I almost opted to not finish Truly, Madly, Deeply but finally decided that I liked the banter enough to push through. I like Alexandria Bellefleur’s books. She writes some really excellent disaster gays and disaster bisexuals. What almost made me quit though was Truly’s plan to Parent Trap her newly separated parents. I have never in my life met a divorced couple that shouldn’t have gotten a divorce and a whole bunch of them that hung on to their marriages much longer than was healthy for anyone. I’m too young to have an emotional attachment to the Hayley Mills version of The Parent Trap, and too old for the Lindsey Lohan version. While I thought much too much time was spent on that subplot, I still loved Colin and Truly, and how horny they were for each other.
Truly Saint James writes queer historical romances. Colin McCory is a family law attorney who handles divorces and can spot a red flag a mile away. The book begins with Truly finding her fiance in a sexual situation with another woman and then defending himself by saying they are on a break. Truly goes from that incident to be a romance expert on a podcast called Unhinged and meets Colin McCory, who is on to provide the “realist” perspective. Truly and Colin clash, and Truly ends up walking out of the taping.
I swung between 2 stars and 4 stars on this one. Bellefleur’s characters have great sparkle and banter. I would have liked a lot more of Caitlin and Lulu and a lot less of trying to get the parents back together. I am generally of the opinion that we should believe people when they tell us they aren’t ready to date or interested in a relationship. And having her 6-year relationship end the way it did, it seems reasonable to me that Truly wouldn’t want to date immediately afterwards. It speaks to the skill of Bellefleur’s writing that Colin doesn’t cross the line from charmingly persistent to pushy. But even so, I would have liked a longer timeline in the romance. It ends up landing as a solid three because the bedroom (and not so bedroom) scenes were fantastic.
I received this as an advance reader copy from Avon and NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.