STORY GRADE: A
NARRATION GRADE: B+
Every romance reader has a few go-to novels they turn to for comfort reading. Love stories they love most of all. Deal Maker, book 2 in the Mixed Messages series, is one of mine. It’s funny, sexy, and memorable – and I enjoy it every time I read it. The audio release was cause for joy in my small corner of Romancelandia.
Jude is a successful model, a great friend, and a loving son. Friends, he’s awesome. He’s also single and determined to stay that way. A failed love affair in college convinced him he isn’t capable of long-term commitment, and he’s stopped looking for love and settled for casual hook-ups. When Deal Maker begins, he’s in bed with Dean, a perpetually stoned fellow model, friend, and sometimes lover, when their lazy morning comes to an abrupt – and wet – end. His upstairs neighbors’ overflowing bathtub crashes through the ceiling of Jude’s bedroom, barely missing the pair of them. Jude immediately panics. He’s barely making ends meet (we learn why later), and he can’t afford a prolonged hotel stay while his apartment is unlivable. He could stay with best friend Dylan (Rule Breaker), but since he’s newly partnered with Gabe, Jude doesn’t want to intrude on their time together. He’s relieved when a seemingly unperturbed Dean offers him his apartment while he’s away for work…until Dean remembers he sold it. But then Dean casually offers him a lifeline – his stepbrother is looking for a live-in, personal assistant, and he’d be happy to give him a call and recommend Jude for the job.
When Jude shows up for his interview with Asa Jacobs (Dean’s stepbrother), it’s immediately clear no one is expecting him. Instead, arriving at a very pink home in a fashionable London neighborhood, his door knock is greeted by the giggles of a mischievous little boy who demands a secret password before he’ll let him in. A desperate call to Dylan helps him guess the password and gain entry, but there’s no one there to meet him. Instead, he overhears an angry exchange between someone he assumes is Asa, and a young man who then storms past him out the door. After another uncomfortable moment, a very big, very handsome man steps out of the room and spots him. Jude immediately launches into an explanation about why he’s there and follows when the man waves him into his study.
Asa is surprised by the attractive stranger standing in his front hall, but after Jude explains why he’s there, he vaguely remembers Dean mentioning a boyfriend who needed a place to stay. A busy actor and single father, Asa’s desperate for help. Jude is charming, quick, interesting…and nothing like Asa’s dim stepbrother Dean – so, after reminding himself Jude is off-limits, Asa offers him the job and Jude accepts. But when Asa asks Jude for his references, and discovers he’s a model, the casual camaraderie disappears. Asa’s last long-term relationship – with a male model – ended disastrously, and the interview goes from friendly to frosty in the blink of an eye. Jude is obviously confused and hurt by the abrupt change in tone, but he needs the job. So after a strained goodbye, he agrees to return if his background check is acceptable to Asa.
Once Asa completes the background check, Jude moves in and gets to work living up to all Asa’s worst assumptions about him. Jude is the best Worst Personal Assistant ever. He corresponds with Asa’s fans (in hilariously inappropriate letters that mark the start of every chapter), messes up his calendar and mixes up his appointments, offers critical unsolicited fashion and beauty advice, randomly lists the calorie count of every food item in Asa’s pantry, and generally makes Asa’s life miserable…even as he charms Asa’s live-in staff (lovable housekeeper Peggy and miserable chauffeur Amos) and becomes the best of friends with Asa’s son, Billy, whom he adores. He finds it increasingly difficult to resist his big, gorgeous, larger than life employer, but he tries. Valiantly. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Jude, Asa is on to his scheme. Jude is too sly, too clever, and entirely too good at ruining Asa’s life. His dimwitted assistant is so good, he gives the game away. Asa is forced to admit he was completely wrong about Jude, and he longs to know the handsome and brilliantly devious man behind the mask. Jude has quickly become everything he wants, and knows he can’t have.
Deal Maker unfolds in two distinct sections – before (Asa knows) and after. Once Asa finally acknowledges he’s onto Jude, they become essential to each other. Except these friends have insane chemistry and are wildly attracted to each other, too. Fortunately, Lily Morton doesn’t make them (or us) suffer too long. All that UST finally reaches a crescendo while Jude, Asa and Billy are away on a birthday celebration in Cornwall. Jude confesses why he’s strapped for cash and single, and Asa finally makes his move. When their sojourn is interrupted by a salacious news story planted by Asa’s ex, their love affair is put on hold – but only temporarily. These two have fallen for each other, and we’ve fallen for them, too. Jude departs to Asa’s hideaway in Mallorca with Billy while they wait out the news cycle. Asa’s return to them is a lovely, sexy restart to their romantic relationship, and kicks off the romantic, second half of the story – Asa and Jude falling deeply in love. Unfortunately, as everyone in Romancelandia knows, happily ever afters are never this easy…and this one has a few speed bumps along the way, too.
If I thought I couldn’t love this novel any more, I was wrong. The audio version is great. I enjoyed Joel Leslie’s performance, although I don’t think he quite nails the Jude I hear in my head (slightly smokier, a bit more mature). Fortunately, once I got used to his interpretation, I quite enjoyed it. His portrayal of Asa is simply marvelous, and he nails the big man and his booming voice, although I’m not sure he’s as successful as Billy. Billy is a funny, sweet and delightful little scamp, and while Leslie perfectly interprets the tone and nuances of the character, his voice can’t quite slip into that five-year old register. He fares better with other secondary characters, and his Peggy is a highlight. I also loved his interpretation of the super dry, sarcastic Gabe. This Gabe steals every scene in which he appears. Leslie truly brings Deal Maker to life, and he’s a superb choice to narrate the snarky, charming, sexy Mixed Messages series.
Friends, I listen to audiobooks on my commute to and from school (I’m a teacher), and I have a little listener (my ten-year-old) in the backseat. Deal Maker is chock full of bad words (I’m wincing just thinking about how many ‘fucks’ pepper the text), and more than one graphic sex scene. I simply waited until my son nodded off (not fast enough!), isolated the sound to the driver’s side speaker, and turned the volume down super low. This is not the ideal way to listen to this story, but it didn’t detract from my pleasure in it. I loved it. Deal Maker is the real deal in happily ever afters, and if you like your sexy with a side of snark, this is one audiobook you won’t want to miss.