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Made Marian #1

Borrowing Blue

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alternate cover edition of ASIN B01NAAT1LQ

Blue: When my ex walks into the resort bar with his new husband on his arm, I want nothing more than to prove to him that I've moved on. Thankfully, the sexy stranger sitting next to me is more than willing to share a few kisses in the name of revenge. It gets even better when those scorching kisses turn into a night of fiery passion.

The only problem? Turns out the stranger's brother is marrying my sister later this week.

Tristan: I have one rule: no messing with the guests at my vineyard resort. Of course the one exception I make turns out to be the brother of the woman my brother's about to marry. Now we're stuck together for a week of wedding activities, and there's no avoiding the heat burning between us.

So fine, we make a deal: one week. One week to enjoy each other's bodies and get it out of our system. Once the bride and groom say I do and we become family, it'll all be over between us. Right?

Fair warning: Blue and Tristan's story contains smoking hot scenes of man parts touching, pee-in-pants descriptions of grannies cursing, and the sweet improbability of two strangers finding their happily ever after when they least expect it.

307 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 23, 2016

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About the author

Lucy Lennox

91 books3,879 followers
I write M/M romance with humor, heart, and heat. Check out my backlist here on GR for a selection of series and standalone or visit www.LucyLennox.com!

I only keep a small list of my very favorite books and series in my bookshelf here. I read A LOT and it's hard to keep the list updated!

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5 stars
4,323 (46%)
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3 stars
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,217 reviews
December 11, 2022
Borrowing Blue was vaguely enjoyable and sexy, but way OTT on the family drama. The plot was weak and consisted of extramarital affairs, homophobic brothers, vengeful exes, and Blue running (and I don't mean metaphorically; he would literally take off jogging) away every time his lil' ol' feelings got hurt.

So many things just didn't make sense:

Why did Sheila want to get back together with Tristan if she was really in love with John?

Why is Simone marrying a homophobe when she has gay brothers?

Why did Tristan's employee grab him by the throat with no explanation? Seriously, this random plot point was never discussed again. Sorry, but I think trying to choke your boss is really fucking crazy.

Also, and this has to be mentioned, the whole thing with Aunt Tilly and Granny making loud sexual remarks about their nephew/grandson while the family (including children!) looked on in amusement was not only NOT FUNNY; it was flat-out inappropriate.

"So, young man, how long have you been fucking Big Blue here?"

"Maybe he just needs to get laid. A good fuck ought to fix him right up."

"Tell us about this stud muffin. Does he have a tight ass? More to the point, when are you gonna fuck him?"


Let's imagine an uncle or grandfather making similar comments about a niece/granddaughter, saying that she looks freshly fucked or that this guy of hers must have a large dick and give it to her good.

Let's imagine a man bringing home a girlfriend and the uncle/grandpa going on and on about the size of her tits and butt and calling her "hotstuff."

I wouldn't call that banter. I'd call it sexual harassment. Why should it be any different when such remarks are aimed at a man?
Profile Image for ☆ Todd.
1,388 reviews1,528 followers
February 6, 2017

This story worked pretty well for me. Mostly.


Pros:

▶ I loved the humor
, which was pretty constant throughout.

▶ There were a decent number of feels.

Blue's family was really great and accepting.

"Blue's bells." *swoon*


Neutrals:

▶ This book had tons of family drama, mostly from Tristan's side of the family, but I was oddly okay with that, since the author didn't wallow and wallow in a cesspool. Events happened, then you just sort of moved along.

▶ I think the resolution at the end was decent, if not fairly predictable.


Cons:

▶ For the first third of the book, I kept mentally saying, "I can totally tell that a woman wrote this story, pretending to be in the head of two gay men." It got considerably better, but I couldn't get that thought out of my head for a good while.

Metric fucktons of sex, enough that by 70% I was entirely skimming over any scene involving an orgasm.



The humor and two extremely likeable MC's carried the book for me. It was well-paced and I never got bored, even if at times I was completely rolling my eyes.

This was definitely just an escapist read for me, but a decent 4-star story, in my opinion.

------------------------------------------------

** My free copy of the story was obtained through Kindle Unlimited.
Profile Image for Carol [Goodreads Addict].
2,591 reviews25.1k followers
March 19, 2021
Borrowing Blue is the first book in the Made Marian series by Lucy Lennox. While I have read several of Lucy’s newer books, I haven’t had a chance to start this series, even though I’ve been intending to for a long time. I finally did and I’m completely in love. This is one of those books where I want to highlight every other sentence because it’s all so amazing. Where I swoon so much it’s a wonder I’m not passed out! Where I smile and sigh and gasp and just wallow in the awesomeness of it all!



Blue Marian is part of a huge, successful, close knit family. His baby sister, Simone is getting married and they’re holding the wedding at a nearby winery. On Blue’s first night there, he sees his ex who is there with a date, a very young date, and he decides to head to the bar to drink away his feelings. Only a very sexy stranger sits next to him and offers to help him get his own revenge with the hottest kiss of his life. A kiss from a man who is gorgeous, funny, kind, and oh so very straight.



Tristan is the owner of Alexander Vineyard. He felt drawn to the man in the bar. Maybe it was just an excuse, helping him to get back at his ex, by kissing him. Because it was all he could think about doing. He had to have his lips on him. One kiss led to two and it was clear there would never be enough. Blue would be at the vineyard for a week for all of the pre-wedding festivities. So why couldn’t they spend the week together and enjoy this undeniable connection before it was time to part ways? The only problem is that the man that Blue’s sister is marrying? It just happens to be Tristan’s brother!

“His body was like a playground and I wanted to be the only kid allowed on it.”



As the week progresses, Tristan and Blue’s attraction turns into more. Feelings grow. Not to mention the chemistry. These two don’t waste any time getting to know each other’s bodies. At the same time, their week includes plenty of wine, crazy grannies, and a lot of family chaos which it seems the Marion family is good at.

“I had known him for ten seconds and I already felt as if he was as critical to my survival as food and water.”



This book was everything I hoped it would be and more. So many giggle moments. So many swoony moments. So many steamy moments! I’m only one book in and I’m already in love with this family. There is no way I’m not continuing the series. The next full book in the series is Taming Teddy which is Blue’s brother, Jamie’s story. I can’t wait.

For more about this book and so many others, come and visit me at Carol's Crazy Bookish World.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Carol...

Profile Image for Snjez.
838 reviews712 followers
November 21, 2020
I really liked Blue and Tristan. Their relationship was very much insta-love and too sweet at times, but I didn't mind. The author managed to make it believable. Great connection and great dialogues between the two of them. And I loved the dog.

There were a few things that are keeping me from giving this a higher rating:
- all the side characters, except maybe for Jude and Jamie, felt very one-dimensional to me
- John's character didn't feel very realistic to me
- I didn't get why Simone would want to marry John, all things considered
- Sheila's character didn't make any sense, other than to cause drama
- Jeremy is another cliche character whose actions didn't make sense
- personally, I wouldn't feel comfortable around people like Aunt Tilly
- I don't remember ever reading a book with this many sex scenes. They just started to feel repetitive and boring, and sometimes the timing was odd
Profile Image for Gigi.
2,155 reviews1,039 followers
February 9, 2017
This is author Lucy Lennox's first book and she did a nice job! The sex was great, the angst was low and the boys were adorable. My one complaint is that it dragged a bit towards the end and I skimmed a few sex scenes. It could have been about 4 chapters shorter. The last 75% of the book felt like filler.

But I encourage M/M romance fans to give this one a try! Sometimes good old-fashion hot sex is just what the doctor ordered.
Profile Image for Deborah.
3,542 reviews472 followers
February 9, 2017

This is a beautiful, sweet yet hot and sexy read.
Blue is still getting over being dumped by his ex when he has to attend the week long festivities leading up to his sisters wedding. He knows his ex will be there but he's not prepared to see him walk in with what looks to be his new incredibly young hot husband. The only thing keeping him sane is the absolutely gorgeous man next to him at the bar, the man in question is Tristan and apart from the fact that he's obviously straight he seems perfect in every way.
Tristan is happy to play along and make Blue's ex see that he's moved on but the kisses between them are the hottest most incredible ones Blue has every had and he's trying to wrap his head around the fact that the best most intense kiss of his life came from a straight guy.
I loved both Blue and especially Tristan, well all the characters really the Marians are great with Aunt Tilly being the funniest and Jude the most intriguing, there's so much potential for future books.
This is a gentle romance and I loved the fact that it never once resorted to stupid misunderstandings or the like to twist the drama Blue and Tristan are open and honest and it's refreshing.
I have a huge to-read list including several books I've been waiting ages for but this was such a lovely sweet feel good romance that I'm going to continue on and read the next book 'Taming Teddy' it's worth mentioning that this series is on kindle unlimited as well.
Profile Image for Shin Mon Thway.
663 reviews1,631 followers
March 25, 2018
Wow .. I'm sooo glad that I gave this book a shot. I'm the kind of gal who always reads lots of reviews before I start reading a book because I really really hate not finishing books. There is one friend of mine that I really really respect and usually whenever she gives 5 stars to books, I make sure to read them and when she gave 2 stars or lower, I skip those books. She only gave two stars to this novel so I was really skeptical about starting this series but I saw some of my other friends gave this book 4,5 stars so I was like, WTH, I'll try. Ok .. very long introduction already. Let's start the review. 😁


Oh My GODDDD!!!! 😱 I love this book. 😁 Let's start by the cover. Look at those two cover models. Howww adorrrable are they? 😍 Totally gorgeous!!! Especially the one who portrayed as Tristan .. Uh huh .. Mama wanna ravish that gorgeous bastard. 😂😂😂

So far as the story goes, I loveeee it!!! It's so realistic. Somehow it reminds me of Mama Mia movie .. am I the only one? 😏😏😏 I saw some of my friends got offended by the sexual remarks made by the elder members of the families but I just found them witty and extremely hilarious. 🤣 I Absolutely adore Tristan character. He was gold since from the very beginning .. the way he wanted to help Blue from embarrassing encounter with his ex and the way he kissed him for the first time and pretended nothing is wrong while Blue is gasping like a fish on land. 🔥 Oh .. totally lovely character. 😉

I really also like Blue character so much. The guy is sweet, loving, kind and extremely maternal. Just a perfect companion for our lonely, sexually awakening hero. Everyone from Marian family, especially aunt Tilly and Jamie and the witty remarks they make are simply hilarious. 🤣 And Tristan's gay Granny and her gf, solid gold!!! 👏 It was so cleverly plotted and realistic and it really makes me see all those hilarious and ridiculous things that happen at weddings all the time.


I can see the extreme talent and the incredible sense of humor of the author. I'm so glad that I gave this book a shot. Now it's my life mission to finish all books of Lucy Lennox ASAP. And all these books are available on KU. Can it be more perfect? 😁❤️😘


5 charming vineyard owner and dorky adorable Blue stars

I just hope the series will carry the spark in its sequels .. 😊
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️




Audible review

Story - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narration - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Michael Pauley just freaking rocks! 💙

Listening the crazy Marian gang on audio made me laugh and smile and happy all over again despite currrntly suffering a very nasty flu. 😁

loved, loved it! 😍
Profile Image for Steelwhisper.
Author 5 books417 followers
March 12, 2017
There will be spoilers below...



This book features

271 fuck and derivatives
89 ass
84 shit
41 damn
32 assorted vulgarities (bitch, slut, etc.)

and that's only the ones I looked for. In short, these two guys are pottymouthed like giggling teenagers, and just as attractive (not).

Indeed, the "teenager" verdict stays with this book, for the author's narrative and prose as much as for the characters. It's childish, super-melodramatic, it's clearly written by a female author trying hard, but never succeeding, to represent an adult male mindset, and - what is way worse - it is also, sometimes latently, sometimes directly, bi-phobic and misogynic. The alleged humour entirely bypassed me: I never found it to be funny. Instead the attempts at humour ended up giving me this "tooth-achey" feeling you have when you witness something stupid, done by someone you used to respect, and now want to be miles away. I think the neologism is "external shame". Ick.

The story itself is facile and non-believable, whether in set-up or in execution. I skimmed the many, very unerotic sex scenes pretty soon, and ended up skimming largish portions of narrative as well, the farther I got. It was all rather boring. As a bisexual/pansexual queer I would prefer if authors engaged a couple of bi/pan beta readers, of age groups above 30 as well please. How Tristan came to own up to his bisexuality was... offensive.

Not interesting. Not romantic. Unerotic.



Oh, and something I really, really hate: ex-wives who are painted being cold bitches, not wanting romantic relationships and children, in short, women who pushed away the poor bluidy weeny gay-bi-whatever-hunk into the arms of a sooo much better gay partner. Double-ick.
Profile Image for Jilly.
1,838 reviews6,378 followers
January 21, 2021
This is a fake-boyfriend AND gay-for-you romance novel that is really walking the line between romance novel and just plain ol' hardcore porn. In other words, it's got it all, baby!


Well, almost. Cake would help.

I gave it three stars because it was a little too angsty and feelingsy for me and way too soon. But, I still enjoyed the story because it was well written and the characters were good guys. I mean, sure there is more fucking and angsting than anything else in the book, but I was at least entertained.

[image error]
My bar is low these days.

Now, I'm going to read the rest of the siblings stories. Why not? It's not like I have anything better to do and there is porn involved...
Profile Image for *J* Too Many Books Too Little Time.
1,921 reviews3,711 followers
December 18, 2016
3.5 Stars!

This one was pretty good. I'm always a little scared with a new author. But it was on Kindle Unlimited and the blurb intrigued me.

And overall it was pretty good. The writing was good.

There wasn't too much to the story, just what the blurb says. Tristan jumping in to "save" Blue at the family wedding from his ex. The rest of the story is their time at the Vineyard leading up to the wedding.

There was some cheesy dialogue here and there. A few times I had to roll my eyes, but overall I quite enjoyed this one.

Things move pretty fast between Tristan and Blue. Definitely insta-love, but it didn't bother me too bad. Tristan and Blue were pretty cute together.

Some LOL moments. And yeah, I'll admit I'm curious about the other two gay brothers that are going to get books.

Oh, and the steam level was good. A+

I'd call it a win.
Profile Image for Denise H..
3,041 reviews245 followers
December 17, 2016
*** I loved everything about this amazing book, and the author's writing !
This is a wonderful tale of true love, found by destiny at a wedding week.
Blue, 32, a graphics design expert, was sitting at the Vineyard bar,

when his ex strolled in with someone new. The man sitting next to Blue noticed Blue's reaction and decided to help out. He'd kissed men before, so he kissed Blue. Blue was stunned by this beautiful man with dark hair and gray eyes, and a dimple. Tristan, 34, 6'2", a lawyer and owner of the Vineyard

saved Blue's night. Blue was elated and they talked, drank, and ate for the whole evening. Blue had a great time and invited Tristan to his room, where he stayed the night. These fabulous guys are so awesome, I loved them ! Every other character is also interesting; a wide variety of funny, quirky, people gathering for the wedding week's lively festivities.

Much is happening and we get to watch the relationship grow amidst the chaos.


We get deep emotions, pasts revealed, new discoveries, and we have super sexy times with these men. We see how they handle every situation that comes along, and it warms our hearts. They are meant to be together.
Tristan's black and white Border Collie
latched onto Blue and never left his side. As the week progresses, secrets are found out, and the way our men handled the bumps was magnificent. Tristan encourages Blue with his sculpting, which no one had ever done before. What will happen after the wedding? Blue is supposed to go to London for a worldwide graphics job. Tristan has the vineyard.
This whole story is so heartwarming, funny, and loving, with a few homophobes, and a wild cast. I hated to have it end !
I highly recommend this story of true love ! ENJOY !
Profile Image for Jamie.
568 reviews100 followers
November 12, 2022
This book was so sweet, I really liked it! What a good way to start the series, and I am excited for the rest of the stories in this series, all of the set ups were really good.
Profile Image for * A Reader Obsessed *.
2,335 reviews483 followers
February 13, 2018
4 Stars

Surprisingly thoroughly enjoyable, this formula would typically not work out so well for my jaded heart, but for some reason (perhaps buoyed by the enthusiastic narration by Michael Pauley) this was a really sexy and delicious over the top romp!

Our protagonist Blue, serendipitously meets up with a beautiful stranger at the weekend getaway for his sister’s wedding. What Blue doesn’t realize is that the sexy guy he’s flirting with is none other than his future brother in law, Tristan. Sparks fly, and to make Blue’s ex-boyfriend jealous, he and Tristan pretend to be together, and what follows is plenty of crazy shenanigans over just a few short days.

So basically, gird your loins for loads and loads of smex. Blue and Tristan’s attraction is combustible and they pretty much go at it hard, wet, and fast. Again. And again. And again. This is insta lust, followed quickly by insta love, with a quasi gay-for-you premise featuring the always lovely butt virgin trope. You’ve been duly warned!

Mysteriously, Lennox works her considerable magic on getting me to buy into Blue and Tristan’s love connection, while constantly making me laugh out loud and delighting in all the many sexcapades they get themselves into. Overall, this was hot, smart, and fun despite the excessive dramatics. The formula shouldn’t succeed, but miraculously, it does. I’m not going to question it, and I definitely look forward to seeing if the rest of the series can deliver as well as this one did!
Profile Image for Wendys Wycked Words.
1,580 reviews3,900 followers
December 27, 2016


I enjoyed this story way more than I expected. It was funny, sweet, uncomplicated, steamy and at times a bit cheesy. It has some angst, but not much and most of that angst is caused by other characters. It wasn't a very deep storyline and not a whole lot happens, yet I didn't get bored. It just made me feel really good.

Afbeeldingsresultaat voor good feelings + gif

Blue and and Tristan meet, when Bleu is sitting at a bar at the Vinyard, where his sister will be marrying in a week. When Blue's ex walks in with his new boytoy, Bue isn't really happy, especially and it shows. Feeling a bit drunk and insecure, he ends up spilling the whole story to Tristan who is sitting next to him. Tristan figures they should give Blue's ex a nice show to watch. And so it begins.....with a kiss...

Afbeeldingsresultaat voor it started with a kiss + gif

Blue feels overwelmed. Tristan is good-looking, sweet, funny, an amazing kisser and very straight...

Turns out Tristan is not as straight as Blue thought he was, because they end the night together in bed...getting it on

Afbeeldingsresultaat voor let's get it on + gif

The next morning however, thing get a bit more complicated when they find out Blue's sister Simone is marrying Tristan's homophobic brother John. Tristan loves shocking his stuck up family though, so they decide to continue their relationship for the coming (wedding) week

The week that follows is filled with crazy familymembers, secrets that come out, douchebag exes, awesome steam and a lovely dog that's loyal to the bone...

I really enjoyed this story and I can't wait to jump into the next one. I hope it will be just as entertaining...

Afbeeldingsresultaat voor hot gay make out gif

This review has been posted on Dirty Books Obsession
Profile Image for Kati *☆・゚.
824 reviews368 followers
December 21, 2023
4.25**** stars


Wow this Marian Family is big. But I loooove reading about big, loving families. It has such a homey feeling to it. ♡

So when the family gathers to celebrate the wedding of the only daughter Simone, Blue meets a stranger at the hotel bar and hooks up with him the same night (you know how I love this shit!). That stranger is Tristan. Turns out he’s the groom’s brother. The groom is a homophobic douche btw.

Anyhow. The thing between Blue and Tristan is not only insta out-of-your-pants attraction it’s also insta found-the-one love within days. I always need to suspend my disbeliefs for that but it was sweet as pie actually. And boy did they go at it like rabbits this whole week at the vineyard.

Of course there were a few obstacles to overcome before their HEA, like the prospect Blue was about to leave the country for his new job or Blue’s ex-boyfriend Jeremy, but all in all this was a super fluffy and lighthearted romance to swoon over. It was freaking adorable.


I’m happy to come back to this series soon to see the next Marian-brother fall in love.


**********
Totally out of context, I want to share my fav quote to finish up my review:

“Dude, I can be gay. I can be SO gay,” I explained. “No.” He laughed. “You SO can’t. It’s okay, sweetie. Cocksucking isn’t for everyone. Don’t feel bad.”





************
Made Marian Series:

Book 1 - Borrowing Blue - 4.25 stars
Book 2 - Taming Teddy - 4.5 stars
Book 3 - Jumping Jude - 4 stars
Book 4 - Grounding Griffin - 4 stars
Book 5 - Moving Maverick
Book 6 - Delivering Dante
Book 7 - A Merry Marian Christmas - holiday tbr
Book 8 - Made Mine
Profile Image for Eugenia.
1,737 reviews287 followers
October 7, 2023
AUDIOBOOK- October 23: Still funny, sexy & like a warm blanket all around me (that sometimes gets really hot!

Audiobook Nov 2020:
This must be my 4th listen to one of my all time comfort books. I still love it to pieces ❤️❤️


Original audiobook review Jan 2017:
Hot hot hot!,

"I kissed a boy and I liked it."

And boy, did he ever like it! This is the very sweet, very sexy story of straight Tristan and heartbroken Blue. A surprise kiss changes both of their lives. The novel is not full of angst nor drama. The MCs are so damned likeable that I didn't really miss the big lack of conflict in the story. Together Tristan and Blue are smoking hot!

I listened to most of this novel on audiobook and I have to tell you that Michael Pauley's voice is so sexy it should be illegal. Really.

A fun, hot read! I can't wait to read the next two books in the series.
Profile Image for Meags.
2,270 reviews566 followers
March 18, 2021
4.5 Stars

I fricken loved this!



Firstly, I have some serious cover-lust going on where this series is concerned. Talk about PRETTY! (Note: Original covers NOT new covers).

Secondly, this is exactly the kind of GFY/OFY story I like to get my claws into. At first I worried it would be a little heavy on the gay-for-you themes, but that shit was pushed aside when Tristan quickly admitted that he'd just been suppressing his sexuality because of a bad experience in his younger years. I felt sorry for the guy, but I was so proud of how he embraced his intense attraction to beautiful Blue and just went with his gut, announcing to everyone that mattered how much Blue mattered to him. *swoon*

Thirdly, I loved the family-gathered-for-a-wedding-at-a-gorgeous-vineyard setting. This story definitely made me long for a weekend getaway and a glass of wine.

Fourthly, Blue and Tristan were absolutely adorable together. Their chemistry was palpable from page one and even though I would consider this story heavy on the sappy and flufftastic feels, I gobbled every second of it up and relished in their cuteness. #NOREGRETS

Fifthly, this shit was HAWT!!! Like, SO HAWT that I can no longer even spell the word correctly, HAWT! (I saved the most important point for last, duh). *growls*

This was my first time reading a story by Ms. Lennox and I must say I was happily impressed. I'm now quite eager to work my way through her available backlog!

****************************

Audio Edition:

Michael Pauley, you talented bastard, you! His character distinctions were hella impressive. I kept forgetting I was listening to one narrator and not two - that's how definitively he created impressive contrasts between the character's voices. And I can't even talk about the way this guy reads a sex scene! But I will anyway.....His "sports commentator tendencies" - as I like to think of them - had me so excited and in the moment, I felt like I was in the damn bedroom with the characters as the magic was happening. Did I mention this is the first time I've ever listened to Pauley narrate? No!? Well, it was and it most certainly won't be the last time. The boy's got mad skillz!
Profile Image for Jennifer☠Pher☠.
2,857 reviews254 followers
January 4, 2017
This was pretty delightful.

It was easy, it was fun, it was very lighthearted and my oh my was it sexy.

I enjoyed myself pretty much the entire read.

Off to read the next one!

Profile Image for Erth.
3,890 reviews
September 10, 2019
So I don't have the words to express just how much I loved this book. I started reading this book as an arc in exchange for an honest review. By 40% I had to own this book for my Amazon library. I hope and pray I can get the next book as an arc too just so I can read it that much sooner because rest assured I'm still going to purchase that one too. Lucy Lennox is now a definite one-click author for me. I'm still smiling and believe me that says a lot because my life is one big clusterfail right now, but this book has still managed to put a huge bright spot in my day.

I love witty banter. This book has so much smart, funny, cute, sexy witty banter I was beside myself with happiness. The first night I started reading it I had to stop myself as I started to laugh out loud and almost wake up my SO only to realize that by stifling my mirth I was actually at risk of waking him from my shaking. The next day life fell apart for me, but that night when I needed a distraction and something to smile over, this book did not disappoint.

Some of my criteria for 5 stars:

Did I fall in love? Oh my word, yes. I love Blue and Tristan. I love the humor. The honesty. The openness. The intelligence. The sweetness and sincerity. The sexiness. And the love and caring they had for each other.

Would I re-read it? Absolutely. You better believe it.

Were there moments- sad, funny, sweet, fantasy fueling- that I replay? Again, yes. Basically at this point I'm just reliving and loving the whole book, not just one or two single scenes.
Profile Image for Susan.
2,254 reviews429 followers
December 17, 2016
What a pleasant read. I just love it when the men in my book talk to each other, not hide their feelings.

This was written with a lot of humor. This book was not trying to be overly funny, but its subtle humor was therefore even more enjoyable.

Blue (real name Bartholomew, I like Blue way better) just arrived at a vineyard for his sister’s wedding when he spots his ex at the bar, kissing his new boyfriend. Blue has no idea how to deal with his ex and he tells this to the stranger sitting next to him. The two start talking and when Tristan, the stranger, tells Blue he's going to help him, Blue has no idea what Tristan has in mind.

Tristan wants to help this beautiful man out of a nasty situation, so he simply kisses him and pretends to be Blue’s new boyfriend. Tristan considered himself straight, but after that kiss he is not so sure.

The two really hit it off at the bar and end up spending the night together. Not willing to let each other go, they part with the promise to see more of each other for the week that Blue is there.

As it turns out they will be seeing a lot of each other, since Blue’s sister is marrying Tristan’s brother…

This story felt really light and happy. There were lots of funny moments, and I loved how often these guys laughed with each other.

I also loved that there was no relationship angst. There were a few hurdles these men needed to overcome (jealous exes, meddling families, a homophobic brother, a potential long-distance relationship), but they all talked these things through without assuming the worst.

The writing was great, great dialogue, good pacing. The I love yous felt realistic and the sex scenes were hot.

This is the first book in the series of the family Marian. We got a few glimpses of the rest of the single gay men in the family, and I can’t wait to read about their HEAs.

Thanks Els, for the BR. For once you beat me to the finish line. ;)
Profile Image for Dia.
534 reviews146 followers
December 25, 2018
🎄4 stars! Really liked this one! 🎄
This book was free on Amazon and has a pretty good rating on GR, so I said I could give it a try.
It's my first book by this author but I really enjoyed the writing! The story was pretty engaging. I was super curious about all the drama surrounding the Marian family! So many brothers and sisters. A wedding, then some pretty nasty homophobic remarks...Ugh! But what won me here would be Tristan. The perfect boyfriend!!! He was supposed to be straight, but he chose to help Blue face his ex. I am kind of bored by the fake boyfriend trope, but here it worked for me.

At first the story seemed a bit too much. Too many characters and a lot of details, BUT we get a lot of HOT moments too and pretty fast. I loved curious Travis. I loved their chemistry. I loved their banter and especially the MADE MARIAN T-shirt he wore in front of everyone.

We get only a little angst and still this story worked for me. Plenty of hot scenes and some drama. Well, I kind of hated some characters, especially Travis' brother and ex-wife, oh and his mother too, but Blue's family was super funny.

I can't wait to read Jude's story (the third book)!!! But I already have the second book and it's Jamie's story - he's running away from a photographer. That should be interesting!
So I'll be reading more from this author.
Not giving this 5 stars because I needed more angst and some parts made me roll my eyes a little, but it worked for me. Oh and the Epilogue was around Christmas so it's all I could have wanted right now. Merry Christmas everyone! 🎄🎄🎄And happy reading!!!
Profile Image for Shile (Hazard's Version) on-hiatus.
1,117 reviews929 followers
March 14, 2020
I can't believe i actually enjoyed this book.. I listened to the audio version and the narrator did a great job.. 5 stars for Michael Pauley. The story was funny i was smiling and laughing hard, it was sweet, really steamy and at times a bit cheesy.

The book had OTT drama, did a care? nope i was so hooked on Tristan and Blue, they were so cute together that i did not even mind their insta-Love .

“Before I met you, I thought love was a nice, steady flame based on companionship and shared history. I was so wrong, Blue. Love is a fucking inferno that ignites when you least expect it and lights you up inside. Now that I have it, I won’t let it go out without a fight.”

“What are you laughing at?” he grumbled. “Is this fashion’s version of a chastity belt?” I laughed harder. “Yes, Tristan. It’s called an actual belt. I think you’re just not used to opening it backwards.”

I want to know more about Jude so, will be reading more from this author . what can i say she made me laugh.
Profile Image for Janie.
870 reviews81 followers
February 7, 2017
I loved this book from the first page to the very last. This book has it all. Family, lol moments, little bits of drama, and an amazing love story that felt totally real. Tristan and Blue were soul mates for sure. With a cast of quirky secondary characters, I can't wait to read the next. It's my understanding that this is the author's debut novel which absolutely blows me away. What a talent she is.

One of the things I loved was that Tristan and Blue each had reasons to shy away from their attraction to each other but they didn't. What they both felt was so real that there was no way they weren't going to give it a go. They had people, timing and situations trying to come between them but they held strong. Every bump made their connection that much deeper. There's even a cute little epilogue that had a huge smile on my face.
Profile Image for D.L. Howe.
Author 20 books515 followers
June 15, 2022
What began as a ruse when Blue discovered his ex with a younger new boyfriend quickly spiraled into a crazy love affair.

This week was supposed to be about Blue’s sister getting married. Yet when he met the mystery man at the bar it became everything but.

And then we discover that not only is Tristan the winery owner that is the setting for the future couple’s nuptials, but he’s also the groom’s brother. The groom’s straight brother.

Obviously both Blue and Tristan discover in no time that he’s not so straight … if at all

This was definitely a case of instalove, a certifiable whirlwind romance. Which was fine, they were sweet and understanding when chaos ensued.

I loved Blue’s family, especially Aunt Tilly, she was a hoot. I’m excited for both Jamie and Jude’s books. The three adopted brothers remain a mystery.

Tristan’s family on the other hand was a nightmare. Especially his brother and ex-wife but they made for some saucy drama that I enjoyed.

My only complaint is too much sex. If I’m saying that, the lover of all things smutty, you know it was a lot. Plus it was the same style of sex so it became repetitive.

Overall a sweet, fun story and I look forward to continuing the series.
Profile Image for Ben Howard.
1,194 reviews156 followers
June 5, 2023
Borrowing Blue kicks right off with Blue's and Tristan's meet cute. And it was such a great scene and set the tone for the book perfectly.

Blue is at Tristan's vineyard resort for his sisters wedding. His sister who is marrying Tristan's brother. When they first meet neither of them know who the other is. So when they playfully pretend to be together in order to show his ex that he's moved on, they don't realise until they're formally introduced by their families.

The romance was great and they have some nice banter. The side characters were interesting, especially Jude so I'm looking forward to his book.

The one part I really didn't like was the wedding couple. The guy that Blue's sister is marrying is a total homophobic asshole. Like if you marry/date a homophobe that makes you a homophobe too, simple as.
Profile Image for Christelle.
808 reviews
March 21, 2017
3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars, because it fitted the mood I’m in at the moment : it’s sweet, low-angst, plenty of banter, a crazy family (9 brothers and sisters – that will make for a lot of other books in this series).
A bit OTT and with some eye-rolling because of all the “ex” but not enough to annoy me. The feels aplenty, the lovable MCs and the hotness made up for it. An enjoyable read.
Profile Image for Renée.
1,087 reviews367 followers
December 27, 2016
~3.5 stars!~

I ended up enjoying this new-to-me author more than I thought I would. Blue and Tristan meet at their siblings' wedding to each other, and it's instant connection and chemistry.

The beginning was a bit rocky for me. Tristan is straight, or at least has always identified that way. But what starts out as lending a new friend a helping hand by kissing him in front of his ex to show the ex that Blue is just fine without him......winds up being a little more scorching hot than either of them anticipated it to be. I thought this was unrealistic. What man, who identifies as straight, would agree to make out with a relative stranger, in public no less, with his own siblings and parents around? When that stranger is a man. Just no. I wasn't buying it. And then Tristan agrees to be fake boyfriends for a week to continue the farce so that neither of them have to be set up with other people. It was all very fake to me. Not just the start of this relationship. Manufactured bullshit.

But then it got better. A lot better. The communication between the MCs, the issues, it all actually turned out written better than I thought from those first chapters. The sex was smoking hot, and I really wound up vested in the outcome of their relationship after the week-long wedding extravaganza was over.

I won't lie and say that there isn't some manufactured family drama. There totally is, but I honestly still liked the story.

There are 9 Marian siblings, not all of whom are gay, of course. Or are they? Tristan was straight before Blue, after all. Snort. The author did a fair job with Tristan's sexuality after the first part of the book. Turns out he's had same-sex encounters in college.

Anyway, the Marian siblings will start getting some of their own stories. The next up are Blue's brothers, Jaime and Jude, for Books 2 and 3.

If you're looking for a light hearted read with some fire-hot sexy times, I'd give this one a go. Just don't take it TOO seriously, and you'll have fun reading this one.
Profile Image for Ula'ndi Hart.
920 reviews15 followers
February 13, 2017
Overall book rating: 4
Audio Book: Michael Pauley – 4.5
Book Cover: 4.5




I did the audio on this one and I’m greatly convinced that it’s one of the reasons I enjoyed it so much. I swear I could listen to Tristan all day.

About the story: I don’t really care how many times it’s been done. I still enjoy the meet a stranger in a bar thing when it’s done right and this one I enjoyed.

I just loved Tristan. Right from the start. I fell head over heels for him and his ‘easy’ way of handling things. I loved the no drama thing he had going. The whole, this is something else but I like it so let’s see where it goes idea. He was sweet without being overly so and I enjoyed his jealous streaks quite a bit. I even clapped when his fist met Jeremy’s jaw. Tristan is no drama queen. LOVED HIM. ADORED HIM. WANT TO ADOPT HIM

Blue. Well I loved his name. That has to be said. And even though Tris was my blue eye boy, I have a soft spot for Blue as well.

I loved the Marian family, even with all their OTT shenanigans and all. Aunt Tilly was just great! I wish I had an aunt like that, and the siblings made me want to read their stories in future. Of course Jude is at the top of my “I want to know more”.

All in all, it’s the enjoyment of the story that matters, and I enjoyed it immensely. Just a great, fun read.
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