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Straight To Him

Under Construction

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Dennis Kim didn't become a rising star architect by playing it safe. His innovative sustainable design could revolutionize the industry—if he can just keep a crew long enough to build it.

Too bad the only person capable of bringing his vision to life is also the most infuriating man he's ever met.

Chris Rhodes is brilliant at his job, annoyingly good-looking, and seems to live for making Dennis's blood pressure spike. For someone who claims he's never worked with anyone so stuck-up and theoretical, Chris certainly spends a lot of time poking holes in Dennis's designs—and Dennis only seems to make mistakes when those dimples are watching.

When a trapped kitten and one perfectly landed punch change everything between them, Dennis discovers Chris's antagonism might be hiding something far more complicated.

As their professional rivalry evolves into dangerous attraction, Dennis finds himself falling for a man whose secrets could destroy everything he's built. But the harder he falls, the more Chris pulls away.

Some foundations aren't meant to last. And some secrets are better left buried.

A super steamy enemies-to-lovers gay-for-you romance

A perfectionist architect with a mean right hookA site manager who makes "safety inspections" sound dirtyWorkplace tension that definitely violates building codesAnd the kitten that changed everything

512 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 20, 2025

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Juliet M. Dixon

10 books19 followers

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5 stars
64 (27%)
4 stars
73 (31%)
3 stars
63 (26%)
2 stars
18 (7%)
1 star
17 (7%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
Profile Image for mirra kushh.
12 reviews3 followers
July 2, 2025
re reddit : I just finished last night, where they're both straight or at least thought they were until they become ridiculously, insanely, obsessed with each other. It's nuts how obsessed they get 😵‍💫 it's soooooo hot I couldn't believe it lol! Their break up is more a "trying to stop the world from pulling us apart" situation.

This book rewired my brain so much that I’m legit not sure I want to read another book that isn’t like it to the T! 😭 I loved Dennis and Chris so muchhhhh. And their chemistry was so electrifying…. It’s literally just letters on a page and I can see them so clearly! Felt like I was interrupting during some moments I swear 🤣🤣

tbr
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Hazel M Bear.
282 reviews3 followers
June 2, 2025
4.5
The first few chapters were so infuriating, I just hated Chirs. But then it got better. Adorably so. And the spice was 🔥. It was just so good and kept getting better. The end wasn't as good in a way. I think I was reading to fast and didn't quite "get" what the plans were? And I wanted more time with them at the end and it felt a bit rushed. Still, only losing a half star for that because otherwise this was a great read.
Profile Image for Val MM.
89 reviews9 followers
June 14, 2025
What- and I cannot emphasize this enough- the f*ck did I just read? This was such a normal story for 60% and then just goes batshit crazy. Private investigators, kidnapping, corporate espionage, murder, oh and someone comes back from the dead….. Please save yourself the headache that comes from this one.
Profile Image for Aquila T..
91 reviews4 followers
June 1, 2025
I didn’t want this book to end! Every thing about this story checked off all my likes when it comes to reading romance and I’m not just talking about the love scenes that damn near melted my panties off. I loved their intimacy and their growth separately, but also together. Dennis and Chris are going to stick with me for quite awhile.
Profile Image for For the Weekend.
244 reviews3 followers
June 17, 2025
This book is underrated. I love that the sex is so intense, but I love the relationship development even more. It wasn't always smooth sailing for Chris and Dennis but these two deserve their very happy ending.
Profile Image for Rhysluvr1.
80 reviews4 followers
May 30, 2025
Really well written but 3rd person writing always confuses me in romance books
Profile Image for Mir.
1,174 reviews70 followers
July 9, 2025
This was such a daytime soap opera, somehow three books in one, but I couldn’t stop reading. Very rough start where I haaaated Chris, but then that “book” ends and we start the erotica/romance part and that was pretty damn good. I did skim a bit. Then we end with a third book which was a thriller! Very bizarre, but like I said, couldn’t stop reading lol.
65 reviews1 follower
June 23, 2025
Vibes were great, could’ve been a 5* read for me if the ending hadn’t gotten a bit ridiculous.
10 reviews1 follower
June 28, 2025
Remember the good old days when you'd happen upon an absolute gem of a "slash" fanfiction that's so perfect, so well written, exactly what you dream of finding after hours of searching? That's this book.

The writing style actually really reminds me of a lot of the best fanfics I've read, the ones where you're like, ooo yeah, this author should be published, but more than that this book covers a lot of my bases.

Let me break down what made it amazing for me:

1.) Well placed pet names.

I adore a good, well placed "baby". This book? An oasis of "baby". A veritable MECCA of pet names. The MCs both use them, one more than the other, but most importantly the author, who I'm convinced is plugged into my brain, uses the pet names to "show not tell" emotions/vulnerability/changes that the MCs are feeling. Ugh! So good.

2.) Spice

Along that same vein, the spice in this book is PLENTIFUL. However I'm a picky bitch, especially about spice and definitely about excessive spice. But this book, y'all. The author uses the sex scenes to show not tell as well. Did I sometimes wish they would just talk? Yes. However, it wasn't to the point of irritation like I've had in other books. Think similar tonThe Long Game and Heated Rivalry, the sex is plentiful, but it also tells the story, it's not like a break or an interlude it's APART of their relationship and the story of their growth. This is sex used to show the reader the characters developing in the relationship, in themselves, etc.

And a sub point: there is SO MUCH PREP. Every couple of minutes I'd think of that TikTok creator who made a video about how there needs to be more rimming in MM romance and giggle cause this book understood the assignment. And it's honestly not about reading sex scenes, it's about how much love and adoration these MCs have for each other. It makes it more real. I'd go into more detail but just know, this book is kinky and fabulous and GOOD.

3.) Dennis

I'll stop after this because I can talk about this book till I'm blue in the face. Dennis coming into his own, feeling empowered about what he wants, finding who HE is through his relationship with Chris and the relentless way Chris (who is a little unhinged and a lot lovely and tender) loves him? Ugh!! This author slayed me with that.

(Sidebar: Because I'm not Japanese or Korean but was raised in a place with a high population of both, I won't speak to the authenticity of Dennis' family experience, however from what I heard from my friends who were, I felt it was pretty solid.)

Every single time Dennis relinquished a little more of himself to Chris and Chris took such sweet care of his vulnerability? My heart ached. It's rare a book hits all these spots with abundance. This book is 500 pages. I was so happy.

In conclusion:

This was a love story, it unfolded so beautifully. Relationship angst that I was expecting was not there. It was about two men just finding a connection, falling in love, dealing with a couple issues they didn't sort because they were too buys falling in love, and a happy ending.

There is a third act break up but not a bad one and not stupid. The whole thing with Chris is a little dramatic but ultimately still loved it because it gave Dennis space to be the one making the first moves and being the caretaker and I really appreciated the purpose of that and the continued development of their relationship.

Read. This. Book. I left it in my Kindle library for like a month, saw a review here, immediately read it and lived my best life for two days straight.
307 reviews6 followers
July 4, 2025
This book put my patience to the test. I almost DNF'd but hung in there because the MCs were interesting. And then like the sun after the storm it lit up the story and became really good. The plot became brilliant, the plan coming together, the results were very gratifying and the epilogue very good. I loved the relationship between Dennis and Chris especially as the book simmered down. The found family very gratifying.
Profile Image for Daje1968.
633 reviews33 followers
Did Not Finish
May 28, 2025
I might come back to it, but I am just not feeling the writing style at the moment. I generally enjoy 3rd person POV, it usually feels a bit more sophisticated, but this reads like chick lit (are we still allowed to call it that?) I realize this is the pot calling the kettle black because all I read is trashy mm romance, but I just don’t have an appreciation for super simplistic writing.

It’s getting some good reviews so maybe I will give it another chance, but I just want to leave a note so I remember why I walked away at 7%.
Profile Image for Samantha.
14 reviews
January 24, 2026
This book was recommended to me, and I don't understand why. This feels like the first draft of a story, and it just has too many issues to be enjoyable.

Firstly, the plot isn't really coherent. As others have noticed, there are three separate sections of the story that don't really go together- an enemies to lovers story about an architect and a site manager creating an environmentally sustainable building, a mystery about someone sabotaging the project, and finally a murder plot.

Secondly, characters don't stay consistent. Dennis has a complicated relationship with his father, but by the end they seem to have solved their issues with very little justification. Chris is a mystery for most of the book, and then his actions are explained with one big burst of information. Chris's father is presented as a villain who also makes a move on Dennis for reasons that are never explained.

Finally, the writing needs a lot of editing. Sometimes characters are in a room for a conversation then seem to vanish. At other points, the third-person narration that seems to be from Dennis's perspective shifts to describe events happening when he's not present.

I liked the description of this book and was interested to learn more, but in its current state it's not really readable.
Profile Image for paracosmere.
525 reviews7 followers
June 24, 2026
3 stars!

Can't lie, this has one of the hottest and spiciest scenes ever. There's so much spice in it that it's almost like a pwp novel. If you're looking for nonstop erotica, then this one's for you.

It fell a little short on the plot side, though. The conflict felt shallow. Despite the attempt at heavy conflict, I couldn't be convinced by its authenticity. Now that I usually look for better plot lines, this is underwhelming.

I still had fun.
Profile Image for Haley.
462 reviews44 followers
July 4, 2026
This book does 1 thing very very well and its chemistry. There’s great sparks and sexiness.
Everything else is kind of an issue.

The writing is very amateurish and felt extremely under edited. There’s typos but beyond that, the present tense, 3rd person is a very awkward choice. It means the character’s names are used constantly and we never really get deep POV. Not to mention that Dennis comes off so feminine and awkwardly written. And Chris starts so insufferable and loops back to crappy at one point.

It is also far too long. The flowery language takes a lot of pages but doesn’t always do much to progress the romance as I think was intended. The intrigue plot line that pops up feels like it’s from a different book and just dragged the story on after I was ready for it to wrap up.

The sex scenes are steamy but often the description of poses/movement didn’t quite make sense. And there was a scene that I don’t think made sense anatomically and felt like it was pulled from straight porn.

The lack of architectural or engineering knowledge came through really badly. I didn’t want any more sentences about the bamboo supports or load balance. It was the only thing being discussed. Did we even learn what the building was going to be used for? All I know is it has bamboo supports and concrete.

I can’t really find any info on the author but I feel like they’re likely not from the US? The setting felt odd and some of the phrasing as well (not to mention lots of foreskin talk for a country where the majority of men are circumcised).

I think the author had something going in terms of the raw chemistry so it was readable and I get why people like it, but they really need to refine the technical side of their writing.
31 reviews
June 18, 2025
I really liked this -- for the most part. The writing was really well done and the spicy scenes were truly some of my favorite that I've read.

Starting out, Chris was an unyielding ass to Dennis for no reason, to the point of excess. I nearly lost interest in him as a character with how frustrated I was becoming with his constant uncalled for gibes. Once their relationship really starts to develop, though, it was done beautifully. Their connection felt multidimensional and progressed naturally, although I found myself frustrated again at both of their unwillingness to open up to one another. Literally and metaphorically.

And that brings me to one of my main issues with this book. It was SO long, and I felt like the entire middle portion was just sex scene after sex scene inching toward the day Dennis might finally be able to let Chris *in* (if you get what I'm saying). For me, personally, the story could have done with a little more plot development during that portion instead. Especially since I also felt like the climax and conclusion came very swiftly, a bit messily, and rather confusing. A lot is thrown at you in the final 50 or so pages that felt very jumbled to me and made the resolution a little less satisfying.

However, overall, I thought this was a fun book. Good writing, good banter, good characters, good sex, and mostly good plot, but the other aspects help make up for it.
374 reviews
June 29, 2026
Should have DNF.
I didn't realize this as gay for you, which is a trope I hate. As in most gay for you, there is no exploration of the MC's identity or examination of what their feelings mean.
The enemies to lovers part of this is fairly childish. The "mystery" plot has some twists at the end that wrap everything up rather neatly - or rather I assume they do since I was skimming by that point.
The writing is this is a bit clunky in places. It's third person with single POV... but occasionally it slips into third person omniscient since somehow we get to now what the other MC is thinking/seeing? As well, the sex scenes are strangely described. I often had trouble picturing where everyone's body parts were going, which took me out of the story.
In general, I read this because I heard it had epic dirty talk and size kink. And it does. The middle part of the book where those aspects are present is pretty good. In fact, you could just skim this book and read the sex scenes in the middle, and you wouldn't be missing anything good.
Profile Image for Tris.
286 reviews4 followers
May 29, 2025
3.5 stars ⭐️

I was only 29% through in this book and I didn’t want to continue. Not because it was bad, but because it was already so good - what else could the author add in the next 70% that could continue this crazy goodness.

Admittedly the writing style threw me off in the first couple of chapters but I got used to the flow. The tensions between the Dennis and Chris were off the charts - wish there was a bit more tension before it went further.

But alas, kudos to the author for pulling it off for as long as she did; as with all long books, it is understandably hard to keep up the 5 star pace and unfortunately I felt the situation at the end was too forced and some parts too fantastical (like seriously - a kidnapping??).

A very enjoyable read which was damn hot for like 50-60% of the book. I would probably reread this again someday and I look forward to other books by Dixon.
Profile Image for Mallow.
153 reviews
June 22, 2026
0.85 ⭐️This book was recommend so much in Reddit that I ignored my gut and gave it a try. After the wreck that was the cat code, I swore I’d never read another book from this author and I should have stuck to my guns.

Idk, this had potential but for 80% of the book, nothing happened and then in the last 20% it turned into a whole different story? Guns? Kidnapping? A dead mother returning? Fucking stupid. It didn’t even feel like a way to keep the plot moving as there was no plot, it seems the author got high at the end and just went nuts.

I have nothing good to say about this and I could keep going on and on about how annoyed I am that I forced my way through this thing. Even though I skimmed through the endless and badly written smut, it still felt like this went on for ages.

I hated their dynamic from the beginning as Chris was an asshole and Dennis was a bitch. And after the punch they’re suddenly into each other? Ugh.
Profile Image for Vivi.
92 reviews
March 24, 2026
This was...weirdly racist?

The white MC calling the Asian MC "princess" is one thing. Making the Asian MC submissive is another. Undermining him at work is another. Insisting that the white man is more qualified and smarter than the minority is yet another.

And then at some point they reject going to a Thai restaurant because "they use MSG."

What the everloving fuck?

Beyond that, I don't think this author understands how anything works. Not construction, not planning, not how companies work, not how crimes are investigated, not how business deals are done. It's all soap opera-level logic. Even that is giving it too much credit.
543 reviews
June 30, 2025
I almost DNF’d this book at 65%. It just felt so slow and I was so frustrated with the lack of communication between Dennis and Chris. I usually feel like books end too soon so I thought I would love a longer book, but the middle was just repetitive. I felt like I had too much time invested at that point to not finish it though. It got interesting again at the end, but it also felt incongruous with the earlier chapters. Just not my thing. This is the first book I’ve read that has a table of contents for the spicy scenes and I thought that was weird too.
Profile Image for ❇️Bora❇️.
831 reviews8 followers
Did Not Finish
October 8, 2025
DNF @ I don't remeber the percent

It's so bad.

I couldn't vibe with the writing at all. The construction guy also put me off so much in the beginning, so unnecessarily rude and unprofessional from the get-go. Like I get we have to create drama to build up the enemies to lovers theme, but can't this be done more organically?

Despite holding out till we started getting some character and relationship development, I still wasn't interested in reading further so just dropping this now. Unfortunate cos everyone on reddit was hyping this up excessively.
427 reviews
June 26, 2025
What good but bizarre read. Had a lot of the energy I like where attraction is just based on the need to be close to the essence of a person rather than labels and predefined dynamics. I know that there was a thread of plot running through the first part of the book to set up for the last quarter. however it just felt like a completely different book the pacing was different and the writing style changed. It really added nothing to the book for me.
Profile Image for NikNak.
640 reviews
September 18, 2025
DNF

I need to stop. This book is physically paining me to read. Reads like a budget soap opera without any sort of substance . I’m only 30% and I’m already so frustrated with the minimal effort this author has put into describing any sort of realistic construction site … “safety violations , protocols and sustainability” ..if you keep using the same generic terms over and over ..maybe the readers won’t notice that you have 0 clues as to what either of these terms actually mean.

😪
Profile Image for k.
805 reviews5 followers
January 5, 2026
3.75. First half is really good the connection is really strong and it’s kinda repetitive but I didn’t mind tbh.

Now the conflict is what really stops this from being higher because it’s very much just one character keeping secrets that low-key he could have just told Dennis??? Rly dumb and then the resolution and all that happens but like yeah Chris is being all cagey and private when the whole time he could have just told Dennis what was happening idk
Profile Image for Asli.
30 reviews
Did Not Finish
June 8, 2026
Dropped at 10%

I knew there was a some kind of banter in this book but I can't stand one mc blatantly mocking another mc. I'm guessing Chris had some unfair situations with his career where he had to lose against rich CEOs etc. and it is not a situation where I'd like to find myself in but it's not a right thing to use another person for your revenge. I got so angry with Chris that I'm just quitting this book
Profile Image for Cabert A.
355 reviews3 followers
June 24, 2026
This book had some highs and lows. On the plus side, the chemistry was fantastic. Chris and Dennis felt irresistible, and the sex scenes were incredible. It was just really, really hot overall.

On the low side, the initial bullying was really tough to read. I also felt like the secrets Chris was keeping were unnecessary except to draw more drama. I didn't really like the third act conflict.

I'm a bit curious to read more by the author, but it's still tough to recommend without reservation.
42 reviews
July 14, 2025
The first few chapters were grating cause where do you get off talking to your boss that way but it was a good read.
The smut was done in a way that seemed like a conversation on its own and added to the plot.
Usually third act break ups annoy me cause most of them are just unnecessary and authors just use them for unneeded drama but this one was properly executed.
Profile Image for t e a g a n.
270 reviews
November 30, 2025
Unfortunately, wasn’t a great lover of this one. It was okay and the storyline and relationship development and writing style were all intriguing but in the end I just need a little more from them. It was fun and sweet and obnoxious and eye rollingly romantic at times but I probably wouldn’t read again as it took a lot of effort to get through it. I kept waiting for it to end.
Profile Image for Calen.
11 reviews
June 24, 2025
As a gay man this is some of the hottest erotica I've ever read. Didn't care for the rest of it but the sex is hot, the dialogues are hot, the prep is hot, even having the pain in there is hot. Great job!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews