I loved Lily Morton’s Rule Breaker and so was pleased to be able to seize Deal Maker and gobble it up in almost one sitting (okay, it’s more than 11 hours so it took two days…) I am so glad I listened to this book.
Each chapter begins with a letter ‘Asa’ is writing to a ‘fan’. For example:
Dear Madam,
I’m very honored by your proposal of marriage. Unfortunately, I am unable to accept as I am married to Jesus.
Kind regards,
Asa Jacobs
Okay, I have to admit I began to look forward to each chapter change just to see what creative and inventive response to some crazy fan letter would be next. I would love to share more, but I don’t want to give away too much.
This book involves the model Jude and the actor Asa. Two men working in artsy professions should get on, right? Well, maybe not. Both take a quick dislike to each other which makes it all the funnier when they do start to work together. As Jude says, “if he wants a bird-brained model, I’ll give him one”. He’s used to being judged on his looks and his profession. Modelling certainly hadn’t been his first choice, but it paid the bills and given his financial situation, he needed all the help he can get. Asa used to be a big star but has essentially taken time off to raise his young son. He’s now ramping his career back up. He has a thing against models and for good reasons. Asa is jaded right up until he observes Jude interacting with Asa’s son Bill. It’s hard to be an airhead and be so good around children. Children often have a built-in BS detector. Bill likes Jude. A lot. And so Jude stays in Asa’s employ.
The point of view in this book skews heavily to Jude but there are snippets of Asa scattered in and around. This alternating works because there are times you just need to be inside Asa’s head. You need to see how he sees Jude. He’s also an amazingly observant man who sees things that others miss.
Gabe and Dylan, the lead couple from the first book are back and play substantial roles in the story. Dylan and Jude were besties growing up and have remained close. In fact it’s Dylan who first recognizes Asa. Former spank bank material, apparently. I love the tightness of the friends and, again, how important family is. Jude’s parents mean everything to him and it was endearing.
I feel like this review has been a little scattered, but I don’t want to give too much away. I want the listener to be able to sink into Ms. Morton’s witty banter and snarkiest of snark. I want them to enjoy Joel Leslie’s performance, especially his handling of the five-year-old Bill. Narrating children’s voices can be challenging, but somehow Joel makes it work. He also has distinct voices for each of the characters so I was never lost. Just another wonderful performance.
I was again intrigued by Henry and am glad to see his book comes next. Hopefully it will be out on audio soon as I’m really enjoying this series.