arc for review from netgalley!
this was so cute, i enjoyed rafi and etiennes relationship building and how they mess it up yet they always manage to fix it because obviously love. nicely written, should’ve been a bit longer ngl.

Wholly enjoyed this - a real antagonists to lovers that is simultaneously tense and tender. Etienne is a survivor of the 2010 Haitian earthquake, an inclusion that I've never seen before and which really contributed to his character and the narrative. Absolutely picking up more by this author!

This is a enemies-to-lovers romance without much reason for the two men to be enemies. Etienne and Rafi are forced to work together to help with Rafi's sister's wedding. This is a classic Harlequin premise, with a mm twist. I liked both of them and found it a nice read overall. This is mostly low-angst other than the two men being convinced the other is not right for him.

This is a sequel to A Delicious Dilemma, but I think it works well as a stand-alone romance.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher.

This book seemed all over the place. The flow of the book didn't seem to work in my opinion. Some scenes were too long while others seemed not long enough.

This is another opposites attract book, I think that part of the story was done right. I think the showing of culture and family was perfectly done. The descriptions however were over the top, they were to detailed. I found sometimes when in a characters head, it would cause confusion as to if this was happening or it was just internal thought.

I love a good wedding set up -- high stakes and people from everywhere... it is always a good time. I really enjoyed this one!

I really liked the two leads and the set up but it didn't ge there for me with the story, and wish we could have gone a little deeper with them both!

I like the blending of Haitian and Puerto Rican cultures in this book. Unfortunately, it was hard to connect to the writing style. I felt this story would've benefited a more fleshed out storyline. it felt like the author was telling us what to do and not showing us. Also, the pacing was off. some parts dragged and some jumped.

This is the book for you if you want to read a slow burning enemy-to-lovers inclusive romance,
It's a well plotted and highly entertaining story, a m-m romance featuring two men very different: a chaotic and a very fastidious one.
Even if some more editing would help I thoroughly enjoyed the story and I think that the winning card was the sense of belonging as each character was not in a vacuum but his culture and world were part of him.
I rooted for Rafael and Etienne and liked them.
Recommended.
Many thanks to Harlequin Special Editionfor this arc, all opinions are mine

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher/author for a chance to read this ARC for an exchange for an honest review.

Loved this story. Very good.

I love when Harlequin pops out an LGBTQ title. It makes my heart happy. I really enjoyed this one. Low angst sweet romance. Love it.

READ FULL REVIEW HERE:
https://aishasbookworld.wordpress.com/2023/03/27/review-the-best-mans-problem-by-sera-taino-the-navarros-2/

This is my first book from this author. And it won’t be the last! Although the first 20% of the book I felt it redundant in some way, as the story evolves through the pages I connected with this gorgeous queer characters and their road to happiness. And the epilogue—YAY, an epilogue!—was… what was the word Étienne said? Ah, yes. “Ou pafé.”

• ARC given by Harlequin Books via Netgalley. Thanks for your trust.

It took me a bit to get into this story. I had some trouble really connecting with the characters. I had to go back to it a few times but I am glad I finished it.

Rafael and Etienne shared a kiss several months ago, but Rafi ghosted Etienne and the pair do not meet again until the engagement party of Rafi’s sister and Etienne’s best friend. The two are still very attracted to each other but Rafi does not see Etienne’s free spirit ways working in his well organized life and Etienne is worried that Rafi will leave him without warning again.

The book frames this book as enemies to lovers, but they’re not, they’re more opposites attract with trust issues. I want actual animosity between my enemies to lovers characters that has to be overcome. Not agreeing on how to do things does not make people enemies. The book was very low angst with lots of emotions and I was very happy to find that it was open door. I did like both Rafi and Etienne and the fact that we have two men of color leading a queer category romance from Harlequin is not something that would have existed even a few years ago.

Thank you to Harlequin for the gifted copy and Harlequin and NetGalley for the eBook in exchange for an honest review.

I’m very happy to see Harlequin continue to expand their gay romance offerings, hopefully this means others are reading and enjoying the books as well. I have read as many as I can so when this popped up on NetGalley I jumped at the chance. The story is sweet, about two men who shared a heated kiss one night and then lost touch. Then they are forced together as best men to help plan a bachelor party. I love this trope and it worked well here. It did take me awhile to feel the couple’s chemistry though. At the beginning I found it tricky to tell whether they were having playful banter or actually sniping at each other. I also found the sheer number of characters a bit overwhelming when really I just wanted to get into the core of the story.

I think my copy had a formatting issue… there is a lot of texting in this book and it was difficult to determine who was saying what. Hopefully this is fixed for the book’s release.

All in all this book was okay to me, but it very well could be the formatting or my headspace at the time of reading that affects my rating the most. If you’ve been enjoying the gay romances Harlequin has been putting out, definitely give this one a go as well. Thank you so much to Harlequin and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy. As always, opinions are my own.

Rafael Navarro and Étienne Galois have a problem: their attraction to one another could upset their roles as groomsmen for a wedding. Étienne is the best man, and Rafe is standing up on behalf of his sister. Falling for one another could make everything awkward at the wedding–if they don’t work out, that is.

Rafe adores his older sister, the woman who saved their family from disaster when their mom was killed suddenly. She kept their dad on track, even as mired in grief as he was. And Rafe still hasn’t stopped blaming himself for the accident that claimed his mom’s life. He believes he’s not worthy of a man as beautiful and talented as Étienne Galois, a famed photojournalist and survivor of the terrible Haitian earthquake. He’s just an uptight high school math teacher, after all. Both men have deep emotional scars, and while Étienne would live each day in celebration, Rafe is more careful, weighing each step to ensure he doesn’t mess up again.

This is a sweet and sensual romance, spotlighting two men of color who are immigrants in NYC. They cherish their families, their culture, and their struggles. They want to make sure that the wedding is the best ever, because their loved ones deserve their best. There is some initial conflict since Étienne seems to be flighty and Rafe fears he might not devote the kind of time Rafe believes is necessary to plan the epic bachelor party, or help out with the needs of the soon-to-be-wed. Étienne isn’t a fan of spreadsheets, but he’s willing to try things Rafe’s way–especially if it means the men get to spend more time together.

Their kiss last summer was an impetuous decision, and Rafe doesn’t do impetuous–because that hurts people. Or, so he believes. His father is a rock, however, and he forces Rafe to confront his personal cowardice–and to make peace when it’s needed. I really enjoyed the slow burn love story, especially once Rafe forgives himself for something that was never his fault. I loved the deep cultural roots, and the expansive love Étienne and Rafe have for their families. The parents were lovely, and their desire to see their sons find happiness was awesome.

If you enjoy contemporary stories, particularly those featuring immigrant families, this might be a good one to check out.

I loved this! This is my first read from Sera Taino, but I will check out her future releases and her backlist. The Best Man's Problem follows Étienne and Rafi as they have to share Best Man duties since Rafi's sister and Étienne's best friend getting married. This wouldn't have been an awkward task if Rafi hadn't ghosted Étienne after they shared a passionate kiss. I enjoyed watching them build a good friendship which eventually developed into a dynamic romance with high emotional stakes. Taino including Creole and Spanish throughout the story felt really authentic and grounded the characters. I am rooting for Enrique to find love with his 'new friend'!

Thank you to HARLEQUIN - Romance (U.S. & Canada) and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this one but it ended up falling flat for me. I do love that this is a queer Harlequin publication, and that one main character is Haitian and the other is Puerto Rican. I didn't connect with the writing style; I felt like I was being told how the characters felt but the actual emotions weren't coming through. The story itself is fine but the pacing was a bit off - a lot of time is spent in the party at the beginning of the book and then the rest is just kind of jumping from one get together to the next. I knew I was a lost cause when I got to the spicy bits but kept zoning out. For me, this wasn't a book I enjoyed but I do appreciate the representation so it's getting 3 stars.

Thanks to Harlequin and NetGalley for the ARC!

The Best Man's Problem is an opposites-attract, easy-to-read romance between Rafi, a by-the-book, routine-oriented man, and Etienne, a chaotic, energetic man with a strong sense of adventure. Having already met once before, and both aware of a spark between them, they're convinced they can't get along - until Rafi's sister's wedding comes around, and they have to work together to make it the perfect event. United in purpose, they begin to discover that maybe they're not as incompatible as they think.

The strongest point of this book, and what sets it apart from other Harlequins, is the sense of culture, community, and family which permeates the story. Both Rafi and Etienne had interesting, compelling relationships with their siblings and parents, as well as their respective communities; it was always a pleasure to have these larger groups on the page. The leading characters were made richer for this association.

However, the writing throughout was bland and amateurish, the plot was incredibly strangely paced (we spend about 16% of the book at a single party), there was an awkward tell-don't-show rhythm to characterization, and these weak points were more constant than any of the aforementioned good things. Unless you're particularly craving a gay Harlequin centered in these particular communities, there are better books out there.

Review date: 2/21/2023

I am so happy the Familia Navarro is back! I felt an affinity with this family (especially Papi Enrique) since Sera introduced them in A Delicious Dilemma and I've been impatiently waiting for Val's siblings to have their own stories. And now, they're here beginning with Rafi's story in The Best Man's Problem.

"Grab the moment because life is too short to waste any of it."

I knew from the start that I would like this story because opposites attract is one of my favorite Romance tropes.  And boy, are Rafi and Étienne opposites. Rafi is so controlled, super organized, and a lot uptight while Étienne is a little chaotic, seize-the-day kind of person. This is the main reason for all the pushing away that happens in the story. And the pull? It's the physical attraction between them plus the similarity in their love of their respective families and fierce loyalty--Rafi to Val and Étienne to Philip. 

"I know my worth ... I deserve to have someone love me with their whole chest."

As always, Sera's writing is lush. Her prose is lyrical and evocative. She makes me relate to the characters and feel for them. I may have related too much to Étienne because, during the point of high conflict, I wanted to kick Rafi's stubborn ass. Oops!

"Life has no loyalty to anyone, so you must live it without remorse."

I love the diversity, the rich multicultural background, and the steam in Sera's stories. The first two books in the series have been excellent. I can't wait for Nati's turn!

The Best Man's Problem by Sera Taino is a queer opposite attract romance between a man and the best friend of his soon-to-be brother-in-law.

I really enjoyed the main characters, Rafael and Étienne . Rafael took me a little bit to warm up to, whereas Étienne I knew that he was going to be so much more than what he portrayed on the surface. Both men have been shaped in opposite ways by an emotional trauma in their past, which brings a heaviness to their story. They have a back and forth of bickering and sexual tension that delivers with delicious open door intimacy scenes. The intimacy between them is passionate, and I adored that after their first time while Rafael is nervous the morning after, Étienne was immediately openly snugly and affectionate with him. That man had such a big heart and just wanted to shout his feelings for Rafael from the rooftop.

The Best Man's Problem has a rich and diverse cast, with more than a few queer side characters. Rafael is Puerto Rican, his parents immigrated to America when they were young and Étienne is Haitian, him and his family came to America when he was in his teens. Both families lives are enriched by their roots. I really enjoyed that the author had the characters naturally speak in Spanish and Creole throughout, which enriched the story even more. I also loved both their relationships with their families, especially Rafael with his sisters and father.

Overall this was a satisfying queer romance filled with family, photography, wedding planning, over thinking, sexual tension, steam, cheesecake for breakfast, and taking a chance.
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