The Idiot (Carver Brothers Book 2)

I came strictly for the “idiots in love” trope, not expecting to fall completely in love with this story! Jesse is a himbo to shame all other himbos, covers vulnerability with humor, and just genuinely loves life. Murphy is a bit of a grump who protects himself from the things he fears by getting defensive and assuming the worst. Miscommunications abound. Or, rather, lack of honest communication. While many other authors use totally unrealistic miscommunications just to get the plot where they want it, this made sense in the context of the fears both men had.The humor was honestly very disruptive to my roommate. It’s my own fault for reading this story so late into the night, but I definitely annoyed her with my cackling. I won’t give too much away there, but let me just say that I’ll never look at Sea Monkeys the same way again. But, again, even with the humor, the author managed to balance it frighteningly well with heartwarming moments. The spice was also verrrrrry nice.Anyway, 15/10, would absolutely recommend.

Well, this is a fun read with some laugh out loud moments. The two MC’s are wonderful together and of course, clueless.

Oh. My. Word. This is unquestionably one of the funniest books that I have read by Ms. Roman. There are poignant as well as steamy times without doubt but the humor is seductive. If you like humor with your gay romance, please try this book. I rarely laugh-out-loud, not my nature, but this book had me cackling! Read it. You’ll see.Murphy Malone takes infrequent trips to Seattle to work out his need for male companionship. On his last trip he saw a couple who obviously loved each other. Murph cannot forget that memory and he wants that same love in his life. Problem is, only his family knows that he is gay; meaning nobody in Wenatchee, Washington knows, not even his best friend, Jesse Carver. Jesse’s character is so sweetly oblivious. One thing for sure is that Jesse will not let Murph out of his sight for long. Since Murphy enlisted in the military and left Jesse in Wenatchee, Jesse has been in Murph’s proverbial pocket. What he doesn’t know are the feelings that are roiling right under the surface. Will Murphy be able to tell Jesse that he is gay? How will Jesse take it?This book is easy to recommend because it is sweet, steamy and funny; a compelling combination. I volunteered to review an ARC of this book.

This was such a good read! Friends to lovers is one of my favorite tropes! This one is definitely an idiot to lovers situation. Possible spoilers in this. Murphy is gay and he hasn’t told his best friend yet. Until he does…and he also comes to terms with the fact that he’s in love with Jesse. He tries to get over his best friend by going a gay cruise. And Jesse follows him…for moral support! Jesse is…a lot! He means well, he really does. Which makes him endearing. I felt for Jesse though, he was underestimated. I’ve read a few of Dianna’s book and like the rest there were a lot of unexpected moments. Lots of comedy too. Overall, I really enjoyed this. I can’t wait for the audiobook.

This book was a bit of a whirlwind. At its core it has a sweet story about two best friends both discovering things about themselves and falling in love. But while that happens the book is full of miscommunication and sometimes cringey moments of idiocy.Jesse and Murphy were sweet but oh so awkward to read about sometimes. Though Jesse was meant to be the so called “idiot,” Murphy definitely had his moments. They both were so awful about communicating and a lot of Jesse’s silly moments were really because of others not taking the time to explain things to him. He was adorably awkward and innocent sometimes, especially on the cruise, but I found myself feeling bad for him and how the others were fine leaving him to be misunderstood and misinformed.Once the two were together it was full of spice and quite a bit of sweetness. The two as a couple definitely worked and were nice to read about but I would have liked more about their time as friends and time apart when Murphy was in the army. I think the tidbits we got were great but I would have loved if the story went a bit deeper.In the end the book was sweet and if you can get past all of the miscommunication and awkwardness it is a fun, quick read.Tropes: Best Friends to Lovers, Forced Proximity, Dual POV, Bi-Awakening, Coming OutRating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5Spice: 🌶️🌶️ 2/5Relationship: MM

This was a good lighthearted story. I love a funny himbo and Jesse is fantastically clueless. He has a heart of gold and his pure intentions make me not mind all the miscommunication between him and Murph. Their cruise was hysterical and the story got pretty steamy at that point. I enjoyed this story and wonder if cowboy Rob will get his own book one day.

I had this on pre-order and it popped into my library confusingly, I opened it up to see that this is a new book from one of my favorite authors with like zero reviews so far. Gotta do my part.This was such an easy binge, got true authentic stress flutters at times and just really liked both of these guys as people, which I'm noticing more and more that lots of lovely stories actually miss that mark for me.Jesse is a himbo for sure, idiot feels a little harsh because he's so sweet and has just a unique approach to his own logic. Murphy was super understandable in his frustration and heartbreak. My heart just sunk for him in the Cafe.I would have loved a little more tension, but that's a personal wishlist item. Not as impactful to me as her other books, this was super lighthearted and funny and so very charming. 2/5 spice and absolutely a reread down the road along with the Gentleman and anything else she decides to write in this series.I'm so excited to read more from this author 🖤

I loved both books 🧡 It's not every day that you find a book well written, with words that flow effortlessly and with great humour! The MCs are endearing and the stories progress naturally with great skill.Congrats, Ms. Roman! 👏👏👏

Dianna Roman has become a fast favourite of mine and she did not disappoint with this story. I loved the first book in this series 'The Gentleman', more than I thought I would so I was very excited about this book, featuring Pete's younger brother Jesse and his best friend Murphy. It can be read as a standalone but is definitely better if you've read the first book, which I HIGHLY recommend.Murphy is just a grumpy cinnamon roll that melted my heart and Jesse is his complete opposite - sunshiny, life of the party, daredevil.Some tropes include:⚓ Grumpy/Sunshine⚓ Best Friends to Lovers⚓ First Times/ Bi-Awakening⚓ Slight Hurt/Comfort vibes⚓ Cruise Ship Adventures⚓ Unrequited love (or is it?😈)Seriously, go check out this book. Jesse's mind is just the greatest place to be, he cracks me up which is pretty expected from a book by this author. Murphy just makes you want to bundle him up and snuggle him tight. I adored these boys so much and this will definitely be a comfort read for me from here on out ❤️ I hope we get more of these hilariously romantic books!

I really enjoyed this. There were laugh out loud moments and though Jesse really is a goofy, bumbling idiot a lot of the time, I simply adored him. A sweet, heartwarming and sexy romance.

I'd say it was very different to book one but in a great way.A clueless "idiot" and his best friend. The banter, the shenanigans, the chemistry that they don't even realize is chemistry! This book was addictive and hooked me from the get-go.Jesse and Murph are fantastic characters and their unique and slightly complicated journey to reach their HEA is both hilarious and adorable.I will say I usually hate character miscommunication and get so bloody frustrated when the characters don't just talk to each other. But this book has reframed the "miscommunication" trope for me and these two characters thrive on all the miscommunication and for good reason. The journey of lifelong best friends to "hook-up buddies" to lovers in love in an epic journey of miscommunication, and idiocy (on both parts, come on Murph, your mom had to clue you in), and this adventure is all the more hilarious and enjoyable because of Jesse's adorable fumblings and golden retriever (on caffeine) personality.I feel that each book Dianna writes (that I've read) is so different yet so familiar in the best possible ways. Her characters are totally endearing and unique even with similar "tropes" suggested. I loved this book and just love Jesse and Murph and their cluelessness and chemistry. This was a wonder best friends-to-lovers story with a twist! Just awesome!! Go read it now!!

This book had all the tropes I love, friends to lovers, grumpy/sunshine, bi-awakening, small town, close proximity and lots of laughs.Murphy and Jesse were perfect for each other, best friends all their life but Murphy kept a secret from Jesse, well two secrets actually. One, he was gay and two, he was in love with his best friend.When things get to Murphy and he tells, or rather blurts out to Jesse he’s gay he has to get away for a while and books himself on a gay cruise. Unbeknown to him Jesse, worried about his friend and thinking he needs a wingman, books himself onto the cruise as well.The close proximity is driving Murphy nuts but is having a different effect on Jesse as he starts to see his friend in a different light. I loved the way he was so eager to learn and the way he wanted Murphy to be his tutor!An enjoyable book which should have been called “The Idiots” because they were both as clueless as each other!

I’ve enjoyed Roman’s books. This one, best-friends to lovers, coming of age was like butter. So well written it felt like it was being read to you gently and with wonder. Captivating every step of the way. Highly recommend.