Thoroughly enjoyed this one! But remember it's only part of the story! definite cliffhanger. This is a fun steamy read with lots of laughs and a few tears. Highly recommended read. ( )

When your friends aren't enough any more to get you through the days, much less the night, you search for Mr. Right. Well, sort of. Of course, if Mr. Right happens to show up in your office when you are half dressed, well that could set things in motion a little quicker. That's how Natalie and Colin meet and how they become lovers. Natalie is unsure of this new relationship and wants to take things slowly, and Colin wants whatever Natalie wants. The two are happy until Colin's past begins to resurface and put a wedge in their relationship. ( )

This one fell flat for me. Didn't really like the characters, their banter or even the story that much. Wording and scenes were really odd at times too and made it read awkward. Warning - no ending for this one either. *rolling my eyes* Who wants to purchase book 2 when you don't really like book 1.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. ( )

I would like to thank the author for the chance to read this book in exchange for a review. Although I received the book for free that in no way influenced this review.

Would you take another shot at love? Or just settle on a friend with benefits?

THEIR HEARTBREAKING PAST WILL MOVE YOU. THEIR PASSION WILL MAKE YOU BLUSH. THEIR ANTICS WILL MAKE YOU LAUGH OUT LOUD.

Twenty-five-year-old Natalie Davenport lugs substantial baggage. One boyfriend after the next has been a total disaster, leaving Natalie distrustful toward the male population in general. So when Colin Hampton crosses her path, she’s cautious. Her heart (and some other body parts!) nudges her to go for it, while her head wants her to run for the hills.

Colin is one of those gorgeous guys who attract women, no matter the age or marital status. With a successful career at a popular Seattle radio station, hard body, and charming personality, he is the complete package. But something dark lurks in the corners of his soul; some murky experience that has changed him—maybe for the better, but maybe for the worse.

Will he steal her heart and stomp over it like other guys did?

Will she let him into her heavily fortified world despite herself?

Or will they settle somewhere in the middle—establishing the emotional boundaries to protect them from falling in love?

****************************************************************
This contemporary romantic comedy blends humor, sensuality, and angst, with zany characters and witty dialogue.

***Warning: contains sexual situations (some quite vivid!), profanity, and a high dose of sarcasm. Oh, and there is a lot of appletini and beer drinking.
May not be appropriate for readers under 18 years old. Not intended for prudes and killjoys with no sense of humor***

THE SERIES:
The Almost Bad Boys series are the stories of four feisty twenty-something women who refuse to let their past drag them down.

This book certainly starts out like a Seattle version of Sex in the City, with minor differences - names, jobs, appearances. But it is also so similar at times that for me it felt a bit like a clichéd caricature. Luckily the feature romance helps resolve that feature of the storyline, since once they begin to date Natalie spends all her time with Colin, thus pulling the reader away from the whole SITC theme.

Natalie and Ali co-own an executive dating company for the busy executive who isn't willing to do the bar scene or generic dating company. Instead they use a very exclusive firm, and the girls are good together. Natalie is a tiny size four, but very busty, while Ali is more like a size 14 but so sure of her sexual appeal that she never has to spend a night alone unless she wants to.

Then there is Jena, the friend we see the least. She has a boyfriend for the duration, and therefore is out of the picture more often than not. Lastly is Caroline. I think maybe Caroline is the one that puts me on the track of Sex in the City - though there is more than a fair amount of gratuitous sexual references and scenes. For Caroline is thin and very flat-chested, to the point where she has researched having implants and is totally prepared to go through with it, causing the girls to get together for an emergency intervention. And the whole time they are trying to talk her out of it part of me is thinking, you have no idea how she feels - you all need to wear bras. In a world where the female figure is defined one way, lacking what is deemed to be an essential part of the package could easily be damaging to a person's self-esteem. It actually made me wonder about something - they were all so against her getting implants, and I get that, I really do. Women shouldn't ever feel that they need to surgically alter their body to feel attractive or sexy, yet we allow the magazines, TV shows, and ad agencies continue to define us as a gender. But if Caroline were exceptionally well-endowed and wanted a breast reduction would they have reacted the same way? I sincerely doubt it. Granted a reduction is not just a psychological fix, but it is still very much surgery, with all of the same risks. . .

Natalie has a terrible history with men, as does Caroline. But then Natalie gets caught in this hideously embarrassing situation at work, involving a really handsome man. A man who ends up pursuing her. Colin comes across as too good to be true, but in fact seems to be the real deal. Luckily for me, a large part of the book is about their developing relationship. Natalie has to confront her fear that he isn't what he seems, that she'll end up falling for another jerk and wound up hurt, again. She has her good days and bad days as far as letting go of her old self-doubts. Happily things move along nicely, with each date making her trust him, and their budding relationship, that much more. Everything is turning up roses, until one fateful day. The day a mystery woman from his past sends him into a slow tailspin. From that point on he begins to slowly withdraw from Natalie. He does offer an explanation as to why seeing the other woman shook him so badly, but refuses to open up any more, until things come to a head one night - leaving the readers balancing on the edge of a cliff right along with Natalie and Colin. ( )