Review: Hooker by Brooke Blaine (L.A. Liaisons #2)

Note: This ARC was provided by Between the Sheets Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

When I finished reading Licked, the bar was set high for the rest of the books in the L.A. Liaisons romantic comedy series that would follow in its footsteps, but Brooke Blaine went above and beyond, bringing hilarity and heart together in this fantastically entertaining sequel, Hooker. Now, while I was expecting this second book would feature Cameron Mathis from the first book, I more than appreciated this love story between Shayne Callahan, matchmaker extraordinaire who hooks people up with their potential partners, and Nate Ryan, film student and be-dimpled suspenders connoisseur.  Their first meeting set the stage perfectly for how the rest of their off-beat courtship would play out and while Shayne was initially hesitant about the age difference--Shayne is twenty-eight while Nate is twenty-three--it isn't overplayed, something that I appreciated since that would have just been forcing an inconsequential issue.

Shayne and Nate are a joy to read about and there's this connection between them that I always look for when it comes to the main characters in a romance novel. Of course, there needs to be a source of conflict, and it comes in an unexpected form in this story. Just when everything seems peachy between these two, Shayne takes it upon herself to curb a scandal that one of her clients is facing, due in small part to her telling her overbearing, sex-starved boss about celebrity Ace Locke's secret. Caught between her desire to help out a client who she cares about and the man she's falling for, Shayne wishes she could explain to both of them exactly how she's feeling. What I liked here was that Ace was a really great guy as well, and, once again, just like in Cameron's case, I'm left hoping that Ace will get his own shot at happily-ever-after because he deserves it. Okay, so this is me hinting heavily but at twice my usual persistence and peskiness.

As expected, Shayne's nutty best friends provide the laughs--even if it means having to embarrass themselves or one another in the process--while also shelling out nuggets of wisdom when Shayne's love life is in shambles. Ryleigh Phillips already has the love of her life, Hunter Morgan, by her side, and with Shayne getting her chance at the spotlight, we're left with Paige's and Quinn's stories left to be told. I'm assuming Paige is up next because of the whole P.I.T.A. thing, and that book's already going on my to-be-read list. But focusing our attention back to this second book in the L.A. Liaisons series, I smiled and snickered on more than one occasion, garnering looks from the people around me. Shayne and Nate were a fantastic pair of main characters and I adored them to bits. I'm highly recommending you check out Hooker and while this sequel reads quite well as a standalone, start the series right with Licked. Five stars! ♥

Date Read: 11 March 2016

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