Coming Clean by C.L. Parker
Monkey Business Trio #3
Release Date: September 20, 2016
Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance
Source: I received an eARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
Rating: 4 Bookworms
Challenges: #2016NewRelease, #BlogAhead2016
Goodreads
Synopsis
The steamy conclusion of C.L. Parker's Monkey Business Trio
They have been rivals who fought until the bitter end and lovers who know every sensual inch of each other's bodies. Now sports agents Cassidy Whalen and Shaw Matthews are about to become the one thing they never expected to be: parents. But this new dynamic to their relationship threatens to fizzle the sizzling desire that once held them in thrall to each other. If salvation is only a forbidden fantasy away, then Shaw and the woman he loves must embark on the adventure of their lives.
Cassidy is aching to reignite their connection. In steamy assignations in strange places, she and Shaw live out their most intimate desires--and reveal their deepest secrets. But as Shaw works overtime to sign a superstar athlete, a corporate reshuffling could be a game-changer. Can Cassidy and Shaw save their relationship and have it all--a career, family, and passion that never quits?
Coming Clean is intended for mature audiences.
Coming Clean is a departure from the tone of the first two in this trio. And thinking on it now, each book followed the different phases in the evolution of Cassidy and Shaw's relationship. That's kinda clever. We've been along for the ride with this couple as they went from enemies to loves, falling in love, and in this final installment, we see them trying to find their way back together after events in their lives forced changes in their relationship.
Coming Clean wasn't what I was expecting but it turned out that wasn't a bad thing. I actually liked seeing a realistic portrayal of a couple a few years into their relationship and with a child - how it affects your feelings towards each other and about yourself. And I liked seeing their commitment to one another remained strong despite the "bumps in the road" and that they got outside help in order to achieve their goals. With that help they were able to get to where they wanted and needed to be.
This installment wasn't as exciting as the previous ones but as I said, it felt realistic and genuine. And in the end, it was heartwarming.
Getting Rough by C.L. Parker
Monkey Business Trio #2
Release Date: January 26, 2016
Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance, Erotic Romance
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 4 Bookworms
Challenges: #COYER B2B, New Release 2016, Blogger Shame
Goodreads
Synopsis
Hotshot San Diego sports agent Shaw Matthews and his sexy professional adversary Cassidy Whalen have gone head-to-heard in the boardroom--and the bedroom. Now Shaw has scored a big promotion--but only because Cassidy turned it down and ran off. There are many things he wants when it comes to Cassidy--just not her pity. So Shaw rushes to a small town in Maine to retrieve his dignity--and maybe the woman he's hungry to claim once more.
Cassidy has pushed herself to the max to realize her career dreams--until a family crisis brings her home. But Shaw isn't letting Cassidy go that easily. Neither is gorgeous heartthrob Casey Michaels, the childhood sweetheart she left behind--and who now wants to win her back. As the rivalry between the two alpha males intensifies, and Shaw's seductive moves reach a whole new level of heat, Cassidy has to make a choice. And this time, it's for the highest stakes of all.
Getting Rough picks up where Playing Dirty left off and although there wasn't quite as much contention between Cassidy and Shaw in this installment, it was still a good read.
Cassidy has gone home to Maine to take care of things following her mother's accident. And boy is she surprised when she finds Shaw at the bed-and-breakfast where she grew up. Shaw, for this part, has come across the country so he can give Cassidy a piece of his mind over how things ended in their contest to win a highly sought after football star. Yeah Shaw, you keep telling yourself that. Things between Cassidy and Shaw are still not but Cassidy being home means they have to deal with her ex...Casey. That led to some fun testosterone-filled scenes.
One of the reasons I liked Playing Dirty was that the competitive natures of both Cassidy and Shaw fueled their contentious behavior toward one another but underneath that, I could see the respect and attraction. Thin line between love and hate, and all that... In Getting Rough, Cassidy and Shaw, spending time away from work and the city, and being with family and close friends makes them very introspective. They each learn a lot about themselves and each other. And it has them thinking about where the feelings they're discovering are going.
Getting Rough has a more serious undertone but there is still a lot of humor as well. I missed Cassidy and Shaw's friends from San Diego but enjoyed meeting Cassidy's parents, and Casey and his parents, as well as Mia, a guest at the bed-and-breakfast. There were a few instances of worry over things and I also felt there were a few plot threads with resolutions reached too easily. But overall, I'm still hooked on this series and look forward to reading Coming Clean.
Playing Dirty by C.L. Parker
Monkey Business Trio #1
Publisher: Bantam
Release Date: May 12, 2015
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Source: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review
Challenges: COYER 2015, #ShelfLove 2015
Rating: 4 Bookworms
Goodreads
Synopsis
Shaw Matthews plays to win, and he intends to snag a coveted partnership at San Diego's hottest spots agency by signing America's top athlete. Only one woman stands in his way: rival agent Cassidy Whalen. But eliminating the competition will be Shaw's pleasure when he concocts an ingenious plan to seduce Cassidy and show the beautiful ballbreaker who's the better man for the job. That is, until Cassidy turns the tables--and their steamy encounters start breaking all the rules.
Cassidy has worked hard to make it in a man's cutthroat arena, and she isn't going down without a fight, not even against the six-two alpha hunk whose rock-hard body awakens desires she's never known before. As Cassidy shares night after night of unending passion with Shaw, the game begins to change. Now Cassidy stands to lose everything--unless a fiery contest of wills can become a winning proposition for two people who keep raising the stakes.
Playing Dirty is an erotic romance intended for mature audiences.
I'm always down with a enemies-to-lovers story and Playing Dirty is a good one. I quite enjoyed the underlying message of the power of perception and who our preconceived notions can so negatively influence our opinions. I also thought it was fun to watch as Cassidy and Shaw got down to playing dirty.
Cassidy grew up in a small fishing town where everyone works hard. It's no surprise that she puts those lessons to good use in her job as an entertainment agent. Cassie is organized, put-together, always prepared kinda girl. She's worked hard to get where she is and is looking to make junior partner in her agency. There's only one road block - Shaw Matthews.
Shaw had a much more unconventional upbringing. It's made him who he is and he's worked hard to become the man he is. He's dedicated, tenacious, and willing to go that extra mile to land a deal. He's also looking to become partner in his agency and the higher-ups have seem fit to pit him against his nemesis, Cassie, to make that happen. And he'll do whatever it takes to beat her.
I have to admit to having an uh-oh moment at the beginning of the book. A moment where I was thinking What?? But I was very satisfied with the direction things were actually taking. Once Cassie and Shaw went to battle, as it were, over landing a football player for their agency, we got to see what they were made of. I think what I liked most about watching Cassie and Shaw play dirty is how much they learned about themselves as they got to know more about each other. They were forced to let go of some of the preconceived ideas about who the other was - particularly Cassie. We learned more about Shaw than Cassie, but I'm assuming we'll learn much more about her in the next installment.
Besides Cassie and Shaw, I also fell in love with the supporting characters. So much so that I was anticipating the subsequent installments to focus on them. But the ending proved that at least the next in the series will once again be about Cassie and Shaw.
The antagonism between these two took a little while to understand but I did enjoy the light show as the sparks flew. Playing Dirty, although it stuttered out of the gate for me, ended up being a fun read and I'm really anxious to see what happens next.
