chez_jae

Off Key by May Archer

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


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Completed the book Off Key by May Archer last night. It's the third in her "Whispering Key" series of male/male romances. Main characters are Rafe Goodman, a Whispering Key lifer, and Jay Rollins, up-and-coming rock star.

Rafe and Jay grew up as besties, spending their summers together on Whispering Key. Rafe developed a crush on Jay as they got older, but he knew he had no chance with his straight BFF. When he had a chance to help Jay's sister, Aimee, via a marriage of convenience, Rafe took it, not knowing he was breaking Jay's heart in the process.

Jay always knew he wanted to write songs and play music, but he also knew the industry wasn't kind to gay men. For that reason, he kept his sexuality to himself along with his burgeoning feelings for his friend Rafe. Once he found success as "Jayd Rollins" and learned that Rafe and Aimee got married, Jay couldn't bear to spend time with either of them. He made sure he was always too busy to get together or even call. His attitude resulted in a huge falling out with Rafe, and now the two of them haven't spoken in years, never mind that "Jayd's" gold album was filled with songs inspired by Rafe.

When Aimee goes no-contact with both her brother and her ex-husband, Jay and Rafe are forced to travel together to find her and make sure she's okay. Being in close proximity reminds each of them of the closeness they once shared, but both are too scared to admit to any feelings or make the first move. It's going to take a kinda-sorta kidnapping, a stolen van, a phone call from Aimee, and the quirky residents of Whispering Key to convince Rafe and Jay that they were always meant to be together.

This one hit all the right feels. Typically in a romance, there's the getting to know one another stage, falling in love, then some drama or conflict before the HEA. In this story, we dive right into the drama and conflict stage. I was pleasantly surprised that, once Jay and Rafe finally talked to one another and got through it, there were no further monkey wrenches thrown into their lives other than the dilemma of how they would handle Jay being a famous musician, while Rafe hates to fly. Hint: the Key is the key! Characterizations were marvelous, even those characters who merely flitted through the narrative. I adored Jay's friend, Oak. The plot had great pacing, the dialogue was witty and heart-warming, and the sexy times were amazing.

Favorite lines:
♦ I had the resources to enjoy myself to the fullest. So what was I doing? Chaperoning a meeting of the Extravaganza Committee. As one does.
♦ A dynastic marriage with a dowry of loaded nachos was not the weirdest setup for a Whispering Key love story I'd ever heard. Literally not even the weirdest this month.
♦ "The Rafe I know and tolerate is a bitter little ball of righteous indignation."
♦ "Did thinking of the giant penises rot your brain?"
♦ Every time I open my mouth, I make a noise like an Edvard Munch painting.
♦ "Choose dicks at every opportunity, you hear me?"
♦ If I kept trucking down Pity Party Lane, I was pretty sure I'd end up sobbing into my fritters.
♦ When I was with him, something in my soul sighed and whispered, "Ah, there you are!" And I was pretty sure it always would.
♦ "Lord a'mercy, we got us a geyser! The end-times are upon us!"*
♦ "A man never appreciates what he has until shit's half a foot high and rising, am I right?"
♦ "And this guy loves a good topping."
♦ "The kidnapping wasn't for nothing. Best kidnapping I've ever experienced. Ten out of ten."
♦ "Responsibility is stupid. We should throw away our phones and just stay here."
♦ I might have worried that the rapture had come, except my cousin Fenn wasn't replying either, and there was no way that fucker wouldn't be left behind just like me.

May Archer always makes me laugh! Loved this story, five stars.

Off Plan by May Archer

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I spent a good part of the weekend reading Off Plan by May Archer. This is the first book in her "Whispering Key" series of male/male romances. Once again, story is told in alternating points of view between the main characters, Fenn Reardon and Mason Bloom.

After getting dumped by his fiancée, Mason decides to shake up his orderly, planned life. On a whim, he accepts the job as the resident doctor at a tropical resort in Florida. For once, Mason is going to do something spontaneous, something for himself. What he hadn't counted on was that the resort is falling apart. It seems Mase hitched his dreams to someone else's dream and now he's stuck here until the mayor, Big Rafe, can find a replacement and Mason can land another job. He hadn't counted on the zany characters peopling the island or that he'd come to care for them, nor had he counted on his undeniable attraction to tour guide Fenn Reardon. Especially since Mason is straight...right?

Fenn didn't appreciate being sent to collect the new doctor from the airport, especially when he sees Dr Bloom. Everything about him reminds Fenn too much of the last time he made a mistake and hooked up with a "straight" guy. Plus, Mason intends to bail at the first opportunity...right?

If two people ever needed their heads knocked together, it was this pair. I give Mason credit, however; he went into a quasi-relationship with Fenn with thoughtful deliberation. He'd never thought of himself as being attracted to guys, but he's definitely attracted to Fenn. As for Fenn, he kept pushing Mason away when things got too intense, but if the two dunderheads had just talked to one another, there wouldn't have been so many misunderstandings and confusion and hurt feelings. Guh. Characters were fully realized, including all of the secondary ones. I especially liked Fenn's cousin, Beale. It was also fun to see how the author is tying this series to others: Fenn's cousin, Gage, is in "Sunday Brothers", while Mason's brother, Micah, is part of the "Love in O'Leary" series.

Favorite lines:
♦ Nobody ever told you Florida was the gateway to hell until it was too late.
♦ "Sounds like an episode of Scooby Doo. You're basically asking for mysteries and hijinks."
♦ What a clusterfuck of enormous, never-before-seen-proportions of clusterfuckery.
♦ "Don't touch another man's knob, Loafers."
♦ "It's either going to be glorious or horrifying."
♦ "Try asking yourself if it's better to be a little important to a lot of people, or to be really really important to a few people."
♦ I was done giving headspace to how other people viewed my life.

Funny, touching, hot--checks all the boxes for a romance. Five stars from me.