It started out promising but then just became a dull plod. It felt like the story was simultaneously too long and too short. Kent, the guy who took the bet at first seemed like the world's biggest prick and I was intrigued to find out how he would mellow but as soon as he went on his first date with Terry he instantly transformed into a thoughtful, considerate guy. Terry's character was barely there, kind of the young not very confident sort which really made no sense given his backstory. I have no idea why the author made Kent straight as he didn't seemed to have any qualms what-so-ever about openly courting a guy.There is no conflict, no strife, everyone one is the book is just too nice for words and the guys relationship is a giant ball of cotton candy. The sex scenes were a waste - I got the impression that the author really isn't all that sure how things work between two dudes, which is weird considering how many MM books the author has churned out. I plodded though to the end because it was so short but I didn't enjoy it very much.Oh, I just realized she is the same author who writes the endless Assassins/Shifter stories in which supposedly macho men behave exactly like air-headed high school girls. That explains so much.On a positive note the writing is decent and the book is well edited. This smart, contemporary “man with everything finds love where he least expects it” tale was spot on. Set in the big city at an advertising agency, I would almost bill it as a modern-day gay “Mad Men” crossed with one of my favorite yaoi anime’ “Boku No Sexual Harassment.” Not the subject matter of the latter, but the casual, yet elegant, musicality of that work. Witty, concise, and light on angst, the story was refreshingly sunny and a fast read. This is book one of the series. Be prepared for hot, successful men who play hard at both work and play, and fall hard when hit with Cupid’s arrow.Advertising executives Blaine McKlintock and Kent Samson are career-oriented men who have climbed the long road to success on their individual merits. They have had each other’s backs since college and in the competitive world of advertising they keep themselves sharp (and amused) by the occasional boys-will-be-boys bet. When Blaine teasingly accuses Kent of drugging the many women he dates, Kent protests—it’s not his fault that he can get any women he wants. Blaine then challenges him to a bet: Get the next person who walks through the door to date and fall in love with you! Certain it will be his secretary, who already has a crush on him, Kent agrees. When a bike messenger strolls through the door, Kent realizes he has his work cut out for him. It’s a guy—a cute guy, but a guy nonetheless!Messenger Terry Barron delivers his package into the hands of one of two gorgeous men who are starring at him a bit too hard. The stare from the gay guy, he can understand, but the other hot stud is definitely straight—why is he giving Terry a smile of invitation? A chance encounter with tall, Beckham-like, and handsome the following day and Terry is certain he’s hearing things. The hot straight man is asking him on a date? Despite his sense of foreboding, Terry finds he cannot say no.I wholly enjoyed this story and found myself anticipating the second book in the series at the halfway point of this one. I’ve been reading a lot of male/male romance books with heavy angst lately, all seemingly attempting to portray a degree of realism. This ingenuous, urban contemporary romance didn’t try so hard to be real and to my mind came closer to that objective as a result.I freely confess: every now and again I want to read about a seriously hot and glamorous man. A man who’s a looker, has the world at his feet, and has the pick of any litter, but can’t find love. A man who knows how to dress, has money to burn, attends the best parties, is hung like a horse, and can make love all night long, but is an adorable idiot when it comes to love. Kent Samson is that man and watching him chase down the object of his affection was very entertaining. Terry Barron was smashing as the bewildered object of affection. Shying from the glamorous world Kent inhabits, he still manages to get his man and on his own terms. Flash, fun, sweet, and heat make for one deliciously romantic getaway. Yes, escapism can be a good thing, and Sandrine Gasq-Dion is a great escape artist.Thank you, Sandrine Gasq-Dion, for sending me to the world of the beautiful people, I’m brighter and shinier for it.“Bright lights, Big city, Loving pretty”
