Series: Hot & Hammered, #1
Traits & Tropes: best friend's sister, childhood crush; insecure, playboy hero
Publication Date: 06.11.19
Genre/Setting: Contemporary; Port Jefferson, Long Island, New York, USA
Heat Level: 5
Rating: 5/5
Narration Rating: 4/5
Georgette Castle is the youngest of three siblings and even though she’s an adult now, she’s still treated like a kid by everyone, even though she runs her own successful business now. It doesn’t help that she works as a kids’ birthday clown, but she’s determined to make everyone take her seriously. She needs to get rid of her cutesy little sister image and her childhood crush and former professional baseball player Travis Ford is the perfect man to help.
Travis was the most popular rookie in professional baseball until an injury ended his career. Now he’s working with Georgie’s brother flipping houses, trying to stay occupied and not feel like a failure. He can’t go anywhere in town without people hounding him, men who want bedroom tips and women who want to experience his purported skills firsthand. He also has to stop himself noticing that his best friend’s sister, Georgie is all grown up now and he has no business noticing her. But when she proposes they pretend to date so she can force people to notice her for who she is now and not the kid she was, and so Travis can present a family friendly persona that will help him secure a new job as a broadcaster. It seems crazy, but Travis can’t see a reason to disagree, as long as things stay platonic. But as he spends more time with Georgie, he gets to know the real woman beneath the goofy clown makeup, and she rapidly becomes all too necessary for him.
This is the cutest story I’ve read in some time. I wasn’t sure I’d like it because of Travis’ playboy image and Georgie’s wholesome innocence, especially since she’d been pining over him for years, but all of those things are what made this work. Sure, Georgie has always loved Travis, but she never compromised who she was or what she wanted, and she also found her feelings for Travis growing and deepening as she came to know the real man. Travis was heart-wrenchingly brooding beneath his confident persona, and I loved that Georgie was the one defending him and standing up for him when people got too pushy and he didn’t know how to handle them. The fact that he loved her strength and that she helped him believe in his own worthiness made this a beautiful read for me. Travis had never really known what it was to be loved and didn’t feel he deserved to receive it either, having always been a quick fling for everyone in his life and a nuisance to his parents. This one also gets bonus points for featuring an excellent, dramatic declaration of feelings. I loved how mature Travis and Georgie wound up being and their communication about their feelings for each other was good, the fake relationship aspect not too drawn out, and the hurtful miscommunication kept brief. I do wish we’d gotten more time with them after they’ve officially declared their very real love for each other, but having read the rest of the series, I know this is because we see more of them in Rosie’s and Bethany’s stories as well. I know some reviewers haven’t cared much for this story, but it definitely worked for me. It was both sweet and steamy and left me with the contented warm fuzzies that are becoming harder and harder to find these days, so Travis and Georgie are now one of my favorite couples.
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/4145482844
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2856715346
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