ONCE UPON A SURE THING
(Heartbreakers, #2)

by Lauren Blakely

 

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*The Heartbreakers Series is narrated by Sebastian York and Andi Arndt!*

 

 

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Burb

It’s so easy being best friends with a gorgeous, talented, charming guy.

Said no woman ever. Except me.

My friendship with Miller is a sure thing — he’s my plus one, my emergency contact, and my shoulder to lean on. He’s also been by my side helping me raise one helluva awesome kid who’s the center of my world.

Nothing will change our easy breezy friendship. Until I have the bright idea to convince him to start a new band with me.

Trouble is, our sizzling chemistry in the recording studio is getting harder to ignore, no matter how risky it might be.

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Sing sexy songs with the woman you’ve been lusting after? Get up close and personal as you croon to the woman you’ve wanted for years?

Piece of cake.
NOT.

Performing with the sweet, sassy and insanely wonderful Ally is like one gigantic obstacle course of challenges for my libido. And my libido is one sexy love song away from kissing her senseless and taking her home.

But, I’m not a serious kind of guy, and she’s not a one-night-stand kind of woman. If we cross the horizontal line, we might risk our sure thing and end up out of tune forever…

Find Once Upon a Sure Thing on GOODREADS 

 

 

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Review

4 “Hashtag ZimmerHart” stars!

Friends-to-lovers is one of my all-time favorite romance tropes so I was very eager to get my hands on Once Upon a Sure Thing, the second book in the Heartbreakers series.  Flirty, fun, sexy, and full of heart, it did not disappoint.

Ally is a narrator of young adult audiobooks but she longs to sing again. She used to sing with her brother on YouTube but their duo dissolved now that her brother is moving away. She has custody of her late sister’s daughter and actively searches for gigs that will pay the bills.

Years ago, Miller and his two brothers, Miles and Campbell, were part of the chart topping band, The Heartbreakers. Sexy as sin, everyone loved them. However, when the band dissolves so Campbell can raise his daughter, Miller find himself in a funk and missing the thrill of being in a band, especially since his most recent band broke up as well. Miller longs to sing again and this time he needs to change things up.

“Chances are I’ll be seen as a Heartbreaker,” I say, taking a beat. “Unless I do something different. Radically different.”
“Shave your eyebrows and mime the songs?”
“No, smart aleck.” I pause for dramatic effect, sweeping my hand out wide, like I’m lighting up a marquee. “Picture this: Miller Hart and Female Singer To Be Determined. It’s time for me to sing with a woman.”

Miller met Ally six years earlier and though sparks flew, he found himself friend zoned. They have been best friends ever since and are an integral part of each other’s lives. He would love to sing with Ally but he has no desire to ruin their friendship because she means too much to him.

Singing with your best friend seems like a surefire way to torpedo a relationship. I’ve been there, done that, and have a truckload of medals to prove it. If there’s one woman I want to keep in my life, it’s Ally.

The fact that his rock and roll sound doesn’t mesh with her church choir voice adds another con to the list of reasons why he shouldn’t sing with her; however, when Ally proves she can bring a sexy voice to the table, things get complicated.

This book is so much fun!! Miller is a sweetheart and a total flirt, and I couldn’t help but fall for his charm. He seems so carefree but I understood his longing to make music. He hides his pain and sadness well but he feels it deeply and in turn I felt it too.

I loved Ally. Her life took a major turn when her sister died, leaving Chloe in her care but Ally loves fiercely and would do anything for her. She has a ton of bills and I felt her anxiety about affording everything Chloe needs but Ally is determined and refuses to give up. Knowing she could have a shot at singing again, she goes out on a limb and tries something new even if it may shake her friendship with Miller.

When Ally shows up for the audition, Miller sees a whole different side to her and it messes with his head in a delicious way. The attraction he felt to Ally never disappeared despite being just friends and now it’s back in the forefront after years of him tamping it down. That spark that formed years ago ignites when they sing together, and when they add a few “benefits” to their friendship, things get hot, and I loved it!

What if we could be a mash-up—friends and lovers? There’s only one way to find out.

Everyone else saw how amazing Miller and Ally could be and they were right! I loved them together. From the solid friendship and witty banter to the off the charts sexual tension and electric chemistry, this sexy duo was on fire. I loved the connection they share when the sing together and it was easy to get wrapped up in the feelings that developed while they still maintained the friendship I adored. The emotion was real and relatable and I loved seeing their relationship grow into more so much more.

Maybe I was never just friends with her. Maybe I’ve always been racing to this…racing toward her.

Of course there are always complications and challenges, and Ally and Miller have to make up their minds about what they truly want. I enjoyed the journey to their happily ever after even if it took them a little while to see things clearly. The ending was perfect and the epilogues left a smile on my face long after I turned the last page!

I have to add that I love the kids in this series and the important parts they play. From Kyle and Samantha in Once Upon a Real Good Time to Chloe and Jackson in this book, I loved the added depth they bring to each story, and I am looking forward to getting to know Miles’ son, Ben, in Once Upon a Wild Fling.

*ARC generously provided by the author and Inkslinger PR in exchange for an honest review*

 

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Excerpt

~Miller~

She sings like a sinner. She sings like an angel. She sounds like whiskey and sugar. I’ve only ever known her for her church-bell voice, but now she’s a glorious mix of dirty and sweet, and I never knew she had it in her.

But I can’t marinate in this change-up. It’s showtime for me.

Grabbing the mic, I dive into my first line as I gaze into those blue eyes of my friend. Only I have to think of her as Honey, so I sing to the new woman about how I can’t do without her, how I need her now.

Something is in the air between us when we sing, something charged. Something that hasn’t been there before. Stage chemistry.

I move closer as if I’m drawn by the pull of gravity that I have no control over. We lock eyes and everyone else fades away. I’m still in shock that I’m loving singing a song with my best friend.

That’s what terrifies me. Especially since we sound good together, and we move well together.

Maybe we even look good together, as we belt out this hot-as-fuck duet, and for the first time we’re not butchering a holiday tune or destroying “Total Eclipse of the Heart” at karaoke. As she moves closer to me, we sing the final chorus like it’s going out of style, and when the music softens, I can’t resist. I finger a strand of her blonde wig, the coconut scent from her lotion floating into my nose.

Reluctantly, I let the hair fall.

Clapping rings loud in my ears.

Jackson, Miles, and Campbell give a standing O. Jackson holds up his phone, pointing to it, letting me know he caught it on video.

“Chemistry,” the guys all shout, practically in unison.

But I’m not supposed to have chemistry with my best friend.

That’s the problem.

“What the hell just happened here?” I whisper to Ally, befuddled.

Her mouth opens, and her eyes go wide, and she blurts out, “I have an appointment. I need to go.”

She takes off, leaving in her wake a trail of chemistry and coconut and confusion.

 

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The Heartbreakers Series

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About the Author

A #1 New York Times Bestselling author, and #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling author, Lauren Blakely is known for her contemporary romance style that’s hot, sweet and sexy. She lives in California with her family and has plotted entire novels while walking her dogs. With fourteen New York Times bestsellers, her titles have appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestseller Lists more than 100 times, and she’s sold more than 2.5 million books. In September she’ll release ONCE UPON A SURE THING, a sexy best-friends-to-lovers romance.

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