Saying I Do by Cameron Dane
Blurb:
When Rhone Quinn caught Adam Reyes picking his pocket in Finding Home, he never dreamed the young man would become his best friend, his business partner, or that, as that friendship grew, Adam was secretly gay and falling for him. What really knocked heterosexual Rhone on his ass was discovering Adam’s feelings, and realizing he felt an equally fierce attraction and love for Adam.
Fast forward two years. Rhone and Adam are engaged and headed to Vermont for their wedding. Nothing can mar this beautiful occasion. Right?
Wrong. A bride staying at the hotel fuels Adam’s fears of losing Rhone to a woman; a feuding couple that Adam and Rhone run into every time they turn around sparks disagreements between them; and a hotel employee’s strange behavior spurs Adam’s professional curiosity and later rouses his protective juices.
What was supposed to be a week of celebration and hot lovin’ quickly turns into a Quinn Security investigation.
Now all Rhone and Adam need to do is get a bickering couple to admit they’re in love, help a sweet young man out of a terrible situation, and maybe, just maybe, Rhone can get his fella to the chapel on time to say “I do.”
[I like the cover. No naked chests, appropriate for a marriage with the rings. There are little details I don’t like but the important thing is I’ll remember the book just by looking at this cover.]
Review:
Finding Home is probably my favorite Cameron Dane book so I definitely wanted to read the sequel, Saying I Do. This particular story unfortunately doesn’t live up to the greatness of the previous novel, but fans of the couple will want to read this for the strong happy ending. The antics and tension in the story are humorous at times and ridiculous at others. The tension is all completely artificial but a lot of readers won’t be bothered and can enjoy the story for what it is; after all it’d be rather boring if they just wandered off, got married, and nothing actually happened. Additionally there are some classic Dane word choices that just don’t work for me, making me skim the numerous sex scenes. However for Dane fans and especially fans of this couple, you’re likely to enjoy the look back.
Since Rhone and Adam are an established couple and deeply in love, all the tension and drama has to come from outside sources. In this case, Rhone and Adam happen to overhear several arguments and altercations from the hotel staff and can’t resist getting involved. The first is the owner’s daughter and her fiancé, who are in love but won’t admit it. Then there is an abusive relationship between two other hotel employees, which sets up the next book in the series. Along the way Adam’s fears and insecurities about Rhone’s sexuality are tested before they can get married and have a happy honeymoon.
The plot itself relies on a lot of coincidences, clearly establishing the artificial tension in the book. There isn’t much point to the book, the plot is very contrived and the sole purpose to revisit a couple of beloved men. Rhone and Adam can’t help getting involved in the problems of others and as such, I wouldn’t have been surprised if there had been a murder mystery thrown in too. The various relationship problems of everyone keep the story moving and allow for the friends and family to get some face time in the book as well. The problems of the owner’s daughter and her fiancé are classic romance book (business deal but they actually love each other) and easily solved, yet prolonged just enough to be a catalyst for Adam’s insecurities. Here the book addresses the fact that Rhone is straight and Adam fears one day that being in a gay relationship won’t be enough for him. Their emotional fight, makeup, and finally discussion show the real strength of the story, even as their resolution is pretty weak.
The side story about the abusive relationship is the more interesting of the two problems presented, yet given the least amount of depth and a lightening fast, super easy resolution. The point of this was clearly to set up the next book in the series while not taking too much time and energy away from the main couple. Which in between solving the romantic problems of others and dealing with their own fears, Rhone and Adam have a lot of sex. The story begins with a raunchy sex scene and there are several more in the book, including a lengthy ending that isn’t really needed but ups the page count, with a lot of sex. Now, normally this would be fine, if not slightly gratuitous, but some of the prose choices in these sex scenes were complete turn offs. The author tends to use the terms “chute” and “channel” frequently, which is definitely subjective to readers. I find the language unattractive, especially when paired with such phrases as “he lost his shit, coming hard up Adam’s steamy chute.” Perhaps others won’t be put off by that, but I was and it made me just skim the sex scenes as I didn’t want to read about one or the other’s damp, hot chute.
Due to the qualms mentioned, I didn’t enjoy this particular offering as much as the other book. I never forgot that I was reading the manipulations of a book, using sometimes awkward sentences and unattractive language. However, not everyone will mind and if nothing else, it’s nice to see these two get their well deserved happy ending. The emotional connection was well established and there were numerous references to the past to understand the book without having read how Adam and Rhone got together. So pick this up if you are interested in the couple and want to see the setup for the next book in the series.
Get it HERE!
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