Title: Some Sort of Love
Series: Happy Crazy Love #3
Author: Melanie Harlow
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: February 9, 2016
Blurb
On the surface, I have it all—a career I adore, a loving family, the Nixon metabolism but not the Nixon ears, and a salary that supports my lavish taste in designer shoes, fine wine, and lacy lingerie…but I have no one to share it with.
Until the day I run into him—my one night stand from college with the cocky smile, let’s-get-out-of-here eyes, and dirty, dirty mouth.
Levi Brooks is six feet four inches of hot bearded fantasy. A sexy single dad with broad shoulders, strong hands, and a fantastically big…heart. (I mean, it’s massive. And generous. And it pumps so hard… um. Sorry. Lost my place.)
But he lives for his son, and he's keeping me at a distance because he thinks I deserve someone better—a man who can give me more time, more attention, more of himself. He doesn’t believe he could ever be enough.
But he's wrong.
He’s everything.
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A Review by Wendy
4.5 How to End a Series Perfectly
* * * * 1/2
Melanie Harlow caused wonderful moments for me while reading this series. She created imperfect people who together made relationships which worked for them. She made me feel happy, connected and like watching these couples come together. Each of these installments were more than just sexy reads; they had depth, understanding of what it takes to love someone and how you need to accept them for who they are. That no one is perfect...but together with your person... you can have close to perfect moments.
In this story of the oldest Nixon sister, Jillian, we catch up with her as she prepares to deal with the dreaded drilling of family and friends about her personal life at the wedding of one of her sisters. Forget she is an accomplished pediatrician; self supporting and financial stable. Overlook she is beautiful, well rounded emotionally and has a charming personality. Nope, the only thing these people will be interested in is when is she getting married...when is she finding "her man" because she isn't getting any younger and at 30... the clock is ticking- tick tock.
She is handling things so far with polite nods and ok's; she is trying to just observe for a moment all of the wonder and activity of this beautiful event. Both of her sisters have found their one. Both are in bliss with passion and understanding looks from their guys.
Can it really happen that way...and when will it happen for her...Damn, she doesn't want to be jealous or envious... she is overjoyed for her sisters. It is just how in the hell is she supposed to find her guy; she works crazy hours- loving it yes, but still long hours. She has no patience for idiots and doesn't feel she is too picky... so where is she supposed to find her guy...
As she is out maneuvering another Aunt telling her to open her horizons, she turns to get another needed drink and slams into a wall of MAN. Once she is able to get her bearings, she looks up only to see it is Levi....PINE SOL!!!!
Ok, this needs explaining...you see in college at 19, she met Levi at some bar with another group of friends. She wasn't scouting for a hook up, she was in a Harry Potter TShirt, for God's sake. But the two of them chatted, then flirted and then had the best utility closet sex ever! The scent of PineSol was in the air and the dirty words Levi whispered to the back of her neck were things that caused both of them to never forget. Seeing him here was a bit shocking but not unwelcome.
As they both start to talk... do that get reacquainted thing...he learns of her profession, she learns he is an architect and worked with a soon to be brother in law. She also learns of him being a single parent to an autistic son. They both continue to chat with more and more sparks flying and although Levi is called away from the party, he makes time to ask Jillian if he could get her number to follow up...and then they connect on a more personal way... because both of them cannot stop themselves...
They Kiss...with lips and then tongues and then with his desire hard up against her as he pulls her close... so close...He pulls away, they say good-bye...but their thoughts of each other linger on...
It is later that night, both are thinking of what was in that closet oh those years ago and what just happened...Levi texts Jillian. They start off a bit flirty, then more, then much-much-more and then a very, very hot sexting finishes off their "talk".
This story takes you on a journey which could be real. People have responsibilities, are single parents. And with being a single parent, there are real scars which can color how you see yourself. How you think you need to be. How you may not think you will be able to have any other relationship except the one with the child you love and care for. Because you need to be the best parent possible.
Levi has all of that as well as other conditions to handle. His Scotty is loving and also needing a routine. Any change cause problems. At 8, Scotty is having to adjust to new kids at school, teachers who are having difficulty making accommodations for him and any other thing which may come up. Levi caries a lot of guilt and is sensitive to the comments from his family. They mean no harm but they didn't raise an autistic son... Levi and Scotty have their own way of coping...but it not all that user-friendly to change....Will Levi be able to make the changes needed for Jillian to be part of his life...and how much will that part be...
This book had just the right tone of seriousness with an overlap of sexy, sexy times, talk and just the bliss of being in love. Gah... to have a man like Levi interested in you...let me tell you...If you can find someone half as "talented ah,hmmmm" as Levi...You will be a very happy camper.
And Jillian... so proud of you. She handle the situation exactly as needed and it all paid off big time.
Melanie Harlow was at the top of her game with this book and series. In my opinion she had it all right...all the family bonds, the couples and the sensual times. It is a series which will delight.
Excerpt
“So.” I glanced out the windows to the patio. “You want to go back out there?”
“Not really,” she said.
“You want to get out of here?”
She grinned. “Yeah. I do.”
I watched her rush up the stairs to get her things, and as soon as she was out of sight, I adjusted myself in my pants. My dick had jumped to life the second she said yeah, I do, as if the question had been you want to get naked and fuck? rather than something much less suggestive. Not that I didn’t want to get naked and fuck—hopefully I’d last a little longer than I had in the broom closet eleven years ago—but I didn’t want to make her feel like that’s what I expected. She wasn’t a horny nineteen-year-old college student anymore; she was a doctor, for fuck’s sake. She was beautiful and smart and mature and sophisticated, and a woman like her did not want some Neanderthal who probably needed a haircut and a new pair of shoes to throw her up against a wall for a five-minute fuck.
A woman like that deserved attention all night long. She deserved someone who would undress her slowly and delight in each new inch of her skin as it was revealed. Someone who would run his hands all over her body and find out where she liked to be touched, how she liked to be touched, what she wanted to hear whispered to her in the dark. Someone who would wrap those gloriously long legs around his neck and use his tongue until she begged for his cock, then use his cock until she begged for mercy.
Fuck. I could be that guy.
Except I couldn’t be. Not tonight. Because I wasn’t a horny college student anymore either—I was just a horny single dad who didn’t have the luxury of taking a woman home and lavishing all my time and attention on her the way I wanted to.
As soon as I had the thought, I felt guilty. Scotty was the love of my life and always would be, and whenever I felt the slightest bit resentful about something I couldn’t do because of him, that resentment was immediately crushed by shame. He didn’t ask to be born wired differently, into a terrible relationship, to a mother who would decide she couldn’t handle being a parent, to a father who wasn’t prepared for any of it. He was completely innocent, and he needed me to be a better man.
Running a hand through my hair, I exhaled and wondered if I should ask Jillian for a raincheck on a night when Scotty’s usual sitter could be there. If he woke up again and I wasn’t home yet, he might never get back to sleep. We’d be up all night, tomorrow would be miserable, and the whole start to the week would be off.
But she was so beautiful. And I hadn’t been this attracted to someone in so long.
“Fuck,” I muttered, checking my watch. What was the right thing to do? If she were a different sort of woman, if her brother-in-law weren’t my friend and client, if we lived three states apart…if any number of circumstances were changed, I’d grab her hand, drag her out to my car, and spend the next thirty minutes fucking her brains out in the back seat. It would feel so good to take control that way, to lose control that way, to release some of this fucking tension. But was that fair to her?
My phone buzzed in my pocket.
“Hello?”
“He’s up again.” Monica’s voice was strained, and in the background I heard the familiar keening of a nighttime meltdown. My chest hurt, the way it always did when Scotty was upset.
“Shit. OK, I’m on my way. Twenty minutes, OK? Thirty at the most.”
“OK.”
“Tell him he can play on his iPad.”
“That’ll just rile him up more. He’s tired. He needs to go to sleep.”
I clenched my fist. “Just do it, OK? It will help calm him until I get there.”
As I ended the call, I heard footsteps above, and then Jillian appeared at the top of the stairs carrying a small suitcase. I watched her descend, the tightness in my chest growing. Also the tightness in my pants. “Hey.”
“Hey,” she said, her face concerned as she reached the ground and saw my expression. She set down the suitcase. “What’s up?”
Sighing, I put my phone back in my pocket. “I have to get home. Scotty woke up and he’s upset.”
“Oh.” She tried to hide it, but I saw the disappointment in her eyes.
“I’m really sorry. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”
“That’s OK. I understand.”
“Can I call you?”
“Of course.” She smiled, and her lips looked so soft and inviting, I took a step closer.
If you kiss her, it will be that much harder to leave.
I knew it was the truth, but I couldn’t help myself. One kiss. Just one. And then I’ll go. I moved even closer and took her head in my hands.
The curve of her smile deepened. “What are you doing?”
“I’m thinking about kissing you.”
“Stop thinking.”
I lowered my lips to hers and let them rest there, fully intending the kiss to be short and sweet, just a goodnight.
But I couldn’t break it off. I wanted more—I wanted to taste her. Slanting my head, I changed the angle of the kiss, teasing her mouth open with mine, slipping my tongue between her lips. A little sigh escaped her, and my dick jumped to life again.
You have to go, you have to go, you have to go.
But her hands were moving up my chest and my fingers were sliding into her soft brown hair and I could smell something sweet and citrusy on her skin and it mingled with the taste of whiskey on my tongue and oh God, I wanted my tongue everywhere on her body. I wanted make her come with it just so I could hear that little sigh again and again and again. And I wanted to feel my hands in her hair just like this while she got on her knees and took my cock between her lips, looking up at me with those big blue eyes…
Groaning, I forced myself to take my lips off her before I completely lost my senses. “God, I wish I could stay,” I said, resting my forehead against hers. “I wish a lot of things.”
“I know.” She played with my tie again. “I wish I was taking this tie off you, not straightening it.”
“What a coincidence, that’s one of my wishes too.”
She laughed and kissed me quickly. “Another time, maybe. You better go.”
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Author Bio
Melanie Harlow likes her martinis dry, her heels high, and her history with the naughty bits left in. When she's not writing or reading, she gets her kicks from TV series like VEEP, Game of Thrones, House of Cards, and Homeland. She occasionally runs three miles, but only so she can have more gin and steak.
Melanie is the author of the HAPPY CRAZY LOVE series, the FRENCHED series, and the sexy historical SPEAK EASY duet, set in the 1920s. She lifts her glass to romance readers and writers from her home near Detroit, MI, where she lives with her husband, two daughters, and pet rabbit.
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