LynneC’s review of Real Men Will (Donovan Brothers Brewery, Book 3) by Victoria Dahl
Contemporary Romance published by HQN 25 Oct 11
This is the last of the Donovan Brothers Brewery series, and it is a fitting conclusion to the trilogy. I’ve had a great time with these books and the last one wasn’t a letdown, as I thought it might be.
When I read in the blurb that Eric meets Beth and spends the night with her, using his brother’s name, I was worried that the book might be a Big Misunderstanding, not one of my favorite tropes. But the story starts with Beth discovering that Eric deceived her, so the misunderstanding is sorted out early on. Thank goodness.
Beth is the manageress of the local sex shop, but it’s a classy one, and Beth’s mission is to introduce women to their sexuality. Only she doesn’t have much experience in that line herself, only what she’s learned academically. But at least she’s not a virgin. I’d really have enjoyed it if Beth had been a woman of experience and she taught Eric a few things. I think that is a slight chickening out by Dahl. In any case, Beth is a likeable character, and she’s drawn into the plot via her father, who is a straitlaced man who doesn’t know she runs a sex shop. He thinks she manages a bra store, which, in a way, she does. Beth is smart, doesn’t do anything TSTL just for the sake of the plot, and she’s in character throughout.
Eric is the oldest Donovan brother, and he’s the most difficult to know. I’m surprised to learn in this book that Eric is adopted, since I don’t think there’d been a mention of it in the previous books in the series. He feels displaced, and he doesn’t even look like his siblings. But when his parents died in a car crash, he was twenty four and he took control of the brewery and bringing up his siblings. I did feel a bit of a disconnect, since Eric seems to be the only one who worries about it. Nobody else cares, so why should he? As far as they’re concerned, Tessa and Jamie look on him as their brother. Simple as. Eric should get over it, since he’s done so much for the family and the brewery is a success. Jamie’s new venture into serving food also makes Eric feel out of place. He feels left out. I’m not entirely convinced, but despite that, I like Eric. He has a sense of honor and responsibility and he knows that his youth, when he should have been sowing wild oats, were spent running the family business instead.
When Eric and Beth finally get together—wow. The sex scenes are truly hot, and I think a lot of the reason for that is that you get to know Eric and Beth beforehand. Beth dares to try some things she’s wondered about, and Eric is only too pleased to help her. Together they have a lot of fun.
But you see enough of them out of the bedroom to understand why they are falling for each other and you totally believe in their happy ending.
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this series. Sometimes the family dynamic is a little too much, and I wonder why they bothered to stay together, since they did nothing but argue and misunderstand each other. But the brewery background is convincing and, to me at least, fascinating. The plot about the break-in that started in the first book doesn’t really add too much to the series, and I would have liked more development, but the characters of the Kendalls are nowhere near as carefully or as cleverly drawn as the other characters. Even Beth’s colleague Cairo has a more rounded character.
But I’d read these again and I’m looking forward to Ms Dahl’s next books. Dare I try a historical?
Grade: B
Summary:
It was meant to be a one-night stand. One night of passion. Scorching-hot. Then Beth Cantrell and Eric Donovan were supposed to go their separate ways. That’s the only reason he lied about his name, telling her he was really his wild younger brother. Hiding his identity as the conservative Donovan. The “good one.”But passion has its own logic, and Eric finds he can’t forget the sable-haired beauty with whom he shared a night of love. When Beth discovers that Eric has lied, however, she knows he can’t be trusted. Her mind tells her to forget the blue-eyed charmer. If only every fiber of her being didn’t burn to call him back.
Read an excerpt.
Other books in this series:
