Book 104, 2024
Off Key by May Archer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
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Completed the book Off Key by May Archer last night. It's the third in her "Whispering Key" series of male/male romances. Main characters are Rafe Goodman, a Whispering Key lifer, and Jay Rollins, up-and-coming rock star.
Rafe and Jay grew up as besties, spending their summers together on Whispering Key. Rafe developed a crush on Jay as they got older, but he knew he had no chance with his straight BFF. When he had a chance to help Jay's sister, Aimee, via a marriage of convenience, Rafe took it, not knowing he was breaking Jay's heart in the process.
Jay always knew he wanted to write songs and play music, but he also knew the industry wasn't kind to gay men. For that reason, he kept his sexuality to himself along with his burgeoning feelings for his friend Rafe. Once he found success as "Jayd Rollins" and learned that Rafe and Aimee got married, Jay couldn't bear to spend time with either of them. He made sure he was always too busy to get together or even call. His attitude resulted in a huge falling out with Rafe, and now the two of them haven't spoken in years, never mind that "Jayd's" gold album was filled with songs inspired by Rafe.
When Aimee goes no-contact with both her brother and her ex-husband, Jay and Rafe are forced to travel together to find her and make sure she's okay. Being in close proximity reminds each of them of the closeness they once shared, but both are too scared to admit to any feelings or make the first move. It's going to take a kinda-sorta kidnapping, a stolen van, a phone call from Aimee, and the quirky residents of Whispering Key to convince Rafe and Jay that they were always meant to be together.
This one hit all the right feels. Typically in a romance, there's the getting to know one another stage, falling in love, then some drama or conflict before the HEA. In this story, we dive right into the drama and conflict stage. I was pleasantly surprised that, once Jay and Rafe finally talked to one another and got through it, there were no further monkey wrenches thrown into their lives other than the dilemma of how they would handle Jay being a famous musician, while Rafe hates to fly. Hint: the Key is the key! Characterizations were marvelous, even those characters who merely flitted through the narrative. I adored Jay's friend, Oak. The plot had great pacing, the dialogue was witty and heart-warming, and the sexy times were amazing.
Favorite lines:
♦ I had the resources to enjoy myself to the fullest. So what was I doing? Chaperoning a meeting of the Extravaganza Committee. As one does.
♦ A dynastic marriage with a dowry of loaded nachos was not the weirdest setup for a Whispering Key love story I'd ever heard. Literally not even the weirdest this month.
♦ "The Rafe I know and tolerate is a bitter little ball of righteous indignation."
♦ "Did thinking of the giant penises rot your brain?"
♦ Every time I open my mouth, I make a noise like an Edvard Munch painting.
♦ "Choose dicks at every opportunity, you hear me?"
♦ If I kept trucking down Pity Party Lane, I was pretty sure I'd end up sobbing into my fritters.
♦ When I was with him, something in my soul sighed and whispered, "Ah, there you are!" And I was pretty sure it always would.
♦ "Lord a'mercy, we got us a geyser! The end-times are upon us!"*
♦ "A man never appreciates what he has until shit's half a foot high and rising, am I right?"
♦ "And this guy loves a good topping."
♦ "The kidnapping wasn't for nothing. Best kidnapping I've ever experienced. Ten out of ten."
♦ "Responsibility is stupid. We should throw away our phones and just stay here."
♦ I might have worried that the rapture had come, except my cousin Fenn wasn't replying either, and there was no way that fucker wouldn't be left behind just like me.
May Archer always makes me laugh! Loved this story, five stars.