5 Smooches
Synopsis
A new standalone romance from #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Lauren Blakely…
At first glance, stripping naked at my ex-girlfriend’s place of work might not seem like the brightest way to win her back.
But trust me on this count – she always liked me best without any clothes on. And sometimes you’ve got to play to your strengths when you’re fighting an uphill battle. As a lawyer, I know how to fight, and I’m prepared to fight hard for her. I might have let her slip through my fingers the last time, but no way will that happen twice.
***
He’s the one who got away…
The nerve of Tyler Nichols to reappear like that, stripping at my job, showing off his rock hard body that drove me wild far too many nights. That man with his knowing grin and mischievous eyes is nothing but a cocky, arrogant jerk to saunter back into my life. Except, what if he’s not a jerk . . .? He’s the one I’ve tried like hell to forget but just can’t. Maybe I’m cursed to remember him. My money is on him being the same guy he always was, but what’s the harm in giving him a week to prove he’s a new man? I won’t fall for him again.
But how do you resist the hot one…
Review
Over the last year, Lauren Blakely has skyrocketed straight to the top of my auto-buy authors list. Sometimes, I feel like I’m in a perpetual state of waiting for her next book to release, so when I get my hands on one, it’s like Christmas, my birthday and Valentine’s Day all wrapped up into one. Getting lost in the pages of one of her novels is one my favorite indulgences. It’s a treat, an absolute pleasure, and the stories Ms. Blakely writes are a perfect example of why I’m a devoted romance reader.
Stars aligning, a surprise reunion, the pieces of the past clicking into place with those of the future… oh yes, it’s safe to say that I adore the whole second-chance trope. Two lovers reconnecting and rekindling a great love that had been lost is a beautiful thing, and The Hot One was a magnificent blend of the familiarity of an old love and the excitement of a new one. I was already on the edge of my seat anticipating this book, so when I did get it, I was positively vibrating with excitement. It took tremendous restraint on my part not to just devour this story whole, but I somehow managed to slow down and enjoy the magic of a lost love being found again. The Hot One drew me right in from the start of those dual his-and-hers prologues and held me – hoping, wishing and praying – until that spectacular moment of surrender when two obviously meant-to-be lovers give in. This is something that Lauren Blakely does incredibly well, and it’s a huge reason why I’m such a big fan of her writing. Her unique ability to tease me with the build-up, stoking that fire until the anticipation explodes as the butterflies in my belly take flight at that all-or-nothing moment when everything comes breathtakingly together.
Tyler Nichols is, well, the hot one. Gorgeous, successful, sexy and an all-around good guy. He’s also a bit cocky, not arrogantly so, but in that born from confidence kind way. Used to setting his sights on a goal and doing whatever it takes to achieve it, Tyler isn’t accustomed to the taste of regret. At least he wasn’t until the day in the park when he sees her, his first love, the woman he’s never forgotten, the one he stupidly pushed away. Curiosity and a desire to clear the air may have been what initially drove him to seek her out, but it wasn’t long before it was much more than that driving him. He sees it all with her, and he wants it badly. What he didn’t realize, though, was how significant the damage was that he’d done to her long ago, and when he finally gets the full gist of it, he’s left choking on a heaping helping of regret and remorse. He is consumed with the need to fix it, to right the wrongs that he did to her, but more than that, he is desperate to win her heart again. He pulls out all the stops to do just that, and his efforts did not go unnoticed. Let’s just say that I swooned right along with Delaney as he bared himself in his quest to make her his again.
Delaney Stewart met the love of her life in college, where they spent their days pursuing their educations and their nights getting lost in each other. At that time, her path was clear – law school and building a life with Tyler. But everything changed very suddenly for her, and in the wake of that tumultuous time, she made substantial changes to her life plan. Now, eight years later, her life looks nothing like the one that they had mapped out together all those years ago. She’s happy, though, and she has her best friends and a business she’s very proud of and that fulfills her. She’s moved on (mostly) from Tyler Nichols, even though her dating life doesn’t quite tell that story. He may have been the one with all the words in their past, but it’s Delaney who leaves Tyler speechless in the present. Yet even with her walls up higher than the great one in China, she still can’t resist the pull to him. His efforts, his honesty and his vulnerability show her he’s a changed man, and now she just needs to figure out if she can trust that and build a new version of the life that they planned together in college.
I’ve always been the girl who rooted for the underdog, so it’s no surprise that I’m a sucker for a second-chance romance, and Lauren Blakely’s The Hot One is precisely what I hope for when I crack one open. Her words kept me eagerly tapping my Kindle as I squealed, sighed and soared through this couple’s heart-healing story. I loved every single thing about this exceptionally well-executed reunion. My heart raced, my cheeks burned, and I smiled from start-to-finish as I devoured this deliciously dirty do-over. The Hot One by Lauren Blakely gets five smooches from me!
~ Danielle Palumbo
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