Release Review ~ Bad Beginnings by Nicole Field

GoodReads ~ Less Than Three Press

Blurb:

After the recent ending of a relationship, Kit feels lost and uncertain about where he stands without being in a relationship. Dante, on the other hand, has been waiting for this moment for years, and now that Kit is finally single he has no intention of wasting this chance.

But even the most sincere feelings and best intentions aren't enough to guarantee happiness, and it's a long road from a bad start to a happy end.

Also, may I ask whether you review trans m/m novels, cause I may have another book called The Last American Hero that I can also send you if this is the case. 

3 Stars

Dante and Kit have known one another most of their lives, since Kit and Dante's older brother, Con, became best-friends when they were just pre-teens. After graduating, Kit and Con start their own law firm. Over the years, Kit, Dante, Con and Con's girlfriend, Maggie, have come to have a tradition of spending their Friday nights together having dinner and conversation. When Dante and Kit run into one another at a gay bar, Dante escorts a drunk Kit home and although nothing happens right away, things do eventually heat up between the two. Dante has always had a crush on his brother's best-friend, but he never dreamed the attraction would be reciprocated. Things seem to be getting serious, but insecurities have Kit pulling away from Dante. Will Kit get over those insecurities and believe he's good enough for Dante or will Dante have to move on with his life as just Kit's friend?

The beginning of this story was really confusing. I wasn't aware it was the second book in the series. Book one was Con and Maggie's story. Since the main characters are so close, there was a familiarity among the characters, which is what I usually love about friends to Lovers and Second Chance stories, but in this story some of the dialogue between the main characters had me feeling a bit lost and like an outsider. I'm not sure I'd recommend you read this book without first reading  Prima Facie, book one in the series. I actually find Con's story intriguing. I've read a few MM books featuring FTM trans men, but never a MF one.

Dante and Kit were both likable characters. I loved that Dante was so accepting of his brother, Con's gender identity. I loved his idea of starting the youth shelter, and I really wish the author had focused more on that. The story ends with the grand opening of the shelter, and I found that disappointing. The shelter and the young boy, Tony, who was part of the inspiration for the shelter, were such pivotal parts of the story, and I think the author missed out by not having the story between them fully unfold. I felt so bad for Kit that he felt he wasn't good enough, not just not good enough to be Dante's boyfriend, but because of his family's economic status, compared to that of Dante and Con's, he felt like less of a person.

I want to say I loved this book, but I can't. It just didn't work for me. The story was okay, and the characters had good chemistry, but I thought there was too much individuality in the story and not enough page time getting see Kit and Dante together. The story felt disjointed, almost like the author was telling two individual stories, rather than a story of a couple. The time frames between scenes were rather choppy. As I said earlier, I just felt a bit lost sometimes during the story and it diminished the enjoyment of the book. All in all, the story was just okay, but I felt like it was missing something. Others may enjoy it, but it just wasn't my cup of tea.

*Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn’t a requirement.*