Like the previous book I reviewed in this series, this is the second book I've read by the author. And the second time I started a book by an author I'd previously rated their book 5 stars. Unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to rate this one similarly to how I rated the previous book I read in this series.
At her graduation party, which consisted of only her family (I think her friend Lily wasn't there, doesn't matter though, she'd have been the only other one there) Ashton Levengood came out to her family. Who were kind of like, meh, we already knew. Well, meh about learning about, really really overly-enthusiastically excited that she finally told them. The family immediately comes up with a plan to spend the next month, which just so happens to be Pride month, spending each weened at different Pride events in various towns/cities around the east coast. The parents, and siblings (older sister, younger brother), naturally will be there with Ashton at the events.
I almost suffocated before we got anywhere in this book. Ashton truly has a very suffocating family life. The father occasionally intercedes to give her some breathing room. Suffocating? Well, they basically direct her to do certain things, like go to these pride events, but, instead of having her follow this plan by herself, they join her. Suffocating? Her sister dresses her and does her make-up and hair. Suffocating? Father and brother aren't into it, but mother and sister are the kind to talk explicitly about sex with Ashton, regardless if she wishes for this to be the case. I don't mean they like giving some advice or something, I mean they constantly talk about it. And taking care of Ashton's V-Card. Suffocated. I suffocated before I got out of the opening chapter. [ETA: other than the sex part, this was similar to my own life my first 30 or so years, baring a few years here or there; someone with a different life experience might actually find this *points above* charming and/or preferable to their own life history (as Dakota tells Ashton at some point) instead of suffocating]
Right, so, the book kind of follows the same theme. Ashton spots a hot woman at the first Pride event she attends (with her family and with her best friend Lily (no, she's straight)). Lily & Brynn (I think that's the name of sister) force Ashton to interact with this hot woman. The odd thing? They didn't need to do so. She would have anyway. Nervously, but still. Though, she probably have fled shortly after their first meeting, both because of how gorgeous that woman is and because the items she has out for sale at her Pride stall involves paintings. Lots of paintings. Of naked women. Right, but sister and friend there, get Dakota (that other woman's name) and Ashton talking.
What does Dakota Douglass think of basically being courted by an entire family? Well, this is a one person point of view book (that'd be Ashton, though considering the agency she has in this book, maybe it should have been someone else, anyone else). This is really a book that really really needed that other point of view. The POV of Dakota. From Ashton's words and view there's no reason Dakota would want anything to do with Ashton. Not completely, but from near beginning to end, what exactly does Dakota see in Ashton (this is the same question Ashton asks her self throughout the book)?
So, Ashton has encounters with Dakota, many of which (at least in the beginning) were fueled by "alcohol courage" (on Ashton's part).
Very short work that was easily read. Otherwise I might have found myself in the same situation as the first book I tried in this series: needing to stop reading. Eh.
So, first book I read by this author I gave a rating of 4.75 stars (and this is also another situation wherein I read 1 book by the author, a year ago, then nothing else until now despite many other works being available, not sure why I had this long break for both this author and for Lily Seabrooke). Gah. This was going to be a simple sentence. And I ruined it. I try again. First book I read by this author I rated 4.75 stars, waited a year, then read this book here, which I'm rating 3.24 stars.
(side note: I ordered most of the books in this series pre-release since I had read most of the authors before, and loved their work despite knowing these were going to be, well I knew some maybe not all, were going to be Kindle Unlimited books: so, this is KU, go ahead an try it (and the one I couldn't complete), likely like both more than I did; course I gave the third book, first one I completed in this series, the one by Lily Seabrooke, 5 stars, so there's a mix of possible under-whelming expectations and over-whelming expectations. Or something).
Rating: 3.24
June 4 2022