Meltdown: A Best Friends to Lovers MM Romance (Ricochet Ridge)

Thanks so much Jillian D. Wray and The Author Agency for the book. I was gifted this book as an advance review copy (ARC) for free, and I am leaving this review completely voluntarily. This is the first book in the Ricochet Ridge series. Jillian D. Wray was a new to me author and I can already tell I’ll be continuing the series. Meltdown follows lifelong best friends Liam and Damon. Being back together forces old memories and buried truths to the surface, and their friendship begins to change in ways neither of them expected. What starts as a regular get away trip turns into an emotional reckoning about trust, history, and what they really mean to each other. Wow, what an opening line to the book! I loved it. This story felt different from other romances I’ve read because Liam’s romantic feelings didn’t come across like a sudden switch flipping on, but more like a slow recognition. I wasn’t waiting for attraction to appear; I was waiting for Liam to understand what they already were to each other. His jealousy that he couldn’t quite explain and the comfort he only ever found with Damon made watching that realization unfold one of my favorite parts of the story. The long-term pining hit especially hard, and my heart really went out to Damon. He fell for his best friend years ago and kept it buried because he believed Liam was straight and that he didn’t stand a chance. It gave their interactions so much emotional weight. I also appreciated the reconciliation in this book.…

Ok this was a lovely, low angst, slow burn! Best friends to lovers and most of the book takes place over the course of a two week ski trip. Damon and Liam were exactly the vibe I needed, besties for life who always put the other first. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series!

Unfortunately this one was just okay for me. Things just didn't seem realistic at all. And while I realize we suspend some reality in romance books, I still want some tension and struggle, not everything pretty much solved halfway through the book. Damon and Liam have been best friends for over a decade, and Damon has been in love with Liam for almost as long. Liam has no idea, doesn't even know Damon is gay as he's kept that hidden. Once it comes out, Liam has one night of "I need some space" and gets wasted. After that, he's just all on board. And while I realize they've been close and had a sense of love for years, it just moved so fast to love-love and intimacy. I wouldn't be opposed to trying another book by this author as I do enjoy M/M romance and I saw others really enjoyed this one and others by her. It just didn't hit very hard for me.