Review: In Too Deep

In Too Deep by J. Kenner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In Too Deep is the tenth book in J. Kenner’s Man of the Month series, and it is another winner. I knew from the outset I was going to enjoy this one – it is one of my favourite tropes, and it is taking place in one of my favourite series – and I was not disappointed. In truth, I feel as though these last few books are going to blow us out of the water – it’s my favourite tropes and my favourite characters, so big things will be coming as this series comes to a close.

The Man of the Month series is a collection of interconnected romance stories, proving individual stories as a larger story plays out. Each novel features a favourite romance trope, ensuring there is something for everyone. The first book, Down on Me, provided us with the friends-to-lovers trope; the second book, Hold on Tight, provided us with the second chance romance; the third book, Need You Now, provided us with the brother’s best friend trope; the fourth book, Start Me Up, provided us with the one-night stand; the fifth book, Get It On, provided us with the secret baby trope; the sixth book, In Your Eyes, provided us with the bad boy billionaire; the seventh book, Turn Me On, provided us with the friends with benefits trope; the eighth book, Shake It Up, gave us the May-December romance; the ninth book, All Night Long, provided us with the opposites attract trope. With book ten, In Too Deep, we’re given one of the most popular romance tropes out there – we’re given the fake relationship.

Although each book is an individual story with a start and an end, I would recommend reading these books in order. To understand some of the details of the story in full, you need to understand how things came to be throughout the prior books. You’re certainly told, to ensure you have the basic facts to understand the story, but it is not the same as experiencing all that happened – for a bigger picture, read the series in order. Now that we’re so close to the end of the series, we’re seeing a lot of references to the past books – we’re constantly seeing couples from the prior books, we’re building on the events of the prior books, and we’re getting so many nods that things have a bigger impact when you understand all the references. By no means am I saying you need to go back and read all the books, but I am saying you will appreciate this series much more if you read things in order. Plus, it’s nice to watch how the underlying story is playing out.

With each book in this series you go in with certain expectations – you have an idea of how the trope plays out and you know who is to be the man of the month. Despite this, you’re interested in seeing how the little details play out – and for those following the series, you’re interested in seeing the additional elements added to the overall story. Although we’re never given anything new to the genre, we’re always given something unique to keep us wanting more.

With In Too Deep we have a trope that has been done so many times before, a trope we know very well. With such a trope, it’s the little things that make this one stand out from the rest of the crowd. We all know when the fake relationship trope is done well it is an amazing read – which this one is – yet it’s always the small things we find ourselves extra drawn to. It’s the little details that suck us into the story and ensure we do not feel as though we’re reading a story we have read many times over. With such being exactly what is delivered in this book – there’s no major new twist, it gives us the trope we know and love but adds in all the small details we could hope for to ensure we get something a wee bit different.

Not that it would matter if it was a repeat of another story – I probably would have loved it anyway, as I adored the characters in this one. The couple were amazing, and I found myself crazy about them, sucked so deep into their story. They went so well together, and I really do wish that we could have got to see even more of them. I know all the stories in this series are quick reads, but in this case I would have gladly devoured something much longer.

As wonderful as this one was, I am insanely excited for the next book. Light My Fire is my most anticipated book in the series, and I cannot begin to explain how desperate I am to dive into it – all the extra insight we got throughout In Too Deep only made me all the more excited for it.

Excuse me as I count down to Light My Fire.

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