Sandra @ My Fiction Nook

Okay, so let's get the negative stuff out of the way first - this book does not work as a standalone. If someone were to pick this up without having read the first three books, or at least book 3, they would be very lost. Lucky me has read all the previous books, so I didn't suffer from cluelessness about Jock's backstory, or Toby's either, nor the happenings at the frat house. 

Now that we have that out of the way, this book was part shenanigans, part romance and part "let's knock his dumb ass over the head, OMG" for me. I giggled a lot at the fratboys' antics, especially around the Beer Terrorist subplot, but I also was exasperated with Jock's one step forward, two steps back for most of the book. His hang-ups about gay sex drove me up the fucking wall, and I felt so bad for Toby who got hurt again and again because Jock is a dumbass.

As with all her books, Anne Tenino made me giggle-snort a lot, and I just love the TAG brothers so much. It was nice to revisit with Brad and Sebastian whose relationship is only getting stronger, something that even Toby notices, and a quick glimpse of Collin and Eric is also to be had. Even Paul and Trevor have a guest appearance. 

Which brings me back to the fact that this book relied heavily on the previous installments, especially during fratboy shenanigans. And the main couple in this one wasn't as lovable as the previous three. Don't get me wrong - I liked Toby, who becomes vulnerable and insecure in this book, but not to the point where he turns into some whiny thing I couldn't stand. Jock's character bothered me for a while, even though I could understand where he was coming from. Considering that he was also hiding a big secret for a while, I could empathize with him to a certain degree, though I still disliked him for treating Toby like that. 

Anne Tenino's writing style is front and center in this book, as I expected, and I had a wonderful time reading, even if her characters drove me batty on occasion. She has that certain je ne sais quoi in her writing, that pulls you right into the story, makes you giggle and snort, but also say 'awwww' during the more emotional scenes. 

There were a couple of subplots going on that enhanced the experience, and a few moments where my heart was in my throat because the emotions are right there in your face. The sexy times were nicely done, and the action versus romance ratio was just right. I loved the strong friendships between the frat brothers, how they help and support each other and are there for each other, closing the ranks when someone from the outside tries to get to one of them. The clown car maneuvers were a sight to behold. 

A great addition to a wonderful series. I'm a little sad to hear this is the last one. 

** I received a free copy of this novel from Riptide Publishing. A positive review was not promised in return. **