Can't see what's right in front of you. That's Ollie until his wife asks for a divorce. An enthusiastic bi-awakening and best friends trope!
"He'd always been my person, and I couldn't imagine that changing."
From the Joint Penetration blurb:
Ollie
The last thing I expected from my wife was a divorce. I’d checked all the boxes off—cozy house near my folks, joined the family business as a contractor, and married right out of high school. Except the more I think about how distant we’ve been, the more our split makes sense. And the more time I spend blowing off steam with my best friend, the more I want to actually…blow him.
Liam
Have I been hopelessly in love with Ollie my entire life? Yes, yes, I have. Has he been married for the past decade? Yes, yes, he has. However, when his wife calls it quits, my heart can’t help contriving scenarios where he might not be as straight as he seems. And when those scenarios start coming true—from scorching looks to playful grapples until we go much further—I throw myself into the deep end.
The second we start hooking up, I can’t hold back the feelings I’ve been clutching tight to for over a decade. But if this ends up a rebound for Ollie, a blip before he looks for a new wife, I won’t only be out a best friend but the love of my life.
Joint Penetration is a high heat, low angst M/M best friends to lovers romance with a bi awakening, birdwatching jokes, and a loud, nosy family that reads as a standalone.
Nedra's review:
This was such a fun, feel good story with very little angst. The concept of the plot was very interesting and different with a very amicable separation between initial characters. Finding their person, or figuring out their person, was satisfying with a character who had no qualms about their biawakening.
The chemistry between Liam and Ollie was fierce, evident by them being all over each other from the start. Strip Mortal Kombat is definitely an interesting idea for future games, too! The only issue with this one was whether Ollie ever took Liam, that would have been nice to read because of his enthusiasm with everything else. Besides that, prepare yourself for a lot of smut!
Reed Kaye's review:
Very low angst and very slow buildup relationship. Ollie followed the stereotypical behavior in high school and he and Josie were together. After marriage was next. Then after thirteen years Josie has decided to bring the truth to light and asks Ollie for a divorce. This starts Ollie on his journey of self discovery.
Liam has known forever that his crush on his bff was never going anywhere. He and Ollie have had a friendship that is more than friends but it isn’t until Ollie is faced with divorce that Liam has hope.
This is an enjoyable story with family and friends that add so much to the daily development. I’m glad that the characters from here will appear in the next series.
SNik's review:
Third in series (Hot Under the Collar), might be more fun if read in order due to a shared cast across the series. Best friends to lovers. Dual POV.
Ollie has just had his life upended, his marriage of 13 years is over, but he can always rely on his best friend Liam to see him through. Liam has been in love with Ollie for years, but Ollie has always been unavailable and of course straight. Although Liam struggles with his secret crush, Ollie immediately starts to feel attraction to Liam beyond friendship, and he jumps in with no hesitation.
I did appreciate that there was no angst surrounding Ollie being bisexual, and the acceptance of family and friends without drama was nice. Liam and Ollie are sweet with each other, and their longstanding friendship shifts easily into romance with plenty of heat between them. This was a fun read, as was the entire series. I can’t wait for the spin-off series.
Rogue's Review:
- Best Friends to Lovers
- Low/No Angst
- Bi-awakening
- High heat
This is the last in the Hot Under The Collar series, and it can be read as a standalone although there are some recurring characters. Liam has been in love with his best friend Ollie for 15 years, but Ollie has been married for most of that time, and straight (or so Liam thought) for all of it. Ollie gets divorced and suddenly sees Liam in a new light.
I have to say that Ollie is the most relaxed person about realising he was bi, there was no angst at all, no soul searching, just Ollie realising he fancied his best friend after seeing his underwear. The whole story is so laid back and chill, it's a real treat. Ollie is quite intense but Liam is his perfect other half. They've been best friends and inseparable for years, so for him it was a natural progression to being boyfriends with Liam. It's super hot too, these two are so compatible right from the first time and there's only one small, easily resolved bump in the road to their HEA.
I liked both guys, I like the friend group and Ollie's family too, and I'm happy we will see more of them in future. This was a lovely read, and a great end to a fun series.
Angel's review:
I absolutely loved Liam and Ollie!! There is so much backstory and depth to their friendship that when they finally get romantic with each other it just fits. I was cheering these guys on throughout the whole story, they are so personable and have such vibrant personalities. The story itself was written incredibly, and I adored each and every character. I have a huge soft spot for the MC's though, they are just so adorable!!
I think some might think the pacing of the characters getting together happened too quickly, but I don't feel that way. As soon as this story starts we get a lot of information about how long Liam and Ollie have been friends, and just how long Liam has had feelings for Ollie, along with Ollie realizing just how long he's denied how he feels about Liam. All of that backstory helped make the pacing flow smoothly, and seem natural.
This story was a nice, light read, full of incredible characters, a terrific storyline, plenty of cheesy romance goodness, and yes, there's steam too.
I really enjoyed this story and I am looking forward to more from the Brannon Boys!
Nicole's review:
This series is the epitome of fluffy fun. Liam and Ollie have been there for each other since childhood. I absolutely adored this pair, and the ease of the friends to lovers was so well done. I really liked that the author contrasted this book so much from the previous enemies to lovers in the series. Liam was by far my favorite, he was such a good friend and deserves all the love. Ollie was such a golden retriever you can't be mad that it took him so long to figure himself out. Loved it!!!!!
Miki J's review:
And the third book is the charm! Loved this series from book 1 and this one certainly did not disappoint. Unrequited crush that does turn into something passionate and beautiful .... I love seeing how characters who are best friends for soooo long and then something happens to shake ones world and it's like they can see clearly now. And he's certainly got an eye-full !!! bahahahahahaha Love the MC's - they have great chemistry and it helps that they are friends and there for each other before it all went not-pear shaped. And love the group of friends/family who are involved - adds the fun and laughter. Overall, very enjoyable book and great series.
Molly Otto's review:
What a perfect ending for the Hot Under the Collar series, and not to mention the introduction to the Brannons! That family is gonna be a hoot in her all new upcoming series, the Brannon Boys!
So lovely clueless Ollie is just so perfect. Yes, you want to hit him with a clue by four, but you still wanna snuggle him full stop. Liam is just that perfect best friend who doesn't initiate, but let's it play out as it was always meant to be. It's no surprise when they finally take a shot it's fire and moves warp speed full stop because they've been each other's person so dang long. Can't say how much I love this book, just pure happiness and sunshine!
Heather's Review:
Joint Penetration wraps up the Hot Under the Collar series with a hot besties to lovers story that blends cheesy romance lines with bi-awakening in a truly low angst setting. I love that Ollie just opens himself up to the possibilities and makes Liam's long time crush and hopes a reality! This was a great read that gives us enough connection to the series that those of us who have read from the beginning will appreciate the cameos, but if this is your first look at Hot Under the Collar, you can easily read it as standalone!
I can't wait to see what Kat has in the works for the next contemporary series!
Joint Penetration is currently available as an e-book and paperback and can be read as part of your Kindle Unlimited Subscription
Comments
Post a Comment