Infamous
Infamous Park Avenue Prince by Ella Frank and Brooke Blaine
This is a M/M sweet romance where a rich college junior (and notorious playboy) is dared to corrupt a straight college freshman (the Dean’s son no less) as revenge on the Dean for perceived slights, but as he goes about wooing the other boy it turns out he may have caught feelings that were never part of the plan.
Warnings: strong language, and steamy, explicit scenes.
Weston “West” Larue is your typical rich-as-sin college playboy. He and his equally-rich best friends rule the roost at Astor University in Manhattan. They even live in the condos at the swankiest hotel in town and - have you ever seen the K-Drama Boys Over Flowers. If not: it’s amazing and on Netflix, you have no excuse. If yes: these guys are F4 plus some. Rich to the extreme. Absurd money. So when West’s best friend East (don’t get me started because I actually adore the names) bets him an all-inclusive summer vacation to a destination of his choice you know he isn’t saying yes because he can’t afford it. He likes the chase. He likes the thrill. The bet? Corrupting the Dean’s son by homecoming.
The Dean’s straight son, John Thomas (JT - and I totally got Jonathan Taylor Thomas vibes omg) is a freshman and a social pariah. Because he’s the Dean’s son. That was a developmental … choice. No one wants to be friends because he’s the Dean’s son? How does every single person know this? Did someone put a target on his back saying “hello, Dean’s son here. befriend me to get expelled"? Whatever. It didn’t really bother me that much, but it certainly bothered JT. West deliberately befriends him and JT doesn’t mind that - even though his mother (the Dean) totally warned him away from those pesky rich boys. As did another new friend - who literally only approached him because he saw him hanging with West. Mmmmmkay.
Anyways, West and JT hang and hang and flirt and hang and kiss and get spicy. JT is exploring new things because he was pretty sure he was straight but he’s finding that he doesn’t really mind the D like he assumed. West starts to feel things that he doesn’t usually (yeah buddy, that’ll happen when you actually date rather than kicking people out of your bed immediately) and it comes as a big surprise. In an attempt to keep his newfound feelings on the DL from his will-poke-fun-at-him rich boy friends (especially East who is just an asshole in general) he doesn’t come clean to JT about the bet that started it all. There’s the conflict! It’s actually not bad at all, despite being almost a trope all on its own. Bet-dating. Is that a trope and I just didn’t hear about it? Totally possible.
This book is absolutely a gem. Super cute, delightfully written, and with realistic feelings happening. I didn’t get pulled out of the story at any point. West’s apology was just the best - I’m a sucker for apologies that pull people out of their comfort zones.
It’s like the more modern, MM, spicy, book version of the 10 Things I Hate About You movie (and yes I know that’s basically Taming of the Shrew but this is like two steps or more away from that so it doesn’t count).
In all, this lil spice nugget is 5 out of 5 for me. Definitely recommend.
