This was an enjoyable read with a quirky twist. Loved the best friends dad trope and Anyta has written this so wonderfully.

I adore that they basically already live together and that Lake is so clueless! ( )

Really cute, I couldn't sleep until I finished ( )

Another retelling of Austen's Emma to add to my obsessive list, this one an M/M romance. The gay romance/sex scenes didn't bother me but all of the characters, out of necessity, being male and the relationships between Lake and Knight, and also Harry and Martin, did bring me up short, I must admit. The only female character in the whole story is Amy, the new wife of Lake's best friend Taylor, and she doesn't even get to speak - she's always 'upstairs' or 'visiting with friends'. Lake falls in love with his best friend's father, a man twice his age who has been a pseudo-parent figure since the death of Lake's dad, and Harry is in love with his cousin, Martin. I know the story is set in New Zealand, but surely the dating pool has to be larger than immediate family!

Also, even though the plot sticks fairly close to Austen's novel, I didn't really get to know or connect with any of the characters. Most of them are just there for Lake and his charming (read: obnoxious) personality to bounce off, since he spends most of the time lusting after Knight. The whole point of Austen's story is that Emma doesn't realise the depth of her feelings for Mr Knightley until she fears she might lose him to another, but here, there is no doubt who Lake wants - and the two even have sex in the garden midway through the book! This is the level of the 'Plot? What plot?' dialogue:

“I was naked, and you liked what you saw. Nothing wrong with that, Lake.”
“I was ogling my best friend’s dad.”
A growly sound came from Knight. “I’m not your dad."

Obviously I'm not the target demographic, but I was completely confused. By 'slow burn', the author obviously means getting round to equating sex with love.

The story as a whole was quick and easy to read, and there were even illustrations thrown in, which is unusual! The twist in West and Josh's relationship made sense as an update of the Frank and Jane subplot, and the 'Miss Bates' character, Cameron, is obsessed with Jane Austen, which was a cute touch. The sex between Lake and Knight, both before and after they confess their feelings, was steamy, although obviously I can't comment on the technical details! ( )