Be prepared to bookmark. Jayce Ellis writes a very steamy Learned Behaviors.

I think what I like best about this book though is not the romance, though that is fine. I love the other relationships that Ellis’ builds throughout the story. There are two other gentlemen who are on the LGBTQ+ spectrum and no one sleeps with each other, they become friends. They come together to have fun and to ask for advice.

Then there are the relationships built within families in Learned Behaviors, instead of making people abhor each other they end up listening to each other.

Of course Ellis also writes a fine romance for Jaq and Matt. Two very similar men who took a slightly different route in regards to family, but not in work ethic. Put two type A personalities together and steam is sure to happen. Hot, intelligent, and can apologize? Ellis has created dream men and we get to watch them fall in love in Learned Behaviors.

I received an ARC of this book and I am writing a review without prejudice and voluntarily.

Learned behaviors by Jayce Ellis is the first installment in the Higher Education series and my own introduction to the author. Overall, I was quite pleased with the story of Jaquan Reynolds and Matthew Donaldson. Two single dads who have not made time for themselves in so long that they initially resist the urge when lust and later love comes knocking.

I love a good queer romance story and this one did not disappoint. Featuring two black males, both main characters were thoughtfully constructed and complimented one another very well. It was nice to see two people who ultimately were trying to self-identify, to a degree, allow themselves to be vulnerable again and open to new possibilities. REPRESENTATION MATTERS!

I think the author does a really good job where character development is concerned. It was fun getting to know the supporting cast of characters as well; especially Carlton and Lawrence, Tanisha and Angela, Gran, Kennie, and even Diane. I’m hoping that these characters may be revisited at some point. After all, while not all love affairs end in happily ever after, it is nice to know where they land.

Learned behaviors is after all, a story about first loves and second chances and what happens when you fearlessly let go. I’m looking forward to Learned Reactions in ‘21.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin - Carina Press for the eArc.

It is entirely possible that Jayce Ellis wrote this book especially for me. Look, I'm not bragging or anything, but has a book EVER been so exactly tailored to somebody's preferences? I THINK NOT. Let's take a look:

-single dads
GIVE ME ALL THE SINGLE DADS. And the best part here is that both of these men are single dads and they've approached fatherhood in very different ways. Parenthood isn't a monolith, and fatherhood in particular comes with a lot of baggage. JaQuan is the single father of a daughter who's wrapped his entire life up in hers to the potential detriment of his own; Matthew is the divorced dad of three kids who is baffled to realize that the approach he took to raising them has resulted in distance he didn't intend. The upsides and downsides of both are handled here so gently and lovingly that fatherhood becomes an intrinsic part of the romantic story, which is so, so rare.

-college-aged kids
Older characters! People in their 30s and 40s with established lives and careers! YESSSSSS. How often do we see single parent stories that feature folks whose kids are leaving the nest? Almost never, right? This is such a refreshing change because that transitional period is a Big Deal, and when you add romance for the parent in to the mix, life can be a LOT. There's a sub-plot about the college kids' romantic storyline that intersects beautifully with the dads, and the contrast between the two is deftly handled without disparaging either one.

-extremely hot for each other in many sexy ways
Um, excuse me, these men are basically eye-fucking from the second they meet, and I am HERE FOR IT. Resisting the urge! Sensual tension! Will they! Won't they! (spoiler: they do, and it's super hot) Everything about the sex in this book is really, really good, from the moment Matthew gets turned on by hearing JaQuan's voice to the first time they actually Do It to the intense scenes when they've committed to having a relationship. It's all so steamy and so well written.

-community, family, and found family
There are so many bits here to unpack. JaQuan's circle of friends who embrace him willingly - fellow gay parents, and don't mistake me, I got a little weepy about it, because this is a beautiful community - and who are also delightful themselves (and are given PERFECT setups for their own books in, like, two sentences, tops? How do you even DO THAT, it's so good. I can't wait for the next one). Matthew's BFF, who I may or may not have a small crush on. And - possibly my favorite - his ex-wife, who is presented with loving, complex detail as a perfectly nice person. They were married for twenty years - it would be disingenuous to make her some kind of villain, and cast doubt on his taste in romantic partners, and yet we see it SO MUCH in romance. I absolutely loved seeing them as people who grew to understand that they weren't the right fit, but still care about each other even though they've hurt each other in the process. They manage to be supportive of each other's new relationships even when it takes work - and it does take work. But that's real life. And of course, the kids - all of them - are delightful. In another world, this book would be about them: they're all about the age of your standard romance protagonist. How awesome is it that they're the supporting cast, instead?

-they work in luxury home goods design
I mean come on. This is what gave it away. This HAS to be written for me, right? I loved everything about the work angles in this book. I've written in other reviews of Ellis' books that one of the things she does best for her characters is give them realistic careers and believable job experiences, and it still holds true here. We're not looking at a tech billionaire who came by his money in some improbable way; these characters earn their livings at real jobs, believable ones. Ellis has written everything from paramedics to financial advisors; here, she's got a project manager for a department store home goods department and an executive assistant to a home goods designer, and everything about their work interaction from the people they work with to the projects they work on is the real deal (and also, I would like one of the pillows described, please).

All of this is to say, I loved this book SO MUCH - possibly even more than I loved the last Jayce Ellis book (honestly, mature characters took it over the edge for me here). Ellis just keeps doing everything right, and everything I said about JEREMIAH is still true here, and more so. Keep going! More, more, more!

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Veronica – ☆☆☆☆
Learned Behaviors is another wonderful office romance from Jayce Ellis. Jaq, a personal assistant, meets Matt when he comes to assist his boss with an upcoming product launch. There is instant attraction, but the men don’t initially get along. But the single dads find themselves meeting outside the office when they discover their college-aged daughters are friends.

I loved that this story has single dads with adult children. The men are at a different point in their lives to those in many books of this genre. As a result, the issues that arise and cause conflict and uncertainty are different and those issues were things that were easy to relate to but not always easily resolved.

I really enjoyed the connection between Jaq and Matt because it is clear when the men connect and acknowledge their attraction for the first time that what is between them is serious right from the beginning. This was one of the things that had me fully invested in their romance. Also their working lives, which involve long hours that make it hard to stop work from overtaking your entire life, was definitely something I can personally relate to. It helped that the men are hot as hell too.

Jaq and Matt’s romance was lovely and sexy and when the story ended, I wanted more. I felt like we just got to the beginning of the rest of their lives and I wanted more time with them. A solid four stars from me.

Jaq has just gotten his daughter packed off to college when he gets a message from his boss, Patti Kingsley. Their home and lifestyle brand has just landed a huge account, but Bernhardt wants a holiday exclusive in their stores in time for Black Friday.

Matt, arriving at the Kingsley offices in DC, will be acting as the on-site liaison for Bernhardt and make sure that the development of the new product line stays on schedule.

The stress and accelerated time from of the project has Matt and Jaq butting heads. They drive each other crazy, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t also be attracted to each other.

After working together a while, putting out fires and slowly moving the project forward, they develop a grudging respect, even though neither one of them knows how to deal with the sexual tension that is building between them.

Jaq visits his daughter on parents’ weekend. They hang out with Tanisha’s friend Angela and her dad, who just happens to be Matt. At dinner, the dads catch the vibe that Tanisha and Angela might be more than friends. It’s during this visit that Jaq learns Matt needs to be at his son’s wedding on the day after thanksgiving – Black Friday – which is the launch date they’re struggling so hard to meet.

Jaq takes Matt to a Bernhardt store to get a wedding gift. They almost kiss in the bedding department, wanting to give in to their attraction, the restraint however doesn’t last long. They share a scorching kiss in the parking lot.

Working late one night, Matt finds Jaq in his office. He’s tense and needs some release (if you know what I mean). Matt takes charge, telling Jaq exactly what he wants, and how he wants it. Jaq happily obliges. It’s amazing – mind blowing – and opens up a lot of possibilities for them, maybe even relationship possibilities…

But when Jaq gets home that night, he unexpectedly finds Tanisha there, her heart broken by Angela. He does his best to sooth her. This complicates things between him and Matt, but Jaq’s mom assures him that deserves to have a life.

When he finally finds himself in Matt’s bed, he is not disappointed (again, mind blowing). He knows what he feels – but what does it mean and how would he and Matt work in the long run? It’s definitely not just casual, and they spend the rest of the weekend proving that to one another.

On Monday morning everything falls apart. Bernhardt has rejected the current design, but the nepotistic fool who’s playing office politics behind the scenes is not in the same league as Matt, who does not suffer fools lightly. Once that nonsense is shut down, he goes all the way to Norfolk where his son’s wedding prep has hit a snag. Once he has that under control, he tells his family that there is a new man in his life, so add another ‘plus one’ to the guest list.

The wedding/Thanksgiving weekend arrives, and Jaq manages to temporarily seduce Matt away from his work, adding some playtime to the hectic days ahead, days that Matt spends almost entirely on his phone and laptop. Having to go it alone at a wedding that he’s not even a part of has Jaq rethinking some things. On the morning of the big day they are finally able to talk about Matt’s lack of work/life balance, when Jaq gets a call. Tanisha has had an asthma attack that has landed her in the hospital.

Jaq packs to leave.

Matt gets dressed for his son’s wedding.

No matter how much they might want to be there for each other, family always comes first.

Tanisha is fine and assures her dad that he doesn’t need to drop everything for her like when she was a baby.

The wedding goes well, but when Angela sees her dad without Jaq by his side because of a “family emergency”, she puts two and two together, and soon father and daughter are headed back to DC to be with that other father/daughter pair that they are undoubtedly both in love with.

The week after the launch (which btw was very successful) Patti gives Jaq a much-deserved promotion. At the same time Matt has decided that he’s done with Bernhardt, to have given them so much, for so long, and have so little to show for it…. the choice is clear. With some help and encouragement from their friends and family, each of our heroes come to realize now that their children are grown, they might finally be able to start a new chapter.

Jaq takes Tanisha to the office Christmas party; which Patti has decorated in the finest of holiday style. She takes to the stage to thank her team when she is joined by surprise guest, Matt. When he and Jaq finally have a moment alone together, they dispense with the mea culpa’s (they were both wrong, they were both right) and go at it like men half their age. Seriously. It’s explosive heat when these two are together.

Everyone is supportive of them. Jaq and Matt are able to move forward as a couple, and as a newly integrated family.

Everything about Learned Behaviors was so deeply satisfying to me as a reader. The way Jayce Ellis created two men, complex characters who have such interesting compelling lives, how they navigate all that in their attempt at romance, all the while generating so much heat that the digital pages crackle and spark… such good stuff.

And combine all that with some delicious tropes – enemies to lovers, office romance, hot dads… it’s all just too damn irresistible.

I fell hard for Jaq and Matt, and feel pretty confident in saying that, out of everything I’ve read in 2020, these two are one of my favorite romantic couples.

And I haven’t really even had a chance to mention some of the amazing secondary characters that help them on their journey to happily ever after. Jaq’s mom is funny and amazing and wise. Matt’s ex-wife seems a little daunting at first, but she just wants what’s best for Matt (and that’s clearly Jaq), and there’s also Jaq’s group of single dad friends who help and support each other – I’m really looking forward to their stories too.

So, I really recommend this book. Jayce Ellis knows how to write a hell of a great romance and I hope that you’ll check it out. I wouldn’t necessarily categorize this as a Christmas story per se, but it does take place during the holiday season, so now is the perfect time to read Learned Behaviors.

Jaq and Matthew are well suited, and I liked that it took a while for them to act on their immediate attraction. Working together, finding common ground in their private lives and admitting their interest developed naturally. This high stress, retail/corporate/always accountable to a boss type of life seems over the top, but I guess we all work outside hours, don't we?

Matthew has it worse than Jaq, and it's almost their downfall. Both men have college aged kids and the sub plot between Angela and Tanisha almost seemed a bit contrived. But it didn't detract from the primary romance, and actually it was left open at the end. The sex was HOT and not as often as in some books. I thought the balance between the romance and the bedroom scenes was balanced well. It worked for me. Because when they did hit the sheets, phoar!!!

I like the diversity, the strength of family and the homeware talk. Thanks Carina Press and Netgalley for advanced copy. Out on November 9.

4.5 Stars!

Whenever I read a Jayce Ellis book, I feel a sense of contentment because it's always so <b> AUTHENTIC </b>. By this, I mean her stories unapologetically tell the POC queer romance story which always makes my POC heart extremely happy.

Like with her previous books, the writing in this was great, the characterisation was excellent and I rooted for both our MCs from start to finish. It also told a pretty well rounded POC story from the language, to the interactions and even to the HBCUs that the young adults in the story attended. I was in heaven reading and could not put this book down when I started.

This was even better because our MCs, Matt and Jaq, were mature men so they communicated clearly and apologised when they needed to leading to zero unnecessary drama. Of course, the road to their happiness was not easy but like I've said, with mature MCs, you really cannot go wrong.

With this being the first book of a series, I suspect the next books would probably be about Carlton(who's boundless energy I loved and Lawerence who got that whole sexy sophisticated thing going on). Bring it on Jayce, you know I got you girl. :D

<b> ***eARC Graciously Provided by Publisher via Netgalley in Exchange for an honest, unbiased review ***</b>

I really wanted to love this book, but the dialogue didn't flow very naturally to me, and the character development just seemed a bit..off. I was also hoping for more of an epilogue (the ending felt quite abrupt to me).

"Two single dads meet at the office, where it’s hate at first sight in this new series from acclaimed author Jayce Ellis."
Received an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I loved his M/M romance with 2 Black men learning how to love each other.

I especially appreciated that there were bi and pan Black men on the page and there was no biphobia to go along with it.
I loved the queer representation overall in the book tbh.

I especially loved that you got to really see and process JaQuan & Matt's mutual malice to attraction to love story and that you got to see the relationships they had with their children and how they really differed,
Both men had to do some emotional work to be at a place to truly love and be accepted by each other.

There were some bits I did not enjoy as much, which is really personal preference rather than story/plot issues, BUT overall it was a very good story and I would recommend it.

First off, let me say that Jayce Ellis create two black men, flawed yet beautiful, that I wanted to root for from the beginning. It was so refreshing to see a romance featuring middle aged black men, empty nesters who are now finding themselves. It was unapologetically black and queer. The passion was palbable and I really didn't want the story to end between Jaquan and Matt.

4.5*

The more I read Jayce Ellis, the more I fall in love with the worlds she creates and the men who inhabit them.

This was a beautiful romance between two single dads, one only 35 but with a daughter heading to college, the other a bit older, who get thrown together in a work environment and find out that they’re not as adverse to each others’ company as first suggested.

This is a narrative which also puts the focus front and centre on two black men, their experiences of life, their culture, language and their family expectations, are all fully explored and it’s such a pleasure to see more of this contemporary romance coming from authors of colour.

I’ve really enjoyed the other books I’ve read from Jayce and this one was no different. The plot loosely follows along with a workplace romance trope, but adds in more depth through complicated families and two daughters who also fall in love with each other while at college.

I did thing this plotline ended up dropped without a firm resolution, both girls seemed to be still pining for the other but there wasn’t any movement once their feelings had been revealed.

But, I guess that’s a mirror of life! We don’t always get a satisfactory conclusion to relationships even when residual feels still exist.

There was a great supporting cast of characters and I’m hoping the two men that Jaq makes friends with at his daughter’s college are going to be the subjects of the other books in this series. I’m intrigued by both of them.

I also loved the strong female secondary characters sprinkled throughout this book. All in all another great read from Jayce.

It has a bit of a slow start but once JaQuan and Matt got together I really enjoyed their dynamic. I wasn’t terribly engaged with the plot itself though. It’s similar in a way to André where two people who are attracted to each other have to work together but I liked André a bit more.

Thank you Carina Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

Matt and JaQuan... two single black fathers. Two beautiful, amazing Men of Color. Neither is perfect, but they are both wonderful role models, building a better life with strength and determination. Real life situations- trying to stay true to family and be successful in business and in love. Challenged to find the right balance.

Jayce Ellis has really created the perfect story. I really loved how strong and passionate and REAL all the characters are. We need more books like this- blending romance, real life situations and outstanding POC as the role models. Beautifully written. I want more!

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

“I don’t want to just go back to the old us. I want to be a better us.”


There's so so much that I loved about this book. I read it with permanent heart eyes glued to my face. It was so great to read some queer black love, in a really cute setup that combined some choice tropes and realistic scenarios, and had characters that felt like real people. It's an office romance, enemies to lovers, between two single black fathers who are trying to find their footing in their work lives, do their jobs as parents, while navigating love. It had a light easy vibe that made it a breeze to read. It wasn't laugh out loud funny, but it had fun moments that made me smile. There's a subplot with their kids that I really enjoyed.

And once again, it just does my heart and body good to read black romance, which I categorise a little differently in my head than romance that includes black characters. We all already know that it just makes me happy to see slang in books, and in the same way I especially enjoy it in fantasy, I also really enjoy it in romance? IDK, probably because for a long time (at least to my reckoning) slang like AAVE wasn't seen as a love language? So its inclusion feels revolutionary to me in a way that it probably isn't, lol, but still! It made me happy!

Really, the book only has one flaw, but it's major enough that it could have tanked my enjoyment a lot. And it almost did, but the aspects of the book/writing that I loved served to balance things out. Basically, I feel like the pacing is really off, in the progression of almost all of the relationships. This isn't insta-love, thank goodness (the enemies thing didn't last as long as I expected, but it lasted long enough). It's just that relationship milestones, and the ways that they talked about each other, and the ways that their family and friends perceived the relationship wasn't on par with where they actually were at in their relationship. If that makes sense? So while it's not insta-love, it did permanently feel like things were just slightly off-kilter, and that was maddening.

An early example is Matt's best friend telling him that JaQuan is The One for Matt, before she's even met him. This happens to varying degrees with other characters. There were also a few time-skips (a week long, a month long) that threw me off so much, because it assumes that certain things have changed, but we haven't gotten to SEE any of that progression. I want to see the progression! Or at least get a sense of it, so that when the L word come up, I don't feel like I've been cheated. Also, JaQuan is a bit of a loner at the beginning and makes a couple new friends. But they very quickly start playing a role in his life that would be more suited to old, close friends. Which, I get it, he didn't have any of those. But I feel like the decision to make Carlton and Lawrence brand new additions to JaQuan's life was a misstep.

This was still a really sweet romance, really steamy, great characters. I'm very sure I'd have found the aforementioned flaws a little harder to overlook if I wasn't continuously chomping at the bit for queer black romance that's as cute and well-written as this. I'd still recommend this, and I'll definitely read more from Ellis in the future (I'm really hoping that Tanisha and Angela's story continues!).

3.5 stars. (I waffled a lot on whether I'd round up or down. The book made me really happy so: up.)

This one took me by surprise. It was both well written and passionate. I thoroughly enjoy spending an afternoon a relaxing with this book.

A lovely premise and very likeable characters, but I struggled to get into this book. Perhaps a mismatch between reader and book? Maybe. I found the number of characters a little puzzling and battled to keep it clear who was what to whom. Although this might be more about my own mental state given the global pandemic than it is about the book. Take this review with a pinch of salt!