Reviewed by Ami
Title: A Beautiful Disaster
Author: Marguerite Labbe
Series: Geek Life #3
Heroes: Brenden Wade/Dakota Nye
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 296 Pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: July 30, 2019
Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads
Blurb: When best friends Brenden and Dakota launch the biggest comics and pop-culture convention of their careers, they finally realize what everyone around them already knows: they’ve been in love for years.
Now what are they going to do about it?
Meticulously organized Brenden Wade and easygoing Dakota Nye turned their love of geek culture into a business, running conventions all over the Chesapeake Bay area. Now the weight of their pasts is threatening not only their friendship but their dream. Brenden fears losing his foster family when his secrets come out, and though the last thing Dakota wants is to hurt his plus one, he doesn’t know if he’s capable of settling down.
One night of passion challenges both men’s preconceptions and forces them to evaluate what they want from the future. They’re both scared, and though they’ve always been able to figure out anything together, hearts are on the line. Will taking a chance on romance lead to a beautiful disaster, or just a disaster?
Review: I have been waiting for foster brothers/best friends, Brenden and Dakota’s, story since the very first time I read this series. There’s a glimpse of Brenden’s unrequited love towards Dakota. But at the same time, these two can’t seem to stop arguing whenever they are near each other in the comic convention. I expected that their story would be super explosive.
Interestingly… I didn’t really get that, but at the same time, because it finally told the story completely from their perspectives (not just from the side lines, with other characters offering their opinions), I could understand why it took SO LONG for these two to be together.
Dakota’s aunt and uncle took Brenden in after his mother passed away and his father was unwilling to acknowledge him. Then Brenden promises that he will always be Dakota’s brother, even if in his heart, Brenden never sees Dakota that way. I guess that’s one of the root problems. Brenden’s fear of breaking the promise and disappointing his foster parents, as well as his unwillingness to be just another notch on Dakota’s bedpost.
Because Dakota is a ‘love ‘em and leave ‘em’ kind of guy, Dakota doesn’t believe in long-term commitment. Everybody leaves, or everybody dies. When Dakota realizes that Brenden is attracted to him, he figures, why not? Why can’t they act on it? It’s not like it’s serious, they can have fun and unravel those unresolved sexual tensions, right?
On one hand, I liked that Brenden and Dakota TALKED about their issues in between arguments upon arguments that they had. They are so completely different from one another, it was bound to happen. But yes, they talked. They tried to approach the problem either from Brenden’s angle or Dakota’s angle. It feels mature.
But on the other hand, I also felt like it went on, and on, and on, like a merry-go-round. Once Brenden is better, Dakota is the one freaking out. Once Dakota is able to get grip on thing, Brenden needs to take the step back. It’s quite exhausting after a while.
Luckily, Labbe’s writing is excellent, which helped me press forward and feel satisfied with how these two finally end up on the same page. Oh, they will still argue, like many odd couples before them. But they know that they are completely in love, and they will be together no matter what… with their kittens, till the end of the road.
Overall Impression: I really liked it!
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in return for a fair and honest review.*
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