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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
Re-reading as it is being re-released with a new cover.
Second reading: I'd forgotten how much I liked this very British romance from Jay.
Centred around a team of work colleagues taking part in the insanity of the Mad Mucker, it had all the hallmarks of this author - a Bristol setting, a sense of humour, two characters with real human frailties and strengths.
I loved that Aiden wasn't perfect, although Matt was approaching that with his personal trainer lifestyle.
I loved that they started out as teammates, then friends before moving into a friends with benefits status and developing 'feelings'.
The outcome was one which felt totally worked for and I totally believed in their HEA.
#ARC kindly received from the author in return for an honest and unbiased review.
Second reading: I'd forgotten how much I liked this very British romance from Jay.
Centred around a team of work colleagues taking part in the insanity of the Mad Mucker, it had all the hallmarks of this author - a Bristol setting, a sense of humour, two characters with real human frailties and strengths.
I loved that Aiden wasn't perfect, although Matt was approaching that with his personal trainer lifestyle.
I loved that they started out as teammates, then friends before moving into a friends with benefits status and developing 'feelings'.
The outcome was one which felt totally worked for and I totally believed in their HEA.
#ARC kindly received from the author in return for an honest and unbiased review.
I just have no idea how to rate this.
Everything else except one thing was just as lovely as Northcote's work usually is. There's a reason I've read over a dozen of his works. These characters here have great banter, great chemistry, the training and the race is exciting and fun, the sex is steamy.
It's so unfortunate and exhausting, though, to slam up against what to me is a giant moment of casual biphobia from a romantic lead in the middle of the book.
Yeah, the target of the biphobia is allowed to be angry, and tells the speaker what he did wrong. But it's treated as a minor mistake, really, from a character that I'm supposed to then like and trust. When I come out as bisexual to somebody and they respond with dismissive bullshit about me being in denial, I walk away from them, and they do not see my face again. And I really don't want to be reminded of any of them while escaping into a love story.
I powered through after that gut punch, resentfully. And everything else is nice, honest. I think it would be a 5 star book except that I got treated like shit in the middle of it, so two stars? One? It's not a minor thing to respond to someone's coming out with derision, in a queer romance ffs.
Everything else except one thing was just as lovely as Northcote's work usually is. There's a reason I've read over a dozen of his works. These characters here have great banter, great chemistry, the training and the race is exciting and fun, the sex is steamy.
It's so unfortunate and exhausting, though, to slam up against what to me is a giant moment of casual biphobia from a romantic lead in the middle of the book.
Yeah, the target of the biphobia is allowed to be angry, and tells the speaker what he did wrong. But it's treated as a minor mistake, really, from a character that I'm supposed to then like and trust. When I come out as bisexual to somebody and they respond with dismissive bullshit about me being in denial, I walk away from them, and they do not see my face again. And I really don't want to be reminded of any of them while escaping into a love story.
I powered through after that gut punch, resentfully. And everything else is nice, honest. I think it would be a 5 star book except that I got treated like shit in the middle of it, so two stars? One? It's not a minor thing to respond to someone's coming out with derision, in a queer romance ffs.