. Once Lando is caught, they can’t stay away from one another.

Until Hesketh makes a mistake.

Thank god for mutual friends who won’t give up on them and push them together when they’re both too stubborn to take the next step.

Asking For a Friend is a stand-alone MM novel with a group of sassy men, a larger-than-life ginger cat called Flanaghan, a stubborn writer, and a man who can plan events but not his own life.

Review: ⟫ You know a book hasn’t worked for you when you find yourself wishing that there had been more written about the cat.

Hesketh and Lando had pretty much zero chemistry as far as I was concerned and even when they got together, I couldn’t figure out what they saw in each other. Then came the ‘big misunderstanding/mistake’ and I rolled my eyes so hard it hurt.

Hesketh made a big mistake – huge – and to be completely honest, I didn’t understand how he did it. Like, I get being distracted but what Hesketh did was so downright disrespectful and pretty much unbelievable that I found myself hoping that Lando would end up with someone else – like someone who would remember his existence maybe?

This book was an easy but not memorable read and I simply didn’t enjoy it and didn’t care about the HEA.

I definitely would have liked to see/hear more about the cat though.

Beck by JJ Harper (Bar 28 Book #4)

Title: ⟫ Beck (Bar 28 Book 4)
Author: ⟫ JJ Harper
Blurb: ⟫ Finally, he’s found his perfect man. Will he be able to keep him?

Beck Thompson is out and proud. He has a job he loves and friends he considers his family. Okay, he doesn’t have a boyfriend, but chances are slim he’ll find the man who’ll accept all of him, his past and his tattoos. He’s happy. Sort of.

Until he sees the perfect man…with the same woman hanging on his arm every night. Damn.

Munro Sylvester has put every aspect of his life on hold to make his business a success. And he’s done it. But he’s never been true to himself.

One look at the gorgeous, colourful man changes everything. He knows he has to make the first move, but he may risk losing everything he’s worked so hard for.

Can Beck trust his heart that Munro is the one for him? Is Munro brave enough to come out and fight for their happily ever after?

Beck has a tattooed bartender who has never had any luck with love, a hard-working gym owner who’s never said “I’m gay” out loud, instant attraction, and well-meaning, meddling friends.

It is the fourth book in the BAR 28 series, a MM contemporary series. Each book can be read as a stand-alone, but you’ll enjoy them best by reading them in order. This series is based in the UK.

Blurb: ⟫ Obligatory admittance that I haven’t read any of the other Bar 28 books, and unfortunately I won’t be looking for them after reading Beck. The story had a lot of potential and I was looking forward to reading about this gorgeous sounding man finding his ‘person’. But I have to be honest and admit that I never really felt that Munro deserved Beck. The whole manner in which he handled the Lucie situation annoyed the heck out of me – especially later in the book when she ‘tricked’ him into taking her shopping. Like, after everything she did, why would he let that happen?

I found it easy to see which other characters in the book had previous stories and I would imagine for anyone who has read all of the Bar 28 books that it would be nice to catch up with them all.

Beck was an interesting character and I wish I could have seen all of the tattoos and especially the exhibition. That sounded really epic and the author did a very good job describing the whole thing and helping you visualise it. But my feelings about the book were soured by Munro to the extent that there were a couple of times where I really wish that Beck had thrown away his phone number for good and walked past Munro when he waited for him outside the bar!

The writing was solid, most of the characters were engaging and entertaining – I just wish Beck had found a love worthy of him!

I received an ARC from GRR.