Book Review: An Outlandish Bid by EJ Brock | #DistinguishedGentlemenSeries

LIEUTENANT TAYLOR has spent his life haunted by the tragic loss of his mother. His babysitter, Mama Peaches, stepped in and filled the void. As loving and maternal as Peaches was, he never got over not being able to fix his mother. Subconsciously driven by the fact that he couldn’t save her, he has spent the last twenty years buying and fixing old houses. With more money than he can spend, he moves from Southlake Park to New York City, in search of a topnotch Investment Banker.

OCTAVIA WASHINGTON is a much sought-after Investment Banker. She has cultivated a semi-symbiotic workaholic relationship with Lieutenant. So much so that they are both unsuccessful in their personal love lives. Lieutenant’s nerves are rattled when he gets a call from Peaches about participating in a bachelor auction. He does not want to be sold like fresh meat, but he feels obligated. So, he comes up with a scheme in the name of Ms. Octavia Washington.

Will they be able to pull the wool over Mama Peaches’ eyes? Or will the wool finally be pulled off of their own...


My Review
After suffering a trauma in his childhood, Lieutenant (his name, not a title) is wary of noise, and stick to a strict routine. His investment banker appears to be the only one who can tolerate his 'brand' of weird. However, their relationship has remained business only. 

This story had the makings of a great romance--the tortured hero who shows strength and owns up to his weakness, the perfect woman right under his nose that he can't see etc. Given how long they've known each other and how important they they have become to each other, it isn't a surprise that others see what they can't. 

This is where the plot unravels for me. There was a  lot of focus on secondary characters and their POVs, telling us how meant-to-be LT and Octavia are. I'd have liked to see more of this directly from the main characters. This made it hard to connect to the hero and heroine. Their romance also doesn't really begin until the last 3rd or so of the book. Another thing that was never resolved for me what why LT moves to NY. As it says in the blurb "he moves from Southlake Park to New York City, in search of a topnotch Investment Banker" whon we learn is Octavia, but I wasn't sold on his reason.

Unlike the stories in the series I've read so far, most of this story happens before the bachelor auction, which only serves as a catalyst for their HEA. 

Try a sample and decide whether you want the whole cake.