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Check Yes, No, or Maybe
Crappy job. Yes.
Take back an annoying ex. Definitely no.
Hit on the sexy new firm partner looking him over…maybe?
For Aaron Cambrian, life is lived by checklists. No matter how promising, everything – jobs, potential partners, cars, drinks, food, etc – needed to meet all his criteria or he walks away.
Everything changes one night at the cocktail bar when his best friend challenges Aaron to abandon his list and ask the first hot guy who catches his interest if he can buy him a drink.
Thanks to his old nemesis alcohol, Aaron takes the dare! The next thing he knows, he finds himself in the condo of an absolute stranger! It was supposed to be one drink. One accidental kiss… Good thing he’d never see the guy again.
Wrong! When the sexy new partner at Kimball & Marks law firm turns out to be the hot stranger, Aaron is faced with a life-changing decision: keep the checklist or lose the hottest, most frustrating man who ever stole his heart.
Take back an annoying ex. Definitely no.
Hit on the sexy new firm partner looking him over…maybe?
For Aaron Cambrian, life is lived by checklists. No matter how promising, everything – jobs, potential partners, cars, drinks, food, etc – needed to meet all his criteria or he walks away.
Everything changes one night at the cocktail bar when his best friend challenges Aaron to abandon his list and ask the first hot guy who catches his interest if he can buy him a drink.
Thanks to his old nemesis alcohol, Aaron takes the dare! The next thing he knows, he finds himself in the condo of an absolute stranger! It was supposed to be one drink. One accidental kiss… Good thing he’d never see the guy again.
Wrong! When the sexy new partner at Kimball & Marks law firm turns out to be the hot stranger, Aaron is faced with a life-changing decision: keep the checklist or lose the hottest, most frustrating man who ever stole his heart.
247 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 15, 2021
1 person is currently reading
96 people want to read
About the author
Stormie Skyes
3 books7 followersA multi-published author of mystery, both Urban and Paranormal, Stormie returned to her love of romantic comedy and contemporary romance. If you love spicy, humorous, and near-erotica stories featuring sexy male protagonists and the men who love them, then look no further. Stormie's paranormal mystery won quarterfinalist in Screencraft's novel to screen contest and is a competing finalist in Chanticleer's International book awards. When Stormie isn't busy dishing out a new, hot romance, she's busy blogging her love of books and helping writers become authors.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
January 18, 2022
Guys, it’s bad… it’s so bad. There’s so much that’s wrong I don’t even know how to describe it. Review contains some spoilers that are a reference to the plot but don't reveal any twists because... well, there were no twists.
The book is single POV and I’m so glad. Because of the author managed to churn one character’s inner monologue into this much of a frenzy, lord only knows what she’d do with two. Single POV means we have to wait for the other MC to be introduced and… we wait. My god do we wait.
The author describes the mind numbing minutia of Aaron’s life for 30% of the book. Not his back story, just his day to day. Aaron gets a coffee, Aaron sits in a coffee shop, Aaron does his laundry. Aaron does some college work. We are also introduced to a billion side characters. To put this into context, by the time we’re introduced to the actual second MC we, the reader, receive almost as much information about him as we do side characters.
Not fleshing out the second MC’s story means the author has to whip up non existent drama to fill a book. She achieves this by making Aaron the most tedious drama queen in existence. This guy is exhausting, there isn’t a single moment he can’t whip up into world ending angst.
Aaron, who’s dating the big boss, is constantly scared of his immediate supervisor finding out he’s dating the big boss because he’ll fire him. Errr, what? Like I don’t how it works in America, I feel like it’s how it works pretty much everywhere in that the big boss surely carries more authority than one’s immediate supervisor so they can overrule any hiring or firing.
Aaron is unhinged. At one point I felt Roxie (his dog who they pretended is a support animal at one point) should be his actual support animal because there is no way a character this tightly wound is neuro typical. Every single interaction with Maverick is as follows:
Maverick flirts…
Aaron somehow whips up some drama over this. Reacts angrily, flounces off.
Aaron returns from his flouncing episode.
Maverick calls him into his office.
Aaron fears he’ll be fired.
Maverick isn’t firing him, he’s flirting some more.
Aaron whips up some more drama, snaps at Maverick and flounces off.
Maverick calls him/comes to see him.
Aaron fears he’ll be fired.
He isn’t fired, but Maverick tells him he has to be more professional in the office, before flirting with him.
One of the billion side characters will say something to Aaron. He’ll whip himself into a frenzy, snap at Maverick and flounce off. Think he's about to get fired...... ad infinitum.
Rinse, repeat for the entirety of the book. Why is Maverick interested in this Aaron? I have no idea. Maybe he likes high maintenance drama queens because they have zero interaction that is anything other than working together or having some kind of meltdown followed by a flounce off. The book starts with Aaron having met Maverick in a bar and having gone home with him, but it’s never explained what happened when they got there. Aaron wakes up in his underwear in Maverick’s bed but, evidently, they didn’t sleep together. So what happened? Who undressed Aaron? What occurred to make Maverick so besotted with Aaron that that single night made him want to hunt Aaron down like Cinderella and the Prince, except instead of a shoe there’s a wristband Aaron left behind.
I believe, in the entire book, there’s may one interaction with Aaron just talking to Maverick normally. Every other interaction is his internal monologue convinced he’s gonna be fired or Aaron blowing up at Maverick and flouncing off.
Other drama comes in the form of a Vaudeville level villain ex boyfriend who mistreated Aaron so badly one wonders why Aaron stayed with him for so long. Ostensibly it’s because Aaron is self conscious of his need to make lists which are so obsessive they’re chasing potential boyfriends away, except Aaron makes a list one time, and in a circumstance where it’s very reasonable to make a list (a work task). Aaron also never attempts to date anyone else to come to the conclusion his list making is an unattractive quality. He just believes his Vaudeville boyfriend when (after cheating on him for the thousandth time) he tells him he’ll never do better.
Stormie Skyes is the latest in a long line of female authors who don’t know how to describe male sexual arousal so they go the lazy route of their character having an erection over every little thing. Maverick walks through the door, Aaron is erect. Maverick answers the phone, Aaron is instantly erect. They sit at a table, Maverick holds his hand, Aaron is fully erect!! Is Aaron 14? Because outside of puberty I have no idea why someone would have wild erections over every little thing. I mean there’s so may ways that men get aroused (similar to women) and lazy authors that think it’s 0 to 90 in one second is so tedious. The number of times Aaron is having to hide an erection makes him sound like a sex pest. I am sure HR would be having a word if they had an employee who constantly wondered around erect. That said, maybe Skyes just doesn’t know how to describe bodily functions. At one point someone says one thing to Aaron and he’s drescribed as having sweat dripping down his face. What? Like that scene from Airplane? What the hell. I mean sweat beading on your back, or pooling on your upper lip seems a reasonable anxiety reaction. Maybe clammy hands … but sweat dripping down your face straight away, no build up. Just weird!
There’s some nonsensical side plot Aaron wanting nothing to do with his celebrity father, living in virtual poverty (relative to a wealthy father) but also being hounded by paparazzi constantly. The funniest of this being the paparazzi deciding he must have a new boyfriend because he’s spotted outside an apartment building at one point. I know tabloids aren’t reputable journalists but even they don’t leap to wild conclusion based upon literally nothing. The tabloids might have reported Aaron being spotted in a part of town, but where would they draw the conclusion he’s dating someone?
Now, let’s circle back to the celebrity chef father who wants nothing to do with his family, doesn’t support them but, somehow, they are all still in the public eye and there’s no scandal surrounding the fact that these children were abandoned by their father. It’s 2021 (when the book is set), we’re deep into cancel culture yet nothing...?
Aaron is Maverick’s paralegal (even basic Googling would reveal this is a semi professional position, but in Skye’s world you just promote someone from admin to be your paralegal). Maverick asks Aaron to get coffee and Aaron explodes (because of course he does, Aaron doesn't have normal reactions to anything) over the temerity of his boss asking for coffee. Maverick then reveals he’s joking and, of course, one of the two other women in the office will get his coffee, and no one has a problem with this. So Skyes is a sexist. Let’s be clear, the two other women are senior staff so they’re the coffee gofer because, they’re women right? There’s junior staff so they, or Aaron as the most recently promoted paralegal, should probably be the coffee gofer. At the very least he should get his immediate supervisor his coffee, but for some reason another Lawyer’s paralegal should get Maverick his coffee because Princess Aaron thinks it’s beneath him, and all the other junior staff are men and getting coffee is women's work. Am I right or am I right?
Add into this there’s a running joke about one of the women making really bad coffee which they all avoid. I suppose in the misogynistic world Skyes has built here the thought of one of the men making coffee, if they don’t like how this woman does it, is impossible. Men don’t make coffee, they’re far too busy doing real work, right?!
Now a final word about any Brit, and I mean any Brit, naming their child Maverick, let alone moneyed aristocracy. Maverick is not a British name and few of society’s elite are naming their son after a character in Top Gun! Also, Maverick talks like a blithering idiot. Skyes gets that he’s supposed to be a wealthy Brit so she, I imagine, is trying to write his dialogue as a well spoken, upper crust, Brit. Except Skyes isn’t well spoken so Maverick’s dialogue is incredibly clunky. It's like Iron Man imitating Thor - dost mother know you weareth her drapes?
There was so much that could have made for an interesting story but it’s mentioned in passing, and then ignored, in favour of a book that spends all its time describing Aaron having multiple, multiple, episodes of anxiety ridden, dramatic freakouts over nothing, but bizarrely, having no issue with things that should be challenged (like a character who openly sexually harasses junior staff). This guy is the office’s Weinstein (demanding sexual favours from women staff) but nobody does anything. Again in a 2021 post MeToo world. Not even when Aaron is dating Maverick and can use his influence to let him know one of his lawyers is Weinstein 2.0.
I would’ve loved to read more about Maverick’s family. Not just the passing of Maverick being expected to marry a society woman. What about Maverick’s brother, Connor. What about Aaron’s sisters. What about the father! What about Aaron himself, why did he take so long to get into a culinary career. We can guess it's got something to do with his fraught relationship with his father but it's never explained leaving the reader with a thousand questions.
Quick question… name one celebrity chef’s child. You can’t can ya? Because why would a celebrity chef’s child (who eschews the limelight) be a pap darling? If they were a Kardashian style family I could understand, but they clearly did not follow their father to Hollywood. Not to mention having some kind of agreement with the press as to what they can, and can’t print, such that a lawyer (who happens to be Aaron’s sister) is negotiating contracts with the press association. Are they the British Royal Family instead of a minor celebrity. I guess Skyes watched the Oprah interview with Megan and Harry and thinks that’s how tabloid press works for everyone.
In closing, this book made 50 Shades look like Shakespeare.
The book is single POV and I’m so glad. Because of the author managed to churn one character’s inner monologue into this much of a frenzy, lord only knows what she’d do with two. Single POV means we have to wait for the other MC to be introduced and… we wait. My god do we wait.
The author describes the mind numbing minutia of Aaron’s life for 30% of the book. Not his back story, just his day to day. Aaron gets a coffee, Aaron sits in a coffee shop, Aaron does his laundry. Aaron does some college work. We are also introduced to a billion side characters. To put this into context, by the time we’re introduced to the actual second MC we, the reader, receive almost as much information about him as we do side characters.
Not fleshing out the second MC’s story means the author has to whip up non existent drama to fill a book. She achieves this by making Aaron the most tedious drama queen in existence. This guy is exhausting, there isn’t a single moment he can’t whip up into world ending angst.
Aaron, who’s dating the big boss, is constantly scared of his immediate supervisor finding out he’s dating the big boss because he’ll fire him. Errr, what? Like I don’t how it works in America, I feel like it’s how it works pretty much everywhere in that the big boss surely carries more authority than one’s immediate supervisor so they can overrule any hiring or firing.
Aaron is unhinged. At one point I felt Roxie (his dog who they pretended is a support animal at one point) should be his actual support animal because there is no way a character this tightly wound is neuro typical. Every single interaction with Maverick is as follows:
Maverick flirts…
Aaron somehow whips up some drama over this. Reacts angrily, flounces off.
Aaron returns from his flouncing episode.
Maverick calls him into his office.
Aaron fears he’ll be fired.
Maverick isn’t firing him, he’s flirting some more.
Aaron whips up some more drama, snaps at Maverick and flounces off.
Maverick calls him/comes to see him.
Aaron fears he’ll be fired.
He isn’t fired, but Maverick tells him he has to be more professional in the office, before flirting with him.
One of the billion side characters will say something to Aaron. He’ll whip himself into a frenzy, snap at Maverick and flounce off. Think he's about to get fired...... ad infinitum.
Rinse, repeat for the entirety of the book. Why is Maverick interested in this Aaron? I have no idea. Maybe he likes high maintenance drama queens because they have zero interaction that is anything other than working together or having some kind of meltdown followed by a flounce off. The book starts with Aaron having met Maverick in a bar and having gone home with him, but it’s never explained what happened when they got there. Aaron wakes up in his underwear in Maverick’s bed but, evidently, they didn’t sleep together. So what happened? Who undressed Aaron? What occurred to make Maverick so besotted with Aaron that that single night made him want to hunt Aaron down like Cinderella and the Prince, except instead of a shoe there’s a wristband Aaron left behind.
I believe, in the entire book, there’s may one interaction with Aaron just talking to Maverick normally. Every other interaction is his internal monologue convinced he’s gonna be fired or Aaron blowing up at Maverick and flouncing off.
Other drama comes in the form of a Vaudeville level villain ex boyfriend who mistreated Aaron so badly one wonders why Aaron stayed with him for so long. Ostensibly it’s because Aaron is self conscious of his need to make lists which are so obsessive they’re chasing potential boyfriends away, except Aaron makes a list one time, and in a circumstance where it’s very reasonable to make a list (a work task). Aaron also never attempts to date anyone else to come to the conclusion his list making is an unattractive quality. He just believes his Vaudeville boyfriend when (after cheating on him for the thousandth time) he tells him he’ll never do better.
Stormie Skyes is the latest in a long line of female authors who don’t know how to describe male sexual arousal so they go the lazy route of their character having an erection over every little thing. Maverick walks through the door, Aaron is erect. Maverick answers the phone, Aaron is instantly erect. They sit at a table, Maverick holds his hand, Aaron is fully erect!! Is Aaron 14? Because outside of puberty I have no idea why someone would have wild erections over every little thing. I mean there’s so may ways that men get aroused (similar to women) and lazy authors that think it’s 0 to 90 in one second is so tedious. The number of times Aaron is having to hide an erection makes him sound like a sex pest. I am sure HR would be having a word if they had an employee who constantly wondered around erect. That said, maybe Skyes just doesn’t know how to describe bodily functions. At one point someone says one thing to Aaron and he’s drescribed as having sweat dripping down his face. What? Like that scene from Airplane? What the hell. I mean sweat beading on your back, or pooling on your upper lip seems a reasonable anxiety reaction. Maybe clammy hands … but sweat dripping down your face straight away, no build up. Just weird!
There’s some nonsensical side plot Aaron wanting nothing to do with his celebrity father, living in virtual poverty (relative to a wealthy father) but also being hounded by paparazzi constantly. The funniest of this being the paparazzi deciding he must have a new boyfriend because he’s spotted outside an apartment building at one point. I know tabloids aren’t reputable journalists but even they don’t leap to wild conclusion based upon literally nothing. The tabloids might have reported Aaron being spotted in a part of town, but where would they draw the conclusion he’s dating someone?
Now, let’s circle back to the celebrity chef father who wants nothing to do with his family, doesn’t support them but, somehow, they are all still in the public eye and there’s no scandal surrounding the fact that these children were abandoned by their father. It’s 2021 (when the book is set), we’re deep into cancel culture yet nothing...?
Aaron is Maverick’s paralegal (even basic Googling would reveal this is a semi professional position, but in Skye’s world you just promote someone from admin to be your paralegal). Maverick asks Aaron to get coffee and Aaron explodes (because of course he does, Aaron doesn't have normal reactions to anything) over the temerity of his boss asking for coffee. Maverick then reveals he’s joking and, of course, one of the two other women in the office will get his coffee, and no one has a problem with this. So Skyes is a sexist. Let’s be clear, the two other women are senior staff so they’re the coffee gofer because, they’re women right? There’s junior staff so they, or Aaron as the most recently promoted paralegal, should probably be the coffee gofer. At the very least he should get his immediate supervisor his coffee, but for some reason another Lawyer’s paralegal should get Maverick his coffee because Princess Aaron thinks it’s beneath him, and all the other junior staff are men and getting coffee is women's work. Am I right or am I right?
Add into this there’s a running joke about one of the women making really bad coffee which they all avoid. I suppose in the misogynistic world Skyes has built here the thought of one of the men making coffee, if they don’t like how this woman does it, is impossible. Men don’t make coffee, they’re far too busy doing real work, right?!
Now a final word about any Brit, and I mean any Brit, naming their child Maverick, let alone moneyed aristocracy. Maverick is not a British name and few of society’s elite are naming their son after a character in Top Gun! Also, Maverick talks like a blithering idiot. Skyes gets that he’s supposed to be a wealthy Brit so she, I imagine, is trying to write his dialogue as a well spoken, upper crust, Brit. Except Skyes isn’t well spoken so Maverick’s dialogue is incredibly clunky. It's like Iron Man imitating Thor - dost mother know you weareth her drapes?
There was so much that could have made for an interesting story but it’s mentioned in passing, and then ignored, in favour of a book that spends all its time describing Aaron having multiple, multiple, episodes of anxiety ridden, dramatic freakouts over nothing, but bizarrely, having no issue with things that should be challenged (like a character who openly sexually harasses junior staff). This guy is the office’s Weinstein (demanding sexual favours from women staff) but nobody does anything. Again in a 2021 post MeToo world. Not even when Aaron is dating Maverick and can use his influence to let him know one of his lawyers is Weinstein 2.0.
I would’ve loved to read more about Maverick’s family. Not just the passing of Maverick being expected to marry a society woman. What about Maverick’s brother, Connor. What about Aaron’s sisters. What about the father! What about Aaron himself, why did he take so long to get into a culinary career. We can guess it's got something to do with his fraught relationship with his father but it's never explained leaving the reader with a thousand questions.
Quick question… name one celebrity chef’s child. You can’t can ya? Because why would a celebrity chef’s child (who eschews the limelight) be a pap darling? If they were a Kardashian style family I could understand, but they clearly did not follow their father to Hollywood. Not to mention having some kind of agreement with the press as to what they can, and can’t print, such that a lawyer (who happens to be Aaron’s sister) is negotiating contracts with the press association. Are they the British Royal Family instead of a minor celebrity. I guess Skyes watched the Oprah interview with Megan and Harry and thinks that’s how tabloid press works for everyone.
In closing, this book made 50 Shades look like Shakespeare.
January 15, 2022
My inner teenager loved this sappy, full of cliche MM rom-com book. That`s how a rom-com should be - unpretentious, silly, hot, and finally cute.
January 15, 2022
Check, Yes, No, or Maybe really held my attention from the first page. Check, Yes, No, or Maybe is a hot sweet romantic love story between two very handsome strangers. Check, Yes, No, or Maybe is their story of how they met and became great friends or maybe more.
Check, Yes, No, or Maybe is actually Aaron Cambrian’s story of how he met the hottest guy on the market more or less or so thinks Aaron. Oh, and he seemed pretty hot to me too. The descriptions of this hot guy were so vivid you wished that he was yours.
Aaron, a nice sweet guy meets a dude in a bar and ends up in his bed. He doesn’t have much memory of that night. But he does remember waking up in a stranger's bed and sneaking out the next morning hoping to never see him again.
Well, no such luck as he showed up at his office as one of the new partners. When Aaron sees the stranger that he slept with he doesn’t think he recognizes him from the other night. Aaron is really hoping he doesn’t remember him or does he? Aaron is just as much attracted to this guy as he was the other night but he doesn’t think he has a chance with a guy like him.
Check, Yes, No, or Maybe will suck you in from the beginning and hang on until the very end. I was so lost in Aaron and the hot stranger's story to the point I didn’t even know that I had reached the end. When I realized it I was kind of sad to see their story had ended.
Stormie Skyes writes characters with such detail and so vividly that you feel as if you have known them all your life and that they are your best friends or maybe that you have met a new friend that you hope to see more of.
I would like to recommend Check, Yes, No, or Maybe to all those romantic fans out there? One-click your copy of this sweet romance, Check, Yes, No, or Maybe today, and get lost in a warm, sweet, and cozy romantic world!
Check, Yes, No, or Maybe is actually Aaron Cambrian’s story of how he met the hottest guy on the market more or less or so thinks Aaron. Oh, and he seemed pretty hot to me too. The descriptions of this hot guy were so vivid you wished that he was yours.
Aaron, a nice sweet guy meets a dude in a bar and ends up in his bed. He doesn’t have much memory of that night. But he does remember waking up in a stranger's bed and sneaking out the next morning hoping to never see him again.
Well, no such luck as he showed up at his office as one of the new partners. When Aaron sees the stranger that he slept with he doesn’t think he recognizes him from the other night. Aaron is really hoping he doesn’t remember him or does he? Aaron is just as much attracted to this guy as he was the other night but he doesn’t think he has a chance with a guy like him.
Check, Yes, No, or Maybe will suck you in from the beginning and hang on until the very end. I was so lost in Aaron and the hot stranger's story to the point I didn’t even know that I had reached the end. When I realized it I was kind of sad to see their story had ended.
Stormie Skyes writes characters with such detail and so vividly that you feel as if you have known them all your life and that they are your best friends or maybe that you have met a new friend that you hope to see more of.
I would like to recommend Check, Yes, No, or Maybe to all those romantic fans out there? One-click your copy of this sweet romance, Check, Yes, No, or Maybe today, and get lost in a warm, sweet, and cozy romantic world!
January 17, 2022
This book appears to be from a previously published author, using a pen name, to which I was a bit surprised. This book gave me the appearance that it was from a debut author. There were definitely some areas that felt choppy and lacking in explanation.I do love that cover though! This is proof that a cover does not have to have a man with his shirt off holding a puppy, (or an axe, or gun or whatever tool of their trade is) but with some other great visuals can be extremely appealing.I did like the storyline…poor Aaron who’s been having a life, but trying to get it on track. Maverick, an English attorney taking over as partner in an NYC firm. Side characters of Elliot and Josh, Leslie and Frankie and even Travis, we didn’t get a whole lot of background on, but they kept popping up making the story interesting and moving it along.However, there were just several things that didn’t work for me. Every time Aaron mentioned his books for his college courses, he calls them “college books”…I’ve never heard anyone say that. It threw me out of the story. We also find out very briefly that Declan (small spoiler here) has physically abused Aaron, but other than Aaron being afraid, being sucked back in by Declan in the past, it is really never addressed. It’s only mentioned one time, and briefly at that. And honestly, Maverick was kind of a controlling bastard sometimes, but then super crazy vulnerable. It was a dichotomy that made me wonder what he would be like in 3 months, 6 months, a year.I did love that Aaron was attending college, wanting to become a chef (although the relationship with his father, a famous chef himself, was odd) but wanting none of the paparazzi. And he had the sweetest dog in Roxxie who he made sure to not forget as he began the relationship with Maverick.I was never bored with the book, but definitely found myself questioning a few things as it continued on.
June 26, 2022
PRAISE KINK AND DIRTY TALK!
This was such a sweet, steamy story and a tantalising palate cleanser!
A chance encounter with a gorgeous man with a posh english accent at his favourite cocktail bar leads to aspiring culinary chef Aaron Cambrian waking up in a strange bed with no recollection of the night before and so he sneaks out of the Park Avenue apartment hoping to avoid an awkward morning after until the new partner at the law firm where he works part time as a filing clerk starts….
This is where a headstrong dominant lawyer, Maverick Waylan and a sassy student chef and filing clerk with a penchant for making mental and physical checklists regarding his life starts their emotional journey to self acceptance, trust and love with lots of praise kink and dirty talk!
Will Aaron realise not all men are like his abusive ex?
Will Maverick prove to be the perfect man on Aaron’s checklist?
This was such a sweet, steamy story and a tantalising palate cleanser!
A chance encounter with a gorgeous man with a posh english accent at his favourite cocktail bar leads to aspiring culinary chef Aaron Cambrian waking up in a strange bed with no recollection of the night before and so he sneaks out of the Park Avenue apartment hoping to avoid an awkward morning after until the new partner at the law firm where he works part time as a filing clerk starts….
This is where a headstrong dominant lawyer, Maverick Waylan and a sassy student chef and filing clerk with a penchant for making mental and physical checklists regarding his life starts their emotional journey to self acceptance, trust and love with lots of praise kink and dirty talk!
Will Aaron realise not all men are like his abusive ex?
Will Maverick prove to be the perfect man on Aaron’s checklist?
January 17, 2022
Oh, boy, this was ….not good. I mean, the writing wasn’t bad but the MCs were awful. There was insta lust ,insta-love and sappiness galore which is not always bad but in this book it was . Maverick was weird, clingy, cheesy and a bit creepy and Aaron was so horrible I wouldn’t even want to be his friend let alone his love interest. He was mean, rude and with a gigantic chip on his shoulder . I couldn’t for the life of me stand him-he’s one of the worst MCs I’ve ever encountered . I didn’t want him to have a HEA, in fact he was better suited to his ex Declan.-I would have sent him packing back to him . The book was supposed to be a rom-com but I couldn’t find the humor in it. Like AT ALL. Nor the rom part,tbh. There was no plot, no character development and no relationship building-nothing. Apart from gossiping with friends/coworkers and having sex(not even good sex) nothing really happened. So, yeah…a big, giant meh of a book.
February 25, 2022
Euh that was terrible.
July 10, 2022
This book is such a confusing mess, I don't know where to start
So much is wrong with the writing that it's almost unreadable, and I only say almost because I did get to the end (which came out of nowhere so suddenly that I tripped up on it!). And the characters are not in any way loveable or even bearable.
There are typos, missing words, wrong tenses, all of these taking me out of the story but for a change, these are very minor gripes compared to everything else.
The timeline is confusing, erratic and all over the place. It's difficult to say how long the events of the story take place over, or what day you reading about at any moment.
There are so many side issues brought up (Aaron's absent celebrity chef arsehole dad, Maverick's homophobic overbearing mum, Aaron's abusive pondslime ex, the media making Aaron and his sisters' lives a misery, the sexual harrasment/misconduct and bullying of staff at Aaron's office by their boss Travis, and probably more I've forgotten) that are maybe added for some inane and obscure reasons because they are just glossed over or alluded to repeatedly but not resolved.
There are too many characters and they are all weird beyond belief. If the remit was to write a novel with as many characters as you can, none of whom bear any resemblance to real living and breathing human beings, then Stormie Skyes nailed it. Aaron is a walking bundle of neuroses and lists and relationship PTSD, Maverick is creepy with a very strange way of talking, the ex (whose seems to have two different names and a nickname) is the dictionary definition of 'abusive controlling psycho', the office boss who casually makes his female staff suck his dick under the desk (WTF?????), the female staff who put up with that (because who ever heard of HR?) the gay BFF who would put the whole cast of a Drag Race episode to shame.... I could go on but frankly, what's the point?
I don't know what nationality the author is but it sure as hell ain't British. Nobody English, Irish, Scottish or Welsh talks like Maverick, nor do they name their offspring Maverick, not even if they were rich, upper class or titled. I don't know what possessed them to write Mav's speech patterns the way they did but, being English, it made me wince practically every time he opened his mouth. A strange creative choice that didn't work at all, and was actually quite disturbing at times.
I'm not even sure why I finished this. I suppose I was hoping that it would get better, that there would be a resolution to all the side issues, that the ex would get his comeuppance, and Aaron and Mav would get their HEA, but as I said, the ending was as bizarre as the whole book. Sadly, one to avoid at all costs.
So much is wrong with the writing that it's almost unreadable, and I only say almost because I did get to the end (which came out of nowhere so suddenly that I tripped up on it!). And the characters are not in any way loveable or even bearable.
There are typos, missing words, wrong tenses, all of these taking me out of the story but for a change, these are very minor gripes compared to everything else.
The timeline is confusing, erratic and all over the place. It's difficult to say how long the events of the story take place over, or what day you reading about at any moment.
There are so many side issues brought up (Aaron's absent celebrity chef arsehole dad, Maverick's homophobic overbearing mum, Aaron's abusive pondslime ex, the media making Aaron and his sisters' lives a misery, the sexual harrasment/misconduct and bullying of staff at Aaron's office by their boss Travis, and probably more I've forgotten) that are maybe added for some inane and obscure reasons because they are just glossed over or alluded to repeatedly but not resolved.
There are too many characters and they are all weird beyond belief. If the remit was to write a novel with as many characters as you can, none of whom bear any resemblance to real living and breathing human beings, then Stormie Skyes nailed it. Aaron is a walking bundle of neuroses and lists and relationship PTSD, Maverick is creepy with a very strange way of talking, the ex (whose seems to have two different names and a nickname) is the dictionary definition of 'abusive controlling psycho', the office boss who casually makes his female staff suck his dick under the desk (WTF?????), the female staff who put up with that (because who ever heard of HR?) the gay BFF who would put the whole cast of a Drag Race episode to shame.... I could go on but frankly, what's the point?
I don't know what nationality the author is but it sure as hell ain't British. Nobody English, Irish, Scottish or Welsh talks like Maverick, nor do they name their offspring Maverick, not even if they were rich, upper class or titled. I don't know what possessed them to write Mav's speech patterns the way they did but, being English, it made me wince practically every time he opened his mouth. A strange creative choice that didn't work at all, and was actually quite disturbing at times.
I'm not even sure why I finished this. I suppose I was hoping that it would get better, that there would be a resolution to all the side issues, that the ex would get his comeuppance, and Aaron and Mav would get their HEA, but as I said, the ending was as bizarre as the whole book. Sadly, one to avoid at all costs.
January 20, 2022
To see my full review, plus many more, check it out on my book review blog by clicking the link HERE
Check Yes, No, or Maybe is an easy, light-hearted, and cute romantic story with a touch of spice that’s also MM—which I’m also a big fan of! I’ll say it every time, but it’s great to see so many MM romance stories out now that weren’t as readily available for someone like me when I was growing up in the early 2000’s and questioning things. This book wasn’t perfect, but that’s honestly okay! You can tell the author had fun writing this story, and it did keep me reading to see what happened next, so if a book can keep my attention like that, and I mean I was up reading until three a.m. one morning, so I consider that a success!
The story mainly revolves around Aaron Cambrian, who’s a college student studying to become a chef while also working at a law firm to help pay the bills and rent, and he’s at low point in his life…his toxic ex has run out on him yet again, he feels like he’s one misstep away from getting fired, he’s constantly compared to his master chef father who abandoned him and his family, and it even feels impossible to walk up to a sexy stranger in a bar one night…
When the urging of his best friend leads him to do exactly that in their usual Friday night hangout spot, he surprises himself by ending up in bed with a hot stranger…only to later discover that of course the guy also just happens to be the new partner of the law firm he works at!
Maverick Waylan is smooth, charming, always dressed to impress, and has his eyes set on Aaron, who has to decide if the feelings Mav evokes is worth it all…
There are a few things I have to critique on with the story, which I do in greater detail if you click the link above, but again, it was an enjoyable story despite its faults, and I did have some hearts floating above my head for both Aaron and Maverick as I read on about their love story.
Overall, Check Yes, No, or Maybe was an alright book that really is a sweet, romantic storyline between two male characters—something I’m always happy to read—and just have a light, easy, beach read of a romance novel. I feel like readers who are drawn to stories like Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston or Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall will enjoy this book too! They have the same lighter tone and also a similar style of setup.
It wasn’t the perfect story and honestly it left me questioning a few things as it ended, but I still found it entertaining and I can also say I did enjoy it! There was mainly a focus on the romantic development, which isn’t a bad thing, but if the author also put more attention onto the several other subplots happening, it would’ve strengthened the story a lot better in my opinion!
I still say to give this a try if you think you might enjoy this story, or if you’re just looking for a lighter, easy-going romantic novel to kill a plane ride with, or if you just need a little break from the heavier and darker material that you may read as well!
Thanks for Reading!
— Nick Goodsell
Check Yes, No, or Maybe is an easy, light-hearted, and cute romantic story with a touch of spice that’s also MM—which I’m also a big fan of! I’ll say it every time, but it’s great to see so many MM romance stories out now that weren’t as readily available for someone like me when I was growing up in the early 2000’s and questioning things. This book wasn’t perfect, but that’s honestly okay! You can tell the author had fun writing this story, and it did keep me reading to see what happened next, so if a book can keep my attention like that, and I mean I was up reading until three a.m. one morning, so I consider that a success!
The story mainly revolves around Aaron Cambrian, who’s a college student studying to become a chef while also working at a law firm to help pay the bills and rent, and he’s at low point in his life…his toxic ex has run out on him yet again, he feels like he’s one misstep away from getting fired, he’s constantly compared to his master chef father who abandoned him and his family, and it even feels impossible to walk up to a sexy stranger in a bar one night…
When the urging of his best friend leads him to do exactly that in their usual Friday night hangout spot, he surprises himself by ending up in bed with a hot stranger…only to later discover that of course the guy also just happens to be the new partner of the law firm he works at!
Maverick Waylan is smooth, charming, always dressed to impress, and has his eyes set on Aaron, who has to decide if the feelings Mav evokes is worth it all…
There are a few things I have to critique on with the story, which I do in greater detail if you click the link above, but again, it was an enjoyable story despite its faults, and I did have some hearts floating above my head for both Aaron and Maverick as I read on about their love story.
Overall, Check Yes, No, or Maybe was an alright book that really is a sweet, romantic storyline between two male characters—something I’m always happy to read—and just have a light, easy, beach read of a romance novel. I feel like readers who are drawn to stories like Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston or Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall will enjoy this book too! They have the same lighter tone and also a similar style of setup.
It wasn’t the perfect story and honestly it left me questioning a few things as it ended, but I still found it entertaining and I can also say I did enjoy it! There was mainly a focus on the romantic development, which isn’t a bad thing, but if the author also put more attention onto the several other subplots happening, it would’ve strengthened the story a lot better in my opinion!
I still say to give this a try if you think you might enjoy this story, or if you’re just looking for a lighter, easy-going romantic novel to kill a plane ride with, or if you just need a little break from the heavier and darker material that you may read as well!
Thanks for Reading!
— Nick Goodsell
June 25, 2022
A guilty pleasure once you set aside the continuity and consistency issues, the sexism, the paranoid behaviour of the main character and the controlling nature of his new and his last partner, the abuse of position, etc. I’m going to focus on the continuity and consistency issues as you can read about the other issues in other reviewers’ responses which I support wholeheartedly. Let’s just ignore the skipping over the ridiculous sexual escapades the two main characters get up to in the most inappropriate places at the most inappropriate times as the book climaxes. Yeah, I’d rather skip those than squirm.
As far as plot goes, Aaron is the main character, he is being pursued by Maverick, his new boss, and Declan, his abusive ex. Aaron has a lot going on in his life, added to that he is quite unstable. There are a whole host of other characters whose presences just add to this confusing contradictory catastrophe of a book. Anyway, back to the continuity and consistency issues.
The timeline is more than a bit skewed. It was not always clear where we were timewise, as in which day of the week it is. That is important as appointments, dates, etc are important to the story which either only covers two or three weeks or much longer as it is not clear. Sometimes I found myself quite lost. Was it the weekend still? What Friday are we talking about when Maverick asks to see Aaron on a Friday when it is actually Friday when it takes place. Why is Maverick going to be in court all day when it is a Saturday and he had arranged for Aaron and his dog to come and spend the weekend with him? Do courts even open on a Saturday?
Aaron goes to the hair salon where his friend Elliot works. He goes by taxi and checks his phone along the way. He has a message from his sister which he answers after finding a seat in the lobby near the salon. Several paragraphs on the taxi arrives at the salon and he gets out. Confusing. Let’s deal with taxi’s while we’re here. Aaron has a car. We heard about it near the beginning of the story when he wonders where he left it after getting drunk. Elliot tells him he left it back at his own apartment. That is the last we hear about it. He travels everywhere by taxi or bus, often getting soaked by rain or splashed by cars. At one point he heads for the parking garage on leaving his office even though he went to work by taxi.
I could go on and on. People know things before they hear them, people turn up to meetings more than once (Maverick is seen entering a bar to meet his brother by Aaron. Connor, the brother, approaches Connor after talking to Maverick, Aaron leaves the bar and bumps into Maverick who is just arriving at the bar and says to Aaron that he did not know his brother had turned up early. Yeah, confusing.)
The whole thing begins to fall apart as it approaches the end as so much is crammed in and important announcements are treated rather trivally. I said it was a guilty pleasure and I’ll stick with that even if some of that pleasure came from having reached the end and never having to go near it again. I received a free copy which I am grateful for.
As far as plot goes, Aaron is the main character, he is being pursued by Maverick, his new boss, and Declan, his abusive ex. Aaron has a lot going on in his life, added to that he is quite unstable. There are a whole host of other characters whose presences just add to this confusing contradictory catastrophe of a book. Anyway, back to the continuity and consistency issues.
The timeline is more than a bit skewed. It was not always clear where we were timewise, as in which day of the week it is. That is important as appointments, dates, etc are important to the story which either only covers two or three weeks or much longer as it is not clear. Sometimes I found myself quite lost. Was it the weekend still? What Friday are we talking about when Maverick asks to see Aaron on a Friday when it is actually Friday when it takes place. Why is Maverick going to be in court all day when it is a Saturday and he had arranged for Aaron and his dog to come and spend the weekend with him? Do courts even open on a Saturday?
Aaron goes to the hair salon where his friend Elliot works. He goes by taxi and checks his phone along the way. He has a message from his sister which he answers after finding a seat in the lobby near the salon. Several paragraphs on the taxi arrives at the salon and he gets out. Confusing. Let’s deal with taxi’s while we’re here. Aaron has a car. We heard about it near the beginning of the story when he wonders where he left it after getting drunk. Elliot tells him he left it back at his own apartment. That is the last we hear about it. He travels everywhere by taxi or bus, often getting soaked by rain or splashed by cars. At one point he heads for the parking garage on leaving his office even though he went to work by taxi.
I could go on and on. People know things before they hear them, people turn up to meetings more than once (Maverick is seen entering a bar to meet his brother by Aaron. Connor, the brother, approaches Connor after talking to Maverick, Aaron leaves the bar and bumps into Maverick who is just arriving at the bar and says to Aaron that he did not know his brother had turned up early. Yeah, confusing.)
The whole thing begins to fall apart as it approaches the end as so much is crammed in and important announcements are treated rather trivally. I said it was a guilty pleasure and I’ll stick with that even if some of that pleasure came from having reached the end and never having to go near it again. I received a free copy which I am grateful for.
July 13, 2022
Everybody has their own ‘things’. Our main character is no different.
I had not had the pleasure of reading any works from this author before CHECK YES, NO OR MAYBE. But I enjoyed this story so much that I intend to seek out more of this author's books.
The storyline has everything I like in a good read. It has, of course, a bit of humor, laughter, a few tears, a twist here and there, and angst along the way. And then there is the sizzle.
It was a one-sitting read for me. I recommend CHECK YES, NO, OR MAYBE even if it is your first chance to experience Stormie Skyes. It is worth the time spent.
I had not had the pleasure of reading any works from this author before CHECK YES, NO OR MAYBE. But I enjoyed this story so much that I intend to seek out more of this author's books.
The storyline has everything I like in a good read. It has, of course, a bit of humor, laughter, a few tears, a twist here and there, and angst along the way. And then there is the sizzle.
It was a one-sitting read for me. I recommend CHECK YES, NO, OR MAYBE even if it is your first chance to experience Stormie Skyes. It is worth the time spent.
November 19, 2023
I liked the initial premise for the book and it promised so much potential. The book isn’t bad by any means, more “OK” due to the potential that is unfulfilled. I wish there could have been more build up & dialogue with the characters rather than the back & forth with the emotional swings. Their family background and problems are only hinted and could have been an additional facet to the story. The last portion of the book was disappointing. It did not feel as if there was any resolution to the story that had been building over the book, just and abrupt end. I was provided a copy of this book by the author, and am leaving this review that reflects my opinion of the book voluntarily
September 6, 2022
I love the premise for this book but honestly it could've been better. It's all over the place. There is a lot thrown into the story. Many things were unnecessary and don't feel resolved by the end. Even with all of that, it was an ok story until getting to the last quarter of the book. I'm sure what the author was trying to do at that point. Then it just abruptly ends. Maybe a re-edit of the story might help.
I received an ARC and this is my unbiased opinion
I received an ARC and this is my unbiased opinion
January 23, 2022
This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great drama and romance with wonderful world building.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.
I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great drama and romance with wonderful world building.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.
I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.
January 26, 2022
3.5 Stars
Nice read with engaging characters. Story plot was easy to follow for the most part. There were a few areas that threw a bit, but was able to get back on track. Could it have been better? Yes. Overall, it will have you rooting for Aaron as he takes a chance on romance with Maverick.
**I received this ARC for my honest feedback.**
Nice read with engaging characters. Story plot was easy to follow for the most part. There were a few areas that threw a bit, but was able to get back on track. Could it have been better? Yes. Overall, it will have you rooting for Aaron as he takes a chance on romance with Maverick.
**I received this ARC for my honest feedback.**
March 6, 2022
I loved this book! I didn't want to put it down. I had to so I could sleep and then eat once I started again. I really am glad Aaron got through some of his issues caused by a former relationship, and let his relationship with Mav grow. I hope to find out later what happened with Mavericks mother. I definitely recommend this book to everyone who loves a great m/m love story.
June 24, 2022
Fun read with great characters. This is a sweet romantic love story between two strangers. Aaron has issues he has to work through. I love all the conversations Aaron has in his head. This is a book that makes you root for Aaron to get what he wants. I would recommend this book.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
September 13, 2023
The book follows Aaron's life, contemplating his choice in romantic relationships and eventually her encounter with Maverick. This is a complex read and the writing is animated, further making the reading difficult. The romance also seems forced. Nonetheless, the story is extremely descriptive.
I received a free copy and am leaving a review voluntarily.
Thank you to StoryOrigin and author.
I received a free copy and am leaving a review voluntarily.
Thank you to StoryOrigin and author.
January 28, 2022
This book was a overall a good, easy read. It did sometimes feel like it lost it's way a bit but did manage to get back on course. The storyline itself was good though. I would recommend giving this book a read if you like MM.
April 26, 2022
Interesting book, took me a bit to get into it at first though.
Highly recommend if you like these tropes.
I received a free copy of this book from the author via StoryOrigin and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Highly recommend if you like these tropes.
I received a free copy of this book from the author via StoryOrigin and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 1, 2023
I kept reading to find out the big secrets were, but it was a dud in the end. Still confused on what was up with the family "secrets". Plus, there seemed to be way too many characters to keep up with.
January 22, 2022
Living life by checklists is one way people live, not that it always works out. Possible romance and and a story that will draw you in.
January 24, 2022
I don't know what to write, the book was all over the place, sometimes you didn't know who why and what was going on. Basically, the plot was good, but little poor in execution.
March 14, 2022
NOBODY GETS THIS MANY BONERS. UGH.
July 11, 2022
Very well written, Loved the characters. Wonderful story building.
October 12, 2022
¿El peor libro que leí este año? Absolutamente.
El principal problema era la "tensión sexual" FORZADA, por situaciones erróneas, el libro parece más bien, una película +18 con un pésimo guión.
El principal problema era la "tensión sexual" FORZADA, por situaciones erróneas, el libro parece más bien, una película +18 con un pésimo guión.
March 21, 2022
This book honestly bored the hell out of me. The writing was sometimes convoluted and the SEX. WAAAAY TOO MUCH!! and I'm not a prude or anything. I enjoy me some smut but this was nothing more than just sex for these 2 characters, even though they pretend that it isn't. There was no good character development, no heartfelt scenes, nothing of value added really. The side characters were forgettable at best and wildly annoying at worst and just when you think there might be a conflict with the main character (Aaron) having to move to New Orleans for an internship, Maverick doesn't bat a fucking eyelash he just says "okay I'll move", like hello? Sir, you just got a job in a prestigious law firm with which your name is now on and you just agree to move? not realistic. In conclusion, the best part about this book was the dog and she appeared only in like 4 or 5 scenes tops
September 1, 2022
I need a sequel. Please. I need more Mav and Aaron’s love!!!
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