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The Boyfriend Game #1
An Offer He Can't Refuse
An Offer He Can’t Refuse
It started with a fake engagement. It might end with a real husband.
Sebastian Fontana never meant to get fake-engaged to his best friend. But when Vivianna Confetta—glamorous, dramatic, and maybe the Mafia princess of Bensonhurst—offers to bankroll his dream bakery in exchange for one teensy little wedding ruse, how can he say no?
Sebastian’s got one smile, pose for pictures, and try not to panic. Easy enough…until Dominick Campinello, their devastatingly handsome wedding planner, struts into the picture like a gay fever dream in fitted slacks.
Now Sebastian’s caught between a fake fiancée with real secrets, a wedding planner who makes his heart do cartwheels, and a mother-of-the-bride nemesis who’s this close to blowing the whole thing up.
Add in a disco-themed neighborhood festival, suspicious relatives, and the looming threat of Saturday Night Fever anniversary chaos, and it’s only a matter of time before the truth—and Sebastian’s feelings—come out.
Sharp, funny, and full of heart, An Offer He Can’t Refuse is an LGBTQ+ rom-com about cannoli, chaos, and falling for the one man who was never part of the plan.
It started with a fake engagement. It might end with a real husband.
Sebastian Fontana never meant to get fake-engaged to his best friend. But when Vivianna Confetta—glamorous, dramatic, and maybe the Mafia princess of Bensonhurst—offers to bankroll his dream bakery in exchange for one teensy little wedding ruse, how can he say no?
Sebastian’s got one smile, pose for pictures, and try not to panic. Easy enough…until Dominick Campinello, their devastatingly handsome wedding planner, struts into the picture like a gay fever dream in fitted slacks.
Now Sebastian’s caught between a fake fiancée with real secrets, a wedding planner who makes his heart do cartwheels, and a mother-of-the-bride nemesis who’s this close to blowing the whole thing up.
Add in a disco-themed neighborhood festival, suspicious relatives, and the looming threat of Saturday Night Fever anniversary chaos, and it’s only a matter of time before the truth—and Sebastian’s feelings—come out.
Sharp, funny, and full of heart, An Offer He Can’t Refuse is an LGBTQ+ rom-com about cannoli, chaos, and falling for the one man who was never part of the plan.
574 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 2, 2025
7 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
November 17, 2025
Another winner. I enjoy a good romcom, even if the plots and scenes are never like real life. First book by this author, kept me engaged. Balanced two different relationships with some levity and drama.
dnf-not-my-thing
August 24, 2025DNF at 31%
This book was rough. Now, admittedly, it started strong, The prologue grabbed my attention immediately and the first couple chapters held my attention. After that, though, it went downhill fast.
There was really no need for it to switch to Vivi's POV and we definitely don't need Big Viv's POV. I stopped reading when Nico's POV was thrown in there. It was too much. I don't even care if later in the book we get more of their stories and see their romances/relationships evolve. The book isn't about them, or at least it shouldn't be given the description of the book. Vivi and Nico and whatever is going on with Big Viv and her drama with Deena are NOT what I signed up for when I picked up the book. I quite frankly couldn't care less about them and was annoyed every time it switched to their POV. It really messed with the flow. If their stories really NEED to be told, they could either be side stories as seen from the MC's POVs or they can have separate books. It simply didn't work well as is.
There were also a few things that seemed kind of problematic or that didn't sit right with me. One was Big Viv being called Big Viv because she has big boobs. This could have been done in a kind of funny or clever way, but the way it was done was honestly kind of gross. "...she had instantly insisted he call her Big Viv.... Glancing at her chest, he could see why." Ew. No. And that wasn't even the first time it was mentioned so it was totally unnecessary to say again. Also, when the roommate Liam was baffled that Sebastian was engaged to a woman he clarifies by saying "a woman woman" and "Not a Drag Queen. Or a transgender woman" as if being a trans woman is any less than a "real" woman. Even worse was "A real woman with breasts and a uterus and who can have babies?" once again implying that only a "real, true" woman can have children. It was tone deaf at best and honestly borderline harmful. It gave me the ick. A little later there is also a reference to a "lipstick lesbian" that also seemed in poor taste. And don't even get me started on Sebastian purposefully making his roommate (and friend!) have an allergic reactions because he was jealous. Yes, it made him a flawed character and a horrible person, but it was brushed off so casually and treated as something that was totally okay to do. Even if he later faces consequences for his actions that I didn't read yet, the way Dom is basically okay with it and Sebastian brushes it off as no big deal was not it. As someone with food allergies that are typically mild, I was appalled. Food allergies are serious and even ones that are typically mild can turn deadly fast, so the way this was handled made me furious. If these were the "good guys" I was supposed to be rooting for and they did all this in the first 30% of the book, I really didn't want to get to know them any better.
On top of all of that, the writing was just a little clunky and awkward. One chapter kept switching between Dom and Sebastian's POV every couple of paragraphs and it was like whiplash. The relationship was moving too fast given the circumstances and it wasn't working for me. I was tempted to suck it up and try to finish the book, but I just couldn't. I wasn't enjoying the read and my TBR is too long to try and fight my way through this one.
Now, I will say that I got an ARC, so maybe, just maybe the final version is better. The premise had possibility and I did like the idea of Sebastian following his dream and getting his bakery. There was a decent storyline in there, it was just a little rough. This clearly wasn't a good match for me, but I cold see other people enjoying it, especially if it gets reworked a little.
This book was rough. Now, admittedly, it started strong, The prologue grabbed my attention immediately and the first couple chapters held my attention. After that, though, it went downhill fast.
There was really no need for it to switch to Vivi's POV and we definitely don't need Big Viv's POV. I stopped reading when Nico's POV was thrown in there. It was too much. I don't even care if later in the book we get more of their stories and see their romances/relationships evolve. The book isn't about them, or at least it shouldn't be given the description of the book. Vivi and Nico and whatever is going on with Big Viv and her drama with Deena are NOT what I signed up for when I picked up the book. I quite frankly couldn't care less about them and was annoyed every time it switched to their POV. It really messed with the flow. If their stories really NEED to be told, they could either be side stories as seen from the MC's POVs or they can have separate books. It simply didn't work well as is.
There were also a few things that seemed kind of problematic or that didn't sit right with me. One was Big Viv being called Big Viv because she has big boobs. This could have been done in a kind of funny or clever way, but the way it was done was honestly kind of gross. "...she had instantly insisted he call her Big Viv.... Glancing at her chest, he could see why." Ew. No. And that wasn't even the first time it was mentioned so it was totally unnecessary to say again. Also, when the roommate Liam was baffled that Sebastian was engaged to a woman he clarifies by saying "a woman woman" and "Not a Drag Queen. Or a transgender woman" as if being a trans woman is any less than a "real" woman. Even worse was "A real woman with breasts and a uterus and who can have babies?" once again implying that only a "real, true" woman can have children. It was tone deaf at best and honestly borderline harmful. It gave me the ick. A little later there is also a reference to a "lipstick lesbian" that also seemed in poor taste. And don't even get me started on Sebastian purposefully making his roommate (and friend!) have an allergic reactions because he was jealous. Yes, it made him a flawed character and a horrible person, but it was brushed off so casually and treated as something that was totally okay to do. Even if he later faces consequences for his actions that I didn't read yet, the way Dom is basically okay with it and Sebastian brushes it off as no big deal was not it. As someone with food allergies that are typically mild, I was appalled. Food allergies are serious and even ones that are typically mild can turn deadly fast, so the way this was handled made me furious. If these were the "good guys" I was supposed to be rooting for and they did all this in the first 30% of the book, I really didn't want to get to know them any better.
On top of all of that, the writing was just a little clunky and awkward. One chapter kept switching between Dom and Sebastian's POV every couple of paragraphs and it was like whiplash. The relationship was moving too fast given the circumstances and it wasn't working for me. I was tempted to suck it up and try to finish the book, but I just couldn't. I wasn't enjoying the read and my TBR is too long to try and fight my way through this one.
Now, I will say that I got an ARC, so maybe, just maybe the final version is better. The premise had possibility and I did like the idea of Sebastian following his dream and getting his bakery. There was a decent storyline in there, it was just a little rough. This clearly wasn't a good match for me, but I cold see other people enjoying it, especially if it gets reworked a little.
September 12, 2025
Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC copy of this book!
I DNFed this book at around 25% I simply couldn’tt stand reading it. And life is too short to read bad books.
Okay, I’m sorry. I really did try. I skipped to 60% to see if it got better. It didn’t.
Notes to self as I was reading:
1. Too much celebrity name dropping or pop culture references for my taste, it’s a bit jarring.
1.2 — Did the author just wanna include pop stars and celebs galore? I can’t even read a page without being assaulted by a reference.
2. There is no way these people are 30.. I’m SIGNIFICANTLY younger and even I’m more responsible.
2.1 — A grown SENSIBLE woman doesn’t have this weird relationship with her on again off again ex. I thought we left that to the teenagers?
2.2 — OH NO? She’s pregnant with the bad boy’s baby. The boy who stole her heart at 15…. And she’s 30 now. WEIRDDDDD
3. Nico Morelli… Such a bad boy name *rolls eye…
- I hate him.
SIDE - quotes from the book that annoyed me
“their recently toned muscles were nicely on display, glistening” — I don’t know why this sentence bothered me, it just did.
“St. Peter, Mary, and Joseph.” — WAS THERE NOTHING ELSE TO NAME THIS SCHOOL? LIKE ST PETER, OR ST MARY OR ST JOSEPH. NOT ALL THREE.
“I wouldn’t forget someone as foxy as you.” —- I don’t even have a comment here.
“Like a wolf. The Big Bad Wolf.” — this book as to be satire
“She went for the sexy Catholic school girl look with her uniform” — that’s disgusting. We should not be encouraging that..
But nice and sweet wasn’t what Vivi wanted. She wanted a bad boy. — GROSS
Vivi certainly hadn’t been a virgin at this point, but she’d often imagined what making love to Nico would be like. She finally knew. It was everything. — Regardless of how weird I think this sentence is, it would be “was not a version” not this nonsense.
Now, I will say that because this was an ARC copy. Hopefully the final edition is better, if not. This book should have never been published.
I DNFed this book at around 25% I simply couldn’tt stand reading it. And life is too short to read bad books.
Okay, I’m sorry. I really did try. I skipped to 60% to see if it got better. It didn’t.
Notes to self as I was reading:
1. Too much celebrity name dropping or pop culture references for my taste, it’s a bit jarring.
1.2 — Did the author just wanna include pop stars and celebs galore? I can’t even read a page without being assaulted by a reference.
2. There is no way these people are 30.. I’m SIGNIFICANTLY younger and even I’m more responsible.
2.1 — A grown SENSIBLE woman doesn’t have this weird relationship with her on again off again ex. I thought we left that to the teenagers?
2.2 — OH NO? She’s pregnant with the bad boy’s baby. The boy who stole her heart at 15…. And she’s 30 now. WEIRDDDDD
3. Nico Morelli… Such a bad boy name *rolls eye…
- I hate him.
SIDE - quotes from the book that annoyed me
“their recently toned muscles were nicely on display, glistening” — I don’t know why this sentence bothered me, it just did.
“St. Peter, Mary, and Joseph.” — WAS THERE NOTHING ELSE TO NAME THIS SCHOOL? LIKE ST PETER, OR ST MARY OR ST JOSEPH. NOT ALL THREE.
“I wouldn’t forget someone as foxy as you.” —- I don’t even have a comment here.
“Like a wolf. The Big Bad Wolf.” — this book as to be satire
“She went for the sexy Catholic school girl look with her uniform” — that’s disgusting. We should not be encouraging that..
But nice and sweet wasn’t what Vivi wanted. She wanted a bad boy. — GROSS
Vivi certainly hadn’t been a virgin at this point, but she’d often imagined what making love to Nico would be like. She finally knew. It was everything. — Regardless of how weird I think this sentence is, it would be “was not a version” not this nonsense.
Now, I will say that because this was an ARC copy. Hopefully the final edition is better, if not. This book should have never been published.
October 29, 2025
I admit I skimmed a lot of this book, but after about 30%, I couldn’t really get into it. There were too many POV characters, and it really didn’t seem like the description matched the reality in this book. There was a lot going on, much of it didn’t need to be there, and all of the characters are very wishy washy. It didn’t know if it wanted to be about Vivi’s relationship or Sebastian’s, or even about Big Viv’s relationship with Deena. I can’t see who this book is for, because it was all over the place.
Thanks to LibraryThing for this ARC. All opinions are my own.
Thanks to LibraryThing for this ARC. All opinions are my own.
December 29, 2025
2 stars, maybe 2.5. I tried to like this book more, but right from the start I could never quite believe in any of the characters nor their stories. The changes in POVs also never quite worked for me. (I don't have a problem with multiple POVs in a book, I actually often love such books.) Lastly, when you start to roll your eyes almost from the beginning of a book, you know it's going to be a bumpy read/ride.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publishers for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publishers for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.
August 30, 2025
A swift, funny read. Lots of characters, lots of POVs, lots of things happening.
It felt like watching a series, where you have constant switches between characters and scenes.
If you’re looking for a relaxing, easy and funny story, that’s definitely it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harbour Lane Books for this ARC.
It felt like watching a series, where you have constant switches between characters and scenes.
If you’re looking for a relaxing, easy and funny story, that’s definitely it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harbour Lane Books for this ARC.
December 7, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley & Harbor Lane Books, LLC for the ARC.
AN OFFER HE CAN'T REFUSE by Jonah Salzone is a laugh-out-loud romantic comedy that delivers nostalgic vibes while still feeling totally fresh 📚🥰.
I enjoyed the plot and the various characters and their POVs. They kept me engaged 😎 with all the rivalries, the star-crossed lovers mess, and the family drama. It honestly felt like watching a movie.
And then there’s Dominick and Sebastian: their romance and connection felt so tender and beautiful ❤️🥵😚, and the undeniable, delicious tension between them SWOOOOON!! I was fully invested in everything these guys had going on, both with each other and with the other characters.
I also loved how everything worked out in the end. The pop culture references and the Brooklyn setting worked really well.
And Liam is getting his own book - let’s go! 🤩😇
But this book does have its flaws. It could have been trimmed and developed better. There’s a lack of tension and banter, and the drama becomes a bit over the top at times. With such a unique plot and premise, it deserved a stronger execution.
Still, it’s a good book to pick up when you want something relaxing, fun, and easy-going.
3.25 stars ⭐⭐⭐
💑💙✨
"𝘚𝘶𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴?" 𝘋𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘬'𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘵 𝘶𝘱. "𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦?"
"𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶." 𝘚𝘦𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥. "𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘺. 𝘏𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺."
💑💙✨
"𝘐𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨?" 𝘚𝘦𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥. "𝘐𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘱 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘴?"
"𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘐 𝘮𝘦𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶," 𝘋𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘥𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘥.
SYNOPSIS -
An Offer He Can’t Refuse
It started with a fake engagement. It might end with a real husband.
Sebastian Fontana never meant to get fake-engaged to his best friend. But when Vivianna Confetta—glamorous, dramatic, and maybe the Mafia princess of Bensonhurst—offers to bankroll his dream bakery in exchange for one teensy little wedding ruse, how can he say no?
Sebastian’s got one smile, pose for pictures, and try not to panic. Easy enough…until Dominick Campinello, their devastatingly handsome wedding planner, struts into the picture like a gay fever dream in fitted slacks.
Now Sebastian’s caught between a fake fiancée with real secrets, a wedding planner who makes his heart do cartwheels, and a mother-of-the-bride nemesis who’s this close to blowing the whole thing up.
Add in a disco-themed neighborhood festival, suspicious relatives, and the looming threat of Saturday Night Fever anniversary chaos, and it’s only a matter of time before the truth—and Sebastian’s feelings—come out.
AN OFFER HE CAN'T REFUSE by Jonah Salzone is a laugh-out-loud romantic comedy that delivers nostalgic vibes while still feeling totally fresh 📚🥰.
I enjoyed the plot and the various characters and their POVs. They kept me engaged 😎 with all the rivalries, the star-crossed lovers mess, and the family drama. It honestly felt like watching a movie.
And then there’s Dominick and Sebastian: their romance and connection felt so tender and beautiful ❤️🥵😚, and the undeniable, delicious tension between them SWOOOOON!! I was fully invested in everything these guys had going on, both with each other and with the other characters.
I also loved how everything worked out in the end. The pop culture references and the Brooklyn setting worked really well.
And Liam is getting his own book - let’s go! 🤩😇
But this book does have its flaws. It could have been trimmed and developed better. There’s a lack of tension and banter, and the drama becomes a bit over the top at times. With such a unique plot and premise, it deserved a stronger execution.
Still, it’s a good book to pick up when you want something relaxing, fun, and easy-going.
3.25 stars ⭐⭐⭐
💑💙✨
"𝘚𝘶𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴?" 𝘋𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘬'𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘵 𝘶𝘱. "𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦?"
"𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶." 𝘚𝘦𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥. "𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘺. 𝘏𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺."
💑💙✨
"𝘐𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨?" 𝘚𝘦𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥. "𝘐𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘱 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘴?"
"𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘐 𝘮𝘦𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶," 𝘋𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘥𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘥.
SYNOPSIS -
An Offer He Can’t Refuse
It started with a fake engagement. It might end with a real husband.
Sebastian Fontana never meant to get fake-engaged to his best friend. But when Vivianna Confetta—glamorous, dramatic, and maybe the Mafia princess of Bensonhurst—offers to bankroll his dream bakery in exchange for one teensy little wedding ruse, how can he say no?
Sebastian’s got one smile, pose for pictures, and try not to panic. Easy enough…until Dominick Campinello, their devastatingly handsome wedding planner, struts into the picture like a gay fever dream in fitted slacks.
Now Sebastian’s caught between a fake fiancée with real secrets, a wedding planner who makes his heart do cartwheels, and a mother-of-the-bride nemesis who’s this close to blowing the whole thing up.
Add in a disco-themed neighborhood festival, suspicious relatives, and the looming threat of Saturday Night Fever anniversary chaos, and it’s only a matter of time before the truth—and Sebastian’s feelings—come out.
September 1, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book.
Unfortunately I was not able to finish…at just over 100 pages in I couldn’t continue 🫣
The first couple of chapters started well with a gentle build of intrigue as to where the story was going to go. Some of the writing felt very robotic however and as I continued I got lost in the endless POVs, the chapters always starting like an opening statement in a courtroom drama where they’re trying to win the jury over and the overwhelming feeling of dislike towards most of the characters. I just couldn’t force myself to go any further than chapter 14.
Early on I found the friendship between Sebastian and Vivi hard to believe and several of their exchanges were passive aggressive. Big Viv in particular was an exceptionally irritating and it regularly felt like she was trying to force her agenda onto everybody; possibly to make up for failures in her own life I don’t know. Her unwavering hatred towards her oldest friend and her catty comments in the years following just came across as bully.
If the characters were well written then I may have been onboard and willing to continue but the more I read the further it felt like an AI generated attempt.
Without finishing I can only presumed Seb and Dom get together and that Vivi ends up with Nico despite Big Vivs feelings. I will have to keep an eye out for other people’s reviews to find this out but I personally don’t think there will be many by people who have managed to finish this book.
Unfortunately I was not able to finish…at just over 100 pages in I couldn’t continue 🫣
The first couple of chapters started well with a gentle build of intrigue as to where the story was going to go. Some of the writing felt very robotic however and as I continued I got lost in the endless POVs, the chapters always starting like an opening statement in a courtroom drama where they’re trying to win the jury over and the overwhelming feeling of dislike towards most of the characters. I just couldn’t force myself to go any further than chapter 14.
Early on I found the friendship between Sebastian and Vivi hard to believe and several of their exchanges were passive aggressive. Big Viv in particular was an exceptionally irritating and it regularly felt like she was trying to force her agenda onto everybody; possibly to make up for failures in her own life I don’t know. Her unwavering hatred towards her oldest friend and her catty comments in the years following just came across as bully.
If the characters were well written then I may have been onboard and willing to continue but the more I read the further it felt like an AI generated attempt.
Without finishing I can only presumed Seb and Dom get together and that Vivi ends up with Nico despite Big Vivs feelings. I will have to keep an eye out for other people’s reviews to find this out but I personally don’t think there will be many by people who have managed to finish this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 8, 2025
I wanted to love this book so so much. Both Sebastian and Dominick are adorable together. And applause to Dom for thinking clearly and not let his head be clouded, though get taken away sometimes, but still voice of reason.
The book is in 3rd person, and it wouldn't be so bad but when it also taken for all the other periphery characters, it's confusing and annoying. There's too much details of one section of the Broolyn bakery that no one cares about, the details of the elders also no one cares about when the current generation decided to overcome it themselves. It doesn't matter once the young people figured out themselves and their convictions. The rest was just noise.
I will say, I do like Liam & Lolly, the friends who shows Bash & Dom the way and to fight for love, and to see clearly when they're in their heads. They love their friends and know how to show them how to find a way out of their ass.
In the same vein, hated Vivi and Nico, not because of their on again, off again antics, as much as they are selfish not just themselves but wanted people to accommodate to them. I found that Nico's excuse for making fun of Bash was weak, and Vivi cornering Bash by dangling the carrot was also unkind for the supposed best friend.
Again, I wanted to like this book, it had a good primise, but what happened?!
Thank you to NetGalley & Harbor Lane Books, LLC for the ARC.
The book is in 3rd person, and it wouldn't be so bad but when it also taken for all the other periphery characters, it's confusing and annoying. There's too much details of one section of the Broolyn bakery that no one cares about, the details of the elders also no one cares about when the current generation decided to overcome it themselves. It doesn't matter once the young people figured out themselves and their convictions. The rest was just noise.
I will say, I do like Liam & Lolly, the friends who shows Bash & Dom the way and to fight for love, and to see clearly when they're in their heads. They love their friends and know how to show them how to find a way out of their ass.
In the same vein, hated Vivi and Nico, not because of their on again, off again antics, as much as they are selfish not just themselves but wanted people to accommodate to them. I found that Nico's excuse for making fun of Bash was weak, and Vivi cornering Bash by dangling the carrot was also unkind for the supposed best friend.
Again, I wanted to like this book, it had a good primise, but what happened?!
Thank you to NetGalley & Harbor Lane Books, LLC for the ARC.
September 2, 2025
I hated to see this book end. By the time I read the last page, the characters were like members of my family. And what a family the author has created!
The whole setup is high-concept and fun and worthy of a movie. I adore Sebastian, who is willing to do practically anything to realize his dream of opening his own bakery, and Vivianna, the glamorous Mafia princess desperate to hide a truth that could get her into big trouble, especially with the bigger-than-life Big Viv.
And then there's Dominick, the unexpected dreamboat wedding planner who throws a major romantic monkey wrench into Sebastian and Vivianna's plans.
Get ready to laugh out loud at this ingenious romantic comedy that will remind you of classic Brooklyn movies such as Moonstruck and Saturday Night Fever yet is totally fresh.
The whole setup is high-concept and fun and worthy of a movie. I adore Sebastian, who is willing to do practically anything to realize his dream of opening his own bakery, and Vivianna, the glamorous Mafia princess desperate to hide a truth that could get her into big trouble, especially with the bigger-than-life Big Viv.
And then there's Dominick, the unexpected dreamboat wedding planner who throws a major romantic monkey wrench into Sebastian and Vivianna's plans.
Get ready to laugh out loud at this ingenious romantic comedy that will remind you of classic Brooklyn movies such as Moonstruck and Saturday Night Fever yet is totally fresh.
August 31, 2025
This book was hard to finish. From about the 30% mark I had to really force myself to keep going.
At first I was intrigued and found the multiple POVs interesting, but it got to be too much really fast. There are other two stories being told at the same time, competing with the gay romance to be the main storyline . In the end I did'nt care for none of them.
The writing felt messy, too many pop culture references and name dropping that added nothing to the plot nor the characters, it had me skimming a lot of paragraphs.
To top it all off there was some gratuitous transphobia among other ignorant remarks.
In short, it felt like soap opera with too many characters and too many nonsensical decisions being made.
At first I was intrigued and found the multiple POVs interesting, but it got to be too much really fast. There are other two stories being told at the same time, competing with the gay romance to be the main storyline . In the end I did'nt care for none of them.
The writing felt messy, too many pop culture references and name dropping that added nothing to the plot nor the characters, it had me skimming a lot of paragraphs.
To top it all off there was some gratuitous transphobia among other ignorant remarks.
In short, it felt like soap opera with too many characters and too many nonsensical decisions being made.
September 3, 2025
Thank you Harbor Lane Books, LLC for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I don’t even know where to start. I picked this up because I liked the concept, but the execution was nothing like what I was expecting. The longer I read, the more the constant drama and chaos started to feel boring, repetitive, and honestly just irritating. I stopped caring about the characters or their relationships altogether. Viv could’ve married Dominick at the end and I wouldn’t have even cared to know how it happened.
This book had so much potential, but it felt like the author tried too hard to pack in melodrama on every page to keep readers engaged, and it ended up doing the exact opposite.
I don’t even know where to start. I picked this up because I liked the concept, but the execution was nothing like what I was expecting. The longer I read, the more the constant drama and chaos started to feel boring, repetitive, and honestly just irritating. I stopped caring about the characters or their relationships altogether. Viv could’ve married Dominick at the end and I wouldn’t have even cared to know how it happened.
This book had so much potential, but it felt like the author tried too hard to pack in melodrama on every page to keep readers engaged, and it ended up doing the exact opposite.
September 10, 2025
As much as I want to say I loved it—because it’s MM—I really can’t. It was kind of a mess. The blurb sounded so promising, and I was hooked at the beginning, but the characters ended up being so ridiculous and just dragged their nonsense all the way to the end.
Since this was Bash and Dom’s book, I would’ve accepted their dual POV. But why did we need the others’? It only made things feel more scattered instead of focused on the romance.
I get that this is contemporary, so the drama has to come from somewhere, but honestly? If she had just come clean from the start, Sebastian would’ve never met Dom. Then again, if she were marrying Nico, Dom still could’ve been their wedding planner and crossed paths with Bash that way. Either way, it just felt frustrating.
Well, that’s that.
Since this was Bash and Dom’s book, I would’ve accepted their dual POV. But why did we need the others’? It only made things feel more scattered instead of focused on the romance.
I get that this is contemporary, so the drama has to come from somewhere, but honestly? If she had just come clean from the start, Sebastian would’ve never met Dom. Then again, if she were marrying Nico, Dom still could’ve been their wedding planner and crossed paths with Bash that way. Either way, it just felt frustrating.
Well, that’s that.
September 2, 2025
Thank you Harbor Lane Books, LLC for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
⭐️⭐️
This had such a fun premise—fake engagement, bakery dreams, a possibly–mafia princess, and a swoony wedding planner—but the execution just didn’t land for me. The pacing dragged, the humor felt forced, and instead of leaning into the chaos, the story got bogged down in over-the-top drama. I wanted banter and sparkle but found myself skimming. A great idea, but not my cup of espresso.
⭐️⭐️
This had such a fun premise—fake engagement, bakery dreams, a possibly–mafia princess, and a swoony wedding planner—but the execution just didn’t land for me. The pacing dragged, the humor felt forced, and instead of leaning into the chaos, the story got bogged down in over-the-top drama. I wanted banter and sparkle but found myself skimming. A great idea, but not my cup of espresso.
September 21, 2025
Absolute Cinema!
Reading this book reminded me of all those great rom-coms I grew up with just more absurd but this book gets away with it. I love all the characters they are great and believable and feel like actual complete people. Now we need a book sequel where they go to Italy and meet in the in-laws and maybe out of no where hot guys start showing up! I love this book I can't wait to read what the author has next!
Reading this book reminded me of all those great rom-coms I grew up with just more absurd but this book gets away with it. I love all the characters they are great and believable and feel like actual complete people. Now we need a book sequel where they go to Italy and meet in the in-laws and maybe out of no where hot guys start showing up! I love this book I can't wait to read what the author has next!
December 26, 2025
Loved the twists and turns, and I did not see the plot twist at the end coming! I love a good surprise. Lots of connections and complicated relationship history adding drama to the funny and full of love interactions of the characters in this book. Hope they turn this one into a TV series!
September 11, 2025
What a fun read! Fun, flirty. And so many delightful pop culture references. Love reading all of these fun characters. Can't wait for the next book in this series.
October 28, 2025
This book was just ok. Nothing really stood out.
December 3, 2025
I received an ARC from Librarything in exchange for my honest opinion.
I give this book 3 stars.
When I first started the book, I was a tad confused but eventually figured it out.
This book is a multi-point of view book set in New York city.
Overall I enjoyed the story but found pieces of it a bit clunky. I also found a few areas problematic.
Examples include Big VIV being called that because of her chest, when personality, wardrobe and hair could be used instead, seb not talking to his roommate about his feelings and instead poisoning him with an allergen(which is extremely dangerous), ViVi throwing her best friend under the bus and just deciding ruining his life is less important than protecting her peace.
Those are some of the things that stood out to me but there were others where I questioned if everyone was ok or not. I overall enjoyed the story and thought Dominick and Seb were cute as a couple, though I wish we had focused more on them then on the others and their backstories. I also liked once Vivi grew a backbone and put in boundaries with her mother, her arc was nice. I feel her story with Nico could have been a separate book.
The multi-pov threw me off at first but eventually got used to it. I think if one or two Povs were removed or condensed into their own chapters, it would allow for better flow.
If you enjoy a tropey book featuring a MM and an MF relationship with a side of friend betrayal and miscommunication, An Offer He Can't Refuse is the book for you.
Just a warning that this book contains tropes like star-crossed lovers( times two), fake engagement, surprise pregnancy, second chance romance, secrets, first love, instacrush, instalove? possibly, off-limit crush, small found family vibes, forced closeted character, lovers to enemies to lovers, and honestly, probably a few more.
IF you don't like some of the tropes or there is a hard no trope listed above, I'd recommend reading something else.
I give this book 3 stars.
When I first started the book, I was a tad confused but eventually figured it out.
This book is a multi-point of view book set in New York city.
Overall I enjoyed the story but found pieces of it a bit clunky. I also found a few areas problematic.
Examples include Big VIV being called that because of her chest, when personality, wardrobe and hair could be used instead, seb not talking to his roommate about his feelings and instead poisoning him with an allergen(which is extremely dangerous), ViVi throwing her best friend under the bus and just deciding ruining his life is less important than protecting her peace.
Those are some of the things that stood out to me but there were others where I questioned if everyone was ok or not. I overall enjoyed the story and thought Dominick and Seb were cute as a couple, though I wish we had focused more on them then on the others and their backstories. I also liked once Vivi grew a backbone and put in boundaries with her mother, her arc was nice. I feel her story with Nico could have been a separate book.
The multi-pov threw me off at first but eventually got used to it. I think if one or two Povs were removed or condensed into their own chapters, it would allow for better flow.
If you enjoy a tropey book featuring a MM and an MF relationship with a side of friend betrayal and miscommunication, An Offer He Can't Refuse is the book for you.
Just a warning that this book contains tropes like star-crossed lovers( times two), fake engagement, surprise pregnancy, second chance romance, secrets, first love, instacrush, instalove? possibly, off-limit crush, small found family vibes, forced closeted character, lovers to enemies to lovers, and honestly, probably a few more.
IF you don't like some of the tropes or there is a hard no trope listed above, I'd recommend reading something else.
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