Title: Cruising
Author: Cate Ashwood
Publisher: Self-Published/Free Download
Length: 45 Pages
Category: Contemporary, Short Story, Friends-to-Lovers
At a Glance: Cruising is a sweet and sexy little story for those times when you just need a quick shot of happy.
Reviewed By: Lisa
Blurb: Best friends Dylan and Jake have been inseparable since college, but Dylan has one secret he can’t bring himself to share with Jake—he’s completely, utterly in love with him.
Jake’s friendship is the most important thing in the world to Dylan, so as much as it hurts to see him with other people, Dylan keeps his mouth shut about his true feelings. When Jake wins a cruise to Alaska, he asks Dylan to go along, but what Dylan doesn’t know, is that there’s more on offer than a dream vacation.
Can Dylan and Jake sail off to their happily ever after, or are they cruising toward disaster?
Review: I’m such a sucker for the friends-to-lovers trope. If there’s any one setup that works for me in a romantic short story, this is it. I already know, before the story even starts, that whatever it is that makes two people best friends doesn’t take huge leaps of logic or maneuvering to get me from there to them falling in love.
Cate Ashwood’s Cruising is not only a short and sweet friends-to-lovers story, it’s also a nice way to spend a little time reading. Dylan and Jake have been the best of friends for years, and have both been harboring a secret for quite a while. They’re in love with each other, but they also each believe that their love is unrequited. And neither of them has been willing to endanger their friendship for something as unsure as the other’s feelings not being returned.
The cruise is the thing that sets the wheels in motion, the proof that Jake knows Dylan so well, has listened to him, more importantly, and it’s the gesture that speaks volumes, not in words but in action—Jake wanting to do something special for Dylan, even if he has to tell a little white lie to get Dylan to go along with it. Their chemistry is off-the-charts obvious, but just because the fuse is lit doesn’t mean Dylan’s doubt and fear don’t flare up too. While I’d have a loved a little more time with them once they made it onto the same page, it was still easy to buy into them being together for the long-haul.
Cruising is a sweet and sexy little story for those times when you just need a quick shot of happy.
You can download Cruising for free here:
[zilla_button url=”http://bit.ly/2CKos1t” style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] InstaFreebie [/zilla_button]