Blackmailed By The Hero
Series: Gone Hollywood #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Julie Particka
Release Date: August 11, 2015
The wrong bed. The wrong guy.
Party planner Vicky Stone is on a post-divorce mission. Not only does she intend to land her dream promotion, she’s going to indulge in a night of hot hook-up sex. Preferably with the hunky actor she just met at a work function, no-fraternization rules be damned. Fortunately, his drunken directions included a right that should have been a left, landing her in bed with her brother’s extra-hot, extra-off-limits best friend instead of the unemployment line.
And, oh, he feels good. Too good.
Bad boy Dante Palladino’s forbidden fantasies are about to come true…until Vicky realizes who she’s feeling up. And to find out she risked her job for sex with some loser? Not on his watch. Dante throws down the ultimate, albeit self-serving, blackmail. Vicky will date him-and only him-and her secret will be safe. But Vicky swore never to fall for another guy who could break her heart…and Dante’s on course to do just that.
I want you, Vicky Stone. I’ve wanted you for five years, and I sure as hell want you to know I thought you were worth the wait.”
First let me preface my review by saying that my lower rating had nothing to do with the book not being wonderful; it was a sweet and sexy romance. It has everything to do with my own personal preference. So please don’t let my rating deter. Three stars, after all, means that I did enjoy it overall, just a few things kept it from being a 4 or 5 star.
Vicky Stone is Evan Stone’s sister from Tempting Her Fake Fiancé. But if you haven’t read that book, don’t worry, because you can easily read this one as a standalone. If you’re looking for a sweet brother’s best friend romance sort of thing, this will definitely fit the bill. But don’t let the title or the synopsis deceive you, because to be quite frank, I didn’t really find Dante to be a bad boy in any sense of the word. Perhaps that’s what kept this at a solid three stars for me; different expectations.
Dante Palladino has had feelings for Vicky as long as he’s known her. Starting his career as a wrestling superstar and moving towards movies now hasn’t exactly meant he’s been a saint when it comes to women. But this is not the bad boy you might be expecting. Sure he’s pierced in all the right places (and I mean THE RIGHT places) but for me that was as “bad” as he got. What he was, was a nice guy that made that evident from the very beginning. His motivation is honorable, even if his means aren’t the best.
I enjoyed this book for the most part, but it was also missing a certain something for me too. An oompf of sorts. It just didn’t have that Brazen feeling. I felt like I was reading a Lovestruck or maybe even an indulgence. Oh fine! It was just too “nice” for me. God! I feel dirty just writing that, but it’s the truth. I needed a little more from this. The conflict at the end felt forced and contrived just to keep pushing the plot, though the resolution of it was sweet. But again, this was a definite case of it’s me and not the book. It was simply just too sweet for my tastes. There. I said it.
If you enjoyed the first book in this series, you’re sure to enjoy this one. My favorite part of the story was Vicky’s best friend, Jade. So I’m really hoping her book will be next. I’m still a fan of this series, it was just that this book simply didn’t wow me. It just was. Not great, not bad, and not anything I’d go back to, but still a fun read.
DON’T MISS BOOK ONE IN THE GONE HOLLYWOOD SERIES
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