Author: Rina Gray
Genre/Age: Contemporary Romance/Adult
Series: Crush on You Series (Book Two)
Publisher: Crimson Romance
Format: ebook via Barclay Publicity
Rating: ✺✺✺✺✺
Links: Goodreads
Synopsis: Marketing manager Tiana Holliday just landed her dream job at an award-winning agency in New York City. There’s just one problem: cocky playboy Nathaniel Lawson, her old grad school nemesis, is her new officemate.
As the firm’s rising star, Nathan never had to compete for prime clients until all-work and no-play Tiana strutted into his workspace. When an opportunity arises to manage a lucrative sports car account and nab a big promotion, he challenges her to a wager: Loser does the winner’s bidding for one month. But their friendly little competition suddenly threatens to erupt into an all-out battle of desire.
As they straddle the line between love and war, they just might discover that challenging each other outside the boardroom is even more satisfying than advertised.
The crowd screamed and clapped. A few rows behind Tiana, someone started a chant for the Beast. Clapping, she chanted with the crowd. The announcer waved a hand in the air and gripped the mic with his other one. “Unanimously voted to win all four rounds and still undefeated, I give you,” he walked to the corner and raised Nathan’s arm in the air, “the Beaaaaaassst!”
Tiana jumped and clapped as he stepped away and waved his arms in victory to the crowd. This isn’t so bad.
“Tiana wants to have a dozen babies with you, Beast!” Mel screamed at the top of her lungs.
Before Tiana could renounce her Martin Luther King philosophy of nonviolence and sock her former friend in her arm, Nathan turned to face them.
A flicker of heat, and a big dose of danger burned in his gaze. A jolt of energy zapped and electrified her. Every particle and cell in her body awakened, liquefied, and then sizzled. His lips tipped at the corners into a lazy smile.
“I’ll have your babies, too!” someone yelled from the crowd. His gaze stayed fixed on her face. His dark eyes broadcasted, “I’ve seen you naked and I like it,” to anyone who cared to see. Clenching her legs together, she quivered. Nathan gave her a cocky-ass smile as if he knew he was the cause of the mini-explosions firing within her.
A ring girl stepped into the octagon, sashayed up to Nathan, and leaned in for a kiss. Tiana jerked away from their intimate moment and held her breath for a second before looking back. Much like his fight, he ducked the woman’s advances, hopped on the stool in his boxing corner, and jumped over the ropes surrounding the ring. Landing with the ease of a panther, he stalked toward Tiana.
Mel nudged her and whispered, “Brace yourself.” Taking her friend’s wise advice, she breathed deep. Her eyes filled with him. A tall, dark, sexy, and sweaty vision. This man—this sexy beast—wanted her. Only her.
“Peaches,” he growled as he snatched off his gloves and tossed them carelessly on the floor. Closing the distance between them, he wrapped one hand around her waist and cupped her face with the other. His hard, unrelenting eyes continued to broadcast a message. No going back. His tongue swiped her mouth, as if testing the waters, followed by firm, warm lips. He commanded surrender, obedience, and absolutely no negotiations. She clung to him knowing his kiss had changed everything.
Her heart slammed and knocked against her chest, and her knees buckled. She was … Damn it, am I swooning? Like a well-practiced, swashbuckling pirate, his arms snaked around her waist as he drew her body into his. Wetness pooled and flooded her lacy Vicky Secrets. Nathan had just KO’ed her va-jay-jay.
Copyright © 2016 by Rina Gray
Rina Gray is one of the newest African American romance writers on the rise. She is also a digital marketing professional who discovered her love of writing in 2012. Writing has always been Rina’s passion, though initially, she tried to deny it. In college she served as the copy editor for the entertainment magazine and newspaper. During her tenure, she had the opportunity to interview various talented entertainers including Chris Rock and the cast from Reno-911.
Rina has always been an avid reader, sneaking to read her mother’s books she had no business reading i.e. Stephen King’s The Stand, It, and Anne Rice’s various vampire series. As a pre-teen, she received a load of romance novels from a family friend and from that point on, she devoured any book related to romance or horror. When she’s not writing, she can be found with her head stuck in a book, kickboxing, or dominating game night with friends and family. Rina resides in Atlanta with her husband.
Buy Links: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | iTunes
**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for honest review.**
Such a fantastic book!
I'm not sure I can put into words just how much I enjoyed this book. I laughed (a lot), smiled, swooned, and loved every minute of it.
Tiana has been burned in the past. In more ways than one. An incident with a prior co-worker left her heartbroken and determined not to repeat past mistakes. For this reason, she will never allow herself to fall for another colleague, no matter how much his gaze makes her want to melt into his arms.
Nathan has wanted Tiana since the first moment he saw her. However, her icy demeanor toward him has held his affection at bay. Instead, he torments her. But Tiana isn't one to take his taunts laying down. She returns his pranks and challenges him right back. This only proves to fan his flame for her.
An office rivalry becomes a competition, giving Nathan the perfect opportunity to try to break Tiana out of her hard shell and bring excitement to her life. She may not want to play along, at first, but it's tough to deny the feelings that Nathan is stirring up inside her. She just might decide to break her rule and give him a chance...
The characters were highly entertaining. There was plenty of humor and chemistry between our couple. Even the secondary characters were hilarious, at times. Nathan was such a caring and compassionate lead and I was happy to see Tiana allowing herself to enjoy Nathan's company. Their budding romance was completely believable.
I'm not sure I can put into words just how much I enjoyed this book. I laughed (a lot), smiled, swooned, and loved every minute of it.
Tiana has been burned in the past. In more ways than one. An incident with a prior co-worker left her heartbroken and determined not to repeat past mistakes. For this reason, she will never allow herself to fall for another colleague, no matter how much his gaze makes her want to melt into his arms.
Nathan has wanted Tiana since the first moment he saw her. However, her icy demeanor toward him has held his affection at bay. Instead, he torments her. But Tiana isn't one to take his taunts laying down. She returns his pranks and challenges him right back. This only proves to fan his flame for her.
An office rivalry becomes a competition, giving Nathan the perfect opportunity to try to break Tiana out of her hard shell and bring excitement to her life. She may not want to play along, at first, but it's tough to deny the feelings that Nathan is stirring up inside her. She just might decide to break her rule and give him a chance...
The characters were highly entertaining. There was plenty of humor and chemistry between our couple. Even the secondary characters were hilarious, at times. Nathan was such a caring and compassionate lead and I was happy to see Tiana allowing herself to enjoy Nathan's company. Their budding romance was completely believable.
In closing...
I am definitely interested in checking out the first book of this series and any that come after this one. Such a great story, filled with likable characters and swoon-worthy romance. Five awesome suns!
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