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Oakley's Crew #2
Balance
Archie
My favorite principle in landscaping and in life is balance.
In any situation, that’s my goal—to find that perfect balance. And I’m good at it too.
That is until I met Cane.
Now, nothing makes sense, and everything is off balance. I’m not sure what to make of this and how to make it work.
I’ve never felt like this before, and I can’t decide if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. All I know is I want to find a way.
Cane
I knew I wasn’t happy before I met Archie. But after? It became pretty apparent I wasn’t.
Blatantly so.
How am I supposed to go back now? Especially since he showed back up in my life at just the wrong time—or right, depending on how you look at it.
I don’t even know if I can convince him to forgive me. And I don’t know what I want.
All I know is I’ve never felt more secure in who I am than when I’m around him.
My favorite principle in landscaping and in life is balance.
In any situation, that’s my goal—to find that perfect balance. And I’m good at it too.
That is until I met Cane.
Now, nothing makes sense, and everything is off balance. I’m not sure what to make of this and how to make it work.
I’ve never felt like this before, and I can’t decide if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. All I know is I want to find a way.
Cane
I knew I wasn’t happy before I met Archie. But after? It became pretty apparent I wasn’t.
Blatantly so.
How am I supposed to go back now? Especially since he showed back up in my life at just the wrong time—or right, depending on how you look at it.
I don’t even know if I can convince him to forgive me. And I don’t know what I want.
All I know is I’ve never felt more secure in who I am than when I’m around him.
158 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 10, 2025
69 people are currently reading
112 people want to read
About the author
Nicole Dykes
95 books2,530 followersNicole Dykes is a wife and a professional assistant/mom to two gorgeous girls. Currently residing in Kansas, she’s a lover of coffee, Kansas City Chiefs, and all things romance.
She's found her passion in writing M/M romance because love is love is love. Some popular works include Hostile, The Spark of Hope Series, and The Kensley Panthers Series!
Email at nicoledykes_author@yahoo.com
Or visit my website at Www.authornicoledykes.com
She's found her passion in writing M/M romance because love is love is love. Some popular works include Hostile, The Spark of Hope Series, and The Kensley Panthers Series!
Email at nicoledykes_author@yahoo.com
Or visit my website at Www.authornicoledykes.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
April 21, 2025
I swear Nicole Dykes makes me want to bang my head against a wall from frustration. How can an author write books that are so good, and then produce this? There are spoilers in my review because I just cannot fathom what this book is supposed to be...
This was the biggest pile of bullshit instalove I think I've ever read. I just don't understand. The massive time jumps between every chapter are back again, yet there's no indication of how much time has passed. Because of that, to me it read like their entire relationship went from strangers to married couple within the span of two weeks. It is IMPOSSIBLE to follow this author's time jumps and it completely ruins so many of their books. It's a shame because I've read quite a few books from her recently that were all solid 4 stars, but this felt like I was being pranked?
The MCs Cane and Archie hookup and then don't see each other for months, until Archie turns up to do a landscaping job for Cane and his FIANCEE. Despite knowing the dude is literally about to get married, all of his friends encourage Archie to talk to Cane as though he's in with a chance of getting together with him. There is zero respect from every single male character in this book when it comes to Evie and the fact she's about to marry Cane. Even when Evie gets told that Cane and Archie are in love, she's portrayed as being totally cool about it and is even at their wedding? It just didn't feel realistic in any sense, and honestly I thought so little of all these characters that they're actively encouraging the interference in another couple's relationship. Even though Cane wasn't happy, it wasn't anyone else's business, let alone a random hookup he had and that hookup's employers and friends!! It felt so fucking weird and it went on for so long of the book that it started to feel like an MF story where the male MC was having some kind of affair with another man.
To top it all off, we get love declarations between Archie and Cane like five minutes into their relationship.... I literally know more about Evie the jilted fiancee than I do about either MC because they never had conversations of any substance. I don't know how they can decide they're in love when they're essentially strangers who had sex. There were no consequences for Cane's actions - in fact it was explained that he and Evie had been on a break when he fucked Archie... convenient. Cane also insisted he needed time to get over the end of his decades long relationship, then what was seemingly the same week he's getting serious with Archie after telling Archie he doesn't want him to be a rebound...make it make sense please!!!!
This just felt rushed and like a plot outline, not a story. There's all these individual scenes happening at different points in the relationship timeline, but there's nothing connecting them together in a coherent way. It feels disjointed and I really wish this author would figure out how to utilise time jumps in a way that actually makes the book make a blind bit of sense. If that's their preferred writing style, great, but just because the author knows everything about the timeline, it doesn't mean the reader does!! It's even worse when you're dyscalculic and time is something that needs to be concrete not abstract! I literally have no clue how long this story is supposed to have taken place over and it's put me off reading more from this author if they've reverted back to this style of storytelling again.
What a frustrating reading experience.
This was the biggest pile of bullshit instalove I think I've ever read. I just don't understand. The massive time jumps between every chapter are back again, yet there's no indication of how much time has passed. Because of that, to me it read like their entire relationship went from strangers to married couple within the span of two weeks. It is IMPOSSIBLE to follow this author's time jumps and it completely ruins so many of their books. It's a shame because I've read quite a few books from her recently that were all solid 4 stars, but this felt like I was being pranked?
The MCs Cane and Archie hookup and then don't see each other for months, until Archie turns up to do a landscaping job for Cane and his FIANCEE. Despite knowing the dude is literally about to get married, all of his friends encourage Archie to talk to Cane as though he's in with a chance of getting together with him. There is zero respect from every single male character in this book when it comes to Evie and the fact she's about to marry Cane. Even when Evie gets told that Cane and Archie are in love, she's portrayed as being totally cool about it and is even at their wedding? It just didn't feel realistic in any sense, and honestly I thought so little of all these characters that they're actively encouraging the interference in another couple's relationship. Even though Cane wasn't happy, it wasn't anyone else's business, let alone a random hookup he had and that hookup's employers and friends!! It felt so fucking weird and it went on for so long of the book that it started to feel like an MF story where the male MC was having some kind of affair with another man.
To top it all off, we get love declarations between Archie and Cane like five minutes into their relationship.... I literally know more about Evie the jilted fiancee than I do about either MC because they never had conversations of any substance. I don't know how they can decide they're in love when they're essentially strangers who had sex. There were no consequences for Cane's actions - in fact it was explained that he and Evie had been on a break when he fucked Archie... convenient. Cane also insisted he needed time to get over the end of his decades long relationship, then what was seemingly the same week he's getting serious with Archie after telling Archie he doesn't want him to be a rebound...make it make sense please!!!!
This just felt rushed and like a plot outline, not a story. There's all these individual scenes happening at different points in the relationship timeline, but there's nothing connecting them together in a coherent way. It feels disjointed and I really wish this author would figure out how to utilise time jumps in a way that actually makes the book make a blind bit of sense. If that's their preferred writing style, great, but just because the author knows everything about the timeline, it doesn't mean the reader does!! It's even worse when you're dyscalculic and time is something that needs to be concrete not abstract! I literally have no clue how long this story is supposed to have taken place over and it's put me off reading more from this author if they've reverted back to this style of storytelling again.
What a frustrating reading experience.
March 12, 2025
this review is for nicole dykes and nicole dykes only. so, if you’re not nicole, you can stop reading.
nicole, girl, what the hell are you doing? what the fuck was this?
i KNOW that you can write the hell out of characters, you did it several times.
you set up the PERFECT environment for longing, feelings and character development. then you gave us “eh yeah i was engaged who cares.” who cares???? i care!!! they should care!!! you should care!!!
bestie, you wrote hostile. maybe someone should remind you. reread it, remember it. take a break, reconnect with yourself, i don’t know.
but please do something because this is not the best that you can do
nicole, girl, what the hell are you doing? what the fuck was this?
i KNOW that you can write the hell out of characters, you did it several times.
you set up the PERFECT environment for longing, feelings and character development. then you gave us “eh yeah i was engaged who cares.” who cares???? i care!!! they should care!!! you should care!!!
bestie, you wrote hostile. maybe someone should remind you. reread it, remember it. take a break, reconnect with yourself, i don’t know.
but please do something because this is not the best that you can do
March 25, 2025
Tropes: small town, second chance, found family
Feels: 1/5
Steam*: 1/5
Kinks: n/a
Angst: low
HEA: yes
Pairing: MM
Triggers/potential icks/content warnings: homophobia, MC kicked out by parents for being gay in the past, trash MMC
Cheating between MCs: No
Any cheating: No, but Cane was an asshole to his ex Evie
Other person drama: Cane is an asshole. He is a wishy-washy wimp who can't commit to either being with or breaking up with his childhood sweetheart. So he keeps dumping her, f****** other people, and then going back to her. He f**** Archie while on one of his breaks, and then goes back to Evie, and then dumps Evie to be with Archie. It's not explicit or overly angsty, it's just not admirable that Cane can't make up his mind and hurts people along the way.
2 stars
I think I've read all but one or two of this author's mm books, and this book is undoubtedly the worst one that I have read by this author.
Archie is in his mid to late twenties. He was kicked out as a teen by his parents when he came out as gay. He works for Oakley and he's part of a very tight-knit friend group of queer men from small towns. He's never been in a relationship before, he's always been the fun one night stand who leaves. At the start of the book, he met a man at his favorite bar and after exchanging a few words, he propositioned him and they went back to his hotel and had a hot romp. Archie slept over which is something he never does. But when he woke up, Cane was gone.
It's been a couple months, but Archie hasn't hooked up with anyone since. That one night stand left him discombobulated for some reason. Archie goes to a job out of town one day and it turns out to be Cane (and his fiance Evie, who he is marrying in 2 weeks!) who is the customer. Cane explains to Archie that he and Evie had broken up when they hooked up. And then they got back together. Apparently, Cane is bi and they have been on and off since grade school. Evie is a sweet girl and Archie feels bad for her, because he can sense that Cane is not committed, he's not in love and he doesn't feel right about marrying her. So Archie tells Cane to do right by Evie and cut her loose if he's not willing to commit. Cane breaks up with Evie
Why I didn't like the book:
- Cane is a trash boyfriend. I hate the way he treated Evie. He's been with her since grade school, and he knew that something was missing from their relationship. He knew it so well, that he continuously broke up with her and hooked up with other people, and then he kept falling back with her. The author does nothing to mark the time that Evie and Cane spend apart (or why they broke up all the times they did) other than saying what hookups Cane had while they were apart, so it came across like Cane was a selfish user f*** boy who just dumped Evie whenever he was bored, had sex with some other people, and then went back to Evie when it was easy. It doesn't really go into why he kept getting back with her, but it really comes across that Evie was easy to him, and he was wishy-washy, and he liked her but not enough. He didn't have the balls to commit to her or break up with her. I hate how he wasted all those years of Evie's life messing with her head and heart the way he did. There's nothing admirable about a man who is so wishy-washy that he ends up in this toxic cycle, he's a weak character. And he never told her that he was bisexual until the end of the book, so it's kind of crazy that he spent 15 years with this person and never let her know him, hiding himself from her but thinking he could marry her. That's not how you treat someone you love. Cane finally breaks up with her at the 38% mark. On what was supposed to be their wedding day, Cane was casual, bored with his day, and not mentally tormented at all. It was giving unfeeling robot.
- Cane broke up with Evie because he wanted to be with Archie more, and he's making plans to date Archie as soon as he does the breakup, but he wants to look like he's a good guy, so he wants to try to give it a little bit of time before he dates. But they are kissing 2 days after the breakup, and Cane is proclaiming deep feelings for Archie two days after the breakup. Keep in mind that Archie and Cane have only spent about 5 hours together including the sex months ago by this point. And they have not had deep discussions, they don't know each other, they have only talked about the relationship with Evie and their jobs. It's absolutely unrealistic for there to be deep feelings.
- When they finally had a talk about their one-night stand, and why Cane left, Cane just sounded like he was spouting b*******. They really didn't know each other. It was just one night, they only exchanged a couple words before having sex, their interaction was pure sex and nothing but sex. I didn't understand Archie being so discombobulated by the one-night stand, when it really wasn't anything special except good sex. But for Cane to romanticize what he felt that night, and then say I felt so much I ran from it... it just sounds incredibly selfish and ugly that you f***** your love interest and then you went back to Evie who was safe for months and months and almost married her. He was definitely sleeping with Evie.
- Cane says he loves Archie after two dates. It's way too f****** soon. It was giving gaslighting love bombing manipulation vibes
- A couple weeks into the relationship, very shortly after what would have been Cane and Evie's wedding day (the wedding was in the fall, and this was right after Halloween), Archie and Cane get engaged. Archie impulsively rushes into a marriage proposal because of jealousy of Evie. Icky. But worse is the fact that Cane was actually deliberately doing a planned proposal to Archie, and he started it off by talking about marriage plans with Evie. You don't bring up your very recent ex in a comparative way when you are proposing to your new boyfriend of a couple weeks/months. If that proposal happened to me, I would be saying no.
- Other than Cane not being able to make up his mind, there was really no plot to the book. There was a minor kerfuffle about the fact that they live an hour and a half away from each other, but there was a very convenient wrapping up of that by having Archie start another branch of Oakley's business, expanding the business.
Some notable moments: this was the only moment that I liked enough to highlight it... A little funny moment
"“To see your goat and your donkey.” He stops to face me, a look of confusion on his handsome face. “How could that even be a euphemism for something? I mean, donkey is ass, I guess, but who the fuck calls their dick a goat?” I tilt my head to the side, thinking that over. “True. I think it would have been better if you had a pig. Hog, you know?” He full-on laughs now, and goddamn, he’s pretty when he laughs. “I’ve changed my mind. Stay the hell away from my animals.”"
*FYI about steam: I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink.
**Note about spoilers: I like to comment on the plot of a book in reviews, so I almost always mark my reviews as containing spoilers. But I try to avoid spoiling the big dramatic moments! As a reader, I personally like to know what I'm getting into before I read a book so I know more about the content and if it's to my taste/mood, so I try to give that information in my reviews for myself when I'm considering rereading and also for other readers.
Feels: 1/5
Steam*: 1/5
Kinks: n/a
Angst: low
HEA: yes
Pairing: MM
Triggers/potential icks/content warnings: homophobia, MC kicked out by parents for being gay in the past, trash MMC
Cheating between MCs: No
Any cheating: No, but Cane was an asshole to his ex Evie
Other person drama: Cane is an asshole. He is a wishy-washy wimp who can't commit to either being with or breaking up with his childhood sweetheart. So he keeps dumping her, f****** other people, and then going back to her. He f**** Archie while on one of his breaks, and then goes back to Evie, and then dumps Evie to be with Archie. It's not explicit or overly angsty, it's just not admirable that Cane can't make up his mind and hurts people along the way.
2 stars
I think I've read all but one or two of this author's mm books, and this book is undoubtedly the worst one that I have read by this author.
Archie is in his mid to late twenties. He was kicked out as a teen by his parents when he came out as gay. He works for Oakley and he's part of a very tight-knit friend group of queer men from small towns. He's never been in a relationship before, he's always been the fun one night stand who leaves. At the start of the book, he met a man at his favorite bar and after exchanging a few words, he propositioned him and they went back to his hotel and had a hot romp. Archie slept over which is something he never does. But when he woke up, Cane was gone.
It's been a couple months, but Archie hasn't hooked up with anyone since. That one night stand left him discombobulated for some reason. Archie goes to a job out of town one day and it turns out to be Cane (and his fiance Evie, who he is marrying in 2 weeks!) who is the customer. Cane explains to Archie that he and Evie had broken up when they hooked up. And then they got back together. Apparently, Cane is bi and they have been on and off since grade school. Evie is a sweet girl and Archie feels bad for her, because he can sense that Cane is not committed, he's not in love and he doesn't feel right about marrying her. So Archie tells Cane to do right by Evie and cut her loose if he's not willing to commit. Cane breaks up with Evie
Why I didn't like the book:
- Cane is a trash boyfriend. I hate the way he treated Evie. He's been with her since grade school, and he knew that something was missing from their relationship. He knew it so well, that he continuously broke up with her and hooked up with other people, and then he kept falling back with her. The author does nothing to mark the time that Evie and Cane spend apart (or why they broke up all the times they did) other than saying what hookups Cane had while they were apart, so it came across like Cane was a selfish user f*** boy who just dumped Evie whenever he was bored, had sex with some other people, and then went back to Evie when it was easy. It doesn't really go into why he kept getting back with her, but it really comes across that Evie was easy to him, and he was wishy-washy, and he liked her but not enough. He didn't have the balls to commit to her or break up with her. I hate how he wasted all those years of Evie's life messing with her head and heart the way he did. There's nothing admirable about a man who is so wishy-washy that he ends up in this toxic cycle, he's a weak character. And he never told her that he was bisexual until the end of the book, so it's kind of crazy that he spent 15 years with this person and never let her know him, hiding himself from her but thinking he could marry her. That's not how you treat someone you love. Cane finally breaks up with her at the 38% mark. On what was supposed to be their wedding day, Cane was casual, bored with his day, and not mentally tormented at all. It was giving unfeeling robot.
- Cane broke up with Evie because he wanted to be with Archie more, and he's making plans to date Archie as soon as he does the breakup, but he wants to look like he's a good guy, so he wants to try to give it a little bit of time before he dates. But they are kissing 2 days after the breakup, and Cane is proclaiming deep feelings for Archie two days after the breakup. Keep in mind that Archie and Cane have only spent about 5 hours together including the sex months ago by this point. And they have not had deep discussions, they don't know each other, they have only talked about the relationship with Evie and their jobs. It's absolutely unrealistic for there to be deep feelings.
- When they finally had a talk about their one-night stand, and why Cane left, Cane just sounded like he was spouting b*******. They really didn't know each other. It was just one night, they only exchanged a couple words before having sex, their interaction was pure sex and nothing but sex. I didn't understand Archie being so discombobulated by the one-night stand, when it really wasn't anything special except good sex. But for Cane to romanticize what he felt that night, and then say I felt so much I ran from it... it just sounds incredibly selfish and ugly that you f***** your love interest and then you went back to Evie who was safe for months and months and almost married her. He was definitely sleeping with Evie.
- Cane says he loves Archie after two dates. It's way too f****** soon. It was giving gaslighting love bombing manipulation vibes
- A couple weeks into the relationship, very shortly after what would have been Cane and Evie's wedding day (the wedding was in the fall, and this was right after Halloween), Archie and Cane get engaged. Archie impulsively rushes into a marriage proposal because of jealousy of Evie. Icky. But worse is the fact that Cane was actually deliberately doing a planned proposal to Archie, and he started it off by talking about marriage plans with Evie. You don't bring up your very recent ex in a comparative way when you are proposing to your new boyfriend of a couple weeks/months. If that proposal happened to me, I would be saying no.
- Other than Cane not being able to make up his mind, there was really no plot to the book. There was a minor kerfuffle about the fact that they live an hour and a half away from each other, but there was a very convenient wrapping up of that by having Archie start another branch of Oakley's business, expanding the business.
Some notable moments: this was the only moment that I liked enough to highlight it... A little funny moment
"“To see your goat and your donkey.” He stops to face me, a look of confusion on his handsome face. “How could that even be a euphemism for something? I mean, donkey is ass, I guess, but who the fuck calls their dick a goat?” I tilt my head to the side, thinking that over. “True. I think it would have been better if you had a pig. Hog, you know?” He full-on laughs now, and goddamn, he’s pretty when he laughs. “I’ve changed my mind. Stay the hell away from my animals.”"
*FYI about steam: I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink.
**Note about spoilers: I like to comment on the plot of a book in reviews, so I almost always mark my reviews as containing spoilers. But I try to avoid spoiling the big dramatic moments! As a reader, I personally like to know what I'm getting into before I read a book so I know more about the content and if it's to my taste/mood, so I try to give that information in my reviews for myself when I'm considering rereading and also for other readers.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 7, 2025
Balance is book two in the Oakley’s Crew series. This MM romance story is about Archie and Cane.
We first met Archie in book one, Simplicity, as Walker’s best friend. They both work for Oakley’s Crew, a landscaping company in the small town of Hayes, Kansas. My heart broke for Archie because he was just a teenager when his parents kicked him out after they found out he was gay. Thank goodness he had the support of his friends and found family. Archie is the kind of guy who jokes and doesn’t take things seriously, and is more interested in hookups and not settling down. But maybe he was just waiting for the right guy to come along.
Archie first meets Cane at a bar in Hayes, and they end up having a pretty hot one night stand. A few months later, Archie is sent two hours away to the small town of Larnard for a landscaping job, and Cane happens to be one of the people at the property Archie will be working on. They were both shocked to see each other. Although they both felt a pull since the first night they met, Archie discovers there are things preventing him and Cane from having a real chance together. I will say I did have a harder time with Cane’s character because of it.
Cane owns a little furniture shop where he sells the things he has repurposed. We also learn Cane has spent many years hiding a part of himself and forcing himself into a role he doesn’t want. He struggles with some tough decisions, and Archie was very patient and understanding. Cane soon realizes Archie is what he has been looking for and he can’t help but think fate put them in each other’s path. Archie was worthy of love and deserved to be happy, so I am glad he was able to find it with Cane.
It was great to see Walter and Dutton as well as Oakley and Travis. They all were such amazing guys and so incredibly supportive of Archie and Cane. I also enjoyed meeting Thatcher from Langley’s Construction and would definitely love to get more of him.
I received an advanced copy of this book, and this is my honest review.
We first met Archie in book one, Simplicity, as Walker’s best friend. They both work for Oakley’s Crew, a landscaping company in the small town of Hayes, Kansas. My heart broke for Archie because he was just a teenager when his parents kicked him out after they found out he was gay. Thank goodness he had the support of his friends and found family. Archie is the kind of guy who jokes and doesn’t take things seriously, and is more interested in hookups and not settling down. But maybe he was just waiting for the right guy to come along.
Archie first meets Cane at a bar in Hayes, and they end up having a pretty hot one night stand. A few months later, Archie is sent two hours away to the small town of Larnard for a landscaping job, and Cane happens to be one of the people at the property Archie will be working on. They were both shocked to see each other. Although they both felt a pull since the first night they met, Archie discovers there are things preventing him and Cane from having a real chance together. I will say I did have a harder time with Cane’s character because of it.
Cane owns a little furniture shop where he sells the things he has repurposed. We also learn Cane has spent many years hiding a part of himself and forcing himself into a role he doesn’t want. He struggles with some tough decisions, and Archie was very patient and understanding. Cane soon realizes Archie is what he has been looking for and he can’t help but think fate put them in each other’s path. Archie was worthy of love and deserved to be happy, so I am glad he was able to find it with Cane.
It was great to see Walter and Dutton as well as Oakley and Travis. They all were such amazing guys and so incredibly supportive of Archie and Cane. I also enjoyed meeting Thatcher from Langley’s Construction and would definitely love to get more of him.
I received an advanced copy of this book, and this is my honest review.
May 31, 2025
As with the previous installment, there was absolutely no imagination with this one either.
1.75⭐ and I'm being generous.
🟢 A landscape worker/A furniture store owner
🟡 Both around 30, most likely
🟣 Both tall, muscular, same height
🔵 Gay/bi (not out)
🌶️ There's sex, but the story is so blech that I didn't really care about it; rimming, frotting, penetrative, oral; both vers
If there's anything in this world I intensely dislike, it's a DL guy that's stringing his partner along for years - put this in a story with him finally getting his freedom to openly fuck whomever he wants (because he doesn't live in 2025 USA and can't move from that bumfuck town, also can't say no to being with a woman, poor thing) and suddenly he's a completely new character on the hunt for true love.
This guy Cane had his poor girl fooled since they were high school sweethearts, he was breaking up with her all the time and fucking women and men in the meantime - and he admits everyone was better in bed than her - but he loves her! He loves this amazing, perfect woman so much! So, so much that he's got her engaged, waiting to be married in 2 weeks with them getting a house gifted to them where Oakley's crew is building the whole setting for this wedding and then 2 weeks prior to this, Cane dumps her.
And this is all wrapped up with a little bow on top with how this time around he really can't do it - but I mean really, really - because he's got his little gay hookup waiting on the sidelines to jump right in.
Archie is at first very much on the poor girl's side, I mean how can Cane do this to her, right? What an idiot. Archie is a girl's bestie, so of course he hates it when a woman this dear gets mistreated, but when Cane dumps her, Archie's right there, knocking on his door, drooling and waiting for Cane's pants to drop.
I mean, despite the story being just terrible, I gotta give it to this author, at least it was very, very realistic.
Cane says he was monogamous while being with his fiance, but I don't buy it. Not a chance. He was breaking up with her too much. Cane reeks of a DL guy and the minute he breaks her heart for the n-th time, he's out there fucking the next day, so if you wanna do the whole DL triangle thing, it's better to do it with a little more story development, more angst, at least make the main characters redeemable and create an intense love story worth fighting for, otherwise every single character is just going to be an asshole.
I don't mind the premise, I really don't, it's realistic, happens a lot and it could've been good, but from the very start of the book you couldn't feel that intense connection between the main characters claim to have, it's like they've invented this whole chemistry in their heads, it wasn't happening.
And it was just one hook-up, for crying out loud, why do they go from one hook-up months ago to you've gotta leave her if you're not happy and I'm not saying it should be for me, but I want something more than sex, so yeah - bitch what?
What?
The whole thing sucked.
The new series, Langley Construction, will hopefully be good. Thatcher seems like an interesting character, so I'm hoping the author really sits down and thinks hard about his story, because this series is a flop.
1.75⭐ and I'm being generous.
🟢 A landscape worker/A furniture store owner
🟡 Both around 30, most likely
🟣 Both tall, muscular, same height
🔵 Gay/bi (not out)
🌶️ There's sex, but the story is so blech that I didn't really care about it; rimming, frotting, penetrative, oral; both vers
If there's anything in this world I intensely dislike, it's a DL guy that's stringing his partner along for years - put this in a story with him finally getting his freedom to openly fuck whomever he wants (because he doesn't live in 2025 USA and can't move from that bumfuck town, also can't say no to being with a woman, poor thing) and suddenly he's a completely new character on the hunt for true love.
This guy Cane had his poor girl fooled since they were high school sweethearts, he was breaking up with her all the time and fucking women and men in the meantime - and he admits everyone was better in bed than her - but he loves her! He loves this amazing, perfect woman so much! So, so much that he's got her engaged, waiting to be married in 2 weeks with them getting a house gifted to them where Oakley's crew is building the whole setting for this wedding and then 2 weeks prior to this, Cane dumps her.
And this is all wrapped up with a little bow on top with how this time around he really can't do it - but I mean really, really - because he's got his little gay hookup waiting on the sidelines to jump right in.
Archie is at first very much on the poor girl's side, I mean how can Cane do this to her, right? What an idiot. Archie is a girl's bestie, so of course he hates it when a woman this dear gets mistreated, but when Cane dumps her, Archie's right there, knocking on his door, drooling and waiting for Cane's pants to drop.
I mean, despite the story being just terrible, I gotta give it to this author, at least it was very, very realistic.
Cane says he was monogamous while being with his fiance, but I don't buy it. Not a chance. He was breaking up with her too much. Cane reeks of a DL guy and the minute he breaks her heart for the n-th time, he's out there fucking the next day, so if you wanna do the whole DL triangle thing, it's better to do it with a little more story development, more angst, at least make the main characters redeemable and create an intense love story worth fighting for, otherwise every single character is just going to be an asshole.
I don't mind the premise, I really don't, it's realistic, happens a lot and it could've been good, but from the very start of the book you couldn't feel that intense connection between the main characters claim to have, it's like they've invented this whole chemistry in their heads, it wasn't happening.
And it was just one hook-up, for crying out loud, why do they go from one hook-up months ago to you've gotta leave her if you're not happy and I'm not saying it should be for me, but I want something more than sex, so yeah - bitch what?
What?
The whole thing sucked.
The new series, Langley Construction, will hopefully be good. Thatcher seems like an interesting character, so I'm hoping the author really sits down and thinks hard about his story, because this series is a flop.
March 5, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
🌶️🌶️
One thing I love about Nicole’s books is that they’re fun, drama free (for the most part), exciting, spicy, and just so sweet. They’re lighthearted, everyone is gay, and everyone is in love. You see a lot of past characters, and she’s always introducing the new characters within each book, who eventually get their own story!
Balance, of course, was no different. Archie and his ONS had me hooked from Simplicity, and I couldn’t wait for their story!
Cane and Archie meet one night at a bar and share a steamy night together. No strings attached. But playboy Archie can’t stop thinking about his mystery man. One day he gets sent out to a job a couple hours away and whose house does he end up at? Well, Caines of course!
Only now.. Caine has a secret. One that had Archie writing him off for good. Until, all is right in the world again and they can try to patch up what they both felt that one night, months ago.
These two were just so sweet. So damn sweet. They were tender. They took their time. And they really just wanted to be together more than anything. They’re willing to do anything to make it happen.
The vibes for Oakleys Crew is always so fun. Country, fall, pumpkins, farm animals, farms, and just good ol simple livin. Side note: Oakley might be the absolute best boss EVER. This guy is a phenomenal character, and it makes me jealous for everyone who gets to work for him and Travis.
I can’t wait to see what’s next for this crew, and the new crew to come ! I’m watching you, Thatcher! 🌾
🌶️🌶️
One thing I love about Nicole’s books is that they’re fun, drama free (for the most part), exciting, spicy, and just so sweet. They’re lighthearted, everyone is gay, and everyone is in love. You see a lot of past characters, and she’s always introducing the new characters within each book, who eventually get their own story!
Balance, of course, was no different. Archie and his ONS had me hooked from Simplicity, and I couldn’t wait for their story!
Cane and Archie meet one night at a bar and share a steamy night together. No strings attached. But playboy Archie can’t stop thinking about his mystery man. One day he gets sent out to a job a couple hours away and whose house does he end up at? Well, Caines of course!
Only now.. Caine has a secret. One that had Archie writing him off for good. Until, all is right in the world again and they can try to patch up what they both felt that one night, months ago.
These two were just so sweet. So damn sweet. They were tender. They took their time. And they really just wanted to be together more than anything. They’re willing to do anything to make it happen.
The vibes for Oakleys Crew is always so fun. Country, fall, pumpkins, farm animals, farms, and just good ol simple livin. Side note: Oakley might be the absolute best boss EVER. This guy is a phenomenal character, and it makes me jealous for everyone who gets to work for him and Travis.
I can’t wait to see what’s next for this crew, and the new crew to come ! I’m watching you, Thatcher! 🌾
March 12, 2025
4☆
🅢🅟🅘🅒🅔:🌶🌶
🅛🅐🅤🅖🅗🅢:🤣🤣
🅣🅔🅐🅡🅢:🥲
🅜🅒🅢: Cane, Archie
🅟🅞🅥: 1st Dual
🅣🅡🅞🅟🅔🅢: Friends to Lovers, Found Family, "Second Chance"
Bien veamos, te amo Nicole amo tus libros todo lo que has escrito pero PUEDES HACERLO MEJOR!!! algo mas extenso con pasion, con la misma pasion de tus primeros MM Hostile, Backslide... este libro es lindo adorable pero sin sentimiendo poca vida a mi parecer este spin off es innecesario no me llena tanto como la serie principal y la serie BBB me parece mas viva que esta. Veo que se muestan casi 200 páginas pero 75 de ellas son agradecimientos y los primeros caps de otras obras me parece injusto. Tus libros siempre me dejan un mensaje agradable aca no, solo una lectura mas del monton.
🅢🅟🅘🅒🅔:🌶🌶
🅛🅐🅤🅖🅗🅢:🤣🤣
🅣🅔🅐🅡🅢:🥲
🅜🅒🅢: Cane, Archie
🅟🅞🅥: 1st Dual
🅣🅡🅞🅟🅔🅢: Friends to Lovers, Found Family, "Second Chance"
Bien veamos, te amo Nicole amo tus libros todo lo que has escrito pero PUEDES HACERLO MEJOR!!! algo mas extenso con pasion, con la misma pasion de tus primeros MM Hostile, Backslide... este libro es lindo adorable pero sin sentimiendo poca vida a mi parecer este spin off es innecesario no me llena tanto como la serie principal y la serie BBB me parece mas viva que esta. Veo que se muestan casi 200 páginas pero 75 de ellas son agradecimientos y los primeros caps de otras obras me parece injusto. Tus libros siempre me dejan un mensaje agradable aca no, solo una lectura mas del monton.
March 13, 2025
cute but also it took me so long to get over the stuff with Evie like I didn’t like all that
March 6, 2025
ARC kindly provided for the author in exchange for an honest review
Oakley's Crew is becoming a hug to the heart with each book! And with Archie & Cane Nicole took me through completely unexpected situations that surprised me and I really liked. I LOVED the main characters, their personalities, their personal stories and the direction the plot took from the beginning to the end of the book. Also, I loved that the author gave me moments with Walker & Dutton and with Oakley & Travis too.
Archie won my heart from the prologue, I loved his fun, simple personality that always tries to make those around him feel good, but I also loved the slightly dark twist that the author gives later to that aspect of his personality and how it's Cane with whom Archie decides to show his vulnerability and insecurities. I really enjoyed Archie & Walker's friendship too: reading again how important they are to each other and how much Walker's presence in Archie's life means to him, as well as the rest of the guys in the crew.
Cane is the character that gives a bit of mystery and the most unexpected twists to Balance, he's a guy who knows he's not happy with his life, but is very afraid to dare to make the necessary decisions to be so, and yet he finds the moments to reveal himself and do what he likes the most, like restoring furniture and having his own store. Cane has a peculiar growth in this book, a very interesting story that made me love him more and more with each page I read: I loved his love for animals, his passion for his job and how in love he is with Archie!
Cane & Archie have a one night stand after meeting at Archie's favorite tavern, Cane disappears the next morning and Archie can't stop thinking about him for months, but the best of this story comes when Archie starts working as a landscaper for Cane and discovers that he was keeping a big secret from him. However, the feelings they both have for each other don't go away and I loved that Nicole broke my heart in those first moments of tension, that she gave Archie & Cane a bond beyond the physical and that Cane found in Archie the refuge and safe place he needed to be brave and face what was in front of him. I also have to say that I LOVED the way both characters dealt with the situation with Evie (who is a lovely character and one I would love to read, maybe in an N. Brown book? 🙈), I loved that Archie sought to protect her from hearbreak and that everything turned out okay with her. Also, the ending that Nicole gave to these two did all the justice in the world to their story.
🫏Archie: 5/5
🫏Cane: 5/5
🫏Plot: 5/5
🫏Love story: 5/5
🫏Secondary characters: 5/5
🫏Universe: 5/5
🫏Cover: 5/5
ARC amablemente proporcionada a cambio de una reseña honesta
Oakley's Crew se está convirtiendo en un abrazo al corazón con cada libro! y con Archie & Cane Nicole me llevó por situaciones completamente inesperadas que me sorprendieron y me gustaron mucho. AMÉ a los personajes principales, sus personalidades, sus historias personales y la dirección que tomó la trama desde el inicio hasta el final del libro. Además, me gustó mucho que la autora me diera momentos con Walker & Dutton y con Oakley & Travis también.
Archie se ganó mi corazón desde el prologo, me encantó su personalidad divertida, sencilla y que siempre intenta hacer sentir bien a los que están a su alrededor, pero también amé el giro un poco oscuro que la autora le da más adelante a ese aspecto de su personalidad y como es Cane con quien Archie decide mostrarse vulnerable y mostrar sus inseguridades. También disfruté mucho de la amistad de Archie & Walker: leer de nuevo lo importantes que son el uno para el otro y lo mucho que la presencia de Walker en la vida de Archie significa para él, al igual que el resto de los chicos del crew.
Cane es el personaje que le da un poco de misterio y los giros más inesperados a Balance, es un chico que sabe que no es feliz con su vida, pero que tiene mucho miedo de atreverse a tomar las decisiones necesarias para serlo y aún así encuentra los momentos para revelarse y hacer lo que más le gusta, como restaurar muebles y tener su propia tienda. Cane tiene un crecimiento peculiar en este libro, una historia muy interesante que me hizo encariñarme con él más y más con cada página que leía: me encantó su amor por los animales, su pasión por su trabajo y lo enamorado que está de Archie!
Cane & Archie tienen un encuentro casual después de conocerse en la Taverna favorita de Archie, Cane desaparece a la mañana siguiente y Archie no puede dejar de pensar en él durante meses, pero lo mejor de está historia llega cuando Archie empieza a trabajar como paisajista para Cane y descubre que éste le estuvo guardando un gran secreto. Sin embargo, los sentimientos que ambos tienen por el otro no desaparecen y me encantó que Nicole me rompiera el corazón en esos primeros momentos de tensión, que le diera a Archie & Cane un vinculo más allá de lo físico y que Cane encontrara en Archie el refugió y lugar seguro que necesitaba para ser valiente y enfrentar eso que estaba frente a él. También tengo que decir que AMÉ la manera en la que ambos personajes enfrentaron la situación con Evie (que es un personaje encantador y al que me encantaría leer, tal vez en un libro de N. Brown? 🙈), amé que Archie buscara protegerla del dolo y que todo saliera bien con ella. Además, el final que Nicole les dio a estos dos le hizo toda la justicia del mundo a su historia.
🫏Archie: 5/5
🫏Cane: 5/5
🫏Trama: 5/5
🫏Historia de amor: 5/5
🫏Personajes secundarios: 5/5
🫏Universo: 5/5
🫏Portada: 5/5
Oakley's Crew is becoming a hug to the heart with each book! And with Archie & Cane Nicole took me through completely unexpected situations that surprised me and I really liked. I LOVED the main characters, their personalities, their personal stories and the direction the plot took from the beginning to the end of the book. Also, I loved that the author gave me moments with Walker & Dutton and with Oakley & Travis too.
Archie won my heart from the prologue, I loved his fun, simple personality that always tries to make those around him feel good, but I also loved the slightly dark twist that the author gives later to that aspect of his personality and how it's Cane with whom Archie decides to show his vulnerability and insecurities. I really enjoyed Archie & Walker's friendship too: reading again how important they are to each other and how much Walker's presence in Archie's life means to him, as well as the rest of the guys in the crew.
Cane is the character that gives a bit of mystery and the most unexpected twists to Balance, he's a guy who knows he's not happy with his life, but is very afraid to dare to make the necessary decisions to be so, and yet he finds the moments to reveal himself and do what he likes the most, like restoring furniture and having his own store. Cane has a peculiar growth in this book, a very interesting story that made me love him more and more with each page I read: I loved his love for animals, his passion for his job and how in love he is with Archie!
Cane & Archie have a one night stand after meeting at Archie's favorite tavern, Cane disappears the next morning and Archie can't stop thinking about him for months, but the best of this story comes when Archie starts working as a landscaper for Cane and discovers that he was keeping a big secret from him. However, the feelings they both have for each other don't go away and I loved that Nicole broke my heart in those first moments of tension, that she gave Archie & Cane a bond beyond the physical and that Cane found in Archie the refuge and safe place he needed to be brave and face what was in front of him. I also have to say that I LOVED the way both characters dealt with the situation with Evie (who is a lovely character and one I would love to read, maybe in an N. Brown book? 🙈), I loved that Archie sought to protect her from hearbreak and that everything turned out okay with her. Also, the ending that Nicole gave to these two did all the justice in the world to their story.
🫏Archie: 5/5
🫏Cane: 5/5
🫏Plot: 5/5
🫏Love story: 5/5
🫏Secondary characters: 5/5
🫏Universe: 5/5
🫏Cover: 5/5
ARC amablemente proporcionada a cambio de una reseña honesta
Oakley's Crew se está convirtiendo en un abrazo al corazón con cada libro! y con Archie & Cane Nicole me llevó por situaciones completamente inesperadas que me sorprendieron y me gustaron mucho. AMÉ a los personajes principales, sus personalidades, sus historias personales y la dirección que tomó la trama desde el inicio hasta el final del libro. Además, me gustó mucho que la autora me diera momentos con Walker & Dutton y con Oakley & Travis también.
Archie se ganó mi corazón desde el prologo, me encantó su personalidad divertida, sencilla y que siempre intenta hacer sentir bien a los que están a su alrededor, pero también amé el giro un poco oscuro que la autora le da más adelante a ese aspecto de su personalidad y como es Cane con quien Archie decide mostrarse vulnerable y mostrar sus inseguridades. También disfruté mucho de la amistad de Archie & Walker: leer de nuevo lo importantes que son el uno para el otro y lo mucho que la presencia de Walker en la vida de Archie significa para él, al igual que el resto de los chicos del crew.
Cane es el personaje que le da un poco de misterio y los giros más inesperados a Balance, es un chico que sabe que no es feliz con su vida, pero que tiene mucho miedo de atreverse a tomar las decisiones necesarias para serlo y aún así encuentra los momentos para revelarse y hacer lo que más le gusta, como restaurar muebles y tener su propia tienda. Cane tiene un crecimiento peculiar en este libro, una historia muy interesante que me hizo encariñarme con él más y más con cada página que leía: me encantó su amor por los animales, su pasión por su trabajo y lo enamorado que está de Archie!
Cane & Archie tienen un encuentro casual después de conocerse en la Taverna favorita de Archie, Cane desaparece a la mañana siguiente y Archie no puede dejar de pensar en él durante meses, pero lo mejor de está historia llega cuando Archie empieza a trabajar como paisajista para Cane y descubre que éste le estuvo guardando un gran secreto. Sin embargo, los sentimientos que ambos tienen por el otro no desaparecen y me encantó que Nicole me rompiera el corazón en esos primeros momentos de tensión, que le diera a Archie & Cane un vinculo más allá de lo físico y que Cane encontrara en Archie el refugió y lugar seguro que necesitaba para ser valiente y enfrentar eso que estaba frente a él. También tengo que decir que AMÉ la manera en la que ambos personajes enfrentaron la situación con Evie (que es un personaje encantador y al que me encantaría leer, tal vez en un libro de N. Brown? 🙈), amé que Archie buscara protegerla del dolo y que todo saliera bien con ella. Además, el final que Nicole les dio a estos dos le hizo toda la justicia del mundo a su historia.
🫏Archie: 5/5
🫏Cane: 5/5
🫏Trama: 5/5
🫏Historia de amor: 5/5
🫏Personajes secundarios: 5/5
🫏Universo: 5/5
🫏Portada: 5/5
March 21, 2025
I seem to be in the minority so far but to me this one was just alright. There will be SPOILERS in this review simply because it’s hard for me to give my reasons why I didn’t really care for this book without mentioning the little surprise we get in the early on in the book.
I was taken back by the writing when I first started reading. It was very hard to read it because the writing was just not flowing at all. Archie’s POV read like we were reading his diary and he was explaining the events of the day. It got better but I almost stopped reading in the beginning.
So I was already wary of reading Archie’s book because we see in book one how much of a manwhore he is and in the prologue we are reminded of that. He sees Cane at the bar and they end up hooking up but Cane ends up leaving before Archie wakes up which Archie isn’t too happy about. Fast forward months later and Archie can’t stop thinking about Cane. He hasn’t even been with anyone else because he’s only been thinking of him. Archie’s boss gets a landscaping job for a couple about to get married and guess who it ends up being? Cane and his long time girlfriend, Evie!! Apparently they’ve been together since they were kids and over the years Cane breaks up with her, goes and hooks up with other people and then gets back with her. Lovely right?
I wish their first encounter had been more explosive and we saw more chemistry. It was so lackluster to me. So the fact that Archie was obsessing over this hookup kind of seemed far fetched to me. They didn’t even speak more than a few words at the most so the obsession didn’t make sense.
I didn’t like how when they finally meet again Archie becomes kind of pushy. He knows this man is engaged but he keeps showing up places to see him and let him know how much it shows that he doesn’t want to get married. I was like dude leave the man alone!!
I got soo tired of reading Evies name. Yes the woman was nice and blah blah. I don’t care. I don’t need every conversation to have her name involved in it. I don’t need to hear, Cane, how much you really do love her. I don’t need you to be talking about her while you’re in the middle of having sex with the guy you are dating!!! Archie and Cane were in the moment, taking their clothes off yada yada and they are talking about Cane’s ex!! And a bunch of his other hookups. Here’s a thought, let’s not talk about that while you are being intimate. I never understood why authors did that. Also at the end when Cane proposes and EVIE’s freaking name is included in the proposal?! Like wtf. He’s all “oh you know it took me a while to convince Evie to marry me under the tree in the yard, but since we didn’t end up getting married how about you and I get married under the tree in our yard? Instead of doing something original for our wedding let’s do exactly what I wanted to do with my ex fiancé?!” And you what? They did exactly that and it I was happy for it to be over.
While Archie was celibate during the time they didn’t see each other I’m only assuming Cane wasn’t because he got back with Evie and even went as far as suggesting they get married. I wish that was clarified more. But I didn’t love him wanting to marry Evie after he’d been with Archie and he was clearly still in love with Evie when he hooked up with Archie for the first time. It all just left a bad taste in my house. If Thatchers book is next idk about reading it. I hate the dead spouse trope.
NO CHEATING
OW DRAMA (Cane is engaged for the first half of the book)
NO THIRD ACT BREAK UP
HEA (married)
I was taken back by the writing when I first started reading. It was very hard to read it because the writing was just not flowing at all. Archie’s POV read like we were reading his diary and he was explaining the events of the day. It got better but I almost stopped reading in the beginning.
So I was already wary of reading Archie’s book because we see in book one how much of a manwhore he is and in the prologue we are reminded of that. He sees Cane at the bar and they end up hooking up but Cane ends up leaving before Archie wakes up which Archie isn’t too happy about. Fast forward months later and Archie can’t stop thinking about Cane. He hasn’t even been with anyone else because he’s only been thinking of him. Archie’s boss gets a landscaping job for a couple about to get married and guess who it ends up being? Cane and his long time girlfriend, Evie!! Apparently they’ve been together since they were kids and over the years Cane breaks up with her, goes and hooks up with other people and then gets back with her. Lovely right?
I wish their first encounter had been more explosive and we saw more chemistry. It was so lackluster to me. So the fact that Archie was obsessing over this hookup kind of seemed far fetched to me. They didn’t even speak more than a few words at the most so the obsession didn’t make sense.
I didn’t like how when they finally meet again Archie becomes kind of pushy. He knows this man is engaged but he keeps showing up places to see him and let him know how much it shows that he doesn’t want to get married. I was like dude leave the man alone!!
I got soo tired of reading Evies name. Yes the woman was nice and blah blah. I don’t care. I don’t need every conversation to have her name involved in it. I don’t need to hear, Cane, how much you really do love her. I don’t need you to be talking about her while you’re in the middle of having sex with the guy you are dating!!! Archie and Cane were in the moment, taking their clothes off yada yada and they are talking about Cane’s ex!! And a bunch of his other hookups. Here’s a thought, let’s not talk about that while you are being intimate. I never understood why authors did that. Also at the end when Cane proposes and EVIE’s freaking name is included in the proposal?! Like wtf. He’s all “oh you know it took me a while to convince Evie to marry me under the tree in the yard, but since we didn’t end up getting married how about you and I get married under the tree in our yard? Instead of doing something original for our wedding let’s do exactly what I wanted to do with my ex fiancé?!” And you what? They did exactly that and it I was happy for it to be over.
While Archie was celibate during the time they didn’t see each other I’m only assuming Cane wasn’t because he got back with Evie and even went as far as suggesting they get married. I wish that was clarified more. But I didn’t love him wanting to marry Evie after he’d been with Archie and he was clearly still in love with Evie when he hooked up with Archie for the first time. It all just left a bad taste in my house. If Thatchers book is next idk about reading it. I hate the dead spouse trope.
NO CHEATING
OW DRAMA (Cane is engaged for the first half of the book)
NO THIRD ACT BREAK UP
HEA (married)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 12, 2025
I've always enjoyed reading Nicole's books, and this one was no exception. Reuniting with the Oakley crew was a delight, and I absolutely loved Archie and Cane’s story. Their connection was incredible, and while their HEA wasn’t easy, their love for each other made it all worthwhile. I also enjoyed meeting the other characters in the series, especially Oakley and Travis—they were the best bosses the guys could ask for.
Overall, I highly recommend Nicole's books for anyone seeking feel-good small-town romances.
Overall, I highly recommend Nicole's books for anyone seeking feel-good small-town romances.
March 8, 2025
"I’ve never been the one to change anyone’s life." - Archie
"I don’t understand why he doesn’t know how truly amazing he is, but I’ll spend the rest of my life letting him know just how incredible he is if he’ll let me." - Cane
This is a type of "Don't judge this book by the first few chapters" kind of book.
So Cane isn't single in the beginning of this book... This book is definitely different and it was so interesting to figure it all out. It was also definitely painful, for all the characters that were in the middle of it all but it's better then continue with a life they aren't happy in.
Cane is so much better with Archie then with his ex. Cane and Archie really are a match! Cane deserves a partner that wants every part of him, someone that sees how much he loves his animals. And Archie deserves someone that sees him and wants him. In a way they healed parts of each other. They are just two people that have been let down by the people that were supposed to love them unconditionally. And that really formed them in the adults they are. I'm glad that Archie found his found family in the Oakley's crew and that Cane could see men openly love their partners, that really helped him so much.
I received an ARC copy for this book.
"I don’t understand why he doesn’t know how truly amazing he is, but I’ll spend the rest of my life letting him know just how incredible he is if he’ll let me." - Cane
This is a type of "Don't judge this book by the first few chapters" kind of book.
So Cane isn't single in the beginning of this book... This book is definitely different and it was so interesting to figure it all out. It was also definitely painful, for all the characters that were in the middle of it all but it's better then continue with a life they aren't happy in.
Cane is so much better with Archie then with his ex. Cane and Archie really are a match! Cane deserves a partner that wants every part of him, someone that sees how much he loves his animals. And Archie deserves someone that sees him and wants him. In a way they healed parts of each other. They are just two people that have been let down by the people that were supposed to love them unconditionally. And that really formed them in the adults they are. I'm glad that Archie found his found family in the Oakley's crew and that Cane could see men openly love their partners, that really helped him so much.
I received an ARC copy for this book.
March 7, 2025
Arc Review
Archie is a one night and done type of guy.
After a long week at work at Oakley’s Crew Landscapers, he heads to his favourite bar, looking for a hookup. For Archie, hooking up is nothing unusual, a great night but no feelings, and never let them go back to his home. Just one night and leave. That is until Cane, and something about this hookup feels totally different.
Cane Butler is getting married to Evie in three weeks. Evie wants Oakley’s Crew to landscape the garden before the wedding. What Cane doesn't expect is for Archie to turn up as part of the crew. He brings back all the memories from a few months ago. Cane has feelings about marriage, his sexuality, not being good enough, Evie and Archie.
Cane loves Evie, but he cannot marry her, and feels like he has been forced into it. He needs to tell her the relationship is over, and there will be no wedding. He wants Archie.
Nicole Dykes is back with another Oakley’s Crew novel. I have loved both of them so far. The way she writes has you fixated and want to read on, regardless of how late it is.
I am looking forward to more from Oakley’s Crew.
Archie is a one night and done type of guy.
After a long week at work at Oakley’s Crew Landscapers, he heads to his favourite bar, looking for a hookup. For Archie, hooking up is nothing unusual, a great night but no feelings, and never let them go back to his home. Just one night and leave. That is until Cane, and something about this hookup feels totally different.
Cane Butler is getting married to Evie in three weeks. Evie wants Oakley’s Crew to landscape the garden before the wedding. What Cane doesn't expect is for Archie to turn up as part of the crew. He brings back all the memories from a few months ago. Cane has feelings about marriage, his sexuality, not being good enough, Evie and Archie.
Cane loves Evie, but he cannot marry her, and feels like he has been forced into it. He needs to tell her the relationship is over, and there will be no wedding. He wants Archie.
Nicole Dykes is back with another Oakley’s Crew novel. I have loved both of them so far. The way she writes has you fixated and want to read on, regardless of how late it is.
I am looking forward to more from Oakley’s Crew.
March 11, 2025
Thank you, Nicole & Chaotic Creative, for my copy of Balance, Book 2 in the Oakley's Crew series. This book focuses on Archie, who is Walkers (Simplicity, Oakley's Crew1) best friend. The prologue was from Archie's POV & I loved how the circumstances of their first account was slowly revealed via both POVs months later.
Cane has spent his life doing the right thing with small acts of rebellion & getting married to a woman is the 'right thing'. Until one of their break up leads him to Archie.
Things I ❤️
🤎 Prologue
🤎 Small Town
🤎 One Night/ Hook Up
🤎 Forced Proximity
🤎 Second Chance Romance
🤎 Animals
🤎 HEA
🤎 Dual POV
🤎 Epilogue
Cane has spent his life doing the right thing with small acts of rebellion & getting married to a woman is the 'right thing'. Until one of their break up leads him to Archie.
Things I ❤️
🤎 Prologue
🤎 Small Town
🤎 One Night/ Hook Up
🤎 Forced Proximity
🤎 Second Chance Romance
🤎 Animals
🤎 HEA
🤎 Dual POV
🤎 Epilogue
March 5, 2025
Archie + Cane
-mm romance
-small town
-one night
-second chance
-forced proximity
ooofff this was actually wayyyy messier than i expected!! like they had their one night...then homeboy showed up to do a job for HIS HOOKUPS FIANCE!!!! AHHH WHAT!!! man but super low tension really low angst! great quick read!
-mm romance
-small town
-one night
-second chance
-forced proximity
ooofff this was actually wayyyy messier than i expected!! like they had their one night...then homeboy showed up to do a job for HIS HOOKUPS FIANCE!!!! AHHH WHAT!!! man but super low tension really low angst! great quick read!
March 10, 2025
One of the things I love most about a Nicole Dykes book is the simplicity of her stories. They are fun light hearted reads I can finish in an afternoon while simultaneously getting everything I usually want in a story. I love the found family that blends throughout her series. Archie and Cane had instant chemistry and were perfect for each other. I liked how even though it was told that Cane’s father and family wouldn’t have agreed or approved of his sexuality it wasn’t made into a big to-do within the story and they were able to move forward and create a life together. Sometimes just because someone is blood related to you doesn’t make them family and I really liked how this is very prevalent in Nicole’s work.
May 4, 2025
Small town sweetness
A nice addition to the collection of small-town Kansas romances Nicole Dykes specializes in. I enjoyed this quick read with its low drama storyline, medium heat and maximum romance.
A nice addition to the collection of small-town Kansas romances Nicole Dykes specializes in. I enjoyed this quick read with its low drama storyline, medium heat and maximum romance.
March 7, 2025
I love Cane & Archie together. My poor Archie couldn’t catch a break there for a moment but got his HEA. I love this whole series and all the characters from past books. I love the sweet and the tiny bit of angst you get with these books.
March 17, 2025
It was ok but there were certain aspects of their dynamics that felt off to me. It was just weird, their relationship happening both too quick and too slow at the same time.
March 22, 2025
This is the 2nd book in Oakley's Crew.This book started hot & heavy.Archie & Cane had so much chemistry once they got together.I love how much of a family Oakley's Crew are.Im enjoying this spin-off series so much.
March 10, 2025
Ja mam słabość do tej autorki i nie wstydzę się tego przyznać
March 11, 2025
That was short and sweet! But OF COURSE I wish it was longer. Sometimes the insta-love, face paced timeline works and it does here, but at the same I wish there was more development. I really did love these two and how there was just an immediate connection the first time they met.
“A full shiver goes through my body, and I can’t stop the feeling overtaking me—like my life is about to change forever.”
For so long, Cane never felt like he fit into the relationship he was in until he met Archie and felt something he had never felt before. Meeting Archie felt like fate 🥹
“When you kissed me, it was different. Earth-shattering. It was like you were what I was waiting for.”
And here was Archie.. this guy who never believed in relationships, and honestly just never believed he was worthy of having one The guy who was the “clown” and used jokes to cover up everything with something funny when things felt too vulnerable. But, Cane was not about it!!! Archie needed to know he was so much more than just that funny guy. That he was the most amazing person he’d ever met 🫶🏼
“He doesn’t feel safe, I wasn’t lying about that. He feels like the best kind of risk—one who will shake up my world and wake me up from floating aimlessly through life and never really, truly enjoying it. He feels like hope.”
In the short time that they’d spent together, they knew they were it for each other and I loved it. Like there was no second-guessing their relationship. What they had would be forever. That effortless type of love they didn’t know they were searching for.
“I’m not going anywhere. Take your time, but you and me, we’re endgame. I’ll love you until my last breath.”
+
“I’m so in love with you, Archie, I can barely stand it. I don’t know how this happened, but I don’t care. The moment I saw you, I knew you were different. That everything was going to change, and I won’t ever hurt you again because I love you with everything I have.”
It was 🤌🏼 seeing Archie accept that he was now a relationship man lol. And the teasing comments he got from his friends about it made it that much better.
“Boyfriend? I’ve never heard you say that before. I didn’t know you knew that word.” (Like 😂😂)
Overall, this book made me happy! I of course wish there was more but it was perfect for what it was. Big slay for them not wasting any time and becoming Husbands in the blink of an eye 🥰 But why wait when you’ve found the love of your life, right?
“I’ve been so unsettled for so long, but not anymore. I’m certain this is the life I want. With this man. No matter where we end up.”
—
“Somehow, we all made it here. To the exact place where we’re supposed to be. We all found our perfect balance.”
“A full shiver goes through my body, and I can’t stop the feeling overtaking me—like my life is about to change forever.”
For so long, Cane never felt like he fit into the relationship he was in until he met Archie and felt something he had never felt before. Meeting Archie felt like fate 🥹
“When you kissed me, it was different. Earth-shattering. It was like you were what I was waiting for.”
And here was Archie.. this guy who never believed in relationships, and honestly just never believed he was worthy of having one The guy who was the “clown” and used jokes to cover up everything with something funny when things felt too vulnerable. But, Cane was not about it!!! Archie needed to know he was so much more than just that funny guy. That he was the most amazing person he’d ever met 🫶🏼
“He doesn’t feel safe, I wasn’t lying about that. He feels like the best kind of risk—one who will shake up my world and wake me up from floating aimlessly through life and never really, truly enjoying it. He feels like hope.”
In the short time that they’d spent together, they knew they were it for each other and I loved it. Like there was no second-guessing their relationship. What they had would be forever. That effortless type of love they didn’t know they were searching for.
“I’m not going anywhere. Take your time, but you and me, we’re endgame. I’ll love you until my last breath.”
+
“I’m so in love with you, Archie, I can barely stand it. I don’t know how this happened, but I don’t care. The moment I saw you, I knew you were different. That everything was going to change, and I won’t ever hurt you again because I love you with everything I have.”
It was 🤌🏼 seeing Archie accept that he was now a relationship man lol. And the teasing comments he got from his friends about it made it that much better.
“Boyfriend? I’ve never heard you say that before. I didn’t know you knew that word.” (Like 😂😂)
Overall, this book made me happy! I of course wish there was more but it was perfect for what it was. Big slay for them not wasting any time and becoming Husbands in the blink of an eye 🥰 But why wait when you’ve found the love of your life, right?
“I’ve been so unsettled for so long, but not anymore. I’m certain this is the life I want. With this man. No matter where we end up.”
—
“Somehow, we all made it here. To the exact place where we’re supposed to be. We all found our perfect balance.”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 12, 2025
I was lucky enough to read an ARC of Balance
I love Nicole’s books they are always a good read. She never disappoints and Balance was no different. I am really enjoying this series and can’t wait to see what’s next.
This is book 2 in the Oakley’s Crew series and this time we follow Archie who we first meet in book 1. He is Walkers best friend.
Archie is a playboy, strictly one night stands only, no strings and one rule never at his place. One night when Archie is in his local bar Cane walks in and has his full attention from first glance, he is instantly mesmerised. He is drawn to him from first glance. Even the first kiss feels different, he wants to take his time with Cane, to learn more about him. To his surprise he actually feels comfortable enough to stay and fall asleep, only to wake up and find Cane gone. This completely messes with him. He's the one to usually up and leave and be gone before morning comes. He can't stop thinking about him, reliving that night over.
A couple of months later, Archie gets sent out for a landscaping job, and gets the biggest shock/surprise of his life. He comes face to face with the man who’s occupied his mind for all those months, but what he finds is not what he expected and things are complicated, especially when he meets his fiancée.
Cane’s life isn’t all that straightforward either, he has spent the majority of this life following a life and rules he thinks he needs to. Making everyone he loves happy,his parents happy, because it’s what it expected of him, but this has caused him to hide a part of himself, forcing himself to play a role that isn't really him. He wants to do the right thing for everyone, but at what cost to himself. He does love his fiancée, but something is just missing and seeing Archie again just throws a spot light onto this even more and makes him question everything.
Archie and Cane have to over come a few things between them. Archie usually the life and sole of the party, lighthearted and loves to joke, is finding it harder to be so care free. This is all new to him he is not used wanting more with someone, being in a relationship, allowing someone in and to love them and love him back. Cane has to come to terms to what it means to him to be openly with a man, he doesn’t want to hurt his ex and he knows his parents will disown him and small towns like to talk, but none of that matters to him as long as he has Archie, his animals and business he will be happy. Together they will be happy.
Archie and Cane are great together and their connections is instant and strong and only grows stronger the more time they spend together. I loved seeing their relationship grow and Archie going from every man to one man. Finding love and acceptance.
And as always it’s great to see Oakley, Travis and the rest of the crew.
I love Nicole’s books they are always a good read. She never disappoints and Balance was no different. I am really enjoying this series and can’t wait to see what’s next.
This is book 2 in the Oakley’s Crew series and this time we follow Archie who we first meet in book 1. He is Walkers best friend.
Archie is a playboy, strictly one night stands only, no strings and one rule never at his place. One night when Archie is in his local bar Cane walks in and has his full attention from first glance, he is instantly mesmerised. He is drawn to him from first glance. Even the first kiss feels different, he wants to take his time with Cane, to learn more about him. To his surprise he actually feels comfortable enough to stay and fall asleep, only to wake up and find Cane gone. This completely messes with him. He's the one to usually up and leave and be gone before morning comes. He can't stop thinking about him, reliving that night over.
A couple of months later, Archie gets sent out for a landscaping job, and gets the biggest shock/surprise of his life. He comes face to face with the man who’s occupied his mind for all those months, but what he finds is not what he expected and things are complicated, especially when he meets his fiancée.
Cane’s life isn’t all that straightforward either, he has spent the majority of this life following a life and rules he thinks he needs to. Making everyone he loves happy,his parents happy, because it’s what it expected of him, but this has caused him to hide a part of himself, forcing himself to play a role that isn't really him. He wants to do the right thing for everyone, but at what cost to himself. He does love his fiancée, but something is just missing and seeing Archie again just throws a spot light onto this even more and makes him question everything.
Archie and Cane have to over come a few things between them. Archie usually the life and sole of the party, lighthearted and loves to joke, is finding it harder to be so care free. This is all new to him he is not used wanting more with someone, being in a relationship, allowing someone in and to love them and love him back. Cane has to come to terms to what it means to him to be openly with a man, he doesn’t want to hurt his ex and he knows his parents will disown him and small towns like to talk, but none of that matters to him as long as he has Archie, his animals and business he will be happy. Together they will be happy.
Archie and Cane are great together and their connections is instant and strong and only grows stronger the more time they spend together. I loved seeing their relationship grow and Archie going from every man to one man. Finding love and acceptance.
And as always it’s great to see Oakley, Travis and the rest of the crew.
March 19, 2025
STILL overwhelmed by the sheer number of TBRs. So still not start something completely random aka, slowly crossing another author off my to-binge list. Here's Nicole Dykes's "Balance." It's the second book in her Oakley's Crew series, which is a spin-off of her Kensley Panthers series.
["Archie
My favorite principle in landscaping and in life is balance.
In any situation, that’s my goal—to find that perfect balance. And I’m good at it too.
That is until I met Cane.
Now, nothing makes sense, and everything is off balance. I’m not sure what to make of this and how to make it work.
I’ve never felt like this before, and I can’t decide if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. All I know is I want to find a way.
Cane
I knew I wasn’t happy before I met Archie. But after? It became pretty apparent I wasn’t.
Blatantly so.
How am I supposed to go back now? Especially since he showed back up in my life at just the wrong time—or right, depending on how you look at it.
I don’t even know if I can convince him to forgive me. And I don’t know what I want.
All I know is I’ve never felt more secure in who I am than when I’m around him."]
I’m really not sure how a book could be so fluffy and so angsty. But it was! And it was perfect!
Archie and Cane had instant chemistry, love at first sight, you’re-it kinda magic. Too bad they didn’t see each other for a few months after that one night.
Being together was easy. In the physical sense. The emotional sense? It took some harsh realities and harder looks, some deep introspections and baggage reviewing.
But they finally (finally) made it work. With their little farm animal babies.
Trigger Warnings: typical small town homophobia and more.
#simplicity #balance #oakleyscrew #oakleyscrewseries #kensleypanthers #kensleypantersseries #nicoledykes #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks
["Archie
My favorite principle in landscaping and in life is balance.
In any situation, that’s my goal—to find that perfect balance. And I’m good at it too.
That is until I met Cane.
Now, nothing makes sense, and everything is off balance. I’m not sure what to make of this and how to make it work.
I’ve never felt like this before, and I can’t decide if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. All I know is I want to find a way.
Cane
I knew I wasn’t happy before I met Archie. But after? It became pretty apparent I wasn’t.
Blatantly so.
How am I supposed to go back now? Especially since he showed back up in my life at just the wrong time—or right, depending on how you look at it.
I don’t even know if I can convince him to forgive me. And I don’t know what I want.
All I know is I’ve never felt more secure in who I am than when I’m around him."]
I’m really not sure how a book could be so fluffy and so angsty. But it was! And it was perfect!
Archie and Cane had instant chemistry, love at first sight, you’re-it kinda magic. Too bad they didn’t see each other for a few months after that one night.
Being together was easy. In the physical sense. The emotional sense? It took some harsh realities and harder looks, some deep introspections and baggage reviewing.
But they finally (finally) made it work. With their little farm animal babies.
Trigger Warnings: typical small town homophobia and more.
#simplicity #balance #oakleyscrew #oakleyscrewseries #kensleypanthers #kensleypantersseries #nicoledykes #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks
March 18, 2025
Nicole Dykes definitely knows small town romance and really delivers once again with Balance – I really liked both Archie and Cane and their romance!
Archie and Cane meet by chance in a bar one night and have a super hot hookup, just a quick one night stand is all it’s supposed to be. Archie is the king of those after all, but he can’t seem to stop thinking about that night or the fact that Cane was gone when he woke up. He’s definitely shocked when he shows up to a new landscaping job and its Cane and his fiancé Evie that answer the door. They are both shocked for sure and it leads to a lot of questions and even some hurt feelings but as these two unravel what happened and get to know each other that pull they initially felt only gets stronger and makes the real truths come out.
Again, I really liked these two and wanted to see them together. It’s not the easiest road for them though and my heart hurt for their struggles. Especially for Cane and the things he goes through, he’s always thought he had to live a certain life and meet his dad’s expectations and it hurts him and Evie in the process. I did love seeing him embrace the life and love he wanted though and Archie is the perfect match for him. Archie is easy to love and yes, there are some tough moments for him as well but he knows what he wants and is ready to get it – and it’s Cane!
Overall this was a sweet read, Archie and Cane are a great addition to Oakley’s Crew- and I absolutely adore seeing Oakley and Travis again so that’s a big win. I really liked how these two supported each other throughout their journey and really bring out the best in each other. It’s a good, solid and sweet romance about finding and getting the real love, happiness and family these two truly deserved. Definitely looking forward to more from this crew!
Archie and Cane meet by chance in a bar one night and have a super hot hookup, just a quick one night stand is all it’s supposed to be. Archie is the king of those after all, but he can’t seem to stop thinking about that night or the fact that Cane was gone when he woke up. He’s definitely shocked when he shows up to a new landscaping job and its Cane and his fiancé Evie that answer the door. They are both shocked for sure and it leads to a lot of questions and even some hurt feelings but as these two unravel what happened and get to know each other that pull they initially felt only gets stronger and makes the real truths come out.
Again, I really liked these two and wanted to see them together. It’s not the easiest road for them though and my heart hurt for their struggles. Especially for Cane and the things he goes through, he’s always thought he had to live a certain life and meet his dad’s expectations and it hurts him and Evie in the process. I did love seeing him embrace the life and love he wanted though and Archie is the perfect match for him. Archie is easy to love and yes, there are some tough moments for him as well but he knows what he wants and is ready to get it – and it’s Cane!
Overall this was a sweet read, Archie and Cane are a great addition to Oakley’s Crew- and I absolutely adore seeing Oakley and Travis again so that’s a big win. I really liked how these two supported each other throughout their journey and really bring out the best in each other. It’s a good, solid and sweet romance about finding and getting the real love, happiness and family these two truly deserved. Definitely looking forward to more from this crew!
March 10, 2025
Nicole Dykes' books always read smoothly and have that feel-good vibe. Balance was no different. I hadn’t read the first book in this series, so keeping track of all the names took some effort, but overall, it was an enjoyable read.
Cane and Archie’s first meeting was fantastic. Archie is a total player—strictly one-night stands, never at his own place. That’s his rule. But with Cane, things feel different. He actually falls asleep, only to wake up and find Cane gone. And that messes with him. He can’t stop thinking about him. Months later, Archie gets sent out for a landscaping job, and guess whose property he’s working on? Cane’s. But this time, things are complicated.
Cane has spent years hiding a part of himself, forcing himself into a role that isn’t really him. He owns a little furniture shop where he repurposes old pieces, but in his personal life, he’s stuck. He wants to do the right thing for everyone else, even if it means ignoring what he really wants. Seeing Archie again shakes things up, but there are obstacles between them. Archie, usually the guy who jokes about everything, isn’t so lighthearted this time.
When they finally get together, it’s adorable. Everything is so new for Archie, and Cane is finally allowing himself to be honest. It’s mostly a low-drama read, which I liked, and the animals? So cute. The whole Oakley’s Crew setting has this warm, small-town, country-life feel, with pumpkins, farms, and good people who support each other. Also, Oakley might just be the best boss ever.
Definitely a solid feel-good story!
🅡🅐🅣🅘🅝🅖
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
🅢🅟🅘🅒🅔
🌶️🌶️🌶️
🅣🅡🅞🅟🅔🅢
🫏MM
🐐One Night Stand
🫏Small Town
🐐Second Chance
🫏Forced Proximity
🐐Found Family
Cane and Archie’s first meeting was fantastic. Archie is a total player—strictly one-night stands, never at his own place. That’s his rule. But with Cane, things feel different. He actually falls asleep, only to wake up and find Cane gone. And that messes with him. He can’t stop thinking about him. Months later, Archie gets sent out for a landscaping job, and guess whose property he’s working on? Cane’s. But this time, things are complicated.
Cane has spent years hiding a part of himself, forcing himself into a role that isn’t really him. He owns a little furniture shop where he repurposes old pieces, but in his personal life, he’s stuck. He wants to do the right thing for everyone else, even if it means ignoring what he really wants. Seeing Archie again shakes things up, but there are obstacles between them. Archie, usually the guy who jokes about everything, isn’t so lighthearted this time.
When they finally get together, it’s adorable. Everything is so new for Archie, and Cane is finally allowing himself to be honest. It’s mostly a low-drama read, which I liked, and the animals? So cute. The whole Oakley’s Crew setting has this warm, small-town, country-life feel, with pumpkins, farms, and good people who support each other. Also, Oakley might just be the best boss ever.
Definitely a solid feel-good story!
🅡🅐🅣🅘🅝🅖
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
🅢🅟🅘🅒🅔
🌶️🌶️🌶️
🅣🅡🅞🅟🅔🅢
🫏MM
🐐One Night Stand
🫏Small Town
🐐Second Chance
🫏Forced Proximity
🐐Found Family
March 10, 2025
This is a hookup/second chance romance, featuring Archie and Cane, and is book two in the Oakley’s Crew series. It was released today and I jumped on it and couldn’t put it down.
Archie meets Cane in a local bar and has one of the best hookups of his life but when he wakes in the morning, Cane is gone. A couple of months later Archie goes to a neighbouring town for a landscaping job and who should he see, Cane, with his fiancee.
First, I’ll start with, there is no cheating in this one. The story is low angst and sweet. These two have an instant connection, something they couldn’t ignore but they are decent humans and don’t act on it. I love once Cane is single, and they start dating, how quick their relationship develops. It was like they had been waiting to find each other their whole lives and didn’t want to wait.
I also loved the cameos of Oakley’s crew, and how all of Nicole’s books are in one universe, makes me happy to see cameos from previous books. This book left me with all the happy feels.
Things to expect in this book are:
Book 2 in series
MM romance
Small town
Hookup to more
Insta-list
No cheating
Low angst
Become friends
Self discovery
Second chance
Bit of spice
Adorable animals
Oakley crew cameos
Coming out
Found family
Sweet HEA
Archie meets Cane in a local bar and has one of the best hookups of his life but when he wakes in the morning, Cane is gone. A couple of months later Archie goes to a neighbouring town for a landscaping job and who should he see, Cane, with his fiancee.
First, I’ll start with, there is no cheating in this one. The story is low angst and sweet. These two have an instant connection, something they couldn’t ignore but they are decent humans and don’t act on it. I love once Cane is single, and they start dating, how quick their relationship develops. It was like they had been waiting to find each other their whole lives and didn’t want to wait.
I also loved the cameos of Oakley’s crew, and how all of Nicole’s books are in one universe, makes me happy to see cameos from previous books. This book left me with all the happy feels.
Things to expect in this book are:
Book 2 in series
MM romance
Small town
Hookup to more
Insta-list
No cheating
Low angst
Become friends
Self discovery
Second chance
Bit of spice
Adorable animals
Oakley crew cameos
Coming out
Found family
Sweet HEA
March 11, 2025
4.5 stars
Balance is book two in Nicole Dykes’s Oakley’s Crew series. It features Archie, Walker’s bestie, and Cane. Archie is a landscaper who doesn’t do relationships. Cane owns a furniture shop and has commitment issues.
Archie and Cane meet at the tavern and end up hooking up. Sparks fly from first eye contact. But, Cane takes off the next morning and Archie is left wondering why. Fast forward a few months and Oakley’s crew is contracted for a job in rival town Larnard to prep a house’s landscaping for a wedding. Here he comes face to face with Cane once more. This throws them both off balance, but sometimes, that’s a good thing.
I love that Nicole’s books are usually low angst, and this is no exception. The chemistry between Cane and Archie is a beautiful thing. It’s sweet and soft and honest. They have both been searching for something, and they find it with each other. The spicy scenes are fantastically done. The book is pretty quick read at only 180 pages, but it still has a well developed plot. I liked that that they manage to resolve relationships in a mature way and communicate well. Of course, it’s always great to see Oakley, Travis, Walker, and Dutton. And bonus points for all the awesome farm animals!
Balance is book two in Nicole Dykes’s Oakley’s Crew series. It features Archie, Walker’s bestie, and Cane. Archie is a landscaper who doesn’t do relationships. Cane owns a furniture shop and has commitment issues.
Archie and Cane meet at the tavern and end up hooking up. Sparks fly from first eye contact. But, Cane takes off the next morning and Archie is left wondering why. Fast forward a few months and Oakley’s crew is contracted for a job in rival town Larnard to prep a house’s landscaping for a wedding. Here he comes face to face with Cane once more. This throws them both off balance, but sometimes, that’s a good thing.
I love that Nicole’s books are usually low angst, and this is no exception. The chemistry between Cane and Archie is a beautiful thing. It’s sweet and soft and honest. They have both been searching for something, and they find it with each other. The spicy scenes are fantastically done. The book is pretty quick read at only 180 pages, but it still has a well developed plot. I liked that that they manage to resolve relationships in a mature way and communicate well. Of course, it’s always great to see Oakley, Travis, Walker, and Dutton. And bonus points for all the awesome farm animals!
March 7, 2025
- series
- hookup to lovers
- found family
This is the second in the Oakley's crew series, it can be read as a standalone though. This is Cane and Archie's story, Cane is a new character but we did meet Archie before in the first in the series. Archie is a master of hookups with no desire for a relationship, and meets and hooks up with Cane at the start of the book. There is an instant connection between the two, but of course things don't always go smoothly, and there's a wrinkle in the story, but there is a nice HEA though.
I kind of struggled to feel a connection to Cane, if I'm honest. I felt I never really got to know him that well. Archie we got to know a little bit better although still not that well. I did feel the connection between them though although it did all happen fairly fast once they decided to get together. I liked that Cane never cheated and wanted to be honest and came out fairly quickly too.
This was short and sweet and I really do like Oakley's crew, and I'm keen to see other characters get their HEA too.
I received an ARC and this is my honest review.
- hookup to lovers
- found family
This is the second in the Oakley's crew series, it can be read as a standalone though. This is Cane and Archie's story, Cane is a new character but we did meet Archie before in the first in the series. Archie is a master of hookups with no desire for a relationship, and meets and hooks up with Cane at the start of the book. There is an instant connection between the two, but of course things don't always go smoothly, and there's a wrinkle in the story, but there is a nice HEA though.
I kind of struggled to feel a connection to Cane, if I'm honest. I felt I never really got to know him that well. Archie we got to know a little bit better although still not that well. I did feel the connection between them though although it did all happen fairly fast once they decided to get together. I liked that Cane never cheated and wanted to be honest and came out fairly quickly too.
This was short and sweet and I really do like Oakley's crew, and I'm keen to see other characters get their HEA too.
I received an ARC and this is my honest review.
March 7, 2025
What a fantastic plot! Balance brought a new angst to this familiar small town world and I loved everything about it.
Archie works for Oakley's Crew and he loves his job and never plans to settle down. He feels he has a good balance between work and down time. He’s the resident playboy, until one particular night, after a hot one night stand, he suddenly feels a bit unbalanced and everything changes.
Cane's story is one unlike I've read before, but probably closer to reality than I would even realize. Regardless of gender, there are people who feel trapped, or just caught in a cycle, or just do what society deems as normal instead of following their heart. Cane is just going through life, doing what he thinks he should do, but he really wasn't happy, not until he meets Archie. I don't want to say more because the jaw dropping moment between these two, for me, certainly kept me turning those pages deep into the night.
Balance has the wonderful cast of Oakley's Crew returning and Archie and Cane's love story is full of angst, but it's completely worth it by the end. 😍
Archie works for Oakley's Crew and he loves his job and never plans to settle down. He feels he has a good balance between work and down time. He’s the resident playboy, until one particular night, after a hot one night stand, he suddenly feels a bit unbalanced and everything changes.
Cane's story is one unlike I've read before, but probably closer to reality than I would even realize. Regardless of gender, there are people who feel trapped, or just caught in a cycle, or just do what society deems as normal instead of following their heart. Cane is just going through life, doing what he thinks he should do, but he really wasn't happy, not until he meets Archie. I don't want to say more because the jaw dropping moment between these two, for me, certainly kept me turning those pages deep into the night.
Balance has the wonderful cast of Oakley's Crew returning and Archie and Cane's love story is full of angst, but it's completely worth it by the end. 😍
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