Review: Don’t You Dare by C.E. Ricci
SYNOPSIS:
It was never meant to be more than a dare.
A party game. A dare. A single kiss.
That’s all it took to flip my world upside down.
I’ve always classified myself as straight, and as far as I can tell, so has he.
I didn’t think one kiss would change that, but I was so wrong.
Now, I can’t stop thinking about him. In all the ways I shouldn’t.
My best friend.
Aspen.
His taste is branded in my memory, his touch seared in my skin.
And I want more.
This simmering attraction I feel only grows with passing time.
Which is why I start tossing out new dares.
Riskier ones that toe lines we never thought we’d cross.
I’m gambling with our friendship, knowing it could ruin us.
But there’s so much more at stake here.
Like my heart.
REVIEW:
I have mixed feelings as I finished this book. On one hand, I adored it. I thoroughly enjoyed Aspen and Keene’s relationship; complex, rich, and deep, the bond these two share is on another level. But on the other hand, I loathed what felt like a lot of unnecessary drama.
So lets start with Keen and Aspen who have been best friends since practically birth. I don’t usually enjoy friends-to-lovers but something about these two captivated me. I liked the dynamic between them, the banter was top notch and had me laughing-out-loud, and the whole bros vibe worked well for them especially when they do dares. As their friendship morphs into something more, the sexual exploration and chemistry between these two is off the charts. Keene discovers that he definitely isn’t straight, and Aspen essentially has an identify crisis.
But what I didn’t care for was the external side plot that added a lot of drama to their relationship. There is a teammate on Keene’s team who is a homophobic jerk and I pretty much anticipated how the plot would play out in regards to this character. But when the dust settles after the fall out, I don’t think Aspen deserved forgiveness. One conversation doesn’t erase the pain Keene felt and Aspen didn’t do nearly enough groveling. Everything was wrapped up a little too nicely in a bow towards the end for my liking. Which is interesting considering some parts of this story felt like they dragged out. I enjoyed the book but unfortunately, it’s not one I would return to again and again.
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