KnittingMamaBear-Reads's Reviews > Rent: Paid in Full

Actual rating ⭐⭐⭐ / 5
Spice rating 🌶️🌶️🌶️ / 5
Edit: dropped from 4 ⭐s to 3. There are a lot of other (better) MM romances that deserve 4 stars 🩷 -> this felt more like 3.

Unpopular opinion incoming : Ryan, the irritable, shit-tempered college student with outspoken curiosity for dudes, was working on my nerves. Hear me out.

He gets roomed with rich "fuckboy" Miller, who is also (yes, ALSO, because RyRy associates with bi orientation very early on in the story) bi. Miller gets a bit of an insta-boner for this grump (I don't know man, something about his big nose or some other nonsense, beats me), and notices the 'dire straights' Ry is in. He straight up offers him money, which Ryan rejects. Miller, the cheeky sunshine he is, offers to buy the only thing Ryan has to offer, which is seggsual favors.

Ryan, begrudgingly, accepts. So far so good. This is where my sympathy for Ry ends, because after that he behaved like an idiot for the rest of the book. Miller continuously offers him aftercare, general sexual satisfaction, and basically free use for Ryan if he wanted. And we get it clear that he WANTED. But, stubborn prick that he is, he didn't take Miller up on it, until I was all but done with this dynamic.

I like to ask myself - what would I do if I were Ryan. I think if you have made it this far in this review, you know. Miller was like an eager puppy with means and looks. He had a problem, he threw money at it, offered it to enjoy the process, and got what he wanted. I am only judging him for not pulling out sooner and giving Ryan the opportunity to deal with his shit and figure out that he intrinsically was absolutely into this whole arrangement. Instead we get to see Miller fall hard for him, and watch Ryan extort money from him for a long while before he allows himself to come to terms with the inevitability that is Miller.

That's how I read it and don't come at me.
Or do, I don't mind.

🍑 Also, regarding the spice meter here, there were, surprisingly, many instances of fade to black, which I didn't enjoy. Some scenes were 🔥 but, and I don't like to read-and-compare, if the ones we got to see through, were even more detailed and had more 💦 from both sides (🤡), I think Miller and Ry's relationship would have felt more organic for me (looking at you, For The Fans).

That is all, I'm gonna go feel like a mean girl for a while, but that's okay. 💅

My review of Part 2: Work: Strictly Professional - ⚠️DNF⚠️ @20%