I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
His Until Midnight (Texas Cattleman's Club: Bachelor Auction #4) by Reese Ryan Series: Texas Cattleman's Club: Bachelor Auction #4
Series Rating:
Published by Harlequin Desire on December 1, 2018
Genres: Contemporary
Format: eARC
Source: the author
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To the highest bidder goes…
A friendship with benefits?
When Tessa Noble takes the stage at a charity auction after a sexy makeover, her best friend, Ryan Bateman, must place the winning bid. It’s definitely not because he’s jealous. Their weekend getaway is a ploy for positive press…or so the rancher tells himself. But soon things take an unexpected turn from platonic to passionate, catapulting the couple far beyond the friend zone…
I love friends to lovers. I really do. I don’t know what it is about the trope that’s so appealing to me, but there’s something about watching two people who are so blind to their own feelings be completely blindsided by love.
Tessa and Ryan have been best friends since they were kids, but of course, they’re only friends. Sure they are. They swear. They shared one kiss years ago, but it never went any further than that and they’ve both pretended to forget about it since then. But when the Texas Cattleman’s Club has their annual Bachelor’s Auction, and Ryan sees the makeover Tessa got before her turn on the stage, all bets are off.
Tessa and Ryan were fun. They both tried to fight their feelings for each
This wasn’t a very angsty book, though most of the conflict was internal. Tessa and Ryan each had to come to terms with the very real possibility that if they take this huge step and things didn’t work out, they could lose the most important relationship in their lives. They talked about it and communicated about their fears with each other; they didn’t just stew and ghost and ignore each other.
I could have done without the big brother storyline. As much as I love the friends-to-lovers trope, I hate the big-brother-best-friend trope. I just don’t care what their reasons are; your siblings have no say in who you date and I really don’t enjoy reading books where that’s the conflict. That said, when Tessa found out about her brother’s comments to Ryan about her, she called them both out on their bullshit, and that storyline was resolved fairly painlessly.
This book is #4 in a series, which I didn’t realize when I started to read it. I was able to read and enjoy it as a standalone, but there were a few threads that were left open, clearly to be continued in later books, and a few that I think were continued from earlier books that I had to just go with. There’s a small part of the book that’s devoted to a secondary romance as well, but it’s very small, and will probably carry on into further books as well.
Like most Harlequin Desires, this one was a quick read; I got through it in one sitting. I’ve only read 2 or 3 books by Reese Ryan, but I’ve enjoyed every one of them. I’d recommend this one for anyone who likes the friends-to-lovers trope. The characters were fun, the angst was low, and the sex was hot.
About Reese Ryan
Reese Ryan is the author of eight published works of romantic fiction, with five more hitting shelves in 2018. Her stories feature complex, deliciously-flawed characters. She presents her characters with family and career drama, challenging love interests, and life-changing secrets while treating readers to an emotional love story with unexpected twists.
Born and raised in the Midwest, she now resides in Central North Carolina. She treads the line carefully between being a Northerner and a damned Yankee, despite her insistence on calling soda pop. She gauges her progress by the number of “bless your lil’ hearts” she receives each week. She is currently down to two.
Past president of her local Romance Writers of America chapter and a panelist at the 2017 Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, Reese is an advocate for the romance genre and diversity in fiction.
This does sounds fun and I am glad it worked on its own despite the threads from previous books.