Domestic Do-over The Restoration Channel Series Book 1
LGBT Romance/Comedy
Dreamspinner Press
February 9, 2021
228
Can a prickly carpenter build a reality TV host a way out of the closet?
Real estate guru Brandon Chase knows what “family friendly” means in the biz, and it’s not being open about his sexuality.
The end of Brandon’s marriage is still making headlines when the Restoration Channel makes him an offer: helm a show about flipping houses in New York City’s risky market. Still smarting from the bad press, Brandon is reluctant to get involved—until he falls in love with an old Victorian.
Except the house isn’t the only thing that catches his eye.
It’s contractor Travis Rogers’s job to enumerate every way a renovation could go wrong, which leads to a lot of on-set sparring and mutual frustration between him and Brandon. But when the simmering attraction underneath boils over, the show and their relationship hang in the balance.
Travis hates the media attention that follows Brandon, and the network has a history of firing LGBTQ personalities. Like the houses Brandon makes over, this relationship has potential. But if Brandon can’t convince Travis to take a chance, their chemistry might stay on-screen only.
Reviewed by Melissa Brus
Member of the Paranormal Romance Guild Review Team
Fans of DIY and renovation shows will “flip” over this newest book by Kate McMurray (see what I did there?) With a premise taken out of popular house flipping shows, this book puts an MM twist on the drama behind the scenes. Brandon Chase is a great character. He has a lot going on in his personal life and realizes during production of his newest show that maybe he isn’t ready to carry a show on his own. Then we add a sort of fish out of water moment with Travis Rogers. He can definitely handle himself in the home renovation part- but the television world is not his comfort zone.
I love the fact that the house is not only the backdrop for the romance, but is almost a third character in the book. The romance was really well paced and I enjoyed the way the steps of the renovation met with the steps in the relationship. The angst level was mild and the writing style was engaging. It was overall a good start to what should be a fun series.