Hayson Manning

“I love you. Love you more than I thought I could love another person.” – Harlan Franco

I'm thinking of starting a new trend for a book category. One that will be called vodka shots. You know, because you down them whole in one go? Because this book certainly went down in as single a go as possible - I unconsciously slept next to my laptop for some hours after being awake for more than a day, woke up, and kept going. I practically inhaled it!

Harlan Franco and Sophie Callaghan are show more professional rivals. The Alpha bounty hunter and the rebellious PI simply cannot exist in the same room without wanting to either kill each other, or screw like there's no tomorrow. Unfortunately for them both, Harlan's newest assignment requires him to stick close to Sophie and keep her safe. With both parties keeping their own agendas hidden and their attraction making the sexual tension between them break new records, can they overcome the many layers each of them has to give the real possibility of something more a chance? And how will they keep their head in the game when they're so focused on each other - while pretending they're not?

I seriously loved this couple soooooo much!!! It's rare for me, and you all know it. But I couldn't decide on my personal favourite between them.

On one hand, we have Sophie. An adorable, sweet woman, with honor to spare and a tough exterior to keep her poor heart safe. A heart made of gold! I don't think there are many people out there, no matter how kind and honorable, that would do what she was doing. You don't find heroines like her around these days, folks! But that doesn't mean she was insensitive. On the contrary, the woman was tying to protect herself and yet couldn't bring harm to those around her - unless they deserved it, in which case she beat the crap out of them, in the most glorious of manners. Her constant worry was to keep everyone happy, even if it tired her beyond belief. The most important part of her character, though, was how she wanted to be herself no matter what. I think it's the first time I see a heroine - who's a natural in being submissive in bed - avoid dominant men like the plague, because she knew she would succumb to their wishes and lose her own dignity. Finally, a female lead who values her own worth and hates humiliation the way ALL women should.

On the other hand, there's Harlan. Admittedly, seeing the way he treats Sophie makes you want to find a baseball bat and whack the living daylights out of him. At least when it's not his POV. And then the focus shifts, and you get to his parts. And you see his past, and his secrets, and his thoughts. And hot damn do you want him to make you his next lovey-dovey toy! Because this guy may not be as honest as he can when it comes to feelings and motivation, but he sure doesn't hold back to stating out what he thinks and wants. Seeing him in eternal war with himself over Sophie was hilarious, romantic, and delicious all in one! He accepted her as she was, even if it cost him greatly, saw how gorgeous she really was without her needing to dress up, and gradually tried to woo her, even if he did so without really realizing it. Best part of it all? Sophie wasn't his type. Nope! Not at all! Not only her appearance wasn't his usual standard, but her outspoken, tough, rebellious nature grated on his nerves. And he loved every second of it!

This book not only managed to get me hooked with all the characters and the theme going on, it also made me hungry for more! There's a part in the end where Mrs. Manning sort of apologizes for the turn of events that will put a rather unexpected couple in the spotlight in the next book. I say we'll take anything she wants to give and beg for a second helping. As long as we get to see more of that story-telling and universe of hers, we're good to go!

***I was given an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinion stated in this review is solely mine, and no compensation was given or taken to alter it.*** show less

A cute and quirky contemporary romance!

I loved Georgia and Callum's meet cute (having just taught Mini Moe #2 to parallel park, I shudder to think about trying to do the same on the other side of the road...) and that there's not one, but two adorable pets here; Hello Kitty (a cat, natch) and Delilah (a goat! I never thought I'd be such a goat fan, but OMG she was awesome). Their nicknames for each other were on the strange side (I get the reasoning, but "Corporate" and "Sofa"?) but their show more banter was cute and their chemistry solid, even though their relationship was a bit insta-y ("Ten Days" after all. It's built right in there). Ms Manning did a good job of making us see both of their sides in the main argument, though I had a tendency to side more on Callum's side their eventual resolution was a good one and led to a sweet ending.

Georgia's reason for not staying in Scotland/with Callum was a bit aggravating--sure he's perfect, this place is perfect, I'm feeling the "L" word, but in a year I'll probably be bored and want to leave because that's what I do--it went on for longer than it felt like it should and did have me rolling my eyes a bit. Fortunately, both Callum and I managed to stick it out anyway and a cute HEA for everyone was our reward.

Looking forward to the next book in the series--I wonder where Ms Manning will take us next? :)

Rating: 4 stars / B

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. show less

Great debut book. I honestly didn’t want to put it down.

Rory Hughes changed from being a wonderful husband, who was a down to earth construction worker to running his own business where he became obsessed with making money. He was never home anymore and became known as the do anything to get ahead Ice King in the corporate world. When this happened, his wife Zoe walked away from the marriage and landed on the tiny island of Tonga running a Honeymoon Resort.

It’s a year later and a show more popular magazine wants to do a big spread on the Resort with the main focus being her own happy marriage. See the problem here?? Zoe decides to bite the bullet and call Rory and ask him if he will come to the island for a couple of days to pretend to be her wonderful husband for an interview and photo shoot. Rory who never understood why Zoe left in the first place agrees to the 2 days because he needs the positive PR and his egotistical butt thinks he is going to tell Zoe enough’s enough come home and she will. HA

Their time on the island was a great blend of showing us that deep down they did still love each other but it also showed why Zoe left and unfortunately Rory hasn’t changed. The internal struggle they both go through was both heart breaking and frustrating. Rory needed a two by four upside his sexy head a time or two. All of this plays out in a beautiful setting along with some suspense from a few hurricanes and nasty character on the island. show less

This was just okay for me. I enjoyed it for a little while, and then Georgia's pushiness really started to grate on me. I get that she's supposed to be awesome at her job, but when someone is telling you straight up "no", take the hint. Or maybe after the third and fourth time, listen. It wasn't being tenacious, it was being completely inconsiderate. I did like the details and settings of the Scottish town. It made me feel like I was part of it. Although this was a smash hit for me, I would show more give this author another read.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book. show less