The Best Men by Sarin Bowen and Lauren Blakely
The Best Men #1
LGBTQ Contemporary Romance
01/18/2022 Self Published
ARC

Review by Angela

I’ve been trying to be good this year and not request every single book I see that looks interesting. But apparently, I have zero willpower because as soon as I read the blurb for this romance between two best men at a wedding and realized it’s enemies to lovers AND opposites attract AND there was a touch of forced proximity, I just couldn’t help myself.

This book opens with the bride’s brother Mark Banks rushing to make her engagement party. He’s not super excited about attending since his drunken text marathon where he thought he was only messaging his little sister but instead sent it to the group wedding text consisting of him, Hannah, her soon-to-be groom, and her groom’s best friend/sexy as hell wingman. He might have called her wedding a bad idea and the wingman superhot with floofy hair. All he has to do is apologize and get through the night. Right?

Asher St. James is the superhot wingman with the floofy hair. As an old-school friend of the groom-to-be, he’s right in the middle of the wedding planning. He’s charismatic, charming, fun-loving, and enjoys all the good things in life. This includes teasing Mark Banks about the texts he sent while drunk on whiskey.

These two couldn’t be more different. Mark works in finance, enjoys chess, shares custody of his little girl with his ex, and is all polo-shirted up. He’s always known he was bi-sexual but has never had a chance to explore that side of his sexuality after getting his college girlfriend pregnant and then marrying her in short order. Now he is divorced but leads a hectic life of co-parenting and work. Asher is single, gay, and working to build his photography business after a career as a football player in Europe. He’s a bit messy, and can never get anywhere on time, but he’s comfortable with his life.

Then comes the request for them to travel TOGETHER ahead of the wedding party to Miami to make sure all the last minute details are in order. An offer neither of them can refuse. Which means they will be all alone, in a guest house, spending time together and y’all…. that’s when all the good times begin.

While this is billed as enemies to lovers, I didn’t really get that vibe at all. More like a ‘holy shit, you’re hot and I shouldn’t think of you that way’ vibe. I think their sniping at each other was more not really knowing each other and a whole lot of pent-up lust. But then they do spend time together and their desire for each literally explodes all over the page. For real, this book is seeeeexy. Whoa, buddy is it sexy.

There is a lot of fun banter between the two and some extremely sweet moments when they are processing the fact that the short-term fling they agreed to is something they both want to last for far longer. I enjoyed each of their character growth as they find their way together. I’m glad I knew ahead of time there would be a HEA because there were a couple of scenes where I wanted to shout at them to just sit down and talk it out. The ending was satisfying and since this is labeled as the first book in the series I’m hoping to see this couple even more settled and happy in the future. (I keep seeing stand-alone, but a girl can hope.)

I enjoyed The Best Men and happily recommend.

Final grade- B

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