A widow decides to finally return to the land of the living in this friends with benefits romance. Keep reading to get a tempting taste of Nasty by R.L. Kenderson, along with my impressions of it, then add it to your bookshelf. In honor of this second installment in the Naughty Series make sure to fill out the form below for the chance to win 1 of 10 e-copies of this book too!
Piper Stevens had already met—and lost—the love of her life. When she buried her husband, she buried her chance for a happily ever after…but also found a shoulder to lean on in Nate.
As a commitment-phobe womanizer, Nate Hall has never had a female as a friend, but he made a promise to his buddy before he passed. Take care of Piper.
And these days? He can’t imagine his life without her.
Now, a year later, things Piper thought were long gone are beginning to come back.
Like her previously healthy libido.
Except she can't picture dating someone in her husband's place, nor can she sleep with a stranger either.
So, she turns to Nate. After all, he's the perfect choice. He's her friend but also a player. He cares about her but they'll never fall in love…and she won’t get hurt. Not like she did when she lost her husband.
But can two friends give their bodies without involving their hearts and things turning nasty?
MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:
Every now and again you come across a book, amongst the many books read in a year, that sets itself apart. Witty and crackling banter, sizzling connections, and a romance full of heart and soul made this an unforgettable read that has me looking forward to reading more from this writing duo. From the first page to the last my favorite theme of friends-to-lovers was made fresh, infused with charm and humor to keep me endlessly smiling.
Piper once thought her life was perfect with a loving husband and plans for a future family. With his death a year ago though she shut down, closed herself off to fully living. The only person she let in during that time is her husband’s best friend Nate, the man who was with her husband when he died. He’s been her support, her friend and the man she calls whenever she needs help. He’s been her rock and it put them firmly in the comfort zone. With the passage of time her libido’s slowly come back to life though. Seeing others around her pairing off has her wanting that for herself, but the idea of being with other men scares her. With her friend’s encouragement of finding a friend with benefits she once again calls on Nate and slowly but surely their relationship evolves into something neither of them expected. Piper’s an immensely appealing heroine who’s doing the best she can to move on from her husband’s death. She’s a modern woman unashamed to admit she misses sex, the closeness of it, and that admission made her even more relatable. Throughout the story feelings of guilt warred with the loving feelings Nate engendered in her to cause a bit of angst between them that is realistically dealt with to make this story even more satisfying. It’s ultimately a journey that’s empowering and that pulls at the heartstrings to reach a richly-rewarding HEA.
Nate grew up without a mother and without a father after he walked away in grief. He’s grown accustomed to loss, accustomed to the belief that love means losing a part of yourself. With his friend’s death though he’s left even more emotionally bruised because of unrelenting guilt over his growing feelings for his friend’s widow. He made a promise on his friend’s deathbed to protect Piper, but his increasingly naughty thoughts have left him feeling guilty. Her desire to use him as a friend with benefits at first excites him, but her wanting to do so because she knows he can’t commit hurts him as his feelings for her are steady and strong. The more time they spend together the more invested his heart becomes and the more heartbreaking outside influences have on their burgeoning relationship and the harder I rooted for them. Nate’s a very sweet and sexy hero who displays a playboy attitude to the world as a way to protect his heart. His care and support for Piper is unwavering though and is as simple as breathing for him. His attraction to her snuck up on him, but he wholeheartedly claims her once she gives in to her long-dormant libido. He doesn’t fight his feelings for her, he embraces them and shows her with every subtle look and deed, along with their numerous scorching and playful encounters, how much he wants her. Nate’s a delicious book boyfriend and his actions throughout the story won me over completely and has me thinking of him still.
This is a delightful romance with just a bit of angst to pull at the heartstrings. Nate and Piper are a likable pairing whose relationship smoothly shifts from friends-to-lovers as their banter teemed with sexual tension from the very start. I enjoyed their flirty and suggestive dialogue that was nicely balanced with their ongoing friendship to fully immerse me in their coupling. Their sexual interludes were hot and nicely spaced throughout the narrative to keep the encounters fresh and readers wanting more. Surrounding this entertaining main couple was an equally likable cast of secondary characters with relationships of their own that have me intrigued. They were a supportive group, helping each other on their journeys to HEA and I’m left with wanting to know more about all of them. By its heartwarming epilogue I’m left utterly charmed and I can’t recommend this book highly enough for all the warm fuzzies this tale of starting over engendered in me along with the sappy grin that I’m still wearing when I think of this story.
Piper once thought her life was perfect with a loving husband and plans for a future family. With his death a year ago though she shut down, closed herself off to fully living. The only person she let in during that time is her husband’s best friend Nate, the man who was with her husband when he died. He’s been her support, her friend and the man she calls whenever she needs help. He’s been her rock and it put them firmly in the comfort zone. With the passage of time her libido’s slowly come back to life though. Seeing others around her pairing off has her wanting that for herself, but the idea of being with other men scares her. With her friend’s encouragement of finding a friend with benefits she once again calls on Nate and slowly but surely their relationship evolves into something neither of them expected. Piper’s an immensely appealing heroine who’s doing the best she can to move on from her husband’s death. She’s a modern woman unashamed to admit she misses sex, the closeness of it, and that admission made her even more relatable. Throughout the story feelings of guilt warred with the loving feelings Nate engendered in her to cause a bit of angst between them that is realistically dealt with to make this story even more satisfying. It’s ultimately a journey that’s empowering and that pulls at the heartstrings to reach a richly-rewarding HEA.
Nate grew up without a mother and without a father after he walked away in grief. He’s grown accustomed to loss, accustomed to the belief that love means losing a part of yourself. With his friend’s death though he’s left even more emotionally bruised because of unrelenting guilt over his growing feelings for his friend’s widow. He made a promise on his friend’s deathbed to protect Piper, but his increasingly naughty thoughts have left him feeling guilty. Her desire to use him as a friend with benefits at first excites him, but her wanting to do so because she knows he can’t commit hurts him as his feelings for her are steady and strong. The more time they spend together the more invested his heart becomes and the more heartbreaking outside influences have on their burgeoning relationship and the harder I rooted for them. Nate’s a very sweet and sexy hero who displays a playboy attitude to the world as a way to protect his heart. His care and support for Piper is unwavering though and is as simple as breathing for him. His attraction to her snuck up on him, but he wholeheartedly claims her once she gives in to her long-dormant libido. He doesn’t fight his feelings for her, he embraces them and shows her with every subtle look and deed, along with their numerous scorching and playful encounters, how much he wants her. Nate’s a delicious book boyfriend and his actions throughout the story won me over completely and has me thinking of him still.
This is a delightful romance with just a bit of angst to pull at the heartstrings. Nate and Piper are a likable pairing whose relationship smoothly shifts from friends-to-lovers as their banter teemed with sexual tension from the very start. I enjoyed their flirty and suggestive dialogue that was nicely balanced with their ongoing friendship to fully immerse me in their coupling. Their sexual interludes were hot and nicely spaced throughout the narrative to keep the encounters fresh and readers wanting more. Surrounding this entertaining main couple was an equally likable cast of secondary characters with relationships of their own that have me intrigued. They were a supportive group, helping each other on their journeys to HEA and I’m left with wanting to know more about all of them. By its heartwarming epilogue I’m left utterly charmed and I can’t recommend this book highly enough for all the warm fuzzies this tale of starting over engendered in me along with the sappy grin that I’m still wearing when I think of this story.
My rating for this is an A.
*I got this book from the author for review in exchange for my honest opinion.
THE PREVIOUS BOOKS IN THE NAUGHTY SERIES...
R.L. Kenderson is two best friends writing under one name.
Renae has always loved reading, and in third grade, she wrote her first poem where she learned she might have a knack for this writing thing. Lara remembers sneaking her grandmother’s Harlequin novels when she was probably too young to be reading them, and since then, she knew she wanted to write her own.
When they met in college, they bonded over their love of reading and the TV show Charmed. What really spiced up their friendship was when Lara introduced Renae to romance novels. When they discovered their first vampire romance, they knew there would always be a special place in their hearts for paranormal romance. After being unable to find certain storylines and characteristics they wanted to read about in the hundreds of books they consumed, they decided to write their own.
One lives in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area and the other in the Kansas City area where they’re a sonographer/stay-at-home mom/wife and pharmacist/mother by day, and together they’re a sexy author by night. They communicate through phone, email, and whole lot of messaging.
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Thank you for the wonderful review! Beautiful! <3
ReplyDeleteThank YOU for stopping by & for your kind comment! I’m definitely looking forward to revisiting this series (to get caught up on what I missed thus far) and look forward to what you have planned next.
DeleteThe Scarf Princess