*****(5) out of 5 stars!
Deserving It
(Stolen Moments, #3)
by Angela Quarles
Publication Date: February 8, 2018
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romantic Comedy
Content advisory: Adult language, explicit sex
(Stolen Moments, #3)
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romantic Comedy
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks | Google Play
Add to your To Be Read list: Goodreads
Stranded by a hurricane. Check. Hotel secured. Check. Hot guy to share it with. Check. No, wait. Not him!
A tough girl with an awkward flirt-game, Claire has long ago given up on catching the eye of Irish hottie Conor and she refuses to change. If he doesn’t like her as is, then screw him.
A loner workaholic too busy to notice, Conor isn’t looking to nail the next chick–even one as hot as Claire–just his next bonus-earning presentation.
But when a hurricane strands them in Atlanta and they’re forced to shack up in the same hotel room for several days, things tend to get…exposed.
DESERVING IT is a steamy, standalone romantic comedy from RITA Winning and USA Today bestselling author Angela Quarles with a happy-ever-after and no cheating or cliffhangers.
This third book in the Stolen Moments series was just as
delightful as the first two! I wasn’t quite
looking forward to this book as I was the last two in the series (Earning It
and Risking It), because the main characters here were two of my less favorite
to appear prior to this: Claire and Connor.
Unlike Pepper & Luke and Jane & Aiden, these two seemed a little
more abrasive. Claire is kind of pushy
and “prickly” in the prior volumes; while Connor’s “no nonsense” attitude and
Irish accent were a bit off-putting to me.
But they both proved to be totally darling characters!
Once again, this tale
was told in alternating perspective, from his point of view and then hers,
alternating by chapter. I usually don’t
like this method of storytelling, because I tend to find it rather
confusing. But the author clearly labelled
their individual sections, as well as very easily gave each of the characters
their own distinctive voice. And it was
nice to learn how each of them was thinking and feeling about the events that
were unfolding.
The story dealt a lot with the individual insecurities and
personal baggage of Claire and Connor. This
one, much more than the others, also involved quite a bit of family drama for
them to wade through. It made them both
seem like much more complex characters than otherwise would have been the
case.
There was quite a bit less action in this tale due to the limitations
of its creation, i.e. basically being stranded in a hotel room during a
hurricane. Just about every scene in the
story was entertaining though, even when they are involved in such mundane
things as doing their laundry and heating up frozen pizza. The strip-poker scene was amazing, and the
other love scenes nearly equally as hot.
Since this story is about the captains of the hurling team
and the female equivalent camogie, I was quite worried that there would be an
awful lot of sports situations and lingo this time around. In fact, however, there was even less
reference to the games than in the prior editions. Something that pleased me as a non-sports
fan.
I definitely recommend this great read, and the others in
the series as well. I am totally bummed
that this the last book in the series! I
wish the author were continuing it with ALL the members of the hurling team, just
so that I could live a few moments longer in this delightful world she has
created.
I received a free eBook version of this title from the Author and from NetGalley,
and have willingly provided an honest review.
Excerpt:
I need a moment, because when he suggested poker, the
words, make it strip poker, nearly
popped out of my mouth.
I’m not horrified by that impulse. That’s not what’s
making me pause.
What’s making me pause is the fact that I… well, paused. That’s not me. At least that’s
not the me I strove so hard to become.
I’m the tough girl. One who expresses her wishes.
I wash my hands and dry them, taking my frustration
out on the poor white towel. The flashlight on my phone is pointed straight up,
as it rests on the counter, but it’s enough to see.
The thing is, if it was anyone other than Conor, I’d
have said it just to get a reaction out of a male friend. And if it led
somewhere, well, it depended on the guy, but I wouldn’t say no if it was all in
good fun.
So why the damn pause? Some tough girl I am. My
interactions with guys are always on my terms, and if they don’t like it, they
can walk.
I yank open the door and smack into a large, hard,
male body. “Ooof.”
Conor must have heard the door opening because he’s
facing my direction. Which means all of my front is intimately pressed against
all of his.
Oh, um, wow. His free hand settles on my hip, a warm,
firm grip. “Chill the beans now there. Didn’t mean for you to take a hopper.”
God, I love all his expressions. A delicious, demanding
heat coils through me, startling me of breath. I stand there stiff, as if
contact with this hunk of Irish masculinity has inexplicably flash frozen me.
If I was a chick with a fully paid subscription to the
flirt manual, I’d know what to do. Some coy word. Some signal that I’m interested.
Wait.
I don’t want him
to know. He can’t know. If he learns, and rejects me, I might be tempted to
change.
That springs me away from him, all right. And… smack. My head hits the door jamb, and I
bow forward.
He takes a step so that my head is now pressing to his
chest — oh God, his chest — and he cradles my head, rubbing the sore spot.
“Jaysus. That had to hurt.”
“It does.” The gentle touch of his warm hands, his
fingers carefully sifting through my hair and massaging my scalp, is starting
to ease the sting. Man, that feels good.
Which allows me to open my eyes from their
screwed-tight position. And notice.
Is that… Is that a bulge
in his jeans?
“It does hurt,” I repeat for some inane reason as that
swirling heat from a moment ago narrows into a blazing arrow of need straight
to my core.
“Is this helping, yeah?” he asks, his voice low and
near my ear, as his fingers continue working their magic on the sting.
“Yes,” I breathe as I watch him grow harder.
Seeing his reaction? Knowing there’s a better chance I
won’t be shot down… changes things. And I’ve wanted him for so long it’s
getting ridiculous at this point. I mean, I should just go with it, right? I
have to believe that my walls are strong enough that I won’t change into a dang doormat.
And because I am
that tough girl, I lift my head. “Now. About that poker. Care to make it strip
poker?”
See my reviews for the other two books in the "Stolen Moments" series:
AND
About Angela Quarles
An avid reader herself, Angela Quarles writes books she’d like to read–laugh-out-loud, smart romances that suck you into her worlds and won’t let you go until you reach The End. She is a RWA RITA® award-winning and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary, time travel, and steampunk romance. Library Journal named her steampunk, Steam Me Up, Rawley, Best Self-Published Romance of 2015 and Must Love Chainmail won the 2016 RITA® Award in the paranormal category, the first indie to win in that category. Angela loves history, folklore, and family history and combined it with her active imagination to write stories of romance and adventure.
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