Buy: Kindle Ebook | Paperback

Review

4 swoony stars

What’s not to love about the dream of a celebrity falling for a ‘normal’ girl? Especially when the love story is told with lots of detail, lots of swoon, and some hot and steamy moments with the promise of lots more to come. This book is almost fairy-tale-like in its premise, and yes, parts of it are quite sappy, but there are some darker elements revealed, and it’s a fast-paced and engaging read.

23 year old Natalie is relatively new to New York City. She has moved to the big city from Nebraska on a teaching contract, and is happily soaking up the life that she has dreamed of and worked so hard for. Life takes a swift shift for her one day when she is chasing her dog through the park and literally runs into a man in the park, and that man turns out to be none other than Flynn Godfrey – the hottest movie star on the planet.

Immediately intrigued by the mortified young woman, Flynn asks her out for coffee, and discovers not only do they have an easy rapport, but she is sweet and genuine, which when combined with his immediate attraction to her, means that he wants to get to know her. Natalie is just as drawn to Flynn but, stunned and disbelieving that the gorgeous actor is interested in her, but immediately goes on the defensive, telling him that she won’t sleep with him.

“I’m sorry. That was rude. You weren’t asking me to go to bed with you.”
“No, I wasn’t.” I smile at her flustered state. “Not yet, anyway. I thought we could begin with dinner and go from there.”
“As long as ‘going from there’ doesn’t involve a bedroom, I’d consider having dinner with you.”
I’m far more relieved than I should be to know I’ll get to see her again. “I promise there’ll be no mention of bedrooms.”
“Or sofas or backseats or any other horizontal surfaces.”
“You forgot walls, stairwells and shower stalls. I do some of my best work vertically.”

Natalie has survived a trauma that has left her changed, and it’s a secret that she guards fiercely. It has also left her completely distrustful of men, and she has sworn off sex until she finds the man she wants to marry. Given what she knows about Flynn from the tabloids, and his well-publicised love of women, she is wary, but he is an absolute gentleman and despite her fears, she can’t pass up the opportunity to spend time with the first man to ever make her heart race, so she agrees.

And so begins an epic courtship which leads into a whirlwind romance. Things between Natalie and Flynn are intense from the very beginning, and this is a very fast-developing relationship (not quite insta-love, but the whole book takes place in about a week and a half), but hey, it’s fiction. Every now and again you just need a great fluff read. This is it.

Natalie is a great heroine. Yes, she has some issues, but she is strong and confident in who she is, and she is brave enough to follow her heart and embrace all that Flynn means to her. And Flynn is just incredible! He may be a hot, Hollywood commodity, but he takes his celebrity in his stride and does his best to have a normal life, and he wants Natalie to be a part of that. He is open with her about the way he feels, and where he wants things to go between them, and he is gentle, patient and unendingly understanding with Natalie, willing to wait for her to be completely ready to move things forward between them. He’s hot, he’s sexy, and he’s infinitely swoony…

“I hope someday you and I will have a lot of sex. I hope someday you and I will start and end each day wrapped in each other’s arms. I hope maybe someday, you’ll be able to do whatever you want with me any time you want to do it and know that you’ll always be welcome and safe in my arms, in my bed, in my life. And because I know when all that happens it’ll be extraordinary, to say the least, I’m willing to wait. For as long as it takes, I’ll wait. I’ll wait for you.”

But Flynn has a secret too – he’s a sexual dominant. Heavily into BDSM, he even owns a kink club with his closest friends. But with all that Natalie has been through, how can she ever understand his needs, let alone become a part of that with him?

This is a really quick read, and I really enjoyed it. The story moves quickly, with not much happening besides the swoony romance, and there are a lot of sweet moments between the couple as they get to know each other and we watch them fall in love. The most notable thing about these two are that they are so freaking functional! There is no stupid, no frustration, and no angst, just two people who want each other, communicate well, and hold nothing back. And they make it work. And I have to respect the author for writing a story without throwing in unnecessary conflict. This is the coming together of two people, both dealing with issues (hers from the past, his from the present), and it’s beautifully done.

“We’re going to figure this out together. One day at a time, one step at a time. Whatever you need, whenever you need it. I’m in this so deep, Nat… Please don’t leave me. Don’t walk away. Give me a chance. Give yourself a chance. If anyone deserves to be happy and loved, it’s you.”

The book ends on a bit of a cliffy, but nothing that will leave you worrying about them as a couple. And with the two of them strong together, but having some major issues to face, I’m really looking forward to seeing where the story goes from here.

4 stars.