Review: Waking Oisin by Grace Kilian Delaney

Title: Waking Oisin

Author: Grace Kilian Delaney

Length: 176 Pages

Category: Contemporary

At a Glance: Waking Oisin was definitely sort of a mixed bag. There were parts that I really liked, and other parts I struggled with. Overall, though, it was quite fun and I did enjoy reading it.

Reviewed By: Jules

Blurb: Oisin Harrison blames his fiancée’s distrust for ruining their relationship. He blames his father for pushing him into law school. But more than all that, he blames himself for letting other people’s expectations stop him from going after his dream. But dressing in drag with his best friend is the one thing Oisin refuses to compromise.

As Sin, he meets handsome Trenton Fisher, a man who appreciates Oisin’s cross-dressing. Trent upends his world by doing things to his body no one ever has, making him want more than just one night together. That is, until Oisin discovers his hot hookup works at his father’s law firm and is angling for a promotion.

To complicate things, Trent doesn’t seem to recognize Oisin out of drag. Or does he?

Will Oisin and Trent’s magnetic attraction grow to something deeper, or will it threaten to jeopardize their careers and futures?

Waking Oisin contains characters from Seven Minutes but can be read as a standalone.

Review: I thought this one sounded cool and sexy when I read the blurb—and, quite a bit of it was—but, Waking Oisin also had me sort of scratching my head and doing double-takes almost as much as it had me swooning or cheering for the characters. I liked both Oisin and Trent immediately, and the story itself quickly sucked me in, but there was something about the writing and the execution that kept throwing me off.

I don’t like to leave things on any type of negative note—especially with books that I overall enjoyed—so, I’ll quickly get the things that didn’t work as well for me out of the way. The writing itself lacked a little polish at times, but my main issue had to do with some inconsistencies. First, the BDSM aspect wasn’t well defined. Trenton had a significant history with playing and living the lifestyle; he trained as a Dom, and his ex, Nic, broke things off with him in some part because Trenton didn’t want to live the D/s relationship 24/7. But, things were very loose and unestablished with Oisin. At times it seemed like he wanted to be a Dom to Oisin, even expecting Oisin to call him Sir, which Oisin gladly did, but it wasn’t consistent. I felt like even if they were going to do scenes just every now and then, there should have been some kind of discussion between them, but there never was. I also thought Oisin’s father’s behavior was very inconsistent. He would sound like the most loving, caring parent one moment, talking about how worried he was about Oisin, and how much he cared for him, and the next moment he acted like his son was the biggest pain in the ass, who was such a chore to deal with. The way he was written gave me whiplash.

Now, back to the things I really liked about the book! I liked Oisin mossst of the time. He was spunky and smart, and so kindhearted and sweet, which was very endearing. I adored how much he loved animals and that he wanted to be a veterinarian; it was sad that he felt so trapped into going to law school and felt like he couldn’t pursue his dream. I loved, loved Oisin’s best friend, Devon, and everything about their friendship. There was so much history and loyalty and love between them. I definitely want to go back and read Devon’s story in Seven Minutes. And, I really did love Oisin and Trent together. They had excellent chemistry, and their sex scenes were on fire. I liked their dynamic a lot. Trent’s levelheadedness and maturity were a great counterbalance when Oisin decided to get bratty and throw one of his tantrums. Trent’s entire family was also amazing, as was Oisin’s mom. The supporting cast was very strong overall, and I liked where everyone ended up.

So, yeah, this one was definitely sort of a mixed bag. There were parts that I really liked, and other parts I struggled with. Overall, though, it was quite fun and I did enjoy reading it. If you’re looking for a low angst romance with some light kink, you could absolutely give Waking Oisin a go.

You can buy Waking Oisin here:
[zilla_button url=”http://bit.ly/2GIJAWA” style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] NineStar Press [/zilla_button][zilla_button url=”http://authl.it/B079P7WPY6?d” style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] Amazon [/zilla_button][zilla_button url=”https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/waking-oisin-grace-kilian-delaney/1127941431?ean=2940158898839″ style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] Barnes & Noble [/zilla_button][zilla_button url=”https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/book/waking-oisin/id1346849562?mt=11″ style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] iBooks [/zilla_button][zilla_button url=”https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/waking-oisin” style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] Kobo [/zilla_button]