Rating: 4.25 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novel
Chipping a tooth is bad. Chipping a tooth because the guy you went down on yanked his dick out of your mouth and his Prince Albert took a chunk of enamel along the way is worse. Chipping a tooth during a blow job and having your dentist overhear the phone call where you divulge every last detail about said Prince Albert to your best friend is the worst. But Simon doesn’t have a lot of options. Having a chipped tooth would make him unduly self conscious at work and his dental hygienist friend Tracy went out of her way to squeeze him in at the end of the day. Besides, Simon isn’t shy and he certainly isn’t about to tone down his fabulousness for someone else. He just never imagined the dentist would be such an absolute hottie, let alone someone Simon thinks he might stand a chance with.
Simon’s dental predicament is hardly the first of its kind Jackson has ever seen. But it is the first time he’s ever heard of the event in such vivid detail. Jackson didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but when it is just him and Simon in the office, it is impossible not to. Then Jackson gets hard hearing the lengthy description Simon is giving his friend about his particular sexual needs that led to a chipped tooth. Never in all his life has Jackson ever had such an intense reaction to someone talking about their (very vigorous) game. Yet the more Jackson hears, the less he can think of anything else. And the absolute wild card is that, up until he heard the phrases “dicked down on the regular” and “suck a guy’s soul out through his dick,” Jackson never entertained the thought of a male sexual partner. Now, he can’t get the images out of his head. When Simon suggests they attend a friendly game night, Jackson easily accepts. He may have thought he was straight for some forty years, but Jackson is not going to let a chance to explore a relationship with some so enthusiastically sex positive slip through his fingers.
Easy is the second book in Kiki Clark’s Forever Family Trilogy. This one shifts focus to Simon, who is one of Jeremy’s friends from the first book, Favor. I think this story works well enough as a standalone; I did not really refresh my memories of book one and still loved book two. But apart from the opening scene where Jeremy plays a pivotal role as intimate confidant to whom Simon spills his guts, there are several cameos from Declan and Jeremy. Personally, I liked how these scenes build on the concept that Simon is part of a strong friend group/found family.
Our two main characters are spectacular in very different ways. Simon is out, loud, and proud. He dresses to accentuate his physical features and he exudes extreme confidence. I, like Jackson, really liked Simon’s unapologetic, sex positive attitude. Simon is also a person of color and some of his behaviors indicate he may be neurodivergent. The whole package was just appealing and I liked watching him fall hard for a guy who turned out to be his person.
Jackson is a great character to me for two reasons: he’s over 40 and he’s so secure in who he is, he hardly bats an eye at being super attracted to Simon the moment he overhears Simon declare the need for regular, “gut-rearranging” sex. With rare exception, Jackson seems very keyed into what Simon wants and needs, both in terms of sex and in a relationship. On page, he doesn’t waste time denying or rationalizing his physical reaction to the conversation he overheard Simon having or to Simon himself. Instead, he combs his brain trying to imagine what it would be like having a romantic partner as enthusiastically into being a partner (and, yes, engaging in sexual activities unreservedly).
Together, Simon and Jackson just make sense. That said, there is the tension of Jackson previously thinking himself nothing but hetero and Simon not knowing what exactly to make of that. That questioning quality, I think, allows the story to take insta-love in an interesting direction, too. That tension of trying to read each other’s sexual interest plays out over a few scenes, so it’s not a classic straight-to-sex set up. And yet, from the moment they lay eyes on each other, there’s nothing but curiosity and willingness to explore. While I never felt like Jackson was just acting out of bi-curiousness, the characters do have to address the fact that after they start a relationship, things escalate quickly—we’re talking in a matter of months, they’re thinking long-term stuff. That puts them both in rough waters when they clearly see each other as romantic partners, but haven’t had much time to figure out how to approach that development with their friend group…especially Jackson’s, which is far more heteronormative than Simon’s (think golf club buddies seeing them on a date).
Overall, I just thought this was a wonderfully engrossing, sexy little read. The MCs are compelling and I already knew I liked Clark’s style and some of the supporting characters in this book. I liked how Jackson’s sexual awakening wasn’t a battle, but a real journey of discovery about what felt right for him and what felt right for him with Simon. Simon also found a partner who could satisfy his needs on many levels, not just in terms of how much physical contact they had, but what kind (Simon is into spanking and, at the end, there is some kink). If you’re looking for a love story featuring a bit of an age gap, an bi-awakening, and a pair of star-crossed lovers who make it work, then I highly recommend Easy.
