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Geek Ink #1
Geek Tattoo
The relationship is fake, so why does his kiss feel so real? Stone is straight. That’s the first reason he can’t be my boyfriend. Straight tattoo artists with dark histories and sad eyes just aren’t meant for geeky guys like me. Even if he does have killer cheekbones… But when our lives get thrown together one day at the park, he proposes something surprising. Stone needs a fake relationship to get him out of trouble, and I might be the perfect guy to help. The only problem is I don’t understand why a fake, straight boyfriend feels so good to cuddle up close to. And I can’t figure out why a man who scares me to death can also make me feel so safe. Stone marks me forever with his ink, but am I strong enough to make him truly mine? Geek Tattoo is a steamy, easy read with opposites attract, fake boyfriend fun. It features a tattoo artist discovering his bisexuality, a geeky sweetheart confronting his fears, and two artists who don’t realize they’re made for each other. Enjoy!
214 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 7, 2020
About the author
R. Cayden
35 books277 followersR. Cayden writes steamy M/M romance and sweet, easy reads.
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You can also send along an email. I love hearing from readers, and knowing what you think of the stories!
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Thanks for reading!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 154 reviews
July 11, 2023
Nothing special. Fake dating because one guy lies to a homophobic coworker and says he’s dating a guy just to irritate said homophobe. Flimsy sexuality discovery. Cute characters bogged down by a weird story, odd pacing and cringe smut.
I don’t have the energy for reviews rn so that’s all y’all are gonna get ✌🏻
I don’t have the energy for reviews rn so that’s all y’all are gonna get ✌🏻
October 28, 2020
This was so sweet. The sweetest.
I loved Matty and Stone as individuals, but together...damn, the heat!
Was it perfect? No! To be honest, I’ll probably forget about it in a few weeks.
But right now, in this moment, I have a content smile on my face.
It was just angsty enough without being overbearing, and cute and fluffy without being too unrealistic. Perfect mix of chemistry, romance, friendships and quirkiness to keep me entertained.
If you’re looking for an easy read to boost your mood, this is the book for you.
I loved Matty and Stone as individuals, but together...damn, the heat!
Was it perfect? No! To be honest, I’ll probably forget about it in a few weeks.
But right now, in this moment, I have a content smile on my face.
It was just angsty enough without being overbearing, and cute and fluffy without being too unrealistic. Perfect mix of chemistry, romance, friendships and quirkiness to keep me entertained.
If you’re looking for an easy read to boost your mood, this is the book for you.
November 25, 2020
Mostly enjoyed this fake boyfriends story. However, allow me to share some actions one MC take while wearing a cast on very recently his broken hand:
- drives
- takes a condom out of a wallet
- puts it on himself
- cleans up his partner using paper towel and a bottle of water (which he presumably also opened)
- gets dressed
- dismantled a complex miniature set and puts all the small pieces away
I mean, I believe this author has never broken a hand or been around someone who has. It was as though the broken hand needed to happen to drive certain plot elements but was otherwise completely ignored. It felt lazy.
- drives
- takes a condom out of a wallet
- puts it on himself
- cleans up his partner using paper towel and a bottle of water (which he presumably also opened)
- gets dressed
- dismantled a complex miniature set and puts all the small pieces away
I mean, I believe this author has never broken a hand or been around someone who has. It was as though the broken hand needed to happen to drive certain plot elements but was otherwise completely ignored. It felt lazy.
August 20, 2023
So many feelings about this one.. .
I really liked Stone, Billie and even Matty’s friends but there’s a lot that I didn’t like.
❗️These are my rambling thoughts.
SPOILER HEAVY. NOT MILD.
The whole story is spoiled, last warning.
I didn’t like that Matty was blatantly in love with this ex? An ex from 6 years ago? Who’s one of his best friends and they broke up because Milo ( the ex) cheated but it was made seem that Matty was too jealous and clingy and Milo didn’t even do anything wrong? Milo is actually just painted as a best friend and ray of sunshine 🤷🏻♀️
❛ “I was maniacally jealous. I’d never had a boyfriend before, or barely even friends for that matter, and when he went to hang with friends, I kind of freaked out like a desperate person.” He shudders.
“He hated feeling tied down and then made out with some other guy at a party, which I discovered through an Instagram post. It was very ugly, but also six years ago, so...” I just want to hear it to be sure. “And you’ve loved him the whole time since?” Matty shrugs. “Pretty much.”❜
Matty even talks to his friend about how Milo falls for guys who are unavailable, which leads to Matty using Stone to make him interested and when Milo seems to be showing more interest then Matty is excited even tho by this point he’s been hooking up with Stone and thinks maybe he might like Stone he still fully believes he loves Milo and is doing everything to win him back.
Later on we find out that Milo was texting Matty more often like he used to is because he’s happy to see Matty in a relationship because he was concerned that Matty might still have feelings for him, Milo tells him he himself has a boyfriend and invites Matty and Stone to his birthday party cabin thing.
Matty is hurt but not distraught and the whole thing just kinda made me feel icky like Stone was second best, like because he couldn’t have Milo he would take Stone.
Matty isn’t jealous of Milo’s boyfriend, they all get along great Stone has a vulnerable moment that’s meant to show us that Matty sees him in a different light and decides he has feelings for him 😒
Stone gets his hand broken in front of Matty by some thugs sent by his homophobic coworker ( it’s revealed to us later but it’s pretty obvious since the whole situation is a little OTT) while Matty stands there frozen and when Stone is recovering from the ordeal instead of Matty being there to help him with his recovery he’s been pulling away because he keeps getting flashbacks to Stone getting hurt, he really makes himself the victim when Stone is the one with the injury. Sure Matty was bullied in the past but Stone doesn’t have anyone looking after him, he’s injured, and honestly he was too good for Matty. 😤
When Matty comes clean about Stone not being his real boyfriend around his friends (Milo included) he also confesses to have wanted Milo back and Milo assured him they are way better as friends and that he sees how much Matty likes Stone, to not let his anxiety or stress get in the way of that. They convince him to text Stone because they can see how miserable he is without him.
Stone and Matty get back together and things are good, Matty’s career is going well but Stone’s is pretty dead in the water due to the homophobic coworker who’s apparently in line to inherit the shop he works at.
So Matty, the guy who was frozen while Stone was getting his hand broken in front of him, the guy who pulled away from from Stone after the incident because it was too much for him, decides to CONFRONT the big homophobic coworker to try to get a recording of him admitting to being the one who sent thugs to break Stone’s hand. He starts to get aggressive, Stone shows up and kicks his butt, Matty helps this time by kicking his leg?knee? Something that gives a pop and makes him slink away.
Stone’s friends send the recording to the owner of the tattoo shop, he sends Stone a text telling him he’s the replacement for the homophobic dude implying he’s been fired.
And that’s it folks, we get an epilogue with a happy ending of them getting a condo together even tho it’s mentioned they have already been living together.
In conclusion, I loved Stone, he was too good for Matty and deserved better 😒
Apparently Milo’s story is the next book and because I love to torture myself ima go peek at it since according to the reviews it’s supposed to be better 😵💫
My ratings always reflect my enjoyment of the story. ❀
I really liked Stone, Billie and even Matty’s friends but there’s a lot that I didn’t like.
❗️These are my rambling thoughts.
SPOILER HEAVY. NOT MILD.
The whole story is spoiled, last warning.
I didn’t like that Matty was blatantly in love with this ex? An ex from 6 years ago? Who’s one of his best friends and they broke up because Milo ( the ex) cheated but it was made seem that Matty was too jealous and clingy and Milo didn’t even do anything wrong? Milo is actually just painted as a best friend and ray of sunshine 🤷🏻♀️
❛ “I was maniacally jealous. I’d never had a boyfriend before, or barely even friends for that matter, and when he went to hang with friends, I kind of freaked out like a desperate person.” He shudders.
“He hated feeling tied down and then made out with some other guy at a party, which I discovered through an Instagram post. It was very ugly, but also six years ago, so...” I just want to hear it to be sure. “And you’ve loved him the whole time since?” Matty shrugs. “Pretty much.”❜
Matty even talks to his friend about how Milo falls for guys who are unavailable, which leads to Matty using Stone to make him interested and when Milo seems to be showing more interest then Matty is excited even tho by this point he’s been hooking up with Stone and thinks maybe he might like Stone he still fully believes he loves Milo and is doing everything to win him back.
Later on we find out that Milo was texting Matty more often like he used to is because he’s happy to see Matty in a relationship because he was concerned that Matty might still have feelings for him, Milo tells him he himself has a boyfriend and invites Matty and Stone to his birthday party cabin thing.
Matty is hurt but not distraught and the whole thing just kinda made me feel icky like Stone was second best, like because he couldn’t have Milo he would take Stone.
Matty isn’t jealous of Milo’s boyfriend, they all get along great Stone has a vulnerable moment that’s meant to show us that Matty sees him in a different light and decides he has feelings for him 😒
Stone gets his hand broken in front of Matty by some thugs sent by his homophobic coworker ( it’s revealed to us later but it’s pretty obvious since the whole situation is a little OTT) while Matty stands there frozen and when Stone is recovering from the ordeal instead of Matty being there to help him with his recovery he’s been pulling away because he keeps getting flashbacks to Stone getting hurt, he really makes himself the victim when Stone is the one with the injury. Sure Matty was bullied in the past but Stone doesn’t have anyone looking after him, he’s injured, and honestly he was too good for Matty. 😤
When Matty comes clean about Stone not being his real boyfriend around his friends (Milo included) he also confesses to have wanted Milo back and Milo assured him they are way better as friends and that he sees how much Matty likes Stone, to not let his anxiety or stress get in the way of that. They convince him to text Stone because they can see how miserable he is without him.
Stone and Matty get back together and things are good, Matty’s career is going well but Stone’s is pretty dead in the water due to the homophobic coworker who’s apparently in line to inherit the shop he works at.
So Matty, the guy who was frozen while Stone was getting his hand broken in front of him, the guy who pulled away from from Stone after the incident because it was too much for him, decides to CONFRONT the big homophobic coworker to try to get a recording of him admitting to being the one who sent thugs to break Stone’s hand. He starts to get aggressive, Stone shows up and kicks his butt, Matty helps this time by kicking his leg?knee? Something that gives a pop and makes him slink away.
Stone’s friends send the recording to the owner of the tattoo shop, he sends Stone a text telling him he’s the replacement for the homophobic dude implying he’s been fired.
And that’s it folks, we get an epilogue with a happy ending of them getting a condo together even tho it’s mentioned they have already been living together.
In conclusion, I loved Stone, he was too good for Matty and deserved better 😒
Apparently Milo’s story is the next book and because I love to torture myself ima go peek at it since according to the reviews it’s supposed to be better 😵💫
My ratings always reflect my enjoyment of the story. ❀
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 13, 2022
2.5/5 stars
It wasn’t bad but I got a bit bored towards the end
It wasn’t bad but I got a bit bored towards the end
November 11, 2021
GEEK TATTOO is my first book by R. Cayden and it combines some of my favorite tropes -- fake dating, queer awakening, and tattoo shops! Tattoo apprentice Stone needs a fake boyfriend to take to a tattoo convention and Matty needs to make his ex jealous so maybe Milo will want him back. But the more time these two spend together the more they realize that what they have is special and maybe even real. I loved watching Matty and Stone fall for each other as well as watching Stone find some lightness and happiness in his life.
Content Warning: homophobic language directed at MCs; references to past abuse and bullying
Content Warning: homophobic language directed at MCs; references to past abuse and bullying
November 7, 2020
Sweet, short with a fake boyfriend trope! 😉❤
The story is simple and the reason for the fake dating is a little noble and a lot stupid but it worked this time. The relationship was sweet and developed nicely.
What caught my eye was the mention of bullying and how one of the characters fought it's consequences (anxiety, freezing fear, hate for crowds) and how that affected the relationship between the main characters (and how the author didn't brake them up). He found someone who put his fears to the test and I'm glad he could overcome it, be brave.
It wasn't perfect but it was light with enough amount of angst and sweetness. I enjoyed more than I thought I would. Good, good, good. 🥰❤
The story is simple and the reason for the fake dating is a little noble and a lot stupid but it worked this time. The relationship was sweet and developed nicely.
What caught my eye was the mention of bullying and how one of the characters fought it's consequences (anxiety, freezing fear, hate for crowds) and how that affected the relationship between the main characters (and how the author didn't brake them up). He found someone who put his fears to the test and I'm glad he could overcome it, be brave.
It wasn't perfect but it was light with enough amount of angst and sweetness. I enjoyed more than I thought I would. Good, good, good. 🥰❤
August 6, 2022
So in this one we have Matty, a gay bubbly person who is a stop motion animator and Stone, a mostly straight man who is a tattoo artist. Stone cannot stand to let anyone be harmed and that has made his life so much harder.
These two meet and decided to fake date, as there is this horrible dude at the tattoo shop that is homophobic so Stone had told him he was gay.
Yall know what happens, Stone falls for Matty and decides he is not as straight as he thought. At first, Matty was using Stone to make his ex boyfriend jealous, but falls for Stone. There are some bad things that happen to Stone and Matty decides that he cant handle that and tries to freeze Stone out. Stone is so sad that he agrees with this and wants to still be friends with Matty and help him with his animation work.
After some deep thoughts and his friends telling him that this was stupid, Matty goes all in with Stone and they are able to get the bad dude out of the shop and go off into the sunset.
The funniest part of this for me was that Matty describes Stone's scent as dirt and ink multiple times. Was he saying that Stone smelt dirty? Cause that was a weird thing to see in a romance book.
These two meet and decided to fake date, as there is this horrible dude at the tattoo shop that is homophobic so Stone had told him he was gay.
Yall know what happens, Stone falls for Matty and decides he is not as straight as he thought. At first, Matty was using Stone to make his ex boyfriend jealous, but falls for Stone. There are some bad things that happen to Stone and Matty decides that he cant handle that and tries to freeze Stone out. Stone is so sad that he agrees with this and wants to still be friends with Matty and help him with his animation work.
After some deep thoughts and his friends telling him that this was stupid, Matty goes all in with Stone and they are able to get the bad dude out of the shop and go off into the sunset.
The funniest part of this for me was that Matty describes Stone's scent as dirt and ink multiple times. Was he saying that Stone smelt dirty? Cause that was a weird thing to see in a romance book.
April 14, 2021
An okay read nothing to rave about. I wanted a bit more “assertion” from both parties.
November 9, 2020
A Joyfully Jay review.
5 stars
This is a fairly standard fake lovers to real ones story, but it’s cute and sincere and honest and I kind of love it. It helps that Matty, who could have been too ‘charming’ or too bratty, is such an honest sweetheart who isn’t really out to make his best friend jealous. While he wants Milo back, he also knows that it’s probably not going to happen. He wants to be over Milo, wants Milo to see him moving on, and it doesn’t help that Stone is handsome, funny, friendly, and frankly, just a nice guy to hang out with. Matty is quick to warm up to people — so long as it’s one on one and not a giant crowd, which ratchets up his anxiety — and Stone responds to the honest interest and friendship Matty offers.
Read Elizabeth’s review in its entirety here.
5 stars
This is a fairly standard fake lovers to real ones story, but it’s cute and sincere and honest and I kind of love it. It helps that Matty, who could have been too ‘charming’ or too bratty, is such an honest sweetheart who isn’t really out to make his best friend jealous. While he wants Milo back, he also knows that it’s probably not going to happen. He wants to be over Milo, wants Milo to see him moving on, and it doesn’t help that Stone is handsome, funny, friendly, and frankly, just a nice guy to hang out with. Matty is quick to warm up to people — so long as it’s one on one and not a giant crowd, which ratchets up his anxiety — and Stone responds to the honest interest and friendship Matty offers.
Read Elizabeth’s review in its entirety here.
November 18, 2020
3.5 stars...ish?
It was pleasant.
It was pleasant.
July 26, 2022
I’ve read several books by R. Cayden. I love the way this author writes and I love most of the stories. I’ve fussed about some of the characters in some books, but I have to say Matty and Stone are two of my favorite characters ever. I loved their story. It was sweet with just enough drama to spice things up. I also love it when a bully gets their just rewards.
June 6, 2021
Tattoos are not a thing for me. You?
I have many friends and family members that have them. Many others do not.
I understand the appeal and the beauty when young, but after the skin goes flabby, not so much. Tattoos are more based on personal emotions than on artistic talent. But skinning someone to hang their skin in an art gallery has not become a common way to display the art. So it usually has a short life.
Also, my experience has been that those with tattoos live a much harder and often violent life. Tattoos bring out the wrong attitudes in many as they are associated with trouble and control over others.
But not everyone is bad. Circumstances have been very hard on Stone and forced him into a life with potential, but also characterized by loneliness and fear.
After meeting briefly with a blue haired boy in the park, something sparks. When he reacts to a bully he works with without thinking, he traps himself into needing a boyfriend for an upcoming business exhibition. Not having any friends, he remembers the boy.
Fake boyfriends are common in gay literature and even more in porn. But to find acceptance in his moment of need, he is willing to practice ahead of time and to help his new friend be ready to make it seem real. But the new reality brings both good and bad. But the bully has friends in low places that try to destroy the wall that Stone has built to protect himself. Be careful. It is not safe out there
I have many friends and family members that have them. Many others do not.
I understand the appeal and the beauty when young, but after the skin goes flabby, not so much. Tattoos are more based on personal emotions than on artistic talent. But skinning someone to hang their skin in an art gallery has not become a common way to display the art. So it usually has a short life.
Also, my experience has been that those with tattoos live a much harder and often violent life. Tattoos bring out the wrong attitudes in many as they are associated with trouble and control over others.
But not everyone is bad. Circumstances have been very hard on Stone and forced him into a life with potential, but also characterized by loneliness and fear.
After meeting briefly with a blue haired boy in the park, something sparks. When he reacts to a bully he works with without thinking, he traps himself into needing a boyfriend for an upcoming business exhibition. Not having any friends, he remembers the boy.
Fake boyfriends are common in gay literature and even more in porn. But to find acceptance in his moment of need, he is willing to practice ahead of time and to help his new friend be ready to make it seem real. But the new reality brings both good and bad. But the bully has friends in low places that try to destroy the wall that Stone has built to protect himself. Be careful. It is not safe out there
October 11, 2020
It was cute in the beginning, because Matty was adorable. Then enter Stone, a tattoo guy who's under bullying of his co-worker.
There's a homophobic vibe around the corner, and what happened to Stone was something I didn't expect. I didn't really like Stone's boss , in my opinion, he's too soft running his business.
And the bully? I wasn't sure he's got what he deserved.
Matty and Stone's relationship was nice enough but it didn't catch my attention to love them more.
Overall this was okay, but not too memorable to make me gushing over this one.
There's a homophobic vibe around the corner, and what happened to Stone was something I didn't expect. I didn't really like Stone's boss , in my opinion, he's too soft running his business.
And the bully? I wasn't sure he's got what he deserved.
Matty and Stone's relationship was nice enough but it didn't catch my attention to love them more.
Overall this was okay, but not too memorable to make me gushing over this one.
November 14, 2020
3.75 stars rounded up.
This was a pleasant new discovery for me. Geek Tattoo caught my attention when I saw GR friends talking about it and I immediately recognized Garrett Leigh's signature cover design style. Then I read the blurb, saw that it was only 200 pages and on KU, and thought what the hell, let's give this new-to-me author a try. I'm glad I did!
This is a story that I might describe as "romance lite" but it works so well because it's concentrated mainly on just the two heroes. It's not trying to be something that it's not, the plot fairly straightforward with minimal angst. It's quite refreshing when the expected blow out over a miscommunication never happens. I was looking for something positive and uplifting because 2020 is such a shitshow and this book definitely delivered.
The beginning flies by but then there's a little redundancy in the second half, including some of the many sex scenes, but I wouldn't say that it took away from my overall enjoyment of the book. I'm glad I picked it up and I won't hesitate to read more from Cayden in the future.
This was a pleasant new discovery for me. Geek Tattoo caught my attention when I saw GR friends talking about it and I immediately recognized Garrett Leigh's signature cover design style. Then I read the blurb, saw that it was only 200 pages and on KU, and thought what the hell, let's give this new-to-me author a try. I'm glad I did!
This is a story that I might describe as "romance lite" but it works so well because it's concentrated mainly on just the two heroes. It's not trying to be something that it's not, the plot fairly straightforward with minimal angst. It's quite refreshing when the expected blow out over a miscommunication never happens. I was looking for something positive and uplifting because 2020 is such a shitshow and this book definitely delivered.
The beginning flies by but then there's a little redundancy in the second half, including some of the many sex scenes, but I wouldn't say that it took away from my overall enjoyment of the book. I'm glad I picked it up and I won't hesitate to read more from Cayden in the future.
October 21, 2021
I really enjoyed this, in fact it has to be up there amongst my favorites for fake boyfriend tropes. I fell in love with Matty right at the beginning when he’s having a memorial service for his beloved cat. How could anyone resist that!
November 8, 2020
The book was very nice and fun until about 70% in.
Then Matty shows his true colors which are very disturbing.
I think all of us in the the LGBT community have faced some adversity at one point or another, and have to deal with anxiety at different levels. But when your partner is hurt and his world is unraveling and the only thing you can think about are your own problems, then that makes you a very conceded and self centric person, and until you can figure yourself out, you should really not try to date other people. Going into a relationship thinking “oh he’s going to be my savior” is so idiotic it is beyond me.
Couldn’t even finish the book. The writing style is nice, and character development is good. I suppose from a story standpoint, Matty was intentionally broken to match Stone, so that they can both grow together, but in reality Matty was just presented as a shallow person with friends whom couldn’t even point that out to him. There were other ways that mutual growth could have been achieved, but that is just my personal opinion.
Then Matty shows his true colors which are very disturbing.
I think all of us in the the LGBT community have faced some adversity at one point or another, and have to deal with anxiety at different levels. But when your partner is hurt and his world is unraveling and the only thing you can think about are your own problems, then that makes you a very conceded and self centric person, and until you can figure yourself out, you should really not try to date other people. Going into a relationship thinking “oh he’s going to be my savior” is so idiotic it is beyond me.
Couldn’t even finish the book. The writing style is nice, and character development is good. I suppose from a story standpoint, Matty was intentionally broken to match Stone, so that they can both grow together, but in reality Matty was just presented as a shallow person with friends whom couldn’t even point that out to him. There were other ways that mutual growth could have been achieved, but that is just my personal opinion.
November 12, 2020
Kind of a cute set up to the fake dating situation, and a refreshingly honest moment between one of the leads and the ex he’s trying to win back. Sweet, but forgettable.
October 22, 2020
This was such an incredible read! I could not put this book down once I started it. This is one of those books that just gives you all the feels while you are reading it.
Matty has always known loneliness. Growing up he was bullied in school for being geeky and gay. At home he was a disappointment for those same reasons. So loneliness was his friend until he moved and started his own makeshift family with a group of friends who have his back and he has theirs.
When Matty’s cat passes away, all of his friends get together and help him have a memorial for her at her favorite place in the park. But unfortunately at the same time as the memorial, a group of people from Blade’s Tattoo decide to show up and have a barbecue at the same time and end up almost messing the memorial up. But Matty is determined to not let that happen. He is going to send his first best friend off in style if it kills him.
Stone is an apprentice at Blade Tattoo. Though he does not like his boss, Jeremiah, at all, he bites his tongue and deals with it since this is his dream job at his dream studio. Jeremiah is not the owner but he is the owner’s nephew, so Stone knows not to engage or end up on his butt. When Jeremiah decides that the whole shop needs to go to the park for a barbecue, even though no one wants to go, everyone does.
Almost immediately Stone realizes that they are interrupting something important with the other group that is there and decides to apologize for it. This is how he meets Matty for the first time.
Not long after the meeting, Stone and everyone is once again at the shop when Jeremiah starts in on gay people and tries to bring Stone into the mix of it. Without really thinking about it and even though he is straight, Stone takes the bait and exclaims that he is gay and has a boyfriend. This backfires when the owner walks in and squashes the argument but proceeds to tell Stone he expects to see his boyfriend at the convention that is coming up.
When Stone sees Matty outside the studio not long after all this happens, he approaches him. After some talking, they come to a mutually beneficial plan and decide to become fake boyfriends. Matty will attend the conference with Stone and Stone will go on two dates with Matty and his friends to hopefully gain the attention of the man that Matty is in love with. Or thinks he is.
What happens when two men who are fake boyfriends start to not feel fake? What happens when one of those men is straight? Can these two make it work for real? And what about the jerk of a boss?
All that and way more comes to light in this read! This was an incredible book. I loved every minute of it. Stone and Matty may be complete opposites but they are perfect for each other. I look forward to more books like this in the future!
NOTE: This book was provided by the author for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Matty has always known loneliness. Growing up he was bullied in school for being geeky and gay. At home he was a disappointment for those same reasons. So loneliness was his friend until he moved and started his own makeshift family with a group of friends who have his back and he has theirs.
When Matty’s cat passes away, all of his friends get together and help him have a memorial for her at her favorite place in the park. But unfortunately at the same time as the memorial, a group of people from Blade’s Tattoo decide to show up and have a barbecue at the same time and end up almost messing the memorial up. But Matty is determined to not let that happen. He is going to send his first best friend off in style if it kills him.
Stone is an apprentice at Blade Tattoo. Though he does not like his boss, Jeremiah, at all, he bites his tongue and deals with it since this is his dream job at his dream studio. Jeremiah is not the owner but he is the owner’s nephew, so Stone knows not to engage or end up on his butt. When Jeremiah decides that the whole shop needs to go to the park for a barbecue, even though no one wants to go, everyone does.
Almost immediately Stone realizes that they are interrupting something important with the other group that is there and decides to apologize for it. This is how he meets Matty for the first time.
Not long after the meeting, Stone and everyone is once again at the shop when Jeremiah starts in on gay people and tries to bring Stone into the mix of it. Without really thinking about it and even though he is straight, Stone takes the bait and exclaims that he is gay and has a boyfriend. This backfires when the owner walks in and squashes the argument but proceeds to tell Stone he expects to see his boyfriend at the convention that is coming up.
When Stone sees Matty outside the studio not long after all this happens, he approaches him. After some talking, they come to a mutually beneficial plan and decide to become fake boyfriends. Matty will attend the conference with Stone and Stone will go on two dates with Matty and his friends to hopefully gain the attention of the man that Matty is in love with. Or thinks he is.
What happens when two men who are fake boyfriends start to not feel fake? What happens when one of those men is straight? Can these two make it work for real? And what about the jerk of a boss?
All that and way more comes to light in this read! This was an incredible book. I loved every minute of it. Stone and Matty may be complete opposites but they are perfect for each other. I look forward to more books like this in the future!
NOTE: This book was provided by the author for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
October 22, 2020
Another fake boyfriend story, one of my favourite situations, and this one was slightly different. Here we have two men miles apart, Stone, who's straight, grew up rough and ready, fighting, getting expelled, abandoned by his mother. Then there's Matty, very much gay, sweet and gentle, and still in love with his ex, hence the fake boyfriend plan to try and make him jealous. These two were amazing characters, oil and water that actually mixes.
This is my first with this author and I really like his writing style.
This is my first with this author and I really like his writing style.
October 17, 2020
4.5 Stars
If I had to describe this book with a single word, it'd probably be Unexpected. It was definitely not what I was expecting. From the blurb and the first half of the book, I thought it'd be a fun, hot, sweet, low-angst read, but the story has more depth than I anticipated.
I really liked Stone and Matty, on the surface they were very different, but they were both marked by traumatic experiences in their teens and tended to self-sabotage themselves. It was great to see that even if their relationship was fake at first, they both went up and above to support the other.
Matty was a sweetheart, bubbly and unapologetically gay. Stone was straight, other than a threesome he'd had with an ex-girlfriend and another guy, but he was drawn to Matty from the first moment and when he was bullied by a toxic coworker into saying he had a boyfriend, Matty was the first (and only) man he thought about. I really enjoyed that there was no added drama regarding Stone's sexuality, both him and Matty just rolling with it. The chemistry between them jumped off the pages and the sex scenes were hot, hot, hot!
I really liked Matty's tight-knit group of friends and Billie, Stone's boss, and I hated Jeremiah, Stone's toxic coworker with the passion of a thousand suns and I was really glad he got his comeuppance in such a fulfilling way.
This is my first book by R. Cayden, but you can be certain it won't be the last. As I expected it was hot and sweet, but it was more emotional and angstier than I expected, particularly in the second half. Definitely a must-read!
*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***
If I had to describe this book with a single word, it'd probably be Unexpected. It was definitely not what I was expecting. From the blurb and the first half of the book, I thought it'd be a fun, hot, sweet, low-angst read, but the story has more depth than I anticipated.
I really liked Stone and Matty, on the surface they were very different, but they were both marked by traumatic experiences in their teens and tended to self-sabotage themselves. It was great to see that even if their relationship was fake at first, they both went up and above to support the other.
Matty was a sweetheart, bubbly and unapologetically gay. Stone was straight, other than a threesome he'd had with an ex-girlfriend and another guy, but he was drawn to Matty from the first moment and when he was bullied by a toxic coworker into saying he had a boyfriend, Matty was the first (and only) man he thought about. I really enjoyed that there was no added drama regarding Stone's sexuality, both him and Matty just rolling with it. The chemistry between them jumped off the pages and the sex scenes were hot, hot, hot!
I really liked Matty's tight-knit group of friends and Billie, Stone's boss, and I hated Jeremiah, Stone's toxic coworker with the passion of a thousand suns and I was really glad he got his comeuppance in such a fulfilling way.
This is my first book by R. Cayden, but you can be certain it won't be the last. As I expected it was hot and sweet, but it was more emotional and angstier than I expected, particularly in the second half. Definitely a must-read!
*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***
November 6, 2020
Nice
This was nice story. I don’t know, I feel like maybe I expected more from this story. I liked the premise of the book. I’m a HUGE sucker for nerdy boys, I just didn’t get into this one the way I was hoping. The way stone’s background was built up it was a bit of a let down when it wasn’t really a huge deal. The writing was ok but had some grammar and repetitive issues. The smexy was nice, and the side character were ok too.
This was nice story. I don’t know, I feel like maybe I expected more from this story. I liked the premise of the book. I’m a HUGE sucker for nerdy boys, I just didn’t get into this one the way I was hoping. The way stone’s background was built up it was a bit of a let down when it wasn’t really a huge deal. The writing was ok but had some grammar and repetitive issues. The smexy was nice, and the side character were ok too.
February 20, 2021
4.5 Hot Hot Stars 🔥🔥🔥🔥💥
Combustible...once Matty & Stone give into their feelings
Exciting....reading them fall for each other...
Unnecessary....Matty clinging to the ex...
I loved this read....ohh so much..its slow enough that I can enjoy their story but quick in all the other areas..it doesn't make you want to skip to the end.
I wish more had happened to the giant a-hole that was Jeremiah...but oh well..
Combustible...once Matty & Stone give into their feelings
Exciting....reading them fall for each other...
Unnecessary....Matty clinging to the ex...
I loved this read....ohh so much..its slow enough that I can enjoy their story but quick in all the other areas..it doesn't make you want to skip to the end.
I wish more had happened to the giant a-hole that was Jeremiah...but oh well..
October 28, 2020
I liked this one OK, and I thought that Stone and Matty had some good chemistry, but the homophobia from the bad guy was just really hard to read sometimes. I thought that his uncle should've come down harder on him than he did. It just kind of felt like that storyline just petered out.
April 14, 2022
Another booooring read😵The MCs read so juvenile to me, and the drama around 70% was soooo predictable and a bit laughable. I had a had time finishing it…
I’m looking forward to find something really good to read soon🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼
I’m looking forward to find something really good to read soon🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼
October 17, 2020
Sweet and ok, but as usual lately I almost couldn’t finish. Stress has never had such an effect on my reading before like it has this year.
July 4, 2021
This was cute though I'm not sure I'll move on. We shall see.
December 18, 2021
4.6 stars
June 1, 2022
very cute but honestly nothing special.
October 12, 2020
I'm loving the fake relationship trope at the moment and R. Cayden has written a wonderfully sweet one with two men very much in need of love.
Stone is an apprentice a a tattoo shop but makes a claim he can't hold up to the shop's bully. However, his recent run-in with Matty at least gives him an option. They make a good trade in Matty pretending to be Stone's boyfriend at an upcoming convention and Matty will have Stone along on a couple of dates with his friends to try and make his ex jealous. (Un)fortunately, all doesn't quite go to plan as attraction and then feelings come into play. I did enjoy how easily they both gave into the connection that they start building and Stone is more than happy to go with the flow. It's when Stone has some trouble from the bully that Matty witnesses that things hit a snag. Matty reacts badly to what he sees, understandable from his history, but it leaves them both questioning whether a future is possible.
There is a lot of fun, sweetness and heat that vastly outweigh the small amount of angst in this really enjoyable romance. There is also a great group of friends that push and pull them through the tough times. One I highly recommend reading.
I received an ARC and am happily giving a review.
Stone is an apprentice a a tattoo shop but makes a claim he can't hold up to the shop's bully. However, his recent run-in with Matty at least gives him an option. They make a good trade in Matty pretending to be Stone's boyfriend at an upcoming convention and Matty will have Stone along on a couple of dates with his friends to try and make his ex jealous. (Un)fortunately, all doesn't quite go to plan as attraction and then feelings come into play. I did enjoy how easily they both gave into the connection that they start building and Stone is more than happy to go with the flow. It's when Stone has some trouble from the bully that Matty witnesses that things hit a snag. Matty reacts badly to what he sees, understandable from his history, but it leaves them both questioning whether a future is possible.
There is a lot of fun, sweetness and heat that vastly outweigh the small amount of angst in this really enjoyable romance. There is also a great group of friends that push and pull them through the tough times. One I highly recommend reading.
I received an ARC and am happily giving a review.
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