Book Talk Review; May The Best Man Win

Hate sex! 

I hate Jasper Marshal.

Hate is a visceral and terrible word, but it's the right one.

This guy is everything I’m not.

Jock.

Sports ball obsessed.

Testosterone fueled.

Jacked up.

He's also sexy as hell with a submissive side I discovered by accident.

Definitely an accident. If you want to call him on his knees in my kitchen an accident.

He pushes all my buttons good and bad.

And to top it off, he’s my best friend Sam's brother.

I’d become really good at avoiding Jasper since high school, but then Sam asked us both to be the best men at his wedding. Now, not only do I have to work with him to plan a bachelor party in vegas, we need to survive a destination wedding…in Hawaii.

It's hard enough to be civil so we don't ruin the wedding, but on top of that, I have to resist the urge to drag Jasper into every back room I can find and show him how much I hate him, all while trying not to get into a fist fight.

* 

We all know that I love the Evil Word Magician. We also know that enemies to lovers is my favorite trope to read. This time Kate Hawthorne teams up with JR Gray to bring us a snarky, sometimes hilarious, enemies to lovers book that includes pineapples and tit glitter. 

Jasper and Lincoln have been adversaries since high school. They're connected through Jasper's brother and future sister-in-law, both of which are Lincoln's best friends. When they end up dual best men at their wedding things get interesting. 

This book is fun. Both Jasper and Lincoln try to one-up one another at the bachelor party, which includes lap dances gone wrong, facing a fear of heights, and a bed that becomes unfixable. There's also a lot of rage fucking and I am here for it.

What both interested me and drove me crazy was the back and forth between the two of them. Going between enemies to lovers to more isn't easy but omg these two are a little dramatic in not knowing what they want. Or knowing but not saying or going after what they want. I loved that they took their time to think about and to figure out who they are and what they want from one another, but at the same time they went back and forth so many times I just wanted to grab them and shake them. 

Jasper and Lincoln have preconceived ideas about each other. It takes a lot of time, a lot of realizations, and a lot of admitting that they were wrong before they can actually make something out of their relationship. So while it drove me crazy I also got it. These two men spent so much time looking for something to hate the other for, they overlooked all the reasons to like them. Jasper and Lincoln are a bit of a mess, but they're a mess that works once they figure it out. 

This is a different feel than most Kate Hawthrone books but it's still very sexy, still has some dominance and submission. I've only read a few JR Gray books but I've enjoyed them. These two authors work well together and I hope that we get to see more of their collaborations. 

*Quote-

"His face twisted and seemed horrified, like he didn't know what to do with me. Maybe it was more fun to be nice. I was going to have to remember this. I could do what Sam asked and still piss off Jasper." 

"He kissed me. Not like he hated me. Like he wanted me. Slow, taking his time."

"Love isn't easy and love isn't this magical thing we've cultivated into our minds as a society. It's gritty and bloody and it's a little like war. If you're doing it right, you get your hands dirty. Humans are messy. We have baggage and hang-ups and all kinds of issues we could spend years in therapy for. But we are resilient, and we believe in one another. We forgive and we keep loving even after we've been hurt. 

Love is work and commitment. Love is tireless and fulfilling, but it takes effort. Falling is the easy part, but the journey isn't all roses and spring fields. It's as much winter as it is summer. Cold barren wastelands of gray skies working to a better day."