A Review by Wendy
5 Male POV, Friends To Lovers Win
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There is nothing better than picking up an author's book and knowing you are going to have a terrific read. When I read Lauren Blakely, I know for sure a couple of things are going to happen...
There will be men to who know how to whisper in your ear all the naughty things you need to make you feel wanted and hot....
There will be men who can then back up all those teases with the "real" deal...
There will be women who will not stand for being taken for granted or disrespected...they are complete in their careers and have a pretty strong sense of who they are...meaning they can give as good as they get...
Both characters will have personalities which work... maybe a quirk of two, maybe not... but they will have hearts and be people we would want to know...
And most of all... when the story hits just right, it is because of a terrific lead up to the event. There has been banter, joking, touching and just being together in other ways then sexual. So when the main event takes place for these two characters, everyone involved is primed for it... meaning not just the characters but the reader as well.
Big Rock is a perfect example of this type of book. From the obvious teasing cover, Spencer Holliday is presented to us in all his glory. Our minds have this image of a stud half covered with a sheet and in our mind's eye, we think we can see what he is sporting...and we are not ashamed about it as it is presented to us from the start in the first conversation Spencer has with us. He is proud of his "equipment" and proceeds to explain all that he has done with it and how well it has served the women he has been with and him.
He also breaks the mold of the usual sob story of "woo is me, never learned to care for anyone because my family is so messed up, hence my playboy ways" reasons... Nope, Spencer comes from almost a perfect family, has been educated at top schools and is a very successful business man. Oh, and he is charming, loves his family and has a best friend as a partner in their 3 bars.
Oh... did I mention his best friend/ co-owner of the bars is a woman...Yup, his best friend is Charlotte.
They met during college and have been friends through various boyfriends for her and hook ups for him. Both followed their own business path and at the right moment, became partners in starting their bar businesses. This has worked perfectly; they have movie nights, hang, bullshit and can feel free and easy with each other with never a moment of weirdness.
We even are there to see how all of this works when Spencer sees a fella start to come and hit on Charlotte when she is deep in work mode not wanting to be disturbed. Faster than the guy can get out a line, Spencer is by Charlotte's side, touching her arm and letting the guy know this woman is his fiance and isn't he, Spencer, lucky. After the guy leaves, the two of them banter a bit and then say goodnight. Easy, right... good friends and business partners.
What happens is a perfect storm; Spencer's dad is looking to sell the Jewelry Business to this conservative buyer. Spencer's reputation of being gossiped and pictured with all types of women needs to be cut back for the sale to go through. Spencer, wanting his dad to be happy, gets carried away and says something to effect of -no worries, I am engaged to Charlotte.
The next part of this perfect storm is Charlotte's ex making her life miserable...It seems he can't accept Charlotte doesn't want anything to do with him. They were about to be engaged, were buying a bigger apartment in the building they lived in and she discovered him cheating. Now that the fling is over, he wants her back and is sending annoying presents everyday making it a spectacle in the building and embarrassing her daily.
Enter Spencer needing Charlotte to agree to be his fake fiance for a week while the sale of the business goes through for his dad. Spencer wasn't able to tell his dad it is fake because then the dad would never allow it, as honesty has always been key. Charlotte hems and haws thinking this over but when the idiot ex approaches her while Spencer is there...she makes that turning point decision and the fake fiance is on.
All of this is in Spencer's POV. The charm, sexiness and just plain enjoyable guy is there throughout. We are there to see and anticipate all of the changes we know are going to happen. This couple is hot, tender and sexy. It doesn't matter this is a tried and true story-line...It all flows together and we become interested in all of it... to the very end.
Lauren Blakely has a huge hit on her hands with Big Rock...and she knows it... with a cover and even smartly formatted title... How could she not?
If you want to have some manly thoughts and fun with a love story you will adore, Big Rock is for you.
A gifted copy was provided by author/publisher for an honest review.
Lauren Blakely writes
sexy contemporary romance novels with heat, heart, and humor, and she
has had eight books on the New York Times Bestseller list and sixteen on
the USA Today Bestseller list. Like the heroine in her novel, FAR TOO
TEMPTING, she thinks life should be filled with family, laughter, and
the kind of love that love songs promise. Lauren lives in California
with her husband, children, and dogs. She loves hearing from readers!
Her bestselling series include Sinful Nights, Seductive Nights, No
Regrets, Caught Up in Love, and Fighting Fire. She recently released
SWEET SINFUL NIGHTS, the first novel in her new sexy romance series
Sinful Nights that became an instant New York Times Bestseller.
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