What do you think?
Rate this book
Bring the Heat #1
Burn It Down
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.
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.
398 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 27, 2025
About the author
Jillian D. Wray
19 books245 followersJillian 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.
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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 311 reviews
May 14, 2025
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
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
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 20, 2025
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 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
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 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 13, 2025
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)
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)
January 24, 2026
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.
“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.
October 6, 2025
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.
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.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 12, 2026
⭐️
4.5 stars rounded up!
⭐️
My first read by this author and this was absolutely wonderful!
I loved Jacob and Dylan from their first interaction, they had such great chemistry. Jacob also had such an instant lust and attraction to Dylan since he first laid eyes on him and that came across so well. Dylan needed a minute but he got there too, and once he really started noticing Jacob it came across well for him as well. These two were SO into each other from the beginning.
Jacob even does something objectively shitty - getting Dylan's blind spot as he packs out of a parking space so he'll run into Jacob's car so they can meet each other - but Dylan when he found out didn't even really care - he and Jacob were falling quite hard for each other at that point.
Plus, Jacob is filthy rich, so he could pay for any and all repairs. If he'd also been not so well off, it would have been even shittier to do. But since Jacob has billions, that's chump change to him, so it's less of a shitty thing to do.
There's no cheating between these two, but Jacob is closeted and being forced into a straight relationship by his father, and the woman, Cora, doesn't know he's gay and thinks it's a real relationship even though it's a fairly passionless relationship.
So none of it is real for Jacob, he feels no actual commitment to her in a romantic sense, but for Cora...it's quite real. And these two do a bit before it's officially over between Jacob and Cora, so that is technically cheating. I still didn't tag for it because Jacob himself feels no commitment to her in that way AND when we find out at the end that Cora I kind of lost all sympathy toward her, and with other things that have happened. Their relationship really is a farce in all aspects, despite Cora's feelings.
I really loved the progression of Dylan and Jacob's relationship. There was a bit of them thinking the other was straight before they confess feelings, so they have a friendship at first, and the fact that Jacob was "in a relationship" but then when Jacob and Cora officially break up, these two can date openly and they're SO in love it's adorable.
They're so so into each other, and the passion and love between them was so apparent. I loved their spicy scenes, they had great chemistry. Also I never felt either of them was a strict top or bottom, so I didn't mind when they switched either. Usually I feel that and rarely enjoy switching, but here it worked well.
My only reason for .5 stars off is that it got quite a bit OTT near the end. Cora sorta transformed from this sweet, loving person to this evil sociopath with not a whole lot of build up to it. We didn't get a whole lot of hints about how evil she was until all the sudden she was. We got hints that she still wasn't over Jacob, but that she would go as far as she goes? Nah, I feel like subtle hints could have been shown.
Even if Jacob tries to convince himself he was seeing things or was paranoid about her, it would have set a better foundation for what she turns out to be. Instead the best hints we get are her not being over Jacob and being perhaps a bit greedy.
So yeah, it just needed a bit more build up and finesse at the end, because we go from like 20 to 100 real quick.
But otherwise, this was perfect and I loved every bit of it.
I will definitely be reading more from this author in the future. I'm excited to get to Phoenix's and then Knox's romances in the future.
Until then! 😘
My first read by this author and this was absolutely wonderful!
I loved Jacob and Dylan from their first interaction, they had such great chemistry. Jacob also had such an instant lust and attraction to Dylan since he first laid eyes on him and that came across so well. Dylan needed a minute but he got there too, and once he really started noticing Jacob it came across well for him as well. These two were SO into each other from the beginning.
Jacob even does something objectively shitty - getting Dylan's blind spot as he packs out of a parking space so he'll run into Jacob's car so they can meet each other - but Dylan when he found out didn't even really care - he and Jacob were falling quite hard for each other at that point.
Plus, Jacob is filthy rich, so he could pay for any and all repairs. If he'd also been not so well off, it would have been even shittier to do. But since Jacob has billions, that's chump change to him, so it's less of a shitty thing to do.
There's no cheating between these two, but Jacob is closeted and being forced into a straight relationship by his father, and the woman, Cora, doesn't know he's gay and thinks it's a real relationship even though it's a fairly passionless relationship.
So none of it is real for Jacob, he feels no actual commitment to her in a romantic sense, but for Cora...it's quite real. And these two do a bit before it's officially over between Jacob and Cora, so that is technically cheating. I still didn't tag for it because Jacob himself feels no commitment to her in that way AND when we find out at the end that Cora I kind of lost all sympathy toward her, and with other things that have happened. Their relationship really is a farce in all aspects, despite Cora's feelings.
I really loved the progression of Dylan and Jacob's relationship. There was a bit of them thinking the other was straight before they confess feelings, so they have a friendship at first, and the fact that Jacob was "in a relationship" but then when Jacob and Cora officially break up, these two can date openly and they're SO in love it's adorable.
They're so so into each other, and the passion and love between them was so apparent. I loved their spicy scenes, they had great chemistry. Also I never felt either of them was a strict top or bottom, so I didn't mind when they switched either. Usually I feel that and rarely enjoy switching, but here it worked well.
My only reason for .5 stars off is that it got quite a bit OTT near the end. Cora sorta transformed from this sweet, loving person to this evil sociopath with not a whole lot of build up to it. We didn't get a whole lot of hints about how evil she was until all the sudden she was. We got hints that she still wasn't over Jacob, but that she would go as far as she goes? Nah, I feel like subtle hints could have been shown.
Even if Jacob tries to convince himself he was seeing things or was paranoid about her, it would have set a better foundation for what she turns out to be. Instead the best hints we get are her not being over Jacob and being perhaps a bit greedy.
So yeah, it just needed a bit more build up and finesse at the end, because we go from like 20 to 100 real quick.
But otherwise, this was perfect and I loved every bit of it.
I will definitely be reading more from this author in the future. I'm excited to get to Phoenix's and then Knox's romances in the future.
Until then! 😘
March 6, 2025
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.
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.
June 14, 2025
everything i needed and more 😭😭
June 23, 2025
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.
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.
Did Not Finish
February 21, 2026So this has cheating in it.
DNF 50%
I'll probably still try the next one.
------------
The title is such a vibe
DNF 50%
I'll probably still try the next one.
------------
The title is such a vibe
February 10, 2025
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.
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.
January 16, 2025
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.
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.
January 6, 2026
"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?
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?
May 10, 2025
I looooooooooooove them 💓💓💓💓
April 10, 2025
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.
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.
May 11, 2025
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. 💕💕
💕 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. 💕💕
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 9, 2026
I can’t begin to describe how terribly awful and stupid this book was.
Jake is secretly gay and has a girlfriend to please his homophobic father and keep his inheritance/trust in a multi-billion business.
He randomly sees Dylan one day at a grocery store and he immediately gets a crush huge enough to go completely unhinged, and set up a little parking lot car accident with Dylan.
Luckily for Jake, Dylan and his family own a repair shop so he offers to fix up Jake’s luxury car himself, cause otherwise he would not be able to afford to pay for the car’s repair.
Here came the first thing that didn’t make sense to me; you own a repair shop, have good rapport, deal with wealthy customers, some luxury cars, and you have money struggles?
Also, said repair shop is in a kinda bad area, so I couldn’t see how their family shop appealed to luxury customers.
Dylan mentioned that the shop is being vandalized, but it’s not really clear when the vandalism started after opening their shop.
Things just didn’t add up.
The relationship between the MCs just did not make sense to me. I just couldn’t see what Jake liked about Dylan besides being 6ft tall, blue eyes, dark hair, and tan skin with tattoos? Dude had no emotional depth whatsoever. I feel like there was a list of struggles that was repeated as an agenda, but there were no internalized emotions or anything that could have made me emphatic.
There was just insta lust that very soon turned into love without even having a decent emotional conversation to get to know the other.
Both MCs, and all the SC were 2 dimensional. I think the only character who had some depth eventually was Jake.
Dylan kept ranting about racism and I just couldn’t buy into it. There was just no racial discrimination. People were snob, classist, or homophobic, sure. But there were no hints of racism besides the obvious vandalism of the repair shop, which Dylan and everyone just turned the page on and accepted it. Like Dylan could have maybe dwelled on it a little, share some feelings, share some related memories from the past and sell it a little bit.
The only time someone made a joke was actually Jake calling Dylan caramel macchiato, but suddenly that was cool? Please.
The elephant in the room, since it’s clear from the bio that Jake has a gf:
I could rant forever about all the things I hated, but I’ll stop here and now, like I should have stopped this book after a few chapters.
I feel like I’m owed a therapy session and another round of botox for cringing so much.
Jake is secretly gay and has a girlfriend to please his homophobic father and keep his inheritance/trust in a multi-billion business.
He randomly sees Dylan one day at a grocery store and he immediately gets a crush huge enough to go completely unhinged, and set up a little parking lot car accident with Dylan.
Luckily for Jake, Dylan and his family own a repair shop so he offers to fix up Jake’s luxury car himself, cause otherwise he would not be able to afford to pay for the car’s repair.
Here came the first thing that didn’t make sense to me; you own a repair shop, have good rapport, deal with wealthy customers, some luxury cars, and you have money struggles?
Also, said repair shop is in a kinda bad area, so I couldn’t see how their family shop appealed to luxury customers.
Dylan mentioned that the shop is being vandalized, but it’s not really clear when the vandalism started after opening their shop.
Things just didn’t add up.
The relationship between the MCs just did not make sense to me. I just couldn’t see what Jake liked about Dylan besides being 6ft tall, blue eyes, dark hair, and tan skin with tattoos? Dude had no emotional depth whatsoever. I feel like there was a list of struggles that was repeated as an agenda, but there were no internalized emotions or anything that could have made me emphatic.
There was just insta lust that very soon turned into love without even having a decent emotional conversation to get to know the other.
Both MCs, and all the SC were 2 dimensional. I think the only character who had some depth eventually was Jake.
Dylan kept ranting about racism and I just couldn’t buy into it. There was just no racial discrimination. People were snob, classist, or homophobic, sure. But there were no hints of racism besides the obvious vandalism of the repair shop, which Dylan and everyone just turned the page on and accepted it. Like Dylan could have maybe dwelled on it a little, share some feelings, share some related memories from the past and sell it a little bit.
The only time someone made a joke was actually Jake calling Dylan caramel macchiato, but suddenly that was cool? Please.
The elephant in the room, since it’s clear from the bio that Jake has a gf:
I could rant forever about all the things I hated, but I’ll stop here and now, like I should have stopped this book after a few chapters.
I feel like I’m owed a therapy session and another round of botox for cringing so much.
August 2, 2026
4.5 🌟. This book really drew me in. I loved Jacob and Dylan. I also loved that I got a Mexican-American mmc in this (dylan.) In theory...this was a cheating trope but from the jump it is laid out as a relationship basically put together for political reasons. Cheating not between the main couple. I really enjoyed the way Jacob got the attention of Dylan in the beginning....this book really was a my kind of book. 🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵
August 26, 2025
4.6 stars
October 20, 2025
ok after ALCHEMISED 😭... I need some MM low angst /high heat / fun time for my read this weekend.
February 17, 2025
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.
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.
December 16, 2025
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.
.
.
.
.
‼️⚠️ 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
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.
.
.
.
.
‼️⚠️ 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
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 13, 2025
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!
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!
May 28, 2025
lol someone below compared this to a telenovela and that’s pretty darn accurate. Just a little soap opera
May 19, 2026
Rating: 3⭐️
Format: 🎧
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
This wasn’t bad. I like that climax towards the end and was impressed with it all.
Format: 🎧
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
This wasn’t bad. I like that climax towards the end and was impressed with it all.
March 13, 2025
My God that was awful. I should really leave one star but my rating policy is that one star is only for when the writing is such utter shit I have to stop reading almost immediately. If an author has decent writing skills, one star feels mean. Nevertheless, that was really not good.
There is so much to be annoyed about, where to start..(
In no world would a 6 ft. tall blue eyed guy be discriminated against because he is half Mexican.
There was a weird thing after the first time they hooked up where the author tried to throw in another conflict. For like a paragraph Dylan came off as emotionally stunted/commitment phobic. I kind of did a double take when I read it because there were no indications he would be like that, and then poof it was gone and he was saying he waited his whole life to meet Jake. I mean, it wasn’t a conflict I wanted to deal with, but weird and random nonetheless.
The fight scene between the two MCs on the side of the road was so strange. Totally out of character and made very little sense.
If they owned that body shop for a long time and they repaired high end cars and they were as busy as they claimed, they might not be filthy rich but they sure as shit wouldn’t be pinching pennies unless someone has a drug or gambling problem.
What drug store sells butt plugs?
Okay, those were small details that bugged me. The biggest flaws were, first, beyond his looks, Dylan had nothing to offer. First, he seemed like a lousy lay. I know he finally gave in on the blowjob thing, but how desperate must Jake have been to be in a gay relationship that he was okay with a gay man who doesn’t give head? I’m a straight woman and even we can’t get away with that easily. He was a top who was shocked by a rim job and never gave aftercare. I repeat - lame fuck. Jake was the one who had a modicum of sexy talk and attentiveness.
Oh, and the instalove was over the top. Instalust is fine, even hot when done well. There was no reason they would have fallen in love like that. Okay, maybe Jake because he was nicer and sexier and smarter and richer and had nice friends, was a volunteer fireman and had a big dick, but the only excuse for falling in love with Dylan is that you are so deeply in the closet you haven’t hooked up with a dude in 6 years so when you finally do, you become delusional. In which case I give it 2 years tops.
Also, the way the big reveal unraveled, with them listening to this entire detailed soliloquy of what went down was so contrived it hurt my eyes. I would have preferred Jake just narrated what they found out went down after the fact.
Yeah, so this book was not good. Started out somewhat promising but definitely shit the bed pretty fast.
There is so much to be annoyed about, where to start..(
In no world would a 6 ft. tall blue eyed guy be discriminated against because he is half Mexican.
There was a weird thing after the first time they hooked up where the author tried to throw in another conflict. For like a paragraph Dylan came off as emotionally stunted/commitment phobic. I kind of did a double take when I read it because there were no indications he would be like that, and then poof it was gone and he was saying he waited his whole life to meet Jake. I mean, it wasn’t a conflict I wanted to deal with, but weird and random nonetheless.
The fight scene between the two MCs on the side of the road was so strange. Totally out of character and made very little sense.
If they owned that body shop for a long time and they repaired high end cars and they were as busy as they claimed, they might not be filthy rich but they sure as shit wouldn’t be pinching pennies unless someone has a drug or gambling problem.
What drug store sells butt plugs?
Okay, those were small details that bugged me. The biggest flaws were, first, beyond his looks, Dylan had nothing to offer. First, he seemed like a lousy lay. I know he finally gave in on the blowjob thing, but how desperate must Jake have been to be in a gay relationship that he was okay with a gay man who doesn’t give head? I’m a straight woman and even we can’t get away with that easily. He was a top who was shocked by a rim job and never gave aftercare. I repeat - lame fuck. Jake was the one who had a modicum of sexy talk and attentiveness.
Oh, and the instalove was over the top. Instalust is fine, even hot when done well. There was no reason they would have fallen in love like that. Okay, maybe Jake because he was nicer and sexier and smarter and richer and had nice friends, was a volunteer fireman and had a big dick, but the only excuse for falling in love with Dylan is that you are so deeply in the closet you haven’t hooked up with a dude in 6 years so when you finally do, you become delusional. In which case I give it 2 years tops.
Also, the way the big reveal unraveled, with them listening to this entire detailed soliloquy of what went down was so contrived it hurt my eyes. I would have preferred Jake just narrated what they found out went down after the fact.
Yeah, so this book was not good. Started out somewhat promising but definitely shit the bed pretty fast.
November 3, 2025
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
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
February 15, 2025
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.
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.
July 22, 2026
Holy heck, this series seriously owns me at this point 😏🔥
Jake & Dylan completely snuck up on me because I ended up loving them way more than I ever expected to. 🥹💖 I adored getting to know them (and Cassie, obviously 🤭), and honestly? I'm already itching for a full series reread because these characters have well and truly made themselves at home in my heart. 📚✨
This book had me HOOKED from the very beginning. A billionaire who's been forced to live a lie and a hot mechanic from the other side of town? EXCUSE ME?! 🥵 The chemistry between Jake and Dylan was instant and electric. The way Jake was immediately down bad for Dylan had me grinning like an idiot. 😂
And can we talk about the fact that this man literally caused a car accident just so he could meet him? Sir... I cannot defend you, but I also kind of get it. 🤣🚗
But underneath all the tension, banter, and delicious spice (because WOW, the spice definitely spiced 🌶️🔥), there was so much heart in this story. Watching Jake slowly realise that none of the money, expectations, or picture-perfect life mattered if he couldn't be with Dylan? UGH. My heart. 😭
The emotional connection between these two had me swooning just as much as the steamy scenes. They were so unbelievably gone for each other, and I was rooting for them every step of the way.
And then Jillian decided to throw in plot twists, drama, and betrayal and had me sitting there like... EXCUSE ME?! 😳 Because I genuinely did not see some of those twists coming. I could not put this book down because I desperately needed to know how everything was going to unfold.
Also, can we please appreciate the side characters? Hudson, Phoenix, Knox, Dylan's family, and especially Cassie brought so much life and humour to this book. And her nickname for Dylan? I was cackling every single time. 🤣 I already love this entire little found family so much. 🥹❤️
Jillian D. Wray, what kind of magic are you putting in these books? Because I am officially obsessed and fully accepting that this series is becoming my entire personality. 😭🔥
Jake & Dylan completely snuck up on me because I ended up loving them way more than I ever expected to. 🥹💖 I adored getting to know them (and Cassie, obviously 🤭), and honestly? I'm already itching for a full series reread because these characters have well and truly made themselves at home in my heart. 📚✨
This book had me HOOKED from the very beginning. A billionaire who's been forced to live a lie and a hot mechanic from the other side of town? EXCUSE ME?! 🥵 The chemistry between Jake and Dylan was instant and electric. The way Jake was immediately down bad for Dylan had me grinning like an idiot. 😂
And can we talk about the fact that this man literally caused a car accident just so he could meet him? Sir... I cannot defend you, but I also kind of get it. 🤣🚗
But underneath all the tension, banter, and delicious spice (because WOW, the spice definitely spiced 🌶️🔥), there was so much heart in this story. Watching Jake slowly realise that none of the money, expectations, or picture-perfect life mattered if he couldn't be with Dylan? UGH. My heart. 😭
The emotional connection between these two had me swooning just as much as the steamy scenes. They were so unbelievably gone for each other, and I was rooting for them every step of the way.
And then Jillian decided to throw in plot twists, drama, and betrayal and had me sitting there like... EXCUSE ME?! 😳 Because I genuinely did not see some of those twists coming. I could not put this book down because I desperately needed to know how everything was going to unfold.
Also, can we please appreciate the side characters? Hudson, Phoenix, Knox, Dylan's family, and especially Cassie brought so much life and humour to this book. And her nickname for Dylan? I was cackling every single time. 🤣 I already love this entire little found family so much. 🥹❤️
Jillian D. Wray, what kind of magic are you putting in these books? Because I am officially obsessed and fully accepting that this series is becoming my entire personality. 😭🔥
February 18, 2025
^^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.
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.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 311 reviews