Publisher: Cosmo Red Hot Reads
Publish Date: Out Now
How I got this book: NetGalley
Warning: This show contains scenes of sexual tension.
Hosting a new TV show is a fantasy-turned-reality for diva decorator Sophia Holbrook. But concentrating on color swatches is hard when all she can think of is her studly cohost, contractor Fynn Babineau. These two may clash over blueprints and budgets on-screen, but with the lust palpable between them, rumor has it they have been putting more than just their heads together behind the scenes…. What secrets will the cameras expose? Tune in tonight to find out.
Viewer discretion advised. Mature audiences only.
*Blurb from Goodreads*
I’ve really enjoyed d’Abo’s books in the past, so when I read this blurb, I was all in.
Sophia is looking to expand her business while working as a designer for a charity that is near and dear to her heart. She wants to prove herself in any way she can, and butting heads with the lead contractor, Flynn, isn’t how she wanted to do so. But as she and Flynn spend more time together on and off camera, the chemistry between them ignites and they are more combustible than either imagined.
While this book was fairly short, I thought it had a good pace to it. One of the things I liked best about this book was that it was very laid-back. There was no overload of emotional angst, there was no blowout due to some big drama caused by a lack of communication. Instead, both Flynn and Sophia treat their relationship like adults, once they actually commit, that is. It did take them awhile to get to the point where they could admit that ripping each other’s clothes off was more than just a fling. 🙂
While I liked the simplicity of the romance, I did think that the little bit of “big drama” at the end was weak. I know that sometimes a portion of a book can suffer because of the limit in length, and for me, I felt as if the big revelation about a certain person in Sophia’s past was the part that suffered. However, as d’Abo didn’t spend a lot of time going into the details of why that person had such an impact of Sophia’s life, it wasn’t a total disappointment. For me, it was more of a case of I would have just liked to see more of that sub-plot play out on the pages of the book instead of glossed over.
This book was also a bit slow to build. Although it’s clear that Sophia and Flynn have amazing chemistry with one another, much of the first part of the book is spent talking about the ins and outs of the TV show they are on, instead of the progression of their relationship. For me, that made the beginning of the book drag a bit, and it took awhile to get fully invested in Flynn and Sophia’s relationship because of it.
All in all, I thought d’Abo wrote a cute and sexy short story. I really liked the fact that the book didn’t drag out some big emotional and angsty plot point, and that the few conflicts were easily resolved. While there were some things I would have liked to be flushed out more, I enjoyed the story as it was.
I give Nailed a C
Nice review Minn, glad you enjoyed this!