No strings attached is all Oliver can offer. He’s hiding a broken heart that holds him back from diving into a new relationship, but he’ll go on a blind date to make his family happy. Just one date, though; he doesn’t have time for love to derail his plans.Divorced and demoted to the night shift, Nick has his own problems. He’s got an ex-wife who needs him and a kid with one foot in juvie. The … juvie. The last thing Nick needs is to butt heads—or other body parts—with a tempting hipster who wears a sad smile on their blind date.
Their chemistry can’t be denied, though, in an argument or in bed. No strings sex is uncomplicated and that’s what Nick and Oliver need. But getting into bed together is one thing. Staying out of each other’s hearts soon becomes so much more complicated than either one imagined.
Cold Pressed is an 80k contemporary MM romance. It features a smoldering bisexual single dad, a broken-hearted hipster with a thing for beet juice, and a friends-with-benefits arrangement that blooms into the HEA you’ve been looking for.
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This book was fabulous! I love Oliver and Nick so much! Both with a hard past, but brought together to help each other. I love how Nick is still figuring himself out and Oliver is still figuring out his career path. I love how Seb and Martin are brought back! I’m loving this series and can’t wait for more! Highly recommend this series!
This is the second book I’ve read by this author and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed both.
This deals with Ollie, Seb’s brother, and his life change from hotshot lawyer to juice bar hipster. Add in a hot bisexual former firefighter and now disillusioned dispatcher and a no-strings sexual relationship that neither of them can adhere to and you have an excellent romance. I adored Ollie with his man-bun and ratty shorts and felt so hard for Nick, living with his ex wife because of a teenage son under house arrest. The romance developed so well and naturally and I was really cheering for the guys to make it through all the problems they faced.
Great to see Seb and Martin again.
An absolutely lovely romance and I’m glad we’re not done with Seacroft yet. Next up Avery.
3.5 difficult reality stars, but a great MC pairing and a hopeful, happy ending make it definitely worth a read.
Life has definitely dealt two raw deals to Oliver and Nick. But when one meet-cute turns into a meet-hate and a second chance through a blind date turns that into a meet-hot-against-a-brick-wall, you know we’re in for a bit of a roller coaster. There are definite lows and a few highs that speak to their souls and give them glimpses into another side of themselves, one they fear, and they’ll have to choose if they’ll give up what they could have for something they may not be able to save despite their best intentions.
This was hard. I wish I could say I didn’t like this book because there were some really hard moments here that frustrated me, hurt me. But that’s just not what I can say at the end. I think it was a bit jarring because a lot of it was reality and reality isn’t all sunshine, rainbows, and happy conclusions.
Nick was my favorite of the two. He was believable in his struggle and since we spent a lot more time in his head, we got to know him more, to know how deep his confusion, frustration, and dissatisfaction went. By the end there was no clear conclusion or fix for all the things in his life, but it was very clear that the best partner he could have is the one he got. The situation with his son was heartbreaking and there were zero moments of saying just the right thing, coming to a perfect understanding, mending fences, building bridges…or pretty much any other trite cliche you can think of to describe fixing years and years of doing the wrong thing. Instead, we get honesty and that honesty isn’t exactly pretty. I think Nick could and should have made much bigger strides to saying at least something, but where we end up shows that there is a ton of hopeful potential between them. They’re on the right path and Nick is committed to staying on it because beneath all his failings, he’s so full of love for his troubled son that there’s no other future he’s willing to settle for if it means a life without his son.
Oliver’s struggles stem from trying to live a life that wasn’t his dream. Having his heart and expectations crushed by a weak man did him no favors. Except maybe that was the biggest favor; freeing him to find and build a life in Seacroft turned out to be the greatest gift. In Nick he found someone that could support him in an adult way and could give him the love and passion he didn’t know was absent from his previous life. I enjoyed his eagerness to connect with Nick even if it all just began as an FWB situation. I do wish he had been a bit stronger at the end instead of being constantly tossed around by his emotional turmoil, that he were less reactionary and used his intelligence to think his way through his situation rather than to just keep ramming his head against the wall. I also wish there were more on the page about his tentative connection with Nick’s son and not just the one moment in the interrogation room. There is a lot to heal there.
Without the harsher realities of life it’s cliche, and yet so very true, that we can’t fully appreciate or enjoy the triumphs and happier moments in life. A lot of time was spent in their heads and less on the action of the story so we didn’t even really see things get going until probably halfway through, and then the really big stuff didn’t come until near the end. I wasn’t a fan of the pacing or the navel-gazing, but I respected and grew to appreciate the story as a whole because it really was closer to real life than some imagined idea of life with a knowledge that the cheesy HEA is right around the corner. Typically that’s the kind of book I gravitate towards, but then I get surprised with a book like Cold Pressed and have to reevaluate why I shy away from stories that echo a less idealized version of reality. So overall it was a bit harder to read, but no less satisfying when we see where they end up. I definitely want to see Avery get his own story and to see Oliver and Nick’s progress on the periphery.
Romance and sizzle with some realistic domestic headaches and work woes
July 16, 2019
Format: Kindle Edition
4-4.5 stars
This story has so much more than the steamy romance between fire department dispatched Nick and newly arrived health and wellness entrepreneur Oliver. Both have complicated lives that put pressure on their nascent relationship. The problems with Nick’s troubled son brought some suspense as it took most of the book to finally reveal the reason for the young teen’s acting out. I give the author kudos for creating a story that has some realistic domestic and career problems for the leads. It’s well-written and a worthwhile read with plenty of sizzle
I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.
I really loved this story. It was messy, not pretty, full of problems and yet these guys still managed to find love. They were cute together and I totally enjoyed reading the story. There might have been a few moments I worried how they’d get it all together, but they did and I loved it. I liked the secondary characters in the story as well. I absolutely recommend this book and reading more in the Seacroft series.
In theory, Oliver and Nick shouldn’t work as a couple. They have starkly different upbringings and it surely looks like the odds that their differences would make a long-term relationship last are against them.
But,I was happy to discover that these two amazing men aren’t that dissimilar after all,not deep down. Both have many uncertainties, fears and doubts, only Nick wears his emotions on his sleeves and Oliver is better at presenting a confident, cool facade. And what they really feel shouldn’t even matter,because they’ve decided to have a sex only relationship, without any personal details in the mix. Their lives are messed up and regardless of much they try uncomplicated, all their plans blow to pieces. And let me tell you,it was wonderfully emotional to watch their no strings attached slowly turn into need for companionship and eventually into love.
I loved everything about Cold Pressed: the emotions,the passion, the connection between Nick and Oliver. I loved how these two beautiful, lonely souls found each other despite deep set insecurities and family drama,and how they managed to build a new future for themselves.
I really recommend it!
Well, there are books where you have a certain expectation as to their content and level of angst / character complexity. I had some when it came to this story, but it was blown to pieces before I even reached the 10% mark! And a good thing it was!
This book is a great story of two mature men at crossroads, who manage to complicate the one thing they were hell bent on making simple. With brilliant results 🙂
The characteristics of the MCs and secondary characters are amazingly detailed and fine tuned here. The development of emotions and the story itself just pulls you in. I finished reading it at 1.45 am, because there was no way to put it down! Such a good book!
I was provided with an ARC copy and voluntarily leave an honest review.
This book follows Oliver who we meet in Top Shelf as Sebs brother and Nick who works with Brian. It’s a good story with family heartbreak and an ex but it felt like the story was more Haydens in part than Nick and Oliver’s.
Cold Pressed by Allison Temple is the second book in the Seacroft series. It is a contemporary m/m romance involving a Bisexual divorced dad and an ex lawyer who is now struggling to succeed in the juicing business he had planned to run with his lying, cheating ex. It’s a fantastic read.
I was hooked from the start with they way they meet and how everything evolved from their first date. There is humor, angst, drama, lust and love. Oliver and Nick are wonderful characters who are relateable and likeable. And the supporting characters are fun and interesting. I loved reading how everything was playing out. I can’t wait for more in this series.
I received an advanced reader’s copy of the book and I am voluntarily leaving my honest review and recommendation.