Rating: 4
Steam: 3
PoV: dual, 1st person
Series: Swallow Cove #2
Genre: contemporary romance, MM
Tropes / tags: fake relationship, sexual discovery, small town
My heart quickened. This was more than sex, more than a fling.
It had the power to be everything.
I have a soft spot for stories like this – lots of hurt / comfort with a character finding safety and trust after an abusive relationship, and DJ Jamison wrote it so well!
I’d been looking forward to this book ever since I read Dock Tease – it was clear that something was going on between Brooks and Skylar and that Skylar was hiding from something or someone. Despite their first meeting being far from ideal, Brooks was intrigued by Skylar and quickly took the role as his protector when he realised what was going on with Skylar’s ex. Their story was full of tenderness and sweetness, together with the usual lightness and humour from this author.
Even if this story was on the sweeter side, there were some scenes where Skylar’s past abusive relationship came to the surface as he processed what he’d been through, and it made my heart ache. Brooks was so great and patient with him, and I loved how he turned out to be a big teddy bear under the slightly growly surface. They both had some fantastic personal growth, and even if they had their insecurities, they were great at communicating and being honest with each other. And the lacy lingerie that Skylar liked to wear was definitely a hot bonus!
Pretty Buoy was overall a fantastic read with some lovely hurt / comfort! It was easy to feel invested in the characters and plot, and I loved the tropes and pace of the story. Even if this one can be read as a standalone, I would recommend reading Dock Tease first though, since it will give some more background to the plot as well as the small town and its people.
“I’m going to fuck you while I’m wearing all this lingerie,” he murmured. “I’m not going to take it off. You’ll feel the lace rubbing against your ass. Feel the stockings against your thighs.”
Book links:
Amazon | Goodreads | BookBub | StoryGraph
The Secret Librarian 