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Review

3 stars

This is a short novella that is a pre-cursor to Hanleigh Bradley’s upcoming release, Entangled Intimacy. It’s the start of the story between two characters that (to my understanding) were introduced in Bradley’s Rules series (as the respective best friends of the hero and heroine), so beware spoilers for that one before diving into this book.

Tallulah has just left University in Brighton to return home to London. She hasn’t shared with her friends or family why she left, and on the outside she’s trying hard to be the bright and bubbly girl that she always has been, but in reality she has run away from a traumatic experience which has left her completely shattered. The only place where she can find peace is at a local restaurant, where she indulges in her love of drawing and in the feeling of electricity she gets every time one particular man walks in the room.

Jarrod is the owner of Thorpe’s restaurant. He flagged Tallulah the first time she walked into his building, and he watches her every day. When they are ‘officially’ introduced by mutual friends (Aurora and Landon from Broken Rules), it allows them the chance to finally talk to each other, and a slow and tentative friendship begins to develop – one that is simmering with the electricity of their attraction to each other.

I want her but I want all of her, not just one night or a couple of hours and I get the impression she might not even be offering that.

Jarrod is a sweetheart who is into commitment and long-term relationships. He doesn’t want anything fleeting with Tallulah, but he can see that she is clearly struggling with something. So he is there as a friend, gently pushing her to open up, and as they get to know each other things begin to change. But though Tallulah may reciprocate Jarrod’s feelings, she is too hurt by all that she has been through and she knows that love is the last thing she needs. But she does need Jarrod, putting them in an impossible situation.

“Promise me one thing?”
“Anything”….
“Don’t let me fall in love with you.” I’m practically begging him for my own sanity.
His face is so expressive. Right now, it is raging with anger one second and crumpled with disappointment the next. I’ve asked the one thing he doesn’t want to give me.

I really like the set up for this book. Two people with deep feelings for each other who have promised each other they won’t take it any further than friends – even though they are both feeling so much more. The reasons are legitimate and their reactions are believable, and it adds a great sense of anticipation to their story. Of course we know it’s a recipe for heartache and disaster, but it sets the scene for the angst and feels to come.

I enjoyed this book. It was my first by this author, and I thought she told the story well, but I admit I couldn’t completely connect with her writing style. There were some time skips and some continuity issues, and though the story is written in dual POV, at times it felt like I was reading an ‘alternate POV’ book (like it was a retelling of a story that has already been written in detail). There wasn’t as much depth as I was expecting, and it felt like some scenes and conversations were glossed over rather than going into the detail that I would have liked. But it’s a really sweet story, and with that cliffhanger ending, the stage is set for what could potentially be a gorgeous love story as the series continues.

3 stars.