Unraveling the Truth About Love
Sweet with Heat: Weston Bradens #3
By: Addison Cole
Releasing Jan 23, 2019
World Literary Press
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book for review from the author. I was not compensated nor was I required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising".
Blurb:
Small-town overachiever Riley Banks has finally scored her big break–working in Manhattan as a fashion design assistant for her childhood crush, Josh Braden. She enters her new job hoping to make a name for herself and–just maybe–explore the romance that slipped through her fingers way back when.
Josh Braden has models at his beck and call, a staff that never says never, and an elegant clothing line for the holiday season. When he hires Riley Banks, he expects her to learn the business from the ground up. But the girl next door turns out to be much more than he remembered.
When Josh and Riley’s friendship heats up, every steamy kiss, and every passionate caress stirs a love they cannot deny. But when Riley designs a wedding gown that would cause even the most jaded fashion editors to swoon, Riley’s mentor accuses her of stealing the design.
Facing indisputable proof and the mistrust of her lover, Riley is not sure she can take the heat of life in the fast lane of the fashion industry–and Josh is forced to choose between the woman he loves and the career he adores.
Unraveling the Truth About Love is a Sweet with Heat novel and conveys all of the passion you’d expect to find between two people in love without any graphic scenes or harsh language. If you’re looking for a more explicit romance, pick up the steamy edition, Friendship on Fire, written by New York Times bestselling author Melissa Foster. Addison Cole is Melissa’s sweet-romance pen name.
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My Thoughts:
Riley Banks is starting a new adventure. Josh Braden has things he both loves and hates about his job. This could be considered a second chance romance since they knew each other way back when.
If you’re a fashionista than this story may be of some interest. There was one character that had me thinking of the Kardashians. Not necessarily when I was getting to know Riley but there was a secondary character that just seemed like she would fit right in. And it might make me bad but one reason I kept turning the page was because I so wanted to see her get her just desserts.
This story is different from a lot of other stories that I’ve read by this author. The difference being that I didn’t feel a connection to the main characters. But that’s ok because that didn’t stop my enjoyment of getting to see their relationship blossom in a big city. And it’s not hard thinking of fashion when you think of New York. How you look and dress seems to be important. It’s also a city that comes with a lot of pressure.
One thing I liked about this story is that the author didn’t come right out and say exactly what size Riley was. Women aren’t all the size of the models that go down the runway but they can still be sexy no matter the size – o’naturale can be just as sexy. I don’t know if the author will find it a compliment or not but she does a great job at creating a nasty viper of a character. You could picture this character working her way through the industry. And one that I would stay very far away from – she’s the perfect maneater. But the flipside of that was the friendship and bonding that you could see growing between Riley and Josh.
The Bradens have another side that shows up in the author’s other series. This is one occasion where I’m glad that I haven’t read the heated version yet. I got to know the characters here first and experience their happy ending without going in and filling in the blanks from another book. But now that this one is in my finished library, I can now go back and read Friendship On Fire.
EXCERPT:
Riley Banks hurried down Thirty-Seventh Street in her red Catherine Malandrino dress and Giuseppe Zanotti leopard-print, calf-hair pumps. It was the week after Thanksgiving, and Manhattan was buzzing with the feverish zeal of the holidays. Riley slowed her pace to catch her breath. Tomorrow I’ll find the courage to take the subway. Maybe. She tugged her coat tighter across her chest to ward off the chilly air and silently hoped that nobody would figure out that she’d purchased her outfit on Outnet.com, an online designer outlet store. She felt like such a hypocrite, heading to her first day at her new job as one of world-renowned designer Josh Braden’s assistants wearing discounted clothing. The thought turned her stomach—but not as much as showing up in her hometown jeans and cowgirl boots would have. She was a long way from Weston, Colorado, and she’d spent the last few weeks gathering discount designer clothes and practicing omitting “y’all” from her vocabulary.
She stood before the thick glass door of Josh Braden Designs and took a deep breath. The sign above the door read, JBD. This is it. She closed her eyes for a split second to repeat the mantra she’d been playing in her mind like a broken record for weeks: I’m educated, knowledgeable, and eager. I can do this.
A warm hand on her lower back pulled her from her thoughts.
“Have any trouble finding us?” Josh Braden stood beside her with a friendly smile and perfectly shorn, thick dark hair. His black Armani suit fit his lean, muscular frame perfectly. A few years earlier, he’d been named one of America’s Most Eligible Bachelors. Back then she hadn’t given the magazine cover a second thought. He was in New York, and she was back in Colorado, so far removed from him that she’d still thought of him as Josh Braden, the boy she’d had a crush on for too many years to count. Now, standing on the streets of New York City beside the man whose name rivaled Vera Wang, she felt the air sucked from her lungs.
His deep voice sent a shiver right through her. Not only had she had the good fortune to be reconnected with Josh when he was back home visiting his family, but during his visit, the two of them had also spent a few days getting reacquainted. Riley hadn’t been sure if it was her crush going haywire or if there was something more real blossoming between them, but those few days had each felt a little more intimate than the last. And while their lips never touched and their bodies remained apart, she’d felt like they were always one breath away from falling into each other’s arms.
Find out what happens as Josh and Riley unravel the truth about love.
Author Info:
Addison Cole is the sweet-romance pen name of New York Times and USA Today bestselling and award-winning author Melissa Foster. She writes humorous and emotional sweet contemporary romance. Her books do not include explicit sex scenes or harsh language.
Addison spends her summers on Cape Cod, where she dreams up wonderful love stories in her house overlooking Cape Cod Bay.
Visit Addison on her website or chat with her on social media. Addison enjoys discussing her books with book clubs and reader groups and welcomes an invitation to your event.
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(Win an e-copy of A LOVE SO SWEET (5 Winners))
*Sweet with Heat: Weston Bradens series titles
A LOVE SO SWEET - Now Available
OUR SWEET DESTINY - Now Available
THE ART OF LOVING LACY - Releasing May 8th, 2019
