3.75 ( )

This is my review of the NetGalley Harlequin/Carina Press ARC:

Delightful! Complex, inclusive, diverse, real-world meets rich-bizarre, and yes, I expect no less from Kim Fielding, but this one's above-average even for her. Our MC is a fully 3D character, his love interest is delightful, and you should add this gem to your pre-order list right now. ( )

This is the second book I've read narrated by Daniel Henning, both of which have been fun and lighthearted. I found his style enhanced the characters, really bringing forth their personalities. ( )

Teddy is somewhat of a loner and not the easiest person to get to know, much less like. He has some preconceived notions about his co-worker, Romeo Blue...which are mostly misinformed. Their boss tells them they have a potential investor for their barely surviving company, and stresses to them how important is to please the investor to assure the company will survive... so off they go to Seattle. Here is where the story, for me, began to drag down and not make a great deal of sense. Up until this time I was able to go with it well enough. Sure it’s a little unlikely but I’ve gone along with far less likely setups before. But I did get a little squinty-eyed when Teddy and Romeo meet Joyce, the investor, only to find that she doesn’t really want to hear their pitch, but rather has a series of “tests” for them to complete over the next three days so she can assess how well they work together...something that will somehow help her decide whether or not to invest her money. Really??? It was a bit too unlikely and over the top for me. I didn’t really understand why even an eccentric rich old woman would do any of these things and I didn’t really understand what she expected or wanted to achieve as a result of them. Of course, there was a reason for her doing this, but it made no sense that an investor that didn't know either of these men would even conceive this plan to begin with....so by this time I was pretty much done with Teddy and Joyce...Romeo still had a chance. He was the best character in the entire book. Once the guys started talking and working together and were actually honest and open and vulnerable enough to reap all the rewards of a healthy relationship...you knew where the story was going but it went an unnecessarily long way around to get there. The romance itself is sweet and fairly conflict-free and low-angst. I still don’t understand exactly what Joyce was trying to achieve though. ( )

Teddy Spenser is really annoying. Perhaps if it wasn't told entirely from Teddy's POV I would have stuck with it, but as it is, I wasn't enjoying spending this much time with him. Romeo does nothing wrong and Teddy just makes assumptions about him and then picks little arguments because he doesn't want to be attracted to him. Teddy is big into fashion and design, so readers who are likewise inclined may enjoy his approach to life and work. He definitely skews young, so readers looking for characters early in their careers will probably like him more than those of us who want a bit more maturity from grown men.
There are definitely some funny bits! I bet if I liked Teddy more I would have found this a fun read.
Worth noting that there are also some microaggressions in the first 20% of the book (all I read) that even my white ass noticed. I really like this cover and apparently I will never learn my lesson.

I received a digital copy of this book for review.