Review: Deke by Eden Finley
SYNOPSIS:
Ollie
Word of advice: don’t come out to random guys in public restrooms. Even if they’re charming and adorably nerdy and offer to help.
My family believe I can’t be happy if I’m not out to the world. I have a bitter ex-boyfriend and an unstable NHL career to show for it. A fake boyfriend seems like an easy and quick solution to get my family off my back, and this guy is volunteering. I take him up on it without asking his name.
I really should’ve asked for his name.
Lennon
Word of advice: learn how to introduce yourself properly.
In my defense, I don’t recognize Ollie Strömberg right away. I cover football, not hockey.
I’m not supposed to see him again, and he’s never supposed to find out I’m a reporter.
That all changes when my editor reassigns me.
It’s a lesson I should’ve learned by now. Nothing’s changed since high school. Jocks still hate nerds. But even worse, athletes hate journalists. Especially ones who know their secret.
REVIEW:
I have been sucked down the rabbit hole and now I just can’t quit. These books are stupidly adorable. Filled with plenty of heart, a touch of wit and charm, and just enough tension to have me begging for more. I am just going to finish binge reading the entire series…if I’m honest.
I was worried that by book 3, I was going to be over the fake boyfriend troupe, but guess what? I am quickly learning I will never get over this troupe. While each story in the series has similarities, each couple is so uniquely different and tackling a different set of challenges that the story is refreshing. Ollie and Lennon are too cute for words and they were such polar opposites, I couldn’t help but cheer them on.
Ollie is all hard edges, tattoos, bad-*ss; honestly the cover photo captures him perfectly. In contrast, Lennon is a blonde, nerdy superman. But their differences don’t stop in appearances. An athlete with a secret and a reporter who covers him. Lennon keeps doing favors to save face for Ollie in front of his family but along the way, the lines begin to blur in the charade.
While the story itself was filled with plenty of tender, heartfelt moments, there was also a lot of character growth happening. Ollie really did some self-reflecting and re-evaluated his life priorities. Lennon also defended what he thought was right and paid the cost. At the end of the day, relationships are about sacrifice and compromise, both things these characters exude in spades.
But I think, by now, my favorite part of this series is seeing all the secondary characters I am acquainted with. You get to see plenty of Damon/Maddox, Noah/Matt, Jet, and even peeks of Talon/Shane…whose story is the next book in the series. These characters are always up to shenanigans and bring so much humor and life to the story that I keep coming back for more.
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