Best Laid Plans by Willa Okati

Teddy and Jefferson get along like a house on fire. Literally. Jefferson’s a serious-natured soccer star, and Teddy was born to party till the wheels come off. Oh, they might have jerked it a few times thinking about each other, but they’ll burn this mother to the ground before they ever get along. The only thing they have in common are their friends—Jefferson’s buddy Emmett, and Teddy’s BFF Noelani. Emmett’s just blown all his savings on a house near campus, and he needs tenants to help make the monthly payments. That’s where Teddy and Jefferson come in. Hey, anything’s better than the dorms.

So far so good. Until Noelani’s former fiancé Beau—also Emmett’s former best friend—rolls back into town. Panicked over the return of their old feelings for the rough-riding badass, Noelani and Emmett decide the only sensible ‘save’ is to get married. Of course. Teddy and Jefferson both know that’s a bad idea, and that those two are going to need their friends more than ever. That means only one thing: no choice but to raise the white flag and join forces.

Pros: free rein for sexual hijinks in the name of ‘getting along’. Cons: Easier said than done.

Despite it all, Teddy and Jefferson are also discovering that they have more fun fighting with each other than they would kissing anyone else. Maybe—maybe—they're falling in love. But when Beau reveals the real reason for his return and everything turns topsy-turvy for everyone involved, is their new alliance strong enough to save the day?

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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Shannan – ☆☆☆
Best Laid Plans was a fun sweet read. The only problem I had was it didn't seem to flow well for me. At times I had to stop and reread sections because I got confused about who was speaking or what happened. Unfortunately, it happened quite a few times pulling me from the flow of the plot. I don't know if it was from my own distractions or not but it didn't hold my attention like I wanted it to.

I did find some scenes between Teddy and Jefferson hysterical. Teddy is a sarcastic, ginger, drama queen. Jefferson is the athletic former soccer player. They both agree to help their friends (Noelani and Emmett) and are thrown together living in one big house.

I'm not sure if there were four main characters or two with parallel running stories? It wasn't a bad story. It was light, had low angst and quite funny.


Veronica – ☆☆☆
Best Laid Plans is a fun, light m/m romance. Jefferson and Teddy are complete opposites but that is what makes the fun. They don't get along so if you like an enemies to lovers story this might be the book for you. I really enjoyed the scenes where Teddy and Jefferson are avoiding each other – very amusing.

For me as the book went on there wasn't that much to hold my interest even with the ongoing drama between their romantically involved friends which was fairly predictable. But Terry and Jefferson make a good couple and ultimately this is an enjoyable story.


Angela – ☆☆☆☆☆
I have to say this and get it out of way so I can move on from it. I nearly did not read this book because of the cover. I have a tendency to scan past books with cartoonish covers for some reason – they literally repel me. Fortunately I noticed the author’s name and as a fan of Ms. Okati’s writing I ignored the cover and dove right in and I am so glad that I did because watching the romance between Teddy and Jefferson unfold was absolutely delightful.

The blurb states that “Teddy and Jefferson get along like a house on fire.” – that’s an understatement. Jefferson can’t open his mouth without ticking Teddy off and while at times Teddy’s anger may seem a bit exaggerated (read “drama queen”), there are just as many times when it’s not unwarranted. But as we get to know the two guys better it becomes apparent that Jefferson isn’t an intentional arse, he just doesn’t think about how what he says can be hurtful. But nothing unites enemies like a common foe, so when the ex-fiancé and ex-best friend Beau shows back up in town and threatens the relationship of Teddy and Jefferson’s besties, they call a truce and unite forces to keep Beau from ruining everything. When they decide to add sex to the truce, what a united front they present?!?!? Their natural antagonism toward one another equates to some intense passion inside the bedroom. But as they spend more time together outside the bedroom, they find that they are far more compatible than either ever believed.

I loved Teddy and Jefferson’s pre-truce antics. Their pranks had me chuckling on more than one occasion and I loved watching them fall in love. I adored Teddy and his snarky attitude. I liked how the author integrated the relationship triangle between Noelani, Emmett, and Beau into the story, making it important without letting it overshadow Teddy and Jefferson’s romance. The “A-HA” moment was entertaining but not nearly as so as when Teddy found out that Noelani was playing him – I wasn’t sure if Noelani was brave or stupid for telling him. Either way it was hilarious. I thoroughly enjoyed Best Laid Plans and it has joined the author’s other books on my re-read list. I look forward to reading more of Ms. Okati’s writing.

A multi-published author of GLBT fiction since 2004, Willa's passion is for writing love stories. Whether romantic comedy or serious business, bruised hearts or second chances, she’s never happier than when she’s neck deep in a work in progress. She drinks less coffee than she used to, though probably still too much. Her new obsession is learning how to cook. Only one minor kitchen explosion to her credit (so far). Anything and everything is inspiration for a story!

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Best Laid Plans by Willa Okati to read and review.