Getting It Right (The Restoration Series) by A. M. Arthur

Getting It Right by A. M. Arthur is more than just a friends to lovers, gay for you story.  There is a plot, there is drama, and you will honestly not anticipate the ending before you get there!  I received one copy of this book at no charge through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions are my own and this post contains affiliate links.

Getting It Right by A. M. Arthur

Purchase Link:  Amazon / All Romance eBooks

Title:  Getting It Right
Series:  The Restoration Series
Author: A. M. Arthur
Publisher:  Carina Press (March 16, 2015)
ASIN:   B00N0MYGLY
Format/Length:   477 KB/249 pages
Genre:    M/M Romance
Heat Rating: 3
Star Rating: 4

Author Info:

You can connect with the author at A.M. Arthur’s website.

 

Blurb:

Detective Nathan Wolf might just be a junior detective, but he tackles every case with the passion that he lacks in his personal life. A series of failed relationships with women has left him still single at thirty-four—because he’s too scared to admit to his longtime crush on his best friend James.

Dr. James Taggert likes to keep his profession as a psychiatrist separate from his party-animal persona. Known around the gay clubs as “Tag”, he’s the guy who screws them, leaves them, and never looks back. But James’s drinking is getting heavier, and when bad memories from the past resurface, he’s close to becoming the worst version of himself.

After a drunken blackout ends in a hot and heavy make-out session with his very straight best friend, James has no memory of the steamy affair. But Nathan isn’t sorry for the kisses that James can’t remember. Nathan finally musters the courage to tell James how he really feels, but a life-altering event might force them apart before they can ever be together.

 

My Review:  I have read a LOT of books by A. M. Arthur and can honestly say that this author has produced some amazing stories.  I was particularly drawn to Getting It Right because I love the ‘friends to lovers’ trope.  The whole gay for you thing has always been one of my favorite story lines.  Many times, an author with make the ‘gay for you’ idea the central idea of the book and I am thrilled that A.M Arthur went above and beyond to create a plot that fit in well with these two characters moving from friends into lovers.

James has been half in love with Nathan since they met in college.  A drunken game of truth or dare led to a kiss between them and that kiss totally changed how James viewed his best friend.  But, he kept his mouth shut because his friendship with very straight Nathan was too important to screw up.  Nathan was equally moved by that kiss but pushed the thought away and continued sleeping his way through the female population for the next 10 years.

Fast forward 10 years past college graduation and Nathan is a police detective, while James is a therapist.  They have intense jobs, active social lives, lots of friends, and a few problems they need to deal with.  Another drunken kiss between them has James lying about his feelings and Nathan emotionally hurt.  Then, a crisis erupts, leaving Nathan severely injured and pushing James away completely.  When emotions settle and James and Nathan finally confront their feelings, you would think that would be the end of the story…but NO.  There is a lot more to come before these two get their happily ever after!

Okay, Getting It Right had some great twists and turns.  I loved seeing some of the characters from other A.M. Arthur books and seeing how their lives intertwined with James and Nathan’s. It is helpful if you read some of the other books she has written so you are familiar with the backstory on all of them but it isn’t really necessary.

I was frustrated with Jame’s drinking problem.  As a therapist you would think he could see it and deal with it, right?  But, then again, there are many doctors who smoke in real life which makes no sense to me whatsoever!  Nathan was dedicated to his job and I hated seeing how badly scared (emotionally and physically) he was left after the incident.

The plot had a lot of twists and turns to it and (without giving too much away) I was really shocked at how it ended.  Not how I saw things going but it was definitely a page turner of a book.

I will say, it is hard to write a book that perfectly balances the romance and the story itself. Getting It Right is heavy on the plot, drama, and crime solving and a touch light on the romance and relationship development.  It is there…this is definitely a romance book!  But, if you are looking for light and smutty, this isn’t the book for you.  Getting It Right is well written, angsty, and has a lot going on before the happily ever after shows up!