Good As Gold by Sarina Bowen is available now!
A fun, steamy and chemistry-filled friends-to-lovers romance with a newly divorced woman trying to have a baby, and her childhood best friend only too happy to help out. A second chance with the one who got away, and a gorgeous love story!
Blurb
Leila:
What I meant to do: Quietly divorce my lout of a husband and then have a child all on my own.
What happens instead: My crush comes back to town when I’m at my most vulnerable. After too many cocktails, I ask him to be my baby’s father.
In my defense, it’s been a rough couple of months. Seeing Matteo Rossi again after fourteen years has done a number on my emotions. And my libido.
In the morning, I’m hoping he’s forgotten the whole thing. But no such luck. In fact, Matteo has a few clarifying questions. And a few naughty ideas, too…
Matteo:
What I meant to do: visit Vermont for my brother’s wedding. Make amends to my family, and mourn the loss of a friend.
What happens instead: a hot affair with the one who got away. But it can’t last. My life is two thousand miles away, and Leila deserves everything. She’s as good as gold.
Review
4.5 stars!
A fun, steamy and chemistry-filled friends-to-lovers romance with a newly divorced woman trying to have a baby, and her childhood best friend only too happy to help out. A second chance with the one who got away, and a gorgeous love story!
This is the story of Matteo Rossi, whose siblings have shown up in the True North series, and though this book reads well as a standalone, I was happy that we got the chance to catch up with characters that I love, once again.
Matteo left Vermont as a teenager to follow his dreams and make something of himself. He now has a well-established ski tour company in Colorado and is doing very well for himself, but his best friend and business partner has tragically died, and he’s heading home to Vermont for a break, and to see his family after years of being away.
Leila and Matteo were best friends as teenagers, and crushed wildly on each other. But Matteo never felt worthy of Leila, which is what led him to leave town to make a success of himself. But by the time he returned to get the girl, she had moved on with their other best friend. Now, Leila has left her unhappy marriage, and is establishing herself as a single woman when Matteo finally comes back to town. Though she’s angry at him for being away for so long, they quickly recapture their easy friendship, and when a drunken Leila confesses that she longs for a baby and is investigating ways to make it happen on her own… Matteo offers to help.
“I’m really sorry. Especially for making it weird by bringing up sex. I know you’ve never thought of me that way.”
He laughs again. “It’s cute that you think that.”
It’s a fun set-up, made all the more exciting by the sizzling sexual tension between Matteo and Leila. It’s clear they still have feelings for each other (for Matteo, Leila was the girl who got away), and watching them work through it all and build up to the big moment is so entertaining!
“I didn’t know you were actually thinking about this.”
“Can’t seem to think about anything else.” He shrugs. “The question is, though, whether I’m considering it because it’s generous. Or because I want to bang you.”
I love the dynamic between these two! I loved their friendship, their banter, how easy everything is between them, and how openly they go into their arrangement. They never actually share what they’re feeling, but they don’t hide their attraction, and though it should be awkward as all hell, their mad lust for each other makes it an easy and natural shift in their relationship.
“I’m in. I want to do this for you.”
Oh my heart. It’s fluttering again.
“In the interest of full disclosure. I also want to do you.”
And there is nothing awkward about Matteo and Leila together, because oh holy damn, they are so freaking hot together! The sexy time is sizzling, and their close connection and depth of feeling for each other make everything all the more intense.
She wanted a sperm donor, and I delivered. But it feels like I left a piece of my soul up on the second floor.
Their baby making efforts bring a new closeness to their relationship, and their feelings for each other only grow, and I loved watching them fall so hard and so completely. But Matteo is only in town temporarily; he has commitments, and a life across the country. Does he truly have a shot with the one who got away? And where does his happiness truly lie?
This is such a gorgeous story. I loved Matteo, loved seeing him reconnect with his family and all of the wonderful moments with them together. He’s absolutely beautiful with Leila, and though he’s a bit confused as to what he wants from the future, I loved watching him work through it and figure it all out. Leila handles it all like a champ. She’s strong and brave, and she follows her heart, and I loved seeing these two get their happy ending!
Though there are lots of fun and funny moments, this book is full of emotion, with a gorgeous love story and plenty of swoon. I loved it.
4.5 stars!
An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Check out more amazing reads on our Sarina Bowen Author Spotlight