Big Easy Temptation
Series: The Perfect Gentlemen #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance; Romantic Suspense
Authors: Shayla Black & Lexi Blake
Release Date: May 3, 2015
The New York Times bestselling authors of the Masters of Ménage series present the third scintillating novel featuring the privileged, wealthy, wild men of Creighton Academy—the Perfect Gentlemen.
Years ago, Naval officer Dax Spencer and NCIS agent Holland Kirk indulged in a steamy affair—until she betrayed him in the wake of his father’s death. Dax tried to put her behind him with a payback of his own. But he never forgot Holland…
Now, as Dax and his fellow Perfect Gentlemen unravel a web of lies, he discovers his family’s tragedy is part of a much larger conspiracy. Soon, all clues point him back to New Orleans…where Holland waits, protecting her deadly secret and holding a torch for the only man she’s ever loved.
Once reunited, they can’t fight the passion flaring hot and wild. But something sinister lurks around every corner, from the elegance of the Garden district to the beauty of the bayou. Dax and Holland may find their way back to each other—if they survive…
It was so funny that he’d come to New Orleans thinking that he could get back at her. Now he only wanted to get her back.
The perfect gentlemen return in this sexy second chance romance and what a twisty ride it was! With the third installment of this thrilling series, more mysteries are being unveiled but with every question we get an answer to, it only forms countless more.
This was an interesting change of pace for me. I envisioned Dax totally different from the previous book. While we don’t know much about him, we do know that he’s still hung up on the only woman that he’s ever loved. It’s been years since they spoke and there’s enough betrayal and hurt brewing between them to guarantee no second chances, but sometimes fate has other plans.
Dax Spencer may be a too sexy for his own good Naval officer, but he’s always known what he wanted; the tough as nails NCIS agent Holland Kirk. Their lives are interwoven together with mutual friends, but Holland always keeps Dax at arm’s length. She’s always envisioned herself with someone less…intense, someone that will allow her to be as driven in her career as she is. And she knows that if she gives in to Dax, his job as a Naval officer will not let her do that…no matter how much he tempts her. But it’s not long before the chemistry between them burns too hot to deny, and Dax is nothing if not determined to win her heart.
Unfortunately their short lived affair ends in heartbreak when Holland betrays him and in a drunken bender, Dax married her best friend only to later divorce. It’s been years since they spoke, but with new evidence that has now come to light about his father’s death, Dax is determined to solve the mystery once and for all. And the one person that holds the answers he needs is the one woman that completely annihilated him when he gave her everything.
The story is told in two parts; past and present, and I really enjoyed that the authors split it that way as opposed to doing it with flashbacks. It truly allows the reader to get immersed in the budding romance between Dax and Holland. The first half is a bit slow building and at times almost teeth-rottingly sweet (at least for my particular tastes). Dax may come off as a playboy in the previous books, but he’s definitely not one. I was very curious how he would redeem himself with the whole marriage to the best friend thing, and I’m happy to say he did that flawlessly.
The second half is a bit more angsty with the added element of second-chance romance at play, which I happen to love!
There’s a lot that happens in Big Easy Temptation, but even with the continuous story arc, the authors do a great job in allowing this to also be enjoyed as a standalone. Though I highly recommend reading in order to truly appreciate the complexity of the mystery surrounding everything.
I loved Holland and I really loved Dax. There was some odd phrases that I found myself rolling my eyes at, like “…she would welcome him as he planted his seed”, but altogether I highly enjoyed this book. I found this to be slower paced than the predecessors, but I was still heavily involved in the story. The first half took me a bit to get through but luckily it really picked up in the second half.
I also seriously loved getting those glimpse of Mad. Every time I finish a book in this series I keep hoping that his death is a conspiracy and he’s really alive hiding somewhere. It just hurts my heart to think that he’s really gone because you know I love me my irreverent manwhores.
All in all this was another fantastic installment in a great series. With Jordan and Gus’s book next, I can’t wait to see how the rest of the mystery unfolds.
If you like a second chance romance with a dash of mystery and suspense, a dirty talking hero that only has eyes for one woman, and a heroine that’s as tough as she is smart, then you’ve found your next read.
READ THE SERIES IN ORDER
SCANDAL NEVER SLEEPS (The Perfect Gentlemen #1)
AMAZON | GOODREADS
SEDUCTION IN SESSION (The Perfect Gentlemen #2)
AMAZON | GOODREADS | MY REVIEW
