Plaid versus Paisley

Dallas has hit rock bottom but his brother will give him a home and a job. It will also give him a chance to reconnect with Will who he crushed on before. But as they start to work together there is a whole of unknowns that have to be explored. I love the fact that Dallas is so stubborn and persistent. And once again a strange mix of people become family for each other.

Reviewed by Morningstar for Diverse Reader

I happened to read this book when it came out and even reviewed it here at Diverse Reader. I am just as impressed with the story after listening to it as I was after reading it. The characters in this story are ones that I’ve often thought back on, the special moments that have always stuck with me and being able to revisit them again after all these months, was great. They are just as strong of characters as I remember and I immediately was drawn into the story.

You give me a story like this one that has two characters who each are their own person, who have a personality that draws me in, a heart that gets me to care, a passion that keeps me on the edge of my seat...you give me those things, like KC Burns did in this story, and you'll have me hooked a long for the journey of getting to the HEA.

Dallas came from privilege but it was the opposite of the life he wanted. He was drowning in that life. Hospitalizations and being kicked out by his family has him running to his brother, Stefan. His doubt and uncertainty in that relationship was clear right from the start and I broke a little bit for him.

Will, on the other hand, lost his job and his boyfriend blames Dallas for where he is now; working at a porn studio. But what got me about him was his fear of losing it all again. Trying to do it all is killing him but he refuses to back down.

Then Dallas was thrown into his lap and he has no choice but try to make the best of it but to him, that’s avoidance at all costs.

The heat between those two guys was off the freaking charts. The UST was short lived with Will’s anger being the spark that ignites them. And man can they light the sheets up! Or the desk, the server room, the storage room. You name it, they made it hot. Dallas had a way of pushing Will. Sometimes slow and measured, sometimes with a kick in the pants. He needed to win Will over, not just in the job but in romance as well. And he knew he needed to be strong to stand tall for that fight. Will fought it, and feared it, and wanted it all the same.

David Ross does really great job with these characters. I love a narrator that can show me who the characters are through the tone and voice alone and he succeeded in doing just that. His flow and pacing was spot on. It was my first time listening to him and it won't be the last. David really added some layers to the story which is one of the things I love about audiobooks.

Plaid Versus Paisley is the second book in the Fabric Hearts series but can easily be read as a standalone. There are cameos of the previous couple, but it’s never done in a way that left me confused or in the dark. This audiobook happened to be my first experience with the author and narrator, and I’ll certainly read and listen to both again.

The book has a bit of an enemies to lovers vibe, though it’s a different take on that trope. While Will and Dallas are undoubtedly at odds when they first begin working together in Florida, only Will thinks of them as enemies. This element added some uniqueness to the plot initially, but it eventually wore on me. In fact, Will drug this romance down for me as a whole, which was odd considering how much I liked the other characters.

Right from the start I liked Dallas and was hooked by his story, eager to learn what drove him from Connecticut to Florida. I really enjoyed the secondary characters as well, many of them injected humor and a fun vibe into the storyline. But Will. Though I tried to empathize with his situation, I struggled with him. I thought his reactions and presumptions were a bit ridiculous. His negativity and pessimism made him a difficult character to like and I often wondered why Dallas was so drawn to him beyond the physical attraction. That said, I did like how the reader got to see glimpses of another side of Will the longer he was with Dallas and- once they worked out all their issues- I thought the two of them made a great couple. The romance itself had a bit of an awkward, abrupt start, but it did morph into a pretty sweet romance with a good dose of heat to balance it out. I liked seeing both Will and Dallas come into their own over the course of the book and I appreciated that the book played out over an extended timeline. This gave the author an appropriate amount of time to develop the characters and advance the relationship at a regular pace, which was nice. Considering I liked the writing style and many of the secondary characters in Plaid Versus Paisley, I do plan to continue with the series.

As for the narrator, I found his diction and pacing good. Mr. Ross did use an odd rhythmic tempo that took some getting used to, but he delivered a solid performance with his narrative and added to the scenes. I think Plaid Versus Paisley is a good choice for readers looking for a sweet and spicy romance that has some conflict in it but isn’t overly angst-ridden.

*Reviewed audiobook for Alpha Book Club*

5 Stars!

I really enjoyed this story although I had a hard time liking Will through quite a bit of it. I understood he felt animosity towards Dallas, after all, his life basically fell apart after Dallas entered the picture. But there comes a point where you have to stop hating someone so much or it takes over your life. He was a miserable jerk throughout most of the book. His paranoia, low self-esteem, and controlling/territorial tendencies were very off putting. Luckily, his coldness gradually melts and he begins to see what he's doing, although it comes to a point where I wondered if it might actually be too late.

Dallas, oh sweet, loyal Dallas. He broke my heart, I cried for him. I honestly loved Dallas and if I could have climbed into my Kindle, I would've given him a huge hug. This guy has put up with so much, I couldn't help but side with him even when he was being less than forthcoming with Will. His horrible parents, jerk boyfriend and a job that took over his life. After everything he still keeps going and trying to achieve a life he can be happy with. While I didn't consider him a doormat, he definitely put up with more than I personally could have from Will. There are quite a few points where I'm not too sure Will even deserved Dallas *sighs* but that's not up to me.

No matter how I feel about Will and Dallas, Plaid versus Paisley is a wonderful story and I absolutely loved it. The writing is great and I was engaged from the very beginning. This isn't a light easy love story, it's a bit of an emotional roller coaster. There are fun and happy moments as well as sad and heartbreaking moments. It's sweet and sexy and there are times that might make you angry. Dallas and Will don't travel down an easy road. I find myself anxious to see what's next in this series and I hope we get to see more of Dallas and Will.

*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.*

Will and Dallas....it started all so wrong....
Will working at the gay porn studio Idyll Fling as the manager of the tech department. Working the shit out of him, way to much work but unable to give his baby out of hands.
Stefan and Paul are running the studio and doing it well.

Dallas, exhausted emotional and physical, rings at the doorbell of his half-brother Stefan.
After a recovery time Stefan gives Dallas the opportunity to work at his studio at the tech department. First part time because Dallas has to recover from more than one thing....
Dallas doesn't want anyone to know they are brothers, he wants to build up on his own name.

Will paled when he sees Dallas. They know each other casual from two years ago. Will despise Dallas, because of Dallas he lost his job at Savron Dynamics and his boyfriend two years ago.
Despise and the opposite.... because before all that he thought Dallas was a hot piece.
But he has lay the blame on Dallas about so many things that the hate is upfront. He even thinks Dallas is stalking him, working at the same place.
But he doesn't know shit....about Dallas.

Dallas always had good intentions with Will and he doesn't understand the hate.
There are so many misunderstandings it's like a ocean sized gap.

But they are hot for each other. The attraction is undeniable. Will doesn't want to get involved with Dallas but Dallas is to cute and to attractive to resist.
In one hot moment Will give Dallas a bj at work but afterwards he retreat and give Dallas his cold face again. He doesn't want anything to happen at work anymore.
After they agreed to spend almost every evening sexing at Wills place Will can't deny his feelings and he wants nothing more than Dallas in his life.
Dallas is a sweet guy with fragile health issues and only wants to tell the truth about himself.
He has strong feelings for Will and willing to take him as he is, even when he gets hurt by him several times.

And.....oww Will is so suspicious and mistrustful he can't see straight.
Every time something happens he thinks he has to blame Dallas.
And exactly that attitude blows up in his face.

A lot of things are happening in this story with lots of information. No fading attention aloud ;) Sometimes it felt a bit ott but overall it was captivating and with a fast flow and some steamy parts. A really nice read with a lot of story and characters but Dallas and Will always main.
Bit by bit the whole background story revealed and finally there is a well deserved HEA.
'Kindly received a copy for a honest review'