Review: Deal Maker by Lily Morton

Review: Deal Maker by Lily Morton
Amazon
Novel: 335pgs

4.5 Pants Off

Blurb: Sometimes your mouth makes deals that your heart can’t honour.

Jude is a highly successful model, but a very reluctant one. His life is full of casual hook-ups with pretty men in glamorous locations, but it’s still empty. However, circumstances decreed a long time ago that this was his path, so he’s resolutely stayed on it and accepted his fate with good grace. He made a deal with himself and his hook-ups. Get in, get out and no ties with anyone.

However, an accident at home one night leads to him making a new deal and accepting the offer of help from an unlikely source. It leads to an unexpected summer of falling in love with a larger than life man and his child.

But by the end of the summer his reasons for not staying are still valid. Will he turn away? Can he?

Asa is a talented actor who has spent time away from the scene to look after his son. But now he’s back, and the last thing he needs are complications from the gorgeous man who is staying with him. Scarred from too many betrayals, he has no intention of forming a lasting tie with anyone. However, he can’t resist the beautiful man with secrets, and to his horror he develops feelings.

But a deal’s a deal and they said it was just for the summer. What can Asa do with a man who has forever in his eyes and goodbye on his lips?

From the Amazon bestselling author of ‘Rule Breaker’ comes another scorchingly hot romantic comedy. 

Review

 Some Deals Are Meant To Be Broken

First of all, the cover. I am a little in love with it, that turtleneck and cheekbones combo is legit delicious. I’m here for all of it, the cover and the freaking book. Deal Maker has socked Rule Breaker in the face. This book came out of nowhere! Like my curiosity was peaked because of Jude in Rule Breaker, but it played no games and I am all sorts of in love with it. 

Jude is a model barely making ends meet when a bathtub through his apartment roof leaves him without a home. An idea by his hookup Dean to stay over at his stepbrothers sounds ludicrous but beggars can’t be choosers and Jude needs a place to stay until his apartment is in working order. What Dean forgot to mention is that his brother is a big time actor and also very much hates models. Asa Jacobs is gorgeous with a beautiful son and he is everything that Jude doesn’t want but so desperately needs. They make a deal to have summer of lust and at the end walk away from each other, but some deals are meant to be broken. Because Jude and Asa come together in tangled limbs, laughter, and it’s oh so beautiful. But men cannot live on sex alone and sometimes feelings get in the way, and the next thing you know you’re in love. Hey can we change the rules of this deal a little?

Things I Liked: Almost every fecking thing! Like seriously this was just a surprisingly amazing book.

The formula of it all was so on point, the prose, a distinct sense of place, just all came together so well. Jude is such a light funny character with so much personality I’m in love and to think I hated him at first (hangs head in shame). 

Asa, (big sigh) like how do I get one of him. He’s just pure raw sweetness and when you take off his wrapping he becomes a sexy being. Together they lit my pants on fire and filled me with romantic feelings. Legit this book was mad romantic y’all. I want walks on the beach and sh*t now.

Asa’s son Billy. He is one adorable sweet little boy, I couldn’t get enough of him.

Things I Didn’t Like: Only a few little things but still important. I was irked in the beginning by Jude’s stupid persona.  

I knew this was an act but I can’t handle stupidity in any form in any way. 

The little inclusion of a certain Ex. His ass wasn’t need and it made that scene a little too dramatic and campy, I cringed through it all. I get the idea of closure and sticking it to the man, but it serves no purpose in furthering the plot line and therefore I found it insignificant.  

This was a winner for me and is my very first favourite of 2018. It’s nice when you go into a book with no expectations and it blows you out of the water. Deal Maker is funny, sweet, and very sexy. It’s a great contemporary romance and very family orientated. Lily Morton did a wonderful job and I’m on board for anything she writes now. You’ve found a fan in me!!  

SideNote- So where Henry’s book at? I feel like mans got a tale to tell…

     

Review: Rule Breaker by Lily Morton

Rule Breaker by Lily Morton
Self-Published
Novel: 302pgs

3 Pants Off

Blurb: Is it really wrong to want to murder your boss?   

Dylan has worked for Gabe for two years. Two long years of sarcastic comments. Two long years of insults and having to redo the coffee pot four times in the mornings to meet his exacting standards.   

Not surprisingly he has devoted a lot of time to increasingly inventive ways to murder Gabe. From stabbing him with a cake fork, to garrotting him with his expensive tie, Dylan has thought of everything.   

However, a chance encounter opens his eyes to the attraction that has always lain between them, concealed by the layers of antipathy. There are only two problems - Gabe is still a bastard, and he makes wedding planners look like hardened pessimists.   

But what happens when Dylan starts to see the real Gabe? What happens when he starts to fall in love with the warm, wary man that he sees glimpses of as the days pass? 

 Because Gabe is still the same commitment shy, cold man that he’s always been, or is he? Has Dylan had the same effect on Gabe, and has his solid gold rule of no commitment finally been broken? With his heart taken Dylan desperately needs to know, but will he get hurt trying to find the answers?  

 From the author of ‘The Summer of Us’ comes another scorchingly hot romantic comedy, showing what happens between two men when rules get broken.

Review

All the ways I was excited to read this, because there is nothing more I enjoy in a book than an authentic asshole. Gabe had the potential to be that asshole and there were moments his assholery (owning this word) shined but I felt like he was playing a character instead of being the character. he had the potential to be meaner and I just didn’t feel it. He was soft, like a cinnamon bun. 

Not to delve too deep into the plot because the blurb pretty much shares what the book is about. Man is in love with boss, boss is an asshole, and boss also has an asshole boyfriend. They do this back and forth dance while remaining professional towards each other but at certain times I found Gabe very unprofessional and insensitive (cough- f*cking in his office). He’s like food you didn’t microwave properly. Hot in some parts and cold in others.  

The story itself is something we’ve all read already. I know I’ve read the same scenario in many a books and this one didn’t excite me. I’m not saying it was horrible, I’m saying there was no “wow” factor and it all played out like you would expect it to. I did like the relationship between Dylan and Gabe. I think that was one of the seeking points in the book. Their relationship felt natural and I could feel the respect they have towards each other (unless Gabe was feeling petty and took his big boy pants off). 

Overall, it was an alright read for me. The story was engaging, some of the characters were likeable and it kept me entertained. Honestly and truly it could have been better, some characters could have been less stupid and the ending could have been less predictable. Alas, I enjoyed it and really am looking forward to reading the series and new to me author Lily Morton.