Reluctantly You by Cora Rose (Our Exception Book #3)

TITLE: ⟫ Reluctantly You

AUTHOR: ⟫ Cora Rose

SERIES: ⟫ Our Exception Book #3

RATING: ⟫ 3/5

BLURB: ⟫ They say blood makes you related but loyalty makes you a family…

Sounds like a tacky wall-art quote to me. But what do I know? I don’t have a family. Not anymore. And I definitely don’t know loyalty. Not since my brothers collectively decided to shut me out of their lives... Not since my mother lied to me and kept a devastating secret... Not since my father sold our company out from under me to a smug jerk with a chip on his shoulder.

Gideon Masters… he’s my new boss, and I hate him for everything that’s happened to me. For everything that’s been taken away. Even though I know, deep down, that being an angry bastard all my life hasn’t done me any favors, and that my hatred must have consequences. So maybe Gideon is my rightful punishment. Maybe I deserve his retribution for my sins. But the way he taunts me and torments me, the way he commands me, it all feels too good to be wrong. Maybe I don’t want him to stop. Maybe my punishment could also be my savior.

This story contains intense themes of depression and homophobia, as well as other potential triggers. Please see the full list of trigger warnings at the beginning of the book.

REVIEW: ⟫ I think sheer stubbornness made me finish reading this. I wanted to know what happened to the third brother and kinda close the door on Sem and Whit, etc. I have found my reaction to Cora Rose books to be variable – I either absolutely love them or just find them too quirky for me.

The thing is, this one wasn’t quirky but it also didn’t work for me. I mean, we got cameos from a whole feast of previous characters and occasionally the links to them are a little unbelievable. I didn’t like Mitch but to be fair, I didn’t like Gideon either. I just found them to be caricatures rather than fully fleshed people and their relationship just didn’t connect in my mind at all.

I think the issues of internalised homophobia and depression were handled quite well, and I did enjoy reconnecting with Basil and his menagerie. I’m glad I read it if only to consider the series ‘complete’ but it wasn’t my favourite by any stretch. Obviously YMMV.

Suddenly You by Cora Rose (Our Exception #2)

TITLE: ⟫ Suddenly You

AUTHOR: ⟫ Cora Rose

SERIES: ⟫ Our Exception #2

RATING: ⟫ 4/5

BLURB: ⟫ We’ve all heard the saying, "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas."

God help me, if only that were true.

Because as it turns out, my surprise gay husband is very much still my husband outside of the great state of Nevada. And let me tell you, as a straight guy, waking up married to a man I barely know with no memory of how it happened wasn’t even on my Bingo card.

What started as a fun weekend getaway to support my brothers in their relationships and show them how much I've grown, has somehow spiraled wildly out of my control.

Cooper Barone is rich, kind, and charming, but he’s holding all the cards now. Because he doesn't want our marriage annulled. No, he says he wants us to make a deal. He wants me to spend time with him, to move in with him.

All I know is that I’m broke and I can't afford a divorce without his compliance, without his help.

So there’s nothing left for me to do but agree and accept my fate.

I'm a straight dude with a husband.

This is my life now.

REVIEW: ⟫ I have not enjoyed the most recent Cora Rose books as much as I did when I initially started reading their books. I think it was more me than the actual material – I was looking for something else, whereas I feel that they write slightly insane meet cute circumstances with steamy sex scenes very well. Perhaps I was in my dark era?

Anyway, I wasn’t sure what to expect from Suddenly You because, like many of their other books, it calls back to different series that they write, and Matt did not stand out to me when I met him before. However, despite the ‘getting married in Vegas’ trope being a little out there, along with Cooper’s insistence that there wouldn’t be a divorce until he was ready, this book touched me quite deeply. Matt is a troubled young man, struggling against his upbringing, what he has been taught by his parents, and drowning in debt. The only good thing in his life is his reconnection with two of his brothers, and even that comes with issues.

Adding a bisexual awakening to the mix seemed like just too much for the poor man to handle. Until there was Cooper. Cooper who seemed to understand just how touch-starved Matt was; who despite ‘spoiled rich boy’ vibes was actually incredibly kind, caring and careful with Matt. Cooper was the standout for me in this book – he was as much deeper character than first presented, allowed Matt to move at his own pace, and was also willing to risk his heart on a closeted man who has demonstrated less than stellar behaviour in the past.

I really enjoyed reading this and was surprised by how much depth was in the book, whilst still allowing for the usual madcap adventures, albeit in the background. It was cool to see Whit and Caleb are still as deranged, and obviously Sem gets a special mention. Now that I am out of my ‘dark’ era (or taking a break from it at least), I think I may revisit the Cora Rose books I’ve overlooked in the meantime. .