Review: All Fired Up

All Fired Up (DreamMakers #1)

by Vivian Arend, Elle Kennedy 

Blurb:

He’s ready to lead the way

Parker Wilson never thought he’d go from battle-hardened soldier to romance expert, but after his stint in the Rangers, that’s exactly what happened. As the owner of DreamMakers Inc., he helps other men win in the love department, using every resource available to plan the perfect date. When a routine recon turns into an unexpected night of passion, Parker’s mission becomes more personal—and he won’t give up until Lynn Davidson is all his.

She’s more than willing to follow

Lynn is a goner from the moment she lays eyes on the delectable Parker. She’s just ditched her boring almost-boyfriend and is tired of sticking to the straight and narrow. It’s time to walk on the wild side, and what better way than in the arms of the most irresistible man she’s ever met? But when their red-hot affair is threatened, it’ll take a team effort to make their dreams come true.

Themes: contemporary

Rating: 4 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

 If you were expecting something, anything, in this story I can tell you that all your expectation will be blown away.  The premise for this series was one that seemed odd to me at first, but seeing how well it plays out in this book leaves me saying to myself “of Course!” which was certainly the goal of the authors.  These men are sexy, sweet, and brilliant when it comes to women and finding just the right trick to make their clients happy, but their personal lives are a whole nother story.  Seeing them deal with their love lives in vastly different ways brought laughs and sighs, but watching Parker fall madly in love was of course the best part.  I am not surprised I loved this novel and anything by either of these authors is great, but the combination of their writing was even hotter than anything they have written alone and still just as sweet as expected from a contemporary novella.

The story begins with the ever common asshole male coming to the DreamMakers office in search of help planning a special date for his girlfriend.  It quickly becomes obvious that he knows nothing about her, so the DreamMakers team, especially Parker sets out to do a little recon and learn more about Lynn in order to do their jobs, but Parker quickly begins to lust after their new clients girlfriends for himself.  When he meets Lynn in person he is unable to resist her and when he learns that she has ended her relationship with their, now former, client there is nothing to stand in Parker’s way.  He is fast to jump on the chance to get to know Lynn for his own personal desires and finds himself falling deep quickly.  Lynn is understandably wary of beginning a relationship with Parker, but the passion and desire he inspires in her has been missing from her life for so long she refuses to pass up the opportunity to have him in her bed and her life.   As their relationship becomes deeper and deeper the truth of their meeting comes out and only by trusting one another and believing in their love can they be together and build a life. And I must say that when her ex tries to come back into her life I found myself wishing I could come into this book and strangle him.  

Lynn was a very sassy woman who met every challenge that came her way with dignity and strength.  I loved watching her kick her ex to the curb and go after Parker with everything she had so she could have a chance with a real man and find her happiness. She definitely blossomed in her self-esteem as she gets closer to Parker and he shows her just how sexy he finds her to be.  When she finds herself in a rather awkward situation she handles herself beautifully, not waiting for Parker to come to her rescue like a helpless female.  Parker is one sexy ex-commando, with a heart of gold and the body to go with his former lifestyle.  It was interesting to see how he and his business partners are filling the niche they have found lacking in the world of dating.  Seeing him deal with the connection to Lynn was great, obviously his morals kept him from jumping right to grabbing her up for himself, but when he learns the way is clear, he is quick to decide that the risk to their business is worth a chance with a woman like Lynn. 

As surprising as this series has been I can say with all honesty that I loved every second of reading this book and am seriously looking forward to the next two books where Parker’s partners fall under the spell of the woman of their dreams.  I can already see the danger inherent in making these ladies men settle down and ride the line without losing any of their dangerous edge.  All Fired Up was a great read with laughs, sweetness, passion and heart.  The antics these guys get up to were beyond interesting and seeing how the men handle crises both business and personal kept me smiling every second.   Lynn was a wonderful heroine and seeing her find a man who can match her made it worth every second.   Parker was a sweetheart with a passionate layer covering his sweetness to make him a well rounded hottie.  Cannot wait for more of this series and am dying to get to see more of Parker and Lynn’s relationship in their friends’ books.

*eARC provided by publisher (via netgalley) for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review.  No compensation was provided.