Just a Little Crush (Sterling Family Crossover #1)
Carly Phillips, Erika Wilde
Blurb:
I’ve had more
than enough relationship drama to last a lifetime, so romance with Stevie
Palmer, the gorgeous server I had a hot one-night stand with, isn’t in the
cards. However, she would make the perfect fake girlfriend to help me win my
custody battle.
When I offer her
an obscene amount of money to play along, she agrees. I insist this arrangement
is strictly business. No feelings. No complications.
Easy, right?
Except nothing
about Stevie is easy. She’s unexpected softness, stubborn as hell, and
impossible to ignore. I tell myself I can keep my hands off of her. That I can
ignore the way she makes me feel. Then one kiss turns into another. One night
into more. And suddenly, our perfect little arrangement is anything but simple
or straightforward.
With so much at
stake, can I turn our fake relationship into a real happily ever after?
Themes: Contemporary
Rating: 4.5 stars
Heat Rating:
Review:
An
all-new series begins, linked to one of our favorite families that is making a
splash in NYC as they each find their own loves, and now we get to see some of
their friends find love as well. Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde team up again
for a crossover series that gives us glimpses of not only the crazy sexy
Sterling Family, but also the awesome Dares and Kingstons in this first in a
series as we see Raven Sterling née Kane watch her best friend and brother fall
madly in love. I have been a fan of this ever evolving series from the very
beginning and with each new introduction of an H/h I find myself falling more
and more in love with the world that Carly (and Erika) show me as we get to see
NY socialites in an all new light, not as vapid and money hungry women and men
obsessed only with their beauty and status but with hearts and souls that they
are looking to share with someone that truly sees and loves them, just like the
rest of us. I am really looking forward to this new crossover series and cannot
wait for more of the Sterling friends to find their mates and loves.
Caleb
Kane’s life is complicated right now and he has no time for women, but he can’t
deny that there is one woman that draws his eyes and interest repeatedly. Stevie
Palmer, his sister’s best friend and the server at her bar draws Caleb like no
other woman ever, but she is also so much more. Stevie has flirted with Caleb,
harmlessly for a year, but when they finally give into their lust and have a
single night together life becomes complicated once again. Now they have to
pretend to be in a relationship in order for Caleb to keep custody of his son,
but Stevie is stubborn as hell and isn’t a fan of being a kept woman. The
longer their situationship lasts the deeper their connection and the
harder it is to deny their feelings. Caleb wanted their relationship to
continue after their “fake” arrangement ends, but can he convince Stevie to
stay with him, despite all her hangups and fears. And then there are all the
others that are working against them having a
chance at an HEA, but then again stubbornness is Stevie’s superpower, so
will she fight for what she really wants?
I
was thrilled when I learned that this story was about Caleb, because I have to
say I fell in love with him, and his boy Owen, in Raven’s story and I really
hoped he would get his own love story. He is such a great character, a loving
brother—giving Raven his love and support when his own twin is a pyscho, a model
father, and an all around sexy alpha male that has what Stevie’s sister labels
perfectly as BDE (Big Dick Energy) in all the best ways. His confidence, intelligence,
swagger, and sexiness exude from him, but he isn’t arrogant in the way that
make him annoying or toxically masculine. He’s just the perfect kind of protective
and sweet male that is just what Stevie needs after the crappy males she has
dealt with in her life. Stevie is obvious guarded after not only her upbringings,
but her sister’s recent abusive relationship, but she also knows that Caleb is
a good man and she slowly opens her heart to him and I love seeing her find her
way to him. She is smart, sweet, sarcastic, witty, strong, and determined to
protect those she loves no matter the drama that comes into their lives. Despite
everything that has come at her she hasn’t lost her love of life or her ability
to find fun where she can and she knows that when she grabs onto Caleb that not
only is he going to steal her heart and she will be the one to bring fun into
his life again. They match and balance one another perfectly and bring to each
other the missing pieces of their hearts and you can easily see they were meant
to be.
While
Caleb and Stevie’s story might have started as Just a Little Crush they
both quickly lose their hearts and souls and the deeply abiding love that
develops is undeniable. I loved getting to experience the sensual and heartfelt
journey these two went through as they found a way through the drama of a situationship,
dangerous exes, and family drama, but through it all they had one another’s
back. Stevie is the kind of woman that stands by her friends and when her one
night with Caleb puts custody of his son in jeopardy, she is willing to help him,
but the more time she spend with them the more her heart is invested and soon
she knows that she wants to make their relationship real. Caleb uses whatever he has to in order to get
what he wants, but he never really sees their arrangement as a fake relationship.
Caleb has claimed Stevie and once he convinces her of the truth of that claim
he will finally have everything he has ever wanted in life, because she stole
his heart from him long ago. I loved seeing these two trying so hard to deny
their feelings for one another while they were both so deep, but in the end
there was no denying the passionate fire that they share or the love that will
lead to a marriage and life for two people that need family more than anything.
I am dying for the rest of this series and seeing it weave in with the
continuing Sterling series. The magic between Erika Wilde and Carly Phillips
never fails to blow me away and they definitely have another hit on their
hands!
*eARC provided by author for the
purpose of an honest and unbiased review. No compensation was provided.
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