Book 945: Rediscovered (Do-Over #2) – E.M. Denning

When this landed in my inbox, it was a case do I really want to continue the series, is it really going to be the end of the world if I just let it go?* I didn’t feel super strong in either direction after reading Rearranged.

I sort of wanted more information about what went down between Rowan, the first book’s protagonist, and Harrison, this book’s, parents because it wasn’t given due justice in the first book and it received even less play in this one unless you count Harrison being fired and Rowan quitting after the main drama of this book.

Ultimately, I requested a copy and it was an enjoyable read if a little one-dimensional. Harrison is a good boy who has always done what his parents say and agreed to marry Rowan because he couldn’t have the man he wanted, Jack, his stepbrother who has been in love with them since they first met and who has a kinky lingerie secret.

Denning tried to spice up the book with Jack’s secret lingerie and the final sex scene of the novel with a toy or two, but it all fell pretty flat for me. There was chemistry between Jack and Harrison, but not enough to engage me in the story. Add in that Denning wrote two characters that weren’t both verse, but did an interesting job of making sure the verse character got everything they wanted in addition to the other character.

I appreciated the lack of drama in this book, minus the quitting scene which happened off-page, and for the most part, this was a pretty low angst book.  Jack and Harrison having spent years circling each other and believing they couldn’t have each other made them much more willing to talk to each other when they were having issues rather than just bottling it up and being dickish men (huge MM Romance trope).

Recommendation: This was a so-so read for me. It wasn’t bad, but it also wasn’t good. The characters were believable, but not as well done as Sid and Rowan in the first book. Some moments were just adorably sweet, but there weren’t enough of them to really lean into with the novel. I’m not sure I’ll read the next book if there is one, there were two characters it could be (Jack’s best friend or Rowan’s brother), but if it comes out and I don’t have a long queue I wouldn’t turn it down.

*I received a copy of Rediscovered via Gay Romance Reviews in return for my honest opinion. No goods or money were exchanged.

Opening Line: “Jack watched in horror as Harrison’s fiancé burst out of a little white chapel with a grinning ginger on his arm.”

Closing Line: “‘Thought so.’ Jack let out a happy sigh and Harrison held him tighter.” (Whited out to avoid spoilers, highlight to read.)