Better with Bacon

Better with Bacon was an enjoyable friends to lovers novella. The prologue set the stage for what I expected to be a high drama book. On the heels of Patrick’s recent break-up, best friends Patrick and David are roused from a drunken hook-up by a call from an ex informing Patrick she’s pregnant. However, I was pleasantly surprised that the angst was fairly minimal here.

I liked both heroes as individuals and thought their friendship was cute and inherently honest. The change to lovers was surprising but rather seamless, which was good considering the length of the book. Two subplots presented the possibility for drama- Patrick’s ex finding she was pregnant and David splitting immediately after the announcement for an extended business trip- but their resolutions were fairly tidy and lent only minimal conflict. Though I didn’t quite see the need for both subplots, the men’s actions and responses fit with their personalities so I didn’t feel it took away from the book. I did like that upon David’s return, there’s little back and forth and the men are up front about their feelings and expectations. I also liked that the reader had time to see Patrick and David together as a couple- experiencing their chemistry and the easy transition from friends to lovers. The food and cooking aspects woven into the plot were a fantastic bonus. Considering Patrick’s passion for cooking, it was a natural fit, but what stood out for me was how well the author used this element to demonstrate how well the men knew and cared for one another. It made the relationship that much more believable.

Better with Bacon was my first experience with Mr. Lang’s writing style, but I’ll definitely look for more of his work. I thought this was a nicely balanced, lighter novella with a cute friends to lovers romance, minimal drama, and some foodie details woven in.

*Reviewed for Alpha Book Club*

*Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Dreamspinner Press for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.*

Better With Bacon is a short friends to lovers novella. David and Patrick have been best friends most of their life and when Patrick begins dating Li Ling in high school, she becomes part of that friendship. Now as adults, Patrick and Li Ling have broken up. Patrick never told David that he was bisexual until David is comforting him and Patrick can't hide his interest anymore. The next day Li Ling calls to tell Patrick she's pregnant and David walks away with no communication with Patrick and takes a business trip. On this business trip, he consoles himself by sleeping with a man he picked up at the hotel. Once he returns to his life, he finds out that Patrick and Li Ling weren't getting back together, and from there the story continues.

This story is only 95 pages but it's full of lack of communication, miscommunication, and on page cheating. Patrick goes from planning to propose to his girlfriend to expressing his interest in his best friend within days of each other. David goes from comforting his friend, to going to bed with his friend, to bailing on said friend, and then cheating on him. This may be a short story but there was a lot happening within these pages! I think novellas can be difficult because you only have a limited number of pages to get a whole story included so it can seem like some things are missed. There was so much history and friendship between Patrick and David, which we get a snapshot from the story, but I really didn't understand or know either MC better by the end of the story. I really did feel the addition of George, the guy David cheated with was unnecessary from my point of view but I don't like stories that involve cheating, so it's just my opinion! This is a short book so you should definitely check it out and form your own opinion!

Rating: 3.5 stars