ARC Review: Just a Little Secret (Dare Crossover Series #2)

 Just a Little Secret  (Dare Crossover Series #2)

Carly Phillips, Erika Wilde

Blurb:

He’s not just a bachelor up for auction …

He’s her sexy birthday gift for the weekend.

But will she be able to forgive him when she finds out he’s hiding more than a little secret?

Georgia Brooks had no intention of bidding on a bachelor at the charity auction, but her sister has other ideas and gifts her with a man for her birthday weekend. But not just any man . . . Drew Daniels. A hot, gorgeous lawyer who makes her want to shed her good-girl image and learn all sorts of new and risqué things.

Attorney Drew Daniels is more than willing to introduce the beautiful Georgia to her naughtier side. Their weekend together is steamy and romantic . . . and it doesn’t hurt that a rival of Drew’s has his eye on Georgia, too. Stirring the other man’s jealousy is a fun side benefit.

Their tryst should have been just about pleasure, but Drew finds he’s attracted to more than Georgia’s outer beauty and he wants to keep her as his own. When Drew suggests they continue their affair, Georgia is too smitten to say no. Even if her parents expect her to marry her lawyer father’s right-hand man.

Georgia finds herself falling for Drew harder and faster than she could have imagined. Until she discovers he's keeping a secret that has the potential to break her heart.

Themes:  Contemporary, Naughty auction

Rating:  4.25 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

I really loved when I found out that two of my favorite authors were going to give us a spinoff series revolving round some of the most interesting and sexy side characters from the Dare Series by Carly Phillips. When two authors work together you never know what you will get, but I have loved their previous team-ups and I was happy to see them teaming up again. This is the second story in the series and surprisingly has a whole lot of overlap in timeline with the first story in the series, which I didn’t realize was the plan.  That said Drew and Georgia’s story was filled with sensuality, fun and the love that can bloom between two people when they finally open up and allow their heart to be vulnerable. There was so just enough emotional pain for both of them to work through to make the story impactful without weighing it down, some sweet moments of connection, and plenty of passionate moments that remind us that these two authors are fabulous together.  I am dying for more in this series, especially the next book where Drew’s brother Tripp will step into the spotlight.

Georgia Banks has always been the good girl, the one that toed the line when her socialite family pushed for her to adhere to their expectations, but she knows that she won’t be able to stick to it much longer.  She finally has the career she loves, but her personal life is a train wreck and the man her mother keeps pushing at her is beginning to get a little to expectant.  When her sister “gifts” her with a weekend with the sexiest man she’s ever met for her birthday, she knows she’s going to have to give herself up to him and throw the good girl out the window.  Drew Daniels has been gun-shy when is comes to relationships for a long time, but the sexy good girl Georgia is making him wonder I it might be worth reevaluating his feelings.  Leading her down the dark side of passion is no hardship, but the more time he spends with her trying to have a real relationship the more Drew comes to wonder if he might be able to build a future with her, which scares the hell out of him.  Can this good girl heal a broken man and convince him to give love a second chance, or will their weekend fling fizzle before they ever have a chance at a future?

I knew going into this story that I was going to love getting to know Drew, mostly because I’d enjoyed the glimpses, we got of him in Beck and Chloe’ story (Just One Scandal) and knowing a bi of his backstory I knew he was going to a bit emotionally broken.  Drew had a tragedy hit his family when he lost his sister very young, but he healed the best way he could and has gone on to become successful, driven, and passionate in all his pursuits.  Sadly, he’s had his heart battered and bruised by women that treated him badly and he never really got over it I loved seeing how sweet and caring he was not only with his family, especially his little niece, but also with Georgia has he worked to bring her out of her shell and show her just how important she was to him.  His biggest downfall was his inability to let the past go and understand that not all women will react the same in any given situation and he can’t paint us all with the same brush.  Georgia was a great character.  I’m going to be honest, hen the blurb painted her as the good girl that always follows the rules, I assumed part of her story was going to be about learning to stand up for herself, but really that’s not her issue.  Her issue is that she needed to learn that once she’s put her foot down, she needs to distance herself from those that refuse to accept her stance.  That level of toxicity and narcissism sadly cannot be overcome no matter how many times you take a stance, you just have to walk away and let them get over it.  I loved her strength and the way she stood up for herself, not only with her parents and suitor, but even with Drew when he was being an idiot.  She was sweet but sassy, caring, gentle, strong, and loving all wrapped up in a sexy package that made her irresistible to a man that never realized just how badly he needed her at his side.

We all have our dark sides, that little bit of naughty that is fighting to be let out and I loved to see Carly and Erika unleash it in Georgia and Drew’s story.  Just a Little Secret truly was a story between two people that never knew just how much they needed one another for the balance they could bring to the other.  Drew has been a driven, ambitious workaholic for too long, only letting out his fun side to seduce and charm, but never letting himself love. Georgia has been working to find her happiness in her career, knowing that her personal life will have to be on the backburner until she can get her parents to let her pick her own dates for once.  When their worlds collide, they come to understand that the balance of ambition and playtime is best found with a partner and one that can carry and protect your heart.  I loved seeing these two come together and overcome their dissolutions with love and dedicating themselves to a relationship that they finally deserved.  The chemistry and heat between them was there from the moment their eyes met and only got hotter as they got to know one another.  I am so looking forward to the next story (Just a Little Promise) where we will finally learn what’s been going on with Tripp and Skye.  I’m not usually a fan of these types of overlapping timelines in a series, but I have to say I’m liking these little glimpses of the next story in each book and seeing the reminders of the previous story as I rea the next one.  Carly and Erika truly are a dynamic duo as they put their sexy characters through their paces and reminds us all that sometimes love can come from the most unlikely of circumstances.

*eARC provided by authors for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review.  No compensation was provided.