Sweet, Sexy, and Emotionally Unraveling!
Genre: Contemporary Romance, MMA Romance
Book Length (Est.): 263 Pages
Book Description/Synopsis:
His life was never easy. Hers wasn’t supposed to be this hard. They come from different worlds, but fate lures them together in a way neither expected in Cecy Robson’s raw, steamy series debut—perfect for fans of Monica Murphy and J. Lynn.
Evelyn Preston’s future once looked perfect—until her wealthy father was caught in an embezzlement scandal and took his own life. Alone and struggling to pay her college tuition and bills, Evelyn finds a job as a waitress at the ultra-hip nightclub Excess, where she used to have more in common with the privileged private-school clientele than her fellow staff members. But something attracts her to the sexy six-foot-four bouncer and underground MMA fighter Mateo Tres Santos. Although they’ve led different lives, their troubled pasts bonds them in both survival and love.
Mateo is ex-army who wound up in prison for assaulting the man who harmed his sister. Now he’s feeling the same protective impulse for this petite blond waitress. When Evelyn experiences a panic attack at the club, Mateo comes to her rescue. And when Mateo is wounded shielding her from a brawl, Evelyn returns the favor and comes to his aid.
As their attraction intensifies, Mateo is determined to find out what nightmares are lurking in Evelyn’s past—even if that means tackling his own to save her.
YAY – Double Review!
Jennifer’s Review:
*I received this book free from NetGalley on behalf of Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept in exchange for an honest review*
Evelyn doesn’t want to appear weak and when Mateo finds her on the verge of a breakdown the last thing she wants is to admit how affected she is, but when he pushes the attention away from her she begins to see him in a new light. Of course his friend, Ant, may have helped with that too.
Mateo has noticed Evie since the first moment he saw her. It was about the same time he realized he’d never be good enough for her, but when she risks everything to protect him his realizations becomes a little blurry. He wants her and he will have the patience of a saint waiting for her, but to him she’s worth the wait.
This story had plenty of heat, but it also had a lot of pushing away. Mateo kept holding Evie at a distance, not letting her too close, but she isn’t exactly the sit around and wait kind of girl. She knows what she wants and she’s willing to fight for it. He, on the other hand, has family issues he doesn’t want her to know about let alone be part of, and they’ll eventually drive a wedge between them. She also has a past that will crash into her present, but there’s too many people rooting for them for it not to be worth the effort.
Once Perfect is a blend of troubled souls, tangled relationships, and a love worth fighting for. It is a MMA Romance so of course there’s also graphic fighting, both in and out of the ring. Overall it was a really good book, but the constant off again/on again feeling between Mateo and Evie was a little too much.
My Favorite Laughable Moment: Noelle’s ‘medicated’ release from the hospital. The things that came out of the girl’s mouth were hilarious, especially when it resulted in two men locked in a staring contest.
My Favorite Word: HOT – and Lourdes detailed explanation of what the letters stand for.
Mindy’s Review:
*I received this book free from NetGalley on behalf of Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept in exchange for an honest review*
Evelyn Preston should have had a perfect life. Having family money means you can have the best in life, right? After her father takes his own life, her life turns completely upside down. Between bills and student debt Evelyn takes a waitress job at Club Excess just to get by.
Mateo Tres Santos has had a rough upbringing including beatings from his father. Adulthood has also had its challenges including serving prison time. Now he’s the lead bouncer at Club Excess and is drawn to Evelyn the minute she walks into the door. However the impulse to protect her is strong.
Evelyn has nightmares that she just does not understand. When things happen at Club Excess that bring on some triggers she finally realizes that she might need some help to understand her past. With the attraction between her and Teo growing they both realize that they are each hiding their past from the other, and just maybe their love is strong enough to help overcome the pain of their pasts.
I enjoyed reading this book. With the storyline being very intense I enjoyed that the author was still able to make me laugh. The friendship between Evelyn and her roommate is just hilarious. The book kind of went a little slow for me but overall was a good read. I love the relationship between Evelyn and Mateo and how much love they have for each other.
My Favorite Moment: I love how Mateo covers for Evelyn in her time of need.
“She’s claustrophobic,” Mateo answered for me. It wasn’t true, but I think he knew that.
My Favorite Part: Oh, I absolutely love what HOT stands for. You definitely need to read this book just to understand why I love this so much.
*Clicking on the book cover above will take you to the Amazon purchase page.
Categories: 4 Stars, Jennifer's Reviews, Mindy's Reviews, Reviews
Hines and Bigham's Literary Tryst 