Jane aka Coughy019's Reviews > Rent: Paid in Full

** spoiler alert ** Tropes: forced proximity, roommates, nerd/jock, hate (one-sided) to love, grumpy/sunshine, rich/poor
Feels: 5/5
Steam*: 5/5
Kinks: roleplay, sex in risky / public places, so much smut
Angst: low
HEA: yes
Pairing: MM
Triggers/potential icks/content warnings: sex for money, money struggles, dubcon, past bullying, anxiety

Feb. 10, 2024 - comfort reread already!

5+ stars! I absolutely loved this book, I know I will be reading it a billion times!

Ryan is a poor nerd in college. He suffers from anxiety and he switched roommates many times, he's on a first name basis with the housing department lady. His newest roommate is Miller, who is a well-known campus jock and a bit of a himbo. Miller is openly bisexual and a sunshine of a character. Ryan is a grump who is suspicious and side eyes everything. Ryan has never been with a guy before but he definitely has bisexual leanings.

When Miller meets Ryan, he's fascinated by him and attracted. He tries to befriend / hit on Ryan, but everything just bounces off of Ryan. And then Ryan gets particularly financially desperate and Miller offers him money for sexual favors. Ryan tries to be strong but he caves over and over again. These guys fall all over each other in their desperation for each other and have filthy hookups all over the place.

This book had so many things that I love in it. I was howling with laughter and kicking my feet at so many moments.
- I love how unhinged and one track minded Miller is when it comes to Ryan. Miller is absolutely desperate and has no pride. He will take him on any terms.
- I love that Miller is so enraptured by Ryan's assholery and grumpiness. It turns him on.
- The humor of Ryan being on a first name basis with the housing lady Bev, and having all these interactions with her was top notch. I hope one day Ryan tells Bev about what he and Miller got up to, because Bev would love that story!
- The smut in this book was top notch! There was so much filth so frequently. They were desperate for each other. So many scenes flitter through my mind, but in particular the shower scene when Miller paid to eat Ryan's ass... Miller was so enthusiastic and desperate that he herded Ryan into the shower and cleaned him himself, joining him while still dressed, and dropping to his knees on the floor because he didn't have the patience to wait until they were in the bed.
- Also, this wasn't just smutty, there were feelings, tenderness, affection. Miller glomped on to Ryan and pulled him in so tightly. From very early on he was planning for their future, wanting to marry him, get a dream house for him. He held on to Ryan even in platonic ways and just felt such joy and love and happiness.
- I love a black cat grumpy accidental asshole like Ryan too. He was such a tough cookie but Miller was his weakness. I love that small moment when he was thinking of Miller and bought him the everything bagel seasoning and presented it as a gift. Just a small humble I was thinking of you moment, that meant so much to Miller.

Some notable moments: I had so many moments I loved, it hurt to limit myself to these!

"So yeah, I was bleak, but I cheered right up when I met him. Right up. All the way up. He had bags hanging off both shoulders and a huge box of books in his hands. He kicked the door open and held it ajar with his foot as he struggled to make his way in. I was looking at him, right in his eyes, when he saw me for the first time. His face was a picture. I don’t think anyone’s ever looked at me like that before. Disgust. Pure and unfiltered. Straight-up contempt without any attempt to hide it. I was weirdly into it. I’m weirdly into him too. He’s grumpy as hell and awkward as fuck, but he’s something to look at."

"“Why’d they fire you?” Ryan blinks and looks down his nose at her. “Something about an attitude problem.” Oh God, he’s not just hot. He’s complicated and rude."

Miller is unhinged. I love him! "When he got into bed, I said, “Sleep tight,” and he said, “Piss off.” He sounded pompous and British when he said it. It’s hard to describe the joy it brought me."

"He turns slowly toward me. He’s holding the money I left on the desk in his hand. His face is a picture of self-loathing and lust. He slides the clip off the cash and stuffs the money into his back pocket with a shrug I think is meant to imply nonchalance, but comes off a little stiff. Blood floods my cock. It rushes down so fast I feel lightheaded. He flicks the money clip over to me. It glitters as it flies through the air. I catch it easily, uncurling my palm and looking down at the high-karat letter M in my hand. I let my bag drop on the floor right where I stand and take three or four large strides toward him, unbuttoning and unzipping and ripping my shirt off as I move."


*FYI about steam: I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink.

**Note about spoilers: I like to comment on the plot of a book in reviews, so I almost always mark my reviews as containing spoilers. But I try to avoid spoiling the big dramatic moments! As a reader, I personally like to know what I'm getting into before I read a book so I know more about the content and if it's to my taste/mood, so I try to give that information in my reviews for myself when I'm considering rereading and also for other readers.