A full review is included at the end of this post, but in short, I loved "Beefcakes" and highly recommend it for all fans of contemporary romance and romantic comedy. The main characters, Neil Evans and Elaina "Laney" Dyker, were incredibly likeable, relatable, and well-developed, and I found it very easy to cheer them on to their HEA. The book's secondary characters, particularly Neil and Laney's siblings, were also a lot of fun, and I hope we will see them again in future books.
About "Beefcakes"
Things are about to get sticky...
Beefcakes, an all-new ”amazing and unforgettable” romantic comedy from Katana Collins, is available now!
I might as well permanently add the label "Ex" to my name. I'm an Ex-Mr. Universe. Ex-Mr. Olympus. An Ex-Hollywood Stuntman. But no one from my small hometown cares anything about that. They only care that I'm the ex-boyfriend to the beloved Mayor's daughter, Elaina Dyker.
And now, ten years later, I'm back, helping my siblings run my mother's bakery while she takes on chemo. What should have been a routine cupcake delivery turns into utter chaos when the bachelorette party thinks I'm a stripper. And what's worse? Elaina is the maid of honor.
But the meme about us sure went viral fast. My small hometown has become positively infested with tipsy bridesmaids looking for my erotic cupcakes.
Now Hollywood's knocking again—and this time they want me and my ex, Mr. Beefcake and Ms. Prude, to star in a reality show.
It could solve all my problems—except her.
Read an Excerpt from "Beefcakes"
I arched my brow at her. “I bragged about knowing you so well…but man. I did not see this almond croissant massacre coming. What do you have against almonds? Or was it the amount of butter that offended you? Because as a fitness expert, let me tell you butter isn’t the enemy. Sugar is the enemy.”
She laughed. “I, uh…I might have some anger management issues.”
I took the bag from her and peeked in. There were knuckle marks against the outside of the croissant. Literal knuckle marks. I barked a laugh. “Elaina Dyker. Did you punch the croissant?”
She laughed, pressing her lips together as though this would hide the fact that I saw her adorable little giggle. She brought her thumb and forefinger up beside her temple. “Maybe a little.”
“Did you even try a bite?”
She shook her head no. “I like my routine. I like my daily lunch of yogurt and almonds.”
I made a face. Because she had to be exaggerating. Sure…she liked them. But having that same thing every day? Even chocolate cake every day would get tedious. “You can like yogurt and almonds but still indulge every now and then, you know.” I reached in and pinched off a piece of the smashed croissant, holding it out toward her lips. “C’mon. Live a little. I promise you, it is actually healthy, if that’s your concern.” Not that she needed to be concerned about that. “Almond flour. Gluten free. Grain free. Only two net carbs. The only sugar is the honey in the honey roasted almonds and the natural sugar in dates.” Her eyes grew wide at that and I knew I had hooked her.
She reached out her hand to take the piece of croissant from me, but I pulled back. “Nuh-uh,” I teased. “We can’t have your fingers getting sticky. Might ruin that fancy suit you’re wearing.”
She rolled her eyes, but parted her wet lips, her tongue peeking out just enough for me to place the croissant on top of. She moaned as soon as it hit her mouth, and her eyes fell closed as she slowly chewed and swallowed. “That’s…that’s healthy?”
I nodded. “See? I’m not just a pile of muscles. I’ve got some talent, too.”
Her head fell to the side. “I never said you weren’t talented. I just wish you wouldn’t show off quite so much of your other assets.”
I grinned. “I thought you liked my assets?”
“I do,” she answered absentmindedly, then immediately shook her head, realizing what she’d said. “I mean, I did.”
***
My Review
"Beefcakes" by Katana Collins was a funny, sweet, and charming story featuring relatable, well-developed characters that I absolutely adored. The central relationship between main characters Neil Evans and Elaina "Laney" Dyker was a beautifully developed combination of enemies-to-lovers and second chance romance that gave me all the feels. Neil and Laney were previously involved in high school but had a falling out when Neil left town shortly before their graduation without saying goodbye to Laney. When he returned home ten years later following his mother's breast cancer diagnosis, they seemed destined to remain enemies, but after a photo of them at Laney's sister's bachelorette party went viral, they were forced to become uneasy allies in a bid to rehabilitate their images and win a million dollars on reality TV. This reluctant partnership soon gave way to friendship and eventually something deeper as Laney and Neil came to realize that they were meant to be together all along.
Both Laney and Neil were very likeable characters and I found it easy to relate to each of them in different ways. I couldn't help empathizing with Neil and his family in particular because I know exactly how tough (and expensive!) breast cancer treatment can be, having gone through it myself over the past year. In addition to his mother's illness, Neil was dealing with his own potentially career-ending injury, a cross-country move back to his hometown, and trying to save a debt-ridden family business, all while fighting to be taken seriously as more than just a good-looking guy. In truth, Neil was a lot smarter than most people gave him credit for being, not to mention a genuinely nice, caring person who just wanted to do what was best for those he loved.
Like Neil, Laney had come a long way since high school and took great pains to overcome her party girl past in order to be taken seriously as the Maple Grove town manager. She was also dealing with some trust issues in the wake of a brutal breakup with her boyfriend of 9 years, as well as lingering resentment over the way Neil left town without saying goodbye years earlier. As a result, Neil and Laney had a lot of issues to work through before they were able to repair their relationship, but forcing them to team up for the reality show was a really fun way to bring them together so that they had no choice but to do so. As a bonus, it led to quite a lot of laughs along the way.
In addition to Neil and Laney, I enjoyed getting to know their siblings in this story, and it would be great to read stories about each of them in the future. In particular, it seemed as if there could be a romance brewing between Laney's sister Chloe and Neil's brother Liam, which could be very interesting indeed!
"Beefcakes" was the first book I've read by Katana Collins, but I am certain that it will not be the last.
*ARC provided by the author via Social Butterfly PR. All opinions expressed are my own.
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