Book 29, 2024

[chez_jae]

A Subtle Breeze by Bailey Bradford

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



About half an hour ago I finished reading A Subtle Breeze by Bailey Bradford. It's the first in her "Southern Spirits" series of male/male romance, featuring a paranormal element. The main characters are Ezekiel "Zeke" Matthers and Brendon Shanahan.

Coming out in a small Texas town was difficult for Zeke, and when a violent assault happened, he retreated into himself. Now he stays on his ranch and makes a longer trek to a larger town for any needed supplies. Brendon's cousin Gloria is BFFs with Enessa Matthers. The two girls conspire to introduce Zeke and Brendon. The men's chemistry is off the charts from the get-go, but Zeke is afraid for Brendon's safety if he sticks around. His worry is not for nothing, because the old homophobia rears its ugly head once more. This time, however, Brendon is willing to stand at Zeke's side and fight for what they have. They are strengthened in their resolve by the presence of Zeke's mama, in spirit form, who offers comfort and warning in equal measure.

I enjoy male/male romance, and I love all things paranormal; therefore, this book should have been my perfect cuppa tea. Instead, I was very meh about the entire story. The plot, what there was of it, was simply framework for the sex. Don't get me wrong; the sex scenes were hot and steamy, but they dominated the story. Gloria and Enessa connived to get Zeke and Brendon together for dinner at Zeke's home then they abruptly dipped out, leaving the guys alone. Within minutes they were going at it like bunnies, and I nearly lost my eyebrows somewhere in my hairline. Okaaaay...They also were in love the next day. Cue my eyebrows disappearing again. The sheer frequency of the sexual activity also perplexed me. I mean, shouldn't there be some recovery time involved? Zeke and Brendon aren't teenagers, ffs. Speaking of Brendon, my first loss of eyebrows happened when I read his full name. Is Bailey a hockey fan? Because Brendan Shanahan is an NHL Hall-of-Famer. Any half-iced hockey fan would recognize the name. It made things a tad awkward for me to read, because I kept picturing the Brendan Shanahan I am familiar with.

Favorite line: "Someone ought to bury her and slap an invisible 'x' over the spot, then burn the damn treasure map."

I am really torn over the rating here. I've read and enjoyed other books by this author, but this doesn't deserve more than a two. I'd love to give it 2 1/2, but since I can't...sorry. Two stars.