Group Review: Hipster Brothel by K.A. Merikan

--- The lumberjack of his dreams is now available for rent. ---

Mr. B has always been a safe guy for Jo to crush on. He’s the cutest bearded lumber-god to salivate over. Add to that his friendly, outgoing personality, and Mr. B might just be the first guy Jo would be willing to kiss. Fortunately, Mr. B has been in a relationship for years, and Jo is no home-wrecker.

But when Mr. B breaks up with his partner and all of a sudden is single, available, and talks about his plans to be sexually adventurous, Jo isn’t so sure anymore if he has the guts to come out as bisexual.

After a sour breakup, Mr. B wants to show his ex that he’s independent, exciting, and can do very well without him. His best friend Jo is there to the rescue, and they come up with a great new business venture. One thing they lack to start their own line of artisanal boozy jams - money for the investment.

After a drunken brainstorming session, Mr. B finds a way to both gather the cash and show the middle finger to his ex. He will create a one of a kind Hipster Brothel - The Lumbersexual Experience - offering wood chopping lessons, pipe smoking, and a reclaimed wood bed where the magic happens. It’s bound to be a success… if only Mr. B can go through with it, because the mixed signals from Jo are making him wonder if his best friend is as straight as he always seemed.


POSSIBLE SPOILERS:

Themes: Hipsters, sex work, friends to lovers, bisexuality, post-breakup issues, coming out, first time, alternative lifestyles, lumbersexual bear, commitment

Genre: M/M contemporary romance

Length: ~50,000 words (standalone novel)

WARNING: Explicit content, strong language. A shameless amount of buzzwords. May cause second-hand embarrassment.

Averaged!

Sara - 5 Fluffy non-ironic Hearts

This was full of fluffy lumbersexual, hipster goodness and I want to marinate in the fluff until I drink craft beers and move to a train car in the middle of nowhere that has a hot tub and a tobacco bar.

Seriously. I hugged it out with my Nook just a few minutes ago because this book makes me wanna cuddle the fuck out of something and since Jo and Mr. B are in my Nook, we had to have a few intimate moments.

Straight forward with a simple review.

Mr. B broke up with his bearded silver fox boyfriend Mr. A. Jo has been BFF’s with B since they met at CrossFit over the WOD and both men are in way over their heads with the feels but neither of them lets it be known. When they have some homemade booze one night, they get the idea of turning the train car into a brothel with Mr. B being an escort and getting a chance to sow his wild bearded, barrel chested oats.

This place will be a steaming hot inferno of lust once I’m done with it.

But you see, there is a flaw in this plan because there is a steaming vintage cup of unrequited feelings going on with Jo and Mr. B and when Jo says he’s going to help B build the Lumbersexual Experience, Jo realizes he needs to test drive the tour.

GOODNESS! This was super freaking fracking hot but with the authors, you come to expect that. It was so hot but it was also so tender and full of emotion that you almost felt intrusive when the men get intimate. I say almost because regardless of how sweet their sex was, it was just dirty enough for my inner perv to tell my hopeless romantic to STFU and watch closely. Yep. Mmm Hmm. *grunts*

So anyway. These two were so cute and I just want to hug the hell out of Mr. B on numerous occasions with how sweet he is and how he treats Jo and Jo…JO JO JO! Lord, boy you had me twisted in knots with how floppy you were with you owning all of your sexuality and yet, watching you struggle and then come to a conclusion so like romantic movie style fruition I couldn’t be mad. I mean, when you tell Mr. B what you liked with your girlfriends and how you tell Juniper and what you do for Mr. B… how could I ever be mad?

Being with him was such a revelation that Jo clung to it every day, still overwhelmed by how he’d gotten so lucky.

That end bit was hot AF and again, super swoony and just so Mr. B and Jo that it was beyond perfect. But then there is an epilogue and OMG I need to go squish something because this book gave me all the fluff feelings.

DAWWW! This was just so GOOD! The puns were totes punny and really, the hipster bits were hilarious because… hipsters, and yet kind annoying because I do some of it. Maybe I am part hipster after all but I wouldn’t appreciate the decorations over the bed in the train car.

Okay. I am done. Gonna go find someone to hug the hell out of now and maybe pet while I pretend they are Mr. B.

Lorix - 4.5 Hearts

I love KA Merikan, this writing duo always write outside the box! I mean even the title of this book, Hipster Brothel, is unique. A Hipster Brothel. I love it!

Mr B is just your average sexy lumberjack type hipster, living in an old train car smoking his pipe, building bespoke furniture and dreaming of artisinal jams. I wish there be one of them in my village. He just made me want to hug him and not let go; a gorgeous bear of a man. He's also an out and proud gay.

Jo, his BFF, is hipper and more stylish and nowhere as near as confident as his image would suggest. He's ignored his bisexuality, avoided the same sex relationship part of his personalty because it is easier to be straight. It's not as if he's faking his interest in the ladies after all. This works out just fine until he admits to himself that his feelings for Mr B are more than that of best buddies.

Being a huge fan of friends-to-lovers stories, this book was just my cup of tea. It really was. There was a little moment of angst that made me worry, but I should know better than worrying this writing duo would resort to cheap tactics to keep me reading.

I loved this story and have never wanted to visit a brothel until I read this book. Shame I'm not a gay man and the brothel was made up anyway...

Do yourselves a favour and read this book!

Chelsea - 4 Hearts

I personally find hipsters are hilarious individuals. It's so entertaining to hear about all the ways they make themselves unique as a group, but when it comes down to it, they're very creative! I loved all the hipster elements of this story, definitely entertaining.... boozy jams, rosehip donuts… so hipster.

This was an overall cute and fun friends-to-lovers story. I super loved these guy’s easy friendship and connection. I loved Mr B, like everyone else will! He's is the biggest, cutest, cuddly teddy bear ever. Sexy as hell as well!!!!!

Forget about wearing your heart on your sleeve, Mr B wears his on his forehead, so everyone can always see it! I loved how he was planning his wedding the moment after he found out Jo was bisexual, so cute!

Jo… now he is more complicated than Mr B but man, his style and general coolness sounds amazing!

Jo however is where this lost points for me. He just annoyed me too much with his fear of being labelled bisexual or gay. I mean I get it, he did justify it fairly well, but that doesn't mean I wasn't still annoyed.

Also, now that he wouldn’t be seen as a straight guy, his clothing choices would all be pinned to his sexuality, not his edgy fashion sense, and that struck right at who he was.
He was cool, and he was stylish, and it had nothing to do with who he slept with.

Maybe is was accentuated even more because Mr B is just so open, honest and vulnerable that I found it harder to read about Jo's actions.

Mr. B walked up to Jo with that wide smile, holding the flowers, still catching his breath after the bike ride, and before Jo knew what was happening, Mr. B leaned down and gave him a kiss.
His warm lips were gone in half a second, and yet time seemed to stop, everyone seemed to have gone quiet, even the music seemed muted. Was everyone looking at them?

The drama did work itself out fairly quickly and I do feel that Jo made up for all his stupid attitudes, so that's good. Oh and that HEA, that is the stuff of romances!!!!!

On a side note, of course this sex is hot. It's a Merikan story. And here we have a big ol’ bottom slut and I love those :-D.

This was a fun and pleasant read, I had a lot of fun reading it, nothing really struck me as amazing though.



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