Title: A Bad Boy for Christmas
Series: Second Chance #3
Author: Jessica Lemmon
Release Date: September 29, 2015
'Tis the Season to Be Naughty
Connor McClain knows what he wants. And after four harrowing years in Afghanistan, that's a quiet life in the lakeside town of Evergreen Cove. But coming home has land mines of its own-the most dangerous of them being long-legged bombshell Faith Garrett. Now getting her into his arms this holiday is going to require more than mistletoe...
With a cheating ex behind her, all Faith wants is a relaxing holiday free from man drama. And even though every moment with gorgeous Connor is a sweet temptation, Faith is determined not to give in. But Jack Frost has other plans, and soon Faith and Connor are snowbound in a winter wonderland with only the sparks flying between them to keep them warm. As one hot kiss leads to another, they'll have to decide if they're ready to give each other the best gift of all-love.
A sweet friends-to-lovers story…
This is a gentle and sweet friends-to-lovers story in keeping with the great writing style of this author. There is always a depth of emotion combined with humor and steam in her books and this is another great example of that. This time out it is Connor and Faith’s story.
“Afternoon, Cupcake.”
“Good afternoon to you, Beefcake.”
Connor McLain embodies so many of the qualities one would want in a friend and lover. Compassionate, loyal, selfless, he has a sense of humor and hunky sexiness that is one incredibly attractive package. Ex-military, he has been back from the Middle East for a number of years but has not been able to put all his demons and nightmares to rest. Working with nature has given him a sense of peace but there is still something missing. And enter Faith…
Faith is still recovering from a cheating ex as she rebuilds her sense of self and life. She is settling into her new home, her new everything, but her friends are going to help her through it. It’s great to see again the couples from the previous books in this series—Donovan and Sofie, and Charlie and Evan—as they again provide a haven of friendship and love to each other.
It’s late September and I admit it’s a bit strange reading this book that’s set around Thanksgiving and Christmas. But when else would there be an opportunity to be snowed in?! The road to romance for these two is a gentle build-up with a few bumps encountered along the way. Faith has been really shaken up by her ex’s betrayal and she dwells on that quite a bit (well, a lot, really). Connor doesn’t want to mix business with pleasure or jeopardize the solid friendships he has.
“Sleeping with the girl who was his buddy’s girl’s best friend was the jewel in the crown of Stupid.”… “So, Cupcake was a demilitarized zone.”
Overall, it was a great read full of interesting and likable characters and a story with an HEA that gave me the warm and fuzzies. Definitely a book I will pick up again when the snow sets in and Christmas lights are twinkling from the firelight. So many hints on stories that are coming up next—I can’t wait!
~ Review by Diane
Seriously Evergreen Cove, why do you get all of the swoonworthy men? I love coming back to this town every story!
In A Bad Boy for Christmas, Connor gets his turn. He is a former soldier turned landscaper and has a major protective instinct. He does have a hard time opening up and letting people in though, from his time in the military as well as a past girlfriend. When he finds out that Faith has a potential burglar his protective instinct kicks into high gear and he goes to great lengths to keep her safe.
Faith is just out a bad relationship when her ex-fiancé cheated on her.
“The last thing she needed, the very last thing she wanted, was a relationship. Been there, done that, cleaned the toilet with Michael’s T-shirt.”
And though she is strongly attracted to Connor, she keeps it to friendly flirting. But she can admit that it is nice having a big, strong man around to protect her.
When the two finally give in to their attraction it is sexy.
“Giving it to you hard,” he announced. “You want it different, you’ll have to be on top.”
It is also sweet. Connor is always putting Faith first, no matter what. It takes Faith a long time to open up and he gives her the space she needs.
“He makes me feel things in parts other than my physical parts.”
This story was equal parts sweet and steamy. I absolutely adore Connor and his protective ways; the way he is with his family; and how great of a man he is. He might just be my favorite, at least for the time being!
I loved visiting the entire crew and seeing how they are doing as well. We saw a lot of Sophie and Donovan this time, and a bit of Charlie and Evan. I hope Gloria and Asher get their book next. I can’t wait to read their story!
While this is my first Christmas story as I don’t usually do holiday reads, A Bad Boy for Christmas was so much more. There was a bit of heartfelt Christmas in the story, but I felt like it wasn’t just a Christmas read.
~ Review by Tiffany
A former job-hopper, Jessica Lemmon resides in Ohio with her husband and rescue dog. She holds a degree in graphic design currently gathering dust in an impressive frame. When she’s not writing super-sexy heroes, she can be found cooking, drawing, drinking coffee (okay, wine), and eating potato chips. She firmly believes God gifts us with talents for a purpose, and with His help, you can create the life you want.
Jessica is a social media junkie who loves to hear from readers.
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