I want to start by saying that I genuinely cannot wait until we get to see Reed become fully obsessed and finally lose the whole “I’ll never settle down, everyone can be bought, this is just sex” mentality.

That man is far more of an asshole than I normally enjoy reading about… and then he goes and does something unexpectedly kind, and suddenly I’m squinting suspiciously while giving him just a little more time to win me over 😂

Georgie was interesting to me because she somehow managed to feel both familiar and unique as an FMC. She makes decisions based strongly on her morals and convictions, even when it complicates things for her, and while characters wavering on those beliefs can sometimes frustrate me, it was handled well here.

Georgie attends a music panel hoping to meet someone she’d love to work with professionally, specifically setting her sights on Cece. Despite struggling academically due to difficult circumstances over the last few years, Georgie knows she has something valuable to offer. Learning that Reed Rivers the man with the Midas touch in the music industry, is also attending feels like an unexpected bonus. She plans to give him her sister’s demo… she just doesn’t expect the immediate attraction between them, or for Reed to be just as interested in her.

Reed, meanwhile, is immediately intrigued by the gorgeous woman who doesn’t stay behind to chase his attention. And when he later ends up at the same bar Georgie works at? Game on.

The tension and dialogue throughout this book were genuinely fantastic. I live for the moment when all the restraint finally snaps and characters give in to the chemistry they’ve been trying so hard to ignore and this book absolutely delivered on that front.

This book did a fantastic job of keeping me on my toes, constantly wondering what was coming next, while also leaving me irrationally frustrated by how well-written some of these deeply flawed (and honestly pretty terrible) characters were.

Overall, I genuinely appreciate what this story was trying to do, especially considering this is a debut novel. The premise was intriguing, the tension kept me engaged, and the ending absolutely explains why so many readers will likely become invested in this series moving forward.

That said, there were a few areas that occasionally made it difficult for me to fully immerse myself in the story. At times, the dialogue felt slightly clunky—not necessarily unnatural, but more like certain conversations were delivering information the reader needed rather than flowing organically from the emotional depth of the characters themselves.

I also tend to enjoy multiple POV stories, but with this one I found myself heavily invested in only certain perspectives, while others didn’t quite hold the same emotional pull for me. In contrast, the POVs I did connect with left me wanting even more time with those characters.

Even so, the ending itself was compelling enough that I completely understand why many readers will love this book and immediately want more from the world Kerrigan Shane has created.

I’ll definitely be interested to see what she writes next.

Louise Bay finished this series strong. Like, “this was my favorite book in the series” strong.

Parker needs to get married in order to access her $25 million inheritance, which she plans to use to better support the organization she runs for families struggling financially while their children undergo heart surgeries.

So naturally, the perfect husband candidate is the ridiculously attractive man who just bid on her during a charity auction.

Tristan never planned on getting married. Ever. But the woman who accidentally smashed cream puffs all over herself after running into him may end up changing his mind.

What starts as a fake marriage slowly turns into something far more real, and honestly? I loved watching it unfold.

I found both Parker and Tristan incredibly refreshing, and what worked so well about them was how naturally they brought out the best in each other. Tristan was protective in all the right ways, emotionally steady, and honestly easy to love from the moment he appeared on the page.

Parker was also such a great balance of fiercely independent, compassionate, and still very much a work in progress. She had a genuinely kind heart, and I really enjoyed sitting with her perspective throughout the story.

Definitely my favorite book in the series and now I’m fully ready to jump into another Louise Bay series immediately.