This is pretty much the ultimate in friends-to-lovers romance with a heavy helping of heat!

Ryan has always been there for Jessie. From childhood play dates to a shoulder to cry on, the highs of high school and the lows of her family falling apart, he's been her rock in the storm of life...but she's never seen him as more than a friend. While he cherishes the connection they have, he's always harbored feelings that tended to run hotter than simply friendship...but she's always been unavailable in that arena, tying her hopes and dreams to his rival...until tonight. All it takes is one dance, one glance, one moment when she's finally having second thoughts (SERIOUS second thoughts) about her current romantic life, and her eyes are opened. Road to happily ever after? Umm, about that...

The obstacles these two put in their own ways certainly keep the story rolling, but it makes you keep second guessing as to the will-they-won't-they relationship status! I liked Ryan for pretty much the entire story, though his second guessing himself was a bit heart breaking. He was a good guy who just set his sights on the unattainable girl, but unrequited love never made someone less desirable. Jessie meant well, and was honestly a good person, she was just stuck in the past. It took her eyes being opened to a different betrayal (of a sort) to really accept what was for WHAT WAS and possibly think about a different future than the one she originally set her feet on. It will drive you crazy, but in a GOOD way, and the final turn of events will have your heart sighing.

So, if you like the trope, don't mind a good dose of steam, and really would like to see the good guy finally win (or not...can't spoil it for you!)...this might just be the next MUST READ on your TBR list!


**eARC received for review; opinions are my own ( )

Full review appeared at Reader's Edyn on 07/17/20

Jessie has decisions to make. She’s been on the path she created for herself with nothing but her future in mind. Still dating the perfect guy from high school, they are nearing the time of their marriage. They have been working tirelessly to meet their career goals so that they may begin their life together. But this has all taken place with spending very little time together; mostly in different countries. As anticipated, they grew apart. An encounter with her former best friend turned smoking hot sexy guy, Ryan, has her re-evaluating the path she has been relentlessly carving out for herself. Suddenly she realizes she needs to make some changes and it looks like a fling with Ryan will be the way she moves on. But Ryan has his own future plans he has been working toward and he is literally just a breath away from grasping on to the position he has been seeking. Except that position stands firmly against everything Jessie believes in given the atrocious way the Black Crescent scandal affected her family all those years ago. Once Jessie finally decides on her future moving forward, the lingering question that her relationship with Ryan hangs on is: can she be with him and get past the fierce hatred she holds for Black Crescent?

Ryan has loved Jessie for just about as long as he can remember. But she never saw him as anything past her confidant. Hugh was always that golden boy that she saw her future with, so when he has a chance to make a move at their reunion, he cannot waste the opportunity. Never imagining his brazen move triggers Jessie to reassess her life choices, he quickly finds himself in a “casual” relationship with her. But Jessie has been holding back a bit of the truth and Ryan’s continuation in seeking the CEO position with Black Crescent continues to shim a wedge between them. With Jessie firmly denouncing the very company Ryan dreams of taking over and reshaping, it comes down to whether he loves her enough to walk away from his dream job. But with Jessie’s recent betrayal, he isn’t sure he can afford to be the lovesick fool he has always been in the past. Now it’s Ryan who has some serious thinking to do and decisions to make.

This is my 3rd book in the series. I have been following it since the beginning and plan to complete it. I was intrigued by a series written by several authors, but all each holding a recurring theme that binds them all together; even to the point where other characters from previous books continue to make appearances as the series progresses. For this series, it is most frequently Joshua Lowell. He is the current CEO of Black Crescent – the company that ruined the lives of so many fifteen years ago. But the damning deeds were carried out by his conniving sire and Joshua has worked tirelessly to repair the company, it’s reputation, and make whatever restitution he can to all of the affected families. Having found his HEA, he is now ready to step down and let someone else take the reins so he can live his own life. And so this theme recurs throughout the books, providing an air of familiarity.

Ryan actually made a few appearances in the previous book. As one of the candidates up for the CEO position, Ryan was a part of the interviews that Allison (the FL from the previous installment) conducted. I did not much care for Ryan after his interactions with Allison. I had the feeling that he was trying to woo Allison behind the scenes intending to gain an upper hand in the interviews. At least that was the impression I took away from him initially. He had a rather bad reaction toward one of the candidates in the previous book and I immediately took a dislike to him for that outburst. His anger and animosity seemed misplaced and inappropriate at the time. Consequently, going into this book I was wary with his character. But I can happily report that his character completely morphed into something else entirely within the pages of this book and I ultimately enjoyed him most of all as I was reading. He possesses many positive characteristics and I admired his reasons for seeking out the CEO position. I, myself, believing he would be the best of the candidates to lead the company. However, we are left not knowing if he does take the position or not. I suppose, as far as the plot goes, this was a good move. After all, the search for the CEO has been what has liked these books together – aside from the BC scandal itself – so revealing the CEO at this point in the series could have been a bad tactical move. However, I was annoyed with Ryan’s decision because – I will just admit it – I didn’t care for Jessie much at all. Ryan’s biggest flaw was his weak spot for Jessie and not being able to get her out of his head.

I just never really warmed up to Jessie. She struck me as more of a petulant child who was stuck in the misdeeds of the past, unable to break free of that stigma. She could have easily been written as a strong woman who rose above the ashes, but instead, she remained the brat who forced Ryan to decide his future if he wanted any chance of having one with her. She does eventually give a little, but for me, it was absolutely too little too late. The damage had been done and given the lack of any kind of grand gesture from her, I was underwhelmed. True love doesn’t force one to give up on their dreams and conform to the wishes of one. Also, given the extent of loss that Zane experienced in the previous book, Jessie never really lost much. Yes, her family was affected, but Zane’s situation had been so much worse. If he could let that chip on his should go for the woman he loved, what the hell was Jessie’s excuse? Also aggravating was the completely predictable situation within her family that she and her mother finally have a row about. I had called it in the beginning and wasn’t wrong. But what galled me even more, was Jessie’s reaction given that she wasn’t much different. Pot meet kettle. She hadn’t completely broken things off with Hugh when beginning her relationship with Ryan and never even came clean about it with either of them until she had made her own final decision. Selfish, much? But what finally clenched my dislike was when she completely jumped Ryan’s shit for kissing her in public. She accused him of doing it intentionally when he was just lost in the moment. Bitch move. Honestly, I don’t think I would have had a problem with Ryan walking away from her for good at that point. Clearly, I just never connected to Jessie.

Chase Hargrove makes another appearance as one of the CEO candidates. He is once again in an odd and somewhat unprofessional position with Haley – Joshua’s assistant. I don’t know what the deal is with those two, but it’s uncomfortable, so I wonder what his role will be as the series progresses. Another turn off for me was the materialistic obsession this author held for everything pricey. She describes a lavish kitchen, constantly mentions Armani suits, and each time Ryan gets into his Porsche, it is written as the “Porsche 911 Carrera". Who the frick cares? It’s a Porsche. I got it. You do not have to mention the dang name of it each time. Message received. These guys have money. I am a sucker for a billionaire romance, but this was like intentionally drawing attention to expensive items because the reader needed a reminder? I’m not sure, but it became completely annoying after a while.

However, there is a silver lining here. I may not have enjoyed this book as part of the series. True. However, this book could be read as a stand-alone. There was enough back story provided that I do not believe a reader new to the series would have any issue with easily falling into this book. Some of my prejudices I carried over from the previous books. For that reason, I wonder is perhaps my knowledge from the beginning was more of a hindrance than an advantage in this case. Overall, the story was still enjoyable. It was sexy at times and there were some interactions between Ryan and Jessie that I enjoyed. But if it was my first read in the series, I doubt I would be coming back. At this point, I am invested and want to finish the series up. Admittedly, I also want to see what happened next knowing we will be reading work by another author. Hopefully, things will look up as this is not the best book in the series. So far it’s ranked in order. I connected with the first book the best and then the second was somewhat near second. Sadly, this was a far third. I hope this does not indicate that the series will continue to dive. Having alternate authors can be a bonus, but sometimes also a crapshoot. This one missed the mark for me. Still entertaining, but lacked the connection and sympathy I felt in the previous installments. As far as Ms. St. John’s work, I am unable to accurately assess if she would be a good fit for me without reading another of her books. Next time I will be searching for a stand-alone that is not part of a series so that I know for sure if we are a good match as reader and writer.

Kindle version provided by NetGalley/Harlequin in exchange for an honest review. ( )