Friction by Emily Snow

A Review by Wendy

3.5 Crossing Paths Again Stars
* * * 1/2

Spoiler Free

Life has a way of seeming to smack you down...only to give you opportunities to grow, discover and find yourself through these trials...At least that is what I tell myself....In Friction by Emily Snow, she seems to believe the same way.

This book has all the elements that are hot right now in Romance...

Forbidden Romance with the Boss
Past History Between the Two Main Characters
A Sort of Slow Burn Leading Up to Crossing that Forbidden Line
And, Naughty, Naughty talk...

We have Jace and Lucy; both were in high school together. She was an overachiever and made no excuses for it. Jace came into her school, all Rebel without a Cause cool... playing off how he didn't care about anything Cool. They would butt heads on classwork and she would hide her interest in him. She really hit him where it hurt at graduation when she pegged him as never completing or accomplishing anything for his future...

Well, we meet this woman at her lowest point...She had a very successful marketing career and unfortunately left one company to open another company with her boyfriend then husband. She invested and devoted all of her talents to this company, making it a success... only to find out the entire company knew the husband was cheating on her and with whom. To make matters worse, the ex husband is holding a contract over Lucy's head, insisting she continue to work with him and his cheater, and threatening to sue her if she doesn't. He has been blackballing her in their business circles making employment in San Francisco impossible. This causes Lucy to packs up and move in with her mother...

Great...

After going to numerous employment agencies, interviews and receiving the same outcomes... Lucy turns to Craig's List. Yes, she is desperate and is willing to see what she can get...There is a listing for a marketing position with a salary close to what she would need...It doesn't say a thing about the company or what they do... Lucy figures What the Hell and submits her resume.

She gets a call and an interview is arranged...She looks high and low and cannot find out anything about the company on the Net...no Social Media, no website...Nothing. As she enters the warehouse location and introduces herself to the receptionist... she still has no clue as to what the company does.

Lucy is directed to the back where she will meet the company's owner and Damn if it isn't Jace...
Only this Jace has filled out, looking strong, in charge and no Slacking anywhere...

Lucy wants the floor to open up and swallow her whole...This is so not what she needs...Only Jace is not exactly being a total sh#t to her...just a bit. The sparks from his looks at her and her reaction to seeing him...cause this interest between them...and both know it could be dangerous... very dangerous in deed...

Jace sees the one woman who was the cause of change in his life...with all of Lucy's taunts, corrections and just plan nagging...She was the reason Jace was driven to show he could achieve whatever he set out to do...It was her words which pushed him forward...and here he was now... a successful businessman, crafting his products and doing it his own way.

But now there is a huge problem...because Jace has sworn never to mix personal with business again...It didn't turn out well and he will not jeopardize what he has built... Yet Lucy's talents are what his business needs...Jace wants to take the business to the next level...only working with Lucy can't happen because he is so attracted to her...What to do...

Well, Jace decides to man up, hire Lucy and not cross any line...Lucy is thrilled to get the job, is willing to handle the bossy, asshat side of Jace and ignore her lady bits and their reactions every time he is near.

These two did have chemistry and overall gave strong banter and fun moments. There is a lot I haven't given you... The fun in reading this tale is all of the things you will learn and experience. Buckle up because Jace is everything you could want...

This story had more than just this premise... it had a layer of back story for Jace and Lucy... their upbringing, past relationships and understanding others. Jace's life was not an easy one; he survived and became a strong, loyal man...He was creative, found his niche and was a good person.
I happened to like him even when he was difficult...

Lucy was a bit more challenging, I think. I got her pain and how she was growing... but she also made decisions at 27 which seem immature...

This story had strong secondary characters... so maybe we may see more of them...Overall it was an engaging read, with a very strong sexy guy... a woman who figured out who she was and the two of them were meant to be.

A gifted copy was provided by author/publisher for an honest review.

About Emily Snow

Emily Snow is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of the DEVOURED series (2012, 2013) and TIDAL (2012).