Blurb:
Whoever said singles were missing out by not finding true love and getting married before the age of thirty had never experienced the sheer pleasure of nightly romantic comedy viewings in their underwear while eating one of Licked’s famous Crazy Cat Lady sundaes. Because life just doesn’t get better than that.
At least, it doesn’t for Shayne Callahan. It didn’t take more than a handful of broken hearts after college to solidify that she was better at pairing up those around her than herself. As a matchmaker at the elite HLS—Hook, Line, & Sinker Matchmaking Company—in the City of Angels, she has a knack for finding the other halves of even the most eccentric clients:
Sugar daddy with a foot fetish? Gross, but no problem.
A severe case of nudophobia? Match made before lunch.
But even the most happily independent of women can find their best-laid plans screeching to a halt when they meet that guy. For Shayne, that guy comes in the form of boyishly handsome, suspender-lovin’, dimple-poppin’ Nate Ryan on a pantsless (we’ll get to that later) Metro ride.
Of course, relationships can never be easy. Before the destined lovers can ride off into the sunset, they must overcome a power-hungry and sexual-punning boss, a celebrity scandal and cover-up, and let’s not forget Shayne’s dreadful foot-in-mouth disease—with which there can never be a happily ever after.
Will fate throw Shayne a freakin’ bone? Or will she be destined to live out her life as sexy(ish), single(ish), and L.A.’s finest Hooker (upper)?
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Purchase Links:
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1W7WdvT
Amazon PB: http://amzn.to/1pfowyvAmazon UK: http://amzn.to/1QKUpp4
Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/1Yv5Whu
Amazon AU: bit.ly/1UdlAxe
Kristine's Review:
Reviewed: March 2016.I was looking forward to Hooker for so many reasons, Shayne Callahan was so damn intriguing in Licked that I couldn't wait to know more about her, the Aussie Ex-Pat who now calls LA home, she's smart, dedicated and funny as hell, the glimpses into her adventures with HLS definitely had me excited for more of her, I couldn't wait to dive in. Instantly I was hooked...line and sinker (see what I did there...) Shayne is the perfect combination of out there and socially awkward, she's both reserved and confident, everything about her drew me in and made me love her, despite traversing public transport sans pants her internal rhetoric had me giggling non stop. When she locks eyes with Nate Ryan I was instantly smitten like she was, between his dimpled grin and suspender loving attire it was hard not to want to know more. Their banter only served to draw me in more, the way they bounced off each other, a battle of the wills that had me cheering for both simultaneously.
From their first meeting, throughout those that followed their connection was undeniable, with one foot interested and one stealthily out the door Shayne straddled the line between wanting to give in to her baser desires and wanting to run far far away, you know that saying once bitten twice shy....well Shayne has her own past of misguided and downright hurtful attempts at love, and wants no part of it, but there's something about Nate that makes her want to try again, it almost seems easy, but Shayne isn't just a good friend, she's honest and respectful and refuses to leave someone when they need her help, despite the damage it could do to herself. As much as a budding relationship with Nate seems easy, Shayne is busy hiding secrets that could ultimately spell the end for her new found happiness.
I was thoroughly enjoying Hooker, Shayne and Nate were careening right towards a gold lipstick, between their scorchingly hot sexual chemistry, their snarky one liners and retorts, they had as Carrie Bradshaw once so eloquently put it...the zazazu, their connection utterly electrifying, beautiful to watch, making Hooker impossible to put down, add to that Shayne's power posse, their dynamic one that only true friends can create, had me simultaneously in stitches and swooning my heart out, when I'm this excited I often fear something happening that makes me pause for a moment, and unfortunately it did here, I'm going to be deliberately evasive and say that there was a part of the plot that started to niggle at me, the more it was deflected the more I felt myself thinking about it, when said plot point came into play more fully I had to pause, because it stripped away some of the believability for me, some of the realism, and before you say it....I know....I know....it's a work of fiction, but this thing just made me falter and rethink things, did I remember the story wrong, did I make this up, it made second guess myself...is it even that big of a deal?? Unfortunately for me, it was, it was enough that it pulled me from my revelry and made me stop, which affected my overall feel for pacing and flow, but here's the thing, Hooker is still a solid 4 lipstick read for me, it's truly funny and sexy and light while still having this really heartfelt message about believing in yourself and having a little faith, for lovers of the Licked series, you are not going to be disappointed here, returning to this crazy bunch of firm friends was everything I expected, and Nate just might be one of newest members of my book boyfriend harem.
Purchase Hooked (LA Liaisons #1): http://amzn.to/1W8itG6
Read GPI's Review of Hooked: bit.ly/1muvleb
About Brooke Blaine:
You could say Brooke Blaine was a book-a-holic from the time she knew how to read; she used to tell her mother that curling up with one at 4 a.m. before elementary school was her ‘quiet time.’ Not much has changed except for the espresso I.V. pump she now carries around and the size of her onesie pajamas.
She is the author of Flash Point, a romantic suspense standalone, as well as the co-author of the erotic series, A Desperate Man, with Ella Frank. The latter has scarred her conservative southern family for life, bless their hearts. Licked, a romantic comedy, will be released November 11th, 2015 and is the first in the L.A. Liaisons series.
If you’d like to get in touch with her, she’s easy to find - just keep an ear out for the Rick Astley ringtone that’s dominated her cell phone for ten years.
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