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Review

4 stars!

Charlotte Agoston’s life of wealth and privilege has just been ripped out from under her with her father’s indictment for fraud and grand larceny. He has stolen billions from investors, and with the media all up in her business and her family shattered, Charlotte leaves it all behind and runs. She moves to New Orleans and re-establishes herself as Charlie Stone, changing her appearance and covering herself in tattoos to help her hide and forget about her past. She works two jobs – one in a tattoo studio and a one in a small clothing boutique, and lives a quiet life, keeping to herself with only a small group of friends, never revealing the truth about herself.

“The tattoos had become more than a camouflage to hide the girl I’d once been, they were a declaration that I was never going back. I could never again fit into the life I’d previously led.”

Simon Duchesne is an ex-Navy man who works for his family’s shipping business and is being groomed to follow his father into politics. Good looking, successful and effortlessly charming, he spies Charlie in the Voodoo tattoo studio and is instantly smitten. She is a breath of fresh air and completely different from the society darlings paraded in front of him by his parents, and he wants her.

Charlie is just as attracted to Simon as he is to her, but she knows a relationship with anybody is impossible with the secrets she is keeping. She figures the best she can offer him is sex, but he wants more from her than that, and the back and forth between them as they argue, banter and tease is absolutely delicious! Simon is up front and honest about what he wants, and Charlie is just as up front and honest about what she can give.

“If I fuck you tonight, are you going to throw me out on my ass as soon as we’re done and never call me again?”
I bit my lip. Damn. He should be a freaking interrogator instead of a politician. But I wasn’t going to lie to him. At least not about this. “Probably.”
His face fell and he released my chin and backed away. “Then, no.”

But he’s not willing to give up! They are both stubborn but I love that they talk about what’s happening between them, and I love that with each encounter they grow closer, and the sexual tension and attraction builds until they have no choice but to give into it – and it’s just as much emotional as it is physical.

“Don’t break my heart Charlie.”
“If I break yours mine will shatter in the process.”

I love Simon! Of course he’s spine–tingly sexy but he’s such a genuinely nice guy. He wants Charlie, he puts himself out there for her and he treats her like an absolute princess! He’s protective, supportive and gorgeously romantic, and he fights for his girl (which I love!).

“I want to know who you are beneath all of this.”

And I really enjoyed Charlie and Simon together. Their relationship is sweet, romantic, fun and oh-so hot, and it develops naturally and realistically. They are functional together, and I could feel the chemistry between them as they fell hard for each other. But how can they have a future when Charlie is hiding so much about her past – not only is she living in fear herself, but she knows her secret could destroy Simon’s future. And in the meantime, will Simon’s frustration about her refusal to open up to him ruin everything?

It’s a tense situation, but I could honestly understand and empathise with both of them and I thought it was really well done. The drama is well balanced in the story and it never felt overwhelming or unnecessary. It gives the story a great twist, and it provides a clever and plausible conflict, so there’s none of the stupid behaviour that can totally kill a book for me. These are real problems, and the characters are dealing with it in the best way they can, fighting for their future – and their future together – and I was captivated the whole way through.

“This is me telling you, without a single reservation, that I want more. A whole hell of a lot more … I want it all with you.”

This is a really strong start to a series. Charlie and Simon’s story is fun, sexy, dramatic and beautifully romantic, and I really liked the set up. There is a great bunch of side characters that I really enjoyed, and I can’t wait to read Con’s book up next.

I loved it – 4 stars.