Review: Infamous by Jenny Holiday

Title: Infamous (Famous: Book Two)

Author: Jenny Holiday

Publisher: Riptide Publishing

Length:  298 Pages

Category: Contemporary

At a Glance: A heartwearming friends to lovers romance that, IMO, rocked!

Reviewed By: Lindsey

Blurb: All that up-and-coming musician Jesse Jamison has ever wanted is to be on the cover of Rolling Stone. When a gossip website nearly catches him kissing someone who isn’t his famous girlfriend—and also isn’t a girl—he considers the near miss a wake-up call. There’s a lot riding on his image as the super-straight rocker, and if he wants to realize his dreams, he’ll need to toe the line. Luckily, he’s into women too. Problem solved.

After a decade pretending to be his ex’s roommate, pediatrician Hunter Wyatt is done hiding. He might not know how to date in the Grindr world, how to make friends in a strange city, or whether his new job in Toronto is a mistake. But he does know that no one is worth the closet. Not even the world’s sexiest rock star.

As Jesse’s charity work at Hunter’s hospital brings the two closer together, a bromance develops. Soon, Hunter is all Jesse can think about. But when it comes down to a choice between Hunter and his career, he’s not sure he’s brave enough to follow his heart.

Review: I didn’t really research this book before I picked it up, based off the blurb, because I was in the mood for one of my favorite contemporary reads. I love music, and I love reading, so I get all kinds of happy when I can combine my two loves together. What I didn’t realize is that there was a book one. In fact, until I sat down to get the information to write this review, I hadn’t a clue since it reads as a stand-alone just fine. So, if you are on the fence about jumping into the middle, don’t be.

Something about a well-written friends-to-lovers story just gives me all the feels. Infamous did just that and so much more. The closeted rock star is not necessarily a unique trope, but the delivery of this story was exceptional. I fell hard for both Jesse and Hunter, and the build up from strangers to friends to more was perfectly paced and just what I needed.

The two meet and strike up a conversation as both of their worlds are getting ready to change—Jesse to stardom, Hunter leaving his ex behind and starting over in a new town. Their initial meeting is fleeting but memorable.  Flash forward two years, and one little girl brings the two back into each other’s orbit. They start spending time together, and they connect in a way that neither has really experienced. The crux of their issue is that Hunter has set a boundary for himself—that he will never be hidden and forced into the closet, and Jesse … well, Jesse is in a closet of his own making. So much so that Hunter isn’t even initially aware that Jesse is anything other than straight.

Jesse’s character was one of my greatest surprises. As Hunter got to know him, and seeing him through Hunter’s eyes, really endeared him to me. His brand of “bad boy next door” worked. He was a risk taker; he had the charming personality; he knew how to work his narrative. But, beneath that was someone who truly cared for those around him, who loved the music he played, and who needed someone to, for once, take care of him.

Hunter, a pediatrician, is such an amazing person. As a Hospitalist he deals day in and day out with kids who are extremely ill. His heart is on his sleeve and he develops connections to those children, which can be devastating for him when the worst happens. He’s a workaholic and devoted to his profession. By nature, he is a nurturer and even in the smallest ways, he is constantly showing the genuinely kind person he is. But he also needs someone to break him out of the monotony, to help him make other experiences in life. To challenge him.

Hunter offers Jesse the caring Jesse desperately needs. At the same time Jesse breaks Hunter out of his tendencies to work himself to the ground. Their personalities are so different: Jesse with his rock star wardrobe and devil may care attitude. Hunter with his professional attire and quiet strength. They couldn’t be more different, yet they bring out the best in each other.

Their chemistry is immediate, but their relationship develops over time. I loved the slow-burn as Jesse struggled with his developing feelings for his best friend, while trying to stay within the brand he promised he would present. And Hunter, the attraction he constantly fought, thinking his best friend was straight but losing the battle as Jesse surprised him with his heart, time and time again. When the two finally give in, the setting was amazing and the buildup had been soooo worth it.

Of course, even after they finally express how they truly feel, there is still the issue of Jesse’s public image, and Hunter’s refusal to be a boy on the side again. I was very pleased with the execution of that portion of the plot. It had me biting my nails and on the edge of tears myself, as I was so connected with the two of them.

Really, the only thing that stands out as an issue for me was a couple of minor timeline inconsistencies that popped up; one of the characters indicated it was “months ago” since a specific situation occurred, but according to my math, it was eight days. Seriously it was soooo minor, but yeah, I had to be me and go make sure I didn’t miss something.  And really, they were so insignificant it didn’t really bring me out of my enjoyment at all.

If you are in the mood for a heartwarming, slow burn romance with two wonderfully crafted characters who have a few obstacles to jump over on their way to HEA, give this one a shot. It rocked!

You can buy Infamous here:
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