Rating: 4 Stars

Publisher: Mia Monroe

Genre: Gay Romance

Tags: Contemporary, Age Gap (12 Years), Bi Character (Indy), Romance, Series, Small Town

Length: 260 Pages

Reviewer: Cindi

Purchase At: Amazon

Blurb –

I want a commitment like I want a rash so why can’t I get the bossy twink with pretty lips and plenty of snark out of my head? 

Anyone who spends time with me knows two things. 1. If I want something I get it, which is how I end up back in my old college haunts, buying a dilapidated bar with my five best friends and staring down the barrel of an unknown future. 2. The idea of settling down makes my skin crawl, and that’s how I made it to forty with zero serious relationships in the rear view mirror.

At least I’m smart enough to hire the right people. Enter Salem Barlowe, the prettiest twink who ever twinked and my personal kryptonite. Physically he’s everything I like but our personalities couldn’t be more at odds. I didn’t want to like him with all his sass and acting like he runs the place, but someone tell that to my…Uh, you get what I’m saying.

As if my hands aren’t full enough figuring out how to run the town’s only gay bar, my nights are filled with a man younger than me, bossier than me, and definitely prettier than me, and like a finely aged whiskey, Salem should be enjoyed slowly, savoring every complex note.

We just have to keep it casual. No problem. I can do casual with my eyes closed.

Whiskey Neat is book one in Last Call, a contemporary series set in the New Onyx universe. You can expect the antics and bond of six long time friends, the shenanigans happening at a quirky gay bar, a commitment phobe with a penchant for sweet guys, a bossy twink with mad top energy who doesn’t have a sweet bone in his body (or does he), the eternal f*ckboi has finally met his match, you can come home again vibes, midlife glow ups, an easter egg or two, and plenty of steam.

At Moby’s Bar, there aren’t any rogue white whales to harpoon, but they are serving up plenty of D… Drinks, folks. Come on.

Review –

Indy has just gotten laid off – again. This time, he’s done, and he won’t be sending out any resumes. He gets all five of his best friends on the phone and throws out an idea. Move back to their hometown and open the town’s only gay bar. Surprisingly, everybody is all in, even though they all live and work in different parts of the country, with one even living in Paris.

Construction has barely started when Indy is struck still by the beautiful man who has just walked inside the bar looking for a job. Instant. Lust. A glance and it’s obvious it’s quite mutual. They get his info and he’s not even made it back home before he’s getting a call from Indy offering him a job as an inventory specialist, though he does a heck of a lot more than inventory. He plays a huge part in getting the bar ready to open.

Salem has just moved back home after living in the city for a decade. He lost his job, his boyfriend, and his home. Now he’s back and living in his parents’ downstairs apartment. Getting the job at Moby’s – the name of the bar – is a huge step in the right direction of him getting on with his life. It helps that one of his bosses is hottie who he wants to climb like a tree. 😉

Things move super fast with Indy and Salem. They both know what they want so they go for it. They come to an understanding about the bar. If things fizzle out, they’ll be mature about it. Neither is looking for anything more than a little naked fun anyway, so it be okay, right? Yeah, not quite. Feelings totally get involved, but they’re both too stubborn to see it.

Indy, 40, has never been in a real relationship. He’s all about one-offs and nothing more. He goes out of his way to let any sexual partners know that he doesn’t do feelings or relationships. Salem, 28, has been burned one too many times by selfish lovers who only cared about themselves. He refuses to open himself up to anything more than a few hookups here and there. Definitely no feelings.

Unfortunately, their little ‘no feelings, no strings’ relationship almost ends before it begins because they’re both tops, and neither is willing to compromise, so they see that as sexual incompatibility. They damn sure have no other sexual issues. Their chemistry is off the charts. They walk away from each other more than once, but they always keep coming back. It doesn’t help that Indy’s very jealous when he swears he’s never been jealous a day in his life. If he’s only friends with benefits with Salem, why all the he-man jealousy?

His friends see things that he’s too scared to admit to himself. They also see it in Salem, who they all consider a great employee and a really good new friend. Salem fights not to fall in love with Indy, so he pulls back a lot, but it never lasts long. They simply can’t stay away from each other.

The way they finally declare their feelings is super sweet.

This is a very enjoyable read. I loved the instant connection with Indy and Salem. I love all of Indy’s friends, especially Lowen. I love how Indy and Salem couldn’t stay away from each other, no matter how hard they tried. I really love that the author was able to tell their story without adding an extra hundred or so pages of nothing more than filler words and unnecessary drama. There was a tiny amount of drama, but it was handled quickly. I’ve read way too many 300+ page books lately that could’ve easily ended at 200 to 250. I get the word counts and Kindle Unlimited, but sometimes I just want to read a quick story that doesn’t drag on and on.

I love the guy on the cover. He’s absolutely gorgeous. And I love that Salem wears panties that drive Indy a little crazy. 😉

What I didn’t love was the overuse of endearments and pet names. I’m perfectly happy with a ‘baby’ or ‘sweetheart’ here and there, but handsome, sweet thing, gorgeous, beautiful… I could go on… were all over the place. It was serious overkill, and the main reason I’m not rating this higher than 4 stars. I also wasn’t a fan of Salem’s dad. His mother was fine, but he was a bit much. Otherwise, it was a really good book.

I’m eager to see the others get their own books, mainly Lowen. Now on to Gin & Sin, Kit’s story.