meet cuteRating: 3.5 stars
Buy Link:
Amazon | All Romance
Length: Short Story


Elliot Beck isn’t the hottest guy in the room, not by a long shot, but what he lacks in charm, he makes up for in rapier wit and an undeniable desire for bad boys. Meeting his best friend at their normal bar for drinks, Elliot shows up early and battling whether to leave his open drink on the table in exchange for a quick bathroom break or wait for his best friend Trevor to show up first is the only thing he can focus on, even when a tall sexy stranger walks into the bar. Until he can’t wait any more. A lack of dividers between urinals provides Elliot with quite the peepshow. And then he realizes the man attached to the beautiful cock was the very stranger who caught his eye only moments before the bathroom dash. Awkward and flustered, Elliot rushes from the restroom and is glad he’ll never have to see the guy again.

But when Elliot gets back to table, Trevor and his girlfriend are waiting for him with a friend they invited.  It is none other than mystery bathroom guy, whose actual name is Chase—gorgeous, perfect, rippled, zero-percent-body-fat Chase. An obvious set up, Elliot fights against Trevor pushing them together at first until he has no choice but give in. And even though Chase is not the bad boy that Elliot thinks he wants, there’s something about him that Elliot can’t turn away from, even though it seems like fate or destiny or whatever is against them. But they have one major problem.

As much as Elliot likes Chase and as much as Chase seems to like Elliot, they can never get past kissing. Chase always pulls away, saying he wants to take things slow. But when Elliot meets one of Chase’s old flings, a guy Chase couldn’t get past the first date without getting him out of his clothes, Elliot’s many insecurities crash down on them.

Urban Dictionary (because they’re one of my favorite sources—don’t judge) defines meet-cute as a “scenario in which two individuals are brought together in some unlikely, zany, destined-to-fall-in-love-and-be-together-forever sort of way (the more unusual, the better).” Well, this story definitely matches that definition. Meet-cute is the story of two guys meeting in a most embarrassing situation and the ensuing courtship that follows. I’ve got to tell you, the first part of this book, the courtship, is so good. It’s funny and cute and completely and totally adorable. Let me tell you about the meeting. The bathroom scene? Hysterical. I literally laughed out loud and then did so again when Trevor actually introduced them. Then when Elliot goes to the gym to work out with Chase and the events that seem to push them apart that actually draw them together? So funny. Seriously laugh out loud funny.

Elliot Beck is the brightest star of this story. Slightly pudgy, insecure, awkward, klutzy, and highly bitchy, Elliot is a number of people I know all wrapped into one. And I fucking love him. Elliot’s the kind of guy who speaks his mind and I thought in the beginning it was to cover up for his insecurities, but no. He’s just that guy. He doesn’t have much of a filter. The guy is a laugh a minute. Okay, I get that he wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but he’s totally mine.

So yes, the first say, 65-75% of the book, I really liked and because of that I huge hopes for the rest, but I’m not sure what happened here. Okay, I take that back, I totally get what the author was trying to do, Dado just didn’t take the time to do it. The conflict is good and I like the build up to that point, but then the author throws a freaking curve ball into the mix and I’m all, “Wait. What?” Here’s the thing. I like curve balls. Curve balls are good. They keep stories alive, but they actually have to add to the story and like I said, this one came out of nowhere and then the book is over. The. End.
So yes, I really liked most of the book, but the ending was so rushed and out there without much foundation that I was left in No Man’s Land while the story tried to continue. To say I was disappointed would be putting it mildly.

A review copy of this book was provided by Dreamspinner Press.

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