Dad Next Door by Willow Dixon (Crimson Club #5)

TITLE: ⟫ Dad Next Door

AUTHOR: ⟫ Willow Dixon

SERIES: ⟫ Crimson Club #5

RATING: ⟫ /5

BLURB: ⟫ Moving into my first house is step one in starting my new life. Next is setting up my contracting business. I’m so focused on my future that a relationship is the last thing on my mind.

Then I meet Tristan, the single dad next door. He might be my total opposite, but we click in a way I’ve never experienced, and he quickly becomes one of my closest friends.

After attending a wedding as his fake date to make his ex, and his ex’s new boyfriend, jealous, I can’t deny that things between us have changed. I always thought I was straight, but being with Tristan doesn’t just feel good, it feels right.

Having a fling with my neighbor might be a recipe for disaster, but it could also be exactly what we both need to finally move on from our pasts.

Quinn and Tristan’s story is a friends-to-lovers, bi-awakening romance between a retired porn model who just moved into his first home, and a single dad trying to navigate life after divorce. Expect a fake relationship, an age gap, found family, all the feels, lots of spice, and tons of heat as these neighbors find out that sometimes opposites really do attract. It is the fifth novel in the exciting new Crimson Club series but can be read as a standalone.

REVIEW: ⟫ Currently reading – review to follow. I received an ARC from GRR.

Best Served Cold by Willow Dixon (Crimson Club #3

TITLE: ⟫ Best Served Cold

AUTHOR: ⟫ Willow Dixon

SERIES: ⟫ Crimson Club #3

RATING: ⟫ 4/5

BLURB: ⟫ When the guys at work dare me and the new guy to play a game of gay chicken, I figure I’ll get my first kiss and bragging rights for winning. What I don’t expect is for that game to awaken something in me. Something I’ve never felt before.

Something that makes me want more. Makes me want him.

I never back down from a challenge, but that doesn’t explain why being with Noah feels so good. Why I can’t stop thinking about him. Why he’s the only person who’s ever stirred even the slightest interest in me.

Why getting him off gets me off.

Watching Noah lose control is everything. So is knowing he can’t stay away from me, either.

Zane and Noah’s story is an animosity to lovers, double bi-awakening romance. You can expect public fun, tons of heat, lots of banter, and reluctant feels as these two impulsive and competitive guys realize that in some games, everyone’s a winner. It is the third book in the exciting new Crimson Club series but can be read as a standalone.

REVIEW: ⟫ I was expecting an every day, ho hum, enemies to lovers story but in Best Served Cold, we get so much more.

Zane and River have utterly fascinated me from the first time we met them – especially considering their act at the Crimson Club – so finding out about Zane’s lack of interest in dating, etc was a bit of a surprise. But a very good one. I really enjoyed the fact that his sexuality was just another topic of conversation amongst the friend group – no one tried to make him feel weird for not knowing certain things, or needing explanations/examples that worked for him. I also really enjoyed seeing more of the relationship between the twins (although River talking to Zane and Noah through the bedroom wall for some reason had me in absolute stitches!

Noah was a complicated character, and once we learned more of his back-story, my heart broke for him. Even with the distance he managed to gain from his abusive family, their words – and the words of the Pastor – had buried deeply into his psyche and made it so difficult for him to see that he was a good person, deserving of love and respect and friendship.

Once again, an excellent cast of characters in the background made this story multifaceted, and we caught up with some old friends during the course of the story but not in a way that precluded it being a standalone. Willow Dixon is rapidly becoming one of my auto-reads as I have always enjoyed reading her stories. I’m really pleased with this addition and cannot wait for River’s story.

I received an ARC from GRR.

Stepbrother Dearest by Willow Dixon (Crimson Club #1)

Title: ⟫ Stepbrother Dearest (Crimson Club #1)

Author: ⟫ Willow Dixon

Rating: ⟫ 4/5

Blurb: ⟫ Of all the people who could have seen me when I was at my most vulnerable, it had to be him.

Caleb. My stepbrother and the golden child of our messed up blended family. We barely know each other, but for some reason he takes care of me when an incident at the club leaves me helpless and alone.

He hates me as much as I hate him, but something about his bossy attitude and unflappable calm soothes me. I don’t want to want him, but no one has ever made me feel the way he does.

Hooking up with my enemy is stupid as f*ck. So is breaking my rules for him. I know this, but whatever is between us will eventually burn out and I can go back to my solitary life and forget all about how amazing it feels to let someone else take control.

* * * * *

Gray and Caleb’s story is an enemies-with-benefits-to-lovers romance between stepbrothers who discover that sometimes the person you hate is the only one who can give you what you need. Expect lots of steamy encounters, tons of dirty talk, and reluctant feels as these two enemies learn the truth about themselves, and each other. It is the first book in the exciting new Crimson Club series but can be read as a stand-alone.

Review: ⟫ I’m always fascinated by the stepbrother trope – I have seen it written so many different ways but I enjoyed reading this one. Gray and Caleb are stepbrothers in name more than anything else – there was very little interaction between them when they were growing up and they didn’t have a sibling relationship. I know that can be something that puts people off reading this trope (although others prefer it if the couple DID grow up together – YMMV).

Gray was very close to rock bottom and feels like a failure when he meets up with Caleb again and lingering resentment from the past taints their interactions. I thought Caleb sounded dreamy and could well understand Gray’s feelings of insecurity and resentment – it seemed like everything had gone Caleb’s way whilst Gray was left to struggle. Add that to his brother’s relationship with Gray’s rival from his past, potentially losing his job and being forced to live in his car again and Gray was not in a good place.

What I loved about Gray was his ability to be honest with himself – to see his brother’s relationship as something to be happy about; his ability to make the most of what he had, especially with his relationships with the other dancers and how that grew stronger throughout the story; his feelings for Caleb and how he slowly began to relax and see that he could have this, that his life could take a new, unexpected turn that gave him a chance for happiness.

Caleb was brilliant – I loved his character, his caring nature, his ability to see past Gray’s prickliness to what was underneath, and ultimately how well he fits with Gray. This was a sexy, involving read, with a host of entertaining characters and a satisfying ending. Definitely a good read and I would recommend it.

I received an ARC from GRR.