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Mail Call Mates #1
The Accidental Husband
Sebastian Hendrick is a fibber who owns prime real estate in the closet. He has told the unvarnished (partially fudged) truth on his matchmaking intake form for Mail Call Mates. He has clicked the “heterosexual” box (a wild fabrication). And he has requested a wife, please, as he has no interest in the masculine gender (liar, liar, pants on fire).
Bastian is thrilled when his phone erupts (almost literally) with notifications to announce his match has been made. His future spouse’s name? Jackson Roy Sadler. Masculine Army Sergeant riding a transport home from Mars after a long, off-world deployment.
The artificial intelligence at the center of the matchmaking service has not bought Bastian’s attempts to hide his true desires. Further, Jackson’s smile captures Sebastian’s heart before Bastian can register a complaint. Promising to love Jackson until death does them part forces Bastian to embrace parts of himself he thought he buried, confront his secrets, and relearn what he believes he knows about family.
*This book includes a marriage arranged by AI, a man's first relationship with another man, a stoic military husband, a geeky guy who just came out of the closet, and some highly steamy education about life outside that closet. It has a full-fledged happily ever after!*
Bastian is thrilled when his phone erupts (almost literally) with notifications to announce his match has been made. His future spouse’s name? Jackson Roy Sadler. Masculine Army Sergeant riding a transport home from Mars after a long, off-world deployment.
The artificial intelligence at the center of the matchmaking service has not bought Bastian’s attempts to hide his true desires. Further, Jackson’s smile captures Sebastian’s heart before Bastian can register a complaint. Promising to love Jackson until death does them part forces Bastian to embrace parts of himself he thought he buried, confront his secrets, and relearn what he believes he knows about family.
*This book includes a marriage arranged by AI, a man's first relationship with another man, a stoic military husband, a geeky guy who just came out of the closet, and some highly steamy education about life outside that closet. It has a full-fledged happily ever after!*
376 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 19, 2022
241 people are currently reading
759 people want to read
About the author
Cassandra Moore
17 books33 followersCassandra Moore is a desert rat who thinks closed shoes are instruments of pure evil. She lives in the shadow of the Front Range with a bald husband, a hairy dog, and a daughter. All dwell in the house at the sufferance of the cat, who rightly believes herself the sovereign leader of the home.
When Cassandra isn’t slinging words, she’s knitting, playing video games, and reading. (Sometimes at the same time.) All are best done while enjoying a sunny day on the back porch.
When Cassandra isn’t slinging words, she’s knitting, playing video games, and reading. (Sometimes at the same time.) All are best done while enjoying a sunny day on the back porch.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 209 reviews
April 17, 2024
4.5***** stars
This book has been sitting on my tbr for quite a while, got kicked off even once upon a time and added again a while later, looking for the right mood to finally pick it up. Phew, I’m really glad I made that choice. This was goooood!
With this notion the book starts with Sebastian and his single first-person POV. It starts with his story how he signed up for Mail Call Mates to find a wife and ended up with an accidental husband because the AI decided to look past his bullshit and choose a match he really wants.
I loooved, when Sebastian addressed the reader directly (chatty first-person narrator, the author called it). I had quite a few good laughs and I loved how he explained everything that was going on in a light and funny way.
fun fact: whenever the author couldn’t or didn’t want to explain the finer details of space, space ships or whatever, she (Sebastian, yk because of 1st person POV) claimed confidentiality of the information. *lol
And excited I was too. A US Army Sergeant fighting on mars and a history teacher on earth with secrets yet to uncover.
And because M4-KR (that’s the AI) makes perfect matches the romance between Sebastian and Jackson moves fast. Because they were, indeed, perfectly matched. They work on their issues left from past experiences and fall in love.
All is fine… until it isn’t anymore. And believe me when I say that the super dumb and fabricated incident that lead to a marriage crisis you could see coming from a mile away had me rolling my eyes hard!! BUT, before I could question the author’s decisions here and rein in my plummeting excitement the super dumb breakup lead to a super thrilling last part that had me on the edge of my seat and cost me precious hours of sleep last night.
Said last part definitely made up for the hard eye-rolling and brought back my excitement for the events and the love story.
The only thing that, in the end, really disappointed me was the whole ordeal with Jackson’s brother. Imo that loose end was not tied up at all in the end. The why to his actions was not answered in the least. But, I really do hope that there is more coming in this series soon that maybe answers the questions I have left after finishing this book.
And even if not, I can’t wait for more.
****************
Mail Call Mates Series
Book 1 - The Accidental Husband - 4.5 stars
Book 2 - The Accidental Lover - pending (hoping for 2025)
This book has been sitting on my tbr for quite a while, got kicked off even once upon a time and added again a while later, looking for the right mood to finally pick it up. Phew, I’m really glad I made that choice. This was goooood!
I couldn’t fight on Mars as I’d once hoped I could, but I could give comfort and love to someone who did.
With this notion the book starts with Sebastian and his single first-person POV. It starts with his story how he signed up for Mail Call Mates to find a wife and ended up with an accidental husband because the AI decided to look past his bullshit and choose a match he really wants.
I loooved, when Sebastian addressed the reader directly (chatty first-person narrator, the author called it). I had quite a few good laughs and I loved how he explained everything that was going on in a light and funny way.
fun fact: whenever the author couldn’t or didn’t want to explain the finer details of space, space ships or whatever, she (Sebastian, yk because of 1st person POV) claimed confidentiality of the information. *lol
“MATCH: SADLER, JACKSON ROY | HENDRICK (NÉ VAN HORN), SEBASTIAN GALEN !!!*”
“Why are there exclamation points after our names? And an asterisk?” I asked. “The exclamation marks denote what M4 considers an ‘essential match’, or one with tremendous weight and importance, in its opinion,” she said. […]
“Believe it or not, the asterisk says M4-KR is excited about your union.”
And excited I was too. A US Army Sergeant fighting on mars and a history teacher on earth with secrets yet to uncover.
And because M4-KR (that’s the AI) makes perfect matches the romance between Sebastian and Jackson moves fast. Because they were, indeed, perfectly matched. They work on their issues left from past experiences and fall in love.
All is fine… until it isn’t anymore. And believe me when I say that the super dumb and fabricated incident that lead to a marriage crisis you could see coming from a mile away had me rolling my eyes hard!! BUT, before I could question the author’s decisions here and rein in my plummeting excitement the super dumb breakup lead to a super thrilling last part that had me on the edge of my seat and cost me precious hours of sleep last night.
Mars will try to kill you every chance it gets. I’d come ready to put up my dukes and go a round with the solar system’s most pugnacious dustball. Bring it, Red Planet.
Said last part definitely made up for the hard eye-rolling and brought back my excitement for the events and the love story.
The only thing that, in the end, really disappointed me was the whole ordeal with Jackson’s brother. Imo that loose end was not tied up at all in the end. The why to his actions was not answered in the least. But, I really do hope that there is more coming in this series soon that maybe answers the questions I have left after finishing this book.
And even if not, I can’t wait for more.
****************
Mail Call Mates Series
Book 1 - The Accidental Husband - 4.5 stars
Book 2 - The Accidental Lover - pending (hoping for 2025)
September 24, 2022
I had no idea this was a sci-fi book but what an absolutely wonderful surprise I had with it. New to me author and damn,she can write. However, is it ironic to give a book 4 (almost 5) stars when I absolutely hated one of the Mcs??? So much that he’s going on my “MCs I hate” shelf? He was completely despicable and he was entirely too easily forgiven. Oh, but the other Mc, Bastian, HE is another story. Actually he’s one of the most amazing MCs I’ve ever encountered (thank God we have only his voice throughout the book) and the 4 stars are entirely for him and for the writing. This book is very good with wonderful and really interesting world building and it has depth and even though most of the sci-fi things flew over my head (not a fan of sci-fi books) Bastian was such a joy to the soul. He was kind and heroic and patient and just..good . He really deserved better. I need to explain why this isn’t a 5 stars though and the reason is that the conflict was very OTT and not realistic. Laramie’s hate towards Bastian had no foundation or reason and it was way over-exaggerated. Also, the whole orchestration of the fake kiss was so soap opera-ish that I rolled my eyes hard reading it. And I don’t think I liked any other characters in this book (maybe a little Bastian’s brother towards the end, but only a little and Jackson’s soldiers) and boy, I hated Jackson and Laramie with passion. Jackson’s family was detestable also, just like their sons and they all made Bastian jump through hoops to satisfy their mistrust and reluctance. Jackson was impossible to like, always taking Bastian’s vulnerabilities (shared in confidence) and his deepest pains and throwing them in his face every time they had a fight , kicking him below the metaphorical belt over and over again. He was arrogant, cold,bitchy and paranoid all the freaking time and I couldn’t for the life of me empathize with him. Maybe if we had his POV too..But I honestly doubt it would have changed my feelings towards him..His single good point was that their sex scenes were hawt!!!!! 🔥 (and even there he was kind of a cold bastard lol)
It’s really funny that I say this book is almost 5 stars worth when I disliked most of its characters but it’s true..Regardless of my personal biased opinion this book is really well done , with a good prose and subtle and fine self deprecating humor. I will look for this author in the future..
PD. That cover is tacky and doesn’t do this book justice;like ..AT ALL.
PD2. The book has small “traces” of MF pattern but I noticed this is the author’s first MM book and I enjoyed it so much that I decided to let it slide .
It’s really funny that I say this book is almost 5 stars worth when I disliked most of its characters but it’s true..Regardless of my personal biased opinion this book is really well done , with a good prose and subtle and fine self deprecating humor. I will look for this author in the future..
PD. That cover is tacky and doesn’t do this book justice;like ..AT ALL.
PD2. The book has small “traces” of MF pattern but I noticed this is the author’s first MM book and I enjoyed it so much that I decided to let it slide .
January 18, 2024
4.25 stars. 5 stars if not for that entirely unnecessary drama at around 70%.
Mostly, I loved it. It’s such an interesting premise: Sebastian, who’s a history teacher, signs up for a “Mating” programme. Not what you think: no sexy, muscular aliens who have a thing for nerdy human men. It’s for the (very human) military personnel stationed on Mars, who are looking for a partner in Earth.
Do not talk shit about the machine hooking you up when you’re standing right in front of it. Trying to survive the robot apocalypse here.
The problem is: Sebastian has signed up for a wife, but the almighty AI decided that his perfect match is a man. Jackson, said man, is gay, and less than thrilled when he’s informed that his assigned mate had originally asked for a woman - even if Sebastian is, in fact, a closeted bisexual man.
As I said, there are many things I loved about this book: the (relatively realistic) world building, including climate change, and colonising the Moon, and Mars. The dangers on Mars, and the fights with the Russians (and other nations). The medicinal developments, like the fact that 2 men can, in fact, have children with both their genes. Why same sex couples are more accepted than nowadays, even though we still have homophobes.
War is cool. Killing people millions of miles from home is fine. Penis does not touch penis or the world ends.
And above all, I loved Sebastian, whose POV we get throughout the book, and the way he sometimes addresses the reader directly. Jackson on the other hand… Uh. I wanted to shake him at times. Yes I know, he had his reasons to behave like he did, but seeing it through Sebastian’s eyes didn’t make it better. And really--- having an ex who cheated isn't the end of the world, no reason to have an emotional trauma and lash out like he did.
And the drama 🙄🙄🙄 I agree with Kati, you could see it coming from a mile. Unnecessary if you ask me. But the (very good) ending made it up for me - not quite to give it 5 stars, but almost.
Mostly, I loved it. It’s such an interesting premise: Sebastian, who’s a history teacher, signs up for a “Mating” programme. Not what you think: no sexy, muscular aliens who have a thing for nerdy human men. It’s for the (very human) military personnel stationed on Mars, who are looking for a partner in Earth.
Do not talk shit about the machine hooking you up when you’re standing right in front of it. Trying to survive the robot apocalypse here.
The problem is: Sebastian has signed up for a wife, but the almighty AI decided that his perfect match is a man. Jackson, said man, is gay, and less than thrilled when he’s informed that his assigned mate had originally asked for a woman - even if Sebastian is, in fact, a closeted bisexual man.
As I said, there are many things I loved about this book: the (relatively realistic) world building, including climate change, and colonising the Moon, and Mars. The dangers on Mars, and the fights with the Russians (and other nations). The medicinal developments, like the fact that 2 men can, in fact, have children with both their genes. Why same sex couples are more accepted than nowadays, even though we still have homophobes.
War is cool. Killing people millions of miles from home is fine. Penis does not touch penis or the world ends.
And above all, I loved Sebastian, whose POV we get throughout the book, and the way he sometimes addresses the reader directly. Jackson on the other hand… Uh. I wanted to shake him at times. Yes I know, he had his reasons to behave like he did, but seeing it through Sebastian’s eyes didn’t make it better. And really--- having an ex who cheated isn't the end of the world, no reason to have an emotional trauma and lash out like he did.
And the drama 🙄🙄🙄 I agree with Kati, you could see it coming from a mile. Unnecessary if you ask me. But the (very good) ending made it up for me - not quite to give it 5 stars, but almost.
dnf
February 11, 2023DNF @ 46%
While I liked the setup of the romance, I couldn't keep going. There were too many issues that kept piling up, both with the handling of gender and biology, and the world-building. Just a few examples:
- Sebastian writing in his dating application that he is looking for "women or woman-identifying [people]" (why not just say women?).
- First saying that the military exosuits on Mars that needed small/light soldiers were piloted by women, and later that they were piloted by people assigned female at birth. These are not the same thing.
- The bizarre handling of chromosomes. In this world, two people with XY chromosomes can make a baby with "no XX chromosomes needed". The main characters discuss, hypothetically, who would donate the paternal genes and who would donate the maternal genes, and one of them says he wants to donate the paternal genes because he had a great relationship with his dad and always wanted that with his kid. The book never explains what paternal and maternal genes means in this context, or why that would make any difference to his relationship with his child.
And to the point where I read, none of this stuff even seemed to make much difference in regards to the romance. All the "women go to Mars" and baby-making science stuff could be taken out of the book and it wouldn't make any difference to the main plot. So it just felt like a lot of confusion and clumsy handling of gender for no reason. I love arranged marriage and the matchmaking scenario was promising, but this book just wasn't it.
While I liked the setup of the romance, I couldn't keep going. There were too many issues that kept piling up, both with the handling of gender and biology, and the world-building. Just a few examples:
- Sebastian writing in his dating application that he is looking for "women or woman-identifying [people]" (why not just say women?).
- First saying that the military exosuits on Mars that needed small/light soldiers were piloted by women, and later that they were piloted by people assigned female at birth. These are not the same thing.
- The bizarre handling of chromosomes. In this world, two people with XY chromosomes can make a baby with "no XX chromosomes needed". The main characters discuss, hypothetically, who would donate the paternal genes and who would donate the maternal genes, and one of them says he wants to donate the paternal genes because he had a great relationship with his dad and always wanted that with his kid. The book never explains what paternal and maternal genes means in this context, or why that would make any difference to his relationship with his child.
And to the point where I read, none of this stuff even seemed to make much difference in regards to the romance. All the "women go to Mars" and baby-making science stuff could be taken out of the book and it wouldn't make any difference to the main plot. So it just felt like a lot of confusion and clumsy handling of gender for no reason. I love arranged marriage and the matchmaking scenario was promising, but this book just wasn't it.
March 4, 2023
I’m numb reading this. This book had no point being so long.
Not much depth on the sci-fi, mostly confusion and messy. That doesn’t mean we get more romance either. MCs had no personality other than grumpy and assholes. If Sebastian wasn’t loud as his monologues, I wouldn’t know their differences. Both of them had zero connection. With all the arranged marriage and wanting to “try” stuffs, they had nothing. No emotional connection at all. I can’t see it. Nothing hot about the sex, only had awkward positions, forced dirty talks and all of them bore me to death. Their love declaration did nothing to me. They had “angsty” fight but because they are who they are, I was simply annoyed by it. I cringed so bad. When Jackson was hurt on Mars, I was happy for it. Is this how we supposed to feel about our MCs?
They don’t deserve each other.
This was no angst, but straight up annoying. everyone in this book is so fucking problematic and toxic. 1) Toxic family who thinks if you don’t serve in the military you are THE JOKE and judge your life for it, 2) Judgemental firemen friends, 3) More judgemental friends who thinks their marriage is a joke and brought up Sebastian ex for no reason. 4) Insecure husband that blames you for “contacting” with your ex and didn’t want to listen to you. 5) Toxic and insecure brother in law who can’t keep his hands to himself.
Sex, sex and sex!!!!! AAAAHHH They start having sex the first night they met. Arranged marriage with sex at 20% ? *yawns
Writing is off. Too descriptive with unnecessary information. Nothing realistic just Sebastian’s annoying monologues.
Draaaaaaaaaaaaaaggggged out plotline.
Attempt at being bi and trans phobic? 🤡🤡 you are un-fucking-lucky because I am BOTH trans and bi!
“I’m not a straight man,” I told him. “I’m bi. Pan, probably. I’ve always known it.” I knew what he’d say next. In fact, I counted on it. “How can you know? You’ve never tried it. Don’t get me wrong, here. I’m all for discovering yourself and learning about what you want. But I don’t want what happens when a guy decides he’s ‘bi’ because he got a boner thinking about a friend once.
“So I’m gonna tell you what I’d tell a man, a woman, or someone who doesn’t give enough shits to buy into our fucked-up system of genders – as if gender mattered two gopher turds.”
And there’s no such thing as “women-identifying” bullshit.
If two cocks rubbing is enough for you to call it ”gay romance”, then quit.
Bye. I need fucking cleansing.
Not much depth on the sci-fi, mostly confusion and messy. That doesn’t mean we get more romance either. MCs had no personality other than grumpy and assholes. If Sebastian wasn’t loud as his monologues, I wouldn’t know their differences. Both of them had zero connection. With all the arranged marriage and wanting to “try” stuffs, they had nothing. No emotional connection at all. I can’t see it. Nothing hot about the sex, only had awkward positions, forced dirty talks and all of them bore me to death. Their love declaration did nothing to me. They had “angsty” fight but because they are who they are, I was simply annoyed by it. I cringed so bad. When Jackson was hurt on Mars, I was happy for it. Is this how we supposed to feel about our MCs?
They don’t deserve each other.
This was no angst, but straight up annoying. everyone in this book is so fucking problematic and toxic. 1) Toxic family who thinks if you don’t serve in the military you are THE JOKE and judge your life for it, 2) Judgemental firemen friends, 3) More judgemental friends who thinks their marriage is a joke and brought up Sebastian ex for no reason. 4) Insecure husband that blames you for “contacting” with your ex and didn’t want to listen to you. 5) Toxic and insecure brother in law who can’t keep his hands to himself.
Sex, sex and sex!!!!! AAAAHHH They start having sex the first night they met. Arranged marriage with sex at 20% ? *yawns
Writing is off. Too descriptive with unnecessary information. Nothing realistic just Sebastian’s annoying monologues.
Draaaaaaaaaaaaaaggggged out plotline.
Attempt at being bi and trans phobic? 🤡🤡 you are un-fucking-lucky because I am BOTH trans and bi!
“I’m not a straight man,” I told him. “I’m bi. Pan, probably. I’ve always known it.” I knew what he’d say next. In fact, I counted on it. “How can you know? You’ve never tried it. Don’t get me wrong, here. I’m all for discovering yourself and learning about what you want. But I don’t want what happens when a guy decides he’s ‘bi’ because he got a boner thinking about a friend once.
“So I’m gonna tell you what I’d tell a man, a woman, or someone who doesn’t give enough shits to buy into our fucked-up system of genders – as if gender mattered two gopher turds.”
And there’s no such thing as “women-identifying” bullshit.
If two cocks rubbing is enough for you to call it ”gay romance”, then quit.
Bye. I need fucking cleansing.
February 13, 2023
DNF @60% and skimmed to the end.
This started out really well. The quirky chaotic narration of Sebastian was fun and refreshing in a way. I was sucked in the story pretty well.
However, as the story went on I found myself getting more and more annoyed with Jackson. He made no effort to be a better husband and it was all on Sebastian to do all the jestures and to appease Jackson's insecurities. It got tiring pretty fast.
Even the ending was Sebastian doing everything while Jackason only received and said he was sorry..
I didn't like the conflict and could see it a mile away. It was tedious tbh.
The sex scenes were also awkwardly written and the dirty talk was a bit all over the place.
This had the potential to be a good book but it needs alot of work.
This started out really well. The quirky chaotic narration of Sebastian was fun and refreshing in a way. I was sucked in the story pretty well.
However, as the story went on I found myself getting more and more annoyed with Jackson. He made no effort to be a better husband and it was all on Sebastian to do all the jestures and to appease Jackson's insecurities. It got tiring pretty fast.
Even the ending was Sebastian doing everything while Jackason only received and said he was sorry..
I didn't like the conflict and could see it a mile away. It was tedious tbh.
The sex scenes were also awkwardly written and the dirty talk was a bit all over the place.
This had the potential to be a good book but it needs alot of work.
Read
July 10, 2025Soft DNF @ 17%. I might come back to it because the mail order husband thing is very intriguing but it's not holding my interest atm.
December 15, 2022
I did enjoy this book. A lot of (unnecessary) information is thrown at you, which resulted in a lot of skimming. I would have liked to give this book a higher rating, but Jackson’s attitude and insecurities annoyed the f**k out of me. I also didn’t like that Sebastian easily forgave him every time. Don’t get me started on the brother.
dnf
March 1, 2023Update March 1: I'm bored and Dan was right 🤷🏼♀️
TOD: 40% ish
DNFing and moving on
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thoughts so far/ Reading notes:
Alright, the first 20ish % of this was pretty entertaining. Snappy dialogue, narrating character seemed pretty witty and sarcastic which I was digging, and a refreshing maturity to dealing with a pretty absurd situation. And then there’s Jackson … ohhh he is just the right combination of hot-like-fire and deep-like-a-river. I loved him immediately and was ready to smack Sebastian sideways if he let that man down but happily I was saved from having to exert myself. Initially the chemistry is actually pretty 🔥 and there seems to be genuine potential for a real connection here, which I’m pleasantly surprised by. I’m a little unclear on the whole timeline here though…was it ever actually stated how long Jackson is home for/length of deployments* and how long they’ll have together?? If they did I missed it.
Til now the most annoying thing has been the profusion of stabby jabby Uber snarky political commentary sprinkled in all over the place. It seems… overwrought, unnecessary, and grating.
But wait, I spoke too soon…
At about 30%, things started to drift a little off course. First there’s a mini feminist girl-power rant that had me rolling my eyes … then Suddenly we’re deep in the weeds about some weird magical mystical chromosome hopscotch that apparently overrides any reasonable biological reproduction requirements and there’s a truly bizarre conversation between two men about who would be the paternal VS maternal donor if they chose to procreate. Um. What now??
Sebastian also keeps alluding to not-exactly-telling-the-truth-about-something by just… not mentioning it? Which is, ya know, LYINGGGGG. So. What’s up with that? Because I’m starting to get an inkling that maybe this ultra judgy family of his is somehow super important or famous or political or something and that whatever he’s hiding has to do with that. Maybe? Either way if this is leading us to a Great Misunderstanding I’m gonna be PISSED.
And what is this??
Who SAYS that?!?! 😂🤦🏼♀️ It feels like the author is now trying too hard to make Bastian funny and now I’m not laughing because it’s comical I’m laughing because it’s ridiculous.
To be continued…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*utterly unrelated to what’s happening in the story, I was startled to realize that nearly 15 YEARS later I seem to still have a little deployment-related PTSD. 😰🫣 Damn. Like just the thought of having to go through that again, especially the way it was back in even ‘08 with such minimal communication availability where he was, jacked my heart rate right up.
TOD: 40% ish
DNFing and moving on
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thoughts so far/ Reading notes:
Alright, the first 20ish % of this was pretty entertaining. Snappy dialogue, narrating character seemed pretty witty and sarcastic which I was digging, and a refreshing maturity to dealing with a pretty absurd situation. And then there’s Jackson … ohhh he is just the right combination of hot-like-fire and deep-like-a-river. I loved him immediately and was ready to smack Sebastian sideways if he let that man down but happily I was saved from having to exert myself. Initially the chemistry is actually pretty 🔥 and there seems to be genuine potential for a real connection here, which I’m pleasantly surprised by. I’m a little unclear on the whole timeline here though…was it ever actually stated how long Jackson is home for/length of deployments* and how long they’ll have together?? If they did I missed it.
Til now the most annoying thing has been the profusion of stabby jabby Uber snarky political commentary sprinkled in all over the place. It seems… overwrought, unnecessary, and grating.
But wait, I spoke too soon…
At about 30%, things started to drift a little off course. First there’s a mini feminist girl-power rant that had me rolling my eyes … then Suddenly we’re deep in the weeds about some weird magical mystical chromosome hopscotch that apparently overrides any reasonable biological reproduction requirements and there’s a truly bizarre conversation between two men about who would be the paternal VS maternal donor if they chose to procreate. Um. What now??
Sebastian also keeps alluding to not-exactly-telling-the-truth-about-something by just… not mentioning it? Which is, ya know, LYINGGGGG. So. What’s up with that? Because I’m starting to get an inkling that maybe this ultra judgy family of his is somehow super important or famous or political or something and that whatever he’s hiding has to do with that. Maybe? Either way if this is leading us to a Great Misunderstanding I’m gonna be PISSED.
And what is this??
“Come on, boy. Gonna bet you’ve never met a cow before.”
“I have met pieces of cows before, but I’ve never met one before disassembly,” I said.”
Who SAYS that?!?! 😂🤦🏼♀️ It feels like the author is now trying too hard to make Bastian funny and now I’m not laughing because it’s comical I’m laughing because it’s ridiculous.
To be continued…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*utterly unrelated to what’s happening in the story, I was startled to realize that nearly 15 YEARS later I seem to still have a little deployment-related PTSD. 😰🫣 Damn. Like just the thought of having to go through that again, especially the way it was back in even ‘08 with such minimal communication availability where he was, jacked my heart rate right up.
July 30, 2023
Just poor scifi writing. I wish the author took out all the scifi settings in this book, just make it a normal contemporary romance. She ruined it for me. Now I have to think twice, or thrice, before I pick up another scifi romance book again.
August 13, 2023
Bastian can fogive him, but i can't
October 4, 2023
I am changing that cliche expression into "Love you to the Mars and back", that's more fitting.
This book just popped up on Kindle recommendations and I thought I'd try it since I haven't read a combination of dating app and sci-fi interplanetary plot. I was very surprised that I actually liked it. It was difficult to get absorbed at first because, although I love my MCs to talk nerdy to me, my nose just bled all throughout the world-building and jargon he was spouting. I did, however, fell quickly in love with ❤️ Bastian ❤️ and his dry humor that I muscled through reading. Glad I did!
Although I didn't fall for his husband Jackson -- he's a little too absorbed on his own hurts to care about Bastian's feelings -- all the little bits of discoveries on Bastian's character made me love him more and that made up for all the niggles I got from this book. What I also liked about this plot was how, although they were a match made by algorithm, the story did not focus on their attraction but emphasized how they had to navigate a relationship that they agreed to try with their best. They had to learn and accept each other's good and bad attributes and discovered that despite those, they fell in love with each other anyway.
But the part I loved the most was the fact that this was not only about their marriage and romantic relationship. This was also about Bastian's discovery of himself, his passion and true calling, and a second chance in pursuing his dream. I empathized with his feelings and heartaches and cheered him on his missions. The latter chapters definitely gave me angst, tension, and relief as he successfully jumped all the hurdles in life, love, and career. That ending was definitely satisfying. 😊
This book just popped up on Kindle recommendations and I thought I'd try it since I haven't read a combination of dating app and sci-fi interplanetary plot. I was very surprised that I actually liked it. It was difficult to get absorbed at first because, although I love my MCs to talk nerdy to me, my nose just bled all throughout the world-building and jargon he was spouting. I did, however, fell quickly in love with ❤️ Bastian ❤️ and his dry humor that I muscled through reading. Glad I did!
Although I didn't fall for his husband Jackson -- he's a little too absorbed on his own hurts to care about Bastian's feelings -- all the little bits of discoveries on Bastian's character made me love him more and that made up for all the niggles I got from this book. What I also liked about this plot was how, although they were a match made by algorithm, the story did not focus on their attraction but emphasized how they had to navigate a relationship that they agreed to try with their best. They had to learn and accept each other's good and bad attributes and discovered that despite those, they fell in love with each other anyway.
But the part I loved the most was the fact that this was not only about their marriage and romantic relationship. This was also about Bastian's discovery of himself, his passion and true calling, and a second chance in pursuing his dream. I empathized with his feelings and heartaches and cheered him on his missions. The latter chapters definitely gave me angst, tension, and relief as he successfully jumped all the hurdles in life, love, and career. That ending was definitely satisfying. 😊
January 21, 2023
Come on guys….Jackson never redeemed himself. I really don’t understand what Bastian saw in him that made him a worthy partner. The world building was top notch but the love story was not.
January 11, 2023
I always love the arranged marriage troupe and read countless of them, yet I find The Accidental Husband has a unique plot and is refreshing to read. It was told from first POV of Sebastian, a simply man, a teacher but with so much hidden depth. His sarcasm and self deprecating humor is adorable. Absolutely enjoy this book and reading about Sebastian and his accidental husband.
September 6, 2025
the narration style was so interesting, however it needed a stronger edit. it was so messy at times, while it could’ve easily been absolutely epic.
unfortunately i wished jackson would die a painful death too many times to appreciate the romance
unfortunately i wished jackson would die a painful death too many times to appreciate the romance
November 11, 2022
No showing only telling
The characters, the world-building, and the plot were great. I would give that a 5. But I couldn't keep reading because I was being told what to think. If you like that kind of storytelling, then this book is for you.
This format of writing makes it difficult to believe it's happening. I'm very disappointed because, as I said, the author did their work building the story.
The characters, the world-building, and the plot were great. I would give that a 5. But I couldn't keep reading because I was being told what to think. If you like that kind of storytelling, then this book is for you.
This format of writing makes it difficult to believe it's happening. I'm very disappointed because, as I said, the author did their work building the story.
January 12, 2023
2.2⭐️
Well. It had to happen sometime. There had to be a dud in my reading soon enough, especially after having a consistently good reading experience so far this month. I mean there was the disappointment that was Eradicate, but it at least had a previous book in the series to fall back on.
I expected this book to be good if not better than good based on its premise. While the world building and the first third of the book were promising it failed to deliver after that. The premise of an AI (allegedly/rumoured) matching up people with a very high success rate and it looking through an applicants lies of being straight (while being not so straight) and matching him with a husband was all kinds of great. I will not go into why this was a military sanctioned matchmaking service and why there was a world war happening on Mars, let's just say humans are who they are and will fight about anything and this has caused a population issue along with a morale issue amongst troops. Which is where this service comes in. It matches people and this gives the civilian to contribute to the war effort along with a few perks and the soldier gets to look forward to coming home after being deployed off world.
Both Sebastian, our narrator, and Jackson have had a bad track record recently with their exes and both have secrets that they are not ready to share. That is expected when you are a complete stranger and decide to get married. Jackson's issue is that his Ex cheated on him while he was deployed and he looks at his relationship through that lens. Sebastien's issue is that it is hard for him to tell his husband who he truly is as when he did that with his ex she gave him an ultimatum that would see him having to go back to an emotionally and mentally abusive family. Both of them see their current relationship through that lens. And in the beginning I get why they both do and they both slowly start to communicate their issues and how they can start to get past them.
-There might be minor spoilers ahead -
My problem with this book starts with the way the Sadler family acts towards Sebastien. They look at him with suspicion and that is understandable as he is an unknown quantity. But they look down on him for not serving till he reveals, hey he did serve and got medical discharge through no fault of his own while protecting someone. This of course raises their regard for him except for Laramie the younger brothers. Throughout the book Jackson is touted as this great hero and Sebastian puts him on a pedestal, all the while Jackson looks at his current relationship through the lens of his previous relationship and that betrayal. towards the halfway point it seemed like no matter what Sebastian did it would not be enough. I get that Laramie, the brother was poisoning his mind towards Sebastian but it was way too easy for him to jump to the conclusion that his husband would cheat again as soon as he is deployed and that he did cheat. Not only that he already hurt Sebastien by claiming he couldn't be trusted because he ran away from his family. The one he knows disowned him for who he identifies as and one he himself condemned in the beginning. By this time in the story I just read the book to finish it. I got so ANGRY. There are books where the characters have wrongfully accused the other partner and later realize their mistakes and grovel. Here all of the heavy lifting was done by Sebastian and I just couldn't take it anymore.
This was not a great read for me. Maybe it was the timing of it. Maybe in a different setting I would've liked it but it was wasted potential in my opinion.
Well. It had to happen sometime. There had to be a dud in my reading soon enough, especially after having a consistently good reading experience so far this month. I mean there was the disappointment that was Eradicate, but it at least had a previous book in the series to fall back on.
I expected this book to be good if not better than good based on its premise. While the world building and the first third of the book were promising it failed to deliver after that. The premise of an AI (allegedly/rumoured) matching up people with a very high success rate and it looking through an applicants lies of being straight (while being not so straight) and matching him with a husband was all kinds of great. I will not go into why this was a military sanctioned matchmaking service and why there was a world war happening on Mars, let's just say humans are who they are and will fight about anything and this has caused a population issue along with a morale issue amongst troops. Which is where this service comes in. It matches people and this gives the civilian to contribute to the war effort along with a few perks and the soldier gets to look forward to coming home after being deployed off world.
Both Sebastian, our narrator, and Jackson have had a bad track record recently with their exes and both have secrets that they are not ready to share. That is expected when you are a complete stranger and decide to get married. Jackson's issue is that his Ex cheated on him while he was deployed and he looks at his relationship through that lens. Sebastien's issue is that it is hard for him to tell his husband who he truly is as when he did that with his ex she gave him an ultimatum that would see him having to go back to an emotionally and mentally abusive family. Both of them see their current relationship through that lens. And in the beginning I get why they both do and they both slowly start to communicate their issues and how they can start to get past them.
-There might be minor spoilers ahead -
My problem with this book starts with the way the Sadler family acts towards Sebastien. They look at him with suspicion and that is understandable as he is an unknown quantity. But they look down on him for not serving till he reveals, hey he did serve and got medical discharge through no fault of his own while protecting someone. This of course raises their regard for him except for Laramie the younger brothers. Throughout the book Jackson is touted as this great hero and Sebastian puts him on a pedestal, all the while Jackson looks at his current relationship through the lens of his previous relationship and that betrayal. towards the halfway point it seemed like no matter what Sebastian did it would not be enough. I get that Laramie, the brother was poisoning his mind towards Sebastian but it was way too easy for him to jump to the conclusion that his husband would cheat again as soon as he is deployed and that he did cheat. Not only that he already hurt Sebastien by claiming he couldn't be trusted because he ran away from his family. The one he knows disowned him for who he identifies as and one he himself condemned in the beginning. By this time in the story I just read the book to finish it. I got so ANGRY. There are books where the characters have wrongfully accused the other partner and later realize their mistakes and grovel. Here all of the heavy lifting was done by Sebastian and I just couldn't take it anymore.
This was not a great read for me. Maybe it was the timing of it. Maybe in a different setting I would've liked it but it was wasted potential in my opinion.
October 19, 2022
Starts off strong - the writing and story pull you in from the first few pages and you get entrenched in the story. The writing is approachable and conversational, making it easy to read and get into the story. I immediately wanted to know Bastien better and was rooting for him!
Bastien has a sad, mysterious history that we learn later in the book - we just know that he was disowned by his family, was serving in the military before an accident, and he is now struggling with debt. He decides to serve in a different way - by offering himself up for a match to a military spouse. He wants to be their home base - to care and love for them while they are home, support them while they are away. He asks for a wife. He is matched with a husband.
Fascinating story of how Bastien comes to terms with this match and quickly decides he wants badly to make it work with Jackson, his matched husband. The two meet and things don't go quite as expected.
The first 40% or so of the story is amazing - watching Bastien and Jackson learn to trust one another, learn to care for one another. It's truly heart warming how steadfast Bastien is. They also have off the charts steamy times together - always a win!
Where this story started to disappoint me was when we meet Jackson's family. I won't give any spoilers, but let's just say they weren't the super supportive, amazing family Jackson let Bastien believe they would be. I really didn't like how Jackson glossed over their treatment of Bastien, knowing full well that Bastien had been thrown away by his own family. This just did not sit well with me and made me so unhappy to read.
Nearing the end of the book, it does have a great climactic rise and conclusion, so I did enjoy the story arc as a whole, just really didn't enjoy the middle third of the book because it was frustrating to watch Bastien stay quiet while he was mistreated.
I would recommend this author because I liked the writing style - it felt cozy, like I was friends with Bastien the POV throughout the whole book.
I landed on 3/5 stars for this review as I'd give the first third and last 15% or so 5/5 stars, but the middle section of the book would only be about 1.5/5 stars. So using my magic math, I landed on 3/5 because I enjoyed a good portion of the book, but not all.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Bastien has a sad, mysterious history that we learn later in the book - we just know that he was disowned by his family, was serving in the military before an accident, and he is now struggling with debt. He decides to serve in a different way - by offering himself up for a match to a military spouse. He wants to be their home base - to care and love for them while they are home, support them while they are away. He asks for a wife. He is matched with a husband.
Fascinating story of how Bastien comes to terms with this match and quickly decides he wants badly to make it work with Jackson, his matched husband. The two meet and things don't go quite as expected.
The first 40% or so of the story is amazing - watching Bastien and Jackson learn to trust one another, learn to care for one another. It's truly heart warming how steadfast Bastien is. They also have off the charts steamy times together - always a win!
Where this story started to disappoint me was when we meet Jackson's family. I won't give any spoilers, but let's just say they weren't the super supportive, amazing family Jackson let Bastien believe they would be. I really didn't like how Jackson glossed over their treatment of Bastien, knowing full well that Bastien had been thrown away by his own family. This just did not sit well with me and made me so unhappy to read.
Nearing the end of the book, it does have a great climactic rise and conclusion, so I did enjoy the story arc as a whole, just really didn't enjoy the middle third of the book because it was frustrating to watch Bastien stay quiet while he was mistreated.
I would recommend this author because I liked the writing style - it felt cozy, like I was friends with Bastien the POV throughout the whole book.
I landed on 3/5 stars for this review as I'd give the first third and last 15% or so 5/5 stars, but the middle section of the book would only be about 1.5/5 stars. So using my magic math, I landed on 3/5 because I enjoyed a good portion of the book, but not all.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
February 14, 2023
Unlike almost any other romance I've read in its narrative style. And one of those rare instances where you can (and should) 100% trust the narrator, even when he's problematic (because aren't we all)... 🙂
Does it have some problems? Sure. But I was able to overlook those because I became so invested in the story. I really liked the single POV as told by Sebastian & the world building is fascinating.
There are some really diametrically opposite reviews of this book. I'd guide you to take a chance and see how you go.
Does it have some problems? Sure. But I was able to overlook those because I became so invested in the story. I really liked the single POV as told by Sebastian & the world building is fascinating.
There are some really diametrically opposite reviews of this book. I'd guide you to take a chance and see how you go.
January 10, 2023
Excellent.
This book - just wow. This books has an exceptional futuristic plot, exceptional characters and had me chain smoking as I worried where it would all end up. Exceptional writing.
This book - just wow. This books has an exceptional futuristic plot, exceptional characters and had me chain smoking as I worried where it would all end up. Exceptional writing.
March 11, 2023
This is the first book I have read by this author and it won't be the last. I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It is unlike anything I had read to this point and it was amazing. This is the story of Sebastian Hendrick and Jackson Roy Sadler. Sebastian is a history teacher and has a lot of reasons not to trust people. But he puts that aside and looks for the best side of everything. I loved his character right away. He has a lot of baggage and surprising back story bombs. You will enjoy learning about them. Though one of them about his accident broke my heart. Jackson is a Sargeant in the army that is deployed and fighting on Mars. He has trust issues as his last boyfriend cheated on him while deployed and he is still not over it. This is their story. They both decide to register to be Mail Call Mates. However the twist is that Sebastian asked for a woman as his mate. Apparently the computer knew what Sebastian wanted and couldn't ask for. Since Jackson is informed of the deviation, he is worried that Sebastian is not ready for a MM relationship. Jackson is looking for a love match. The road to happiness is not a smooth one. You will definitely think dark and evil thoughts about Jackson and his family more than once. Jackson and Sebastian have off the charts chemistry. The heart wants what the heart wants. I loved this book. I look forward to more books by this author.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 26, 2023
I'm so split on this one. It's so polarizing. I loved the characters and the world. I loved the premise. It starts out soooo good (for like 50-60%), then starts to diverge. Everything in the second half feels rushed, continuing to crescendo all the way to the last page where we're moving at batshit insane lightspeed. I wanted and expected it to be better, but the second half just kept going downhill in significant ways, like a shit-covered snowball picking up speed along the way.
Fuck, this is gonna be long. I can feel it already. Basically a full analysis of this fucking book.
I feel like the author had so many ideas and details they wanted to write, but the novel was already getting longer and they wanted it to fit all within one book, so they said fuck it with the second half and just started summarizing everything. With the level of detail the author starts with, this book should have been 2 or 3 books in a series. MINIMUM 2 books. Probably 3. Of like 300 pages each. Author, this really was a missed opportunity, in my opinion; you'd personally make more money from me by splitting this into two and writing a bit more to something you already did the heavy lifting to set up. You can still have a series that covers multiple couples, but each sequence of books (e.g. 2-3 books) covers a particular couple. It doesn't have to be one-couple, one-book; or one-couple the entire series. I felt like this book got caught in that fallacy. Just my opinion, of course.
It's really sad, because let me tell you, this author can WRITE. The story elements are mostly great, the world is great, the characters are addicting. There are some big problems, as I list below, but they are very FIXABLE problems. You can tell the author has the innate ability to write well (which is something I rarely say), it's just a matter of experience perhaps? Or perhaps feeling pressure to limit the book length vs multi-book series for Jackson and Bastian? Not sure, but this isn't a traditional 2-star review where the book is mostly trash, and I feel guilty giving it that rating. I very much ENJOYED most of the story. But, I think it's deserved given the issues I'll explain.
In a quick couple sentences, I will definitely read this author again, and I don't regret reading this book. I'm just not satisfied with what should have better a better book, and a few things left a bad aftertaste. It's going on my "could've been great" shelf.
✅️ THE GOOD STUFF...
1. World building. SUPERB. Damn, this author has it. There are a few oddities here and there but the depth and detail of the world more than makes up for it. It's mostly consistent, too. I give it a 5/5 for world building, which I rarely find.
2. Pacing and character dynamics in the beginning. This is great for the FIRST HALF. The second half is dogshit. But author, great job on the first part. The world was set up nicely, the "insta-marriage" relationship between Jackson and Bastian was handled very well and made to be believable within the world it was created. It felt like I was immersed in something believable, albeit futuristic.
3. Sci-fi elements. The book keeps your perspective on the space/Mars/future pretty much the whole time. It's not like a lot of "sci-fi" M/M where they mention a spaceship a few times and then it's just a contemporary romance novel. Although the handling of space stuff is not extremely detailed, it's better than most I read.
4. Humor. The writing is pretty witty. I laughed out loud at several things throughout, which is a rare occurrence for me, generally. It's a real shame that the humor wasn't applied to Jackson via his POV, though. (More on the POV issue later.)
5. The handling of machine/artificial intelligence is actually pretty decent compared to most. I say that as someone very familiar with the field. The system described in this book could easily be in play within the next 10-20 years, if not sooner.
6. Hot dirty talk. The things that came out of Jackson's mouth during sex scenes is especially 🔥 .
⚠️ THE PROBLEMS...
1. The dirty talk and affection shown is great, but the sex was meh; the sexual scenes were disjointed from the story somewhat. It was very limited, for starters, only a few relatively brief scenes. And Bastian's virgin status was skipped over pretty much entirely beyond its first mention. When Jackson and Bastian fucked, (mild spoiler about the sexual encounter/act) It was all just magical. That's not the world that was created. It broke the immersion and felt fake and very rushed.
Oh, and (mild spoiler about the quantity of sex in the book)
2. The resolution of the big crisis is not very fulfilling. There should have been WAY more conversation, way more *showing* of the resolutions (mild spoiler about the shit that doesn't get properly resolved) Once again, I feel like I should be waiting for another book in this series about these two. So much unfinished or very quickly wrapped up.
3. Very related to that, (moderate spoiler about a major plot issue that gets a very summarized treatment) It was a very, very, very poor treatment of the issue, especially after how major it was made to be, and how AMAZING the author is at detailed scenes with complicated character interactions.
4. Bastian's intelligence seems to drastically change during certain scenes where a simplistic plot device requires it. This primarily happened in the second half of the book, so once again, I feel it's mostly a result of being rushed. In one scene, he's very mature, commanding of his emotions and self control, very smart and insightful, and generally ahead of others awareness. In other scenes, such as (mild high-level spoiler about a scene) , he's a total moron. Another generalized example... every single time Bastian has a problem with his phone. Find a fucking solution to it, Bastian. Jesus, you're so smart with everything else but you can't figure out how to fucking talk to someone? New phone? New battery? Ask your husband to help you because it's CRITICALLY FUCKING IMPORTANT? USE YOUR FUCKING LAPTOP (which is probably like a tablet) AS A COMMUNICATION DEVICE BECAUSE ITS THE FUCKING FUTURE??? It's as easy to send a fucking email as it is a text. They're nearly the same damn thing, these days. Voice calling over the web is SUPER FUCKING EASY, too. It should NOT be that fucking hard for someone as intelligent and aware as Bastian (in virtually every other part of the book). I don't believe it one fucking bit. It was like a direct slap to my face. "Fuck you for reading this book and thinking that Bastian is smart! But here let me show you all his degrees!"
5. The drama with Joan, Laramie, etc. is SO. FUCKING. OBNOXIOUS.. As another reviewer stated, it's soap-opera esque. I straight up skipped some parts that were centered on that. Guess what? I didn't lose a goddamn thing out of the story. All those scenes should have been cut and filled with meaningful shit, like all of the examples I've given of important issues wrapped up in virtually no time at all.
🛑 THE UNFORGIVABLE BULLSHIT...
1. This is gonna be a big one... The fucking lack. Of Jackson's. Point of fucking. View..
HOLY FUCKING SHIT y'all, this frustrated the ever living fuck out of me. NOT EVEN A SINGLE TIME do we get Jackson's perspective on anything. It ALL comes from his interactions with Bastian. What's the problem with that? Well besides the fact that they are two very different personalities and it'd be nice to see the other one... the MAJOR problem with it is that a good portion of the important moments of the story happen AWAY from Bastian or outside of his view, at least.
Here's a metric asston of examples... (major spoilers for various parts of the book)
The author is a great writer and creates good characters. (That's high praise from me in a land of M/M mediocrity.) But Jackson felt so hollow compared to Bastian because we don't get to see inside his head much at all. That has so many negative effects on the quality of the story. Bastian and Jackson have an argument? We get to see Bastian's thoughts on it in detail, but for Jackson, it goes from angry to "I'm sorry" instantly between scenes because... THERE'S NO FUCKING POV FROM JACKSON. A couple times is okay, but the whole book? No, no ma'am.
There was SOOOO much opportunity to showcase the deeper psychological profile the author was clearly assuming (but not showing) for Jackson. He could have EASILY been made a complex character with the world and story the author created. The story was already RIGHT THERE, written for Bastian in completed form. It was literally just a matter of writing the scenes from a different perspective, and a few other additional scenes that would probably total no more than 10-20% of the book. If that had been the case, this would have been at least a 4-star from me. Fix the rushing/pacing issue too and you've got yourself a rare 5-star. Clean up the drama shit and the variable Bastian intelligence on top of that? You'd be guaranteed a spot on my "favorites of all time", which is as prestigious as it gets. I haven't added to that list in years. I really enjoyed the story and world that much. It's so fucking sad that these very fixable issues, primarily in the second half, resulted in a failure to launch.
You can't (or shouldn't) write a book in second person voice (or whatever variant it was of it) and not provide another perspective. Not unless the characters are so close to each other all the time that the perspectives are obvious, and their personalities are rendered through detailed narration of their actions. This book, this story, was absolutely not the place to write a single POV. I almost DNF'd this book for this issue, but persisted because it was mostly great otherwise.
DID I MENTION THE WHAT-THE-FUCK LACK OF JACKSONS POV?? !!!* Goddamnit, I'm so annoyed and frustrated. Author, please re-release a different version of this book, turn it into a 3-book series (or subseries), add Jackson's POV and fully-fleshed ideas for the conclusions to everything you started. I'll pay $20 per book for this story, I swear to god. No exaggeration. It's really entertaining and I wish I had double the amount, or more. Start a Patreon, I'll fund half of that series' development. FUCK. !!!*
Anyway...
2. The fucking "unchargable phone". Okay, so I kind of already mentioned this, but holy shit, that phone's inability to retain charge becomes a HUGE plot device for so many scenes. It's over the top and absolutely ridiculous. There is no reason it should have caused all that mess. Especially because this is the future. There's no excuse. He can't get a phone or a battery fixed in any reasonable time? Bull. Fucking. Shit. That was a flimsy excuse at best, and at worst, it makes an otherwise solid story look cheap and tainted, which betrayed all of the other parts that were stellar.
3. Rushed ending. Kind of mentioned this above, too. The crisis resolution happens WAAAY too fast. Remove Joan from the whole book and make a better ending. I'd have enjoyed that way more. And the epilogue! Yeah, that jumps to fucking lightspeed. No, faster than light. We're at warp 9.999. SO MANY FUCKING THINGS and SO MUCH TIME is covered in the span of a few pages.
Once again, so much opportunity lost. Some examples of ways to make this better and fill 3+ books: (major spoilers on various things in the book)
Jesus fucking christ, I could go on endlessly with ideas in this amazing world that could fill countless books...
4. Final mention... random, completely unresolved issue... Jackson told Bastian he decided during his trip to Mars that he needed to call Bastian, apologize for the fight and his brother's shit. Uh, he didn't? And there's no reason offered for that. At all.
Fuck, this is gonna be long. I can feel it already. Basically a full analysis of this fucking book.
I feel like the author had so many ideas and details they wanted to write, but the novel was already getting longer and they wanted it to fit all within one book, so they said fuck it with the second half and just started summarizing everything. With the level of detail the author starts with, this book should have been 2 or 3 books in a series. MINIMUM 2 books. Probably 3. Of like 300 pages each. Author, this really was a missed opportunity, in my opinion; you'd personally make more money from me by splitting this into two and writing a bit more to something you already did the heavy lifting to set up. You can still have a series that covers multiple couples, but each sequence of books (e.g. 2-3 books) covers a particular couple. It doesn't have to be one-couple, one-book; or one-couple the entire series. I felt like this book got caught in that fallacy. Just my opinion, of course.
It's really sad, because let me tell you, this author can WRITE. The story elements are mostly great, the world is great, the characters are addicting. There are some big problems, as I list below, but they are very FIXABLE problems. You can tell the author has the innate ability to write well (which is something I rarely say), it's just a matter of experience perhaps? Or perhaps feeling pressure to limit the book length vs multi-book series for Jackson and Bastian? Not sure, but this isn't a traditional 2-star review where the book is mostly trash, and I feel guilty giving it that rating. I very much ENJOYED most of the story. But, I think it's deserved given the issues I'll explain.
In a quick couple sentences, I will definitely read this author again, and I don't regret reading this book. I'm just not satisfied with what should have better a better book, and a few things left a bad aftertaste. It's going on my "could've been great" shelf.
✅️ THE GOOD STUFF...
1. World building. SUPERB. Damn, this author has it. There are a few oddities here and there but the depth and detail of the world more than makes up for it. It's mostly consistent, too. I give it a 5/5 for world building, which I rarely find.
2. Pacing and character dynamics in the beginning. This is great for the FIRST HALF. The second half is dogshit. But author, great job on the first part. The world was set up nicely, the "insta-marriage" relationship between Jackson and Bastian was handled very well and made to be believable within the world it was created. It felt like I was immersed in something believable, albeit futuristic.
3. Sci-fi elements. The book keeps your perspective on the space/Mars/future pretty much the whole time. It's not like a lot of "sci-fi" M/M where they mention a spaceship a few times and then it's just a contemporary romance novel. Although the handling of space stuff is not extremely detailed, it's better than most I read.
4. Humor. The writing is pretty witty. I laughed out loud at several things throughout, which is a rare occurrence for me, generally. It's a real shame that the humor wasn't applied to Jackson via his POV, though. (More on the POV issue later.)
5. The handling of machine/artificial intelligence is actually pretty decent compared to most. I say that as someone very familiar with the field. The system described in this book could easily be in play within the next 10-20 years, if not sooner.
6. Hot dirty talk. The things that came out of Jackson's mouth during sex scenes is especially 🔥 .
⚠️ THE PROBLEMS...
1. The dirty talk and affection shown is great, but the sex was meh; the sexual scenes were disjointed from the story somewhat. It was very limited, for starters, only a few relatively brief scenes. And Bastian's virgin status was skipped over pretty much entirely beyond its first mention. When Jackson and Bastian fucked, (mild spoiler about the sexual encounter/act) It was all just magical. That's not the world that was created. It broke the immersion and felt fake and very rushed.
Oh, and (mild spoiler about the quantity of sex in the book)
2. The resolution of the big crisis is not very fulfilling. There should have been WAY more conversation, way more *showing* of the resolutions (mild spoiler about the shit that doesn't get properly resolved) Once again, I feel like I should be waiting for another book in this series about these two. So much unfinished or very quickly wrapped up.
3. Very related to that, (moderate spoiler about a major plot issue that gets a very summarized treatment) It was a very, very, very poor treatment of the issue, especially after how major it was made to be, and how AMAZING the author is at detailed scenes with complicated character interactions.
4. Bastian's intelligence seems to drastically change during certain scenes where a simplistic plot device requires it. This primarily happened in the second half of the book, so once again, I feel it's mostly a result of being rushed. In one scene, he's very mature, commanding of his emotions and self control, very smart and insightful, and generally ahead of others awareness. In other scenes, such as (mild high-level spoiler about a scene) , he's a total moron. Another generalized example... every single time Bastian has a problem with his phone. Find a fucking solution to it, Bastian. Jesus, you're so smart with everything else but you can't figure out how to fucking talk to someone? New phone? New battery? Ask your husband to help you because it's CRITICALLY FUCKING IMPORTANT? USE YOUR FUCKING LAPTOP (which is probably like a tablet) AS A COMMUNICATION DEVICE BECAUSE ITS THE FUCKING FUTURE??? It's as easy to send a fucking email as it is a text. They're nearly the same damn thing, these days. Voice calling over the web is SUPER FUCKING EASY, too. It should NOT be that fucking hard for someone as intelligent and aware as Bastian (in virtually every other part of the book). I don't believe it one fucking bit. It was like a direct slap to my face. "Fuck you for reading this book and thinking that Bastian is smart! But here let me show you all his degrees!"
5. The drama with Joan, Laramie, etc. is SO. FUCKING. OBNOXIOUS.. As another reviewer stated, it's soap-opera esque. I straight up skipped some parts that were centered on that. Guess what? I didn't lose a goddamn thing out of the story. All those scenes should have been cut and filled with meaningful shit, like all of the examples I've given of important issues wrapped up in virtually no time at all.
🛑 THE UNFORGIVABLE BULLSHIT...
1. This is gonna be a big one... The fucking lack. Of Jackson's. Point of fucking. View..
HOLY FUCKING SHIT y'all, this frustrated the ever living fuck out of me. NOT EVEN A SINGLE TIME do we get Jackson's perspective on anything. It ALL comes from his interactions with Bastian. What's the problem with that? Well besides the fact that they are two very different personalities and it'd be nice to see the other one... the MAJOR problem with it is that a good portion of the important moments of the story happen AWAY from Bastian or outside of his view, at least.
Here's a metric asston of examples... (major spoilers for various parts of the book)
The author is a great writer and creates good characters. (That's high praise from me in a land of M/M mediocrity.) But Jackson felt so hollow compared to Bastian because we don't get to see inside his head much at all. That has so many negative effects on the quality of the story. Bastian and Jackson have an argument? We get to see Bastian's thoughts on it in detail, but for Jackson, it goes from angry to "I'm sorry" instantly between scenes because... THERE'S NO FUCKING POV FROM JACKSON. A couple times is okay, but the whole book? No, no ma'am.
There was SOOOO much opportunity to showcase the deeper psychological profile the author was clearly assuming (but not showing) for Jackson. He could have EASILY been made a complex character with the world and story the author created. The story was already RIGHT THERE, written for Bastian in completed form. It was literally just a matter of writing the scenes from a different perspective, and a few other additional scenes that would probably total no more than 10-20% of the book. If that had been the case, this would have been at least a 4-star from me. Fix the rushing/pacing issue too and you've got yourself a rare 5-star. Clean up the drama shit and the variable Bastian intelligence on top of that? You'd be guaranteed a spot on my "favorites of all time", which is as prestigious as it gets. I haven't added to that list in years. I really enjoyed the story and world that much. It's so fucking sad that these very fixable issues, primarily in the second half, resulted in a failure to launch.
You can't (or shouldn't) write a book in second person voice (or whatever variant it was of it) and not provide another perspective. Not unless the characters are so close to each other all the time that the perspectives are obvious, and their personalities are rendered through detailed narration of their actions. This book, this story, was absolutely not the place to write a single POV. I almost DNF'd this book for this issue, but persisted because it was mostly great otherwise.
DID I MENTION THE WHAT-THE-FUCK LACK OF JACKSONS POV?? !!!* Goddamnit, I'm so annoyed and frustrated. Author, please re-release a different version of this book, turn it into a 3-book series (or subseries), add Jackson's POV and fully-fleshed ideas for the conclusions to everything you started. I'll pay $20 per book for this story, I swear to god. No exaggeration. It's really entertaining and I wish I had double the amount, or more. Start a Patreon, I'll fund half of that series' development. FUCK. !!!*
Anyway...
2. The fucking "unchargable phone". Okay, so I kind of already mentioned this, but holy shit, that phone's inability to retain charge becomes a HUGE plot device for so many scenes. It's over the top and absolutely ridiculous. There is no reason it should have caused all that mess. Especially because this is the future. There's no excuse. He can't get a phone or a battery fixed in any reasonable time? Bull. Fucking. Shit. That was a flimsy excuse at best, and at worst, it makes an otherwise solid story look cheap and tainted, which betrayed all of the other parts that were stellar.
3. Rushed ending. Kind of mentioned this above, too. The crisis resolution happens WAAAY too fast. Remove Joan from the whole book and make a better ending. I'd have enjoyed that way more. And the epilogue! Yeah, that jumps to fucking lightspeed. No, faster than light. We're at warp 9.999. SO MANY FUCKING THINGS and SO MUCH TIME is covered in the span of a few pages.
Once again, so much opportunity lost. Some examples of ways to make this better and fill 3+ books: (major spoilers on various things in the book)
Jesus fucking christ, I could go on endlessly with ideas in this amazing world that could fill countless books...
4. Final mention... random, completely unresolved issue... Jackson told Bastian he decided during his trip to Mars that he needed to call Bastian, apologize for the fight and his brother's shit. Uh, he didn't? And there's no reason offered for that. At all.
October 21, 2023
This book surprised me. I read it based on a recommendation of an individual in a facebook m/m group. They described the book as a hidden gem and the amount of gushing they did over this book intrigued me. So I picked up the book last night and found myself staying up until 5:00 a.m. in the morning to read it cover-to-cover.
I'm so glad I listened to that other m/m reader. This was such a surprising and lovely story. Nothing in this story unfolded as I expected...and that's a good thing. I love being surprised as a reader. The author included a number of clever twists and turns that made the story a surprise and delight all the way though.
The world built for this story is interesting and the author has done a nice job setting the stage for more books in this world.
Sebastian and Jackson as characers were interesting, complex, and appealing in ways that had me rooting for them both as a couple and as individuals. I know some reviewers expressed disappointment with Sebastian's hangups, but I appreciated that the character himself forthrightly acknowledged them in his video to Jackson and I also appreciated the adult ways both characters comunicated through conflicts with each other and Jackson's knack for psychoanalyzing Sebastian and being able to figure out the reasons behind certain words and actions. Seriously, there is nothing I hate more than reading m/m books where the entire conflict in a book could have been resolved via a simple 5 minute conversation.
But that doesn't happen here. The characters maturely work through conflicts. And while past trauma hindered those efforts at times, that felt real and natural, too. In short, both characters came across a real flawed individuals who were also pretty great and awesome and wonderful too. I was incredibly sad to see this story end because I really wanted to read more of their story.
There is just SO MUCH I liked about this book and I know that my poor description here isn't doing the book justice.
I only have one quibble. I don't think this book needed the 4th wall narrative approach (e.g. where Jackson spoke to the reader). I found it a little jarring at first and it *almost* made me put the book down during the first few pages where I felt that jarring sense the most. I'm so glad that I stuck with it because, by the time I was 15-20 pages in, I was hooked.
And by the time I finished the book, it landed on my "Best of 2023" list
I can tell that I'm obsessed with this book and this series because as I type this, I have an irrational fear that we'll never see Book #2. I know that's just my fear talking...but it's also a sign of just how much I loved this book.
Looking forward to re-reading this book at some point and reading the next book in this series as well. This is Moore's first m/m book, but she has a real gift and I'm keeping my fingers crossed she becomes a prolific author in this genre.
I'm so glad I listened to that other m/m reader. This was such a surprising and lovely story. Nothing in this story unfolded as I expected...and that's a good thing. I love being surprised as a reader. The author included a number of clever twists and turns that made the story a surprise and delight all the way though.
The world built for this story is interesting and the author has done a nice job setting the stage for more books in this world.
Sebastian and Jackson as characers were interesting, complex, and appealing in ways that had me rooting for them both as a couple and as individuals. I know some reviewers expressed disappointment with Sebastian's hangups, but I appreciated that the character himself forthrightly acknowledged them in his video to Jackson and I also appreciated the adult ways both characters comunicated through conflicts with each other and Jackson's knack for psychoanalyzing Sebastian and being able to figure out the reasons behind certain words and actions. Seriously, there is nothing I hate more than reading m/m books where the entire conflict in a book could have been resolved via a simple 5 minute conversation.
But that doesn't happen here. The characters maturely work through conflicts. And while past trauma hindered those efforts at times, that felt real and natural, too. In short, both characters came across a real flawed individuals who were also pretty great and awesome and wonderful too. I was incredibly sad to see this story end because I really wanted to read more of their story.
There is just SO MUCH I liked about this book and I know that my poor description here isn't doing the book justice.
I only have one quibble. I don't think this book needed the 4th wall narrative approach (e.g. where Jackson spoke to the reader). I found it a little jarring at first and it *almost* made me put the book down during the first few pages where I felt that jarring sense the most. I'm so glad that I stuck with it because, by the time I was 15-20 pages in, I was hooked.
And by the time I finished the book, it landed on my "Best of 2023" list
I can tell that I'm obsessed with this book and this series because as I type this, I have an irrational fear that we'll never see Book #2. I know that's just my fear talking...but it's also a sign of just how much I loved this book.
Looking forward to re-reading this book at some point and reading the next book in this series as well. This is Moore's first m/m book, but she has a real gift and I'm keeping my fingers crossed she becomes a prolific author in this genre.
November 20, 2024
3 stars for Bastian and ONLY Bastian.
The more I think about it the more I hate every other character.
Sebastian’s life hasn’t gone to plan. His parents disowned him, he got medically discharged from the army before he could even serve, his almost- fiancée left him because he wouldn’t grovel to his parents to gain back the wealth he’d lost, and he’s drowning in debt. So he signs up for Mail Order Mates. A matching system that’s completely computerised and has a high rate of success which pairs active duty military with civilian mates so they have someone to come home to. He intends to be matched with a woman despite being bisexual but instead ends up with a dude!
Jackson who has so much baggage because the last time he was deployed he got cheated on. That’s it. He’s got a loving family, a great squad of friends, he’s hot AF, and he got matched with his dream guy.
They clear up the “glitch” and decide to try out marriage anyway but literally the whole time Jackson is one foot out the door and Bastian has to prove over and over again that a) he’s attracted to men 🙄 and b) that he’s not a cheater.
Both MC’s exes come into play and Jackson’s brother Laramie orchestrates a ridiculous plan to break them up (why? WE DONT KNOW! And this book came out 2 years ago so we may never know!!!)
Then Jackson gets deployed again, they’re waiting to process a divorce, Jackson gets hurt, and Bastian’s the only one who can save him so he does because he’s the good guy. They kiss and make up (far too easily) imo and that’s pretty much it.
Bastian was vulnerable and honest over and over again and I almost wish he’d just married the woman he was initially supposed to be matched with.
Very cool concept and world building - I love the sentient match making computer - basically hated all but one or two characters though :/
The more I think about it the more I hate every other character.
Sebastian’s life hasn’t gone to plan. His parents disowned him, he got medically discharged from the army before he could even serve, his almost- fiancée left him because he wouldn’t grovel to his parents to gain back the wealth he’d lost, and he’s drowning in debt. So he signs up for Mail Order Mates. A matching system that’s completely computerised and has a high rate of success which pairs active duty military with civilian mates so they have someone to come home to. He intends to be matched with a woman despite being bisexual but instead ends up with a dude!
Jackson who has so much baggage because the last time he was deployed he got cheated on. That’s it. He’s got a loving family, a great squad of friends, he’s hot AF, and he got matched with his dream guy.
They clear up the “glitch” and decide to try out marriage anyway but literally the whole time Jackson is one foot out the door and Bastian has to prove over and over again that a) he’s attracted to men 🙄 and b) that he’s not a cheater.
Both MC’s exes come into play and Jackson’s brother Laramie orchestrates a ridiculous plan to break them up (why? WE DONT KNOW! And this book came out 2 years ago so we may never know!!!)
Then Jackson gets deployed again, they’re waiting to process a divorce, Jackson gets hurt, and Bastian’s the only one who can save him so he does because he’s the good guy. They kiss and make up (far too easily) imo and that’s pretty much it.
Bastian was vulnerable and honest over and over again and I almost wish he’d just married the woman he was initially supposed to be matched with.
Very cool concept and world building - I love the sentient match making computer - basically hated all but one or two characters though :/
February 15, 2023
I really loved how this story was was told and unfolded.
Told by the POV of Sebastian. Who is adorable, witty and smart. About how an AI set him up with a husband (even though he asked for a wife).
Husband Jackson is also adorable. He has his issues and messes up -- badly messes up but the fact he's honest from the start feels redeeming to me. Like he will learn to be and do better. That he WANTS to learn and do better. He does.
Sebastian has his issues too. Where Jackson can't seem to let his go, Sebastian hides his to keep the peace ... early on, as the reader, you'll know how well that's going to go. But humans are flawed, it’s how both men learn and deal that’s important.
I think outside of Sebastian; I just absolutely loved this world that the author had created. It’s intriguing, realistic and I want more stories to read.
There are a few little details that could do with some tidying up but honestly, it really didn’t detract from the story for me. I was just enthralled at how smart and sci-fi it was while also being really just lovely and sweet and romantic on top.
I’m excited for more!
Told by the POV of Sebastian. Who is adorable, witty and smart. About how an AI set him up with a husband (even though he asked for a wife).
Husband Jackson is also adorable. He has his issues and messes up -- badly messes up but the fact he's honest from the start feels redeeming to me. Like he will learn to be and do better. That he WANTS to learn and do better. He does.
Sebastian has his issues too. Where Jackson can't seem to let his go, Sebastian hides his to keep the peace ... early on, as the reader, you'll know how well that's going to go. But humans are flawed, it’s how both men learn and deal that’s important.
I think outside of Sebastian; I just absolutely loved this world that the author had created. It’s intriguing, realistic and I want more stories to read.
There are a few little details that could do with some tidying up but honestly, it really didn’t detract from the story for me. I was just enthralled at how smart and sci-fi it was while also being really just lovely and sweet and romantic on top.
I’m excited for more!
October 1, 2023
2.5 rounded up.
The Accidental Husband by Cassandra Moore is great in concept but not in execution. For as queer as this book makes itself out to be - homosexuality (and pansexuality, and demisexuality, and so on) normalized, women at the forefront of war, traditional conservatives being reasonable and not total nutjobs - it is weirdly heteronormative and misogynistic. Going home to meet the in-laws who threaten the protagonist because no one is good enough for their ickle baby; a virgin character instantly becoming a blushing bottom upon meeting the strapping soldier love interest; same-sex reproduction requiring both paternal and maternal genes (or chromosomes, idk I'm not a scientist); very bitchy, manipulative female characters with no redeeming qualities... not a fan tbh. The author took an incredibly queer conceit and failed to push any boundaries, which is quite disappointing.
The Accidental Husband by Cassandra Moore is great in concept but not in execution. For as queer as this book makes itself out to be - homosexuality (and pansexuality, and demisexuality, and so on) normalized, women at the forefront of war, traditional conservatives being reasonable and not total nutjobs - it is weirdly heteronormative and misogynistic. Going home to meet the in-laws who threaten the protagonist because no one is good enough for their ickle baby; a virgin character instantly becoming a blushing bottom upon meeting the strapping soldier love interest; same-sex reproduction requiring both paternal and maternal genes (or chromosomes, idk I'm not a scientist); very bitchy, manipulative female characters with no redeeming qualities... not a fan tbh. The author took an incredibly queer conceit and failed to push any boundaries, which is quite disappointing.
January 15, 2026
I liked this book less as it went on. It started really strongly and the leads had really great chemistry that made me want to giggle, but I had a couple hangups.
At times I felt like this was like a dystopian war propaganda novel. I’d say that’s partially a compliment to the author’s world building but having a character openly work for Lockheed felt too realistic and jarring.
The novel’s villain’s motivations also felt really unclear and the resolution was unsatisfying. Both characters need therapy and aren’t ready for marriage.
But still had fun reading!!
At times I felt like this was like a dystopian war propaganda novel. I’d say that’s partially a compliment to the author’s world building but having a character openly work for Lockheed felt too realistic and jarring.
The novel’s villain’s motivations also felt really unclear and the resolution was unsatisfying. Both characters need therapy and aren’t ready for marriage.
But still had fun reading!!
February 16, 2023
Holy crap I’ve NEVER read a book like this before and I LOVED IT!
The Witt
The spice
The story
Gahhhh I hate I need to wait for book two. I hope it’s MM. I really really enjoy this authors writing style it’s unlike so many of the romances I read
The Witt
The spice
The story
Gahhhh I hate I need to wait for book two. I hope it’s MM. I really really enjoy this authors writing style it’s unlike so many of the romances I read
February 11, 2023
I loved every single, solitary thing about this book. Imagine if Andy Weir wrote MM romance. There’s science and love and two people finding their way to each other, unexpectedly. Sebastian is 💯 incredible, at all times, and Jackson is so screwed up but so noble and sincere. This was absolutely phenomenal. 1000/10, would read again.
January 19, 2023
I love finding a new-to-me author - like, it legit *delights* me, especially when their book is so damn good. And Cassandra Moore's The Accident Husband is fantastic!
First, Cassandra writes how I talk / think, so that already predisposed me to love the book. Her writing was funny and very conversational, while still being serious and touching when needed.
Sebastian is a high school teacher and an out-and-proud geek. He's also bisexual, but the last time he admitted that out loud, it hadn't ended well so he's very happy to keep that part of himself firmly in the closet. He's also lonely and ready to settle down, so he signs up for Mail Call Mates, an AI matchmaking service with a crazy high success rate that pairs civilians with military members, to find a wife.
Instead, he's assigned a husband.
Jackson is a guarded military man who's been burned in the past. The only people he can rely on are his family and his team, and he's rolling in the guilt of letting them down. A husband to come home to after his grueling missions sounds like his idea of heaven.
There are ups and downs, first-time MM relationships, love, heartbreak, and space travel in this book. Seriously, what more could you ask for? I love Andy Weir's books and The Accidental Husband felt like one of his combined with an epic romance!
First, Cassandra writes how I talk / think, so that already predisposed me to love the book. Her writing was funny and very conversational, while still being serious and touching when needed.
Sebastian is a high school teacher and an out-and-proud geek. He's also bisexual, but the last time he admitted that out loud, it hadn't ended well so he's very happy to keep that part of himself firmly in the closet. He's also lonely and ready to settle down, so he signs up for Mail Call Mates, an AI matchmaking service with a crazy high success rate that pairs civilians with military members, to find a wife.
Instead, he's assigned a husband.
Jackson is a guarded military man who's been burned in the past. The only people he can rely on are his family and his team, and he's rolling in the guilt of letting them down. A husband to come home to after his grueling missions sounds like his idea of heaven.
There are ups and downs, first-time MM relationships, love, heartbreak, and space travel in this book. Seriously, what more could you ask for? I love Andy Weir's books and The Accidental Husband felt like one of his combined with an epic romance!
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