Review: The Realist by Riley Hart
SYNOPSIS:
Marcus
To listeners of The Vers, a queer podcast I host with my three best friends, I’m known as The Realist—I accept life the way it is, believe in honesty over sugarcoating, and okay, I can maybe be a little bossy.
If you asked The Vers guys, they’d tell you I’m a caretaker who’s always thinking of others, but they also give over-the-top hugs and don’t believe me when I say feelings are the worst.
It’s why I have no business offering Kai Lewis a place to stay when he’s in need. He’s a flirt who makes no secret about wanting in my bed…somewhere I’d like to have him if he wasn’t the employee of one of my closest friends. But, he’s too trusting and leaps before he thinks, so at least he won’t get taken advantage of if he’s with me.
Now he’s always around, wearing shorts that leave nothing to the imagination and saying he wants to take care of me because I’m always doing it for others. It’s not long before I can’t resist him—a man who likes listening in the bedroom but is stubborn in other situations.
Kai is sweet and funny. He gets me to open up to him. Maybe this whole relationship thing wouldn’t be so bad…if he wasn’t nine years younger…and leaving Southern California soon…or if I had any idea what I was doing.
REVIEW:
*Book Received in Exchange for Honest Opinion/Review*
I had trouble vibing with the story. I can’t think of one particular thing that I didn’t like, but I also can’t think of one thing I loved either. I think the biggest problem for me was that I didn’t resonate with either of these characters; jobs, personalities, family dynamic, etc.; I was always disconnected from Marcus and Kai…which is honestly a me-problem and not a book problem.
From a character perspective, I enjoyed how practical Marcus was. He is such a strong and confident character, an unwavering pillar of strength for his friends group. Kai moving in with him, while unexpected, completely changed Marcus’ life. Who knew the man had a soft spot for fish? Kai is kind of a hot mess. He is essentially drifting through life with no direct, goals, or purpose. But he does find purpose in taking care of Marcus.
In this way, Marcus and Kai balance each other out. The sex scenes and chemistry between the two is sizzling. There is also plenty of heart-to-hearts where they spend the nights talking and getting to know each other. Overall it was a cute story and while not a hit for me in the series, it wasn’t a miss either. I am; however, looking forward to Corbin’s story.
LINKS:
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
