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Review
Funny, romantic and steamy hot with epic UST. I freaking love this book!
This is my first book by Barbie Bohrman, and apparently it follows on from her first book, Promise Me. I had no clue about that, and so obviously went into this one blind, but it reads very comfortably as a standalone, and from the moment I started, I couldn’t get enough of Julia and Alex.
Long-term colleagues (he runs a gallery, she is an event co-ordinator that frequently organises events for him), there has been a simmering tension between them for a while. But Julia’s previous relationship messed with her and has left her scared and hesitant to jump into something else new – even though she has known Alex for years, and has lusted after him for the majority of that time. They have a flirty relationship which suddenly gets stepped up when Alex decides enough is enough and makes his intentions known.
“Why don’t we cut the bullshit, shall we? …We’ve been playing this game for a very long time. And I’m all for playing games, Julia, but sooner or later, one of us is going to win.”
And thus begins some absolutely epic chemistry and sexual tension. OMG, my heart was pounding during each subsequent conversation… meeting… flirty phone call… moments up against walls… dirty phone calls… it was all fantastic, and creates an amazing build up to the inevitable.
“This isn’t finished— you and I, it’s going to happen, Julia. You can make all the excuses you like and try to convince yourself that this isn’t a good idea, but if the last five minutes are any indication, it would be the best fucking decision we’ve ever made.”
OMG, he is so right!
Julia is probably one of the funnies heroines I’ve ever read. Sassy, sarcastic, and absolutely no-nonsense.
I make no apologies for who I am. You either like it or you don’t.
Hell yes, I like it! I absolutely love it! And to top it off, she has a complete lack of filter which is both endearing and hilarious. The book is written entirely from her POV in a conversational style which I loved because her inner monologue is sensational – hilarious witty, and sarcastic and full of ‘oh my God, she just said that!’ moments that had me laughing out loud.
I have no fucking clue what he sees in her. Maybe she has a cape flying out of her crotch with a giant S on it. That, or she can suck the chrome off a trailer hitch.
Meanwhile, I’m thinking about how he grinned at me when I followed his command to sit back down. My heart skipped a beat or two, and my pulse started to race just from pleasing him. Does that make me a sub?
And holy hell, where can I get me an Alex? Confident, funny, and oh so freaking sexy, the man is pure alpha book boyfriend perfection. He knows exactly how to handle Julia, but he’s also got a sweet and charming side that is absolutely swoontastic.
Oh how I love these characters! And together they are sensational. The chemistry is zinging from their very beginning, and it only gets better as the relationship progresses because this book is hot – absolutely steamy hot. And all of that hotness blends in seamlessly with their witty banter, flirting and dirty talk, as well all of the sweet, funny little moments that had me giggling like an idiot.
And the supporting characters add to the awesome. Julia’s equally feisty, take-no-crap Cuban assistant/friend, Lisette is fantastic and has some great lines, Alex’s ditzy-ish assistant made me laugh, and Julia’s parents are absolutely freaking hilarious. I loved them!
“If he’s anything like the other guys she’s brought home to meet us, I give it another week.”
“Do you remember that one who wouldn’t drink anything all night, even with his food? I mean who doesn’t want even a little sip of water to clear their palate during a meal?”
“I remember that one,” my dad says. “How about the one who kept going to the bathroom every five minutes? He must have had a serious drug habit.”
“He didn’t have a drug habit, Dad.”
“Oh, so he had the shits then? I’m not sure that’s any better, Julia.”
But it’s not all fun and games. The sudden reappearance of Julia’s ex, as well as a constantly annoying presence in Alex’s life lead to all sorts of drama, and although the conflict is frustrating and spirals heartbreakingly out of control, it’s resolved relatively quickly and very satisfyingly to give us a happy ending – and there’s even an epilogue from Alex’s POV – WIN!.
So yep, I loved this book! It was such a fun story and one that I will definitely be reading again. I’m really keen to pick up more of Barbie’s work.
4.5 stars.
* As a side note, I listened to this as an audiobook, and the narration is absolutely superb! Kate Rudd does an amazing job at bringing Julia to life, and even after I bought the book on kindle so that I could read it in more depth and highlight my little heart out, I continued to listen to her narration as well. It was just that good.