Burn It Down

Bring the Heat #1

by Jillian D. Wray

THE PERFECT LIE MEETS A MESSY TRUTH
He’s a billionaire living in a golden cage. I’m the mechanic who just handed him the key to freedom.

JACOB I was bred for success. As the CFO of my family’s empire, I play the part the cut physique, the designer suits, and the "perfect" girlfriend on my arm. But it’s all a lie. I’ve been living in a closet built by my controlling father since I was a teenager, suffocating under the weight of expectations and a legacy I never asked for. I thought I could keep pretending forever—until one look across a grocery store checkout line shattered my resolve.

DYLAN I wear my truth on my skin. Tattooed, Mexican-American, and struggling to keep my family’s auto shop afloat amidst increasing crime, I don’t have time for games. I’ve worked hard to be comfortable in my own skin, despite the judgment I face. When a Maserati crashes into my life—literally—I expect just another wealthy, entitled client. I don't expect the man behind the wheel to look at me with a hunger that could burn the city down.

THE COLLISION It starts with a wrecked car and a desperate excuse to meet. It turns into stolen moments that risk destroying the carefully constructed façade of a life. But Jacob’s father holds the purse strings to a billion-dollar future, and he won’t let his son go without a fight.
Now, he has to the safety and security of his lie, or the fiery, terrifying freedom of loving Dylan.

Burn it Down is a high-angst, steamy MM romance about finding the courage to live your truth.Billionaire x Blue CollarCloseted vs. OutCar Crashes & Secret MeetupsLove at First SightHigh Heat & HEABurn It Down is a standalone romance in the Bring the Heat series.

Genres: M M Romance, Romance, Contemporary, LGBT, Friends To Lovers, Audiobook, Found Family

398 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 27, 2025

About the author

Jillian lives in North Carolina with her incredibly supportive husband and three awesome stepkids. After over ten years in the healthcare industry, it was time to pursue a new passion. An avid reader her whole life, she sat down one night and let the words begin to flow. Four hours and ten thousand words later, a love of writing was discovered.
She writes spicy, bingeable reads that encourage self-discovery and come with all the angst and excitement of a new relationship.
When she isn’t reading or writing, you can either find her in her vegetable garden, at CrossFit™, or on a plane headed toward her next adventure.

Reviews

[Evelyn Bella (there WILL be spoilers) · Rating 3 out of 5]

You ever read a book where you think it's a book but it ends up being a 6 season telenovela with Christmas specials and guest appearances? If not, then boy do I have the book for you!

I don't even mean that in a bad way. But this started off as a very closeted rich MC falling for a blue collar MC who refuses to be hidden ever again and somehow it ended up having a sociopathic fiancée, gentrification, a daddy who can not keep it in his pants and wouldn't know fatherhood if it got up and said hello, another daddy who should have paid more attention to his kid, a misunderstood party girl, internalized homophobia and arson.

Oh, and multiple attempted murders.

So. A LOT going on with these two.

Taking it from the top, I was like awwww, the MC's fiancée isn't a bitch and is actually kind of a delight. What's the point of a cheating book if there's no angst and she's going to encourage the MCs to ride off into the sunset together?

Boy, was I wrong on that count. Turns out she's the most conniving woman to have ever connived.

But then, her fiancé was out here giggling and asking his mechanic things like....

“I can’t kiss my friends?”

So, yeah. Maybe a little sociopathy was in order. As a treat.

Took it a tad too far, though, because if you ask me, by the time you're fucking his dad and committing other ACTUAL legal crimes, maybe it's time to take a step back and reflect that maybe he's not the one. No? Just me?

Moving on.

She lulled them into such a false sense of security, too.

“Jacob, are you…Dylan! Stop servicing Jacob while I’m on the phone!”

💀

I was like WHY is she giggling and twirling her hair about this? Whole time she had a treat in store for them. Won't lie, she was the breakout star of this soap for me.

Followed by the rich MC's dad who sued him for two BILLION dollars for breach of contract after he refused to stay in the closet despite daddy dearest expressly forbidding him to.

So dramatic. So unaware of the reality of parenting. Your little baby didn't do exactly what you asked? You poor thing, shall you sue them? For 2bn?(Apparently the answer is yes).

And yes, it also has that scene in movies where the protagonist confronts the villain and they have a long conversation about motives and 'mwahaha, I would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for you meddling kids' lol.

Like actual sociopaths stand around discussing the ins and outs of their machiavellian pursuits.

Anyway. Amidst all this are two MCs who are falling deeply in love with each other and deciding they're actually willing to let go of anything that doesn't serve their romance. They're so wrapped up in themselves that they don't notice all the flaming red flags going off around them in the lives of everyone they know.

It's a wonder they survive.

*had a few typos but there was so much going on I didn't have time to get mad.
**rounding down from 3.5

[raccoon reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t talk about this book without serious spoilers.

You’ve been warned.

I loved the fuck out of this book.
Set in the South.
Firemen.
Cheating.
Asshole family who get what’s coming to them.
Chemistry off the charts.

Again, I looooved this book.

I cannot wait for Hudson’s book. I was surprised he was the mf pairing. I was for sure that would be Phoenix and Cassie. But here we are & it ::squeals:: LOOKS LIKE CHEATING AGAIN! Fuuuuudge yeah.

So many authors are afraid to write cheating, shit family dynamics (unless effective makes up in the end. *lame*).
No, we want it. A lot of readers really need this content. Gimme!

I can imagine some of my friends disapproving on how the bad guys confess everything at the end in a Scooby Doo fashion. But this is an awesome romance that needed a quick conclusion. It isn’t reality. Their tell all confession captured on film was perfect. Don’t change a thing Wray. I cannot wait to read the next one!!

Give us a release date soon 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

[Paige · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure what to rate this but it’s between a 3.5-3.75.

All the stars go to the MCs because they are the only thing I loved about this book. I liked them both so much, separately and together. Their sexual tension and their chemistry and the way they communicate with each other was so great.

It was everything else that didn’t work for me.

So when Jake sees Dylan for the first time it’s love at first sight for him. Even though he’s in the closet and has a seemingly perfect girlfriend he orchestrates things to get Dylan into his orbit. I liked how dedicated he was to the cause. So this was definitely instalove on Jake’s end. It takes Dylan just a tiny bit longer to get there but not much. I did like that they go together early on so we see most of the book with them together.

However, there were just so many little things that kept popping up that just kept lowering the rating for me. I knew this was a cheating book going in. Not between MCs, but Jake cheats on Cora with Dylan. It’s the way they went about it that kept rubbing me the wrong way. I was so happy when the truth finally came out because I thought we could finally be rid of Cora and I wouldn’t have to see her name in every damn chapter. But alas I was wrong because this chick is in every freaking chapter, so many conversations, the whole damn book. I was like please just go away!!! And even when Jake is so certain about Dylan, him and Cora were too intimate for my liking. The small kisses, the always praising her for every little freaking thing she did. Her rubbing her fingers on his lips. Her rubbing his arm and him talking about how comforting it was and how safe he felt with her and mind you this is after him and Dylan are joined at the hip. I was annoyed every time he said he loved her and that he always would. After the 4th time I was like alright I’m ready for this book to be done.

After the MCs got together I was like okay should be a cute story from here but no it was like drama on top of drama on top of drama and it became a freaking soap opera and it made me anxious and it was hard to enjoy it.

Wasn’t a fan of both the MCs lusting after Noah (rockstar from other series) Jake talks about how he looks like an orgasm and would bring him to his knees. Dylan literally gets hard after hearing Noah’s voice. This is after they exchange I love yous and decide to move in together. Rubbed me the wrong way.

I’m glad the villians got what they deserved but it was too much and as I’m writing this review I’m lowering my rating. It also should have been looked over for editing because there were a lot of typos and discrepancies.

I don’t think I’ll continue the series. The next one is a housewife with a child and idk I didn’t like how the cheating was written here and it just doesn’t sound appealing. And then we have Phoenix after who’s the resident manwhore and I’m just so sick of reading about guys who stick their dick in everything!!!

CHEATING (not between MCs)
OW DRAMA (Jake’s gf)
NO THIRD ACT BREAK UP
MURDER
HEA (engaged)

[⋆｡°✮ Lucy InTheSky ✮°｡⋆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.9 - 4⭐

“And I feel things for you that I probably shouldn’t after only a couple months.”
“How exactly do you feel about me?”
“Like I want to be around you all the time. Like all I can think about when we’re apart is when I’ll see you again. Like how I want to come home to you every day, and hold your hand in public, and raise a golden retriever together or something.”
“I’d like all of that and I don’t think it’s too soon to feel that way. We’ve been apart for twenty- seven years. There’s a lot of catching up to do.”
His laugh soothes the ache in my chest. “Dylan, you’ve only been alive for twenty- seven years,” he points out.
“Exactly. We’ve finally found each other. It’s not too soon to want to make up for lost time.”

I really liked this story.
I did.
It has a lot of elements that pulled me in, like a Hispanic main character (my favorite, so much so that I’ve started learning Spanish this year, bahaha), and a really good, passionate love story that didn’t let me down (except in the epilogue).

That being said, this book needed an editor. A good one. There are a lot of grammar mistakes, some paragraphs feel too clunky, and some of the dialogues aren't realistic (for Dylan), but still, the love story pounds through all 400 pages, so I could let it go. Yeah, I’m letting it go. I did like this one.

🔵 A billionaire businessman / a car mechanic
🟣 White / hispanic
🟢 Age gap 27/30
🟡 Both equally tall, muscular, one bulkier, so no size difference
🔵 Both gay (one in the closet)
🟣 Arranged marriage for one MMC with a woman
🟢 I guess there's cheating (not between the mmcs), but it's complicated and really not a big deal
🟠 Good plot, the ending rushed, the epilogue didn't deliver
🌶️ Very good sex scenes and intimacy in general; good pacing, coming out, first time bottoming; oral, rimming, penetrative; kissing, sensual; a lot of physical contact; t/b for most of the book, both vers at the end

This story is about Jake, who’s from an extremely important, well-known, and powerful family in the city. He’s been in the closet for the past two decades, his family knowing he’s gay but not allowing him to pursue men, because he’s had a marriage arranged to the governor’s daughter since he was in college.

Jake is actually in a relationship with Cora a few years down the line and they’re almost platonic, but have sex occasionally with Jake taking Viagra. He's painfully in the closet and has to stay that way. Cora is a pristine, perfect woman for most of the book, and you’re led to believe she’s on Jake’s side and harmless, but as it turns out, she’s the villain.

and Dylan, a young car mechanic who owns a small auto repair shop for imported cars with his father and twin sister. He’s a blue-collar guy, mixed (Mexican mother, white father), he lives in a low middle-class suburban neighborhood that’s getting more and more crime, his shop gets vandalized constantly, and he also doesn’t have luck in love, so there’s that.

Jake and Dylan have this meet-cute where Jake sees Dylan in a small local shop he pulls into and basically can’t stop staring, so he makes sure Dylan bumps into his car. Then Dylan has to repair said car, which gets them texting, talking, seeing each other, and hanging out (everything really cute and hot). Eventually, Jake can’t hold back anymore, so they kiss and fall into a secret relationship that they hide from Cora.



Cora and Jake don’t really have a full-on sexual or romantic relationship. They know they have to get married and Jake sees Cora as a very conservative woman, he's actually trying to stick with the plan of marrying her even when he's starting things with Dylan, but with Dylan, Jake comes alive and suddenly there's no option of faking it anymore.

"What the hell is wrong with me? Oh wait, I know. Between the tattoos on his forearms, the way his quads flex when he presses on the clutch, and the way this car smells like testosterone and leather, I’m about to start licking everything in sight. Including him. Especially him."

What I liked was how Jake and Dylan's relationship developed. The pacing was good and nothing was left out. All the little nuances that usually aren’t told in various situations the MMCs go through are told, explained, and resolved. The emotions are strong, and the falling in love is very believable.

"What I feel. After only three encounters, I feel too much. Excitement. Joy. Lust. That burning desire to be around someone and learn everything about them. It’s been a while since I’ve felt like this and I’m eager to hold on to it as long as I can."

Jake does end it with Cora and goes public with his relationship with Dylan, stands by him, protects and defends them, never does one damn bad thing, he’s just there, and he’s perfect. There’s no fighting or angst between them, they’re sure of each other and emotionally mature and stable, so you’re getting a really good relationship here. It’s not sugary sweet or too cheesy, it’s just right. Dylan and Jake were both amazing guys and I was so damn happy for them both.

They do have some drama by the end of the book because of Jake’s toxic, meddling father and Cora, but again, they’re fantastic together, and I couldn’t have wanted more. It was a very good love story.

I was hoping Jake’s dad would be the main villain, I mean it would have made more sense to me, and he was bad, but he got off scot-free and instead the author chose the only important woman in the book as the villain (nothing surprising there). But that choice, along with a few moments that were slightly misogynistic, did bother me, but thankfully it wasn’t something the story focused on too much.

What did bug me was the epilogue not talking about their new life more. Quite a few things have changed for them by the end of the book, so I was hoping to find out what their house was like, their work life, their home life, everything the author talked about a lot, but when they finally got their happy ending, nothing was said, so that was a bit disappointing. I hope we’re getting at least an additional novella, because this can’t be over.

And hopefully the author lays off the “teenage girl” parts in the future, because I’ve got news for you, boys have crushes too. It’s so tiring to read how men are acting like teenage girls, because seriously, why? We’re not talking about girls here. I know the author is a woman and can relate to teenage girls, but damn, why can’t I read about teenage boys having crushes and texting and going crazy about someone? It’s not exclusive to girls, and it’s not a bad thing either.

So, don’t expect a really well-written book, you’ll be disappointed, because the author definitely needs that editor, but the storytelling is still good. I really liked Dylan and Jake, and I’m taking this book straight to my favorites shelf.


Hudson, one of Jake’s besties, gets a woman in the next installment, so I won’t be reading that, but I’ll read about Phoenix and Knox.

[Caroline Forrester · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ⭐️

Updating again to say her website now has trigger warnings that include “cheating” which I appreciate.

Updating my review to say I take issue with the author publicizing this with the trope listed as “cheating (sort of).”

There is not sort of about it. It IS cheating. Full stop. Completely. Clearly. 100% cheating. And that’s fine to write and read about in fiction. I enjoy this trope in a MM romance. But DO NOT beat around the bush and try and play it off like it’s not a big deal. If you’re going to write about topics like this, do it with your full chest.

I don’t care that’s he’s gay and is only dating a woman for appearances! It’s still a real relationship to her! You’re still exclusive!

🔧 Mechanic/Businessman
🔥 Cheating (not between MCs)
🏎️ Insta-lust
🔧 Friends to lovers
🔥 OTT Drama
🏎️ No-third act breakup/Vers

Was this book perfect? No. Did it have a ridiculous amount of typos? Yes. Was it absurdly over the top dramatic? Yes.

Did I still rate it 5 stars? Damn right, I did.

Maybe I’m just a sucker for ridiculous drama and an evil ex. As a woman, I feel like I shouldn’t like when a woman is written to be an evil vindictive bitch, but I LOVE it. Nine times out of ten, I’d rather read about a ridiculous external conflict that the couple tackles together than internal struggles (that more often than not are miscommunications, third-act breakups or straight up denial/I’m not good enough for them).

The burn was the perfect pace! The friend group was wonderful. I loved the route the story took, though I wish the AH Dad got his comeuppance. I think the final two chapters could have taken a little longer. Everything was wrapped up SO quickly. I also really loved the representation and the how the characters talked about vulnerability and the strength it takes to be intimate with your partner. It was nice to see them talk about trust and break the preconceived notions of what “makes you a man.”

Excited for the rest of the series, although I’m unsure if it’s read the next one since it’s MF (though I have been known to enjoy a single mom story). The third and fourth will be MM and I’m curious to see what the tropes are for those.

In closing, please let me beta read your books because…
1. I loved this.
2. For the love of god and in the nicest way possible, please let me fix the typos.

[Andrea Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't like cheating.

The beginning I found interesting (faking a car crash is an interesting meet cute) but the rest felt so dramatic with not enough relationship building.

Also, I really don't like cheating. And these two got at it with the girlfriend in the house.

[peoniesandmm · Rating 5 out of 5]

everything i needed and more 😭😭

[Gaby · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first, I wasn't going to read this book because I read a review and it said it has cheating, and that’s really not my favorite thing to read. However, I had the chance to meet the author, and I asked her to please spoil me the whole thing, and the way she explained it made sense, because after all, she wrote the book, so she knows what the characters were thinking.

This book is not going to win any awards anytime soon, but it was entertaining and I had a great time reading it. As for the story, you can tell there is actual character growth and communication with the MCs, so that was good for a change, no unnecessary third-act breakup or anything.

Dylan’s family and Jake’s friends made for a nice set of side characters. And as for the whole reveal at the end, even if it was a bit predictable, it’s always nice to see when the evil characters have to face the consequences of their actions.

[Paige (wingsandsmut) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️ and I ate this book up! The story between Jake & Dylan had my attention from the start and I was rooting for them so hard! The spice is delicious, but also the emotional connection they are building with their relationship had me swooning. Both of them have such big hearts and care for the people they love with everything they have. Definitely didn't anticipate some of the plot twists, especially that big one, IYKYK!

What to expect: MM, billionaire x mechanic, found family, BIPOC rep, arranged marriage, living a lie

Thank you so much to Jillian D. Wray for letting me read/review an ARC of this book! All opinions are my own.

[Aricka Decker · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Dylan! Stop servicing Jacob while I’m on the phone!”

3.5 ⭐

I’m going back and actually writing a few sentences for reviews on books.
All I can say is that, from what I remember, I felt a little weird about this book. Okay, so like, Jacob is a weirdo — crashing a car to get a date? Sir, be for real — but also I kind of liked him. I liked Dylan instantly, obviously, but something just never clicked for me with this book. Also, like, I enjoyed the huge mystery twist thing that happened, but I kind of needed it to happen sooner, and it really kind of threw me for a loop at first. I don’t know, everything seemed to happen and nothing seemed to happen, but I still liked the characters and the story, and at the same time I was conflicted about it. I don’t know. My feelings for this book make no sense, and I doubt I will continue the series, but like… yeah?

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I looooooooooooove them 💓💓💓💓

[Theodore · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 40%

The intro was great, having Jake be unhinged and let Dylan back into his car was an amazingly emotional start that really sold his desperation for male companionship.

Dylan doesn't have the same backing though. He was someone's dirty little secret before, but was fine with letting Jake do the same for fucking band tickets. Why? The connection between him and Jake wasn't nearly strong enough for me to believe that he was willing to hurt a (seemingly) innocent woman by being involved with Jake. He was lonely, but not desperate nor was he out of options, so him willingly cheating with Jake was super unpalatable.

The lightness in which cheating was dealt with in the story turned me off the most. Jake clearly doesn't care. He feels bad, but his supposed guilt is never given more than a handful of sentences and is always brushed off. Dylan has objections, but seems more than happy kissing Jake and even having phone sex after he was well aware of Cora's existence. His sister also similarly doesn't seem to take issue with it either (encouraging Dylan to go for Jake despite him telling her that Jake might have had a GF)

I don't care if Cora ends up being the devil, both MCs need solid reasons for why they're willing to cheat to make it palatable. Neither Jake nor Dylan had it.

Jake was only with Cora because he wanted to stay at his father's company. He was willing to cheat for a paycheck that he didn't even need because he could've found other places to work at (for less money, but it's been established that he's filthy rich and lives in excess soo...). They talk about this but the conversation stops after Jake says "I've never had a reason to not pretend [to be attracted to Cora] before". Bro, you got a reason now, right? The answer is just ignored as Jake continues to stay in a fake marriage with Cora despite already laying out what was supposed to be the reason to break up.

And Dylan was what? Lonely so he was willing to cheat with the rich guy who gave him attention? That's so romantic 😒

TL;DR good start that's betrayed by how lightly the story takes the infidelity.

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars (but rounding down for egregious misuse of "and I"). This read ended up being somewhere between a Wattpad story and a telenovela. I actually really enjoyed it at first, the premise was good, and I really liked the characters, but the very predictable eleventh hour drama just kind of killed it for me.

Anyway, it begins with Jacob Ellington - closeted billionaire and heir to a massive wealth management empire - seeing a hot guy at a store and then orchestrating a meeting by literally smashing into his car. Jake is smitten immediately, but said hot guy - mechanic Dylan - takes a while to catch on. In the background of their budding romance, we have Cora, Jacob's girlfriend, and Steve, his father, who pose significant obstacles to their relationship.

I really enjoyed the two of them fighting their attraction to each other but being unable to keep their hands off each other, the spice was great, although things do move at break-neck speed. But the plot was just so much. Maybe rich people's lives are really this dramatic, but by the end I was tired of everyone's nonsense.

While I would definitely read more from this author, I think the next book in this series is MF romance, so will give that a skip.

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved these two and this story!! It was exactly the story I needed when I needed it. Light, fun… I couldn’t put it down.

💕 no third act breakup. The tension in the story comes from drama outside the relationship. These two stick together.
🗣️. Communication - these are mature characters who talk things out, even when things get difficult and sticky, which they do.
👬. Jacob (Jake) is a closeted gay billionaire stuck in an arranged hetero relationship w Cora. He literally, purposefully runs into Dylan in the parking lot of a convenience store. Dylan (27) is an out gay biracial man who owns (w his dad) a mechanic shop that fixes high end cars.
🫣 OM - there is no other men drama. OW - Jacob has along time girlfriend that he loves but not in a romantic way. The author does a great job of not making this icky, which it could be easily. There is cheating, but not between our MC’s. Jacob cheats on his girlfriend w Dylan.
🏡. Found family w Jake’s friends and actual family w Dylan’s dad and his twin sister.
🌶️. 🥵. The spice is spicing. These two are on fire for each other.
👥. Dual POV. HEA. No engagement, but living together


What I loved: The communication and the absolute fire connection between these two. There is chemistry but also genuine affection and love for each other. It’s insta, but also built over time and numerous interactions. I love how these two are direct with each other, even when the conversations are difficult. Jake is head over heels and will do anything to keep Dylan… After denying himself for years, you can feel his desperation. And Dylan is such a good, honest guy and his feelings for Jake grow realistically over time.

The plot is fun and tension comes from both the girlfriend/controlling dad angle and the drama with Dylan’s car shop and increasing violence in his neighborhood. What is the connection between Cora, Cora’s dad (the governor), Jake’s dad, and the crime around Dylan’s shop and resulting drop in real estate prices? Hmmmmm.

The way Jacob’s relationship with Cora is handled and his cheating with Dylan is done beautifully. He WANTS Dylan; there is never a question over his priority. These two fight for each other. Love them SO much.

- BIPOC representation
- MM
- cheating (not between MCs
- billionaire/working class
- firefighters
- insta for one (Jake)
- open door spice
- dual jealousy/possessive MCs

Favorite parts (in no order; just for me to remember the story)
- the jealousy - lol- when Dylan joins Jake on the boat with his firefighter friends and all the heat between the two. When Jake has to jump off the boat to quickly take care of himself.
- when Dylan joins Jake and Cora for dinner at their apt and Whitney, Cora’s friend, ends up joining them and Jake gets jealous. How they hide in the kitchen “doing the dishes”.
- how Jake keeps sending his unbroken cars to Dylan’s shop just to have an excuse to see him
- When Jake literally drops on top of Dylan to protect him when the brick comes thru the window. Jake then gets super protective and order all kinds of safety measure for the shop
- how Dylan stands up to Jake’s dad when he meets him in Jakes office after dropping off the car
- when they went away for the weekend to see the band and could finally be open, out, and themselves
- when they go back to Jake’s place after the Gala they went to as “friends”. Cora gives them the green light
- when Dylan lets Jake be the top.
- Dylan’s worry for Jake whenever he’s at the fire dept.
- When the fire happens and Jake is so scared and drags his own injured ass to find Dylan and lays down with him in his hospital bed. 💕💕

[Ziezie · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.6 stars

[Tara Gillin · Rating 3 out of 5]

ok after ALCHEMISED 😭... I need some MM low angst /high heat / fun time for my read this weekend.

[Books and Gems · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 🌟

audio read 🎧 — Liam Dicosimo and Logan Anare

Jake and Dylan 🖤

These two definitely had some toxic bits, some entertaining chaos, and some great love. I will say their love declarations at the end got me 🥲

I really enjoyed these two guys together. They felt like the perfect balance of what the other needed. They weren’t without questionable decisions at times, but overall I enjoyed them.

I’m going to go with 4 stars for this because I really did just love how much Dylan and Jake loved each other. They have that “burn the world down, I don’t need anything but you” type of love.

However, there were some moments that I felt were out of place or pulled me from the story that made me contemplate lowering my rating. The rest of this review is more just ramblings that I had while reading . . .


Now, some of this is less to do with this book specially but the overall continuity of the stories of this friend group. So since all books are already out we know Hudson is book 2 with MF pairing, and Phoenix is a second chance MM romance for book 3. However there are some strange comments made regarding both that make it seem like the author didn’t have clear direction on her characters.

Like when Phoenix meets Cassie, Dylan’s twin sister, he makes a comment about twins being hot, and he “might not even mind a dude” if they looked like Dylan and Cassie. But isn’t he bisexual and had been with other guys? And when Jake comes out the guys are asking why he never said anything before, and Phoenix’s only comment was “how could you keep this from me?” in a joking way. Like wouldn’t it seem like more of a conversation would take place here??

Hudson on the other hand made SEVERAL comments on how hot Dylan is, how hot it is when Jake and Dylan kiss, etc which is completely fine, but it just felt like the author was throwing everything at the wall to see what would stick with these guys.

There were also some questionable descriptions of Dylan and his skin color that pulled me from the story. I want to give the benefit of the doubt here, but it definitely was like a record scratch moment, and I had to stop and reread several times to see if that’s really what was being said.

I’m going to give this author another chance, as I am interested in some of the other guys, mainly Phoenix, but I am going to be cautious of how things are handled in future books.

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‼️⚠️ Potential spoilers ⚠️‼️

Dynamic: MM — vers

Sharing? No

Cheating? Not between MMCs

Breakup? No

Sex scene with OM or OW No


‼️⚠️ Content ⚠️‼️

— mechanic x business man
— financial differences
— hurt / comfort
— instalust / love
— opposites
— found family
— possessive MMCs
— jealousy
— “baby”
— MMC gives his first bj
— MMC bottoms for first time
— rimming

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was this overdramatic? Yes.
Was if over the top? Indeed.
Was it fast-paced and insta-lusty? Yes, yes.
Did I still ate it up? Oh hell yeah!

I'm excited to continue with the series!

[Grace Purcell · Rating 3 out of 5]

lol someone below compared this to a telenovela and that’s pretty darn accurate. Just a little soap opera

[Lindsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book definitely needed some editing and I'm not entirely sure if it was edited at first since there's literally no mention of anything at the beginning. It would have helped with the errors in writing, the random plot that was just... lost 40% into the book, and pacing.

I absolutely loved the start of it and I adored the rich dude chasing down the lower middle class guy and becoming absolutely obsessed with him, enough to break free of his trust fund and to lose his position. The thing that bothered me though, is that this shop is amazing enough to literally fix up a $200,000 car so well that it even surpasses the manufacturers... why haven't they outgrown their space? I understand the guy wanting to stick around in his neighborhood because of his mom but I seriously don't understand how they could stay this small, constantly losing business and not think she would want better for them?

I hate to say it but at times this almost felt like a MF book which was very, VERY disappointing.

[Alexa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half of this book?? *chefs kiss* the second half of this book? I lost the plot, the characters lost the plot, and I’m pretty sure the author lost the plot lmfao

The first part had all the makings of a fabulous angsty, fuck-what-my-life-is-supposed to be vibe and then like it switched to the most cringiest plot line, telenovela craziness in the second half. Like y’all not one but THREE attempted murders (and one successful one). AND you’re telling me this man works 90 hr weeks, barely sleeping or eating but still has time to volunteer with the fire department for 12 hr shifts multiple days a week, go to the gym, and fuck off to random places with his secret boyfriend??? Bruh.

[_mykee_b · Rating 4 out of 5]

^^He loves you, yeah? But does he love you enough to destroy the front end of his quarter million dollar Maserati just for a chance to say hello?!^^

Jacob Ellington sees Dylan Ryder across the grocery store & just knows..”yup, I want that one. That’s the one.” And he’s desperate to do anything for their paths to cross.
-“Until now, there hasn’t been anyone I’d consider imploding my entire life for.”- <*swoon*>

This book comes in swinging with the sexy flustered humor.😅 Jacob & Dylan are so awkwardly obvious, I was dying for the first third. Then as their •ship• starts to form, the ❤️‍🔥spice❤️‍🔥 enters the chat and well, is anyone else sweating?😳🥵

I’m a big fan of “using your words” so the communication between our two MCs was 😚🤌 However, she went for the ‼️BIG‼️finish and it was just a bit overly dramatic for me. And the epilogue left a bit to be desired. I wish it was out 8-12months after, so we would have gotten more information on their house, the new shop, maybe their wedding.

Still a solid read, I absolutely devoured it. It’s one I’d gladly recommend & add to my physical shelf.

[Sonja ☾ · Rating 3 out of 5]

M/M || Billionaire X Mechanic || Cars || Volunteer Firefighter || Drama || Homophobia || Business || Racism || Dual First Person POV

2.5⭐️
3🌶️

”Like how I want to come home to you every day, and hold your hand in public, and raise a golden retriever together or something.”

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ -ˋˏ ೃ༄ 𝒔𝒚𝒏𝒐𝒑𝒔𝒊𝒔 ೃ༄ ˎˊ-

Jake is a millionaire and gay but his parents gave him an ultimatum therefore he pretends to be straight and has a girlfriend. Then he sees the most attractive man on a quick trip to the store and decides to say “fuck it” and forces the man to accidentally hit his car so Jake can get his name and number. The man, Dylan, is a mechanic, and offers to fix his car.


ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ -ˋˏ ೃ༄ 𝒎𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔 ೃ༄ ˎˊ-

I don’t care what happens later, I still hate when a main character cheats on their SO for the other main character. It’s not right even if I’m supposed to be rooting for them, it is still cheating.

It took forever for me to read this and I can’t say I’m glad I did. The plot twist was just very shock-effect and unrealistic. I guess I can see why you could enjoy it but I personally did not like it at all.

I also feel like too many things were happening in the book and it wasn’t as coherent as I’d like it to be. I don’t know if most of the side characters are from other books but it felt like they were. because I haven’t read any of them, it felt a bit like too many characters getting screen time that I don’t care about.

Jake and Dylan didn’t have that much chemistry IMO. I just think they found each other hot but the personal stuff fell a bit flat. Just my opinion, okay.

Overall: a very mid read.

🩵 Characters: 🩵

💰Jacob “Jake” Ellington: Dark brown eyes, 30 years old, light brown hair, clean-shaven, sharp jawline, wears suits, lean physique, billionaire, vers bottom

⚙️Dylan Ryder: Blue eyes, 27 years old, dark curly hair, dark stubble, dark eyebrows, tan skin, mixed (Mexican/American), same height as Jake, tattooed arms, muscles, wears a backwards hat, mechanic, small black gauges in his ears, nose piercing, strictly a top -> vers

[Sammy Standing · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first read by this author and I was absolutely blown away by this book and these characters. The writing style of this story pulled me in from the first page and I could not put this book down even for a second.

These characters will remain in my head rent free from now on, they hold such a dear place in my heart and I did not want to finish this book.

This was such a heartwarming story for me, filled with twists and turns, and a beautiful journey for both characters. I absolutely loved this.

[ashlee ❤ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jacob + Dylan

-mm romance
-forbidden romance
-billionaire x mechanic
-opposite side of the tracks
-cheating

this was right off the batttt unhinged!! haha like come on!! our homeboy is a closet gay in a relationship with a woman & PURPOSEFULLY brakes behind a car so that he would get hit just to have a chance to meet this man who he instantly thought was hot?? hahah UNHINGEDDD BOYYY!! haha but we love to see it!! the tension & the angst was great & you don't see many hedge fund manages night lighting as volunteer firemen haha so that was HAWTTTT!! & the power dynamics of the boys? soooo good!!

[Maddi Marina · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

LOVED! the tension was perfection and then their love for each other was beautiful. i’m just really loving the books in this series, vibe wise they’re a great time. and the plot does PLOT! i was very invested, rich billionaire drama is so funnnn

[hazel zaborsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

a rich billionaire falls in love with hot mechanic. i mean, hell yeah. its got my vote.
spice was gud gud yummy yummy!!

[anna. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ughh, the first half was good, in the second everyone lost the plot... 2.5*

[Rebecca&#x1f319; · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. It could use some editing, but the story was good.

[Maraya21 (The Reading Dragon) · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF @ P76 (20% - Ch.9)