A Guy Walks Into My Bar

by Lauren Blakely

• ISBN13: 9798645534790
• Publish Date: 30 June 2020
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Independently Published
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 426
• Language: English

Reviews

[Canadian Girl Book Blog]

When Dean and his business partner make a bet to not date any customers, Dean becomes determined to set her up and win the bet. But when James "Fitz" Fitzgerald walks into the bar, Dean is finding it hard to turn down the amazingly sexy, tattooed American. Fitz sets his sights on Dean and is determined to get him to go on a date with him. Once they start spending time together, sparks begin to fly and feelings beginning to arise. The only issue is that Fitz needs to return to New York for hockey season and Dean's life is in London.
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You would have no idea that Lauren Blakely had never written an m/m romance prior to this book. I experienced every emotion while reading/listening. Dean and Fitz were amazing together with their witty banter, sexual tension, and undeniable chemistry. The banter was hilarious, the sexual tension was thick and the chemistry was smoking. There were romantic parts that actually made tears form in my eyes.
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"None of this is about what you do. All of it is about you."
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Audio … Shane East and Joe Arden were absolutely perfect together. They made this an incredibly witty, passionate, and loving story that makes you swoon and want to listen multiple times.
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Rating … 5 Maple Leafs
Genre/Trope … M/M Romance, Sports Romance (Hockey), LGBTQ+ Romance, Gay Romance
Point of View … First-Person (Dean and James "Fritz")
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[scarr]

This was a fun MM romance. An American in London, hot English bartender, stuff about tea, more British vs American whatnots, etc it’s all there! I like how the world these characters exist in is devoid of homophobia. Of course, homophobia is a very real threat in our world but to read about two people who are attracted to one another and not having to give a shit about what the rest of humanity believes is appropriate is a nice change of scenery!

[stacey_is_sassy]

Fitz and Dean came to life…

The talents of Lauren Blakely, Shane East and Joe Arden made A Guy Walks into My Bar a winner for me. With a multi-cast of narrators, the flow seemed effortless and I never struggled keeping the characters straight. It was a listening pleasure.

BUT…

While I thoroughly enjoyed the romance, storyline and character development, I felt like the author went a little too OTT with the amount of sex scenes. I even got to a stage where I’d faze out, not adjust the volume (if background noises were too noisy), and even just ignore the sex scenes. This had absolutely NOTHING to do with it being M/M, just that everything seemed to be around sex. I’m all for the sexy times to see a connection between the characters, it’s just that you don’t want it to seem that the relationship is only about the sex. Luckily, we get plenty of Epilogues to see they still have more than a spark down the track.

Besides that…

I absolutely LOVED that Lauren Blakely created this story without a hint of homophobia, bias, or prejudice. Both Fitz and Dean are out and proud with no hesitation in showing their love for each other. There was no judgement, family and friends were very accepting, and I came to accept that there would be no nastiness for them to deal with. I’m sure some readers will complain that it’s not realistic for them to not face bias. In my mind, there are a lot of romance stories that are unrealistic. *The young and extremely good-looking billionaire*, *Duke’s* on every corner, and *Plain Jane’s* catching the eye of the *Movie Star* are all romances I enjoy but I know are fairly unbelievable. Maybe it is a fairy-tale to believe we, as a society, can accept equality for all. It was just refreshing, and I hope to see more stories like this in my future.

I think Lauren Blakely has done a fantastic job writing her first M/M romance. The audio version was fantastic, and I really enjoyed the bonus chapters. As per usual, I was left extremely satisfied and looking for more from this author. I will definitely be checking out Thanks for Last Night.