A Guy Walks Into My Bar

I’m going to be upfront here. M/M romances aren’t really my thing. I read maybe one or two a year, it’s not that I dislike them but they aren’t my go to read. I really didn’t expect to pick this book up and not be able to put it down but that’s exactly what happened. I had two hot af sexy men to lust over and I didn’t even have to pick between them! I mean does life get much better than this?

This story had a really good flow to it. The characters are fantastic. I liked them both from the start. The flirting and banter between them had me smiling so much, I’m a sucker for a flirt and these two guys have got flirting down to a fine art. They just bounce off each other. Everything between these two seems so right… neither of them do commitment, they live in different countries and Fitz will be leaving in a few days so there’s no chance of any clinging on. So all should be good right? Until those pesky feelings start demanding to be acknowledged.

I’m so happy I gave this book a chance. It’s not my usual read but I couldn’t put it down. Definitely recommend this book especially if you’re a fan of m/m romances.

My heart melted more than once with this story.
A guy walks into an English bar and the rest is an epic love story and I’m in love!
I swooned, I smiled so hard and once again my heart melted so much!

How five days became the beginning of a lifetime? Well that’s Dean and Fitz’s story. When the hot English bartender, Dean met the sexy NHL player Fitz. It took one look and one determined American to make Dean surrender.

As you might guess it, I have so much love for this book. These two won me over from their first interaction. A meet-cute that put a huge smile on my face and heart eyes. I was rooting for them and in spite of a few obstacles on their way, regarding their lifestyle and mostly Fitz living across the ocean. So many things were pushing them two together, a strong and smoking hot chemistry, a natural banter and mostly a powerful connection that could be more than intense at times.

Dean and Fitz knew deep down from the beginning that every moment matters. Could it be possible to fall for someone in five days? When you read their story, you totally get it.
I wish I could bottle up the essence of it and keep it with me. Le freaking sigh…

There was this little something in the air, intoxicating and exhilarating, carried by two charming characters. I adored the upfront tone and how they expressed their feelings, with or without words. It moved me tons. It went beyond the physical. They were supportive of each other, not taking things for granted and they obviously have their moments of doubts but the important thing, they did communicate, without pretense.
Oh my, the butterflies…

It was such a magnificent journey, full of emotions, genuine and passionate. There are so many things I loved about this story, showing that love is just love, how it feels like to find your person and your everything. The other person that could make your heart race like no one else.
The storyline was well developed, through the ups and downs, when the author took time to settle the pace, to let the main characters grow and expand their relationship. Couple goals!

I was so absorbed and I didn’t see the time passing by. A sign of an amazing story. A story that I will read more than once.

Definitely a top one favorite for this year!!!

A Guy Walks into My Bar
By: Lauren Blakely
Narrated by: Shane East, Joe Arden, Full Cast

Sometimes a book is advertised and talked about so much that when I listen to it, I wonder what all the buzz is about. Well, let me tell you, this book deserves all that it has gotten. This epic love story is one for the ages. It’s not about sexual orientation, or instant love. It’s chemistry, attraction, and friendship. That connection you have that you know is with the person that is meant for you. When Dean went to England to visit his sister, he had no intention of finding that kind of love. And when Fitz saw him enter his bar, he wasn’t even going to entertain the thought. But these two were meant to be. Lauren Blakely has knocked it out of the park with her book showing us it’s not about location, or differences in tradition, sexual orientation or careers. It’s about love. This is one you definitely do not want to miss.

To top it off, Blakely has Shane East and Joe Arden narrate her amazing story, and these two are incredible. The passion instilled in their performances only goes to show how incredible the book is and how talented these two men are. Add in the cameo performances by all of my favorites and it’s made into one of my top listens of the year.

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I am a huge MM romance fan…throw in a hot hockey player, and I am done for!! L Blakely did not disappoint with this book. From the setting in London to the smoking hot heroes to the steamy love scenes – it was all FIVE STARS!

First, let’s talk about these two men. “Fitz” is the cocky, inked up hockey player visiting London to simply help his sister settle in – as soon as he steps foot in Dean’s bar, the pages light up. The chemistry was immediate; the banter was perfect; and I don’t know who I fell for first. Dean is the broody smoldering bar-owner who has his guard up, but Fitz breaks down his walls pretty quickly. I LOVED these two together!

Although their time together is short-lived, it seems like it lasted months instead of days. This is love at first sight personified in this story. They are not only physically attracted to each other and have a hard time keeping their hands off of the other, but they share their deepest dreams, past loves and experiences, and even family and friend introductions. It was natural and felt like an easy progression – never forced or rushed. When the time came for them to say goodbye it did not feel like insta-love, but it felt like that long-lasting, soul-crushing, all-consuming love and I could not help but cheer for them both every step of the way.

Fitz will win you over with his confidence, charm and his surprising sensitivity, and Dean will steal your heart with his hesitant but passionate soul. These two are perfect for each other and I loved every step of their relationship! Well done L Blakely! I can only hope that we will see more of these two in the future.

5 stars!

Wow. Leave it to Lauren Blakely to turn me onto M/M romance! I have never read the genre before, thinking that it really wasn’t my thing but after Fitz’s story was set up in The What If Guy I knew I had to read his story and oh what a story it is! I am in awe of Lauren Blakely’s writing style. I say this with every one of her books I read and review but she is a queen of humour, heart and steam and she brought it ALL with Fitz and Dean’s story! Fitz is visiting London to help his sister Emma get settled into her new life in England when he walks into Dean’s bar and the two hit it off instantly. I am not generally a fan of insta-love or instant chemistry but my goodness sparks were flying between these two immediately. They begin by only committing to hook up for a few days as Fitz has to return to New York to training camp as Fitz is a professional hockey player and Dean’s life is in London. After only a few days both cannot deny that their feelings are much more but know that their time is limited and they plan to make the most of it. Their chemistry was undeniable. I couldn’t get enough of their flirty banter, and steamy bedroom scenes. Together they were pure fire. At first appearance they seem like an unlikely pairing. The big bulky tattooed hockey player and sexy Dean with his British accent and humour but they worked and made the perfect couple. I loved how they challenged each other and both had their insecurities about leaving the other but in the end love wins out and this is a truly beautiful pairing.

I whole heartedly loved Lauren’s approach to M/M romance. Her dedication at the beginning of the book says “love is love” and I loved that so much. Both characters exude confidence and the way they go after want they want and have no problems with public affection was refreshing! I hope Lauren will write more M/M romance in the future. This may have been her first but I certainly hope it is not her last.

*ARC received in exchange of an honest review.

4.5 dreamy, loved-up stars!

Lauren Blakely’s first m/m romance, and she’s delivered a blisteringly hot read with great characters, epic chemistry and soooooo much swoon!

This book has loose ties to Blakely’s The Guys That Got Away series, with some minor character crossover, but this one is a standalone and can be read independently of the others.

Dean Collins is living his dream – running his own bar with his best friend in his home town of London. He’s worked hard to get where he is, and he’s absolutely devoted to making his business a success, and he won’t let anything distract him from his goals… until a big distraction walks right into his bar.

James ‘Fitz’ Fitzgerald is an NHL player from America. He’s in London for a few days before he returns to New York and the start of a new hockey season. He’s not looking for love, but he’s totally open for a hook up while he’s in town, and with one glance he sets his sights on the sexy bartender.

The sparks that fly between Dean and Fitz are insane. They flirt, tease and banter, and though Dean is trying his best to keep his focus away from men and on his bar, he can’t resist the draw of the sexy American, and they agree to a short-lived fling while Fitz is in town, where they will explore their wicked chemistry before going their separate ways.

If you’re into books where you get to see every little moment of a romance unfold – all of the hot glances, flirty banter, fun dialogue, the sweetness, the longing, the steam and everything in between – then this is the book for you. We get to see every moment of Dean and Fitz’s romance unfold, drawing us into the story with them, and it’s a great combination of fun, flirty, and seriously steamy.

“It’s the things he says and the way we are with each other.
He’s the best time I’ve ever had.”

Oh holy God, this book is hot! There’s plenty of sexy time, and we get it in great detail. So much so that I actually ended up skimming a bit through all of the descriptiveness, but it shows the blistering connection between the two men, which very quickly strengthens as their attraction becomes so much more than either of them ever expected.

“There’s much more here than chemistry. More than the hashtag Best-Sex-Ever effect.”
Fitz lets out a breath like I’ve freed him, like I’ve given him everything he needs. “So much more,” he echoes, his shoulders relaxing, his arms looping around my neck, and his lips zeroing in on mine as he repeats “You are so much more” against my mouth, kissing me.”

It’s such a gorgeous romance. Dean and Fitz just fit together. It’s fun, flirty, open and honest, and so, so easy. They are full of PDA, and they just go with the flow, following their hearts (and their libidos) into a relationship that neither of them were looking for. So much so that when the time comes for Fitz to return home and their fling to come to an end, how will they ever let go?

“He is too much of what I want. He is all I want.
He is it.
The shattering truth of that clobbers me. There is no more falling. The falling is done, and I’m here.
I’m in love”

I really enjoyed this book. The characters are great, and the romance is fun, flirty, super functional and incredibly sexy, with a lot of emotion and it’s so freaking swoony! There are scenes in this book that had my heart almost pounding out of my chest in swoony, excited, romantic bliss, which I loved!

I don’t think the book as a whole needed to be as long as it is, and that ending seems to go on and on and on (and then an epilogue!), and, to me, felt a bit repetitive with the declarations and the HEA. But it provides us with a great finish for Dean and Fitz – and a couple of other characters – and gives us some hints for more of Lauren’s books to come.

It’s a great story, and I loved Dean and Fitz’s romance.

A Guy Walks Into My Bar is a M/M, stand alone romance by Lauren Blakely. Full disclosure here is that I have only read a couple of Lauren’s books although I thoroughly enjoyed them. But I have such a huge love for M/M romance so when I saw she was releasing one, I knew I had to read it. But I wasn’t prepared for the level of love I felt for this book, for these two men! When I wasn’t reading, I was walking around with my head in the clouds thinking about them. I hope you’ll take a minute and let me tell you about these two.

“If you don’t have rules, that’s when you run into trouble.”

Dean Collins is thirty one years old and lives in London. He is living his dream, owning a bar called The Magpie with his business partner and closest friend, Maeve. His flat is near the bar and also near his dad whom he is very close to. He has friends, family and work that keeps him busy and happy. What he doesn’t do is relationships. He and Maeve have an ongoing bet that keeps them from sleeping with the customers and Dean is very competitive. He will not lose the bet. But then a very sexy American walks into his bar, and changes everything.

James “Fitz” Fitzgerald is a professional hockey player, a defenseman for his team in New York. Spring training starts in a week so Fitz is in London with his younger sister, Emma, getting her set up to attend art school there. He views this as a little vacation before his entire focus will be on hockey. When he walked into The Magpie, he couldn’t see anything but the sexy British bartender. He knew he wanted him and was determined to change his no to a yes!

“And I want. I want Fitz so much I can feel it in my lungs. I want him ferociously, with a desperation I haven’t known in ages. Or maybe I’ve never known it could be quite like this. This intense. This devouring.”

One kiss was all it took for Fitz and Dean to realize that this thing between them wouldn’t and couldn’t be ignored. It might have started out as just sexual. And let me tell you that these two threw sparks like a wildfire that couldn’t be extinguished. But the level of intensity of their sexual connection led to more, so much more. They both knew, though, that they had an expiration date, five days until Fitz left to return to New York. No strings, that’s what this was supposed to be, a fling. Then good-bye.

“Don’t go.”
“I wasn’t leaving. You always think I’m leaving.”
“Maybe because I always want you to stay.”

I think I’ll stop there. Just typing this is giving me all the feels all over again. I loved these two so much. I’m particular about my M/M romances. I prefer it when both partners are physically equal and these two both were. They were sarcastic, fun, sexy, and both had hearts that were so big. I loved how they were afraid to voice their growing feelings but they showed each other with their bodies, with their kisses.

I am just so in love with this book, with Fitz and Dean, the Brit and the American who live an ocean apart from each other but found a connection that couldn’t be denied. This was fun, sexy, swoony, made me sigh, smile and maybe even gasp! I couldn’t put it down. I was so excited to learn that Lauren is writing another M/M romance entitled One Time Only. It’s on my tbr list and I can’t wait for her to make me fall in love all over again. But for now, I just want to say thank you for Fitz and Dean.

A GUY WALKS INTO MY BAR is the third instalment in Lauren Blakely’s contemporary, adult THE GUYS WHO GOT AWAY erotic, romance series. This is professional hockey player, American James ‘Fitz’ Fitzgerald, and thirty-one year old, British bar owner Dean Collins’ story line. A GUY WALKS INTO MY BAR can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous instalments is revealed where necessary. Fitz was first introduced in book one DEAR SEXY EX-BOYFRIEND.

NOTE: A GUY WALKS INTO MY BAR is an LGBTQ / MM story line with graphic scenes of same sex situations.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Dean and Fitz) A GUY WALKS INTO MY BAR follows the building relationship between professional hockey player, American James ‘Fitz’ Fitzgerald, and thirty-one year old, British bar owner Dean Collins. James Fitzgerald’s sister Emma is about to start school in London, England, and as such Fitz is helping his sister get settled and moved in but Fitz never expected to meet British bar owner Dean Collins, a meeting that will turn into so
much more. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Fitz and Dean, and the potential fall-out as Fitz’s time in England comes to a close.

James ‘Fitz’ Fitzgerald doesn’t do relationships having struggled with previous relationships in the past but meeting Dean Collins draws Fitz to Dean like a moth to a flame. Six days together ends with professions of love but neither one is willing to commit to forever in the face of a long distance relationship, and their commitment to their own current career paths. Dean Collins knows to fall in love with Fitz means never getting his happily ever after but time spent with Fitz gives Dean thoughts of a future, a future that would require him to move out of his comfort zone, and to a new place, new country, and new way of life.

The relationship between Dean and Fitz is one of immediate attraction but Dean refuses to be a tourist’s hook-up, and Fitz is leery in the face of his fame and hockey notoriety. A few hours together quickly develops into something more but the likelihood of forever is something neither one had considered until they had fallen in love. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and intense without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

Once again, there is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including Fitz’s friends: Leo, Oliver (Dear Sexy Ex-Boyfriend), Logan Clark and Bryn Hawthorne (The What If Guy), teammate Ransom; Dean’s father Martin Collins, coffee shop owner Penny; Dean’s friends Sam, and bar co-owner Maeve.

A GUY WALKS INTO MY BAR is a story of family, friendships, relationships and love. The author points out there is zero homophobia in her fictionalized world, therefore the conflict revolves around the thousands of miles that separate our story line couple. The premise is charming, encouraging, sexy and inviting; the characters are sassy and edgy; the romance is provocative and seductive.

In ‘A Guy Walks Into My Bar’ by Lauren Blakely, we meet Dean and Fitz.

Dean is a bar owner on one side of the Atlantic and Fitz is a professional baseball player on the other.

Dean has some very strict rules about fraternising with customers, but a definitive end to a proposed entanglement, makes a fling with Fitz more inevitable.

However, as you would expect in romancelandia, things never go quite as planned and OMG feelings become involved!!

Dean and Fitz’s journey to HEA with ‘The Pond’ between them is alternately sweet, funny and emotional.

I enjoy MM novels immensely and this offering from Lauren Blakely rates up there with some of the best. A great addition to her catalogue!

I loved this book, I loved the characters the banter the back and forth the steam factor. The fact that it is about taking a chance and leaping for what you want. Even if Dean was leery about starting something with a customer in the beginning he leaped because when you know you know.

Fitz and Dean ohh wee they steam up your ears in this beauty. I loved it so freaking much. I loved that they had common interests and not common interests and they shared themselves with each other. They made it work when it seemed impossible.

Their friends were so supportive and their families. I loved it so hard.

I felt like this is just the beginning for Lauren and I hope she keeps coming up with amazing love stories just like this one.

I am a fan of all the narrators; they truly bought this story to life. Also the interview was fantastic, thank you!

Mav and Sam I loved the short at the end and whoever is the voice of Sam I need MORE please!