Rating: 4.25 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | All Romance | Amazon UK
Length: Novel
What would it be like to want somebody that bad?
This is exactly what Billy asks himself while catching an expression on a stranger’s face as the man watches a woman in a coffee shop. All of the girls think that Billy is good looking and he can have his pick out of any of them. He’s had relationships and they have been good, but not great, and there has been no lasting spark. Billy has never asked himself the important questions, but he has visited that bar and there was that guy and there is the secret gay porn video that he tries not to watch too often.
Billy’s life is all about working construction, coaching Little League, and helping his family financially. He never did well in school and his fear of taking tests and failing keeps him from advancing his career and getting a contractor’s license.
Billy’s sister is getting married and that puts him in the path of celebrity stylist Shaz. Shaz with his pink pants, straightened hair, and unicorn earrings “was his own holiday.” The attraction is instant, but Billy hasn’t come to terms with being gay and wonders how a beautiful and flamboyant man like Shaz could ever fit into his life. Shaz sees Billy as strong and oh so good looking, but being with a blue collar worker was never the picture that Shaz had for himself. On the surface, the men have little in common, but a fairy tale ending may just be in the cards for them.
Knight of Ocean Avenue was a book that got a lot of positive buzz when it was released and being that Tara Lain was an author I have not read before, it was a perfect fit for the New-to-Me Author Challenge.
This book opens with Billy and is more about Billy’s journey, but I’m going to start with Shaz because Shaz made this book for me. He’s not the type of character I usually gravitate towards, but he was the perfect blend of effeminate and masculine and while he was over the top at times, he wasn’t outrageously so. When his parents refused to speak to him when he came out, Shaz turned himself into a top stylist. He makes no excuses for himself and is comfortable in his own skin, although he knows he keeps to a crowd that accepts him. He always envisioned himself with a rich, established man, but that hasn’t worked out so well and Billy pushes all of his buttons. Shaz had fantastic energy and he was often running, dancing, and ready to leap onto Billy at any moment and I found his energy contagious.
So Billy….Billy is a good guy. He works hard and takes care of his (mostly ungrateful) family. At 25, he has never let in the idea that he could be gay, although there are many signs. When he meets Shaz, pieces of himself start to fall into place. The author did a good job of showing how flustered Billy became when he was alone with Shaz and there was some entertaining internal dialogue. There is a lot the guys have to work through from Billy coming out to them finding a way to fit into each other’s lives.
The main storyline of Billy and Shaz was the highlight of the book for me. Some of the side stories didn’t work as well. Billy’s sister’s wedding issues and the storyline with her fiancé did not blend well into the rest of the book for me. I get that it was a means to an end for a part of Shaz’s life, but it opened up too many questions that were not resolved. Also, most of the story was so entertaining but Billy’s family wasn’t. I understand there are families and mothers like that, but the lack of appreciation for all that Billy did for them dragged the story down for me. We are also told that Shaz is a nickname but the story behind it is never offered and it could have been left alone if there was not going to be any further information on it.
Shaz and Billy together, however, complement each other, from Billy’s creativity with building plans, to Shaz’s (erotic) idea of the best way to study. They make a great pair and they make each other better. There is a fairy tale tie-in and this is a recommended read for a sweet story overall.
This review is part of our September Reading Challenge Month for New-to-Me Author Week! Leave a relevant comment below and you will be entered to win this week’s fabulous prize sponsored by Samhain Publishing, as well as our amazing grand prize sponsored by Riptide Publishing. You can get more information on our Challenge Month here, and more details on New-to-Me Author week here. And be sure to check out our prize post for more about the awesome prizes!
A review copy of this book was provided by Dreamspinner Press.
Thanks for the review! I have this book in my queue and it sounds like I would like Shaz a lot. The side stories sound a bit distracting, but I think this is one I would still enjoy.
Definitely give it a try. It’s a good book and the side stories might not even be an issue for you at all.
I’ve been really eager to read this one, since I’ve loved a lot of Tara’s books. She always does particularly well with the more flamboyant characters, I think–they always come across as non-caricatured, and very honest with themselves and the world.
Shaz was a great character. You should definitely meet him.
This book I have actually read, right when it was first published, and I loved it! Maybe it was a case of right book at the right time under the right circumstances, which often is the case for me when I fall hard for a story, and when I do I never slow down to analyze the pros and cons of the story. It’s been months now, but I remember falling hard for Billy (but then I love blue collar characters, so maybe that was what made it for me) and like I said I never slowed down enough to get annoyed about his unappreciative family. When I read it it was my second attempt with Tara Lain; I’ve previously tried Canning the Center, which I left half way through – this was so much better. In fact, when the second installment in the series came out not long ago, I got it the very same day and finished it in a day and a half (had to work too).
That’s great that you enjoyed it so much. Every reading experience is subjective and that’s sort of my job here to analyze the pros and cons for a comprehensive review. It’s definitely a book I recommend as well.
Great review, Michelle. Tara Lain is not new to me. I read the two first books of the Harker Pack series, and enjoyed them quite a lot (although sometimes they bordered absurdity). I have the feeling there is an excess of perfection in her books, what with all that much happiness in the end. Anyhow, this was already in my TBR, and after your review it will remain there. Thank you for sharing your review.
Thanks, Susana. This book does have a very happy ending and a fairy tale tie-in with the word knight from the title. Good for when you are looking for a fun read.
This sounds appealing; I used to do literacy tutoring so a hero with learning issues is an immediate draw for me. And unicorn earrings … who could resist those? Thanks, Michelle, for an informative review.
You will get both here with Billy’s educational background and Shaz is all kinds of fabulous.
I haven’t read Tara Lain before, but I always thought they’d be more on the sweet side. And nothing wrong with that, I just haven’t had a compelling reason yet to try her out. I think I’ll just wait until a blurb draws me in, but this isn’t that one. Glad to hear it was a good read, though.
Thanks for your comment, Carolyn.
Thanks for a great review! I read the first Harker Pack book in July and really enjoyed it. I have had this book for a while but haven’t read it yet. I’ll have to pull it up now and read it.
Cool! Thanks, Melissa.
I really like Tara Lain’s books. And I actually have this one and the second book in her “Love in Laguna” series in the TBR pile of my digital library. Her stories a sweet, romantic and often times filled with memorable characters. Thanks for the review and the reminder to get busy reading!
I’ve read quite a few of Tara Lain’s books and can’t think of any that weren’t good reads. I have this one but haven’t had a chance to read it yet. Your description of Shaz makes me want to get to it sooner rather than later. Thanks!
In all truth, I do have a couple of Tara Lain’s Harker Pack books in my TBR. However, for whatever reason, I’ve yet to read them. Meanwhile, the blurb for this book caught my eyes one lazy Sunday afternoon when I was in the mood for something simple but engaging. Opposites attract is one of my favourite tropes and this book sounded like fun. It took me the larger part of the afternoon to read it from start to finish but I was so engrossed into Billy and Shaz’s romance that I couldn’t put it down.
One very neat thing I liked about this book is that there were female characters that were great and, in the instance of Sissy, very surprising. Like you, though, I was less enthused with the family angle of the story. I couldn’t believe how Billy’s family basically let the mother walk all over Billy for so long. Oh, and, I too agree with you in how the side story of Billy’s sister and her fiance was kinda wonky (because it distracted from the main storyline). All in all, this was a great read and, now that I’ve had such a good time with one of Tara’s books, I’m deffo going to crack the rest of them open. 😉
Luce, if you are interested the second book in this series is available (I haven’t read it) and the third will be in 2016.
Unfortch (for me), I was sorta on the fence after reading the blurb for the second book. And then, I read the first chapter or so (there was an excerpt for it at the end of the first book) and it left me cold. I can’t quite put my finger on what’s not working for me so I’m gonna sit that one out.
That said, I’m deffo keeping an eye open for the third book (because that one sounds like it’ll be right up my alley). Thanks for the head’s up, though. 😉
Thanks for the review! I haven’t read this book yet, but I’ve enjoyed several of Tara Lain’s books. Sounds like I’d enjoy this one too.
I read the book and I’m sorry to say I was not impressed at all. Way too cheesy and over the top. I won’t be reading any more in the series.
I’ve been meaning to give one of Tara books a read. I like characters that stand out so I’ll probably give this a read. Thank you for the review.
I’ve read this and loved it! For me, Billy’s journey really made the story but I absolutely adored Shaz as well. I agree with your points about the rest of the side plots, especially his family, but for me their relationship overshadowed it all. Thanks for the review.
Tara Lain is a favorite of mine when it comes to sweet, fluffy stories. This one is already on my list!
Loved the review. Tara Lain is a favorite author, and I do have this series, but, I am a little behind in reading though. Can not wait to catch up on my reading.
I actually listened to this on Audible a few weeks back and I wasn’t terribly impressed. Granted, some of my criticism had to do with the narrator’s vocal characterizations, which were often bizarre and annoying, but the story wasn’t terribly compelling either. Like I said, it was a while ago, but I do remember feeling like it was a little too long- the unnecessary side stories that the review points out definitely don’t help in this respect- and often extremely cheesy and weird. The physical description of Shaz, for instance, considering the author is trying to convince us that he’s a stylish fashion plate, make him sound like a dated stereotype with terrible taste in clothes. I did enjoy Billy- even though he was often a little too naive to be believable-and I thought he had good chemistry with Shaz. It’s just too bad that the sex scenes were laughably un-sexy and dumb. I mean, I’ve been reading M/M fiction for forever and I have rarely rolled my eyes as hard as I did on that butt plug bit. I guess that’s probably someone’s fantasy, but it definitely wasn’t mine. All in all, I didn’t hate it, but I won’t be buying the next book in the series.
This sounds like a nice, sweet read! I’ll definitely be at least reading a sample.
I have read and enjoyed the sports series by Tara Lain so gave this one a go. Didn’t love this one quite as much but still an enjoyable read and I shall get the next in series. Shaz was my definite favourite , she can do the flamboyant characters so well.
I really liked this book and the second one in the series. I loved Shaz and was sad when he really wasn’t in the second book of the series, but I’m hoping for more of him in the 3rd book of the series.
Thanks for the review, I am definitely reading this series soon. Tara Lain is an auto-buy author for me. I don’t mind the side stories much, as long as they don’t take away the spotlight from the main characters.
This one’s on my TBR for when I want something light & fluffy. Thanks for the review!