The Falcon and the Foe (Single Dads Club Book 1)

Cal Hogan is a lovable hot mess and Russ Ettinger is a bit of a stick-in-the-mood. The only thing they have in common is that their sons - Josh and Quentin - attend the same school. When Josh tells Cal he wants to join the ranks of the Falcons, the latter is apprehensive. After all, Russ is the current leader and a thorn in Cal's side. Being a single dad, Cal is already feeling pretty insecure about his parenting so to keep from disappointing Josh, he agrees to let him join. THE FALCON AND THE FOE is technically the second installment of the SINGLE DADS CLUB series of books by A.J. Truman, however, I read it first based solely on one of the protagonists (Cal) being a bigger guy. What I loved most about this book is that I love both characters equally in spite of their flaws. Cal is messy and disruptive and a bit of a bull in the proverbial china shop but he's also fun-loving and free-spirited. There were moments where his laziness and inability to get his shit together got under my skin but ultimately I loved his ability to relate to people and disarm Russ. Russ, on the other hand, reminds me a lot of myself. He's very by the book and take charge. Unlike Cal, Russ finds it difficult to relate to people but that's because he's still navigating the grief of losing his husband. Russ believes that as long as he follows the rules, no one, including he or his son, will get hurt. THE FALCON AND THE FOE is a fun read. I love the lesson the story provides. Losing someone you love…

Not this bear! But other things do happen out in nature with the two main characters, Russ and Cal. I really enjoyed this story because it was well-written. The dialog between the MCs was snarky and witty, but realistic. This enemies-to-lovers trope has been utilized by many authors over many years, but I found this story refreshing. Throwing together two polar-opposite, single dads expressing their vexations with one another, was humorous and enjoyable reading. Their young sons were charming, as well. You knew from the title there would be the inevitable HEA, but going along for the ride was a joy!

I really felt like this story was a breath of fresh air. It is low angst and mostly sweet and spicy, but it also has sparky banter and some definite sass but also had found family and the struggles of being a single parent, especially while falling in love. When Cal's son Josh came to him about joining the Falcons, he had no idea just how much his life would change. Cal is a single father who works at a high-end grocery store and is doing voiceovers on his free time. He's a bit of a hot mess, but he loves his son and just wants him to be happy and to thrive. So when Josh comes to him excited about joining the Falcons, how can he say no? Even though his nemis is the scout leader. Russ is a widowed single father who lost his husband four years ago. His son Quentin is the same age as Josh and in his class. Russ is strict and follows the rules because safety is paramount, and he can't lose anyone he loves again. Him and Russ butt heads and are complete opposites who don't see eye to eye at all. But when Russ needs a last-minute co leader, Cal decides it's his time to shine and make sure fun is had and things aren't so serious. The sass between these two and their snarky banter made me giggle and laugh out loud throughout the whole story. But the more I read and the more time these two spent together as Co leaders/parents of their sons who are friends, the more they became friends themselves and saw beyond all the judgment they carried about each other. They both saw sides they…

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 🌶️🌶️.5 There was so much about this book that I liked and some things that I didn’t. Let’s talk about what was good in this book. Having a hot bear as an MC, these 2 guys are the sweetest, best dads 2 kids could ever ask for, Cal has some great friends, and their relationship is really sweet and supportive. The overall light hearted fun vibe of this book makes me want to read more in this series. Unfortunately there were some things that just didn’t seem to work. Some of the dialect could be really silly at times and I found some of the spicy scenes to be a little cringe. “His member stood straight like the Statue of Liberty”. No thank you. I found myself scrolling past spicy scenes to get to other parts of the book. This is my first AJ Truman book and maybe this particular book wasn’t right for me. I plan to keep reading this series and his other books. We need more Own Voices authors writing books in the MM community. Especially ones who promote body positivity.

Two single parents, one more of a fly-by-the-seat-of-your type personality (Cal); the other, a stick-up-your-arse, by the book person (Russ). They rub each other the wrong way and do not get along, at all. But when they have to work together as co-leaders of the Falcon scouts, they begin to thaw a bit and things become more interesting between them 🙂 I enjoyed the story, I was entertained by the the enemies to lovers part, so much snark and banter! But the story is more than that - it's also about the love of a parent and how a parent will try to do anything for their child. It's also about perception - people prejudged Cal (as unreliable) and Russ (as reliable) - without really knowing either man. The author did a great job of evolving their characters, the men learning from each other and getting closer. Really enjoyed it!