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Happy Onion #1
The Happy Onion
Liberal vegan meets corporate carnivore. What could possibly go wrong?
Thomas Stone has one sacred rule: Don't Date The Boss. Ever. So when he finds out his new employer is the man he took to bed his first night in town, he's less than happy. He doesn't need any more complications in his life, and the way Phil makes him feel definitely qualifies as a complication. Especially since he can't seem to keep his hands off the man.
Philip Sorrells is thrilled to discover that the new bartender his manager hired for his restaurant, The Happy Onion, is the aggressive little blond he slept with once and can't forget. Thom is Phil's wet dream come true, from his angelic face to his fiery temper. For the first time, Phil hears the siren song of monogamy, and he's tempted to follow it.
When Thom leaves The Happy Onion for a job managing an upscale nightclub, it looks like a chance for him and Phil to be together without the whole boss/employee thing hanging over them. Instead, Thom's new position brings out previously unsuspected differences in their world views. Differences with the power to destroy their fragile bond.
So how will this nature-loving tree-hugger and corporate-ladder climber navigate this political minefield in the name of love? Very carefully.
Thomas Stone has one sacred rule: Don't Date The Boss. Ever. So when he finds out his new employer is the man he took to bed his first night in town, he's less than happy. He doesn't need any more complications in his life, and the way Phil makes him feel definitely qualifies as a complication. Especially since he can't seem to keep his hands off the man.
Philip Sorrells is thrilled to discover that the new bartender his manager hired for his restaurant, The Happy Onion, is the aggressive little blond he slept with once and can't forget. Thom is Phil's wet dream come true, from his angelic face to his fiery temper. For the first time, Phil hears the siren song of monogamy, and he's tempted to follow it.
When Thom leaves The Happy Onion for a job managing an upscale nightclub, it looks like a chance for him and Phil to be together without the whole boss/employee thing hanging over them. Instead, Thom's new position brings out previously unsuspected differences in their world views. Differences with the power to destroy their fragile bond.
So how will this nature-loving tree-hugger and corporate-ladder climber navigate this political minefield in the name of love? Very carefully.
176 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 29, 2008
11 people are currently reading
490 people want to read
About the author
Ally Blue
90 books449 followersAlly Blue penned her first tale at age eight, relating the breathless terror of her little sister’s not-quite-fatal encounter with a bee in the backyard. That was the beginning of a lifelong love affair with storytelling. She now writes gay romance of all flavors, and has recently branched into writing her first love: horror. She continues her neverending quest to scare herself. She is not a hippie or a brain surgeon, no matter what her kids’ friends say.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews
February 24, 2013
One day three ducks were at a park blowing bubbles. Then a cop comes up to them and says "Hey you can't be blowing bubbles in the park". So the cop hauls all three ducks to the police station. So at the Police Station the Booking Office asks" Okay first duck come on over, so whats your name? " The first duck says Quack is my name. The officer then asks " What are you here for?" The ducks says " Because I was blowing bubbles in the park." The officer then says " we'll that's just dumb, get out of here." The officer now tells the second duck to come over and asks " Whats your name?" The duck responds " My name is Quack Quack." The cop chuckles and then asks " What did you do that got you in trouble?" The duck says " Well i was just blowing bubbles in the park. The officer says " Well that just doesn't make sense, get out of here." The second duck leaves very happy. Now the officer calls over the third duck and asks " Let me guess your name is Quack Quack Quack. " The third duck laughs and says " Oh no, My name is Bubbles.
Ok, so that's not a review, but really, when you nickname an MC "Bubbles", that's all I've got.
Ok, so that's not a review, but really, when you nickname an MC "Bubbles", that's all I've got.
July 20, 2009
Happy Onion was a very good book! It had some of Ally's trademark humor not to mention the interesting storyline and addictive chemistry between the two heroes.
There were times I thought Thom was too stubborn and I wanted to slap him upside the head, but I still loved him.
I LOVED Phil's nickname for Thom, even it if was a powerpuff girl!
So cute! Loved it!
There were times I thought Thom was too stubborn and I wanted to slap him upside the head, but I still loved him.
I LOVED Phil's nickname for Thom, even it if was a powerpuff girl!
So cute! Loved it!
April 27, 2009
Characters
Phillip Sorrell – Local business owner, but a stanch supporter of community and environmental consciousness. He likes his men totally opposite to him, but when he met Thom, he just might be all he wishes for and a bit more than he bargained for.
Thomas Stone – Thom with the face of an angel and the bad boy attitude to belie his size. Thom is also able to adjust when the going gets tough. Caught up in wishing for an expected twist in his life – he is caught out when said wish becomes his for the taking.
The Plot
Thom finds himself in a pickle when a sure thing fell through, once his luck picks up however he thought a night of celebration is in order and celebrate he did – and he meets a most delicious man, that has him thinking about all the things that he hasn’t thought of in awhile.
Phillip is just out to have some fun and enjoy the evening when he meets Thom. Not expecting Thom to be his newest employee, he reacts with some level of grace, but also making Thom know that there can be more if he so desires.
With Thom’s current predicament, a whole to of baggage on his shoulders and Phillips free love attitude – both men are in for a rough ride to making any chance they have of being together work.
Smut/Ick Factor
The smut in this one is definately a up against the wall sort of action. I loved everything about it. It’s fast, full of issues and there was no grey areas about who was doing what to whom.
Positive
I love Ally blue, one reviewer mention that ‘She is the queen of angst” and I most certainly agree with her.
She has used the opposite attraction theme to bring together Thom and Phillip. Size, lifestyle choices, sexual preferences, mannerism – everything was the total opposite of the other and it makes HAPPY ONION a wonderful read.
I like the fact that there was enough of a pretty decent story line to balance the books and not a book where every page is full of steam.
Support characters are not only of the love them or hate them variety, but they added to the angst of the book as well.
I really liked Ms. Blue’s definition of Phillip and Thom’s characters – Philip definitely a child of the 60’s and he more than happily embodies everything that was around at the time. Thom on the other hand can be a little (a lot really) uptight, but he is consistent with is wanting of Phillip.
I also liked the play on the aggression and submissive nature of both men – it stood out and for each smut scene you just never know who was going to demand what of whom.
A short read, but with a plot that just let you lose yourself into it, it demanded no huge leap of faith to believe the plot. A sweet read.
Negative
While i love the angst, there was a whip lash moment with the on again off again nature of the relationship, this will be a definately turn off for readers especially if you are not a lover of the angsty theme sort of book. Check out Obsidian Bookshelf Review.
Cover
A sweet cover, nothing of the amount of issues that is involved in the book is actually reflected. But i loved it.
Phillip Sorrell – Local business owner, but a stanch supporter of community and environmental consciousness. He likes his men totally opposite to him, but when he met Thom, he just might be all he wishes for and a bit more than he bargained for.
Thomas Stone – Thom with the face of an angel and the bad boy attitude to belie his size. Thom is also able to adjust when the going gets tough. Caught up in wishing for an expected twist in his life – he is caught out when said wish becomes his for the taking.
The Plot
Thom finds himself in a pickle when a sure thing fell through, once his luck picks up however he thought a night of celebration is in order and celebrate he did – and he meets a most delicious man, that has him thinking about all the things that he hasn’t thought of in awhile.
Phillip is just out to have some fun and enjoy the evening when he meets Thom. Not expecting Thom to be his newest employee, he reacts with some level of grace, but also making Thom know that there can be more if he so desires.
With Thom’s current predicament, a whole to of baggage on his shoulders and Phillips free love attitude – both men are in for a rough ride to making any chance they have of being together work.
Smut/Ick Factor
The smut in this one is definately a up against the wall sort of action. I loved everything about it. It’s fast, full of issues and there was no grey areas about who was doing what to whom.
Positive
I love Ally blue, one reviewer mention that ‘She is the queen of angst” and I most certainly agree with her.
She has used the opposite attraction theme to bring together Thom and Phillip. Size, lifestyle choices, sexual preferences, mannerism – everything was the total opposite of the other and it makes HAPPY ONION a wonderful read.
I like the fact that there was enough of a pretty decent story line to balance the books and not a book where every page is full of steam.
Support characters are not only of the love them or hate them variety, but they added to the angst of the book as well.
I really liked Ms. Blue’s definition of Phillip and Thom’s characters – Philip definitely a child of the 60’s and he more than happily embodies everything that was around at the time. Thom on the other hand can be a little (a lot really) uptight, but he is consistent with is wanting of Phillip.
I also liked the play on the aggression and submissive nature of both men – it stood out and for each smut scene you just never know who was going to demand what of whom.
A short read, but with a plot that just let you lose yourself into it, it demanded no huge leap of faith to believe the plot. A sweet read.
Negative
While i love the angst, there was a whip lash moment with the on again off again nature of the relationship, this will be a definately turn off for readers especially if you are not a lover of the angsty theme sort of book. Check out Obsidian Bookshelf Review.
Cover
A sweet cover, nothing of the amount of issues that is involved in the book is actually reflected. But i loved it.
January 22, 2012
3.5 stars
I normally do a quick description of the story prior to writing my own opinion of the book, but the Goodreads blurb is pretty comprehensive. There were things that I enjoyed about this book. Overall as I was reading the book, by the last page I was feeling about 4 stars happy with it. When I sit down to think about the book in detail, however, I dropped my review to about 3.5 stars.
The characters in this book epitomized the classic "opposites attract" adage. Thom is a small, feisty, baby-faced top with a fiery temper that is in town for his dream job of managing a club. Phil is a tree-hugging Vegan, who owns the Happy Onion, a vegan restaurant. Phil is a large man that likes to bottom and likes to be dominated by smaller men. Okay, so match made in heaven? It seems that way until they discover that Thom is actually the new bartender at the Happy Onion with one main rule. Do. Not. Date. The. Boss. Ever.
The storyline of the book was much more complex than I was expecting. This book is not simply a romance and the author does spend some time hashing out a fairly interesting, if slightly Hollywood plot. I describe it as "Hollywood" because there was a surprising amount of corporate and political intrigue.
There were a few issues I had with the book. The MCs as I mentioned were opposites, which typically isn't a problem except for being completely opposite in political stance. I'm not sure that in reality this would've gone as smoothly as it did. While they bumped heads, a LOT, over this issue, it kind of seemed like they got over it fairly easily or just seemed to avoid the topic. I just personally feel like there are some things couples need to see eye to eye on, or at least be able to compromise on or else a relationship is problematic. Things like religion, whether or not you want to have kids, and political stance. We're not talking Republican vs. Democrat, it gets a little more in depth than that, but I don't want to spoil anything.
The other niggle I had was some of the sexual scenes made me want to - ACK! I'm certainly no prude and I typically can review a book regardless of whether or not it's in my comfort zone. But there was one particular sex scene in this book that I simultaneously wanted to hurl and laugh out loud. HE ASKED FOR A STRAW! My friends know of what I speak.... But to each their own.
Overall, this book was a decent read, and I enjoyed it. Thanks to my friend for lending it to me. My favorite part of this book was
I normally do a quick description of the story prior to writing my own opinion of the book, but the Goodreads blurb is pretty comprehensive. There were things that I enjoyed about this book. Overall as I was reading the book, by the last page I was feeling about 4 stars happy with it. When I sit down to think about the book in detail, however, I dropped my review to about 3.5 stars.
The characters in this book epitomized the classic "opposites attract" adage. Thom is a small, feisty, baby-faced top with a fiery temper that is in town for his dream job of managing a club. Phil is a tree-hugging Vegan, who owns the Happy Onion, a vegan restaurant. Phil is a large man that likes to bottom and likes to be dominated by smaller men. Okay, so match made in heaven? It seems that way until they discover that Thom is actually the new bartender at the Happy Onion with one main rule. Do. Not. Date. The. Boss. Ever.
The storyline of the book was much more complex than I was expecting. This book is not simply a romance and the author does spend some time hashing out a fairly interesting, if slightly Hollywood plot. I describe it as "Hollywood" because there was a surprising amount of corporate and political intrigue.
There were a few issues I had with the book. The MCs as I mentioned were opposites, which typically isn't a problem except for being completely opposite in political stance. I'm not sure that in reality this would've gone as smoothly as it did. While they bumped heads, a LOT, over this issue, it kind of seemed like they got over it fairly easily or just seemed to avoid the topic. I just personally feel like there are some things couples need to see eye to eye on, or at least be able to compromise on or else a relationship is problematic. Things like religion, whether or not you want to have kids, and political stance. We're not talking Republican vs. Democrat, it gets a little more in depth than that, but I don't want to spoil anything.
The other niggle I had was some of the sexual scenes made me want to - ACK! I'm certainly no prude and I typically can review a book regardless of whether or not it's in my comfort zone. But there was one particular sex scene in this book that I simultaneously wanted to hurl and laugh out loud. HE ASKED FOR A STRAW! My friends know of what I speak.... But to each their own.
Overall, this book was a decent read, and I enjoyed it. Thanks to my friend for lending it to me. My favorite part of this book was
February 6, 2013
Cute story, liked Thom and Phil, both were interesting. Not much story IMO, mainly lots of sex scenes, but an enjoyable read because of the characters.
Read
April 30, 2009Ally Blue is usually known as the Queen of Angst (Forgotten Song, Easy, but also the more recent Untamed Hearts). Here she takes a detour from her usual path and writes a funny comedy.
Thom is a pretty boy with an angelic face and a devilish behavior; long blond hair, blue eyes and lithe body hide a very strong character and dom tendency. Probably since he is tired to always been considered weak only due to his look, Thom has developed a very bad boy attitude, arriving even to be forceful with his partners.
On the other hand, Phil is a big boy with a uber tender heart. At six feet and three inches, he likes the pretty boy type, but he also like to be dominated. Nothing excite him more than a little thing that can order him around. So he is the perfect partner for Thom, if not that they are at totally opposite, not only physically but also in expectations: Phil is a flower-child type who runs a own business like a charity project... if he has enough to eat and dress, it is all right. Instead Thom is more the business man type, with the right degree and the dream to go far from where he started. Plus he had a very bad experience with a former lover, and so he is pretty skittish when it arrives to commitment.
When Thom goes to work for a company with a very bad reputation in civil rights and fair play, the relationship with Phil is at risk. But what I really like of this couple is that they manage to understand that one thing is work and another thing is love: they can disagree on the first and still be very hot and deeply involved by the other. And then the diversity in their point of view is not so huge as they think; Thom's disagreement is more a question of stubbornness, something he needs to defend to not have to admit that he is wrong. Stubbornness is maybe the worst fault of Thom.
This is exactly the case where opposite attract in a very good way: Phil's simple and quite behavior is the perfect balance for the little hell cat that is Thom. There is also a lot of sex, funny and light, but not too much to overwhelming the story: for example (little spoiler), Ally Blue decided to not completely tell us Thom and Phil's first sex encounter: she leads us till a point, with a lot of expectation, to then, like a trick, leave us suspending, and maybe drooling. But don't worry, soon after she makes amend, and Thom and Phil will experiment every possible position and place...
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001CNR8KO/?...
Thom is a pretty boy with an angelic face and a devilish behavior; long blond hair, blue eyes and lithe body hide a very strong character and dom tendency. Probably since he is tired to always been considered weak only due to his look, Thom has developed a very bad boy attitude, arriving even to be forceful with his partners.
On the other hand, Phil is a big boy with a uber tender heart. At six feet and three inches, he likes the pretty boy type, but he also like to be dominated. Nothing excite him more than a little thing that can order him around. So he is the perfect partner for Thom, if not that they are at totally opposite, not only physically but also in expectations: Phil is a flower-child type who runs a own business like a charity project... if he has enough to eat and dress, it is all right. Instead Thom is more the business man type, with the right degree and the dream to go far from where he started. Plus he had a very bad experience with a former lover, and so he is pretty skittish when it arrives to commitment.
When Thom goes to work for a company with a very bad reputation in civil rights and fair play, the relationship with Phil is at risk. But what I really like of this couple is that they manage to understand that one thing is work and another thing is love: they can disagree on the first and still be very hot and deeply involved by the other. And then the diversity in their point of view is not so huge as they think; Thom's disagreement is more a question of stubbornness, something he needs to defend to not have to admit that he is wrong. Stubbornness is maybe the worst fault of Thom.
This is exactly the case where opposite attract in a very good way: Phil's simple and quite behavior is the perfect balance for the little hell cat that is Thom. There is also a lot of sex, funny and light, but not too much to overwhelming the story: for example (little spoiler), Ally Blue decided to not completely tell us Thom and Phil's first sex encounter: she leads us till a point, with a lot of expectation, to then, like a trick, leave us suspending, and maybe drooling. But don't worry, soon after she makes amend, and Thom and Phil will experiment every possible position and place...
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001CNR8KO/?...
nah-nope-and-not-interested
September 4, 2017Book seems to be under the impression that character/relationship growth can be abandoned as long as each chapter has a sex scene. It got a bit tiresome so I legged it.
Also, not rating this, but if i was...then it would have lost a star solely on the MCs inability to realize that if someone tells you repeatedly to stop calling them a name, be it their actual name or just a nickname, then you stop calling them that name. Full stop. Do not pass go, do not be a douche bag and keep doing it because you think it is "cute".
DNF @ 30%
Also, not rating this, but if i was...then it would have lost a star solely on the MCs inability to realize that if someone tells you repeatedly to stop calling them a name, be it their actual name or just a nickname, then you stop calling them that name. Full stop. Do not pass go, do not be a douche bag and keep doing it because you think it is "cute".
DNF @ 30%
November 23, 2012
I think this is the first book I've ever read where felching was done and the author could actually write a good story. Hello hotness. The sex in this book was off the fucking charts. Add that to a nice story with fabulous MCs and you've got a winner. I was a very happy camper reading this book.
November 25, 2018
DNF at 45%
I tried, I tried so hard to make it through this since I have it on my pop sugar book challenge list for 2018, but enough is enough.
This book isn’t horrible it’s just not good. I think had I read this 10 years ago when it came out I may have liked it more, but I now have way higher standards for my M/M reads. There is no real connection between these guys and we honestly learn nothing about them. Their interactions consist on jumping each others bones. Apparently you can learn EVERYTHING about someone by having sex with them..who knew!?
Not to sound cheesy, but this vegan read lacked meat.... #SorryNotSorry
I tried, I tried so hard to make it through this since I have it on my pop sugar book challenge list for 2018, but enough is enough.
This book isn’t horrible it’s just not good. I think had I read this 10 years ago when it came out I may have liked it more, but I now have way higher standards for my M/M reads. There is no real connection between these guys and we honestly learn nothing about them. Their interactions consist on jumping each others bones. Apparently you can learn EVERYTHING about someone by having sex with them..who knew!?
Not to sound cheesy, but this vegan read lacked meat.... #SorryNotSorry
November 30, 2011
This was a tough book for me. On the one hand, I loved the concept, and the title drew me to it instantly.
On the other, I just didn't gel with it. It's not that it was poorly written, but it just had problems that kept me from enjoying it. First off, and I know this isn't the author's fault, is the fact that the formatting was borked. Italics didn't show up whatsoever, and in a book that is constantly directly quoting characters' thoughts, that kind of error is confusing and jarring. It's on the level of reading an entire book without quotation marks.
Like I said, I loved the concept. However, the conflict in this, despite its promise, read as very artificial. The characters fought a lot, but made up so quickly and easily that I never felt like there was ever any danger to their relationship. I know how it feels to say something I regret instantly, but it doesn't happen all the time. Making up shouldn't be so easy, especially when you're reading a book in which that's the main source of conflict between the characters. The same with the "dark reason" why Thom didn't want to date his boss. Since it never really affected their relationship in any way we witnessed (since the narrative skipped all the weeks they tried not to date), when it was revealed it was a big pile of "Yeah, so?" I kept waiting for his secret to rear its ugly head in a way that added to the conflict, but it never did.
I think a lot of people will still like this book. It has a snappy sense of humour and a few lines of dialogue that made me laugh out loud, which I appreciate. If its sense of humour and yours match up, you'll probably overlook the plot problems I had above and really have fun reading it. However, the humour only worked for me about 25% of the time, and the rest of it made me alternately groan or get incredibly uncomfortable (rape: it's not a joke. seriously. please don't. a two second throwaway joke is not worth emotionally hurting your readers.)
The two leads had some wonderful moments together and the sex was great, so I genuinely do wish that the conflicts the book presented actually carried some weight. As it was, many interesting issues were touched on (homophobia, abuse, political differences between partners, corporate greed, the conflict in interest that comes from working for someone you might not agree with ethically but needing the job, etc.) but none of them had any room to breathe or make me care. These characters just had it way too easy. And even in a light, humourous book, I still need genuine adversity in a novel. Otherwise, what is there to cheer for?
On the other, I just didn't gel with it. It's not that it was poorly written, but it just had problems that kept me from enjoying it. First off, and I know this isn't the author's fault, is the fact that the formatting was borked. Italics didn't show up whatsoever, and in a book that is constantly directly quoting characters' thoughts, that kind of error is confusing and jarring. It's on the level of reading an entire book without quotation marks.
Like I said, I loved the concept. However, the conflict in this, despite its promise, read as very artificial. The characters fought a lot, but made up so quickly and easily that I never felt like there was ever any danger to their relationship. I know how it feels to say something I regret instantly, but it doesn't happen all the time. Making up shouldn't be so easy, especially when you're reading a book in which that's the main source of conflict between the characters. The same with the "dark reason" why Thom didn't want to date his boss. Since it never really affected their relationship in any way we witnessed (since the narrative skipped all the weeks they tried not to date), when it was revealed it was a big pile of "Yeah, so?" I kept waiting for his secret to rear its ugly head in a way that added to the conflict, but it never did.
I think a lot of people will still like this book. It has a snappy sense of humour and a few lines of dialogue that made me laugh out loud, which I appreciate. If its sense of humour and yours match up, you'll probably overlook the plot problems I had above and really have fun reading it. However, the humour only worked for me about 25% of the time, and the rest of it made me alternately groan or get incredibly uncomfortable (rape: it's not a joke. seriously. please don't. a two second throwaway joke is not worth emotionally hurting your readers.)
The two leads had some wonderful moments together and the sex was great, so I genuinely do wish that the conflicts the book presented actually carried some weight. As it was, many interesting issues were touched on (homophobia, abuse, political differences between partners, corporate greed, the conflict in interest that comes from working for someone you might not agree with ethically but needing the job, etc.) but none of them had any room to breathe or make me care. These characters just had it way too easy. And even in a light, humourous book, I still need genuine adversity in a novel. Otherwise, what is there to cheer for?
November 25, 2018
This is one of the first MM books I read when I began reading MM almost exclusively a few years ago. I honestly I just don't know why I like this book in the first place. I think what I like about the book back then is the way they went after each other. I think I confuse an easy read as a good read. The excessive use of the pet names was annoying especially "pretty baby". What grown person thinks it is cute to call another grown person "pretty baby" I don't know. I guess this is a story where opposites attract and instead of talking they have lots of sex instead actually trying to fix their problem. On that note, Thom and Phil sex scene were okay with a side of eww. They were a one-night stand and the author wanted to push to mention their "clean" status to just get rid of the use of condom was just unbelievable with these stubborn characters. These two characters were never in love with each other they were just in majorly in like/lust with each other. Whenever they thought about their feeling about one another it just leads them right into the gutter. They had a whole fuck the problems away policy in that relationship. But I have to give the author credit for having the character mention that this is a fact in their relationship that rather have sex than have a conversation to resolve whatever problem they have. Thom has the trait that I hate in fictional character but with a slight difference instead crying with every argument he gets irrational angry most of time in my opinion. This book was a one and done and I should have kept it like that.
August 4, 2014
A Joyfully Jay review.
4.5 stars
Back when I first started reading M/M romance about five years ago, this book was one of the first I read. It’s stuck with me all this time. I’m one of those people that can always remember the larger plot points of the books that I’ve read, but rarely do I remember the finer details once years have passed. The Happy Onion is one that I remember down to details, and have reread several times over the years. And that’s the reason I wanted to share it with you for Throwback Thursday.
Read Kris’ review in its entirety here.
4.5 stars
Back when I first started reading M/M romance about five years ago, this book was one of the first I read. It’s stuck with me all this time. I’m one of those people that can always remember the larger plot points of the books that I’ve read, but rarely do I remember the finer details once years have passed. The Happy Onion is one that I remember down to details, and have reread several times over the years. And that’s the reason I wanted to share it with you for Throwback Thursday.
Read Kris’ review in its entirety here.
September 6, 2015
A twist on the usual romance. I enjoyed both characters immensely. The storyline was smooth with just a little angst. I did think that Thom had some serious growing up to do. I would have thought he would control his temper better for all he went through. Phil was too easy. He was all ready to jump on himself being the issue and seemed childish at times. But the writing was wonderful and the storyline ran in a way I believed it could happen. I had fun reading this for all the characters' flaws they were amusing, especially Phil with riling Thom;)
January 29, 2012
Nice, feel good story with interesting characters. The story itself was interesting enough, not exceptional, but good enough that it kept me reading. The characters were funny and sexy as hell. Their banter and the fact that Phil got horny when Thom got angry was hilarious. All in all a surprisingly good read.
August 10, 2015
I'd probably give it 3-1/2 stars if I could. It was a super easy read, very silly characters and a simple plot. The thing that got me was the author's writing style - it was really different with lots of tongue in cheek humor and wit. I might look for her again to see how her style has developed since this book.
May 12, 2018
3.5 Stars
This is a case where smooth interesting writing kept a rather silly story going. Oh and the sex was off the charts hot. That helped some too. ;) Basically this was a well written story whose plot was a little contrived and silly for me when it seemed like the intent of most of the story was just to have these two in bed together. The number of times these characters would rather have sex than talk became readily apparent when even they were discussing how much they'd rather f*ck than talk.
Somehow the characters here never seemed to really gel for me. Not that the sexual chemistry wasn't there, it was. As previously stated there's some hot sex in this book. But the actual relationship felt a bit superficial to me. It didn't seem like much drew these guys to each other except for the hot sex. And the subplot was a little farfetched for me. Evil big corporation out to own the world and not caring who they stepped on to get what they want didn't seem to fit with the rest of what was going on...lots of sex???
It was a ok read and the quality of the writing kept me involved even when the story itself didn't always.
This is a case where smooth interesting writing kept a rather silly story going. Oh and the sex was off the charts hot. That helped some too. ;) Basically this was a well written story whose plot was a little contrived and silly for me when it seemed like the intent of most of the story was just to have these two in bed together. The number of times these characters would rather have sex than talk became readily apparent when even they were discussing how much they'd rather f*ck than talk.
Somehow the characters here never seemed to really gel for me. Not that the sexual chemistry wasn't there, it was. As previously stated there's some hot sex in this book. But the actual relationship felt a bit superficial to me. It didn't seem like much drew these guys to each other except for the hot sex. And the subplot was a little farfetched for me. Evil big corporation out to own the world and not caring who they stepped on to get what they want didn't seem to fit with the rest of what was going on...lots of sex???
It was a ok read and the quality of the writing kept me involved even when the story itself didn't always.
August 10, 2017
Just about 3 stars.
For me there was about 40% too much sex in this story and I ended up skimming a lot.
Thom moves to town to take a job that turns out not to be there for him and stumbles on a bar tending job at the vegan restaurant that gives the story it's name . His first night in town he picks up a man in a bar.. who he never intends to see again... only for him to turn out to be Phil, his new boss.
When the job Thom originally came to town for finally starts it puts him in co flirt with Phil.. but all is not well with his new employer and a mini mystery is there to solve.
This book was originally published in 2008 and I think this reflects in the sex to storyline ratio.
it also includes my most hated thing... the conversation at a pick up that goes 'I'm clean' ... seriously, this is really offensive. HIV+ve people are not 'dirty' ...
For me there was about 40% too much sex in this story and I ended up skimming a lot.
Thom moves to town to take a job that turns out not to be there for him and stumbles on a bar tending job at the vegan restaurant that gives the story it's name . His first night in town he picks up a man in a bar.. who he never intends to see again... only for him to turn out to be Phil, his new boss.
When the job Thom originally came to town for finally starts it puts him in co flirt with Phil.. but all is not well with his new employer and a mini mystery is there to solve.
This book was originally published in 2008 and I think this reflects in the sex to storyline ratio.
it also includes my most hated thing... the conversation at a pick up that goes 'I'm clean' ... seriously, this is really offensive. HIV+ve people are not 'dirty' ...
May 28, 2017
Ally Blue is a hit & miss author for me, sadly this was a miss. Oh well.
August 12, 2013
3.5 Stars
I wanted to love this. I mean, a hippie with a suit?! Hell yeah. But, for me, this never really acknowledged the differences. It was another "let's fuck and not talk" story. Which, yeah, it's great they have amazing sex and I am going to sound like a broken record, but is sex all relationships are about anymore? I wanted actual discussions about why they were what they were. I wanted to know how Thom felt about Phil's veganism. I wanted to know how he liked eating it and hearing about his beliefs. How did Phil like seeing Thom being a carnivore? Did he turn into a vegan by default? I wanted to hear more about Phil and his protesting. I wanted to see Phil with his friends more. Thom said Phil had no idea what his political standing was, but it was never shared either. Did they view things the same? Did they just never discuss politics again?
Cause, I have to say, I am a hippie. Straight up, liberal, tree hugging, pro-choice, feminist, jam band listening, tie dye wearing, bi, and VERY outspoken. There is NO way you could keep my mouth shut when it comes to my beliefs. My husband hears me "bitch and moan" daily and there's no way around it. If you are passionate about something you speak out. I think hippies in general are very passionate. There is NO WAY I could ever be with someone who didn't share the same political views as I do. We'd be arguing so much that's all we'd be doing.
So, I wanted to know more about Thom and Phil and not just how compatible they were in bed. Got a straw?
Halloween...
So, I guess I just wanted to see how they handled their differences better rather than fighting and having sex.
Phil's nicknames...SWOOOOOON!!!!!
I wanted to love this. I mean, a hippie with a suit?! Hell yeah. But, for me, this never really acknowledged the differences. It was another "let's fuck and not talk" story. Which, yeah, it's great they have amazing sex and I am going to sound like a broken record, but is sex all relationships are about anymore? I wanted actual discussions about why they were what they were. I wanted to know how Thom felt about Phil's veganism. I wanted to know how he liked eating it and hearing about his beliefs. How did Phil like seeing Thom being a carnivore? Did he turn into a vegan by default? I wanted to hear more about Phil and his protesting. I wanted to see Phil with his friends more. Thom said Phil had no idea what his political standing was, but it was never shared either. Did they view things the same? Did they just never discuss politics again?
Cause, I have to say, I am a hippie. Straight up, liberal, tree hugging, pro-choice, feminist, jam band listening, tie dye wearing, bi, and VERY outspoken. There is NO way you could keep my mouth shut when it comes to my beliefs. My husband hears me "bitch and moan" daily and there's no way around it. If you are passionate about something you speak out. I think hippies in general are very passionate. There is NO WAY I could ever be with someone who didn't share the same political views as I do. We'd be arguing so much that's all we'd be doing.
So, I wanted to know more about Thom and Phil and not just how compatible they were in bed. Got a straw?
Halloween...
So, I guess I just wanted to see how they handled their differences better rather than fighting and having sex.
Phil's nicknames...SWOOOOOON!!!!!
September 14, 2014
My final Q2 GB book!
Why did this book languish so long on my TBR pile? Bubbles has got to be the best nickname ever.
I liked the dynamics between the MCs. Neither fit the typical big man/small mold. Thom may have been the smaller in stature, but he had the larger personality and a quick temper. He also liked to cuddle and didn't protest -- too much -- when Phil started calling him Bubbles.
Phil was a laid-back, hippie throwback. Thom's bossy, temperamental nature turned him on, and he loved giving Thom pet names. He was also fiercely protective and could kick ass when needed. There were a lot of adorable, sweet moments between the two.
The conflict mostly revolved around Thom's new job with a company Phil considered morally bankrupt. Instead of letting a bunch of misunderstanding continue to disrupt the relationship, the MCs came to the conclusion that they'd have to learn to communicate -- not just in bed -- for their relationship to survive. What a concept.
I've been mostly bored with and tired of books that start off with the MCs hooking up at a club. It's a testament to the writer's skills that she kept my attention despite that beginning (and the bunch of sex scenes that followed). I recently read Ally Blue's "Graceland," which I also liked a lot. I'm on the hunt for more from this author's backlist.
Why did this book languish so long on my TBR pile? Bubbles has got to be the best nickname ever.
I liked the dynamics between the MCs. Neither fit the typical big man/small mold. Thom may have been the smaller in stature, but he had the larger personality and a quick temper. He also liked to cuddle and didn't protest -- too much -- when Phil started calling him Bubbles.
Phil was a laid-back, hippie throwback. Thom's bossy, temperamental nature turned him on, and he loved giving Thom pet names. He was also fiercely protective and could kick ass when needed. There were a lot of adorable, sweet moments between the two.
The conflict mostly revolved around Thom's new job with a company Phil considered morally bankrupt. Instead of letting a bunch of misunderstanding continue to disrupt the relationship, the MCs came to the conclusion that they'd have to learn to communicate -- not just in bed -- for their relationship to survive. What a concept.
I've been mostly bored with and tired of books that start off with the MCs hooking up at a club. It's a testament to the writer's skills that she kept my attention despite that beginning (and the bunch of sex scenes that followed). I recently read Ally Blue's "Graceland," which I also liked a lot. I'm on the hunt for more from this author's backlist.
February 8, 2015
★★★★☆
A cute story about two strong individuals and not quite the usual cliches - twink top and bear bottom, one's a vegan tree hugger and the other wants to make his mark in the corporate world.
Newly arrived Thomas meets Phil at the local gay bar the first night and they have a very hot one-night stand. Thomas is horrified to learn when he arrives at his temporary job that Phil is his boss (he had a bad experience with a workplace romance in the past). He vows not to repeat his mistake but he and Phil can't seem to keep away from each other.
When Thom finally goes to work at the corporate job he came to town for, Phil and his friends are very against the company that Thom works for and the evidence is all hearsay and rumors. Needless they're on shaky ground which leads to lots of make-up sex.
I liked it and it was a fun read.
A cute story about two strong individuals and not quite the usual cliches - twink top and bear bottom, one's a vegan tree hugger and the other wants to make his mark in the corporate world.
Newly arrived Thomas meets Phil at the local gay bar the first night and they have a very hot one-night stand. Thomas is horrified to learn when he arrives at his temporary job that Phil is his boss (he had a bad experience with a workplace romance in the past). He vows not to repeat his mistake but he and Phil can't seem to keep away from each other.
When Thom finally goes to work at the corporate job he came to town for, Phil and his friends are very against the company that Thom works for and the evidence is all hearsay and rumors. Needless they're on shaky ground which leads to lots of make-up sex.
I liked it and it was a fun read.
January 20, 2014
A sweetheart of a story,
This is the first book I've read by Ally Blue and it won't be the last. I enjoyed this story immensely even if it was on the light side. There was little to no background or buildup, but somehow it worked as a short story about two very sweet people. I like the heroes this author created, they were good and kind people, even though there were some fights and arguments, they worked things out. I was not a fan of the whole developer and corrupt city officials part of the story but luckily for me, that was only a brief part of the whole story. I enjoyed this very much and would recommend it to others as a hot, romantic MM read.
This is the first book I've read by Ally Blue and it won't be the last. I enjoyed this story immensely even if it was on the light side. There was little to no background or buildup, but somehow it worked as a short story about two very sweet people. I like the heroes this author created, they were good and kind people, even though there were some fights and arguments, they worked things out. I was not a fan of the whole developer and corrupt city officials part of the story but luckily for me, that was only a brief part of the whole story. I enjoyed this very much and would recommend it to others as a hot, romantic MM read.
July 1, 2013
These guys made me laugh, never a bad thing. Their repartee was hilarious. Their instant and constant attraction to each other was delightful. I liked that the author reversed the usual roles of the big dominant guy and the small pretty guy. Basically a light read - yes, but a fun read. There was angst and emotion. The bathroom scene (Not the usual bathroom scene) was scary. The ending tied things in a neat bundle too quickly. Overall I enjoyed the story and the sex was hot. I would read more about this guys. Three and a half stars.
November 23, 2011
kept waiting for it to be over......
October 21, 2013
One and a half, really.
June 3, 2017
Despite the... unique... cover and title, The Happy Onion is a rather nice romance. It doesn't quite focus on Phil and Thom's differing ideologies as much as the blurb makes it seem and there is very little conflict aside from Thom having a temper, and it's mostly resolved pretty quickly once he calms down and apologizes.
What ruined the book for me was
A) how Phil repeatedly refuses to take Thom's feelings seriously, especially his anger. "You are sexy when you are angry", ignoring demands to use certain nicknames and kissing-the-anger-away are common occurrences. Thom might have an explosive temper, but Phil invalidating his feelings from the very beginning onwards is just, nope, and quite frankly a red flag.
B) the repeated phrase of can't do x "because it would turn him into a girl" and thus ruin y. Not only does being emotional/crying or being compared to an actress not turn someone into a girl, it also isn't inherently girly, nor is it anything negative or would ruin anything.
C) rape jokes. Not many, but the context still made me cringe.
Overall the story, characters and writing are okay, if nothing special, but several side sentence made me go "nope!"
If not for those, I would have thoroughly enjoyed the book.
What ruined the book for me was
A) how Phil repeatedly refuses to take Thom's feelings seriously, especially his anger. "You are sexy when you are angry", ignoring demands to use certain nicknames and kissing-the-anger-away are common occurrences. Thom might have an explosive temper, but Phil invalidating his feelings from the very beginning onwards is just, nope, and quite frankly a red flag.
B) the repeated phrase of can't do x "because it would turn him into a girl" and thus ruin y. Not only does being emotional/crying or being compared to an actress not turn someone into a girl, it also isn't inherently girly, nor is it anything negative or would ruin anything.
C) rape jokes. Not many, but the context still made me cringe.
Overall the story, characters and writing are okay, if nothing special, but several side sentence made me go "nope!"
If not for those, I would have thoroughly enjoyed the book.
September 25, 2023
Thom is a young man new to town who ends up working at the Happy Onion, owned by Phil. He leaves pretty quickly because he actually came to town (Ashville) to work for a bigger corporation that has opened a night club as part of a resort condo enterprise downtown.
Thom and Phil start a hot affair, when Thom moves into a room at the Happy Onion while waiting for the big resort enterprise to get started. But then they have to deal with a deep political and idealogistic difference between Phil and his friends are wanting to shut down the establishment that Thom is working for because it is rumored to be corrupt. The problem is that Thom doesn't believe it and their relationship is in danger every time they try to discuss it.
Thom has to come around though because evidence comes up and even eventually his own life is in danger because of the corruption of not only the owners but some of the employees of the corporation and even one of the councilmen for the city.
All is well that ends well, but things are bumpy for quite some time.
This is a strong love story, with plenty of sex and passion, but also with disagreements and misunderstandings that have to be overcome.
Thom and Phil start a hot affair, when Thom moves into a room at the Happy Onion while waiting for the big resort enterprise to get started. But then they have to deal with a deep political and idealogistic difference between Phil and his friends are wanting to shut down the establishment that Thom is working for because it is rumored to be corrupt. The problem is that Thom doesn't believe it and their relationship is in danger every time they try to discuss it.
Thom has to come around though because evidence comes up and even eventually his own life is in danger because of the corruption of not only the owners but some of the employees of the corporation and even one of the councilmen for the city.
All is well that ends well, but things are bumpy for quite some time.
This is a strong love story, with plenty of sex and passion, but also with disagreements and misunderstandings that have to be overcome.
June 2, 2017
This was one of many freebies I got recently, so it was a happy surprise that it was a full-length, well-edited, good story. (Though the fact that it was set in a typewriter font that I couldn't seem to change was somewhat offputting and took a while to get used to.)
I saw other reviewers complaining about the "Bubbles" nickname. Since I used to watch The Powerpuff Girls myself, it didn't bother me at all, though for Thom's sake I hope he didn't ACTUALLY look like her. I love books where the twink is the more dominant of the two, and Thom made up for his diminutive size by being very toppy.
The relationship between Thom and Phil was great - even though it started off with scorching sex, you got to see their friendship grow and deepen into love over the course of the book. The evil corporate sideplot was kind of meh to me, but I really did love seeing all the interaction between the two main characters. It left me with a smile on my face, and I'll be reading more from this author.
I saw other reviewers complaining about the "Bubbles" nickname. Since I used to watch The Powerpuff Girls myself, it didn't bother me at all, though for Thom's sake I hope he didn't ACTUALLY look like her. I love books where the twink is the more dominant of the two, and Thom made up for his diminutive size by being very toppy.
The relationship between Thom and Phil was great - even though it started off with scorching sex, you got to see their friendship grow and deepen into love over the course of the book. The evil corporate sideplot was kind of meh to me, but I really did love seeing all the interaction between the two main characters. It left me with a smile on my face, and I'll be reading more from this author.
March 8, 2018
Cute story with mostly likeable characters. The plotline was fairly simplistic and mostly wrapped up at the end. Phil came across as a loveable, albeit sex-crazed, hippie bear with a touch of quintessential Southern gentleman. Thom, on the other hand, took a lot of getting used to and I’m not sure I had totally warmed up to him by the end. He was vividly described as small in stature and unfornately, the author gave him the stereotypical Napolean complex; overly sensitive and very short-tempered. The length of the story was just about right but there were way too many lengthy sex scenes when some better character development should have been instead.
September 3, 2017
Well, not quite sure about this one so probaly somewhere between a 2.5/3*.
It certainly lives up to the inclusion on 'need you now' and 'hottest sex' lists.
Phil and Thom got a bit too mushy a bit too quickly for my liking. There were so nice humourous moments and I was fine with the big bad developers back story.
This story was written 9 yrs ago so I feel more recent stories are better.
It certainly lives up to the inclusion on 'need you now' and 'hottest sex' lists.
Phil and Thom got a bit too mushy a bit too quickly for my liking. There were so nice humourous moments and I was fine with the big bad developers back story.
This story was written 9 yrs ago so I feel more recent stories are better.
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