Book Review: Not So Vanilla by Morgan Noel

Title: Not So Vanilla

Author: Morgan Noel

Length: 119 pages

Release Date: March 29, 2018

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Blurb:

Bartholomew's life is perfect. He's got a job he loves, he's in a committed relationship with his loving boyfriend who appreciates his neurotic tendencies, social anxiety, and general awkwardness. It's not 'white-picket-fence-and-Golden-Retriever'-perfect, but their nice little apartment in the city and the cat they rescued from the shelter come pretty close.

The domestic bliss gets disturbed when his boyfriend Kyle brings a very hot friend from high school into their sanctuary, making both of them wonder if perhaps 'perfect' is as relative as good sex.

5 Stars

OOH, MY GOODNESS! I don’t think I’ve had that much fun with a book in a while. Laugh out loud worthy at times and then hot the rest (with a hint of awkward thrown in.)

Mew, oh how I love his character. He reminds me so much of me, because I am as bad with social situations, but that's what makes his character so real. He reminds the reader that not all characters are “Movie star level of hotness and perfection” like most are. He made this book for me.

Kyle and Adam weren’t what I’d call my favorites. With Kyle seeming like he was indifferent to Mew's feeling’s concerning Adam and Adam’s lack of caring for personal space. That doesn’t mean I hated them, far from it, they were solid characters. Kyle did love Mew that much was obvious, and Adam was far from being the perfect man.

I do wish we had had the chance of seeing Mew out of his home a bit more. Even if it had been in a work setting, but I know that with social anxiety and awkwardness that might not have been in the cards for his type of character.

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

3 Stars!

Bartholomew, or Mew as his boyfriend Kyle calls him, thinks that his life is pretty good. He knows he tends to be awkward in social situations and is a bit sexually repressed, but Kyle loves him and that is all that he needs. Out of the blue, Kyle brings home a stranger, an old friend from high school. Adam is hot and seems to find Mew adorable. The story is told from Mew's point of view, so we don't really get a lot of insight into Kyle and Adam's views of events.

I had a hard time rating this book. While I typically like M/M/M books, I had a hard time with some parts of this story. Enough questions rolled around in my head as the story moved forward that suspending my disbelief became difficult. First off, neither Kyle nor Adam fess up the truth when Mew asks if Adam is one of Kyle's coworkers that first day. This action especially hit home when Kyle reminds Mew later that they are supposed to talk about their feelings and problems, yet he introduces Adam into their home on a lie. I also don't see someone like Mew just accepting that Adam is moving in with them indefinitely, especially after Adam's past was revealed. It just didn't feel right. This one just had too many issues that didn't get addressed for me.

Now, on to the things I liked. I liked Mew and his stammering cuteness. You can feel his embarrassment and how hard he's trying in all situations. I liked that the evolving situation made Mew realize that he should and could make more friends. I liked Adam, he seemed sweet most of the time. Kyle clearly loves Mew, but I never got a really good feel for him and wondered if he had hidden motives throughout the story. Kyle and Mew have great chemistry and adding in Adam just added to the heat index.

If you're looking for a short read with an awkward, but cute MC and lots of sex, this book is for you.

*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by the author for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***