The Barkeep and the Bro: Single Dads Club, Book 3

So, technically THE BARKEEP AND THE BRO is the third installment in A SINGLE DADS CLUB but after reading the description, I knew I had to read it right away. A former frat boy falling in love with an older bar owner is right up my alley, so, after finishing THE FALCON AND THE FOE, I quickly ordered the audiobook. Before I jump into my review, let me just say that Nick J. Russo did an amazing job providing the voices of Mitch Dekker and Charlie Porterfield. Nick is also the voice actor for the other books in the series. I was quite impressed with how he changed up his voice to be eight different characters. P.S., in addition to purchasing these books (the cover art is awesome) I highly suggest listening to the audiobooks. They really enhance the experience. Now back to the book. In THE BARKEEP AND THE BRO we are introduced to middle-age bar owner Mitch Dekker. Mitch is friends with Cal from THE FALCON AND THE FOE and Leo from THE MAYOR AND THE MYSTERY MAN. Mitch is single and has a daughter who is the result of a teenage pregnancy with his high school sweetheart. Mitch is content with being alone and only has time for his friends and his bar. Enter: Charlie Porterfield. Charlie, much like Cal Hogan, is a larger than life personality. A former frat boy, Charlie is on top of the world when we first meet him. He has the perfect job and the perfect girl. When he loses both on the same day, he moves in with his friend Amos and goes looking for a new job. He ends up at the…

Several times I found myself laughing out loud, which I rarely do while reading but the humor in this book just creeps on you and BOO! Two great guys: Mitch Dekker who married in his late teen, has a daughter in her twenties who is now a lawyer. Ellie had a boyfriend, Charlie Porterfield who was always good for a good-time, but not serious, not really. Until one day Charlie finds he has nothing left in his old life and so starts a new one in Sourwood on the Hudson River, learning to be a bartender for his former girlfriend’s father. Yeah. Gets even more complicated because Charlie can’t stop thinking about his big, burly boss, Mitch...but Charlie is straight. Right? Oh. My. Gosh. This was such a good book. Charlie finds out what real friendship is and Mitch finds happiness. On top of that, we get to find out how former-book boyfriends from this series are doing. Well-written and edited. It is charming in parts, obviously funny throughout with a fantastic ending. I volunteered to review an ARC of this book through Gay Romance Reviews. If you like steamy, passionate gay romance with lots of humor and great characters, read this book.

I read this in 24 hours. I loved it! Both characters are great and funny (Charlie’s story arc may be my favorite part of the book). I highly recommend it.

The Barkeep and the Bro Mitch has been divorced for 25 years, he did the whole marriage thing, it wasn’t for him though he was married to his high school sweetheart. Marriage out of duty since they found out in high school they were expecting a little bundle of joy. His NHL career was put to rest before it even started. His family bar was the placeholder for a relationship, he didn’t have the time for a relationship, co-parenting, running a bar, the revolving door of employees. With all his friends finding themselves their better half’s, he’s nothing but happy and supportive but he’s to the point where he’s starting to have a longing for what they have. Happiness, love. When a “bartender needed” sign is out in the window the last person he’d ever expected to see apply, was his daughters frat boy, college ex-boyfriend. Charlie Porterfield. Charlie is living the dream, hot girlfriend, great job, hair and body. He’d landed an epic client for his investment firm stocks were doing so good, until they weren’t. Causing Charlie to lose his job, his girlfriend, and his place to live. Hitting this huge rut in life has caused Charlie to need to rely on his friends needing a place to crash until he can get back on his feet, but realizing he doesn’t have the true friends he thought he did. In a last ditch effort he messages his old camp friend who by luck has a room for rent but it’s in the small town of Sourwood. So packing what little he has and moving in with his friend, depending…

This author writes well and this series has been interesting. I loved the first one, The Falcon and the Foe, and the second book was okay. This book could have been, in my opinion, so much better. I thought Charlie was a terrific character and, even though he was a little immature, I believe that was an unintended, on Charlie's part, side effect of the frat culture. He was an insecure and unsure boy trying to fit in with his friends who were jerks. I was glad to see he overcame that and stood up for himself and became an adult. I didn't like Mitch's daughter, who came across as very spoiled. She and Charlie had not been together for a considerable length of time, long enough that his life was no longer her business. I also thought this story was too long and I was horrified at the disrespect Mitch and Charlie showed Mitch's daughter at her wedding by having sex in the equipment trailer while lamenting how little time they had to get the reception ready. One of my pet peeves in stories like is grown people having public sex. This very nearly was as they could have been interrupted at any time. Despite all of that, I adored Mitch and Charlie together. Mitch was such a rock and someone I'd like to know in reality. Love bears. I also enjoyed the friendship and support Mitch had with the other single dads club members. Together they were a hoot and I thought Charlie was so lucky with his friend Amos who was so nonjudgmental and supportive. I'm looking forward to his story. By the…