DAMAGED LIKE US
Series: Like Us #1
Genre: Contemporary, MM Romance
Author: Krista & Becca Ritchie
Release Date: June 27, 2017
Don’t date your bodyguard.
It was the one rule he had to break.Maximoff Hale is a force of nature. A ship unwilling to be steered. Headstrong, resilient, and wholly responsible — the twenty-two-year-old alpha billionaire can handle his unconventional life. By noon, lunch can turn into a mob of screaming fans. By two, his face is all over the internet.
Born into one of the most famous families in the country, his celebrity status began at birth.
He is certified American royalty.
When he’s assigned a new 24/7 bodyguard, he comes face-to-face with the worst case scenario: being attached to the tattooed, MMA-trained, Yale graduate who’s known for “going rogue” in the security team — and who fills 1/3 of Maximoff’s sexual fantasies.
Twenty-seven-year-old Farrow Keene has one job: protect Maximoff Hale. Flirting, dating, and hot sex falls far, far out of the boundary of his bodyguard duties and into “termination” territory. But when feelings surface, protecting the sexy-as-sin, stubborn celebrity becomes increasingly complicated.
Together, boundaries blur, and being exposed could mean catastrophic consequences for both.
The Like Us series is a true series, one continuous timeline, that follows a family of wealthy celebrities and the people that protect them. Damaged Like Us can be read and enjoyed without reading any of Krista & Becca’s other novels.
I broke the unbreakable rule. Don’t fuck your client.
So….confession time…
*whispers*
This is the first book I’ve read by these authors.
*ducks head in shame*
Yes, yes, I’m wearing the cone of shame as I write this, mkay? So quit looking at me with those judgy eyes already. I realize what I’ve been missing out on and currently kicking my own ass. Cut me some slack here.
I have all of their books on my TBR but for some unknown to me reason just never got around to reading them. I can tell you that I will be rectifying that HUGE mistake immediately but devouring their entire backlist. But enough about that. Let’s talk about this book.
Firstly, let’s address something right off the bat. I could clearly see that I was missing quite a bit of backstory with the secondary characters here as this is a spin off from Calloway Sisters series and Addicted series. As a matter of fact, Maximoff is the son of Lily and Lo. This series introduces all of the children and I was absolutely smitten with it. It took me a bit to wrap my mind around all of the connections, but the authors did a fantastic job really introducing all the secondary characters so that I never felt lost.
Born into one of the most famous families in the country, Maximoff Hale is pretty much American royalty. His father is just as known for his past alcoholism as his business, and his mother is just as famous for being a sex addict as her family’s business, he’s used to living his life under a microscope.
Privacy is a luxury that he’ll never have and a real relationship is something that he’ll never experience because he’ll never expose someone to what he goes through on a daily basis. A life of NDAs and meaningless one night stands is what he’s used to.
When he learns that he’ll be getting a new bodyguard, he’s not exactly thrilled. The Hale bodyguards are more then employees, they’re a 24/7 presence and friends and confidents. When he finds out that his new bodyguard is the star of all his teenage fantasies, a crush he never got over, and a man that he’s still uncontrollably attracted to, life becomes a little more complicated.
The more time they spend together, the more difficult it becomes to deny the overbearing sexual tension that brews between them. Admittedly, that delicious tension was one of my favorite parts about the book. Every time these two so much as had a conversation, you could feel the chemistry crackle and burn. And their first kiss? Holy mother of god! It was hotter than any sex scene. Swear.
The headiest exchange of my life.
Undeniable.
He leans forward, his lips an inch from mine. And very deeply, very huskily, he whispers, “What do you want, Maximoff ?”
There’s a lot that happens here that goes beyond the main couple. While the romance is absolutely the center focus, you get introduced to a slew of secondary characters. While usually this may cause me to struggle, I felt like it just connected me to these characters even more. I loved the bond that these siblings and cousins share.
But Maximoff and Farrow most definitely stole the show. I loved these two together. I loved Maximoff’s intensity and Farrow’s easy going flintiness. He’s such a fan chapter. His presence totally sucks you in. The authors created such a vivid character with him. All of his aneurism, eye brow quirks and gum popping served to endear me to him more and more. And when these two guys get together? Yowza!
It was the perfect blend of swoon and steam. I adored these two together and I already can’t wait for more. The parents have quite a bit of redeeming to do after what happens at the end of this book. I love that we get a satisfying HFN to tide us over until the next book. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to binge the Ritchie’s entire backlist.
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