First Impressions (Auckland Med #1)

Title: First Impressions (Auckland Med Series Book 1)
Author: Jay Hogan
Publisher: Southern Lights Publishing
Release Date: December 15, 2019
Genre(s): Contemporary Romance, Suspense
Page Count: 352
Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Read book blurb here

I read the second book in this series first, and started this one with some trepedition hoping it was not as bloated and melodramatic as "Crossing the Touchline." Not to worry ... the sizzling relationship between Josh (self-described as the "boring, judgmental, vanilla, arrogant delight you see before you") and Michael, the charasmatic doctor Josh first meets in a bathhouse in flagrante delicto makes for a great read.

The author continually plays on the perceptions each man has of the other. Josh, solid single father of a daughter, prides himself on his self-control and stability. He dislikes Michael at first sight, seeing the handsome facade and the devil-may-care attitude as signs that Michael is just not hard-wired for any type of honest relationship. But despite Josh's "barely restrained pissy attitude" and his "withering dismissal," there is just something about Michael Oliver that "turned him on like a fucking switch. The guy was a menace to Josh's self-control."


And once Josh decides he can allow himself to accept the casual relationship Michael is offering, things get all kinds of toppy and steamy very quickly. As Michael thinks: "He just didn't get the guy. Damn reluctant to get in the bed, but once there, a freaking dominating sex machine with all the optional extras turned on." The sexual tension is palpable and translates into a very intense dynamic between the two men.

Without giving away too much, the author skilfully develops and deepens Michael and Josh's quickly not-so-casual relationship, while tossing in a deadly police situation and Josh's family drama with his homophobic parents, and the end result is a highly entertaining read that moves along at a steady pace, doesn't fall into needless melodrama and ends with a satisfying HEA. 4.25 stars for "First Impressions."