Because I Need You

Just Because #1

by Drew Duncan, Avery Duncan

Ellis Baxter
Widower. Single dad. Agency temp.

Aiden Munroe
CEO. Difficult to work for. Utter jerk.

Ellis thought he knew exactly what to expect when he walked into the offices of Munroe Holdings as the new assistant to the CEO. But he never expected this.

Genres: M M Romance, Romance, Contemporary, LGBT, Amazon, Novella, Gay

144 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 4, 2018

About the author

Drew is an Irish author with a panache for sarcasm and a love of the random, her cynicism knows no bounds, but she’s a secret hopeless romantic who likes to let her characters sizzle on the pages.


She lives her with two children, and dreams of escaping to Hampshire, the home of Jane Austen. When she’s not writing, you can find her knitting, crocheting, shouting at Ireland playing rugby, and of course reading.


Reviews

[Aki | nose buried in books | ❤️ | · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really sweet and cute novella, with only a very little drama, nothing pretentious.
I really enjoyed it!
The only thing that annoyed me a bit, especially at the beginning, were the repeated parts (but from the other pow), that's why my rating isn't 5 stars.
Recommended.

[♥️Victoria ♥️ ♥️love books♥️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

First this was such a sweet story, I loved the MC's.

But,

I must confess the writing irritated me a bit especially the repetition in the beginning it started getting better in the middle of the book.

AND I LOVED THE COVER

[GlamLawyer · Rating 2 out of 5]

That was ok, but too cliché and too sappy for me. The writing was good enough but the story was one of those we all heard before.
There were also some things that really annoyed me, like giving presents to a little girl you just met only after she kisses your cheek. Plus letting said girl (4 years) sitting on your lap minutes after meeting her. Totally unbelievable also that she did that. I have two kids, both wouldn't have approached a stranger like that. But that's just me. It just really bothered me.

[Claude · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet.

[Cee Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

💫💫🌟🌟🌟💫💫4 easy stars💫💫🌟🌟🌟💫💫

I am all over the place in my reading of late, this time with the boss/employee trope, and I must say, it had little angst, and a good story behind it.

"Nothing worth having ever came easy."

Aiden was a bastard, but oh, what a man. Ellis, his assistant could not help the way he felt about his boss. What happens when the forces come out to play? One click and find out. These type of books always take me back to the old days of Mills and Boon. There is always so much at play with this type of trope and it is easy to smell the sexual harassment case, but love trumps all.

Even though Aiden played it hard, you got to feel the tension radiating off of the man. He settled into Ellis's life and and took to them like duck to water. I loved his interacting with Ellis's daughter Addison and especially Sylvie don't care attitude. Everyone should have a sweet, caring, say what's on her mind mother-in-law who encourages you to move on. I really enjoyed this book.

I voluntarily and honestly reviewed this book without bias or persuasion from the author.

[Shelba · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 39%.

Aiden is just such an asshole. He’s aware he is an asshole and doesn’t seem to care. He justifies it because his position in the company needs him to be a tyrant. Maybe you just suck at your job if you need to be rude, dismissive and hurtful towards your staff to get the job done. I kept waiting for when he’d make a change, but it seems he doesn’t think there’s an issue with how he treats his staff, in fact, he seems to find his reputation amusing.

Aside from Aiden being as ass, it’s just very meh.

[Lelyana's Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was just realized that this is my first book of the author, and this is the author's first MM book (correct me if I'm wrong), and surprisingly I enjoyed this. Well, despite of some disturbing repeated part here and there.
This is a light, sweet, low angst romance, with an adorable kid put into the mix.
Actually I saw it as a family story. A short read but worth my time. And beside Aiden and Ellis, I enjoyed the time with Addison, especially when Aiden met Addison (Ellis's daughter) for the first time, they're adorable together.
And the epilogue, was just made a huge grin in my face.
Recommended!

[Aeren · Rating 2 out of 5]

No está mal pero es muy flojito, en "trama" y los personajes realmente, es que no hay un desarrollo. Aparte de esto no me ha convencido nada el estilo en que está narrada, hay un POV dual pero no veo la necesidad de contar la misma (insustancial) escena desde los ojos de ambos y menos aún con una escena se divida en dos para cambiar el POV, me ha sacado muy fuera por que para mi no ha funcionado nada. Eso sí, se lee rápido porque no debe ser más largo que un harlequin.

[Isa Tis]

Pas de note pour l'instant, je laisse de côté cette lecture à 25 %...Je m'ennuie, je ne ressens aucune émotion et si j'apprécie les doubles POV, quand je dois me retaper deux fois les mêmes dialogues et bien c'est juste chiant en plus de casser rythme du récit.

Mauvaise pioche.

[Joyce · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wat een jammere teleurstelling.
Het idee was zo goed en aanlokkelijk dat ik er best wel excited over werd om eens een totaal ander soort verhaal te lezen.
Een man die verliefd wordt op zijn baas? Klinkt gewoon goed!
Maar toen kwam het.

Het was zoooo ontzettend snel geschreven dat je het boek in een aantal uurtjes kunt uitlezen. Er zat geen diepgang in, er leken stukken te ontbreken om ook echt een 'gevoel' bij het boek te krijgen. En dan nog maar te zwijgen over het feit dat dit over twee volwassen mannen gaat en je dat gewoon lijkt te vergeten wanneer ze zich als 12 jarige pubers gaan gedragen.

[Essie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sorry to say this was very meh.
Why?
-The first scenes were unnecessarily repeated from both POV. They weren’t that interesting!
-Aiden was a grumpy, mean boss? Would have loved some actual scenes that substantiated this. Also to create more tension between the two MC's.
-Suddenly they kiss and it says: after weeks of sexual tension. Really? Where is this tension you're speaking of? I couldn’t find it!
-Sex without lube or condom.

[Ami · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 stars rounded up

I thought it was pretty 'light' which I totally didn't expected from the blurb. I thought it would be a lot more butt-heading moments between the utter jerk CEO and the single-dad assistant. But both were actually smitten with each other early on, which made things easy.

I didn't feel enough chemistry between the two, outside the fact that they both were gorgeous and attracted each other's eyes. And I didn't really like the way that the author 'repeated' scenes from the other's perspective, because it felt like it was only written to add more word counts.

At least I loved the daughter and the mother-in-law. They were the highlights of this book for me, which made me feel okay to round-it-up to my usual 3-stars-is-okay rating.

[Michael Warner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Too cute!!

I loved the story from beginning to end. Ellis and Aiden both deserve that happiness that they found together. Great read!!👍🏾

[Bodie Kane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not me reading that in like 2 hours, such a cute story!! I was addicted the moment I started. Agree with others the repetition of chapters 1-6 was annoying but the story was good! love them

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm still reading short novels.😅

This is the story of Ellis and Aiden. This is an office romance.

The book was a fast read. I like the chemistry between our main couple. The plot has a bit of a background to it and it was simple but interesting enough. There are just few conflicts in the story.

Surprisingly, the characters are all likeable. I love the addition of Sylvie and Addison to the story.

Very sweet but sometimes too good to be true? 😅 Recommended for quick reads.👍

[~BookNeeds~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I struggled to find this book but once I did. I couldn’t stop. I loved it.

[Jenny Wood · Rating 2 out of 5]

So... I love me a single dad....
I love a jerk boss and his patient and snarky employee...
But I just couldn't.... I had to stop when the chapters were literal repeats from a differnt POV, but the same exact thing.
He yelled at me...
Next chapter... I yelled at him.....
I walked a straight line.....
Next chapter... He walked a straight line... .
It's like... yeah, okay... we got that the first go round' no need to rehash it.
I just couldn't..... I skimmed more than I read and I still read the same thing over and over again.
So sadly, this one wasn't for me.
Sorry!

[chrisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started off pretty good for me, but by the halfway point I was just ready for it to be over. Especially, since I thought the characters acted startlingly sophomoric in the second half of the book. In addition there were typos throughout that could have easily been fixed and weren't. I won't be picking up another book by this author.

[Laura ~Passion flower · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because I Need You (ARC) was graciously provided to me by the author for an honest review.

"Love's Emotional Journey"

     An absolutely heart-breaking, emotional, thought-provoking, heart-warming story about two men, who are unknowingly desperate for personal human contact, as a result of very different reasons, who find themselves opening doors once thought of as ones considered to be permanently closed.  I absolutely loved the beautiful and heart-wrenching journey of the two main characters, Ellis and Aiden, as they made personal discoveries that wound up being life-altering for them both.  It was such an incredibly emotional read of this journey both had taken through their individual loss, pain and sacrifice. 

     Even though the plot and pace for this storyline was smooth and addicting, I had hoped for more development in these particular areas, and while there were a few times when this reader was a bit confused with the writing, whether it be due to the British vernacular or with the writing itself, with the smattering of typos, there were a few times when I had found myself scratching my head in confusion. As there were also a wide-range of secondary characters in this story, they were all written pretty well and had piqued my interest for reading more of not only the main characters but also of the secondary ones as well, thus, it would have been beneficial for more depth to the characters as well as more depth to the overall development of the plot. 

     That all being said...I really loved the storyline and never knew how gorgeous of a theme it would have been prior to reading.  Because after all..it could not have been more true then what it actually had been indicating..and, I absolutely loved it...:)

*star rating: 4.00 'I really liked it' stars*

[BookSnuggle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Because I Need You by Avery Duncan. This is widower Ellis Baxter and CEO Aiden Munroe's story.

Aiden at first comes off as pretty much as a jerk and a person that doesn't care about anybody. As you get to know Aiden you discover a totally different side of him and the reasons he goes into his jerk personality. Ellis works temp jobs and ends up working for Aiden. Will Ellis stay at this job or will he throw in the towel as the other assistants have done? Ellis discovers that there is another side to Aiden and the attraction and chemistry between them is getting harder to ignore. Will Aiden be able to not withdraw and act like a jerk and have a relationship with Ellis? Will Ellis be able to move forward with a relationship without feeling that he is cheating on his deceased husband?

I really liked Aiden and Ellis's characters. Sylvie, Ellis's mother in-law, was a great addition to the story too. Ellis and Aiden's story was really enjoyable, entertaining, sweet, and with intense chemistry.

FYI, contains mature content. This is a M/M gay romance. I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

[Pontiki · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Ellis starts working for the handsome but difficult Aiden Munroe, he expects to not last long as his assistant. Aiden is in the closet, but can’t help his attraction to Ellis. But he doesn’t know that Ellis lost his husband and they had a sweet child, whom he meets when Ellis has to bring her to the office.

Surprisingly, Aiden connects with Addison, and Ellis can’t resist his feelings any longer. Both men know this can’t be casual, and neither of them want that. But, Aiden panics and introduces Ellis as his friend when he runs into a business associate.

Ellis is hurt and angry, making Aiden realize his father’s ideas are antiquated, so he tells his parents he’s coming out, and his father apologizes, he was trying to protect him but it backfired.

Aiden goes on TV and declared his feelings, and though Ellis makes him work hard for forgiveness, they do move forward and build a life together as a family.

This was a lovely novella, but the last part where Ellis won’t forgive Aiden for awhile is a bit forced. The story isn’t too rushed, which is often a problem with shorter books. Addison is adorable and Ellis’ mother in law is a great supporting character.

[Susi June · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a lovely surprise! I really adored this book. I read it in one sitting, I couldn't put it away. It's quite short but it still has a lot of heart.

Aiden was such a big asshole at first, I didn't think I could like him at all. He really surprised me. He was super sweet, especially when it came to Ellis and their families. I liked Ellis too. Special shout out to his mother in law Sylvie, she was such a delight!

I think the book needed a trigger warning. I had no clue that Ellis was a widower. It was really sad, his story made me cry immediately.

The third act breakup was unnecessary in my opinion. It's such a short book, it didn't need the drama near the end, especially for this reason. I get where Ellis is coming from but it felt blown out of proportion.

The epilogue redeemed it though. It was SUCH a beautiful epilogue and I'm so happy now. It brought a huge smile to my face.

[P Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I voluntarily read this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else's*

Because I Need You was sweet yet emotional and I really enjoyed it. The book was written beautifully and flowed smoothly.

Although the book was short, the author developed the characters sufficiently.

Aiden and Ellis - these two had great chemistry from beginning to end and their interactions were full of heat and undeniable hunger.

Sylvie - she maybe Ellis’s mother in law but she treated him like her own son and joked/messed around with him like a best friend.

Little Addison was just adorable and I loved how she interacted with Aiden.

I’m definitely adding this author to my favourite list.

[Sue Ouellet-Cofsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and sweet and nicely steamy indeed. I went back and put Avery's other books on my TBR because I really enjoyed her writing style and definitely loved Ellis' and Aiden's story. It is not new to most of us, the difficulties of being openly gay in our world, but we discover that despite that, there are loving people who will support you no matter what and that in the end...love is love. I had tears at one point and for me that always means that I was touched deeply. It might be short...but it packs a punch!

[Ken Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

London office shenanigans

4.5 stars. Duncan presents Aiden, the CEO/boss from hell, who runs a family-owned property management company in London. Churning through Temps in a PA position, Ellis, a widower father, is the next victim. However, it works, a attraction blooms. Duncan gives the reader two complex but complete people, warts, foibles, histories and all. The crisis feels valid and real, the recovery slow but smooth, control passing back and forth. A delightful read, and Addison and Sylvie great supporting characters.

[DC · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was mostly a sweet low-drama story. The writing was ok; a few oddities such as Aiden’s last name being Monroe in the first chapter and then switching to Munroe, and Sylvie referred to as Muriel. This boss-employee trope can be challenging and I had to laugh when the first time Aiden and Ellis start making out and Ellis panics, Aiden wondered if he’d “overstepped a boundary.”
That Aiden was such an a-hole tyrant, and proud of it, was a bit over-the-top, so his metamorphosis into a decent human being seemed fast. Still, I liked the way things worked out and they all get their HEA.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an enjoyable romp between Ellis Baxter, a widower with a young child, temping as PA for a dick of a boss Aiden Munroe. Aiden gradually grows as a person from an unfeeling jerk to a warm hearted likeable man who has learned from past mistakes.
As we can expect from this kind of story the two begin as strangers and grow to much more. The one problem I had was Ellis' daughter. He works from 7 am until late in the evening, and I would have thought he would have put his foot down more often to spend time with her. Half the time it feels as though she doesn't exist, so it's a good job Ellis' mother-in-law Sylvie lives with them!
Overall it was an enjoyable story and it is only the niggle about the daughter which stops me from giving this 5*

[Esther Alayeto · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short, sweet and emotional story that I really enjoyed. Ellis expected bit to like Aiden because of his reputation. He did not expect to be attracted to Aiden, much less to have feelings for him!! A really sweet story of these two men coming together and an adorable child, Ellis’ daughter Addison. One of my favorite parts is when Addison first meets Aiden, that was just too cute! All around, a cute story with all the feels. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.

[Lisa J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. stars. I almost put this book down permanently because of the repeated scenes from each MC's POV at the beginning. I'm glad I stuck with it though because I ended enjoying this book for the most part. The author has a distinctive voice that I liked. Aidan turned out to be not that big of a tyrant, and I would liked a gradual softening instead of the almost instantaneous one that we got. But I'm a sucker for a workplace romance, and this one ultimately delivered.