What happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas.
Cody Hayes is having one epic morning-after. The hangover following a Vegas bachelor party is nothing new to him, and neither is the naked man in his bed.
His apparent marriage is a different story.
Carefully plotting every detail of his life carried Julian Canales to a Senate seat as an openly gay man. A drunken night of Truth or Dare isn’t like him… and neither is marrying a man he just met. He’d get an annulment, but the media has gotten wind of his hasty nuptials. If Julian’s political career is going to survive, he has to stay married to a man who’s his opposite in every way.
Now he must convince Cody that all they need to do is survive a conservative political rival, a heartbroken ex, their painful pasts… and an attraction neither man can fight.
F.U.N.
Yes, this was a good time indeed. I haven’t read One Fine Day (yet) but didn’t feel lost or confused in the slightest so, I would conclude this is fine as a standalone. There’s much fun to be had in the Sin City and Cody and his buddies are expert partygoers. To add fuel to the party fire, they are celebrating the end of singlehood and the upcoming nuptials of one of the guys. Cody is catching a good buzz when his buds challenge him with a dare, as they often do. A sourpuss stranger happens to be the target this time and the objective is to share a cocktail with the man. Shouldn’t be too hard, Cody is a master smooth talker and he never backs down from a challenge. Julian turns out to be a tough nut to crack and Cody is shocked when the grumpy man relents and even more surprised when they spend a memorable (or not) night out together. But when he awakens the next morning in a tangle of limbs, the light of day brings trouble. Turns out chapels and Senators attract a lot of attention. And their spontaneous drunken decisions bear heavy consequences. Cody is still trying to make it in the literary world and doesn’t have much to lose over rash choices but Julian has achieved his success and his position in the political arena could be destroyed over personal mistakes. How will they ever get out of this disaster? Or can Julian push up his sleeves and find the joy in getting a little messy.
It’s been awhile since I’ve read a Flores book and I’d nearly forgotten how much I enjoy his smooth entertaining voice. This is a mistake I won’t make again and I’ve got some backlist reading to do! I enjoyed the enticing opening scene and found myself captivated by their whirlwind non-romance. I didn’t want to set it down and read it cover to cover, which I recall having the same “problem” with other stories from Jacob. He always has impeccable plot flow and any turbulence I feel is strictly with the characters jolting on their rough ride. This is a skill not every author possesses and I appreciate it when I see it.
I quickly connected with the guys. Cody is charismatic and lights up the pages. Julian is stoic and serious and so very different from Cody, and yet I was still drawn to him. Cody falls to comic relief in stressful situations. Julian guards his sense of humor and only shares it with those closest to him. Which makes it that much more special when he dishes it out. When Julian discovers he publicly married a stranger, it is anything but funny. Then he remembers why his intoxicated-self thought it was wise to marry this bubbly man, they have the same views of marriage. Marriage becomes complicated when emotions are involved. Why can’t it simply be an arrangement between two people who enjoy having the practical benefits of having a spouse? He isn’t looking for love and neither is Cody and even better, their expectations of marriage match. *curveball* Of course, love ends up rearing its head and their arrangement is ruined. They were supposed to have a love free marriage…and now everything is spoiled….or is it?
A night of overindulgence results in speedy courtship. But who needs dating when they are not interested in love? This is insta-not-love that turns into something deeper, something special, and something precious. It’s cute. It’s fun. And it’s fast!
If you need a smile or are looking for a load of laughs, I think Suddenly Yours is just the pick me up you need.
TITLE: Suddenly Yours (One Fine Day #2)
AUTHOR: Jacob Z. Flores
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 244 pages
RELEASE October 15, 2016
BUY LINKS: Dreamspinner, Amazon
