~☆Review☆~ Hooker by Brooke Blaine

Title: Hooker (L.A. Liaisons, #2)
Author: Brooke Blaine
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: March 9, 2016

☆¸.•¨★☆Review☆★¨•.¸☆

Hello, hotness.

Once again, Brooke Blaine has delivered a sweet, sassy female lead and a hot male lead. First, I loved that there was an age difference between Shayne and Nate. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. Second, I continue to love this group of women. Their friendship, support for each other, and dynamic is really what pulls me into these books.

But, this isn’t a chick-lit/girlfriend book, it’s a romance. And it’s there in spades. The chemistry between Nate and Shayne is ridiculous. Nate surprised me a bit. He was a great balance of romantic and hot-guy. Not too cheesy, but not so over-the-top asshole that you had to wonder why Shayne was attracted to him.

There are a few plot holes I picked up on throughout the book. One downside to the second offering in the L.A. Liaisons series, is the same downside I had with Licked – I saw it coming from a mile away. I’m not going to give away any spoilers, just in case you don’t see it. But, just like with Licked, this is a RomCom, not a murder mystery. It’s a fun, fast read (I read it in a day, between doing laundry, the grocery shopping, and convincing my three year olds they do, in fact, need a nap) and I enjoyed it. It’s a great way to spend a couple of hours.

I’ll keep reading the L.A. Liaisons series despite the nitpicky things I found in the story because they’re fun – a light-hearted escape from cleaning up the Cheez-it crumbs one of my heathens threw over his head like glitter in the middle of Mardi Gras.

Hooker Teaser 2 by Hang Le

☆¸.•¨★☆Synopsis☆★¨•.¸☆

Whoever said singles were missing out by not finding true love and getting married before the age of thirty had never experienced the sheer pleasure of nightly romantic comedy viewings in their underwear while eating one of Licked’s famous Crazy Cat Lady sundaes. Because life just doesn’t get better than that.

At least, it doesn’t for Shayne Callahan. It didn’t take more than a handful of broken hearts after college to solidify that she was better at pairing up those around her than herself. As a matchmaker at the elite HLS—Hook, Line, & Sinker Matchmaking Company—in the City of Angels, she has a knack for finding the other halves of even the most eccentric clients:

Sugar daddy with a foot fetish? Gross, but no problem.
A severe case of nudophobia? Match made before lunch.

But even the most happily independent of women can find their best-laid plans screeching to a halt when they meet that guy. For Shayne, that guy comes in the form of boyishly handsome, suspender-lovin’, dimple-poppin’ Nate Ryan on a pantsless (we’ll get to that later) Metro ride.

Of course, relationships can never be easy. Before the destined lovers can ride off into the sunset, they must overcome a power-hungry and sexual-punning boss, a celebrity scandal and cover-up, and let’s not forget Shayne’s dreadful foot-in-mouth disease—with which there can never be a happily ever after.

Will fate throw Shayne a freakin’ bone? Or will she be destined to live out her life as sexy(ish), single(ish), and L.A.’s finest Hooker (upper)?

Hooker teaser 3 by Hang Le

☆¸.•¨★☆Excerpt☆★¨•.¸☆

“Hi,” I managed to say.

Nate nodded toward my legs. “Your pants are making me hungry.”

Aaaand that was the point where I stopped breathing. Except to say, “What?”

His eyes trailed down my body and rested on my thighs. Self-conscious, I looked down, almost sighing with relief when I realized my lower half was indeed covered this time, but that feeling went away pretty fucking fast when I saw the ice cream cones on my pajama pants practically flinging themselves at him.

Yes, I’d gone out in public in pajamas, so sue me. I hadn’t counted on running into…well, anybody.

“Oh. Oh yeah, um…I like ice cream,” I mumbled. “Especially from Licked, my friend Ryleigh’s store, although I have to say, her boozy shakes are unreal, especially the Make Me Quake Shake, which has these amazing pieces of those Ferrero Rocher balls in them, and they just give it the perfect amount of crunch so that you—” I stopped and took a breath when I noticed his grin getting wider. I swallowed and then said, “Not that I go there all the time or anything. Because I don’t. I mean, I’ve only been once or twice. You know…to taste test. Actually, I never eat sweets.”

He laughed then, and those penetrating eyes, tinged with more green than brown today, made their way up my body once more, pausing with what looked like amusement at my full hands. Then his gaze was on me and those dimples were out in full force.

“That’s too bad,” he said. “I’ve got a helluva sweet tooth.”

Wait…was he flirting with me? Was that a come-on? Or just stating a fact?

“Yeah, well, in that case your dentist probably hates you,” I said, readjusting the cold-ass meals in my arms. I’d be damned if I let those suckers go now. I’d tied my jacket around my waist, and my thin tank top would reveal a tit-bit more than I needed him to see.

He chuckled at that. Hmm. He had a nice chuckle. And a husky laugh. Both of which made my eyes zoom in on his throat. I wondered if it was as warm as it looked. He must’ve caught me staring, because he coughed, bringing my attention back to his face. His eyes were twinkling something wicked.

“You might be right about that,” he said. “Maybe I don’t like people telling me what to do. Or dictating what I can and can’t put in my mouth.”

My mouth dropped open, but I quickly snapped it shut. This guy was obviously a charmer, and after dealing with guys like him all day, the last thing I would do was fall prey to another arrogant playboy. Nope. Not me. Not gonna happen.

Hooker Teaser 5 by Jay Aheer

☆¸.•¨★☆Book Trailer☆★¨•.¸☆

☆¸.•¨★☆About Brooke☆★¨•.¸☆

You could say Brooke Blaine was a book-a-holic from the time she knew how to read; she used to tell her mother that curling up with one at 4 a.m. before elementary school was her ‘quiet time.’ Not much has changed except for the espresso I.V. pump she now carries around and the size of her onesie pajamas.

She is the author of the international bestselling romantic comedy series, L.A. Liaisons (“Licked” and “Hooker), as well as Flash Point and The Desperate Man series. The latter, co-authored with Ella Frank, has scarred her conservative Southern family for life, bless their hearts.

If you’d like to get in touch with her, she’s easy to find – just keep an ear out for the Rick Astley ringtone that’s dominated her cell phone for ten years.

Licked (L.A. Liaisons, #1)