Tuesday, January 10, 2017

REVIEW/RELEASE BLITZ: Clam Jam by RC Boldt

Genre: Romantic Comedy/New Adult Romance

~Blurb~
“Clam Jam”
Definition: the female equivalent of a cock block.
Example: You’re chatting with a guy you’re interested in and your friend comes along and lays claim to him.

Maggie
That’s my life—except it’s worse. My friend who keeps “jamming” me is my gay roommate and if that isn’t a W.T.F. moment, I’m not sure what is.

Fact: He went home with three—yes, three—of the guys I had been so sure were into me.

Fact: He’s really pissing me off. I mean, hello? I’m trying to get back in the saddle, but I’ll never manage to get a boyfriend before the age of fifty if he keeps this up.

Fact: Secretly, I wonder what it would be like if he weren’t gay. Why do all the hot, sweet, tender-hearted guys have to be gay?

Fact: My gay-dar needs a serious tune-up.

Ry

The day I interviewed for the room to rent, everything changed. I knew I had met “the girl”, except there was one small problem: she didn’t want anything to do with men. I recognized a top-notch force field when I saw one. She’d been burned badly and didn’t want to deal with a heterosexual guy as a roommate. I could’ve turned around and found another place to live, but I wanted to live there—with her.

So I had to go “undercover”.

Fact: I’m in love with my roommate.

Fact: I’m a likely candidate for carpal tunnel surgery since all the action I’ve had for the past year has been my hand.

Fact: She’s going to hate me if I come clean now.

Fact: I’m not giving up. Which means, I’ll just have to continue to run defense until I figure out a way to get Maggie to see the “real” me.

The me that loves her.

The me that would never do her wrong.

Until then, I’ll keep running off every guy who shows any interest.

Until then, I’ll continue to Clam Jam.


~Book Review~
3.5 Stars

Maggie Finegan just caught her fiancé with another woman. Now she needs a new roommate, and a non-heterosexual man who is no temptation is just what she’s looking for. Good thing good-looking Ryland James tells her he’s gay. He’s the perfect roommate and becomes a trusted friend.

Except he’s not gay. So can he be trusted?

Told via Maggie and Ry’s alternating first person point of view, the premise—with Ry and his buddy, Jack, pretending to be a gay couple in an open relationship—is incredibly funny.  I had quite a few laugh out loud moments in the opening chapters.  I enjoyed the upbeat, light-hearted feel as the premise went into full swing.

Now comes the but… While the premise of the story was cute and refreshing, it carried on past its expiration date.  As in long before it started getting stale, I was already waiting for Ry to man-up. (Should there be a pun intended/not intended there???)
“I have to figure out a way to solve the fact that I’ve done something I’ve never imagined was possible. I’ve cock blocked myself.”
Anyways, I totally understood Ry taking a chance in the beginning which gave Maggie some space till she was ready to date again. But after time starts skipping ahead months and the dates drag on, the premise became repetitive and my patience with the characters began to wear thin. And not just with Ry who kept living a charade when it was clear that Maggie was ready to find love again, nor Maggie who should have clued in sooner, but also with their friends and family who should have stepped in and put an end to the shenanigans when it was clear that it was no longer in their best interests.

So often books in the romance genre suffer from too much insta love and not enough relationship development, but this is one rare book where their relationship wasn’t just fully cooked, it was overdone. And then when they finally started reaching for the dessert (which was definitely hot), they still kept the main course in the oven! There’s slow burn in romance and then there’s strung out, and this one is certainly the later.

Back to the pros though, other than his excessive delays coming out of the closet that he never really went into in the first place, Ry was a good guy. He’s smart, successful, caring, and he’s not a player or a manwhore. He’d have been a great book boyfriend if he’d have just quit leading Maggie astray.

None the less, if a sexy romcom or friends to lovers story is what you’re looking for, this is still one to consider. Just go into it with a lot of patience. I think, perhaps, my expectations were too high.

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
~Excerpt~
“Ryland James!” I bang on his bathroom door, hollering loudly. “Did you eat the last—” 

The door swings open, drawing my speech to a sudden halt because … ooooh, sweet, dripping wet abs. 

My eyes are riveted. 

He’s got a towel wrapped around his waist, and I don’t even realize I’m moving until Ry releases a sharp hiss at my touch. Because my finger is tracing over the slight indentations in his abdominal muscles. 

“Um …” He clears his throat, his voice husky and deep. “Mags?” 

“Uh-huh,” I murmur absently, my fingertip stopping one of the trickling droplets of water on his skin, tracing it down over his belly button, and— 

His fingers grasp my wrist, drawing my hand to a halt, and my eyes dart up to his in alarm because crap. That was like an out-of-body experience. 

“Oh, crap. I’m sorry. I just really, um … crap.” That’s all I can utter. Nonsense. No one would believe I have my graduate degree if they heard me right now. 

If my tongue had a voice of its own, it would probably say something like, “Just the tip. That’s all I want.” The tip of my tongue tracing over Ry’s abs, that is. You know, just to prove someone Photoshopped him. Or not. 

Because I’ll take one for the team. I’m a giver like that. People might even think of canonizing me as a saint after all this. Really. 

Oh, and then … Abracadabra! Poof! He’d no longer be gay, profess his undying love for me, and wouldn’t ever leave me for another guy. 

Or woman. 

Wow. That scenario even sounds crazy in my head. 

Shaking off my thoughts, I take one more glance down at his abs—just one more glance—and that’s when I see it. 

“Oh, boy,” I breathe out. Ry is hard, tenting the towel, and I really want it to drop. Accidentally, of course. Like an “oops” moment. Totally harmless and innocent. 

Oh. My. God. I’m a horrible person. I’m thinking of my roommate’s penis! My roommate who has quickly become one of my best friends. 

Oh, the shame!

Where did this inner slut come from? It’s like she’s been lying in wait—for him, apparently.

But, really. I can take a little peek, right?


RC Boldt is the wife of Mr. Boldt, a retired Navy Chief, mother of Little Miss Boldt, and former teacher of many students. She currently lives on the southeastern coast of North Carolina, enjoys long walks on the beach, running, reading, people watching, and singing karaoke. If you're in the mood for some killer homemade mojitos, can't recall the lyrics to a particular 80's song, or just need to hang around a nonconformist who will do almost anything for a laugh, she's your girl.

No comments:

Post a Comment