Strawberries for Dessert

Coda #4

by Marie Sexton

When Jonathan Kechter agrees to a blind date with Cole Fenton, he expects nothing more than dinner and a one-night stand... but he gets more than he bargained for in Cole. Cole is arrogant, flamboyant, and definitely not Jon’s type. Still, when Cole suggests an arrangement of getting together for casual sex whenever they're both in town, Jon readily agrees.

Their arrangement may be casual, but Jonathan soon learns that when it comes to Cole Fenton, nothing is easy. Between Cole’s fear of intimacy and his wandering lifestyle, Jonathan wonders if their relationship may be doomed from the start—but the more Cole pushes him away, the more determined Jon is to make it work.

Coda: Which book do I read first?

Genres: M M Romance, Romance, Contemporary, LGBT, Gay, Contemporary Romance, Erotica

242 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 6, 2010

About the author

Marie Sexton lives in Colorado. She’s a fan of just about anything that involves muscular young men piling on top of each other. In particular, she loves the Denver Broncos and enjoys going to the games with her husband. Her imaginary friends often tag along. Marie has one daughter, two cats, and one dog, all of whom seem bent on destroying what remains of her sanity. She loves them anyway.

The absolute best way to stay up-to-date on my books is by joining my FB group. You can view livestreams about Oestend, Coda, and the Heretic Doms Club. I also give away books on a regular basis. NO DRAMA ALLOWED!!


Or, you might want to check out these pages:

Coda: Which book do I read first?

Find a book by trope or heat level.


Visit my website/blog at http://www.MarieSexton.net

Reviews

[Julio Genao · Rating 1 out of 5]

two imbeciles initiate a series of idiotic fights interspersed with clinical sex while being defined by a systemic failure to communicate.

[Exina · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Strawberries for Dessert is such an amazing book. Wonderfully done

• the build-up of the romance
• the characters
• the development of the characters
• the depiction of emotions
• humor
• writing style
• structure
• conflict
• amount of angst
• ending



Only one tiny flaw:
The erotic scenes were not as explicit as I’d like. ;)



My favorite quotes.

[Ingie · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Strawberry Scented Stars

This is like some sun-warmed, sweet, tiny strawberries - good, sweet, tasteful and colourful - heartbreaking fine and incredibly romantic...

This story is about two guys who create a fuck buddy relationship. They meet when the restless Cole is in town and need a "lover", Jonathan. A settlement both of them think is really good from the start. It's dinner, sex and otherwise just a friend relationship. No kisses, gentle words or promises. Both are very on the move and both are perhaps afraid of love and decisions about the future. But then time passed and their relationship, which was supposed to be so simple, becomes more and more complicated and emotional.



That this was not a question of love, or a couple's relationship, created a tension in the book that felt a bit fresh and also interesting. The fact that this story all the time was from Jonathan's POV, with the exception of letter Cole wrote to a friend, created that uncertainty about what Cole really felt and wanted, etc. I don't always like that, but in this story it worked great for me as a reader. Cole remained mysterious and exciting.

I also like that this isn't about two tough, beefy, muscular males but is rather about a slightly feminine guy (Cole), with swinging hips and beautiful clothes, and a guy (Jonathan) who has some trouble dealing with this.

I must admit I had a little hard to feel for Cole at first, but then my heart bled for him. He is flamboyant, ironic and quite shallow but I began to really love him. "Everything" is just maybe about that Jonathan would also see that "little" guy (who probably just want to be loved) behind the glittering shell.

I was engaged from the first page and loved every single line. Wonderfully romantic and cute. Will definitely read more of Ms. Sexton's books.

I LIKE - this romance has it all - absolutely wonderful



~~~~~~~

~ I discovered now that it is a newly published short novel (140 pages) with a sequel to this story.

[Heather K (dentist in my spare time) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very lovely romance from my new favorite woman, Marie Sexton. I didn't love Cole and Jonathan together at first and I wasn't sure how she would turn this book around. Slowly but surely, I fell for these characters and saw what all the fuss was about.

Now did I love this as much as Promises? No, no, no... sorry, for me they aren't even close. I think part of that has to do with the fact that I have a weakness (with a capital W) for gay first-timers and out-for-you themes. I also had a little bit of trouble connecting with Cole and Jonathan. They are both so closed off and emotionally distant that it took me a lot longer to warm up to them than it did with Matt and Jared. I also think that this book could have been a wee bit smuttier for my taste.

However, was this book beautiful and skillfully written? Absolutely. It, like "Promises", kept me up late into the night. I love the way Marie Sexton writes first person POV and creates electric chemistry. All in all a very sweet, romantic read.

[*J* Too Many Books Too Little Time · Rating 4 out of 5]

I almost DNFd this book at about 20%. For two reasons.

(1) Fade to black sex....and honestly, this area didn't improve much. I think it started out this way to show how there weren't feelings involved between Cole and Jonathan. It was just a convenient arrangement. Just sex. Obviously over time that changed.

I found Cole to be very hard to like, especially in the beginning. And I never really understood why he was so emotionally closed off. But I grew to like him over time.

(2) All of the pet names - darling (gag), lovely (double gag), honey, sweetie....the list goes on and on. Cole's overuse of these pet names really nearly did me in. But again I think this was part of his facade and the more the book progressed, the less the pet names were used. Thank you lord.

I still found myself wanting to read their story. I wanted to see them admit their feelings. And in the end I really liked this one.

[Shile (Hazard's Version) on-hiatus · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unpopular Review Ahead proceed with caution.! Spoiler Ahead!

Ha! I called it! here it comes… Its not the book its me. This book has so many 5 stars reviews and I went in with high hopes. Oh! Boy I ended up disappointed, I thought maybe it will be better on Audio, Oi! It made it worse. (returned the audio.)



I liked Trailer Trash and Promises but this I ended up not liking at all.

Why?

Cole - I really wanted to like him but I failed miserably, I did not like his behavior from the beginning of the story, maybe I would have understood him if we got his POV but we only get to was see him through Jonathan's eyes. We are told that he disappears for days weeks sometimes months without even a phone call to Jonathan my question is why? He doesn’t like to cuddle again why?



I wanted to know more about him but..…



Jonathan- he was just boring, I really could not get into his narration. I wanted to smack him at time and tell him to stand up for himself. And i did not fell the chemistry between the two.

This made me angry at both of them.

“I’m leaving for New York tomorrow.”
“You’re what?” I asked, stunned. “Why?”
“It’s just time, love. That’s all.”
“How long will you be gone?”
“I don’t know really. A week, I suppose. Maybe two.”
I resisted the urge to ask bitterly if he would be seeing Raul while he was there. “We’ve only had a few nights together since before Thanksgiving,” I said, trying not to sound like I was whining. “Do you have to go now?”
“I really do, love,”
I GOT up the next morning and went for a jog. When I came home, he was gone. That was it. He didn’t even say goodbye. I tried not to be hurt. I tried not to be angry. I did my best not to imagine him with Raul. I partially succeeded at the first two, but at the last, I failed miserably. I told myself over and over again that I was being an idiot.

The fade to black sex scenes, bummer! I love reading detailed sex scenes here we are told they went to bed and had mind blowing sex… Ummmm! Please show me, please!



And then this,

There had never been any pretense that our relationship was exclusive.
I had known about his other lovers from day one. So why did I care so much now?
We had been seeing each other for approximately nine months. In the first two or three months of that time, I had still seen other men occasionally. Cole had been out of town a lot, and I never knew when he would return. It hadn’t been a big deal. But at some point over the summer, I had quit wanting to see anybody else. It wasn’t that I ever made the decision to be exclusive with him. It wasn’t out of any false sense of faithfulness.
I simply didn’t have any desire to look elsewhere. I always knew he would be back eventually, and I chose to wait. It was that simple

Ohh! And there were no apologies, when MC’s behave badly I really need some serious groveling.

Nope not that simple, I could not get over that.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me start this review with a confession...I was never a Cole fan. It’s not that I disliked him, it’s just that he never registered on my radar as anything other than a plot tool in Marie’s other two books - Promises and The Letter Z. His “friends with benefits” relationship in Promises and his party quickie in The Letter Z just seemed like devices to launch other character stories off. When I read that Marie was planning a whole book involving Cole, as much as I LOVE Marie’s writing, I wasn’t very excited. Sound like you? Well, let me put your fears to rest. Read this. It’s wonderful. One of the best of 2010.

Maries takes two characters from previous books, Cole and Jonathan, puts them together and creates one hell of a couple. Both characters are out gay men with a little personal baggage. The good thing is that their issues are not related to being gay, but to issues that any reader, regardless of orientation, can relate with - family history, career, prior relationships. Together each characters helps the other see the world around them and refocus on what is important and real. I don’t want to give the impression that either of them are pitiful or bitter, they aren’t. They are both just living their lives the way each of us do everyday. Content perhaps, or blind to just how much happier we could be if we took a chance at something...or let someone take control. Cole is happy to travel and have his “friend” at each stop, closing himself off to the possibility of finding love...or, at least to him, the greater possibility of being hurt by love. Jonathan takes pride in his career, but to what end? He started on the ground floor and worked his way up the ranks and he’s on his way to a senior position he’s desired...but to what end? More travel, more responsibility, more work and less personal life.

Strawberries for Dessert is a hard book to put down. The chapters flow by, the characters are well formed and interesting and the dialogue is trimmed of unnecessary detail. There are moments in the book where the characters say things to one another that had they been said to me in real life I would have rolled my eyes, but coming from them they seemed so natural, honest and heartfelt.

As a reader Marie Sexton has spoiled me. With the exception of this book (as I stated above) my expectations have been very high and she has met them each time. I have no doubt that if I was to raise them for the next book(s) she would sail over and not even touch the bar.

[Optimist ♰King's Wench♰ · Rating 2 out of 5]

good story; turrrrrrible narration

3 stars for the story; maybe 3.5. Mebbe.
1 star for the narration

I don't relish being mean but honestly the narration on this was so awful that it hindered my enjoyment of the story. The sad thing is *I think* the story was a good one but I spent the entire time swimming upstream IN A HURRICANE trying to find it!



I listened to a sample but what doesn't happen there is the narrator's uneven speaking style. His cadence is up and down with the added bonus of on the "down" he sounds bored AF. YAY! (sarcasm) AND there's no real rhyme or reason that I could parse as to why some things were "up" and other's "down". Six and a half hours of this! What's more, he stumbled over words, mispronounced words and none, I repeat NONE, of that was edited out.

I've had some sub-par listening experiences since I started doing the AB thing and this will vie for the worst of the worst title.



As for the story, I liked the way Cole and Jonathan were constructed as characters. The progression of their relationship was realistic given that they started super casual.

I'm a sucker for femme characters and I REALLY liked that Cole's "femme-ness" (at times) has depth and meaning, how it varied depending on the situation. I do wish I knew more about him, more about his backstory. I found myself hungry for those little glimpses inside his head through the emails to his friend Jared sprinkled throughout.

As I mentioned earlier, I liked the realism of this story. I found Jonathan's reservations regarding being a "kept boy" and his struggle with that to be credible. His pride does dip into misogyny with a dash of socially acceptable gender roles, both topics that could've turned the narrative preachy but I thought Sexton handled them with aplomb. The way this issue was resolved spoke to me and went a long way towards convincing me of their longevity.

There were some heartfelt moments that not only touched me but worked toward convincing me of their connection. It is a romance but it's not a super fluffy one which aligned with them as people and their relationship, but I admit I was hoping for some fluffiness at the end. Maybe in the follow up. One can hope. Also, it wasn't a very sexy story which I'm actually kind of grateful for considering the narrator, but I was mildly shocked by this considering I know Sexton is capable of melting my face off.

So, as awful as the narration was these characters were strong enough to compel me onward with their story. Not gonna lie, I was relieved to see the narrator change for Fear, Hope and Bread Pudding, though.



Thank all the things.

Recommended to fans of casual to love and/or opposites attract stories.

[Lenore · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book... This book!! I know most of my GR friends loved it but it kept grating on my nerves.

First of all, the people in this story kept blushing:

"I felt myself blush," "I felt myself blush again," "I still saw the blush that had appeared on his cheeks," "I stammered, feeling myself blush," "I felt a blush start to creep up my cheeks," "I suspected it was to keep me from seeing the blush on his cheeks," "his blush deepened," "his blush deepened and he looked away," I saw a blush start to creep up his cheeks," "I felt myself blush as I remembered," "a blush was creeping up his cheeks," "he turned away from me to hide his blush," "my dad blushed a little," "my cheeks were turning red," "feeling my cheeks turning red again," "his cheeks [were] bright red," "I felt my cheeks turning bright red," "his cheeks red with embarrassment," "my dad's cheeks started to turn a little bit red," "his cheeks slowly turning red," "as his face turned even more red," "I felt my face turning red," "Frank's cheeks were red and so on.

The people in this story also kept tearing up and crying:

"I thought maybe he was fighting back tears," he might even have been close to tears," "with a voice that was thick with tears," "he was fighting tears," his eyes opened, and they were moist with tears," "there were tears on his cheeks," "his eyes were red and wet with tears," "whatever it was that had him in tears on my couch," "I suspected he was near tears again," "I kissed him and tasted tears," "I could hear the tears in his voice," "I fought back the tears," "I kissed the tears from his cheeks," "his eyes were swimming with tears," "his tears started to come faster," "his voice choked with tears," "there were still tears on his cheeks," "I stopped short fighting back tears," "I lost my own battle to keep my tears at bay," "the woman was fighting tears," "wiping the tears from her cheeks," "it almost brought tears to my eyes," "let go and allowed the tears to come."

They also kept bristling:

"I felt myself bristle," "I felt myself bristle a little," "I bristled at that," "the man bristled notably."

The sex scenes were almost non-existent, there was no sexual tension between the main characters (telling me that "they went to the bedroom and had earth-shattering sex" won't do the trick, I'm afraid. Show me!) so I wasn't convinced Jon and Cole were right for each other.

In a nutshell, for me, this was the story of two drama-loving, constantly flustered saps who had no particular chemistry between them and bristled a lot.

Yeah. Not good.

[Eva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet, tasteful, heartbreaking, wonderful and incredibly romantic...




This story is about two guys goes from "fuck buddy" relationship which was supposed to be so simple, becomes more and more complicated and emotional.

"He was breathless, his hands tearing at my clothes. He even let me kiss him, which he didn’t do often. He tasted like something sweet and fruity. His lips were soft and warm, the sweet smell of his hair so familiar, and whatever had happened, it was all forgotten in a moment. I couldn’t wait to get his clothes off of him."

Defences go down, layers are peeled away and things eventually cross the bridge from relaxed to very powerful and amazing.

"I pulled him tight against me and kissed him. I had kissed him many times, but never like this. Never with my heart in my throat and my hands shaking. Never with the need that I felt now. I wanted to taste every part of him. I wanted somehow to touch him the way he had touched me."

This was hard for me to put this book down... The chapters flow by, the characters are well formed and interesting and the dialogues are clever and trimmed of unnecessary detail. I loved every word...

"Shhh, Jonny. Don’t say it." He moved his hand away, wrapped his arm around me and snuggled closer. "Goodnight."

I adored Cole *sigh*

It was an adorably sweet read with a bit of angst that had me laughing and crying and the ending was perfect.




Beautifully written.
Captivating characters.
Breathtaking.
Memorable.
A must read M/M romance!

[Imme [trying to crawl out of hiatus] van Gorp · Rating 4 out of 5]

|| 4.0 stars ||

This was really rather interesting.

The timeline and progression of the relationship between Cole and Jonathan is unique and enthralling: it was very different from usual.
I honestly do not even really know how to describe their dynamic, but I can say that I really liked it.

I also just want to point out that I was incredibly intrigued by Cole: his whole character was so interesting to me, and I loved trying to figure him out.
Aside from that I also just really loved how he was as a person; so funny, sweet, distinctive, and confident yet terribly insecure.
I couldn’t help but laugh at Cole’s antics, or hurt for him when he was clearly struggling; I felt connected to him.

Therefore, I was so happy when Jonathan finally started to see how freaking amazing Cole was and realize how in love he truly was with him; it was soooo good!
The build-up was great, and the pay-off even better!
I was obsessed with how badly Jon needed Cole to accept his touches, his affection, his love. *swoon*

I had a genuinely good time reading this; it’s pleasently written, has a good amount of emotional depth, a true connection to the characters, and also managed to crack me up from time to time!

[Mirjana **DTR - Down to Read** · Rating 3 out of 5]

***3.5 stars***

I'll admit I wasn't Cole's biggest fan from the first book, but he certainly won me over! I loved his flamboyant side as much as his broken vulnerability.



In the beginning I was a bit disappointed with the fade to black sex scenes, but I eventually caught on that the author was using sex as a visual of how the relationship was unfolding. As the self-protective barriers and walls started to fall, the intimacy began to slowly present itself. Not overly smutty or hot, but enough to show the progression of the relationship. An effective tactic that worked really well with the story.

[fleurette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book in one afternoon. This is a very good story, maybe not the best I have read recently, but definitely a fine entertainment. I didn't read the other books in this series, but it wasn't a problem.

The whole story is told mainly from Jonathan's perspective. I don't really like the first-person narrative, but here it doesn't bother me at all. This is because Jon is an interesting hero and his problems and emotions are understandable and not annoying. Cole is much more mysterious. We learn his thoughts and feelings partly thanks to short emails to Jared. And although I would like to know more about him, as for a book written from Jon's perspective and we know quite a lot about him. Enough to understand why he is what he is. Of these two, Cole is a more fascinating character, but it’s nice that we gradually get to know him through Jon's eyes.

Another thing that surprises me in this book - that is, of the things I usually don't like and that don't bother me here, is a drama. We have several stormy quarrels here, a lot of strong emotions and tension. Even a typical dramatic parting at the end, but all this instead of irritating me as usual, somehow fits the whole story and only seems exciting to me. I think it's because all these scenes are well written and don't overwhelm the general plot. Arguments and scenes full of drama are simply rational regarding the other events. And even the final scene of a dramatic parting makes sense in terms of the personality of the characters.

Overall, it's a very good story. Cole could easily become just another poor little rich guy and yet he is a fascinating hero who fights his demons. Jon, who is troubled by his own doubts, is also very interesting. If the other stories in this series are equally good, I will definitely consider reading them soon.

[⭐️AMST⭐️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️ 4.5 ⭐��

[A.J. Llewellyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

In spite of nearly giving up on this after a shaky start with Cole being such a flamer - he had me tearing what's left of my hair out - I grew to love this book.
It could have benefitted from ruthless editing - the endless descriptions of Cole's head tossing and tilting with his hair falling in - and away from - his eyes were repetitious and overdone. Then there were his constant darlings, muffins (!), sugars, honeys etc...
but...
but...
but...I grew to love Jonathan who nurses some pretty painful ghosts. Having lost my mother when I was young, his loss felt real. His character resonates and once you blow past the camper-than-thou facade of Cole, he sort of does too. The story works its charm even though no self-respecting gay man would describe his lover's couture as 'some sort of white shirt'. They can tell you what kind of shirt it is, even when they are fashion dunces (I'm one, so I know).
At heart is a tale of mismatched men. I really did enjoy this. If I had hair like Cole's, I'd tilt my head so it hit my eyes as I say, "More please."

[Isabel · Rating 5 out of 5]

DELICIOUS!!!

I love this book, the plot, the characters... everything, but especially Cole! He is adorable, sweet, caring, but so intense! There is this mystery aura surrounding him that is so appealing... no wonder Jon couldn't stop thinking about him!



I was a little scared that Jon wouldn't see what everyone was seeing, but fortunately he saw how much they loved each other, and that he had to give himself to the man of his life, just the way Cole had to drop all the walls that were protecting him!

An amazing and unforgettable love!!!

[Trisha Harrington · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book blew me away. It was amazing and wonderful and I am so happy I did read this eventually. After hearing about books 2 and 3, I decided to give up on this series. Open relationships are not my thing and I didn't know if I could skip the other two, luckily enough I could.

This book was definitely interesting and it was so different from the first one. I adore both books, but I adore them for different reasons. Which is possibly why both are five star reads in my opinion.

Cole and Jonathan were amazing together. They were both sort of broken, Cole especially. And they both had issues with relationships. And the reasons were different. Jonathan was hung up on an ex and Cole had so many issues and they made it hard for him to find his true place in the world. I think he was lost for a very long time and he wasn't sure how to find himself.



If you want something with a lot of hot sex and very little plot, this really isn't for you. It was a love story and it was a healing story. It had a lot to offer and it was angsty too. So don't expect an easy read. Because it wasn't. But it did have a happy ending. A really nice ending actually. But there is another book with these two, which is very exciting for me.

Overall, this was an extremely good read. It's one of my favourites and I think Cole and Jon will always have a little place in my heart. A must read!

[Kaje Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best version of the flamboyant gay main character that I have read. Usually I don't like books where the big obstacle to the MC's getting together is that each thinks the other is less in love. (Whether m/m or hetero, I want to smack their heads together and say get on with it.) But these two had the other issues, the intrinsic characteristics and the relationship that made it work. The evolution of their love is slow and painful and sweet and makes sense every step of the way.

[Nikyta · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I adored this story. It's probably the best in the series. I loved the unique way it was told in first person from Jonathan but also in emails from Cole to Jared. It was different and gave me the ability to get to know Jonathan but also Cole without having too many POV shifts. It was a nice change.

I loved Jonathan from the start. He's kind of stuck up, serious and boring to some but he has determination and knows what he wants and how to get there. I didn't like Cole in the beginning. Actually, I hated him. He was dramatic, careless, arrogant and pretty annoying. That probably has to do with the fact he eyefucks a bartender right in from of Jon (while they are on a date and takes the guy's card) and doesn't see what was so wrong with that. Then there were a few other things but over time I started to like Cole. I grew to understand him and to love him as well. He's self-conscious, caring and has so many insecurities that'd you never know because he hides it behind his flamboyancy. It's actually quite sad. He can't let his guard down or he'll start to feel for Jon more than what there is and potentially get hurt. Jon, at first, wasn't comfortable with how Cole acted but then he started to overlook that and care for Cole. He wasn't ashamed of his love for Cole. Hesitant and maybe timid and confused but I think that had more to do with Cole being hot and cold than what he was feeling.

I was actually shocked that I liked this book. It's slow moving but not so slow that it's boring. It's slow paced so we could get to know Cole and Jon and the relationship they formed. It's very sweet, cute and sometimes sad. But adorable over all. I think I smiled more than anything during this story because some of the things these two did were funny, sweet and cute. When it came to a point where their relationship started to get rocky, it wasn't sprung on you to the point where you're questioning why it happened, you understand why and you get it. At least I did. Jon was a little dumb when it came to Cole at the end and what he needed to do. Although, he figured it out in time and made the story perfect with his bemusement.

The secondary characters were fun. There was no one overly mean or harsh. No one to threaten their relationship status (except the bartender) or anything. Mostly supporters in this story which made it a nice read. Jon's dad, George, had no idea what to make of Cole which made it fun. Julia, Jon's neighbor, slapped some sense into Jon when needed and that made me like her. She was very feisty.

My only problem with the story was Cole. Aside from the fact I hated him in the beginning I felt he was a hypocrite at times. He got pissed that Jon couldn't accept him the way he was but then criticized and harped on Jon for who he was. I felt like it was unfair at times.

In the end, this story was a lot more than I expected. I really loved it and I know I'll be rereading it sooner rather than later. Cole and Jon are such opposites they make it work. They give and take and they come to a solution when needed. It was an adorably sweet read that had me laughing and crying (the ending was perfect). I hope there's more to come of these two (aside from their wedding) because this one left us with a little cliffhanger hope of something more and I want to see it come true!

And thanks to Heather C for making me finally read this in exchange for her to finish a book she wasn't liking! XP

[Amy Lane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Luminous, absolutely luminous. Cole and Jonathan are so terribly wrong for each other, and, in the end, exactly what the other one needs. Cole's emotional fragility is heartbreaking, and Jonathan's dedication to his pride (while irritating) is completely understandable. Their slow, subtle immersion from a purely sexual relationship of convenience to something sublime and painful is a joy to read.

[Kassa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I do believe Marie Sexton has done it again. The 4th book in the series just hits a smooth pace and never lets go. Although this is technically part of a series, it’s easily read as a stand alone book. The main characters have cameos as ex’s of the other characters so other than knowing the characters weren’t particularly likable previously, you can pick this one up alone with ease. The solid writing and real flair for great contemporary stories shines here with a story about two difficult personalities, prickly with many people, that seem to just fit well together. Add in a few commitment phobias, a workaholic, and a real look at relationships and the story comes together incredibly well. It’s easy and very enjoyable to read.

Told from Jonathan’s first person perspective, the reader follows along as he meets Cole on a blind date. Cole was Jared’s casual lover (Jared from Promises but it doesn’t matter). Jonathan was Zach’s ex (Zach from A to Z, but again it doesn’t matter). Cole and Jonathan have a disastrous first date when Jonathan can’t stop answering his work cell phone, yet Cole is intrigued by the man enough to give him a second chance. What starts as a friends with benefits arrangement soon becomes serious and both men must make changes to make the relationship work.

The writing is once again top notch from Sexton and I’ve yet to read something poor from her. Here the choice to show the story from Jonathan’s perspective I think is not only smart but essential. Jonathan’s a bit of a prick. He’s uptight, rigid, and very into his routine. He works hard, travels a lot, and focuses on the minutia of life. He likes his routine of waking up to jog then eat and working hard to come home to Cole cooking so the repetition of these scenes felt natural and honest within the relationship. Watching Cole and Jonathan gradually become more than occasional bed partners may be a slower pace than instant love stories but is very warm, engaging, and entertaining. I liked watching these two fall in love based on small intimacies, desires, and communication – well and their sex is of course smoking hot so no trouble there.

Their different personalities of course clash and this is one story with built in tension. Due to their initial opposing needs and past experiences, there is a real question if these two can actually work out their issues and be together in a happy ending. Neither are bad men, though they are sometimes incredibly frustrating, but they’re honest, warm, and real. They have issues, fights, arguments, and yearn for more from each other but they’re just not sure how to get there. This authenticity resonates well within the story and has you rooting for two men to be together, despite their quirks and flaws. The fact that they are prickly with flaws creates characters that transcend their stereotype and lets you fall for them, even if they’re frustrating.

Since the story is told from Jonathan’s pov, we can see why he reacts so strongly to things. This is important since otherwise he’d come across as an unredeemable jerk. Instead his past has shaped him just as his inability to really recognize certain things in his life. Once he wakes up, he finally “gets” it and there’s a real sense that he’s changed. Likewise Cole is shown not only through Jonathan’s skewed view but also through his emails to Jared. These emails show Cole’s heart and personality without the biased narrator in Jonathan and help break the cliché and stereotypical armor that Cole uses. Together they have moments of incredibly hot sex and moments of growing intimacy. The story uses these small things, such as a sigh, a look, a birthmark, to highlight how their feelings grow and change over time.

I personally didn’t find the pace slow at all and devoured the story but I can see that some may find the slow bloom of love somewhat languid. Combined with the repetitive details of their day this is the kind of contemporary story that will appeal to romance fans who love watching love grow and build. This isn’t instant love with tons of hot sex, a few fights and a happy ending but a relationship that feels more real and relatable between two men who never though the other was their type but slowly realize no one is more perfect.

[Ami · Rating 5 out of 5]

With "Strawberries for Dessert", Marie Sexton firmly puts herself on my favorite authors list. I am so in love with her characters - how she almost never have one character similar to the others (thank you, Amy, for pointing it that out for me). In this book, we have Jonathan (Zach's ex, from book #2) and Cole (Jared's friend with benefit, from book #1).

It's amazing to have these two characters, that are so different, but so right for each other. Jonathan is so 'straight', not that kind of straight but he has this one firm belief of what he is supposed to do in life. He works hard, he climbs that corporate ladder, and gets the result. He has his pride, that he must support his own life. Cole, on the other hand, is on your eyes flamboyant. It is what he is, he is not going to change that for anybody. He is out, proud, and he has that wanderlust within that makes him unable to stay in one place for too long. However, Cole also hides the other part of himself, the part when he lets his walls down, being open and vulnerable. Only he will not let anyone sees how he misses having someone to share his life with.

This story has some repetitive in actions (Cole cooking breakfast, Jonathan running in the morning, even those words about not missing each other) -- but isn't that what real life is? We have repetitive activities with people we share our life about. AND, when we are content doing all that, that is the sign where we are in that place that we are comfortable with them. Besides the repetitive actions, Ms. Sexton also shows how things slowly changes, like a sign on how Jonathan and Cole's feeling also progresses -- though mostly it's from Cole's side. From Cole letting Jonathan pay for dinner, kisses him on the mouth, the less travels that Cole does.

Like I said, Cole has this wanderlust within but slowly, Jonathan is able to pull him to Earth, without keeping him inside a wall. Doesn't mean that Jonathan doesn't change -- he also starts to see that sometimes life takes you to a whole different path, different than the way you visions your life to be, and that's okay. If I can try to come up with the kind of love the two people have, I will say Jonathan's is grounded and Cole's is supportive. It might be too simple to explain, but I can't think of grander words at this moment.

Another amazing look on people's characters, on relationships, and I must admit I cried in about two scenes (it involves a scene when Cole is trying Zach's mother's recipe as well as the final scene). Again, book that makes me deeply involved and emotional -- I can't NOT give it a perfect score.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

The best part of this book was Cole. I want to get to know him more and go shopping with him. He's flamboyant and he could be a bit pretentious but he would never consider changing for anyone. I could see why Jonathan got irritated with him at times but I loved his attitude and the fact that he made no apologies for it. He is who he is and anyone who doesn't like it could walk out the door. Even though he seemed like nothing could hurt him, it was only because he built up such a strong wall. He was lonely and terrified to let anyone get close to him.

The story was told from Jonathan's POV. He's uptight, strives to reach the top of the corporate ladder, and never expects to fall for Cole. I didn't really care much for Jonathan. Even though this was told from his POV, this was Cole's story. I loved his emails to Jared. Each time I looked forward to what he was going to say.

What I didn't like was the repetitiveness in the story, not only in the words but also their actions. I had to roll my eyes because Cole was always cooking or his bangs were always falling over his eyes.

I liked the slow buildup and how Jonathan was able to gradually tear down Cole's walls. I really enjoyed the first 75% of the book but then it turned too sappy for me. Someone was always tearing up or crying. I also tend to feel like Sexton's books turn into one big long sermon. Her points always seemed forced. Follow your heart, do what makes you feel happy, let go of your pride. It was all a little too much.

If I hadn't liked Cole so much this would have been a much lower rating.

[Eugenia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐️⭐️⭐️

For years, I’ve heard people rave about this book. I finally chose to read it. Maybe I expected too much from this book because I was sadly underwhelmed by the story. I wanted to like it, but I felt walled off from the characters. I didn’t get them, Cole, the run-away rich boy least of all.

I was also hoping for more explicit sex scenes. Didn’t happen. This is the third book in the series I’ve read, and while it’s better than the second, it’s nowhere near as good as the first, Promises.

To be honest, I would not have read it had it not coincided with another challenge. In fact, I almost gave up on it. I’m glad I finished if only to stop wanting to read it because it was supposed to be so great. To me, it was just OK.

[Nichole (DirrtyH) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Here's what I've decided about m/m and one of the many reasons why I love it. In straight romance, you pretty much only get one type of hero - big, dark and broody. In m/m, you get to see a full spectrum of men, from the domineering alpha male to the sweet sensitive guy to the big bright flaming queen. And you get to see why all the different types of guys are beautiful and attractive and wonderful in their own way. Cole is fantastic and I dare you not to love him.

The only real problem with this book is that our favorite characters from Marie's previous novels are only mentioned and we don't actually get to see them. I did not get my much needed Angelo-fix from this book, but it was otherwise perfect. Almost made me cry and that's saying a lot.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Yep, 3.5 stars. I even rounded up instead of down. LOL

Things I liked:

1) I. HEART. COLE. I have put in an application to be his full-time hag. His secret Arbor Mist obsession, and the way he studied those recipe cards put him on my List of all-time favorite characters. (Side note: I saw some of that shit wine at the grocery today, and just cracked up laughing.)

2) NO MATT. (Other than Cole’s hilarious “big angry cop” comments to Jared.) It's no secret I can't stand him, and his absence in the book improved my enjoyment of it immensely.

3) Unlike the other two couples in this series, I actually felt like there was a basis for the love here. The story was pretty well-developed, and took place over long period of time. They balanced each other out well. I could see how they were good for one another, and the things about both of them that would cause one to fall for the other.

4) Jonathan was an ass for about 90% of this book. But I admit, he and I share the Deadly Sin of pride, so… as much as he was an asshole in many places, I kinda got where he was coming from on the job stuff. NOT the wanting Cole to change stuff, though – that was 100% douchebag, and he totally got what he deserved.

5) George was a great character. He was someone who was clearly conflicted, but made a genuine effort to get past his own hang-ups and accept his son and his son’s lover so that they could be a family, and I really applauded him for that. The recipe box was such a sweet gesture!

Things that did NOT work for me:

1) I HATED that we got so little of Cole’s POV. I felt incredibly cheated. Because even the stuff we *did* get wasn’t actually inside his head, like it was with Jonathan, and the other characters in the other books. I call shenanigans on that one. First character in this series I’ve genuinely been intrigued by, man. I have to wonder why? I wanted to know more, such as who is this mystery guy who broke his heart?

2) More stereotype-invoking. Jesus. Between the proverbial stick up Jon’s ass, Cole’s “fruitiness,” and him liking to be restrained during sex? I’m pretty sure this series has now hit on every gay male stereotype UNDER. THE. SUN.

3) Predictable plot, but that’s been true of the whole series, so it’s not like I expected anything else.

4) Jonathan was an ass for about 90% of this book. I was flabbergasted by his behavior on their first date and that damned cell phone shit, and then later telling COLE he was rude?!!! And that whooooole part with dinner with George and the “date” to the theatre. UGH He’s somewhere between Matt’s obnoxiousness and Zach’s cluelessness. I really didn’t like him much, other than when he did occasional sweet, thoughtful things for Cole. He won brownie points in those scenes, so I didn't completely despise him.

5) I work in the business of university admissions, and I can tell you WITHOUT A DOUBT that no trust fund baby would be going to CSU unless he was, like, 6th gen legacy or something. (And let me clarify that it's NOT because it's not a good school. It's because of Cole's personal interests, personality, and upbringing - it just doesn't fit.)

6) Was it just me, or was there less sex in this book?

Conclusion: it has been worth reading this series for Cole alone.

[Glamdring · Rating 2 out of 5]

*Buddy read with V <3<3<3*

First, I would like to say that if, like me, you are OCD don't start with this book but with the first book of the Coda Books series. There were too many references to people not in the book for my little OCD self.

That being said, it's not that the writing was bad but even though I liked the emails parts, I never get caught in the story. I think that the main reasons are that there was little character development and not much happened in the book. Also, to be honest I didn't feel the love between Cole and Jonathan.

[Macky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though I can't really pick a favourite from this fabulous series I do have a strange fondness for Cole who may appear to be flip, 'flaming' and uber sarcastic but underneath is far more layered than meets the eye. This is definitely the best opposites attract story I've read in gay romantic fiction and I loved how these two ultra different characters finally came together to make the perfect fit. A wonderful addition to the series and again a must read.Jon and Coles story - Gorgeous!

[Debra ~~ seriously slacking on her reviews ~~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Who knew taking two of the least likable secondary characters in the series and putting them together would make such a good opposites attract story. Loved Jonathan and Cole together.

[Elisa Rolle · Rating 5 out of 5]

2010 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention (5* from at least 1 judge)