Sebastian "Bash" Palmer and Chelsea Gardner have been friends for years but when they agree to have sex with no strings attached . . . yeah, love is in the air. ( )

I've always enjoyed Jaci Burton's work. Her writing and character development is top notch and leaves me wanting more when I finish each book. Mid way through this series, I am completely in love with theses characters and find myself wondering who will be the focus of the next book.
I would gladly recommend this book, this series and this author to anyone who enjoys the contemporary romance genre.
Happy Reading...enjoy! ( )

Good combination of friends to lovers and opposites attract. Chelsea is a high school math teacher and one of a group of friends. She's seen several of them fall in love and wants that for herself. But after years of dating guys that just don't work out, she has developed a list with her requirements for the "perfect man". If she sticks to that, surely she'll find the man that can give her the future she wants.

Bash is a member of the same group of friends. He owns the bar No Hope at All. Having been married and divorced once when he was younger, Bash has no desire to make the same mistake. He keeps his relationships strictly casual. He finds out about Chelsea's list and thinks it's ridiculous, but Chelsea is a friend so he offers to help.

Bash and Chelsea have been friends for a long time. Like her other friends, he teases her about her list, but he does introduce her to a couple guys that meet her criteria. Unfortunately for her, there's absolutely no chemistry with these "perfect" men. But there is amazing chemistry between Chelsea and Bash. They are thrown together during events for Logan and Des's wedding (Hope Ignites) and their sparks burn hotter. Bash knows that Chelsea is looking for something permanent, which isn't him, but he really wants her. Chelsea knows that Bash doesn't do commitments and he doesn't match any of her requirements, but he sure gets her motor running. She thinks that her fascination with him is interfering with her ability to connect with other men, so she proposes a quick fling to get each other out of their systems.

I enjoyed seeing their relationship develop. Bash is a really nice guy and more complex than Chelsea gives him credit for at first. She begins to see him differently when an ex-girlfriend dumps a dog on him. The closer she gets to him, the more she tries to remind herself that he doesn't match her list. But though the head agrees, the heart and body are ready to toss out the list. I really enjoyed seeing Bash basically court her, though he didn't realize that's what he was doing at first. There are some really sweet and romantic scenes between theme, as well as some really steamy ones. Each of them finally realizes their feelings, but when Chelsea speaks of hers, Bash panics and pushes her away. He knows immediately that he screwed up, but fixing the problem proves to be harder than he expected. I loved the support that Chelsea got from their friends, and ached for her pain at the split. I really enjoyed seeing how Bash had to work to get his chance to make things right. His big moment at the end was sweet and romantic.

I liked seeing more of the gang of friends. The lead up to Logan and Des's wedding was great. There were plenty of chances to see what everyone is up to. I also liked the scene with Luke and Logan's brother Reid, as they all consult about renovating an old building in the town. I'm looking forward to his story. I also loved the little dog, Lou, and how quickly she and Bash took to each other. It was pretty sweet to picture the big tough guy with the little bitty dog. ( )

Love After All

The Characters

Chelsea Gardner
Sebastian “Bash” Palmer

The Story

Bare Bones: Chelsea and Bash have known each other forever and recently an attraction has built. They both want to ignore it, after all Chelsea is on a hunt for her perfect man. Armed with her list she secures several dates but realizes no one can match the chemistry she and Bash have.

Overall a good read. I liked both of the main characters and we get to see a lot of some past characters too.

The Random Thoughts

4 Stars ( )