Tied to Trouble (Gamers #3), by Megan Erickson
Publish Date: January 4, 2016
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Format: e-book, purchased
Genre: adult m/m contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Rating: 5 STARS
(Synopsis) Chad Lake only showed up at his sister's party for the free food, but when he spots an uptight nerd at the edge of the crowd, he can't resist trying to ruffle the guy's perfect bow tie and impeccable hair. The hottie's ready for him, though, and in the end, it's Chad who's left wide-eyed, his ears still ringing with the filthy things Bow Tie whispered in his ear. No one gets the upper hand on Chad. Ever.
Owen Hawkins has heard all about the cocky Adonis from Chad's sister—the same sister who holds Owen's career advancement in her hands. He has every intention of steering clear of the other man…until Chad's sexy taunts push him too far. There's something intriguing about Chad, and even though Owen knows that getting tangled up with the infuriating man is trouble, he can't seem to stay away…
I love it when snarky guys meet their match, and no guy is snarkier than Chad Lake. The best part of Tied to Trouble is, the man who takes him down is the one that Chad never ever saw coming.
Chad is the proverbial free spirit. He flits from job to job, town to town, never content in one place, doing one thing for very long. It's a double-edged sword for him, though. Although he doesn't like commitment - to anything - he's starting to feel a little lost. Like, maybe it's time to put an effort into adulting for a change.
Owen is about as different from Chad as one person can get. He's buttoned up, organized, and driven. He's smart and good at his job. The only thing he and Chad have in common is Chad's sister, who also happens to be Owen's boss. Who knew that when these two got together they would be so crazy awesome?!
To start with, Owen is not as straight-laced as you think. Holy crap, but does that boy have a dirty mouth on him. And, he's very good at being in charge in the bedroom. Chad goes with the flow, and he finds that, when he lets go and stops worrying about what his next move is going to be, he's more free than he's ever been before. Especially with Owen.
Megan Erickson has really found her stride. She is so good at writing m/m with feels. Although Tied to Trouble is a lot lighter than her other m/m stuff, my heartstrings still were pulled a lot. I could really feel Chad's frustration over his lack of direction and Owen's feelings of inadequacy and social ineptitude. Both guys certainly had their hangups to work through.
But, what I loved the most is how little those hangups meant when they were together. Owen's lack of confidence was nowhere in sight and Chad knew exactly where he wanted to be. It was only when the passion cooled and they both started overthinking that things got messy and I wanted to yell at them both to stop being idiots.
Tied to Trouble went by way too fast, but that's only a sign of how much I was drawn into the book, and not a testament to weak pacing. I couldn't put it down, and I finished it in one day. I know that brooding and complicated Ethan's book is next in this series, and I'm hoping to catch glimpses of Chad and Owen in it. Their playful banter is a balm to the serious stuff and serves as a good buffer between the extreme feels and the hot sex.
Every book in the Gamers series has been a really fun read. All the nerdy goodness, together with awesome characters, makes me want to keep reading well past my bedtime.
