Review: One More Time by Cora Rose
SYNOPSIS:
There’s something about our new landlord, Alec.
Something that I can’t quite place.
He seems familiar, but not. Like maybe I’ve seen him before.
And sure, he’s attractive, strictly objectively speaking. I’m not into dudes.
But he has this intense, piercing stare that I can’t look away from.
Eyes that make me feel like they can see right through me.
Like he knows all my secrets.
And I wish he would share them with me because sometimes I feel like I don’t even really know myself.
But I do know one thing.
I take my responsibilities to my family and friends very seriously.
And when your best friend is gay, you learn to be the best straight wingman at the gay bar you can be.
And if you happen to hook up with a guy once in a while… well, it doesn’t really mean anything.
It’s just a good way to relax and unwind.
But when it’s Alec who turns up, ready and willing to help me “relax”, I know it’s a bad idea but I just can’t resist.
I tell myself just this once. It won’t ever happen again.
Well, maybe just one more time…
REVIEW:
*Book Received in Exchange for Honest Opinion/Review*
I was thrilled to see Jude was getting a story after reading A Minute More, he was such an intriguing character. But I have to be honest, this story was an absolute miss for me. It could have been a novella.
I think this stems from the fact that the pacing of the story felt off. Jude and Alec are all insta-lust and quick hook-ups which isn’t a bad thing but we didn’t see any depth from either character till the last 2-3 chapters. There were a good 5-7 chapters in the middle of the book where I was actually bored and kept setting the book down. Nothing was happening during these chapters, outside of hookups, that contributed to the storyline or added something of importance. By then the insta-lust was getting old and I wanted to see something more to these characters when everything felt so superficial. And this is where I think you could have removed these and made this a novella.
And not to ignore the reason ‘why’ Alec seems familiar. This big reveal, which is probably the central plot line in the story took way too long to pan out. It dragged out for so long that it was anti-climatic when everything was revealed and I was just over it. I was way more interested and invested in Jude’s roommates, Ollie and Lucas, as well as his friend, Jai, than I was anything happening with him and Alec. Which was an unfortunate turn of events since I had high hopes for Jude only to be let down by one-dimensional characters and a story that DRAGGGGGGED on.
