Reluctantly Yours by Erin Hawkins is live!
A fun and feisty enemies-to-lovers/fake-relationship romance full of humour, romance, sexy times and sweetness, I loved this one!
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Blurb
Barrett
I’ve rebuilt my father’s media company with hard work and determination, but my single status leaves me on the outs with the one businessman I need to get close to. A little white lie and I’m suddenly in love, head over heels. Now I need to find a fake girlfriend, someone to keep up appearances without any emotions.
When I find my mother’s fiery assistant in a compromising position, it’s the perfect opportunity to get what I want: a girlfriend for business appearances, without any feelings involved. I won’t let the fact that I’m wildly attracted to the petite redhead get in my way.
But the closer she gets, the more my heart thaws and all too soon I find myself having to choose between the business deal I’m determined to land and the woman I’ve fallen hard for.
Chloe
After two years as editorial assistant to JoAnna St. Clair of the famed St. Clair Press, I’ve been given a chance to take on my dream job as an assistant editor.
When my childhood best friend asks me to host her bachelorette weekend in the city, I’m thrilled to show everyone how amazing my life is in New York. (Things not included on the tour are my shoebox of an apartment or my romance book collection that is the only thing keeping me warm at night.)
But when I fail to confirm the restaurant reservation and I’m left with no event location an hour before the party starts, I’m desperate. Desperate enough to use my boss’s penthouse for a party while she’s out of town.
No one will ever know. That is until her cold, dismissive, and annoyingly hot son walks in.
In order to keep his silence, Barrett demands a favor in return: he needs a date for a business dinner. That’s easy enough until his mother finds out and he seals my fate by telling her we are dating. It’s that or kiss my job goodbye.
While I’m reluctant at first, the more time we spend together, the harder it is to fight my attraction to him. Beneath that brooding, icy demeanor lies a heart of gold.
But when a scandalous discovery puts his deal at stake, and our relationship to the test, will Barrett prove he’s all about business?
Review
4.5 stars!
I love this book! It’s a fun and feisty enemies-to-lovers/fake-relationship romance between a grumpy billionaire and a sassy young wannabe-editor (his mother’s assistant). It’s full of chemistry and heat, and it’s wonderfully romantic, and I enjoyed every moment of it.
Barrett and Chloe do not get on. At all. He is the workaholic CEO of his family’s media company with goals of taking it to the top of the industry, she is a wannabe book editor currently working as the assistant to Barrett’s mother at a publishing company. They only briefly interact, but when they do it’s full of sparks and genuine hatred.
Barrett’s latest business deal requires him to appear like a family man… or at least a relationship man. Of which he is neither. As one of the city’s most eligible bachelors, he has no lack of women hanging off him at every opportunity with dollar signs and diamonds in their eyes, but he avoids complications at all costs. He needs a fake girlfriend and fast, one that won’t expect anything else from him. So when Barrett catches Chloe in a position that could see her lose her job, he sees his opportunity. He agrees to cover for her – if she agrees to be his fake girlfriend until he can clinch his deal. Stuck in a corner with little other option, Chloe agrees.
It’s a fun set-up, made so enjoyable because these characters are fantastic! They’re both so gloriously stubborn, confident, witty and intelligent, and though their lives are vastly different, Chloe bravely stands up to grumpy Barrett, and they have a fantastic dynamic. It’s feisty but playful, and their bickering is so freaking entertaining. It’s not too long before we see a gradual softening towards each other, and as they get to know one another, they begin to see each other in a new light, and that’s when things get really good.
There’s a wonderful sense of intensity between these two. They’re attracted to each other, there are some slips with random statements, glances, touches, and even a few kisses, but everything between them has the feeling of a slow burn, with their attraction simmering along for a while before anything truly happens. I was madly flipping pages, desperate for something, but I enjoyed each and every moment of the build-up.
“Tell me you’re mine because you want to be.”
Their shift is gradual, but intense, and when they do finally get to the sexy time, it’s hot and passionate, and my kindle was steaming! Holy damn, these two are on fire together! Their feelings for each other continue to deepen, and before too long, everything has changed.
“I know I should regret forcing you into a fake relationship, but I can’t. Just being near you makes me a better man. You made me realise I was missing out on life. I’ve fallen for you, Chloe. Hard.”
They still have issues to work through – secrets that they are keeping, and processing a shift in their priorities and what that means for both of them, but it’s resolved well, and there’s lots of swoon as these two figure it all out and get their happy ending.
“I need you to say you’re mine. Because I am yours.”
This is my first read by Erin Hawkins, and I really like her writing. There will be a book following on from this one for side-character, Emma, and I can’t wait to get my hands on her story.
Full of humour, romance, sexy times and sweetness, I loved this one!
4.5 stars!
An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Unexpectedly in Love
Reluctantly Yours (#1) (Barrett & Chloe)
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Accidentally Ours (#3) (Holden & Sophie)
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Excerpt
I take another shot because hosting your friend’s bachelorette party in your boss’s penthouse apartment without her permission is super stressful. When Jules originally suggested it, my gut reaction was hell, no but then Lauren texted me how excited she was for the party and with no other options this late in the game, I caved sending a mass text with the updated address.
The thing is I couldn’t even ask JoAnna for permission even if I wanted to. Her flight would land at LAX long after Lauren’s party was scheduled to start. And what if she said no? Joanna has been nothing but kind to me, even motherly as I navigate this city on my own, but using her apartment for a personal gathering is definitely crossing into inappropriate territory. I scratch at my neck. Either the sequins on this rented dress are irritating my skin or breaking rules gives me hives.
Jules called a caterer friend of hers that was able to make extra hors d’oeuvres last minute. She didn’t have time or ingredients for me to make personal selections so I was at the mercy of what Jamie and Greg picked for their Hawaiian luau themed wedding reception. So, Luau Thai chicken and sweet and sour meatballs it is!
While the rest of the ladies are out in JoAnna’s living room, snacking and sipping on drinks, I pull my custom-made pin the hunk on the junk game out of my tote. That’s right, Etsy, I made it myself and saved fifty bucks. Although the guy at Kinkos gave me a funny look when it came off the machine.
Ryan Gosling smiles back at me, the over muscled body double I used for the lower half is disproportionate to the size of his head. The empty spot between his legs the intended target for my printed and hand cut paper dicks.
“Chloe!” I can hear my friend Claire yelling for me down the hall. Claire, Lauren and I were three peas in a pod growing up. Claire lives in Seattle now and while we haven’t been the best at keeping in touch, when she arrived an hour ago, we easily picked back up where we left off in high school.
“The dicks are coming!” I shout, as I pull the paper dicks out of the bag, but she’s already there in the doorway, and I hold up the poster so she can check out Ryan Gosling on steroids. I wave the paper dicks around, then, I explode with giggles at my little joke. “Get it? They’re coming?”
“Hilarious,” she deadpans before waving me out toward the hallway.
I’m still laughing as she waves her hands, urgently motioning me out of the guest room where I’ve put all the party supplies. I didn’t think pin the junk on the hunk would garner such enthusiasm.
“Where should we hang it?” I ask.
“Forget the game. The stripper is here. And, he’s gorgeous. Not like a Jersey Shore beef cake, fake tan kind of stripper, but a sexy businessman stripper. Where did you find him? WallStreetstrippers.com?”
Ooh la la. A stripper sounds fun. Even better than pin the dick on the prick or whatever this game is called. But, I gather the game up and bring it anyways because I did put a lot of effort into it.
As I start to follow Claire back into the living room, her words finally penetrate the vodka induced fog clouding my brain. I really should have been keeping track of how many shots I’ve taken.
“Wait.” I stop short, nearly dropping the paper dicks on the floor. “I didn’t hire a stripper.”
There’s only one man that would have access to JoAnna’s apartment without needing to be buzzed in. My stomach clenches with anxiety. Oh God.
“Really?” Claire’s eyes turn to saucers, “so, who’s the stud in the suit?”
My eyes scan the sea of scantily clad women until I find him. There, across the room, looking like sex on a stick in a navy suit, with his dark hair hanging over his forehead, being hounded by all the bachelorette party attendees is Barrett.
My heart stops. This is a scenario that I never in a million years considered. And why would I? Why would Barrett stop by JoAnna’s on a Friday night? When he knows she’s out of town? Doesn’t he have better things to do?
He sees me then, and when our eyes connect, everything stops. It’s what I imagine a deer feels when its body is lit up by the high beams of an oncoming vehicle. Frozen, stunned, unable to do anything but wait for impact.
His hazel gaze holds mine, intense and challenging, before his full lips slide into a devilish smirk.
“Chloe Anderson,” he shakes his head, “you’ve been a bad girl.”
About Erin
Best Laid Plans is Erin Hawkins’s debut novel. She lives in Colorado with her husband and three young children. She enjoys reading, running, spending time in the mountains, and watching reality TV.
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