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5 Stars / Contemporary / Review

Review: Just One Dare by Carly Phillips

Just One Dare by Carly Phillips Cover

A one night stand with no names exchanged.
Six years later, she comes face to face with her baby’s father again.

Aurora Michaels isn’t the same girl she was that spring night. No longer homeless and living in the back room of a diner where she worked, she’s now a member of the wealthy Kingston family. She has her daughter, a career and has adjusted to her new normal.

Billionaire Nick Dare is a man who takes charge. He runs the hotel arm of the family empire and his life revolves around business and travel. A quick stop at his brother’s movie premier has him doing a double take.

The woman who haunts his dreams is there. He’s been given a second chance and is determined to make the most of it.

When he learns about their daughter, Nick becomes a man on a mission. Aurora and their child are his. Even if he has to knock down Aurora’s emotional walls to prove it.

Title:Just One Dare
Author:Carly Phillips
Series:The Kingston Family (Book 5)
Dirty Dares
Pages:284
Genre(s):Contemporary
Trope(s):Second Chance Romance
Single Parent Romance
Secret Baby
Point of View:Third Person, Past Tense, Dual Viewpoints (H&h)
Location:New York, US
HEA:✔️
Release Date:19th April, 2022
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Worth the wait

Ever since Aurora appeared – then kept popping up – in earlier Carly Phillips novels, I’ve been looking forward to reading her story. Her rags to riches back story – a homeless, aged-out foster kid who suddenly finds herself part of a close-knit, rich family – is told in prior books, but it’s retold in detail in this story. So you can be a Carly Phillips virgin and still completely understand this tale. But if you have read previous books, you aren’t bogged down in detail either. So long story short – this is a standalone with it’s own HEA.

Nick and Aurora met once, years before when they were both young adults. They had an instant connection, one night together with no last names, and then lost touch. When they run across each other 6 years later, that connection flares back to life. It’s palpable and I got giddy just reading it and wondering what was to come!

Our heroine is Aurora – a single mum with a difficult childhood. She’s understandably got trust and abandonment issues but she’s managed to make a great life for herself and her daughter. She’s got high emotional walls and is smart and strong but Nick still manages to get past her defences. A strong, capable woman who isn’t afraid to tell it like it is and protects herself – I just loved her. So happy that she was getting her HEA.

“…[I] had high expectations – I’m so happy that they were not only met but exceeded.”

Nick was a force of nature. He was all in with Aurora and all in with Leah. He was gorgeous and sexy, obviously, but he was also a good man and determined to do right by his new found family. I loved that he was out of his comfort zone with Leah but always tried his best. And he was so kind, caring and understanding of Aurora and her issues – but also not above using his natural charm and their connection to win her over. Basically, he was the perfect book boyfriend.

Like I said, Nick and Aurora together have such a connection. It’s not all about sex – although that is definitely smoking. The small touches, kisses, caresses and lingering, longing looks and thoughts make things seem very real and very delicious!

I’m not usually one for kids in my romances but I loved 5 year old Leah. She was a little bit sassy and a whole lot of fun. In fact, all the secondary characters were great to hear about. There were a lot of name checks of past and future couples, as well as some cameos. It was nice to hear about couples from earlier books but even better to be teased about which family members will soon get their own stories. One of the things I really love about Carly Phillips’ books is that great connection between family. These big, quirky, crazy families are so fun to read about and wish were your own.

This was a wonderful story about a deep connection between two really deserving and likeable characters. I had been really excited for this story and had high expectations – I’m so happy that they were not only met but exceeded. Definitely another 5 star read for me and very highly recommended.

*I received this book in exchange for my honest review*

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. She loves social media and interacting with her readers. Want to keep up with Carly? Sign up for her newsletter and receive TWO FREE books at www.carlyphillips.com.

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The Kingston Family Series:

Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
Book 4
Just One Wish Carly Phillips
Book 4.5
Book 5
Book 6
Book 7
Book 7.5
Book 8
Book 9
Book 10

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