Temptation by JD Hawkins
While my blog post itself does not contain any sexual content, this book does. This is a review for a book that is meant for mature audiences, and therefore is unsuitable for minors.
This book was provided to me for free by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for also providing the press kit with the graphics and blurb.
Thoughts at a glance: *** (I liked it)
What happens when the boy you've wanted your whole life finally wants you back?
I'm used to taking what I want, being the best at what I do. During the day, I make big bucks as New York's premiere consultant. At night, I can get any girl I lay my eyes on. I thought this life was what I wanted: working hard and playing harder--with penthouse apartments, luxury cars and bottle service every weekend. After six years in the city, I know I've been living like a monster for too long. I need to get my act together. I need to find something real. I need to come home.
LA means family and a fresh start. My parents and my friends who are close enough to be siblings.
And Melina.
Melina is nerdy smart, with a challenging sense of humor and legs for miles. It's so hard to describe her...enigmatically beautiful. I’m sure there’s a word for it in French. But I know there's a naughty girl hiding behind that shy smile that I'm dying to drag out.
There was always something between us. I never forgot her laugh, never could get her off my mind. Nobody ever seemed to notice how my body would react when I was near Melina, how much more focused I became—maybe not even Melina herself. But this time it’s different.
The more time we spend together, the more I wonder if there was something there all along. After so long in the fast lane, I don't know if I can handle settling down. But seeing Melina's passion, I'm tempted beyond belief.
I have to admit it: temptation is hard to resist.
Thoughts: I have to admit, the beginning tricked me. I hadn't paid super close attention to the blurb before I read the book, and all I knew was that it was a "friends a long time ago" sort of romance, so when the beginning pages of the book introduced this bombshell former-cheerleader type of character, I was rolling my eyes and swearing not to review anything from Hawkins ever again.
But then we actually met Melina, and I was pleasantly surprised. I mean, of course, I'm sure she's still conventionally gorgeous by any stretch of the imagination, but I liked how interesting she was, and moreover, I loved the history and chemistry between her and Wyatt, the male protagonist. The specific context of their reconnection (work/business) is HILARIOUS, and I found myself equally as interested in that part of the story as I was in their romance. (Actually, MORE interested in the work circumstances than the love scenes for sure, which I found myself skimming through and felt uninspired by.)
I feel like the title and the blurb are a bit of a misnomer though--they make it sound like Wyatt can't give up other women and he's such a playboy, but the truth is that he has some deeper issues that need resolving, and those will be made pretty plain to you early on in the book. It's not that he loves women too much and has some insatiable sexual appetite; it's that he has some real emotional pain going on, and I liked how that was brought to the forefront, showing his vulnerability (because I find super alpha masculine untouchable characters highly uninteresting).
Definitely a sweet, enjoyable read!
