Love in Secrets by Scarlett Cole is live!
The third and final book in the Love, Distilled series, and my favorite of the three, this is a fun, heartfelt and chemistry-filled friends-to-lovers romance that is sweet, sexy, and blessedly functional, and I absolutely loved it!
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Blurb
Master distiller, Jake Dyer, is doing everything he can to keep his family-run gin distillery in business. Working seven days a week to maintain production volumes while overseeing a complex renovation of the distillery keeps him busy. There is no room for anything else in his life, especially not Cassie Cunnigham, his childhood
friend, and daughter of the owner of the construction company completing the renovation.
Cassie Cunnigham hates leaving her project management job with a New York construction firm to return to Denver after a decade away. But when Jake Dyer calls to tell her about her father’s accident, she has no choice but to go home for six weeks to run his small construction firm in his absence. With her New York boss threatening to fire her if she doesn’t return, and her father pleading with her to stay, Cassie feels as though the men in her life are taking decisions out of her hands.
All except Jake, who is no longer the gangly-teen she left behind. And it doesn’t help that Jake can’t keep his eyes, or hands, off her, either. When friendly reunions turn heated in secret, Jake and Cassie convince themselves that friends-with-benefits sounds like a whole lot of fun.
But as walls go up in the distillery and refuse to come down from around Cassie’s heart, Jake wonders if he and the woman he’s falling in love with will ever add up to anything more.
Review
5 stars!
The third and final book in the Love, Distilled series, and my favorite of the three, this is a fun, heartfelt and chemistry-filled friends-to-lovers romance that is sweet, sexy, and blessedly functional, and I absolutely loved it!
Jake Dyer is the mater distiller at his family’s gin distillery in Denver. He works constantly to keep production running to help get the company out of financial trouble, and together with his sisters, they are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, knowing that things will definitely be easier once renovations to the distillery are finished and they can increase their capacity.
Cassie is a project manager with a construction firm in New York City, and she lives for her work. She’s passionate about making a difference to the footprint of the city, and thrives on bringing order to the chaos of her projects.
Jake and Cassie grew up together. Their fathers are best friends, and Jake and his siblings were the best of friends with Cassie and her brother, and they share a lot of wonderful memories and experiences. It’s Cassie’s father that is overseeing the renovations at the distillery, and when he is injured in an accident, Cassie rushes home to see him, and ends up staying to take over his construction business while he is out of action. And while she’s in town, she moves in with her old friend, Jake.
From the first moment we see Jake and Cassie together, sparks are flying! Their friendship up until this point has been strictly platonic, but it’s been years since they’ve seen each other, and the attraction is pretty much instant. It’s all very civil and friendly for a little while, but the chemistry is sizzling, until neither of them are able to hide what they want anymore, and the tipping point becomes unavoidable.
“You know, one day you’ll have to let me know how I can pay you back for all this,” she said, putting her hard hart on.
Jake reached forward and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I already thought of a way.”
… “Yeah, what’s that?”
He leaned in close, so close she could feel his breath against her cheek. “Next time you get off in my spare bed, use my name. Not God’s.”
The sexual tension is insane, and I love the way this romance plays out! They don’t hide from anything that’s happening between them, they talk it through, they flirt and banter, and they agree to explore their mad lust for each other, even knowing that whatever they have together can only be short-lived.
“You aren’t quick fuck material to me. And I know you want to label this, but I don’t want to reduce this to the lowest common denominator of sex that means absolutely nothing when we wake up with each other the next morning. While that kind of sex has its place, it doesn’t belong between us.”
It’s all kinds of hot, and though they were aiming for friends with benefits, they immediately recognise the significance of the connection that they share, so the boundaries that they planned to keep in place are quickly squashed, and I was feeling all of that intensity with them!
He put his forehead to hers. “This is going to change everything, isn’t it?”
“It already has.”
It’s a beautifully unfolding love story. It’s easy and natural, fun and romantic, and I loved every moment of Jake and Cassie together. Their bond as friends forms a wonderful basis for their relationship, and they maintain that openness and honesty, now with a heavy dose of sexy times and emotion as they fall hard for each other, and it’s just gorgeous.
“This might be everything, and yet we still won’t be able to find a way to make it work. But I think the heartbreak is worth the risk.”
But Cassie is under pressure from her boss to return to New York, and if she wants to continue progressing her career, she knows that’s where she needs to be. Jake’s life (and his passion) is in Denver, continuing his father’s legacy and keeping the family business alive. They know their time together is limited, but neither of them are ready to let go. It’s heartwrenching for them, and there’s a lot they need to work through to work out what their future looks like, and it’s so beautifully written, and I was feeling everything along with them as they figure it all out.
“I gave you my heart, Cassie. Irrevocably, I fear. Everything has changed for me.”
I loved getting to know Cassie. She’s a great character, and her journey in this book is interesting and really well written. And Jake stole my heart as the funny, sweet, loyal and caring man who bravely and honestly follows his heart. The characters from the first two books in the series all appear, and I particularly loved seeing the dynamics between the boys. They have such a great relationship, and I love how Connor and Anders have Jake’s back. And, of course, his relationships with his sisters is beautiful. This group is fantastic, and I loved the scenes with them all together.
This is such a gorgeous story. Written with heat, humour, and a whole lot of feels, it’s a beautiful friends-to-lovers romance that had me smiling, swooning, and feeling it all. I loved it!
5 stars!
An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Love Distilled
Love in Numbers (#1) (Emerson & Connor)
Review
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Love in Moments (#2) (Anders & Liv)
Buy: Amazon | Nook | Kobo | Apple | Google Play
Love in Secrets (#3) (Jake & Cassie)
Review
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Meet the Author
The tattoo across my right hip says it all really. A Life Less Ordinary. Inked by the amazingly talented Luke Wessman at the Wooster Street Social Club (a.k.a. New York Ink). Why is it important? Well, it sums up my view on life. That we should all aspire to live a life that is less boring, less predictable. Be bold, and do something amazing. I’ve made some crazy choices. I’ve been a car maker, a consultant, and even a senior executive at a large retailer running strategy. Born in England, spent time in the U.S. and Japan, before ending up in Canada where I met my own, personal hero – all six and a half feet of him. Both of us are scorpios! Yeah, I know! Should have checked the astrological signs earlier, but somehow it works for us. We have two amazing kids, who I either could never part with or could easily be convinced to sell on e-
bay.
I’ve wanted to be a writer for a really long time. Check through my office cupboards or my computer and you’ll find half written stories and character descriptions everywhere. Now I’;m getting the chance to follow that dream.
I am represented by Beth Phelan at The Bent Agency, NY.
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