Rating: 3 stars
Buy Link:
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Length: Novel

 

Trent and Jack have been best friends for years, so it makes sense for Jack to ask Trent to be his best man. Trent is used to cleaning up the messes that Jack leaves behind, but he wasn’t expecting to find Jack going out the window to bail on his own wedding, leaving Trent to tell the would-be other groom, Xavier, that Jack pulled a runner.

Somehow, Trent feels responsible and even though he and Xavier have never been close, Trent suggests they go together to Thailand, which would have been Xavier and Jack’s honeymoon. Trent’s plan is to get Xavier to move on and forget all about Jack. Trent never expected Xavier to want to move on with him, however. Trent has never been attracted to a man before, but he and Xavier seem it fit in all the ways that matter. But it what happened in Thailand stays in Thailand—at least that’s what the men are telling themselves.

And the Best Man Ran Away With the Groom is billed as being part rom-com, part bi-awakening, and part friendship story. Yet, none of it landed well for me.

The book opens with Trent’s best friend, Jack, going out the window to avoid his own wedding. Trent doesn’t seem all that surprised, as it’s said Jack is known to get involved in unpredictable situations, and Trent agrees to cover for him and break the news to Xavier. Jack is never held responsible for any of his actions.

Trent had never warmed to Xavier and even though Xavier was marrying Trent’s best friend, he doesn’t know him all that well. Still, they travel to Thailand together since the trip was already arranged. Xavier gets over Jack quickly and is attracted to Trent from the moment they are alone together. Trent goes with it and tells Xavier he’s curious and they spend a good part of the vacation inside the bungalow.

I never did feel the attraction or chemistry between Trent and Xavier, however. There never really was any fallout with Jack, and both of those men moved on quickly from that relationship. Even the setting of Thailand didn’t add anything, as the guys spend most of their time at the resort, and still I didn’t buy into these guys as a forever couple.

The part of the book that really got to me though was the glossary at the end of almost every chapter. The men are from Australia and the author added in a glossary to translate Australian words. It all came off as condescending to me as I didn’t need to be told that holiday=vacation and bedside table=nightstand and bloke=guy. The author also added additional commentary to the glossary in places and it felt insulting to the intelligence of non-Australian readers.

I didn’t find the book to have “lots of laughs” or to be “swoon-worthy,” as the blurb promised. Jack and Xavier’s best friend has a history hinted to in this book that will then become their own story and, for me, I’ll pass.