Review: Owning It by Riley Hart & Devon McCormack
SYNOPSIS:
Just out of an eighteen-year marriage, the last thing Jackson expects the first time he visits a gay bar is for a sexy, drunk, twenty-six-year-old twink to mistakenly climb into his Jeep. The twink part he’s good with, the drunk part…not so much. As far as Jackson’s concerned, the boy should come with a warning label. But Derek is not as flighty as Jackson thought…he’s actually pretty incredible. Getting to know the wild, funny man is a breath of fresh air. And when Derek calls him Daddy? Christ, he never thought something like that would feel so right.
Derek has serious daddy issues, and his name is Jackson. He’s stubborn and controlling…and ever since Derek woke up in the silver fox’s condo, he can’t get Jackson out of his mind. Maybe because no matter how many times he throws himself at him, Jackson doesn’t take the bait. And maybe because Jackson is the one person who sees him for who he really is. But Derek loves a challenge, and he’s eager to rock Jackson’s world.
Jackson isn’t interested in a meaningless hookup. He wants the real Derek, not just the sassy jokester everyone else sees. But it’s not easy for Derek to open up. He feels much safer guarding his heart. And Jackson needs to figure out the balance between living for himself and the mountain of responsibilities weighing him down. Derek and Jackson must find the common ground between hookup and commitment—if they can’t own their issues and work together to overcome their faults, they could smother the flame between them that’s just beginning to ignite.
REVIEW:
I feel like I need to preface this review by stating that the ‘daddy kink’ is not for me. It just doesn’t do anything for me and kinda makes me cringe a little bit. But aside from that I can see the appeal in finding an older man. So that being said, this book was everything I was hoping for when I found out Derek was getting a story. He is so much more than smiles, jokes, and sex and to watch him get an HEA made me so happy.
This story was truly a wild ride, and honestly I would expect nothing less from Derek. Throughout the first two books, I saw Derek as a very horny, superficial character but over the course of this story, there is so much more to him. He has depth, emotional vulnerability, and so many layers…he just hides everything. He has the weight of the world on his shoulders and he shuts everyone out just to protect himself, and that broke my heart. This boy just wants someone to love him and not leave.
Enter Jackson, older, alpha, ex-family man, bi, and here for it. Jackson and Derek on the surface seem so very different, but on some levels they are the same. They understand each others pain but Jackson has the wisdom and knowledge to help Derek. They just get each other and compliment each other completely. I love how Jackson would hold off on intimacy because he truly wanted to know Derek. But when these two finally get together…worth. the. wait. Holy steaminess, there were some scorching hot scenes, balanced with tender moments that made for an enjoyable read.
I loved seeing glimpses of the old crew and seeing how they grew. Gary and Travis are so much stronger together and they have both matured. Hayden and Cody are still their sexy-selves and now Derek has someone in Jackson. I loved the tease that something might happen between Evan and Frankie…but most of all, I just love reading about love, and this series is exactly that. Excellently paced, with enough drama and tension to keep me captivated and a great balance of lust and love…I was left smiling and already downloaded the next one!
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