⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶🌶🌶/4

Starting off the Mixed Messages series with a bang: meet Gabe & Dylan. Gabe is the Grumpy to Dylan's sunshine, the boss to his assistant, the commitment-phobe to his desire of a settled loving relationship.

Gabe is a high powered and wealthy London lawyer, and Dylan is his witty, sassy, and ever suffering assistant. Where others see an impossible to please boss and all around scary guy to work for, Dylan manages to see the work ethic and brilliant mind hidden behind Gabe's towering walls. Dylan may complain about Gabe incessantly, but that's just to cover up the deep respect he has for him.

Everything takes a turn one night when a glance across a club reveals that the powerful feelings of animosity Dylan has been feeling for years might just be lust in disguise. Turns out Gabe has been feeling the same way for a loooong time. Love and Hate are often two sides of the same coin, and once the heat turns on for these two it can never be extinguished.

What I loved most about these two was the growth on both sides that being in a relationship caused. For Dylan there was about of finding his own sense of self-worth, and not settling for less than what he truly wanted. For Gabe it was a lot deeper. We learn about some deep-rooted childhood trauma (TW: violent death of loved ones) and the lingering effects that has on his abilities to love, to be loved, and to even entertain the idea of long-term commitment. Seeing the ways that they learn to accept each other was powerful. Seeing love portrayed as difficult but worth it was even more so.

If you love a love story that is based on character growth, true acceptance through love, and witty banter, this book is for you. Not to mention some great side characters that we get to explore more of in the following books, and a delightful family dynamic.

FAV / MEANINGFUL QUOTE SECTION (***Contains spoilers***):

D about G: "Competence is so sexy"

D about G's home: "I feel suddenly sorry for him, because the kitchen seems evocative of his life - expensive, yet sterile and empty." (Don't worry, D fixes that)

D's friend warning him about a relationship with G: "You're a giving bloke. If anyone needs anything, you're first in the queue to provide it. Don't choose someone who will never appreciate that gift. Don't give to someone who will take it and never give back."

"Cinderella won a real prize - a man who couldn't see her true worth until she fitted in the shoe properly"

"Tradition comes from something being so brilliant and such a good memory, that you try to recreate it every time that you can."

"He makes me feel alive, the way that my mum had always promised me would happen when I met someone serious. But I know looking at him that I still mean absolutely nothing to him."

G: "I think that might be the first time that I've laughed during sex."
D: " That just means it was never good sex. All good sex comes with a side order of inappropriate laughter."

D: "I love this grumpy, irascible, yet sometimes tender man. How could I not? I see now that all the rage he sometimes fills me with is the flipside to this feeling, the other side of the coin."

D: "You may not see me as being worthy of being called your boyfriend, but I'm work fucking more in my own eyes."

About G: "He's a conundrum, this man. Doesn't want to hurt me, is worried about it so much, and then does it every time."

From D's mom: "Love is complicated, darling. As humans, we don't seem to value or work for anything that comes too easily, but give us hard work, and we'll activate a death grip."

From F's dad: "Sometimes we think that a certain path in life is the way we have to go. We see other routes, but we avoid them because we're so insistent they're not for us, that we might get lost or hurt. Then sometimes fate sets in, and someone takes your hand or waves you over. You step off your chosen path, and find that although this one is new and scary, somehow your feet know the way to navigate it. You might even find that it leads you the way that you were always meant to go."

About G: "That man needs love like no one I've ever met before. It's like he's starved himself of any meaningful connection".

D: "I'm worth more. I want to matter, and to not be treated as if I'm an old dildo that gets tossed in the drawer when the battery goes. I want to be there for someone. I want to grow old with someone. I want to die knowing that I loved with all my heart, and to the best of my ability."

"It's like there's an invisible string connecting you and him."

G to D (FINALLY):" You could go out tomorrow and find someone better for you, but the truth is that no one will ever need you like I do. No one will ever love you like I do."

D about G: "He's it for me... He may have all the faults that he listed, and many, many more that I can think of, but he makes me feel more alive and real than I've ever felt before. He challenges me and believes in me, and he makes me want to be the best person that I can be... for him."

G (showing much growth): "I had given my previous lovers anything they wanted, as long as it wasn't a part of me, but him I want to give everything to."

"I would do this and more for you, Dylan. I would do anything for you." "Luckily for you, I'll never ask for everything. All I'll ever need from you, is you." ( )

DNF, bailing at 52%. Ultimately, I think my aversion to this novel is that neither protagonist is adult enough to be out in public. Which is true of many IRL supposed adults. But in fiction that's a deliberate choice, and halfway in, it's just too much to ask of me. My suspension of disbelief fell down in the face of lying to family, when it's just been demonstrated Mum's onto Dylan already. One, or the other, author. Not both. ( )

This was quite the roller coaster of angst that did have an epic HEA. Dylan was lovely and had to deal with a lot from Gabe who I was very close to hating, but he did manage to redeem himself in the end. It was probably best that this was in Dylan’s POV throughout until we got a little of Gabe in the epilogue as we likely didn’t want to be in Gabe’s head. ( )

It’s a little sad when you love a book only just up to the point when the MCs get together. Up until then it was hilarious, with a lot of fun sexual tension. Afterwards, everyone was miserable (including myself). 2.5 stars: average of four stars for the first half and one star for the second. ( )

Office romances are usually not my thing but this book had me hooked from the first page. The characters, their banter and overall romance just kept me glued to my iPad and by the time I finished the book, I realized it was 3.00 in the morning. What better way to spend a sleepless night!!!!

Both Dylan and Gabe are excellent characters to read about. They are sassy, confident, smart, excellent at their jobs and even better at trying to one up the other with their witty comebacks. Their banter is definitely not what you would call usual office protocol, but it works for them and makes for a very entertaining read. I couldn’t stop laughing at Gabe’s various complaints or Dylan’s accidental “mixups”. I could read a whole book about just their day-to-day office activities.

Obviously, all this outwardly sniping at each other is just to hide their mutual attraction. The UST is so palpable that even their best friends Jude and Henry can see through it but takes a lot more time for them to acknowledge it. But once they give in, it makes way for a lot of sexy times. And then comes a whole load of angst and conflict because Dylan is all in with his heart but Gabe has a lot of intimacy and commitment issues due to childhood trauma.

I loved all the side characters in the book. Both Jude and Henry are wonderful friends and only want what’s best for their friends. Dylan’s family is a delightful group and I loved Christmas at their house. Gabe’s dynamic with them was also very unexpected and shows a vulnerable side to him that he is usually very careful to hide. There are also other entertaining cameos throughout which kept the book interesting despite the troubling times.

If you love office romances, then you shouldn’t miss out on this one. This is a wonderful fun read with loads of British humor (which took some getting used to) and characters whom you grow to love. Can’t wait to read the next book about Jude. ( )