What would you do if you’d been in love with your straight best friend for fifteen years, and his third marriage just fell apart? When is the pain of unrequited love too much to bear?
Josiah owns Hoppy Hare, a bar where he worked when he first met his two best friends, Denny and Sammie. Now, Denny owns a record label and Sammie tours the world with her band. Josiah is content with running the Hare and the staff who have become family.
A lot of things have changed over the years, but they’ve gotten over each hurdle. Life is good, if you don’t count the constant, searing pain of unrequited love Josiah has pushed aside for so long. But then Denny’s third marriage falls apart, and Josiah can’t take it anymore.
Confused about what’s going on, Denny gets the professional help he so sorely needs, and finds out more about himself in the process.
Life isn’t done with those curveballs though. How can they stick together during troubling times and everything between Denny and Josiah is up in the air like never before?
Bar None (Hoppy Hare #1) is a low-angst, warm fuzzies kind of story about found family formed by people who are very different from one another, yet who fit together like pieces of a lovely rainbow-colored puzzle, and who realize that love in all its forms is what matters the most, everything else is just the garnish on top of the cocktail of life.
Tia Fielding is a Finnish author who loves witty people, words, peppermint, sarcasm, autumn, and the tiny beautiful things in life.
Tia identifies as genderqueer but isn’t strict about pronouns. Why? Because luckily, in her native language there aren’t gender-specific pronouns.
These days, preferring to live in the middle of nowhere with her fur babies is as big of a part of her psyche as writing. Tia likes to recharge in nature and tends to watch where she’s going through her cell phone’s camera.
In 2013 Tia’s novel Falling Into Place was recognized by the industry’s Rainbow Awards in the Best LGBT Erotic Romance (Bobby Michaels Award) category.
In 2019, her novel Four (Love by Numbers #2) won a Rainbow Award in the Best Transgender Contemporary category.
This review is making me feel like such a b*tch, but I was rolling my eyes the entire time I was reading Bar None.
Why, why, why did Tia Fielding make her MCs these saintly guys who literally do no wrong. It's like a competition as to who can be the most do-goody and who can be the blandest. I wanted a little grit, a little humor. I've never met two MCs who are so annoyingly earnest.
These two men morph seamlessly from best friends to mushy, affectionate lovers. I thought the sexual discovery part was okay, but the very low steam of the story and the constant overanalyzing basically killed all of the pizazz and chemistry.
Lots of talking about feelings, lots of kumbaya and hand-holding, and lots and lots of boring.
Yup, negative Nancy over here. However, I knowTia Fielding can do better.
Of all the books I've read, this is the preachiest book to have ever preached. It kept pulling me out of the story, and severely limited the overall enjoyment I get of just falling into a book.
I have mixed feelings about this book. I love a book with a slow burn, but this was truly a snails pace. I liked all the characters and strangely enough I’ll miss them. I don’t know if this makes sense but I didn’t love the story. I obviously have mixed feelings, but I enjoyed it enough to give it 3 stars.
Another contributor to my lack of connection is that despite the perceived emotional stakes from the situation and the characters’ own words, there really aren’t any. The blurb asks:
“How can they stick together during troubling times and everything between Denny and Josiah is up in the air like never before?”
The answer? Easily. Josiah and Denny are placed into a forced proximity situation at the beginning of that uncertain transition period in their relationship, a prime setup to explore the different reality that Denny’s newfound awareness of Josiah’s love for him and his bisexuality create. However, most potential issues are handled in Josiah’s therapy sessions and aside from a few longings for closeness, nothing changes. They’re still best friends and they turn to each other as they always have when the curveballs come. I’m not saying this is a bad thing and it definitely fits the tone of the book, it just seems like a missed opportunity to add nuance to the story and the characters’ unique predicament.
Bar None is a feel-good story with very likeable characters. Denny, Josiah, and Josiah’s employees (AKA “the kids”) are a wonderfully tight-knit group. Frankly, all the secondary characters (even tertiary) are warm, funny, and make me want to just hug each and every one of them. As the narrative is more focused on showcasing the joys of found family, support, and the power of community and unconditional love, even the curveballs are used to convey care and friendship as opposed to creating extreme angst or tension. Of course, Josiah and Denny’s relationship is the poster child for this as the decisions they make are almost always based in trying to take care of the other person.
I thought this was a really interesting, slow burn read. At the centre is Josiah, who has been in love with his straight best friend, Denny, for 15 years. As Denny's third marriage ends he does a lot of soul searching and some therapy he begins to question his sexual orientation for the first time. I thought it was very refreshing how carefully Denny and Josiah weighed up the pros and cons and took their time to be certain that being together is the right move for them. I also loved the found family members that they surrounded themselves with.
Tia Fielding is still a new author but I've enjoyed all the books I've read by her. Bar None (Hoppy Hare, #1) has some of my favorite tropes (friends to lovers/bisexual awakening/found family/older and vers MCs) and it's a romantic read. Josiah and Denny have been best friends for 15 years and Denny's third marriage has fallen apart. Josiah is the owner of Hoppy Hare, an LGBTQ friendly bar, and has been in love with Denny since he meet him. Denny owns a record label and their other best friend, Sammie, tours the world with her band. The family that Joshia, Denny and Sammie have created at Hoppy Hare was touching and amazing. All three of them have family issues but they've discovered a new family with the Hoppy Hare crew. Denny and Joshia are perfect together and having that strong friendship gave both men a solid foundation to dive into the romantic area of their relationship. It's slow-burn in the sense that once they discovered they were attracted to the other, they didn't rush to bed. Both men were cautious about the friendship but ready to proceed with caution. Check out the author's trigger warnings because there are a few in the book. Overall, an enjoyable read and I hope to return to Hoppy Hare for more stories.
Bar None is a lower key slow burn romance detailing a bi-awakening moment and the start of a relationship between long time best friends. I love friends-to-lovers stories and really enjoy those stories centered on found family, so I was quite excited for this book and series.
The pacing of Barn None reflected the relaxed tone of the book, giving the men time to sort through a myriad of issues they had from past experiences and relationships. I appreciated how the characters developed over the course of the book and really enjoyed that aspect of their journey. Overall, while I enjoyed this story, it didn’t really resonate with me in all the ways I had hoped. I think I was expecting Josiah and Denny’s chemistry to feel stronger and draw me in. Instead, it was a quiet build that had substance but lacked those powerful moments I expect in friends-to-lovers romances. That isn’t to say I questioned the men’s commitment to one another, because that was clear throughout the book. Bar None just missed the special something which would solidify it as a great love story rather than a great tale of good friends and a fantastic, supportive found family they’ve created. As such, I’d recommend this book to those looking for a solid story about two friends finding their happiness together and among a community they’ve helped grow and support.
The first book I read of this author. Unfortunately, it wasn't for me. Too long the storylines around the main character... The relationship between Denny and Josiah was nice to read along the psychiatric help (that of course brought up other fire to the story ). It was nice to read the fear of Josiah in losing his best friend if this relationship didn't really worked out, and of Denny's soul searching. But apart from the domestic routine they've built up, it still felt like something was missing.
No rating - bowing out at 14% I had better expectations due to my liking the results of the author's collaborations with Lisa Henry. The writing style does not work for me - I felt emotionally detached and never connected to either MC - and the excessive amount of mundane details felt too boring to struggle through.
Josiah is the Hoppy Hare bar owner, where he has a family of previously broken-now-healing staff. In many ways, it is a place of refuge. One of his best friends, Sammie, is on tour, while the other, Denny owns the record label Sammie is signed to. The friends have been inseparable for around fifteen years. For most of those, Josiah has been in love with Denny. However, Denny is straight, and his third marriage is on the rocks. Josiah wants the heartache to stop, but will it happen?
The author has labeled this as book-one of one in a series. Meaning – The individual stories are stand-alones, but they have a connection to the Hoppy Hare bar. Judging by this first installation, if you are a reader who likes wholesome broken angels in a community-spirited situation with low angst, then you will eat up the books when published.
Bar None is written in the third person from Josiah and Denny’s viewpoint. The scene-setting is intricately detailed. As such, this is a world that some will invest in and adore. Others may find it too meticulous and be tempted to skim over some of the minute material.
I’ve noticed comprehensive world-building is becoming popular as a way of showing what is going on physically, mentally, and in the world around. This then becomes a matter of personal preference over how much detail is needed to progress a story. For example, towards the end, there was one explained ‘messy’ memory that I felt was unneeded and overshadowed the scene that followed. I was still grossed out from the previous words to appreciate the following scene fully, and it was an unwanted memory that stayed with me after I closed the book.
Denny and Jo are delightful middle-aged human beings that enjoy recreational weed and have trauma in their pasts. There is homophobia, loss, repressed memories, and abuse. They are described in memory form – not flashbacks – which as far as storytelling goes, wasn’t as impactful. So, it came as no surprise that therapy features heavily and that Denny and Jo’s relationship is a slow burn. It also brought with it lots of tears and diving into embraces. The story gets into the characters’ psyche rather than their sexual activities, which made for some interesting reading.
All the extended cast are good people – even two of Denny’s ex-wives. The bar staff is like family, and the community spirit between them is admirable. The world needs more people like this.
The blurb says that the story is a low-angst, warm fuzzies read. Oh, absolutely. I’d even go as far as to say that the angst is non-existent – more worries and second-guessing than angst. But the fuzzies are plentiful with people coming together to help one another.
Bar None is a fabulous friends to lovers romance. The first book in Tia Fielding's Hoppy Hare series, I am in love.
Denny and Josiah are best friends. Josiah's long been in love with his best friend but Denny is straight. When Denny's latest marriage ends, he's suddenly looking at his best friend in a sexual way. I love sexual awakening romances!
First of all, I adore Denny's cluelessness. Without some outside help, he'd probably never discover that his friend loves him and that he's actually attracted to his friend also. Seriously, he just doesn't have a clue.
The author slowly moves things forward for these two. It is slow burn for sure. Somewhat too much of a slow burn. But, it's all well developed. And it's fabulous.
Their story includes family issues and therapy. There's sexual awakening, doubts, and insecurities. It's first kisses and first dates. But most of all, it's two best friends who will do anything for one another.
A wonderful aspect of this story is the addition of all the secondary characters. There are many and I'm in love with them. I definitely want to learn more about these people. They are all family at the Bar and it's beautiful.
Overall, I love Bar None. Every moment of this Tia Fielding tale had me mesmerized. It's sweet and feel good, with all the signs of a wonderful series in the making.
I kind of really like this book. I loved all the lgbtq+ representation and I just loved the gay romance with the main characters. I love that the pacing felt very smooth for them. when it came to game together. There was one moment where it said Josiah had boxers on but then it mentioned that he took a towel off. That's just more of a slight writing error I noticed. I also felt that the side plot with Alfie and gray just felt so weird. I know this is a series but so far there aren't any other books out and it's been 4 years going on 5 years maybe and if there's not going to be any more books than the psy plot with Alfie and gray was just very weird and not needed for the purpose of the story. I really thought that Alfie was going to try to hook up with Josiah. That's where I was feeling it was going to head and if it was going to head that way it really made sense to have him in the book. But it took a completely different turn.
A nice, easy read with fantastic and lovable characters. Josiah is secretly in love with his best friend and when an opportunity makes it self known, circumstances change dramatically. Denny is thrice unlucky in marriage and a stunning realisation rocks his very foundation. I loved the introduction of Alfie and felt a bit sad when he was dealing with issues. A happy read about being true to yourself and the love of a found family. A slow burn and nothing was rushed into regarding sexuality, it was great to read such a well thought out and contemplative story.
Bar None is a terrific friends to lovers/sexual awakening/slow burn story. Denny and Josiah have been friends forever. Josiah has had feelings for Denny since the beginning but Denny is straight. When Denny's latest marriage ends he starts to rethink some things that have always been a constant in his life. I loved the pace of their romance. All the firsts, dates, kisses and so much more! Josiah has the patience needed and is rewarded with a love he never expected. I'm looking forward to more in this series.
loved this book ,Josiah is everyone friend ,he can always be counted on and owning a bar you get to know alot of people he has been in love with his so called straight bestfriend Denny, but Denny has been married 3 times so he final goes to therapist for some help where he realize that he was only fallowing what he was told or heard all his life that he was straight, so these two friends become one and they have to work there way through everything..i read this book for this author for my honest opinion
This was a well-written M/M-ROM book that followed the lives of a trio of friends. Now, before you read too much into the whole trio aspect, it wasn't a throuple situation. In fact, the 3rd person is an asexual female who is like family to the MCs. It delves into the ups and downs of being single (then not, then single again), and basically navigating life once you're past your 20s and should just 'know' better. It also introduced a supporting cast of characters who really should get their own stories told. I really liked this book and will definitely read another chapter in the series.
OK, I struggled with this one, I usually love 'friends to lovers' but this had me almost pulling my hair out. I loved both men and the close friendship but, holy cow, it moved at a snails pace, I wanted to give up but I also didn't want to, I needed a happy ending but at what cost! I made to around 55% mark and then got too frustrated and skimmed the rest. I don't wat to disrespect any author but this was so full of useless fill it spoilt a good chain of events.
This was a book about nice people being nice to each other in very healthy ways. There are even several scenes with their therapist. Unfortunately that doesn't make for an exciting book and this was boring af. There was something going on with a couple very minor side characters (Alfie and Grey) that I was somewhat curious about as there actually seemed to be some conflict there but it wasn't resolved in this book.
This was a decent best friends to lovers story. At times it was a bit unbelievable where Denny could be so clueless and Josiah could hide things so well for years and then all of a sudden he couldn't, but overall I enjoyed the story of these guys. I did like how open and introspective Denny was to the whole process. They had awesome chemistry as friends, and I loved how they took their time to make it work, not just jump into anything straight away.
I read a lot of mm romance, and I guess I'm very accustomed to stories hitting certain beats at certain times, and this just doesn't, and the ending feels very abrupt.
The premise is solid, but the execution is off. The narrative voice sounds first person even though it is written in third person, which is very jarring.
It's not a bad book, by any means. A lot of thought has gone into each character and their back stories, but the structure was so off I never really lost myself in the plot.
I can't believe I actually got this far then quit but it was bound to happen eventually. I just kept putting it off cause I kept hoping for something more, contemplated quitting after the first therapy session.....things just went sideways from that point on.
Barely 2 stars. So much telling. Too slow burn. While I liked the idea of therapy, there was too much of that. Also too many plot points for such a short book. I just should accept that the author doesn't work for me.
nice and sweet, a good two evening activity! cosy with a good helping of mental health representation and characters that figure themselves out later in life - romantically and when it comes to sexuality. really enjoyed that!
Even when Denny has his epiphany, and finally sees who has been in front of him for years, they still have to take their painfully slow time. When Denny and Jo actually do more than kiss, it’s all hot and steamy and the book just stops. Abruptly.