Title: The Enlightenment of Daniel
Series: Sex in Seattle, Book 2
Author: Eli Easton
Genre: Contemporary Romance, M/M Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: Review copy provided by publisher
Published: December 18, 2013 by Dreamspinner Press
Business tycoon Daniel Derenzo lives for his work until his dying father reminds him life is short. When Daniel starts to reevaluate his world he experiences a startling revelation—he’s attracted to his business partner and best friend, Nick, even though Daniel always believed himself to be straight. In typical type-A fashion, Daniel dissects his newfound desires with the help of the experts at the Expanded Horizons sex clinic. He goes after Nick with the fierce determination that’s won him many a business deal.
Nick Ross was in love with Daniel years ago, when they were roommates in college. But Daniel was straight and Nick patched his broken heart by marrying Marcia. Two kids and fourteen years later, they go through the motions of their marriage like ships passing in the night. But Nick’s kids mean the world to him, and he’s afraid he’ll never get joint custody if they divorced. If he can trust his heart to an awakening Daniel, they all might find their way to a happily ever after.
Reviewed By: J9
In a Nutshell: This is an enjoyable read with great leads, strong romance and a believable ending. It was so good I won’t complain (much) that I only got two sex scenes.
The Set Up: Daniel has followed in his father’s footsteps and is all work and no play. Now that his father is dying of cancer he tells Daniel to get a life. Daniel is pondering his father’s advice when he has a revelation that he’s attracted to his best friend and business partner, Nick. Daniel approaches his attraction with logic and a plan, just like he would in business, but he can’t account for everything and that includes Nick’s loveless marriage and two children.
Why I Read this Book: I love the friends-to-lovers trope in MM romance and read it every time I see it in the synopsis.
What I Liked: I adored Daniel and the relationship between him and Nick. It’s humorous and heartwarming to see Daniel formulate a plan to make Nick his. He applies his business acumen to changing their relationship and this had plenty of tension and intimacy which I love. The other thing I love about the relationship is that it’s Daniel who pursues Nick, not the other way around. This flips the trope on its head and I loved how that played out.
What I Also Liked: This long novella doesn’t have any secondary plot, the relationships make this book: Nick and Daniel’s foremost but also Nick’s with his kids and wife and Daniel’s with his father and Nick’s kids. I really liked this controlled focus on the relationships and think the author successfully resisted adding unnecessary tension.
I also thought I knew how the end would happen and while I did to some extent, it was more complex. Nick’s wife could have easily been demonized the entire novel, and she was for most, but the ending is extremely well done in this regard.
What I Didn’t Like: I like sexy times and this novel only has two and the last is in the epilogue. I didn’t mind so much since Daniel and Nick have such great emotional intimacy but some readers may wonder, “where’s the smut?!”
IMO: I really enjoyed this light book with great characters and strong romance.
J9’s Rating:
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