Reagan and Channing have a pretty big age gap, but Ali really sold me on their attraction to each other. I didn’t read the previous book in this series, but I could tell how much growing up Channing did in the three years he was away at college. That added maturity, and the way Channing so clearly communicated his wants and needs, gave me a lot of respect for him as a character. Though Reagan had some qualms about Channing’s age, it was obvious to me that he was ready to pursue a real relationship. I appreciate that though these men were cautious and taking it slow in the early stages, they didn’t continually bring up the age difference as a reason why they couldn’t be together. Once they were together, their power play dynamic was really hot–their encounters were so deliciously steamy and I loved every second. I wish I could have seen even more of their explosive chemistry, but the pace of their physical relationship felt right for how new they were as a couple.
While the majority of Reagan and Channing’s story was pretty low angst, there’s a huge burst of drama near the end that was a little overwhelming for me. As soon as Ian came into the picture I just knew things were going to go sideways, and sure enough that’s when Reagan and Channing started second guessing everything. I was disappointed by how easily Reagan fell back into bad habits and treated Channing like a child, and I have to say that I was pretty mad at him for several chapters. I think Channing was a little too forgiving, but Reagan did make quite a convincing case for himself.
In terms of the narration, I thought it was just okay. This narrator is new to me, and he has a different pacing and style than I’m used to. I can’t point out anything that was bad, but I also wasn’t blown away by his interpretation of Channing and Reagan.
**I voluntarily listened to a free copy of this book. This review expresses my honest thoughts and opinions.