His Best Man by Elle Keaton

His Best Man by Elle Keaton

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Blurb:

Rod Beton and Travis Walker have known each other almost all their lives; since the second grade when Rod was the new kid in town and Travis befriended him with Pokémon trading cards and a fruit snack. Apparently Rod’s easy. Since that day they’ve had each other’s back’s, bread and butter, biscuit and gravy…and so on.

Along the way, Rod fell in love with Travis. He’s been hoping for some kind of signal from Travis that he returns Rod’s feelings. When Travis announces his surprise engagement over Thanksgiving dinner Rod decides he’s done waiting for the impossible. He packs his belongings and heads for Skagit and a new life. Even if Travis suddenly decided Rod was the man for him would Rod be able to put aside his insecurities?

Travis always knew he was destined to take over the family business. As the only boy he’s expected to take the helm of the Walker farming operation, and he’s good at it. An engagement to a local girl he’s pals with seems like the perfect solution, gets him mom off his back and ensures the family line — eventually. When his best friend abruptly leaves town Travis’s eyes are finally opened to the difference between what is expected of him and what he could expect for himself.

His Best Man is a standalone in the Accidental Roots series, a friends to lovers mm romance with an HEA. Bisexual/gay. 

Review:

I was nervous about reading this one. I wasn’t nervous because it was likely to be bad in any way, but because I’ve been on this hockey-or-murder kick for a while and this cover didn’t suggest that either would be part of this particular work of fiction. And you all know how much I need my violence quotient in my entertainment.

There was no hockey. There was no murder. Well okay there was one murder but it wasn’t an essential part of the story, it bordered on fridging but we can talk about that later. The point is, the book didn’t contain either of the things I’ve craved like oxygen lately and I still loved it.

Rod and Travis are both great characters. Travis comes from a mostly great family, with one notable exception. (There’s more I want to say about that but it’s a spoiler so I’ll just shut my trap.)  He comes from money, but he’s not the classic Rich Jerk. He’s a normal guy and he works his ass off. He’s attached to his family, to his friends, and to his sense of responsibility.

Don’t get me wrong. He’s guilty, sometimes, of rampant dipshittery. Sorry for the use of bad language, but it’s the only way I can explain his behavior sometimes. The only way he wouldn’t know something was hurtful would be by being a dipshit. He’s not deliberately hurtful, but you just want to smack him with a clue by four.

Rod’s a little different. He doesn’t have quite the same drive as Travis, but he’s a sweet guy with a lot of both book smarts and emotional intelligence. He’s been through a lot, and he’s so in love with Travis it’s just part of the very fabric of his being. On the one hand, I wish I had a love like that. On the other, it seems to cause him a lot of pain, so maybe not.

This is a stand-alone book in a series, but I wasn’t familiar with the series before this, so I didn’t know the big not-so-secret about Skagit. While small towns like this tend to make my city girl soul run screaming* I did love seeing this one, and meeting all the characters.

My biggest issue with the book – which didn’t really detract from my enjoyment, to be fair – was that His Best Man is kind of unfriendly to the women characters. Travis’ sister comes off okay. Rod’s stepmother, when she shows up, does well in the few lines she has. Rod’s mother pulled a disappearing act and was never seen again, and this is never explained. Travis’ mother is one of the worst human beings I’ve seen in genre fiction, with no redeeming qualities at all. Travis’ fiancée is simply terrible, even taking into account the fact that Travis kind of flakes out on her.

There’s one child character who does get a happily ever after, but in order for that to happen his mother has to die. And that isn’t even addressed. She just kind of gets killed off, off-screen, so the kid gets a happy ending.

Keep in mind that Travis and Rod are the main characters and I’m in no way suggesting the book should have centered women. If I were looking for that, I wouldn’t have been reading a m/m book. I liked the book and went on to buy another book in the series. And maybe a few years ago I might not have even noticed the way women were shown here. In the current environment, it stuck out, kind of like a pulled thread on a new shirt.

Anyway, I highly recommend His Best Man. It’s a great story that will make you feel warm inside, and that’s what contemporary romance is all about.

* You know there’s an evil clown in those sewers. Waiting.