2.5 stars.

I requested this book after reading the free excerpt on Riptide's page. By all accounts, this was a lighthearted style that was easy to read, seemed sex (and sex work) and body positive, low angst, sexy, and fun. It wasn't lost on me the woman who ran the coffee shop (Josh's boss) was named Sana...the very same as the Muslim heroine of Season 4's SKAM and of similar heart and temperament. The head of the sex worker/porn empire was also a savvy woman. By all accounts, save a single interaction--which I won't quote because spoilers--the community was inclusive.

And largely bi-friendly. Or, an attempt to be bi-friendly.

Except.

Sigh.

As a B (in the LGBT+ community), I have had a significant and unfortunate experience in being blamed (i.e. you are the disease vector, causing HIV to cross from gay men to women)...regardless of the fact that to my own knowledge, I've never been exposed. So, to have the bi-dude in this story be the one who unknowingly exposed his love-to-be is...well...falls into a negative stereotype that I don't even know if the author is cognizant of. More than that, it seems as if HIV pops up as STI of choice in mm (not in the assumption the mc's would choose having it but it's like people forget that unprotected sex can lead to sharing a wide range of STI's... herpes, chlamydia, syphilis, crabs... and more than that...WHY would you include this in a romance novel? I'm not precluding it as a possibility but this particular book introduced it so casually without having apparent insight into how much this possibility takes your world upside down, without delving into the stigma (except tangentially)...and of how it doesn't at all affect the blossoming romance of these two. Ultimately, using HIV exposure as a plot line seemed misguided and was treated too casually.

Similarly was the casual drop-in language around kink and of praise kink, when neither was involved in the kink community or lifestyle. Like...why include it if it is to be treated so casually?

I personally had a bad reaction to these elements of the book. Had they been treated more thoughtfully, I would have enjoyed it more. The author didn't seem to be using these maliciously--or to come across as an expert. More like they tended to incorporate popular culture in a way in which they attempted to have inclusive and diverse. I do think there were a few missteps here that a sensitivity reader would have caught.

Not including on my webpage due to negative commentary.

Cam Boy is the 3rd book in the series and can be read as a stand alone easily. Cam Boy centers around Josh who decides he wants to be a porn star because he likes the idea of the amount of money they make in a short amount of time. He is clueless when it comes to what is involved and does no research before going in for his audition. I'll be honest I wasn't a big fan of Josh in the beginning of this book - he was a bit selfish and definitely immature. His audition is set up with Mike who has been in the adult entertainment business for years and has become a bit jaded. The two have instant chemistry but Josh is nervous and clueless. Mike tries to help him out and get him to relax during their initial audition and when the two kiss the chemistry explodes enough that Josh gets a call back and an opportunity for his first role and he is once again paired up with Mike. To say things don't go well between the two of them is a bit of an understatement and there are lots of mixed signals, hurt feelings and miscommunication but considering they don't really know each other that's to be expected. Josh decides that porn really isn't for him. I thought the way the author continued the plot so that Josh and Mike stay in contact was very well done. I'm not sure I would have believed the two of them intentionally contacting each other for any other reason. I also loved the way their friendship grew. I don't want to say too much more about that without giving too much away.

Thankfully Josh grew up a lot in this book and by the end I really liked him. I also liked Mike and the two had some great chemistry together. It was sweet with just a bit of angst and I enjoyed the secondary characters as well.

I absolutely loved this book. It was a formulaic gay romance but it was still very enjoyable. I thought the two main characters were very likeable and I was rooting for them to fall in love the whole time. Very good book, looking forward to reading more from this author

A well written and engaging read. The plot is a fairly simple one, but I liked that Josh's goals were not immediately met when starting work, and that some research into how the porn industry operates seems to have been done. Mike was a great character and I loved how his bisexuality was portrayed (without drama and stigma). The sex scenes were well written and there was an interesting and realistic reason to keep the leads apart for so long. I would highly recommend this for a light read and will look out for the author in the future.

Cute enough, but no substance and the characters weren't very well developed.

Josh Clemmons is sick of just having enough money to scrape by. His job working in the Globe coffee shop just lets him pay the rent. He dreams of making big bucks by becoming a porn star. Little does he realise its not as easy as it sounds especially as Mike Harwood, the co-star of his audition blows him away. Mike tries to remain professional despite the chemistry that is seriously messing with his mind. Great build up and characterisation.