Rating: 4.25 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novel
Leo is so focused on his business, of making his PR firm bigger and better, that he has no time for any kind of romance. And that’s fine with him. One night stands are more than enough. Leo lives and works with his best friend, Kai, and he’s happy and content with his life. But when Kai’s twin brother, River, needs a place to crash while he gets back on his feet, he moves into the guest room. Leo has never been attracted Kai, but there’s something about River that immediately gets to him.
River is a hopeless romantic and follows his heart wherever it leads. After his latest relationship fails, he has no choice but to move back home to the States and rely on his brother until he gets himself together. Kai wants River to focus on himself, and makes River promise no relationships.
Everywhere Leo is, there’s River. At home and as his assistant at work. The more they get to know each other, the more Leo realizes he wants River and for more than just a night. He doesn’t want to betray Kai by being with River, but there’s no denying the pull between them. Their relationship moves from just a hook up to so much more. Now they just have to figure out how to tell Kai, and how to make it work without losing themselves.
Forbidden Friend is the second book in Cayden’s His Best Friend’s Brother series, and while Leo is a secondary character in the first, and the MCs from that book also make an appearance here, it’s not necessary to read the books in order. But there is a little extra something if you do.
There was a lot I liked about this book, in particular how Leo was truly happy with his life as it was, and that only over time and as his feelings for River grew did he change his outlook on romance. River, for his part, was a bit of a mess, but only because his heart was so big and he falls far too fast. He really takes the time to figure out what he wants out of life and to make it happen. I loved seeing both Leo and River being buoyed up by the other. These guys absolutely worked from the start. These two had a really solid foundation for their relationship, and things between them felt very natural as the relationship progressed. The chemistry sparked between them the moment they met, and it only grew from there. There was no doubt they were made for each other.
This book is fairly low angst, which is exactly what I wanted from it. The one point of drama, however, surrounds the way Kai learned of Leo and River’s relationship. For me, I saw it coming and hoped that it wouldn’t work out that way. So I was a bit disappointed to see it play out like it did, especially the aftermath with Kai. For me, this was the only downside to the book, but it was enough to lower my rating. After everything the MCs had been through and talked about, to have Kai find out and react like he did felt a little too cliché.
But overall, I really liked this book and I’m really enjoying the series. I hope the author has more planned. This book is well paced, well written, and has two MCs finding each other at the right time to find their HEA together.
