Review for As Advertised by Jaime Samms

Tyler’s life perked up when he met Jake. So what if long-time friend Marty can’t stand him and his landlady has no use for his new beau. Tyler’s determined not to see the dark side of his lover. It’s his own fault for believing people don’t go around keeping secrets and lying.

Tyler should know better.  He’s an ad executive.  He knows the packaging is what sells, and Jake is quite a package.  His lover is no slouch when it comes to false advertising, either, and when Tyler finds out the truth, it hurts.  Weathering Jake’s lies and secrets gets easier with the help of new friends, Libby and Steven. In fact, Tyler figures that maybe a lot of things would get easier with Steven.

Tyler should have known better.  Not even someone as seemingly perfect as Steven Jessop is completely as advertised.

This time, though, Tyler has to make a decision. After all, sometimes, even if what you see is not what you get, what Tyler’s uncovered in Steven might just be what he’s always wanted.

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As Advertised was a gutwrenching read from start to finish and kept me thoroughly immersed in the ups and downs of the likable and dependable Tyler who deserved a HEA for being such a good guy.  When we first meet him he's being treated as Jake's dirty little secret until an uncomfortable encounter at a party leads to Tyler meeting the sexy Steve who has problems of his own.

Tyler is truly a good man.  He helps his next door neighbor Marty, who has mental issues, by running errands and calming him when he gets upset.  He considers Marty a friend and plans on standing by him as long as Marty will let him.  He's equally as caring towards his elderly landlady and values both her and Marty's opinions when it comes to his love life.  They're like a family and it was heartwarming seeing their interactions.  After being deceived by Jake he's leery of jumping back into a relationship but he's immediately drawn to Steven, whose past is intertwined with Jake and full of moments he longs to forget.  Tyler cares enough about Steven and senses his fears and gives him the time and space he needs to let him fully into his life.  He never judges Steven and the one disagreement they have is rectified quickly and maturely by actually talking things through.  See what I mean by Tyler being awesome!!!  Understanding and sexy make for a great boyfriend!

Steven has demons that have led to his having OCD that he struggles with everyday.  The author presents it in a realistic and understandable manner.  In times of stress it flares, but amidst the calming influence of Tyler the symptoms disappear.  He knows that the acts he committed in college were a necessity but he feels as if he's disappointed his deceased parents and worries that Tyler will judge him harshly as well.  With the constant fear of the truth of his past becoming known, particularly through the vindictiveness of Jake, I could sense Steven's stress and was thrilled to see those moments of happiness Tyler brought him and was rooting for their HEA ever since they first laid eyes on each other.

The romance between Tyler and Steven progress slowly which amped up the sexual tension every step of the way.  By going slowly I felt the deep connection forged between them and felt fully invested in their happiness.  When they finally hit the sheets it's a steamy and sensual encounter unlike the superficial interactions between Tyler and Jake.  Jake is truly despicable and is only concerned with his happiness no matter who he hurts.  He's a user and constantly tried to drive Tyler and Steven apart since they both cast him aside.  He's like a petulant child and I wish a more dastardly ending would have befallen him.  His sister Libby is the exact opposite.  She's funny and sweet and so supportive of Steven.  She's quite the matchmaker when it came to Tyler and Steven and I would love to see her get her own story as she's larger than life and extremely memorable.

This was an intensely emotional story that I thoroughly enjoyed.  I love less than perfect characters and find them easily relatable and there's plenty to relate to.  Tyler's unconditional love is what everyone wants and brought this story to the highest level of happiness and satisfaction.  Jaime Samms created something very special here and I'm greatly anticipating what comes next.

My rating for this is an A.

*I received this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.