As Fate Would Have It by Cheyenne Meadows
Publisher: Silver Publishing
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Full Length (226 pgs)
Other: M/F
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by DahliaBrie expects a relaxing and ordinary vacation from her job as nurse at a local hospital until she gets into mayhem with Rye, local police detective and longtime friend of her family.
Brie welcomes her badly needed vacation, but one phone call tosses those plans out the window. Bad plumbing leaves Rye, a family friend, homeless. He moves in with Brie temporarily, turning her contented life upside down–challenging her into buying sexy lingerie, watching porn, and delving into his police investigations. The flare of excitement, not to mention the instant attraction between the two, turns into something more complicated.
The old ladies gossip group target Rye, a neighborhood couple isn’t what they appear, and his repressed roommate watches porn and dyes his underwear pink.
What’s a man to do but solve the case, catch the bad guys, and get his woman?
What’s a woman to do but show him how it’s done?
Gardening and home improvement was how Brie had planned to spend her well earned vacation, but with Rye around anything from getting caught with a vibrator to going undercover as a hooker is possible.
Practically family, Brie and Rye grew up stubborn and competitive to the core with each other. Although they haven’t seen each other for the last few years, neither was prepared for the insta-lust that took over when Brie opened the door to her new temporary houseguest. Not an ideal situation for Brie, but she makes the best of it by letting Rye help her with her gardening and it doesn’t hurt that he’s not hard on the eyes. It’s when Rye decides that Brie is in serious need of a sleepwear makeover, she’s not so sure this was a good idea after all.
Rye’s cocky confidence has served him well with the ladies, but Brie’s a bit of a tough sell. If it wasn’t for the desirous looks and covert glances at his butt, Rye wouldn’t be sure she was interested at all and yet he can’t help catching her in embarrassing moments just to see her inner feistiness. However, as much as he’s having fun watching her turn red from either anger or embarrassment, there is something about her neighbors that his cop instincts won’t let him ignore. To protect her, he’ll do what it takes, but he wasn’t counting on her unbelievable courage to do what an entire department of cops couldn’t.
Unexpected and fun is how I would describe this laugh-out-loud, friends-to-lovers romance. Of course there is some sexy good times as well, but the build-up throughout the story is fantastic with well-timed events that never fail to entertain. The dialogue is clever and the chemistry between the leads is off the charts when they give in to it and sexually tension-filled when they fight against it. I was pleasantly surprised at Brie and Rye’s emotional and physical journey as neither was easily won over. I was a tad disappointed that not everything was wrapped up at the end, but I would absolutely recommend this story to any contemporary romance reader in need of a good laugh with a heartwarming undertone.
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