Review: The Playboy Bachelor by Rachel Van Dyken (Bachelors of Arizona #2)
Note: This ARC was provided by Forever (Grand Central Publishing) in exchange for an honest review.
“That hurts.” Bentley looked down, breaking eye contact.
She choked back a sob. “I’m sorry.”
“I know you are.” He finally looked back at her. “But that doesn’t change the fact that you think so little of me…when I think the world of you.”
And then he walked away.
The surprise release of a much awaited second book in a series? Yes, please! And that's how The Playboy Bachelor came to be, because I sure as heck wasn't expecting that to be Rachel Van Dyken's surprise book announcement, and the fact that it was an actual release and not just news about a book to be published? Well then, color me shocked and in the best way possible for a bookaholic like me. I adored the first book, The Bachelor Auction, in Van Dyken's Bachelors of Arizona series, which is the spin-off of her The Bet series, and with the Wellington twins waiting in the wings, my expectations were high. And my goodness how those expectations were totally blown out of the water, or maybe the sky, since they were so high and all. In short, it was more than I could've possibly hoped for, if the number of times my heart clenched in empathy and my mouth tugged up in a smile were the basis alone.
At sixteen, Margot McCleery knew one thing for sure—she was in love with her best friend. But eighteen-year-old Bentley Wellington would never consider someone like her girlfriend material. She knew his type and she wasn't it. But at least they would always be best friends...until they weren't. One accident changed everything. A decade later and Margot finds herself at a loss when her grandmother informs her that she won Margot a date for one weekend during a bachelor auction. The clincher? The bachelor is none other than Margot's former best friend. Bentley, of course, doesn't tell her that he's been coerced by his grandfather. Fulfill the requirements of the date or be skipped over for the position of VP of Marketing at Wellington, Inc. There's anger and distrust and too many secrets and too much miscommunication, but can the playboy win back his best friend's heart and lay claim to it?
There were a couple of chapters where I seriously wanted to smack Bentley, but when the truth about what happened after Margot's accident came to light, goodness, how my heart ached for these two. It was as the fates conspired against them and they lost more than their friendship and over the next ten years, they were both stuck in a vicious cycle that left them broken. My alliances switched, of course, because then Margot seemed to both purposely and unintentionally hurt Bentley. But I wonder if they hurt each other intentionally, knowing full well that it was the best way to push the other away, thus eliminating any chance of them getting their hearts crushed all over again. These two had a lot of baggage between them, but her grandmother and his grandfather and brothers—plus one nosy matchmaking woman—are more than willing to nudge them along the path to true love.
This was a slow burn romance that felt like delayed gratification but getting nuggets of gratification on the way to the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. There were a lot of notable moments in the book where I smiled and laughed, but there were also those parts of the story where I got teary-eyed or frustrated with the main characters. But then that's what happens when you become as emotionally invested as I did in the less than three hours I spent with Margot and Bentley. Then there's Brant, Bentley's twin, who's clearly dealing with his own demons. We get just enough of a look at how he is and a peek at what awaits him in the third and final book in the series. Suffice it to say that I've already got that I've already got The Bachelor Contract on my to-be-read list and am itching to find out when I can get it in my greedy hands. For now, go read The Playboy Bachelor. Five-plus stars. ♥
At sixteen, Margot McCleery knew one thing for sure—she was in love with her best friend. But eighteen-year-old Bentley Wellington would never consider someone like her girlfriend material. She knew his type and she wasn't it. But at least they would always be best friends...until they weren't. One accident changed everything. A decade later and Margot finds herself at a loss when her grandmother informs her that she won Margot a date for one weekend during a bachelor auction. The clincher? The bachelor is none other than Margot's former best friend. Bentley, of course, doesn't tell her that he's been coerced by his grandfather. Fulfill the requirements of the date or be skipped over for the position of VP of Marketing at Wellington, Inc. There's anger and distrust and too many secrets and too much miscommunication, but can the playboy win back his best friend's heart and lay claim to it?
There were a couple of chapters where I seriously wanted to smack Bentley, but when the truth about what happened after Margot's accident came to light, goodness, how my heart ached for these two. It was as the fates conspired against them and they lost more than their friendship and over the next ten years, they were both stuck in a vicious cycle that left them broken. My alliances switched, of course, because then Margot seemed to both purposely and unintentionally hurt Bentley. But I wonder if they hurt each other intentionally, knowing full well that it was the best way to push the other away, thus eliminating any chance of them getting their hearts crushed all over again. These two had a lot of baggage between them, but her grandmother and his grandfather and brothers—plus one nosy matchmaking woman—are more than willing to nudge them along the path to true love.
This was a slow burn romance that felt like delayed gratification but getting nuggets of gratification on the way to the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. There were a lot of notable moments in the book where I smiled and laughed, but there were also those parts of the story where I got teary-eyed or frustrated with the main characters. But then that's what happens when you become as emotionally invested as I did in the less than three hours I spent with Margot and Bentley. Then there's Brant, Bentley's twin, who's clearly dealing with his own demons. We get just enough of a look at how he is and a peek at what awaits him in the third and final book in the series. Suffice it to say that I've already got that I've already got The Bachelor Contract on my to-be-read list and am itching to find out when I can get it in my greedy hands. For now, go read The Playboy Bachelor. Five-plus stars. ♥
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Read my reviews for the Bachelors of Arizona series:
The Bachelor Auction (book one) - five-plus stars - My Review
The Playboy Bachelor (book two) - five-plus stars - My Review (posted above)
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Release Date: 11 April 2017
Date Read: 11 April 2017
Learn more about Rachel Van Dyken.
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