Can a best friend become a lover without throwing away years of friendship? Sometimes, all love needs is a little courage.Sloane: I know I can be a grumpy bastard, and I’m not the easiest man to deal with, but you’d think my best friend would trust me. We don’t keep secrets, even about our love lives. That’s what I thought until I found out Dean was seeing someone. I don’t like it…don’t ask me … someone. I don’t like it…don’t ask me why. But there’s more to the story than I thought, and now I have to deal with feelings I didn’t even know were possible for me.
Dean: I would not recommend being in love with your straight best friend. I met Sloane in Basic Training and fell head over heels. Years later and a deployment under each of our belts, it’s still not easy. All I’ve wanted for six years, six fucking years, was Sloane. Maybe it’s time I moved on. I’ll never have the same feelings for anyone else, but I’ll never get what I want from Sloane, right?
After one slightly drunken night, will Dean and Sloane ever be able to get back to what they’d been, or has everything between them changed forever?
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I stayed up reading all night !
The Friends-to- lovers trope is one of my favorites and there’s not many who can get to right.
I love how the author emphasized on the strength of Dean and Sloane’s friendship, the way their personalities fit together and the bond they share in the initial chapters.
That was very well done. And quite refreshing to read as most of the stories in this trope start off with there being some sorta sexual tension between the MCs.
I also loved the way the author wrote Sloane’s turmoil and how he dealt with his sexuality, his attraction towards his best friend and the weirdness of it all.
Very well done. If you are looking for a great, mild angst and refreshing read in this trope, I highly recommend this book. Will be looking out for more in this series
Before I get started with the review for I’m Straight, Right? By Romeo Alexander and John Harris, I’d like to go ahead and say that I was given a free audiobook copy of this novel for an honest review. I’m stoked to report I not only loved this book but also both author’s writing style! To be perfectly honest, I’m not a super-duper picky person when it comes to books, but I do want something with some substance and this book really delivered. I’m not going to go into too much detail about the book. I’m not the sort of person that likes to ruin the plot with a bunch of spoilers, so if that’s what you’re looking for, you’re out of luck here. Now, if you want an honest opinion, keep reading!
Dean and Sloane have been best friends since meeting in Basic Training six years prior to the start of the story. They’ve always shared everything with one another, or so Sloane thought. He wasn’t aware of the fact that Dean’s been in love with him from nearly the start of their friendship. Nor was he aware of the fact that Dean’s been dating a man named Marco while trying to move beyond the unrequited love he has for his best friend. It isn’t until Sloane runs into Dean and Marco in town that he realizes that Dean is dating, and boy is he pissed about it. This caused some discord between the friends which leads them to reevaluate the situation when they can’t stand the rift. Friends become something more, which brings with it confusion and personal consideration that eventually leads to a HEA.
I honestly loved all of the characters in this book. It’s a common issue with a lot of authors to create amazing main characters but neglect the supporting or secondary characters. That wasn’t the case at all here. I feel a little bad for assuming that Marco was going to eventually be a total tool, yet I was pleasantly surprised that Marco was a sweetheart! I love how Michael Ferraiuolo read Marco’s parts. The accent was brilliant! Sloane’s mom won my heart over from the first phone call she had with her son. You could tell that she was a great, loving mother for her children. I also fell in love with Sloane calling her Mama. It was so cute! Troy, Trisha, and John were all great characters too. I enjoyed Trisha’s dry humor while on duty with grumpy Sloane and clueless John. It was fantastic. Troy isn’t to be forgotten either! He seemed like a good friend, even if he drove Dean a little crazy sometimes. I’m intrigued by the history that is obviously between Oscar and Troy, too.
The flow of the story was good until the very end. There was a consistent progression throughout but the end seemed a little rushed. I mean, Sloane was trying to figure out how he felt about everything as a not-so-straight dude. When Dean came over it was as if a switch flipped and Sloane was suddenly okay with this new orientation and his feelings. It wasn’t awful, but it did seem like a bit of a fast turnaround if you ask me. The sexy scenes were pretty good. I would say there was a medium heat level but that’s not necessarily a bad thing if you don’t mind it.
I’m Straight, Right? was read by the talented Michael Ferraiuolo. I’m a bit biased because he’s one of my favorite narrators. He killed it with his performance for this novel and it made my whole listening experience incredible. Michael does a great job of giving each character a personality that you can truly feel. I don’t have a single complaint I can think of that needs to be mentioned.
My overall opinion of this book is very positive. It’s not too fluffy and it’s not too dramatic, it just seemed to flow with an enjoyable tone. I finished with a smile on my lips due to the great story and the awesome narration. It definitely left me feeling happily satisfied with the time it took to listen. The authors wrote a fantastic piece of fiction that’s engaging and enjoyable. If reading or listening to military gay romance is something you’re into, I think you’ll enjoy this book. Alternatively, If you’re new to the authors or narrator give them a chance. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
You’re in love with your straight best friend. Do you tell him?
OMG ya gotta love men in uniform! This book is full of characters that are well thought out and intriguing . I found myself caught up in their lives. You will too.
Dean has been in love with his best friend for 6 years. Through all the deployments, the only place he has ever felt safe was with Sloane. Even the nice guy he’s dating doesn’t compare. Sloane is straight, right? So why is he so jealous? When a night of drunken lust shoves everything over the edge, they will have to face their feelings.
This book does have HEA. It also has helpful family, annoying friends, lots of passion, and steamy scenes. You will love this book!
Trigger: there is past wartime trauma. There are nightmares, but nothing graphic. I don’t think anyone will be offended.
This book contains adult themes and language, mm sex and is intended for mature readers only.
I absolutely loved this one! So this was a friends to lovers and a bit of strait to bi awakening. This was a slow burn and I have to be in the right mood for slow burn but this one was done really well. I loved all tension and jealousy built up the author presented, it made the characters seem so real. I enjoyed how things weren’t super rushed and the author eased you into the story. It made it more believable then the story’s that just jump from the character being strait one moment to be gay two seconds later and already ready to act on it fully. This story was very well done and really felt each emotion each character was going through. These two have been bestfriends for 6 years and one has been in love with the other the whole time and the other never realize his feelings meant more until he felt threatened of losing the other forever.
Ooooh, I loved this one!
Best friends to lovers and one heck of a bi-awakening!
Surly and grumpy Sloane is usually growly with everyone, but he becomes a cuddle monster with his best friend, Dean.
Dean has been secretly in love with his super straight best friends for years, but now he has decided to let it go and move forward…
Sloane does not take it so kindly and one night of drunken confessions turns everything to awkward, until it isn’t…
Great performance by Michael Ferraiuolo!
Audio Review:
Overall – 5
Performance – 5
Story – 4
Fantastic audio performance, really good OFY story.
It’s no secret that I LOVE audiobooks performed by Michael Ferraiuolo. His vocal talent can turn a so-so story into one that I’d listen to over and over again. This was far from a so-so story and I really enjoyed it.
I love this length of audiobook because I can usually listen to the whole thing without interruption. Unfortunately, even though I knew better, I started listening to this too late at night to stay awake to finish it and I really wanted to finish it.
In any case, I thought this was a really good out-for-you story as well as a great friends-to-lovers one. Both of these tropes are favorites of mine. The blurb is pretty good so I’ll just say that I loved the connection that I felt between the two MCs – even before anything physical happened between them. Michael’s performance was perfect and the different voices he did for the characters made it easy to tell who was speaking. I really liked the secondary characters, too and would love to read a story for Marco.
Audiobook Review
Michael Ferraiuolo
Ratings: Overall/Narrator/Story: all 5 Stars
Sloane and Dean have been friends for a long time. Their touchy, feely friendship raises questions by others, but ‘whatever; people can think what they want to think’ has been their motto. Then, one day, Sloane discovered Dean was keeping a secret from him, which lead to a BIGGER secret being divulged. Their friendship was never the same since, and Sloane couldn’t stop questioning everything he’s ever learned.
This was a great start to this series; it’s well written and has engaging characters. I’ve already listened to book three, so I know these books all overlap a little, giving you a peak into future books, or previous books. I love it when a series does that. Nowhere in this story does Sloane say what he identifies as, but I suspect he’s pan. Hearts, not parts. Labels aren’t necessary for everyone, but I don’t think it’s gay or bisexual, given things he discusses in the book. That’s just my two cents, though.
Michael Ferraiuolo does a phenomenal job bringing this story to life. He’s extremely talented. I love all the voices he creates, including ones with accents. I highly recommend listening to his work. He definitely made this book, which was incredible on its own, reach a whole new level of greatness.
Hot Sexy Time…
This was a great story Sloane and Dean were best friends since forever. Well best friends make better lovers.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This friends to lovers romance was sweet. For six long years Dean was in love with his straight best friend Sloane until one drunk night of fun leads to Sloane questioning his relationship with Dean and if there could be more between them. The answer is yes, of course it could turn into more and eventually a happy ever after.
Loved this! Dean and Sloane are best friends since boot camp. Dean is gay and in love with Sloane, but Sloane is straight and has never looked at Dean that way. Until he sees Dean out with Marco and he becomes upset and jealous. Then Dean spills his secret to Sloane when pushed….He’s loved him for 6 yrs. Slowly Sloane realizes that he loves Dean, whatever that makes him, he doesn’t care. Sweet ending.
KU.
I really liked this short story, but first. The title. Ugh. It sounds like a bad after school special. If I were just browsing, I would have totally skipped this ~ but it was recommended in a reader’s group, so I grabbed it.
I’m really glad I did. GFY is hit or miss for me, but it was done really well here. I loved Dean & Sloane’s friendship and how it evolved. For such a short story, this packed in a lot of information and didn’t feel rushed. I think the PTSD maybe could have been expanded on a little more, but it is a short.
I’ll be looking for more from this author & series.
I love a Friends to Lovers story. I also love this author’s books, so this was a winner for me. Sloane and Dean have been best friends for the past 6 years. Dean’s good looking and gay but Sloane is big, bad, hot and not gay. Sloane has no problems with Dean being gay and no clue Dean’s been in love with him for years. I love how close Sloane was to his mother and his sister. He could talk to his mom about what happened with Dean and she gave him something to think about. They were so good together. I really enjoyed this book and it is one I know I will read again. I requested an advanced reader copy from Booksprout and am under no obligation to leave this review.
I’m Straight, Right ? by Romeo Alexander is a fun and sweet read about two best friends who realize just how much they mean to each other. Sloane is a straight man who shares an incredible and close relationship with his best friend Dean. Dean has been in love with his best friend for years but knows it can’t go anywhere beyond friendship… until it suddenly does. And the wonderful story we get is full of sweetness, humor and just a touch of angst as these best friends figure out how great becoming lovers can be.
I received an advanced reader’s copy of the book and I am voluntarily leaving my honest review and recommendation.