Title: A Bid For Love
Authors: T.D. McKinney & Terry Wylis
Publisher: Amber Allure
Genre: Contemporary M/M
Length: Extended Novella (38K words, 140 PDF pages)
Rating: 4 of 5 stars
A Guest Review by Buda
Summary Review: A delightfully fun read that makes me want to auction myself, too!
The Blurb:
To FBI agent Asher Hall, offering himself to the highest bidder for a charity auction seemed like nothing more than good fun for a good cause. A romantic weekend in Italy, a chance to meet someone special, could be just what he needs. Until his anonymous “owner” turns out to be far more–and far more male–than he counted on.
Fellow FBI agent Scott Jamison has one chance to give his heart to the friend and teammate he’s loved for years. He’s even willing to bankrupt himself for just two days with Asher, and he’ll pay any price for a piece of the man’s heart.
But Asher knows the price might be too high. A gay man in the FBI? Teammates who are also lovers? That sort of love could ruin careers and destroy friendships.
Can Asher bear to out himself, or will Scott lose his one bid for love?
The Review:
Asher Hall is frequently the butt of jokes in the office. People suspect he is gay because he likes roses, poetry and opera. It doesn’t matter that his last relationship was with a woman named (!) Poppy. Still, he puts himself up for auction, offering a weekend in Italy as the date, hoping to possibly meet someone.
Scott Jamison has silently been in love with his FBI teammate Asher for years. He’s bisexual, but butch enough and without any OGTs (Obviously Gay Traits) that his sexuality has never been questioned. He’s seen Asher take the teasing about his perceived homosexuality but hasn’t added to it, just watched and waited. The bachelor auction proves too good an opportunity for him to resist taking a desperate chance. He talks Asher into volunteering and his plan is underway.
The pairing is cute and funny and the sex is good. When the fairy-tale weekend in Italy is over and they’ve returned to their jobs in DC, they have to hide their new relationship. Asher isn’t ready to come out, Scott won’t push him. Apparently Asher comes from money and privilege, which could have added another dynamic had the authors wished to divert from the sweet, mostly light-hearted theme. And it is a fun, romantic little story.
The supporting cast is made up of characters in the true sense of the word. For example, Holly, who helps Asher get ready for the auction, is unafraid to verbally poke and prod at both guys. Noah, their team leader, is so uncomfortable with homosexuality that he visually twitches at the thought or sight of it. So, of course, the new case to which they’re assigned has Asher and Scott posing as lovers to catch an arms dealer. An arms dealer who likes to take his meetings at a gay bar. Humorous times ensue–mostly at poor Noah’s expense, and I have to admit I rather enjoyed that.
What Worked For Me:
The chemistry and banter between these two is superb. After all, what good is a relationship in which you can’t laugh at and with your partner? These two have fun with each other even when they’re arguing. Black velvet paintings–wait for it.
The supporting cast helped add depth while keeping the story grounded in reality, especially those characters who weren’t exactly thrilled about having a couple of gay men in their midst.
What Didn’t Work For Me:
I freely admit this is my own quirk, so hopefully it won’t bother anyone else. Scott almost immediately begins calling Asher by pet names. It’s harmless, but jarring when it first occurs. Being from Texas, his favorite is “darlin’.” (I was glad to see darlin’ instead of darling.) Later, Asher’s attempts to follow suit are awkward. He uses “dearest,” which just conjures a picture of Faye Dunaway as Joan Crawford. (Sexy? Anyone?) Additionally, the phrase “his love”–as in “he gazed at his love”–caused eye rolls. Nine times. Yes, I counted.
Overall:
I have a soft spot for fun and funny books. This is the second book I’ve read by TD McKinney and they’ve both fit that category. Being the law enforcement junkie I am, I would have preferred a bit more of the actual case work, but that wasn’t the focus of the story. Instead, this is a light, sexy tale of two men going to the necessary–extraordinary, in Scott’s case–lengths to secure and build a relationship. There is almost no angst in this book, so if you’re in the mood for a romance you don’t have to work for, but with characters you can laugh with and care about, this is your ticket.
Buda
Love this writing pair and have read many of their books as well as standalone books by T.D. McKinney, so I definitely will be reading this one. The premise of one FBI officer falling in love with another and bidding on him in an auction is hilarious, so I can’t wait to see how he pulls it off and what happens next. 🙂
I totally agree with you about pet names – I’m thinking of writing a post about this horrible habit that seems to be cropping up frequently in M/M. Guys don’t call each other “honeybear” or something equally ridiculous. And “dearest?” Oh Gawd – shades of the old South.
Great review Buda. BTW if you do decide to auction yourself off, can I be the auctioneer? This has so many possibilities for me to list your er selling points. LOL
I like this writing team and this sounds like another good one to add to my TBR.
Great review! 🙂
Great review Buda! You’re like an old pro already. 😉 I’m with you on loving the funny books. I think they’re now my favorite thing to read. This is definitely going on my TBR list.
I whole heartedly agree with ickiness of those overly sweet pet names. And they are using them way too early in the relationships in so many books now. It’s gone epidemic!
Buda, one of my all-time favorite characters ever is Jules Cassidy, the FBI agent in Suzanne Brockmann’s Troubleshooters series. From the beginning of the now 16 (maybe 17) book series, Jules was out, proud, and a great, well-respected agent. Thus began my attachment to FBI agents!
I alternate the angsty books with the fun books, so this one goes on the list. Thanks, Buda!
Hey, all y’all! (Sorry, Wave, couldn’t resist. But you did mention the South, so it’s technically your fault.) 😉
I hate to give the wrong impression. It’s not that I’m against pet names for people; I’m not. I use nicknames a lot, and will resort to an endearment if I’m having trouble getting my tongue to form the person’s name. I’d be interested in seeing a post about the, as TJ put it, epidemic, Wave.
Patty, I know you did not just tell me there’s a massive series involving gay FBI agents! Are you trying to kill me? *g*
Thanks for the kind words. Keep them coming and I just might do this again. 😉
Buda
You’re such a faker – we know that you’re not from the South because all the men from that part of the US are gentlemen. 🙂
Wave, dearest, are you forgetting Jeff from A Vintage Affair? I’d probably not call him a gentleman after that stunt he pulled. 😉
But at least I do know the difference between “y’all” and “all y’all” and when to use each.
Wow, I didn’t realise “darlin'” counted as a pet name! Guess that shows cultural differences… to me, “darlin'” suggests the speaker is from the West Midlands, in the same way that saying “hon” is used in Liverpool, “pet” in the North-East (Newcastle Upon Tyne etc.), “cariad” in Wales, and “love” in Sheffield. Yep. There’s a city in England where complete strangers address each other as “love” 🙂
Personally I tend to use “pet” or “hon” as “love” does tend to get mis-interpreted in other parts of the UK…
Tigg
I’m reading this book now and the number of times that “darlin” and then “dearest” are used make me want to barf. 🙁 But that’s just me …….
I have to admit, “dearest” would make me think of my parents (and I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to think of my parents when I’m reading a romance!)
Hi Tiggothy. Occasionally, I will call someone “hon” instead of their name, but I try not to make a practice of it. I think “darlin” is one that can go either way–be a pet name or an endearment, depending on geographic location or intent. When Scott uses it, it is definitely an endearment.
In the case of this book, it’s as if 8 of 10 times an endearment is used when the man’s name would suffice. It annoyed me after a while, but mostly because of the awkwardness. Please don’t let this stop you from reading it, though. It’s a sweet book.
Ethan
As I said in my email, I love, love this book. The protagonists were so well drawn I wanted to hug them and I thought that the black velvet Elvis painting was a nice touch. 🙂 A couple of the supporting characters needed a kick in the balls … and one of them didn’t even have any. 🙁
I think I will be re-reading A Bid For Love real soon, despite the “darlins”.
Buda,
Thank you so much for taking the time to read and review. Terry and I appreciate your remarks and take all comments to heart. All y’all… email me if you ever need help with the accent. Mine’s about as thick as they come. LOL
— Ebs