Cute and sweet

This was such a sweet and fun read. I loved how free spirited Addison was and she proved to be strong for herself and Elijah. They had such great chemistry and I loved how they evolved from strangers to best friends to more. ( )

4.3 stars

Very cute story with great banter, fantastic characters, and just the right amount of steam. I loved the Southern feel of the story and how two distinctly different characters could be best friends and eventually lovers . ( )

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I loved this book even more when I read the author's note afterwards that said where she got the idea for the story--from a family vacation in Charleston, SC. "How I came up with my story idea" revelations are my catnip :)

Long before I got to that point, though, I was loving the heck out of Elijah and Addison's story. Their "meet cute" was fantastic--crashing her estranged cousin's wedding, Addison ends up being the groom's "Getaway Girl" when her cousin leaves him at the altar and he decides not to hang around for the pity party that's sure to follow. Right from the beginning they seem like an unlikely couple--her mother was notorious in Charleston society back in the day, and he's practically southern royalty as son of the current mayor and the most likely future one himself.

Plus, his butt has a Twitter account (@DuPontBadonk). And it's got a nice sense of humor to boot.

But right from the start they have killer chemistry--since she offers him the bottle of Gray Goose she had in her glove compartment as they make their escape, he nicknames her "Goose" (which only made me think of Anthony Edwards once or twice) and she calls him "Captain", referring to his stint in the military. Their relationship is quirky and fun as they progress from friends to best friends and unofficial roommates.

He glues snowman buttons on ornaments for her, y'all. It's freaking adorable.

Naturally they're both thinking of taking things further--especially once Addison hears about his posterior's social media presence and finally begins to appreciate the 3-D version that's frequently camped out at her tiny apartment--but they manfully resist for several chapters. Until they don't anymore. Then things turn steamy, then they turn dicey, and then they seem to fall apart--as you know they're bound to, because gosh darn it Addison's convinced that Elijah's still in love with his ex but won't talk to him about it because she's enjoying the fun little bubble they're living in in the moment. (Not to be confused with his bubblicious butt, of course.)

When the disaster finally comes I never saw it playing out in the way that it does, and spent much time seriously annoyed with Elijah. (He eventually explains his reasoning, and okay, I guess I can see his point there, but geesh...) Fortunately his finally manages to pull his head out of his pretty posterior and we get to our HEA in spectacular fashion--and one heck of a fun epilogue too. I'm squealing all over again, just thinking about it.

Definitely recommend!

Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A-

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. ( )