Review: Aced by Ella Frank & Brooke Blaine (Sunset Cove #3; L.A. Liaisons #3)

July 11, 2016

Note: This ARC was provided by Social Butterfly PR in exchange for an honest review.

Dylan licked his lower lip, as if savoring the taste of me, and it was shocking how much the idea of that appealed to me. I'd never been an overly possessive man in the past. Not prone to jealousy. But with Dylan I wanted to lay claim in some way. Stamp him with some kind of ownership that let the world know that he belonged to me.

Two authors writing two separate book series come together once again to give us the story of two memorable men from the previous novels in their respective series and it’s a story that had me applauding, even at the end where I couldn’t help but laugh—after my jaw hit the floor and I recovered long enough—at the evil geniuses that Ella Frank and Brooke Blaine are. If you’re familiar with my reviews, you’ll get my whole “evil” reference; if not, you’ll have to wait until the end of this review to clue in as to what the hell I’m talking about. Don’t worry; I’ll try to make it worth your while and keep this as informative and entertaining enough to hold your attention. You could skip, but I hope you won’t.

Aced melds the worlds of the Sunset Cove and L.A. Liaisons series, written by Frank and Blaine, respectively, and is about Dylan Prescott, who was introduced and adored in Devil’s Kiss, and Ace Locke, scene-stealer extraordinaire from Hooker. Dylan’s image in his Calvins (and I’m not talking about jeans here) and a leather jacket graces billboards, one of which Ace makes a point of driving by regularly. Ace continues to be a box-office draw, fans clamoring for more of his million-dollar-earning films, all of which Dylan has seen several times over. They’re each other’s fantasy but neither man has ever met…until they’re both cast in the same film. Will the model and the movie star live happily ever after?

Both Dylan and Ace are out, but while Dylan has no qualms about being seen with other men, Ace only publicly acknowledged his sexuality not too long ago. Paparazzi are on the hunt for the first photo of him and a boyfriend. The great unknown is how the public would welcome visual proof that he really is gay. I understand where he’s coming from because there are some people who may claim to be accepting of his sexuality but once producers, fans, and sponsors see him holding hands with or kissing another man, they could easily turn on him. I couldn’t help but feel for the guy because while it may seem as if being someone who’s out affords him to finally be able to be with someone openly, Ace knows the industry and realizes that there are endless strings that are attached if he hopes to be in relationship with Dylan.

I loved Sex Addict, previously titled A Desperate Man, which was the first collaborative work of Ella Frank and Brooke Blaine, so when news came out that they were working together again, I was thrilled. The fact that Aced is the third novel in both their ongoing series was such a creative twist and one that had many a fan and reader squeeing in delight. I’m guessing that Dylan’s parts were written by Frank and Ace’s by Blaine, but if I’m wrong on that end, please feel free to let me know! And that leads to my one and only complaint about the book—the formatting. Personally, I think it would have been nice to have each point-of-view clearly labeled, but I am basing my review on an advanced and unproofed copy so the final, published version could very well have the separate viewpoints. I’ll have to check that out.

I absolutely loved Ace and Dylan’s story. They were two supporting characters that I kept wishing would get their shot at a happily-ever-after, but I never expected them to actually be brought together in one novel, and honestly, I think it worked out just the way it should have. There’s so much more to both men and I enjoyed reading about their respective back stories as each layer was peeled away. There’s this amalgamation of tensions that exists between them and they are, simply put, hot together. But it’s not just about the hotness quotient with these two. Those heart-thumping, romantic ones had me craving for more…and it looks like I’m getting my wish because this book ends in an evil cliffhanger, with Locked slated for release next month. Told you the authors were evil geniuses. Aced gets five-plus stars. ♥

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Read my reviews for the Sunset Cove series: