Being a bachelor has its perks. It also has its downside. Just ask Derek Bettencourt.
Standing on stage and being auctioned off in the name of charity is awkward AF… until his business partner’s younger sister wins him for the weekend. He’s all hers to do with as she pleases and he can’t say he’s unhappy with the prospect. Especially since she saved him from an ex-fiancée determined to get her claws into him again.
Jessica Cavanaugh never intended to bid on the man she’s had a lifetime crush on. But her spur-of-the-moment decision gives her a chance to exact a bit of playful payback, for old time’s sake. And Derek is all too happy to indulge Jessica’s whims.
What starts as a fun, flirty, game, with Derek acting as her personal handyman, quickly turns into a steamy and forbidden weekend. Lines are crossed that they never intended and emotions unravel their playful facades. Afterward, he can’t get the gorgeous, full-figured woman out of his head and he’s determined to make her his.
But how can they concentrate on a future when someone is threatened by their relationship and will do anything to come between them?
| Title: | Just A Little Hookup |
| Author: | Carly Phillips & Erika Wilde |
| Series: | Dare Crossover (Book 1) |
| Pages: | 326 |
| Genre(s): | Contemporary |
| Trope(s): | Brother’s Best Friend / Best Friend’s Little Sister Close Proximity Friends to Lovers |
| Point of View: | Third Person, Past Tense, Dual Viewpoints (H&h) |
| Location: | New York, US |
| HEA: | ✔️ |
| Release Date: | 21st March, 2023 |
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A good and sexy time
A Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde collaboration? Be still my Blaze loving heart! The characters aren’t new, however, (well, not all of them) as this is the first in a new series featuring characters from Carly Phillips’ Kingston / Dirty Dare world. While this book does stand alone, some knowledge of the previous books will definitely help you sort out how how some of the minor characters fit into the world. The biggest cameos of previous characters are Nikki and Asher from Just One Taste as Derek is Nikki’s brother.
Derek is the perfect hero in more ways than one. He’s rich, handsome, kind and honest. But more than that, he’s all-in with Jessica and fits her perfectly. He’s straight-up with those he loves and with his own feelings, which I loved about him. He’s also a bit bossy in the bedroom and has a dirty mouth to boot. See? Perfect.
As a youth, Jessica lacked confidence, was bullied for her shape and didn’t embrace her curves until adulthood. So it was great to see her as a confident, self-assured woman who knew her own worth and didn’t let anyone pull her down. Sure, she still had moments of self-doubt but that just made her even more likeable. The way she teased and seduced Derek made me all but stand up and cheer!
“It hit all the right notes for me and was exactly what I was looking and hoping for.”
With a Carly Phillips novel you’re always going to get some hot sex. I think with Ms Wilde’s added input, things just get a touch naughtier. There’s a great connection, heat and emotion alongside the teasing, spanking, dirty talk and very mild daddy/power play. It hit all the right notes for me and was exactly what I was looking and hoping for.
I was about to say that it’s quite a short book – but when I went to check the actual page count, I realise it’s not particularly short at all, at 326 pages. I really rattled through it, then, that made me think it was a short story. It had all the character and couple development I needed and when the declarations came, I believed them wholeheartedly. The story moved along well and it was just a good time from beginning to end.
I do have to say that I’m not loving the cover for this particular book. I do enjoy a clinch cover and the man is hot. It’s just a shame that the female model they chose doesn’t really represent Jessica as there’s no mention made of Jessica having had plastic surgery. Buy hey ho – it didn’t affect my rating of the book just irked me some.
This was a fast-paced, sexy and happy romance that I really enjoyed from the first page to the last. It’s great to see some side characters getting their very own happily ever afters and I’m looking forward to the next in the series, the hero who just happens to be another bachelor up on the auction block.
*I received this book in exchange for my honest review*
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| Carly Phillips gives her readers alphalicious heroes to swoon for and romance to set your heart on fire, and she loves everything about writing romance. She married her college sweetheart and lives in Purchase, NY along with her three crazy dogs: two wheaten terriers and a mutant Havanese, who are featured on her Facebook and Instagram. She has raised two incredible daughters who put up with having a mom as a romance author. Carly is the author of over fifty romances, and is a NY Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestseller. | Erika Wilde is a New York Times Bestselling author. She is best known for her super sexy Marriage Diaries series and The Players Club series, and has also co-written the Dirty Sexy Series and the Book Boyfriend Series with Carly Phillips, her best friend and writing buddy for the past twenty years. She lives in Oregon with her husband and two daughters, and when she’s not writing you can find her exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest. For more information on her upcoming releases, please visit her website at www.erikawilde.com and sign up for her mailing list for updates and news! |
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The Dare Crossover Series:
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