Clickbait is a fun read with stressful moments. The characters are well developed and easy to relate to, even if you are not in the business of construction or information technology. I particularly enjoyed the interjections of geek-speak definitions.
Alex is an electrician but has many construction skills. Right now money is his main concern. He lives with his parents in order to help care for his father, who has Alzheimer’s and has begun forgetting people and places. He also tends to wander off in the night, which is particularly worrisome for Alex. Alex’s mother, a retired nurse, seems to be a little too laid back considering the circumstances so the main anxiety and resolutions fall on Alex. Business has fallen off, bills have to be paid, and Alex is the one who is responsible. Unfair, but this is the situation he faces 24x7.
Gideon is a web designer who finds himself working for unpleasant people who have no idea what they actually need as they redesign their offices and implement a new IT installation. Instead of working on their web pages Gideon has to first set up their servers in a space that is not yet built nor is it designed correctly.
It is during this set-up-to-fail construction circumstance that Gideon meets Alex. Talk about opposites. Gideon prefers to be neat, clean, fashionable, and actually working in the area of his expertise. Alex doesn’t care about his clothes because he’s usually working in a dusty or wet-paint environment. Both men are gay but initially they are pretty judgmental about each other. As they learn to depend on one another to get this job done right, friendship and then love develop.
There are a number of secondary characters who are very important to either Gideon or Alex or both. They would lead me to call this book character-driven except for that trap-sprung construction that has to get done under untenable requirements, which leads to a more plot-driven style of writing. Either way, this is a wonderful book, full of successes, failures, and the need to work (and love) together.
This book resonated with me for a personal reason. I once was in charge of setting up a multi-million dollar data center so the geek in me enjoyed and understood Gideon’s concerns and problems. It also spoke to me as an MM romance. The MCs are good men who carry heavy burdens of responsibility, aren’t looking for love, but have to respond when love finds them.

Gideon is a bit of a diva, and quite superficial. He doesn't really believe in long term relationships and is not planning on having one himself. Such romantic notions for him have been left far behind, buried under the ashes of a previous relationship which was burnt up on the altar of selfishness. In any case he has far too much to worry about, with his business being at the sink or swim stage. He gabs an IT contract that he is not entirely suited for but grits his teeth and does it any way. There are some compensations to this job, his friend's brother Alex being the main one.

Alex doesn't bother with relationships either. He has no energy to deal with any one else outside his family. His father's dementia has devastated the family and placed them under huge financial constraints and he is working all the hours possible and yet he wishes God would send a few more. When a friend offers to lease the family owned property Alex decides to refurbish it. When he visits the property to start the work he bumps into Gideon who is his sister's flat mate. It is something of a surprise and an annoyance when Gideon doesn't recognise Alex but things change when Alex realises that Gideon works on the same construction project as him, sorting out the IT hardware, and he decides to help Gideon out for the price of three dates.

As the two men get to know each other and overcome their preconceived notions about each other, they realise that there is something between them that could be deep and strong, but with all their differences and difficulties it is proving hard to make a go of something seemingly so fragile.

This was a nice enough story. Gideon is an interesting character but I can't say the story really grabbed me. I did like the way Gideon and Alex slowly realise what they other mean to each other but the story didn't interest me enough. So it was ok to read, but not a memorable one. I appreciated the way the story portrays the difficulty of dementia and how it places people under immense pressure, but I don't think the story was engaging enough for me. An ok story but not one that I will revisit.

Copy provided by Riptide Publishing via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

A swing and a miss
3 stars
I was very disappointed by this C.J. Russell book. Previously, I had read "Wolf's Clothing" by this author, and I absolutely adored that M/M paranormal romance. In that book, one of the characters was a little abrasive, but he had several redeeming features. However, in "Clickbait", I did not like the characters at all. Gideon is so obnoxious! He insults people in his mind all of the time, including thinking of a prospective employer as a Luddite. He also verbally referred to a construction site as a "blue color ghetto". How awful is that!? He is such an arrogant jerk thinking that he is so brilliant at computers and so physically attractive. Also, whenever he is uncomfortable or afraid, he increases the obnoxiousness by acting like a pampered princess. Gideon did have a certain trauma in his past, but it is so physically uncomfortable to think about it. I guess that kind of trauma has happened to people in real life, but I wish that it was not in a romance book. With every page, I disliked Gideon more and more because of his behavior.
Alex, the other main character, is an overworked guy in construction with a dad who has dementia and financial troubles. Alex could have been an interesting character, but he is so overworked and low on sleep that his life is on autopilot. Therefore, his real personality does not come through. We just see this tired, stressed-out person with almost zero personality.
I did not finish the book because I just disliked it so much. I do not recommend this book.
I received a free advanced reading copy from the publisher via Netgalley, and I voluntarily wrote this honest review.

This book was a bit all over the place for me. I never really felt a connection between the MCs and didn't really believe in their romance/relationship. First, I have to say that in terms of writing, this book is perfectly fine. I had absolutely no problems with that. Secondly, Alex is a lovely character. He is an upstanding man who does whatever necessary to take care of the people he loves, even if it means sacrificing certain things in his own life. Beyond those two things, the book lost me.

Gideon is a character that is superficial, arrogant, judgemental and generally unlikable. I couldn't quite understand what Alex saw in him and it made kind of sad that he thought Gideon was the best he could do. Alex's sister, Lindsey, wasn't as bad as Gideon, but came off quite selfish and vapid at times. She expected people to read her mind and then got upset when they couldn't. I also felt that the two MCs talked to everyone else under the sun more than they talked to each other. All of these side conversations made me skim through chapters because it occasionally seemed like unnecessary filler.

All in all, this was an okay read for me. It wasn't great in my opinion, but certainly wasn't bad. I just wish I could have liked the characters a little more.

An enjoyable romance, let down slightly by a somewhat irritating characters, the slow-burn was good as was the family orientation. Would read another EJ Russell.

Rosalie's review:
Gideon Wallace is trying to make ends meet and survive. After a failed relationship and his business venture, he decides he might have to do something other than computer work to make money…like pick up a tool and make things. AS IF!!!??? Alex Henning goes above and beyond for his family. His father has dementia and doesn’t remember anyone or anything and he has had to step in and be the man in house. Needing help to survive, he works constantly in order just to help his family. At party, Alex spots Gideon, who is oblivious, and immediately is intrigued and wants to know more.
Of the two, I really fell in love with Alex and wanted what was best for him. He had a heart of gold and really seemed to go above and beyond for everyone. Gideon, however, sometimes I wanted to just slap him and wake him up. He was cocky and sassy, but I get that was how he was supposed to be portrayed. Both men are guarded for awhile in this story. Gideon has a rule about dating, 2 dates and done, but Alex finds a way to break that rule. Once they both realize that the inevitable is going to happen, and they are right for each other, the book really began to flow. Dual POV’s are my favorite, being you get to see how both characters feel and what is going on in their heads. I do wish they would have gotten past their hang ups sooner, but was certainly glad when it finally happened!

Great book. Much better than th description made it sound. Def give it a shot.

“What I enjoyed most about this book was the story behind it. EJ wrote a story that pulled you into the lives of this family. Alex was the son who is trying to keep his family’s head above water so he is working all the time. Alex’s father has dementia and he doesn’t remember his family at all. Alex is now the head of the family and he takes the job very seriously. He is trying to protect his mother and sister while helping take care of his father. It broke my heart to see how this family was suffering while watching their loved one pull away from them in his own mind.

Alex met Gideon, a friend of his sisters, at a party a while ago and fell in lust but Gideon didn’t even see him. Now it is about a year later and Gideon has fallen on hard times with his work and needs the money. He takes a job he doesn’t think he can do to earn money. Alex and Gideon meet again and at first Gideon doesn’t know who Alex is but finds out soon enough. Gideon hasn’t had an easy time either, he left home at a young age and was hurt by a guy he thought he loved. So to say he was guarded would be an understatement. Gideon has a 2 date rule he doesn’t break when he hooks up and Alex wants to change that. These men are opposites but they work together once they both get over that they belong together. Gideon’s personality made me smile. he loves himself and feels he needs someone just like him but Alex changes all that. Alex is a blue collar man and has a heart of gold. Gideon learns that when you think with your heart and not your head good things can happen. There really no love scenes in this book which I did miss and felt that they would have added to the chemistry. I always enjoyed reading both their point of views and the headings on top of the chapters helped me understand the computer terms in the story and how they related to these 2.”

Really enjoyed this one. What a fun premise! Very creative.
Alex was so sweet, and obviously was still so hung up on Gideon. Meanwhile Gideon just couldn't get past his own pain. What a sweet couple. REcommend