That Kind of Guy

That Kind of Guy (2019) Talia Hibbert

Zack has lived his life in Ravenswood, and has earned his reputation as a slut. But after his mother’s illness, and his subsequent depression, he’s been reevaluating his life–including why he had so many sexual encounters he didn’t actually want.

(N)ecessity was the mother of every skill Zach had. Growing up poor with a busy single parent and a missing older brother had led him to learn a lot of practical shit at a very young age. The hard way. And those skills had never been allowed to fade, because once someone identified you as useful, they’d always be around to… well, use you.

Rae moved to Ravenswood after her divorce, and has enjoyed becoming someone on her own.

Most of the time, she hated being stared at— but here in Ravenswood, where she had some wild, Cruella de Vil reputation built off rubbish and assumptions? It was hilarious. It felt like a game. It felt like being a protagonist. Here, she enjoyed being outrageous.

Now, Rae has to go to a convention where her ex-husband and his new wife will be.

“And everyone will look at me like I’m a big, sad, abandoned sack of poop. I’ll feel awkward and defensive and I’ll hate myself for letting him ruin my weekend. I can already see it happening. I’m already pissed in advance.”

So Zack agrees to go as her fake boyfriend.

“I checked the website,” he said calmly.

“You did?”

“I did.” He opened the folder. “And then I printed it out and highlighted all the shit we should go to. There’s a colour-coding system, if you’re into that. Actually, never mind. I know for a fact you’re not into that.” He thrust the folder at her. “Go wild.”

She flicked through the pages and said faintly, “It looks like you already did.”

He’s adorable.

This story is an LGBTQ story–Zack is demisexual (gray ace) and he has been unable to talk to anyone about it, feeling like no one will understand, what with his history of pleasing all the women all the time.

Rae’s story is seemingly straight-forward, since she is divorced because her husband cheated on her, but she has a complicated past with her mother, which shaped her relationship with her ex-husband, and is why she has trouble trusting.

This is not what love feels like. It doesn’t hurt nearly enough.

Another plus for this story: Neither Rae nor Zack wants kids, and both are good with it.

She wrinkled her nose. “You may find this hard to believe, but I am a woman who does not regret being childless.”

This is a lovely story, and although it is the third in the series, and there were undercurrents of things I was missing, it was lovely, and I can recommend it, especially if you are looking for stories with diverse characters.

Publisher: Nixon House
Rating: 8/10

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