Publishing Date: August 27, 2019
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Pages: 320
Contemporary Romance
The Premise from the Publisher: "HE WANTS TO LOSE CONTROL. Between his parents' messed up marriage and his narcissistic younger brother, Lincoln Moorehead has spent the majority of his life avoiding his family. After the death of his father, Lincoln finds himself in the middle of the drama. To top it all off, he's been named CEO of Moorehead Media, much to his brother's chagrin. But Lincoln's bad attitude softens when he meets the no-nonsense, gorgeous woman who has been given the task of transforming him from the gruff, wilderness guy to a suave businessman. SHE'S TRYING TO HOLD IT TOGETHER. Wren Sterling has been working double time to keep the indiscretions at Moorehead Media at bay, so when she's presented with a new contract, with new responsibilities and additional incentives, she agrees. Working with the reclusive oldest son of a ridiculously entitled family is worth the hassle if it means she's that much closer to pursuing her own dreams. What Wren doesn't expect is to find herself attracted to him, or for it to be mutual. And she certainly doesn't expect to fall for Lincoln. But when a shocking new Moorehead scandal comes to light, she's forced to choose between her own family and the broody, cynical CEO" (SMP).
My overall thoughts and review: We have been so lucky with summer with two releases from Helena Hunting from the Shacking Up series! I was so excited when this book was announced earlier in the year because it follows Lincoln Moorehead; I was curious to learn abut the older brother of the annoying Armstrong from Hooking Up. We also learned in Making Up, that Lincoln and Griffin are quite close and are basically more brothers than cousins. Add in the fact that I love a good office romance, I was sold. I really, really, really loved this book. I found myself with a permanent smile on while reading this book. Because Lincoln is returning to NY after being away for so long, he has more to adjust to than simply his new role as the CEO of Moorehead Media. There he meets Wren, who has been named as his handler of sorts. She has helped smooth over Armstrong's indiscretions in the media before, and she has new responsibilities now to help do the same for Lincoln. Except Lincoln is nothing like his younger brother at all. We both learn that they both adjust to these new roles thinking it's only temporary because Lincoln thinks that as soon as he finds a replacement, he's out of NY, and Wren thinks that she'll only have to handle the Moorehead brothers until she gets her reference. I loved their banter and their arguing in the beginning of the book, and just seeing themselves soften around each other. With how much time they spent together, it's a no brainer that they have this undeniable chemistry. Interwoven in the love story is of course some family drama from the Moorehead side. I'm glad we got to see a bit of their upbringing, and see maybe why Armstrong is the way he is (doesn't mean I like him any more, but good to understand the circumstances). As always, I love when other characters in previous books are mentioned as well (Lex and Amalie!!). It's an fun and incredibly sweet read about falling in love and family. In the typical Helena charm, it is also quite sexy as well. I loved this book A LOT. Lex is still my #1 but Lincoln is a very close 2nd now. If you haven't read any of the Shacking Up series books, what are you waiting for? Please go out and pick up Handle with Care TODAY! Once you read the book, you'll be able to appreciate how adorable the cover really is! ;) I'm not fully sure if this is the last book in the series, but I'm happy to say that this series will forever be one of my favorite romance series ever. Every book has been consistently top-notch!
My rating of the book: ✮✮✮✮✮ - 5/5 stars
Available for purchase at:
US Macmillan, Chapters/Indigo, Kobo Books, Amazon, Kindle, and Book Depository
Author Q&A
Q: What project(s) are you currently working on?A: I just finished the third book in the All In Series, which the first book will be releasing this fall. Next I’m starting a standalone, but I also have a new series I’ll be starting soon, and I have a book idea or two for secondary characters in the last two books of The Shacking Up series, as well. It’s safe to say that my writing schedule is planned for the next two years!
Q: What do you like to do when you aren't writing?
A: I like hanging out with my daughter and craft. Recently we went camping, which was a fun experience, although I grew up with a family cottage so we would spend a lot of the summer there.
Q: Name three things on your desk right now.
A: Broken Knight by LJ Shen, Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey, Resist by K. Bromberg, Undeniable by Melanie Harlow, The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros (still gives me the chills when I think about it), Verity by Colleen Hoover.
Q: What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
A: The banter between Wren and Linc and writing a grumpy, jerk hero who really isn’t a jerk but sure acts like one!
Q: What would you like us (the readers) to take away from your story?
A: That families aren’t perfect and people can make mistakes, yet still grow from them.
About the Author
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of PUCKED, Helena Hunting lives on the outskirts of Toronto with her incredibly tolerant family and two moderately intolerant cats. She writes contemporary romance ranging from new adult angst to romantic sports comedy.
I love, love Helena and her books! If you're reading this, Helena, would you consider writing a M/M romance in the future?
ReplyDeleteShe is hands down one of my favorite authors. I feel like she could def write something M/M and succeed at it!
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