Unguarded

[4.75] I had so much fun reading this!! Giving it all the stars because it was exactly what I needed as a pick-me-up after one heck of a busy work week!

For starters, the writing style was right up my alley with the perfect blend of playful, snarky banter and humor carrying the story along at a nice pace.

Even though the MCs fall in love in a relatively short time frame, it never felt distastefully OTT. Insta-attraction/lust, yes—you could literally see the sparks between them erupting up from the page whenever they were in the same room—but not instalovey in the cringey sense, in part because they recognized that those growing feelings warranted a closer look at, despite their personal insecurities and fears.

Thank the heavens we get two adults who actually communicate and compromise, and even when they don't agree, they still listen and give each other the space they need. Any time a much-needed conversation gets delayed, it's not like they're sweeping it under the rug for the sake of avoiding said topic forever, but rather to find a more opportune time to fully address it. They even deliberately take a few steps back to get to know each other more as individuals because some part of them knows that what they have is more all-encompassing than a one-off fling.

Emmett is the town veterinarian and a single parent whose bisexuality is a secret save for a select few, but him being in the closet wasn't overplayed as a relationship barrier; his main concern understandably stemmed from how it would affect his 10-year-old son Leo (who was such a doll