Beta Test

3.5 stars
Status Update was first my first Annabeth Albert book, and I was completely charmed by the energetic hipster Adrian and the quiet, steady but closeted Noah and the love they found on an unplanned road trip. So when I read the next book in the Gaymer series, Beta Test, featuring another opposites-attract couple (including one MC who was more or less in the closet because of his conservative family members) who go on an unexpected work road trip...well, unfortunately it couldn't help feeling like a bit of a retread. However, the two MCs, Tristan and Ravi, are nowhere near carbon copies of their predecessors. Their progression from distrustful co-workers to grudging friends and then lovers never seems forced or hurried, and the family issues they both face make the obstacles to their HEA realistic yet relatively angst-free. Not the most memorable romance I've read this year, but definitely an enjoyable one. Looks like there is at least one more book to come in the series (one secondary character is practically begging for his own book), and I look forward to reading it.

I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.