Series: Love by Design #3Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Atria
Publication Date: 9/9/14
Format: eARC
Pages: 272
Source: Publisher
Rating: 5 stars
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You’ve met Ben Shaw. Now meet Braydon Kincaid, the devil-may-care male model who nearly stole the show in Working It by New York Times bestselling author Kendall Ryan.
As one of the world’s most sought-after male models, Braydon is no stranger to the finer pleasures in life. The last thing he wants to do is limit himself, especially when it comes to women. His best friend, Ben, might’ve settled down, but Braydon doesn’t want to waste his youth on the messy complications of commitment. He wants fun. He wants easy.
Ellie isn’t looking for a casual relationship, but her tough and sassy personality instantly attracts Braydon, who proposes a “friends with benefits” arrangement. Unable to resist the powerful pull of the charming bad boy, Ellie eventually relents, though she longs for all-consuming love.
As the two spend more time together, Ellie soon realizes that Braydon’s posing skills extend off the runway. His carefully crafted façade masks a secret hurt that he’s reluctant to share with Ellie, even as they embark on a passionate affair that sends them hurtling toward a fate neither expected. Can Ellie risk her heart while she waits for Braydon to let her in, or will she be forced to demand all or nothing?
Jessica's Review
“Don’t make me fall for you…”
“I won’t bite, kitten. Unless you
want it rough.”
Oh
Braydon, Braydon, Braydon!
How do I
love thee, let me count the ways. And show you those ways too. *snicker ,
snicker*
I have
been waiting, ever so patiently, to read about Braydon Kincaid’s story ever
since he graced us with his fine ass self in WORKING IT. I know I was supposed
to fall head over heels for Ben Shaw but one hot strut from Braydon (and one
UNFORGETTABLE THREESOME) and I was like “Ben who?”. Since the moment Braydon
came into the picture, there was no one else for me. And apparently, for Ellie
–our female lead AND Emmy’s best friend –as well. They had OUTRAGEOUS sexual
chemistry and their banter was off the wall funny. These two were off their
rocker!
“I
could come over for a little while.”
“I
don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“I
thought this was what you wanted?”
“No
apartment, no sex.”
“Why
is that so important to you?”
“It
just is. I don’t want to fall into the same pattern with you. Where you live is
a huge fucking deal. Someone’s place says a lot about them. I don’t want to
take the next step if you’re going to keep holding back.”
“Can’t
I have just one secret?”
“Yes.
Harmless secrets, like whether or not you pee in the shower—or if you’ve ever
farted in the subway and blamed it on someone else.”
“You’re
too much. You know that? And for the record, I don’t pee in the shower.”
“Yeah
right. I thought all guys did that. It’s like a locker room thing—crossing streams
and playing swords…”
In
CRAVING HIM, we were left on an Ellie/Braydon cliffhanger. A hot romp in the
bathroom between these two sexy kids made ME wanting more (as all of you know,
I love me some hot, steamy, will-we-get caught kind of sex in bathrooms). I was
counting the days/weeks/months until ALL OR NOTHING was published. I was not
disappointed. Not. At. All. Braydon and Ellie’s story was EVERYTHING!
“You
need something, kitten?” His voice was deep and low. Too sexy for his own good.
“I’m
fine,” I squeaked out. “You good?”
“Oh, I’m fucking fantastic.”
“Careful there, kitten, or that
dessert isn’t the only thing that’ll be in your mouth.”
I
loved everything about these two characters. Braydon was not only a sexy and delectable
man, but he was also sweet, patient, loving, kind, and everything you could
want in a gentleman. He’s the guy that can melt the underwear right off your
body from just his hot kisses alone. He’s the guy that will one minute growl
and dominate you in bed and the next minute be smooth and slow and make you
scream so loud the neighbors will hear you. You feel the shiver from his look,
his touch, his ways. And let’s not forget that certain “male accessory” that he
knows how to use ALL TOO WELL. He was everything Ellie wanted and then some.
However, he was also someone that didn’t want a commitment. Or did he?
“Let me ask you something. You
feel this between us, right? This…connection? We owe it to ourselves to give in
to this. It’s not always like this, you know? This chemistry we have. And I
know you feel it, too.”
Ellie was AMAZING! She
was the whole kit and caboodle. I loved her so, so much. This is odd for me
because there is always something wrong, in my opinion, with the female lead of
the book. Not in this case. Ellie felt real to me. I felt her anxiety and pain
because they felt very much like my own. I think sometimes, as a single woman,
you kid yourself in saying “I don’t need no stinkin’ man” or “I’m A-Okay just
the way things are” but in reality we are really thinking “Damnit, I want the
friggin fairytale too!” I felt so close to Ellie, that there were times that I
wanted to go through the pages of the book and hug her. I wanted to bust out a
bottle of wine, pour us a few glasses and just vent our woes. I wanted to shake
her a bit and tell her that she is fantastical and that Braydon is a fool if he
doesn’t see it. You are woman! Hear you roar! Twenty bucks says that Braydon
would have agreed to hear that roar…in bed..after her third orgasm. (Yup. Braydon
is THAT good.)
“Shh,
it’s okay,” he said, his palm cupping my cheek. “You don’t have to be tough all
the time, you know?”
I
nodded slowly.
“I
know you can take care of yourself, but who takes care of you, Ellie?”
He rarely, if ever, called me by
my actual name, and the familiarity of it passing over his lips caused a little
ripple of desire to dance in my belly.
“You’re such a firecracker. So
sassy, intelligent, and confident. You don’t take any shit. But then when we’re
together, you turn yourself over to me fully. When I’m buried deep inside you,
you submit to me completely…It’s incredibly sexy, kitten. Trust me.”
Overall,
this book was EVERYTHING. Where Ellie was sass, Braydon was sex. Where Ellie
was witty and willful, Braydon was wicked and wild. Together they were
FIRECRACKER and EXPLOSIVE. They were such a great couple to see flourish
throughout. I loved their banter and back and forth verbal tennis. And I loved
how they fell in love and finally have their own fairy tale ending. It’s a bit
sad to see this series come to an end. The little bit of Epilogue in Braydon’s
POV was the icing on a male model cake.
Favorite quotes and scenes
“I’m
going to go change out of my dress.”
“Need
a hand?”
“No.
Sit. Stay. Good puppy…Boys are like puppies. You have to have lots of patience,
plenty of discipline, house-train them…”
“Is
that so? Does that mean girls are like kittens? Give them lots of snuggles and
give them cream to lick up so they don’t get ornery and claw you?”
“Something like that. Be right
back.”
My eyes zeroed in on Braydon. His
expression was pure pleasure, primal and carnal. His look was so erotic, my sex
muscles clenched, throbbing uncomfortably. My stupid vagina missed him. She’d
gotten me into this mess in the first place. Well, no more, missy. No soup for you!
The Love by Design Series
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