Sera Taíno’s The Best Man’s Problem is an enemies-to-lovers slow-burn romance between two guys who are to undertake best man duties at the wedding of their sister and best friend respectively – Val and Philip, protagonists of the first Navarros book, A Delicious Dilemma.  I haven’t read that one, but The Best Man’s Problem works perfectly well as a standalone, and I enjoyed it, in spite of a bit of a rocky start.

Rafael Navarro and Étienne Galois shared a passionate kiss the previous summer, but immediately after, Rafi decided it was a mistake and walked away, leaving Étienne stunned at the intensity of the connection he’d felt and disappointed at Rafi’s rejection. That was several months ago, and Rafi has ghosted Étienne ever since, determined to fall back on his preferred strategy when looking back on a rare poor decision – to pretend it never happened. When the book opens, it’s the evening of Val and Philip’s engagement party and Rafi is having to try really hard to employ his strategy and not think about the fact that Étienne will also be at the party. He’s still berating himself for instigating That Kiss – it’s the worst decision he’s made in a long time, and the last thing he needs is someone as chaotic as Étienne trampling all over his nicely organised life.

Étienne has thought of Rafi often since that night, unable to forget the feel of him under his hands, the taste of his skin – or his annoyance that someone who knows him so little should turn out to be so judgmental. He berates himself for wanting Rafi and for wanting him to like him, but those desires just won’t go away. As Philip’s best friend, Étienne was naturally his first choice for best man for his wedding to Rafi’s sister – but his job as a photographer means he’s often out of the country, so Val and Philip suggest that Rafi should work with him to plan the bachelor party and on the other best man duties. Both men think it’s a terrible idea… but they can’t say no.

I admit that I struggled with the first part of the book for one big reason. For an enemies-to-lovers romance to really work, the animosity between the characters needs a strong background and a good reason for its existence, and here, there just isn’t one. Rafi’s dislike of Étienne is founded principally on his belief that because Étienne is gorgeous, confident and charming, he must be irresponsible. Rafi’s own insecurities play a part, too, because he’s reserved, meticulous and likes routine, so he thinks he’s too boring for someone as outgoing as Étienne. Thus, the supposed enmity feels contrived for the sake of the plot, and there is no real reason for Rafi’s unpleasant attitude and hurtful comments, which make him seem petty and unkind.

Thankfully, however, once this aspect of the story is set aside, The Best Man’s Problem becomes a much more pleasurable read. A few weeks after the party, Rafi and Étienne – with a little push from Val – get together for an afternoon of planning, and although things don’t get off to the best of starts, the air is cleared, understandings are reached, and it’s the beginning of a gradual thaw between them. The way their relationship progresses from here is really well done; the chemistry between them sizzles, the slow-burn is delicious and I really liked the way they get to know each other and challenge each other’s expectations. They’re complex, likeable individuals (once Rafi gets over himself, at least!) whose lives have been shaped by tragedy; these issues aren’t dwelt on excessively, but they’ve clearly contributed to making both men into who they are today, to Étienne being a ‘live in the moment’ kinda guy and Rafi being someone who needs to be in control of where he’s headed. The third-act crisis moment is not unexpected, but I did like the way it’s resolved, with Rafi having to face up to the way his insecurities are holding him back from living and loving the way he’s meant to.

Both leads are from immigrant families – Rafi’s from Puerto Rico, Étienne’s from Haiti – and the author does a fantastic job of seamlessly integrating aspects of both cultures into the story and characterisation. There are smatterings of Spanish and Creole dialogue, which aren’t difficult to understand in context, and I liked the emphasis on family and tradition and the importance attached to friendship.

I had a couple of issues with the writing – a few odd word choices and some strangely stilted phrasing – but those aren’t frequent and didn’t spoil my overall enjoyment of the story. Apart from this and the rickety foundation to the enemies-to-lovers element of the story, The Best Man’s Problem is a chaming, heartfelt and culturally diverse romance with excellent representation and I’m very happy to recommend it.