Cocky Bastard by Charlie Novak

Rating: 4.5
Steam: 3
PoV: dual, 1st person
Genre: contemporary romance, MM
Tropes / tags: banter, hookup to lovers, sex worker


Austin Carter was something I didn’t know how to quit, and after ten years of secret, scorching sex, I should have known better. But I didn’t.


I had the best time reading Austin and Kanan’s story – their dynamic was everything!

What happens when ten years of hooking up turns into something more? Austin and Kanan had been sneaking around with each other for a long time, and I loved the push and pull between them. It was a lot of fun to see these two being pretty oblivious to the effects they had on each other and what it meant for them. I really enjoyed their dynamic and how it developed from being a pretty intense push and pull to something softer and more stable. Their chemistry made for some pretty hot scenes and I loved the dirty talk!

They were perfect for each other, even being quite the opposites with Austin being a ‘cocky bastard’ while Kanan was a complete sweetheart. Austin’s attitude was a part of his charm though, and he turned out to be surprisingly soft for Kanan under all of his cocky attitude. There ended up being a lot more sweet moments than I initially expected, and I loved how supportive they were of each other. There was also some top tier banter here, and I spent a lot of time smiling at my e-reader with these two!

Cocky Bastard was a fun and cute read, and my heart melted every time Austin called Kanan ‘kitten’. There was no relationship angst or drama here, just two men working out what they really meant to each other and why they kept ending up in bed together. I also loved seeing Theo again, being his bratty and nosy self, and there were a lot of other cameos as well. I highly recommend this one for the next time you need a little pick-me-up read!


Did he really think I didn’t remember everything he’d ever told me? All the small things I’d noticed? The tiny details I’d stitched together in my head over the years that made up the man that was Kanan Pendleberry.


Book links:
Amazon | Goodreads | BookBub | StoryGraph

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