Rating: 4.5 Stars

Publisher: Leslie McAdam

Genre: Gay Romance

Tags: Contemporary, Closeted Character, OFY, Opposites Attract, Rock Star, Romance, Series

Length: 300 Pages

Reviewer: Cindi

Purchase At: Amazon

Blurb –

Love is for other people, not for me…

At least that’s what I believed, until I met him. Julian Hill. The most famous rock star on the planet. A music god with untidy hair and the voice of an angel.

I’ll never be anything but out, and he has very good reasons to stay in the closet. After all, every move he makes is dissected, critiqued, and shared on social media, so he just wants a little privacy. I understand that. Truly, I do.

But no one makes me feel the way he does, and I’m pretty sure he has feelings for me as well. Which is inconvenient since his record label just hired me to sue him. Guess I should’ve sorted things out before I kissed him… Oops.

Ambiguous is an addictive MM bisexual romance novel about a fashion-forward rock singer who hates labels of all kinds (except for clothing), a dapper attorney who already has a (fake) boyfriend for a very good reason, and the possibility of love saving the day in a sensually stimulating “opposites-attract” romance story. In addition to the compassionate, big-hearted main characters and engaging, steamy interactions, LGBTQ+ romance readers are raving about the refreshingly honest discussions about homophobia, acceptance, bisexuality, and gay rights, which flow seamlessly into the heart-warming, soul-stirring love story.

Review –

I recently read Ferocious, #6 in the IOU series. I’d not read the five before it, so I went back and started at the beginning. I’m glad I did because I totally loved Jules and Sam together.

Julian (aka Jules) Hill is the biggest rock star on the planet. He writes what he loves, what he feels, and sings for his huge fan base.

Sam Stone is an attorney for a firm that works for Jules’ record label. Jules is way behind on his next album so they bring him in and threaten to sue him if it’s not ready for release in two months. The problem? Jules isn’t feeling it, and hasn’t for a long time. He loves his fans, and he loves singing, but his creativity has kind of gone out the window.

Sam and Jules’ first introduction is interesting. A nervous Sam accidentally spills water all over Jules’ designer pants. Worse, he keeps trying to get the water off by wiping his crotch with a tissue, which is even more embarrassing. While Sam is hoping the floor will open up and swallow him, Jules is thinking how charming Sam is.

Sam is put in charge of checking in and making sure the album is coming along. Of course, this means they have to exchange numbers and discuss it. Long story short, they realize during calls, texts, and meetings that they’re interested in each other. This is a major problem for a variety of reasons. Jules isn’t out, nor does he even know how to classify himself. He doesn’t like being asked about his sexuality in interviews. He’s androgynous in how he dresses, but his personal life is private. Sam is the attorney who will be suing Jules if he doesn’t come through with the album. Sam is also the grandson of the man running for governor of the state. Because of this, and ‘Pop Pop’ wanting to show the world that he’s LGBTQ+ friendly, Sam has been in a fake relationship with Kurt, whose mother is running for lieutenant governor. Sam and Kurt are only friends, but nobody else knows that. They go to the political functions, pose for the cameras, then go their separate ways after.

I admit to not liking Kurt a whole lot throughout the book. He never really did anything bad, but I felt that he was too willing to sacrifice Sam’s happiness just to make the families on both sides happy. He did somewhat redeem himself later, so I didn’t end the book hating him.

Thanks to Sam’s inspiration, Jules is writing songs almost faster than he can keep up. It’s obvious that they’re about Sam. Jules pours his heart out in his lyrics. When they finally realize how the other feels, there’s a rush for the album to be finished so Sam can recuse himself, and they can start a relationship, even if it’s a private one. Sam has basically been his family’s puppet his entire life, so falling in love with a famous – and very public – rock star was definitely not something he could’ve ever predicted, especially considering he gave up on love a long time ago. When it hits, it’s out of his control. He’s head over heels, and there’s no going back.

There are other characters who are important to the story. There’s Emily, Sam’s best friend who I really liked. There’s Colin, Jules’ younger brother who has always been jealous of his brother’s success. They’d both tried out for the same singing competition show when they were younger. Only Jules made it through, which has built up a lot of resentment for Colin. I never liked him.  I already mentioned Sam’s family. Not a fan. And I can’t forget his homophobic boss who made it clear he didn’t like Sam or Jules’ ‘lifestyle’. Then there’s Julian’s manager. I liked them for the most part.

This is a slow burn as the two men focus on getting to know each other while they both wait for the album to be finished. They keep it as friends only because of Sam’s career. The day that album is done and Sam recuses himself? Yeah, hot and sexy, and every chance they get. 😉

Something happens that outs them; Julian as not-quite-straight, and Sam as the secret lover of the most famous rock star in the world – the same ‘secret lover’ who is supposedly in a long-term and public relationship with Kurt.

I saw what happened next from a mile away. The signs were there, and it was just way too obvious. I can’t say what it is, but it’s honestly a no-brainer to figure out.

The way everything came together was so Awww!!!! It was perfect for my little hopeless romantic heart. 🙂

More happens, obviously, but I’ve already made the review long enough.

I absolutely loved these guys together. Jules is what book boyfriends are made of. He’s sweet, kind, and he’s not shy about showing his feelings to Sam almost from the very start. He wrote an entire album about him. I seriously loved the guy. I liked Sam because when he went in, he went all in. To hell with his family, the campaign, and the homophobic boss.

There are two reasons why it’s getting 4.5 stars instead of the full 5. The predictability I mention above is one of them. I kept waiting on the other shoe to drop because I knew it was going to drop. The other is that I wanted to know more about Jules and Colin’s childhood. It’s hinted at, but not elaborated on. It’s very important to the story as a whole, so I would’ve liked to have learned more about it. Otherwise, the story was great.

A very sweet love story.