by Piper Rayne
Genre: Romantic Comedy Standalone
Series: Charity Case #1
Release Date: April 26th, 2018
Blurb:
The perfect man for me is a blood-sucking lawyer. #pfftwhatever
Been there.
Done that.
Burned the T-shirt.
I didn’t swear off all men after my divorce, but I sure as hell swore off anyone remotely like my ex. On the top of that list? Attorneys. Everyone knows they can’t be trusted.
Now that I’m back in Chicago, my focus is my daughter, my mom and me. I haven’t given up on finding my happily-ever-after, it’s just on hold—indefinitely.
Then I see Reed Warner again, and he weasels his way into every part of my life, not willing to take no for an answer.
In spite of my better judgment I can’t stop thinking about the way his designer suits fit his muscular frame, or the way his blue eyes seem to eat me up with every glance.
You know when you’re on a diet and even hummus seems irresistible? Reed is like the equivalent of chocolate éclair and my willpower is fading fast.
The problem? Not only is he a lawyer…
He was the best man at my wedding.
Burned the T-shirt.
I didn’t swear off all men after my divorce, but I sure as hell swore off anyone remotely like my ex. On the top of that list? Attorneys. Everyone knows they can’t be trusted.
Now that I’m back in Chicago, my focus is my daughter, my mom and me. I haven’t given up on finding my happily-ever-after, it’s just on hold—indefinitely.
Then I see Reed Warner again, and he weasels his way into every part of my life, not willing to take no for an answer.
In spite of my better judgment I can’t stop thinking about the way his designer suits fit his muscular frame, or the way his blue eyes seem to eat me up with every glance.
You know when you’re on a diet and even hummus seems irresistible? Reed is like the equivalent of chocolate éclair and my willpower is fading fast.
The problem? Not only is he a lawyer…
He was the best man at my wedding.
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Excerpt:
My phone rings just as I step onto the train. “Hello?”
“Victoria.” Darcie barks my name like she’s the head nun at a Catholic high school and I’m showing cleavage.
“How did you get this number?”
“I have my connections,” she says, and I already know from her tone that she’s about to ruin my day.
“What’s up, Darcie?” I try to hide the irritation from my voice, but I’m not sure I’m entirely successful.
“I just found you a partner to help with the carnival event.”
I blow out a breath and find a seat in the back of the train. “I don’t need a partner.”
“Well, he would only help out if it meant that he could work with you.”
A million swear words set off like a round of fireworks in my head.
“You’re kidding me?”
She laughs. “I wish I was.” I detect a bite of jealousy in her tone. “If I was single…anyway, he requested you and we so rarely get fathers or father figures so in this case, I have to let him have what he wants. And for some reason, that’s you.”
I watch the city skyline getting closer out the window. “Who is he to Henry?” I ask.
She laughs and then I hear chatter behind her. I wish I was in front of her, so I could shake her shoulders and get her to focus on me.
“Oh, you’ll find out.”
“Henry’s mom’s boyfriend?” I ask.
“Nope. Ask for yourself. Gotta go. Oh, and I’m sending him your phone number right now.”
Click.
The line dies. Mother fucking hell. Am I trapped in some Mean Girls reunion movie?
I haven’t even tucked my phone back into my purse before it dings with a text. I’d ignore it if I wasn’t worried that it could be my mom needing me.
Unknown: Hey, it’s Reed. The stunning guy you just reacquainted yourself with twenty minutes ago. How about a nightcap tonight to start brainstorming ideas for the carnival?
I add his contact information into my phone, so I don’t mistakenly answer again.
Me: Don’t you have a son to watch at night?
Reed: Nope.
Me: I don’t think your girlfriend would appreciate your invite. We can talk details over a morning coffee and that’s it.
Reed: ???
Reed: Not even dinner?
I don’t respond.
Reed: Lunch? Even business associates have lunch together.
I shake my head and try to tamp down my temper.
Reed: Fine. But mornings are hard for me.
I’m being difficult for the sake of being difficult now. I can’t very well ask Hannah to come in late to plan some stupid carnival booth anyway.
Me: Saturday?
Reed: My place.
The three dots appear but I respond before he can.
Me: McDonald’s on Peterson. The kids can play, and we’ll talk. Noon.
Reed: You run a hard bargain and I make a lot of deals.
What the hell does that mean?
Reed: I take it that’s the end of our conversation?
I don’t reply because there’s nothing else to say.
Reed: Message received. Have a great day, Victoria.
I tuck my phone back into my purse with a giddy feeling inside. Damn it. I wish my stomach would get the message my brain is trying to send it.
“Victoria.” Darcie barks my name like she’s the head nun at a Catholic high school and I’m showing cleavage.
“How did you get this number?”
“I have my connections,” she says, and I already know from her tone that she’s about to ruin my day.
“What’s up, Darcie?” I try to hide the irritation from my voice, but I’m not sure I’m entirely successful.
“I just found you a partner to help with the carnival event.”
I blow out a breath and find a seat in the back of the train. “I don’t need a partner.”
“Well, he would only help out if it meant that he could work with you.”
A million swear words set off like a round of fireworks in my head.
“You’re kidding me?”
She laughs. “I wish I was.” I detect a bite of jealousy in her tone. “If I was single…anyway, he requested you and we so rarely get fathers or father figures so in this case, I have to let him have what he wants. And for some reason, that’s you.”
I watch the city skyline getting closer out the window. “Who is he to Henry?” I ask.
She laughs and then I hear chatter behind her. I wish I was in front of her, so I could shake her shoulders and get her to focus on me.
“Oh, you’ll find out.”
“Henry’s mom’s boyfriend?” I ask.
“Nope. Ask for yourself. Gotta go. Oh, and I’m sending him your phone number right now.”
Click.
The line dies. Mother fucking hell. Am I trapped in some Mean Girls reunion movie?
I haven’t even tucked my phone back into my purse before it dings with a text. I’d ignore it if I wasn’t worried that it could be my mom needing me.
Unknown: Hey, it’s Reed. The stunning guy you just reacquainted yourself with twenty minutes ago. How about a nightcap tonight to start brainstorming ideas for the carnival?
I add his contact information into my phone, so I don’t mistakenly answer again.
Me: Don’t you have a son to watch at night?
Reed: Nope.
Me: I don’t think your girlfriend would appreciate your invite. We can talk details over a morning coffee and that’s it.
Reed: ???
Reed: Not even dinner?
I don’t respond.
Reed: Lunch? Even business associates have lunch together.
I shake my head and try to tamp down my temper.
Reed: Fine. But mornings are hard for me.
I’m being difficult for the sake of being difficult now. I can’t very well ask Hannah to come in late to plan some stupid carnival booth anyway.
Me: Saturday?
Reed: My place.
The three dots appear but I respond before he can.
Me: McDonald’s on Peterson. The kids can play, and we’ll talk. Noon.
Reed: You run a hard bargain and I make a lot of deals.
What the hell does that mean?
Reed: I take it that’s the end of our conversation?
I don’t reply because there’s nothing else to say.
Reed: Message received. Have a great day, Victoria.
I tuck my phone back into my purse with a giddy feeling inside. Damn it. I wish my stomach would get the message my brain is trying to send it.
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About the authors:
Piper Rayne, or Piper and Rayne, whichever you prefer because we’re not one author, we’re two. Yep, you get two USA Today Bestselling authors for the price of one. Our goal is to bring you romance stories that have "Heartwarming Humor With a Side of Sizzle" (okay...you caught us, that's our tagline). A little about us... We both have kindle’s full of one-clickable books. We're both married to husbands who drive us to drink. We're both chauffeurs to our kids. Most of all, we love hot heroes and quirky heroines that make us laugh, and we hope you do, too.
Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Website
Piper Rayne, or Piper and Rayne, whichever you prefer because we’re not one author, we’re two. Yep, you get two USA Today Bestselling authors for the price of one. Our goal is to bring you romance stories that have "Heartwarming Humor With a Side of Sizzle" (okay...you caught us, that's our tagline). A little about us... We both have kindle’s full of one-clickable books. We're both married to husbands who drive us to drink. We're both chauffeurs to our kids. Most of all, we love hot heroes and quirky heroines that make us laugh, and we hope you do, too.
Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Website
My review:
This was
such a sweet story about a divorced woman raising her daughter alone
while working full time and going to school. She was a very strong and
independent woman who could definitely stand her own. Though she was
deeply hurt by her ex and her trust in men, especially lawyers, was
basically non-existent. When she happened to run into an old friend of
her ex, his best man at their wedding, she was torn between her
attraction and the fact that he was also a lawyer, which was a big no-no
for her. Victoria didn't want to get lost in a man again because this
time her dreams would come first. But Reed was oh so tempting.
Reed
really wore his feelings on his sleeve and I was absolutely smitten
with him as he not only won Victoria’s heart but also mine. I loved his
confidence and how considerate, understanding and sensible he was. Poor
guy didn’t have it easy with Victoria because she definitely was a tough
nut to crack for him. But who could blame her after what she'd been
through?! Having your trust broken is nothing you can get over easily
and you instinctively have trouble trusting in anyone else.
The story was only from Victoria's POV but I didn't really mind or even notice it at first because I got lots of Reed anyway.
The
book felt somewhat different to all the previous Piper Rayne books. Not
in a bad way obviously. It just had a different feel, more mature on a
certain level and not as laden with hilarious scenes but still lots of
funny moments in between plenty of sweet scenes. It’s hard to describe
or maybe it's just me because it felt a bit more serious in a way, with
her moving to be with her sick mum, being a single parent working and
studying.
Hannah and Chelsea were great characters and I
can't wait for their stories. They both have distinct personalities and
I'm sure we will have lots of fun following their stories.
I
liked Pete in the prequel Clean Slate. He wasn't a total Bastard but
rather reasonable, so I was happy that I wasn't totally amiss about him.
Although he hurt Victoria I believe that he’s still a good guy at
heart. He definitely had good intentions at times and he obviously cared
a lot about his daughter. If Reed wasn't my prince charming I totally
would have wanted Pete back with Victoria, but I'm hopeful that he'll
find his better half one day, which will be ME! =P He absolutely earned
the half star of my review.
-- I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book given by Social Butterfly PR. --
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
View review on goodreads
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