Undercover by Eliot Grayson

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Title: Undercover
Author: Eliot Grayson
Series: Vino and Veritas #4
Published by: Heart Eyes Press
Release Date: March 29, 2021
Format: eARC
Pages: 203
Genres: Romance, LGBT, Contemporary
Source: Heart Eyes Press
Reading Challenges: Lenoreo's 2021 COYER Spring, Lenoreo's 2021 Diversity Reading Challenge
Find it: Goodreads ✩ Amazon
My rating:

Blurb:

Gabe wants Alec between the sheets…too bad Alec’s undercover already…

Rich kid. Party boy. Gabe is tired of the labels. He’s a smart guy, but ever since he got kicked out of grad school, people are only interested in his no-limit credit card and his pierced ears…and other places.

Tall, dark and scowling Alec hates Vermont, with its artisanal-freaking-everything and its irritating people. To be fair, most people irritate Alec, including the FBI director who sent him here to investigate a smuggling scheme involving yoga mats.

When one of the cutest twinks Alec’s ever seen takes an interest, Alec knows there’s an ulterior motive. No one with multi-colored hair, piercings, and an ass like that would want boring, serious Alec. The kid must be up to no good. Either way, Alec can’t blow his cover. If only he could keep his hands off of Gabe long enough to find out what he’s up to…

Can they ignore their explosive chemistry long enough to foil a smuggling ring? Or will their budding relationship sink faster than a yacht full of contraband?

My Review:

I received a free copy through Heart Eyes Press in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.

3.5 stars — In the end I liked both Gabe and Alec, but the story just didn’t pull me in.

One thing I adored was the fact that Gabe fit the stereotype of a “gay man”…which is a super weird thing to say, but I think because m/m romance is often written by women, the men can be fairly similar in many ways.  Or honestly, that’s maybe just the ones I’ve come across and I need to broaden my horizons.  Either way, I kind of loved that Gabe was a self-proclaimed twink.  He was quirky and odd, and I felt for him and his constant self-recriminations that were built on experiences with a cold family and terrible exes.  I kind of enjoyed watching him struggle to fight for better for himself, b/c I think that’s something that will resonate with a lot of people.  He was just cute and fun and hilarious.

I had a bit harder time with Alec.  Part of that is the gruff/grumpy personality — though it was kind of interesting to see a guy with RBF, who needed desperate help bringing out his lighter side.  He could be sweet, if terribly awkward.  It was a unique personality in many ways, and I appreciated that.  BUT.  But.  *sigh*  His job.  The necessity of lying.  I mean, I got it to a degree, but it was so much of their relationship, that it made me a bit sad.  I thought he did a good job with his gesture, it fit him.

The two of them together had me conflicted — I liked what they each brought out in the other, and the end result was sweet and awesome.  But, as I said above, all that background stuff just kept me a bit detached because I didn’t like it.

So yeah.  I liked them both, wholeheartedly.  But I think I wished I got a slightly different story for them…which is a weird thing to say, since I guess the story helped define their relationship.  I don’t know.  I was just not completely pulled in.  I kept a part of myself detached.