I really enjoyed this book and because I was invested in their relationship it was a quick read. Taylor was loveable from the start, a man who knew what he wanted. He was ambitious and had a big heart who was willing to help anyone, an outsider would say he was straight-laced but to his close friends he showed his fun side. He wanted to see the best in folk except Dustin, who got his back up on their first meeting, Dustin came across as cocky, a bit flashy, it took me a few chapters to warm up to him, but as more of his story came out, I could understand why he put up a front.
Written from both their POV, it was easy to flip between the characters without being confused. The secondary characters were fleshed out and I was wishing for a certain character to get his comeuppances.
I was glad they got their HEA and I would be interested to read some of the secondary characters stories. This was a new to me author and I want to read more of their work.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Bold Strokes Books, & Frederick Smith for generously providing an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review 💚 
 
So 
 
I really, really wanted to like this. Two Black, Gay Academics. San Francisco. Will they or Won’t they? These are all things I enjoy reading about! 
 
One and Done is flat and a tad boring (I completed several books in between reading this one). The characters are two-dimensional, with one character, in particular, rubbing me the wrong way; there is a fine line between being authentic and being unnecessarily stereotypical, and Manessa went way over into stereotypical. It doesn’t help that our MMCs are ehhhhhhh. Dustin was aight, but Taylor was not likable in the least. While it was clear they were physically attracted to one another, I do not get how they genuinely fell for each other. Plus, they both needed some therapy in the worst way. There was a lack of romance and intimacy between Taylor and Dustin, which made me more invested in the secondary plotline instead of the main one, their romance. 
 
The dialogue was bland and often came off as if the author was trying too hard to assert that these characters were centered and secure in their Blackness. Nothing about it read “things regular people in this demographic say in real life,” which is unfortunate. My issue with the dialogue extends to another problem I had with the writing throughout the book - there was so much over-explaining. Something I’ve seen from some Black authors is them going into extraneous details about different subjects that the average person, especially a member of the book’s target audience, does not need to be reminded of because they already know and understand the context. There was no reason for there to be fifty-leven overly-detailed explanations about Beyoncé and Renaissance because this was a global pop culture moment throughout 2023; the overwhelming majority of people, including this book’s audience, already know the context behind the references, so who exactly are you explaining this to? Because of this, there was way more telling than showing with so many aspects of this narrative. There is so much expository dialogue and thoughts that should have been actions happening at the moment. 
 
The timeline and pacing of the narrative are not explained well, so as someone very familiar with the academic year calendar, I often had to reorient myself to when things were happening. When the epilogue came around, I was like “wait, how did we get here?” The rushed 90s movie “Where Are They Now?” final chapter and epilogue were also abrupt and jarring while simultaneously super neat and wrapped up with a bow, which was not great. 
 
There were also so many lost and buried plotlines. The most egregious is the Wes Jenkins plotline; so many subtle and unsubtle hints were dropped and left undiscussed until the epilogue with a quick explanation that needed so deserved more regarding the secondary plot of the accreditation renewal and the main plot of this romance. How do you give us a villain character and don’t show them being villainous? Why did I have to (quickly) put two and two together and wait until the end for confirmation? 
 
Like I said at the beginning of my review, I really wanted to like this book. I’ve been reading a lot of books with Black and Queer characters lately, so I was hopeful this would be another book I would wholeheartedly share with others, but I, unfortunately, cannot do that with this book. It just wasn’t a right fit for me.

I loved this book so much! As someone in student affairs, I really appreciated the work storylines of Taylor and Dustin! I loved the romance and very human nature of their relationship! I can’t give this book enough love!

This was a cute romance with what felt like authentic queer characters, but the ending was a bit rushed and a lot of the conflict was just from the main characters not communicating just because, which was frustrating. There was an antagonist character that should have been utilised in a bigger way.

Thank you to Frederick Smith, Bold Strokes Books, Inc., and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of One and Done.

This book get 3.5 stars for me. I wanted this book to be a 4 or 5 start read but I feel like the writing was drawn out and some of the plot could have been progressed a little faster. I loved the two main characters (Dustin and Taylor), the chemistry was definitely there but it moved so slow and when they finally became a couple, the romance was cute but not grown like I suspected. I also was expecting more spice but it was sort of glazed over like when you watch a film that gives you the kissing and then a cut scene that makes you infer they are have relations.

This book definitely read like a movie script or adaptation. I could see this being adapted into a really good movie special. Overall, for this be an LGBTQIA+ romance, in the academia setting, and have BIPOC characters, this was a good read! I would also consider it a slow burn in a sense so if that's up your ally, then you'll like it even more!

one and done had some much potential to be a good book but it fell flat for me. I loved how the author focused on the challenmges that Black openly gay men face in higher education, the importance of sexual health and how important it is so volunteer and give back to the queer community, but i feel this completely overhsdowd the romance in this book. Dustinrubbed me the wrong way and it took a while for me to even arm up to him. i anted more romantic development between the characters and more of the maor events to be flesed out on page. over this is not my favorite book from thi authir and i look forward to reading more from him

While "One and Done" showed potential, I felt that the romantic aspect of the story was missing some key elements. The book provided valuable insights into higher education and the challenges faced by openly gay Black individuals, but this overshadowed the development of the romance. As a result, I found it difficult to believe in the success of Taylor and Dustin's relationship by the end of the book, as some important moments were absent.

I had hoped for a more substantial development of the relationship between the main characters, with a greater focus on romance, but unfortunately, this was lacking. Nonetheless, I am eager to read future works by this author.

*thank the publisher for the opportunity to read and review the book.

DNF 65%
I have to start by saying I recognize that I am not the core audience for this book. I'm sure other readers might relate more to the perspectives represented of older, black, queer men in academia. The characters are well developed but I needed more. I loved the setting ofv the Bay Area and Castro. That was insightful. But I just found for being such a short story things were really meandering. The story revolving so much about their jobs was kinda boring and at times anxiety inducing. I really wished I liked things one more. I will still recommend it to people that might relate more to the characters in some way.
Thank you to the author and Netgalley for my ARC.

Dustin and Taylor meet at a bar where they're both enjoying a drag brunch. Dustin is doing his best to get Taylor's attention, but fails at getting him to bite (even though Taylor is interested). Fast forward to Taylor's accreditation visit at the college campus where he's vice president, and Dustin is the consultant assigned to head the accreditation team. Will they ignore the sparks still?

So, let me say that conflict of interest romance always gets me angsty (in a good way). I was looking forward to seeing how they were going to navigate things. I loved their community, and the way they leaned into them. Taylor's work and Dustin's connection was right up my alley, since I formerly worked in educational compliance. I loved that angle; it's one you don't see often. I like the way the two of them fell into each other and stuck. The end was so sweet and good. I will say that I like conversations once they were seeing each other more than I like the banter before they were together. Some of it seemed stilted, and a bit antagonistic for no reason. The way Dustin approached put me off and the way he skirted the truth the entire book did as well. But I could tell he had a good heart and wanted to take care of people. He and Taylor had that in common. I wish it had a felt a bit more romantic but overall I liked this. It didn't really feel like a typical one night stand to love situation, but It had playful and sexy moments, and a lot of friend support. I love romances like that.

Thanks to the author and Netgalley for this ARC

** I was granted a free ARC of this book by its publisher in exchange for an honest review. **

The blurb sounded interesting, and coupled with the cover image, I decided to request a copy from Netgalley.

On the surface, the book delivered on the blurb, mostly, but my 3 star rating is based on more than just that. It's based on the writing, the dialogue, the plot progression, and the believability of the characters and their supposed romance.

I could appreciate that Taylor was very career-oriented and had ambitions of becoming the first gay university campus president of color, and I could appreciate the author's attempt to shed more light on the accreditation process for colleges and universities, and certainly the well-known systemic racism that still exists in the US today.

I could appreciate that Dustin had some hang-ups of his own, and that he too was ambitious and focused on his career, while also supporting his mother and other members of his family financially, even while living elsewhere.

Also, yay for having characters in their 40s, and focusing your book around queer black men and black culture.

I was inclined to believe the attraction Dustin felt for Taylor, which was soon returned, and there was sufficient UST between them to make the romance part of the plot believable, for the most part. They are dealing with intense pressure on the work front, and while I could see that the author likely attempted this to be a "love solves all" kind of situation, I found it hard to believe that two highly career and success focused men would risk it all by jumping into a sexual relationship that they then know they have to hide because one of them is basically in a position of power over the other.

The dialogue is what bothered me the most. It felt stiff, contrived, and inorganic most of the time. It pulled me out of the story flow time and again, and while this may be just a "me" issue, it basically prevented my giving this book more than 3 stars.

The subplot with Wes - what was that about? I didn't really understand the motivation behind it - maybe I missed something. He's introduced early as the proverbial villain, but then the resolution to his plotting and his eventual come-uppance happens off-page and as almost an afterthought.
Similar, Dustin's mother was portrayed as antagonistic towards him, but then invited them to her home and fed them and wasn't at all as bad as Dustin initially described her.

Sadly, this book didn't reach its potential for me.

A story of accomplished Black men falling in love, this workplace romance is set in the higher ed world. I loved the found family (mixed with actual family) in the Queer community that Taylor has, and getting to watch Dustin fit into that and watching their relationship unfold through its bumps was fun.

As someone in the higher education sphere, I appreciated the struggles and pressures of being a minority in a space typically dominated by white men. To be honest I was STRESSED about the workplace romance dynamic of it all, especially given that higher ed often has abuse issues, so I was glad that it got incorporated as a plot point within the book itself (and nothing ended in disaster, it is a HEA romance after all haha).

I also LOVED the communication between Taylor and Dustin. I feel like so often miscommunication is a huge trope in romance, and to see two characters so clearly and consistently communicating was refreshing.

I did find the prose a bit clunky, and I think the ending was a bit rushed, I don't know that I believe that these two characters would end up at that point that quickly, especially given their start, but neither of these things I think are a dealbreaker in terms of reading the book, and overall I would recommend for anyone looking for a quick, sweet romance!

3/5 stars
1.5/5 spice (fade to black)

Overall, a solid 3 because there are elements I did enjoy but a few that had me dragging through what should've been a quick read. I think I had higher expectations and was a little disappointed that the romance didn't flow as smoothly as I would've liked. I really wanted to see more romance development between Dustin and Taylor because the chemistry didn't make sense, especially after their initial meeting. It felt like we jumped from one page to a different chapter and then all of a sudden they're into each other? Aside from that I actually enjoyed the elements outside of their romance. The side characters are fun and interesting. The San Francisco setting was also fun to read about, especially the drag brunch.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and offered voluntarily.

One night, Dr. Taylor James meets Dr. Dustin McMillan at a local bar during a drag brunch. Dustin is fresh off the plane and looking for a distraction. The chemistry is there but nothing happens until the next work day when they find out they are collaborating on a reaccreditation project for the university Taylor works for. A battle of professionalism versus what the heart (and body) wants ensues. Which will win?

I’ll start out saying that I don’t think this book was made for me. Which is okay. I think this book will resonant deeply for a lot of people. Books that expand our comfort zones and diversify our reading will always be a learning experience, even if you might not enjoy or appreciate the book as others might.

I was pretty evenly split in the things I liked and disliked about the book. I always find it refreshing when the characters are older and have settled in their careers because it creates a stability to the story. The book is short and to the point, with little conflict. Each page progresses the story because it has to. Unfortunately, this does mean that the romance did progress a little too quickly, and I didn’t like the instances where they were described as being very similar in appearance even going so far as to be described as twins by one character.

Overall, I think you are looking for something quick and with low stakes, this is a good read for you.

#netgalley #oneanddone #boldstrokesbooks

3.5, this was my first read from this author and while I definitely enjoyed it I was expecting a little more romance. I loved the way Taylor and Dustin met. Dustin wanted Doc from the moment he saw him and he did too much and turned him all the way off. I actually really loved how cocky he was, I knew he’d be my favorite from the start. I could picture Taylor’s face when he walked into that conference room and saw him sitting at the table. The professional setting really upped the tension in this book for me. I also really appreciated the details about the reaccreditation process and the commentary on Black Queer men in academia and how they have to navigate that space, I feel like I learned something new. Now I will say that the author really built the chemistry between these two very well and that’s why I really wanted to see more of the romance on page. The few glimpses we got felt good and I needed more of that because I was invested. I do appreciate the ending and how everything came together, the celebration of community and found family. I have zero complaints about those last few chapters. Overall it was a good read and a beautiful representation of Black queer men in and out of professional settings. I’ll definitely be reading more from this author.

Thank you to Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley for the ARC. All thoughts and feelings are my own.

I found this book so much fun and so refreshing in many, many ways. The romance was just sweet enough, and the context a different one than I am used to seeing in romance.

Taylor is focused on becoming a College President, and is focused on his career goals. He has one weekly treat of vising Drag Brunch, where he meets DJ, who he fails to be impressed with. DJ turns out to be Dustin, who is the consultant who is completing the assessment of Taylor’s College’s new accreditation bid. But Taylor finds out Dustin isn’t all he seemed on the surface. We know where this is going…..

The differences between them and the similarities make their connection and romance so compelling. The both have quiet ways of caring for their community and the people around them. They both love, and are super frustrated with, their families in turn, and they work hard to find a path where they can be together.

And the finale… just *chef kiss* I was giggling and kicking my feet with the delight of it all.
Full respect to anyone who can make university administration seem like a Hot Person job!

I really wanted to like this book, and I gave it an honest try, but I unfortunately DNF'd at 50%. There were moments when I connected with the characters, especially when they were talking about/thinking about their current situations and similarities. However there were too many pop references (Beyonce and Keith Lee in the first few chapters) and mannerisms ("Tongue pop. Eye roll. Hair flip.") that seemed a little forced. I get that the author was trying to set the tone for the personality of one of the characters, but those little things took me out.

I really didn't click with this book. The writing was confusing, and I found the characters annoying. I DNF'd at about 30% so I am not going to leave a review on any social media or Goodreads and Storygraph. I think I was just not the intended audience for this one.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bold Strokes Books, and Frederick Smith for the advanced copy of One and Done!

This book was great in terms of plot. I liked Taylor and Dustin's lack of "meet cute" and then their forced professional relationship and how they navigated it all. Their natural support of each other was beautiful and I loved the way their relationship grew across the book.

What I didn't like was the dialogue. Most of it was altered to how people actually talk in real life, which is great, but there was way too much dialogue that didn't really go anywhere. It ended up being distracting and frustrating for me.

What an interesting read that covers a wide range of topics, family obligations, being a successful queer Black man (corporate and higher education), queer communities, and even healing childhood wounds. With that being said I wonder if this was a contemporary fiction with romantic elements the reading experience would be better. I think trying to craft a healthy relationship that was hot and cold felt like an add-on, especially since the stakes were so high for both of them. Needless to say, the cast of side characters surrounding these two were not only entertaining but spoke to the power of found family and community even if it is messy at times. Overall, there were great moments throughout the book (Taylor and Markell and even Dustin and Manessa) but the dialogue sometimes felt clunky, particularly with the pop references.

I'm done with this one. Felt rather flat to me. On the plus side, I liked the insight into the Black queer community, and the character's voices were well written and the dialogue engaging. However, it was underdeveloped on many levels. In terms of plot, expectations of conflict with work colleagues and exes were established and never followed through on. In terms of character, we were told how they felt rather than shown it, and although interesting backstory was mentioned it was never developed.