Abstract Love

I started to like this book the farther I got into it but initially it was a lot of eye rolling. The constant mentions of IPA and brand name beers plus just both the characters being initially deeply annoying - but I pushed through and ended up being charmed by their relationship build-up. However, as a whole, I don't find this realistic at all. They're just not two people that would last very long and the author relied on tropes to the point where it's just really not a realistic story. I usually don't have a problem with that (I mean, it's fiction) but when it's set in a very real world situation including actual brand names and locations it becomes a problem for me to get past. The author should have made up a beer brand and maybe didn't rely so much on a Cincinnati location when it could have been in Anywhere, USA.

BR with ARODonovan Cooper is tall, handsome, and professionally successful. He's also miserable, angry all the time, and his marriage has imploded. These things are not unrelated. Sam Shelby is beautiful, an eccentric dresser, and a graphic designer wunderkind. He's also lugging around some family baggage. These two forces collide at Stoker & Steele, an advertising agency in Cleveland, and sparks fly. Donovan is Sam's boss and to all appearances the two go together like oil and vinegar, not an unfair assessment, but they also bring out the best in each other. I'm delighted to say that this book by [a:Sara Dobie Bauer 7226363 Sara Dobie Bauer https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1594654164p2/7226363.jpg] brings me back to the level of enjoyment I had with [b:We Still Live 49100382 We Still Live Sara Dobie Bauer https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1575536480l/49100382.SY75.jpg 73672624]. Maybe I enjoy her Ohio set stories better? Dunno. Last year I read what I now know are the first few chapters of this in the [b:Come Play: An Erotica Charity Anthology 46024897 Come Play An Erotica Charity Anthology Quin https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1558966752l/46024897.SY75.jpg 69870229] and I liked it very much. My complaint was that it just stopped and here is the full, satisfying story. There is age gap, first time gay (Donovan), and some kink, (the domineering kind), but these things are almost incidental to the development of the relationship between the MC. Make no mistake, the sex scenes are scorching and reading how creative Donovan gets with Sam shouldn't be done in public. But what I liked most was how SDB explored the reasons for Donovan's perpetual bad mood and Sam's NO DATING policy. I loved that, despite everything, Donovan didn't deceive himself or make a big production about his attraction for Sam. I loved that though he enjoys submitting in the bedroom Sam doesn't let Donovan get away with anything outside the bedroom. He's very clear on a demarcation between what he wants in his sexual relationship and who he is as a man in the world. I was thrilled to see actual bi representation with both MC. I loved that Donovan's ex, though flawed, isn't portrayed as a villainess, just human. I really enjoyed the sense of humor, Sam and Donovan's inner monologues particularly, but also Zen (her trippy self) and Monica who translates Donovan to his colleagues. I liked how these people were grounded in authenticity. In a former life I worked in advertising and IMO the author perfectly captured that world. I particularly enjoyed the art aspect, how the MC related to it, how it informed their lives. I can also say that this is perhaps one of my favorite covers ever. Not only because I find it beautiful but because it perfectly captures the story between the covers and speaks to its sensibilities. If I must have niggles I'll say that ... nah. Nothing. Nothing worth complaining about in a romance that otherwise made me happy with smart characters and a love story I can believe without having to squint even once. more on the blog