4.5 STARS ✮ BROOKE BLAINE & ELLA FRANK ✮ LOCKED

Locked

PresLocke #2

by

Brooke Blaine & Ella Frank 

If you haven't read Aced yet please stop reading here. While I'll keep this review spoiler free and vague it will refer to events from book 1 in the series.

After being discovered by the tabloid press on their getaway in Vegas Dylan and Ace have to deal with the fallout of the discovery of their relationship. Being under close scrutiny and having to deal with intrusive paparazzis is exhausting but there is also a certain freedom in not having to hide any longer. They gain strength from their growing feelings which they will need for the battles to come. 

Although the first two thirds of the book cover the consequences and backlash of the forced publicity of their relationship they are pleasantly drama-free. Maybe even a little bit too uneventful - it does drag a tiny bit towards the middle. I was waiting for another bomb to drop when Dylan's past catches up with him. It does bite him in the ass, eventually but I thought the introduction of a certain character earlier in this installment would have helped the story move along a little bit faster. Nevertheless the story is incredibly appealing and we get to see how Dylan and Ace fall in love. Their connection is deep and finds its outlet in bed. The sexy times are scorching and panty-melting.

What I love about MM romance is that while the feelings between the main characters change the companionship doesn't. The way Ace and Dylan talk to each other doesn't change, their banter is sometimes sweet, sometimes funny but always based on friendship. 

Ace is so sweet and adorable with Dylan when he finds the courage to open up about his past. And generally there is a lot of growth on Ace's account while he slips into this unknown part of his own personality of never having been in a serious relationship.

Dylan is such a wonderfully easy to love character. He shines like a bright star with his easygoing attitude which has its roots in his childhood.  I loved Sunshine, Ziggy and Lennon and you could actually see where he got his zest for life from. His adoptive parents grounded him when he was a child and taught him that love when given freely multiplies as it is returned to you.

Some people might find the end of this installment slightly cheesy but while I did so I also relished it. I loved every word in this book. Imagine my surprise when I realized that there would be one more book in this series. I was already getting a little bit worried about Dylan's situation not being resolved...but *bam* there it was. The promise of the conclusion of Dylan's and Ace's journey. Can't wait.