Book Reviews

Book Blurb

I'm lonely at the top.

I'm a world-famous gay relationship expert. I have my own television show, Boyfriend Academy.

I’m six feet, five inches of ex-military muscle. My abs have their own Instagram account. And I can make hummus like nobody's business.

Still, I spend every night alone.

My next coaching assignment is in Honey Bay. Middle-of-nowhere type place. The nearest Bergdorf Goodman is 331 miles away. The nearest hot guy, probably even farther. And I'm supposed to coach some dude named Holden.

Turns out Holden is gorgeous, cute as a pug, and he doesn't even know it. He's a car mechanic. And a nerd.

Holden will be such a catch. For his eventual boyfriend. The one I'm trying to help him find.

I can handle Honey Bay. I can even handle Holden's garage, his beer-chugging friends, and his uptight customers.

But can I handle falling hopelessly in love?

The only man I've ever wanted is way out of my league... and he's my dating coach.

I came out at thirty. Late bloomer. If being perpetually single can be called blooming.

Avi is supposed to make me sociable, acceptable, date-able. Whatever. I'm not wearing daisy dukes to work, no matter what Avi says. This is Honey Bay, not Key West.

I go along with Avi's dating advice. It's the polite thing to do, even if I don't have much hope of finding love. Who would ever date a nerdy car mechanic with a ten-dollar haircut and a pet hedgehog?

Avi gives me a style makeover. He teaches me how to flirt. He even tags along on every awkward date.

But how can I learn to date when the only man I want is my coach?

Embrace Him is a feel-good romance with a glam dating coach unexpectedly crashing into a nerdy mechanic. May contain chicken fried steak, a ruined sofa, vitamin D, and exactly three lube jokes.

Book Review

This is the third book in the Honey Bay series. While the characters from the first two books are present, I didn’t feel as if I were thrown into the middle of anything despite not having read the other books. This installment is told in alternating first person point of view by Holden, a small-town mechanic, and Avi, a big city dating coach.

 

Holden is a mechanic who wears jeans and flannels, has grease under his fingernails, and cuddles with his pet hedgehog, Elmer. He is shy around crowds. When Holden’s friends throw him a surprise 30th birthday party he is overwhelmed. “I was the guest of honor, apparently. Inside the Frosty’s Bar party room was everybody in the world: all eight billion humans, with their sixteen billion eyes on me. At least it felt like it.” He doesn’t share a lot with his friends because of his secret and they not only notice it, but bring it up. “Holden Xavier, faithful friend, keeper of a pet hedgehog, lover of cars and chocolate, but otherwise man of mystery. It would be nice if you opened up a little to your friends, you know?” It makes Holden think. Despite the fact that he is a thirty-year-old virgin who feels a mechanic in Honey Bay can’t be gay. “Maybe coming out didn’t really change people. Maybe the world didn’t crash and burn. Maybe coming out just let people be themselves.” This is what makes him feel comfortable enough with this group of friends and he finally comes out of the closet. You can almost feel his relief pouring through the pages. His people are completely supportive, to the point that after the party Baxter (from Honey Bay book one) decides to give Holden a hand with putting himself out there and hires a dating coach, Avi, to help him get going.

 

I have to admit that the initial introduction to Avi did not wow me. Avi is a six foot five giant in shimmery crop tops and short shorts from Israel with a TV show called Boyfriend Academy where they exaggerated his accomplishments a bit. In real life, he isn’t having much success with his dating coach service. He’s over the top a lot and also comes across as a little shallow, comparing the Red Sea beach to both his abs and his penis while at the same time being rude on the phone. Of course, he believes the call is his landlord looking for very past due rent when in fact, it is Baxter. After a ridiculously funny phone call, Baxter somehow still hires Avi to come to America and coach Holden.

 

As Avi begins coaching, however, the more serious part of the man emerges. Yes, Avi right now might be, in his words, “Flamingly homosexual?... Queer like a two-dollar bill?” but he knows what it’s like to be in the closet. He was an officer in the Israeli Mossad and he was closeted there. He knows what it is like to have a career where “They do allow gay people. Officially… But you know how that goes. Officially is one thing. Your bosses giving you the side-eye at every meeting is another thing.” Isn’t that the very unfortunate truth.

 

Holden is such a good sport and goes along with Avi’s suggestions, even though wearing a crop top, shorts and a hard hat to work really isn’t a thing. The very first customer to the garage is questioning but supportive. “Did you borrow that bikini top from your sister?” I thought, uh-oh but he was cool, even asking if “Liberace Schwarzenegger” was still going to be there. I agreed that was a great way to describe Avi. Holden is worried about coming out because the whole town knows him, but that’s just the thing. The whole town knows him and they like him.

 

Setting up a practice date guided by Avi was funny but awkward. Of course, as Avi and Holden get to know each other more they connect but they are so vastly different. Avi is cosmopolitan, a city boy who travels and dines with celebrities. Holden is a small-town guy who is happy being just that. “As much as Avi and I seemed to be from different worlds, here we were, happily eating breakfast together.” Holden isn’t stupid. He knows the score. “Avi was performing a paid service. He never would’ve been eating breakfast with me had Baxter not paid him.”

 

It is when Avi starts to be real with Holden and showing more than the over the top personality that they really look like a match. Tentatively they take steps to friends and then more, but what can happen when there is an end date to Avi’s presence? “Maybe Holden even knows how much I wanted to stay with him, and how scared I was.”

 

There are some funny parts of this book. The meet-cute between the two involves a crashing rolling dolly and lube (no, not that kind). It takes Baxter and Andy showing up to convince Holden that yes, this is a thing and no, he can’t get out of it. This happens while Avi is ogling both Baxter and Andy and thinking possible group activities. Once Holden realizes he has to do this, Avi lets his inner design diva free. The scene at the salon made me laugh – “Ba-la-yage!” - and the John Deere dealership with its hard hats made me both roll my eyes and laugh. Even better is the fashion show with Holden’s Men’s Department putting both Avi and the shop clerk into the vapors. Putting Holden in crop tops and short shorts got me scared that Avi was going to completely change who Holden is. It also highlights that Avi has zero clue about small towns, but he learns. Oh, and Avi’s outfit for the Honey Bay town barbecue? I would pay money to see him in that, tassels and all.

 

I liked this book even as I rolled my eyes at the extreme OTT Avi sometimes. Honey Bay is a kind place with kind, loyal people living there.

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by the author for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novel, 208 pages/52000 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	11-August-2020
Price	$4.99 ebook, $14.99 paperback
Buy Link	https://www.amazon.com/Embrace-Him-Honey-Bay-Book-ebook/dp/B08DV6R47W