FORKED (FRENCHED series Book #2)
by Melanie Harlow
Blog Tour, Giveaway and Review
1) Agree to plan last-minute engagement blowout for spoiled Mafia princess before you realize her choice of caterer is Nick Lupo, a despicably gorgeous young chef with a hot new restaurant in town, a reality TV show victory, and a romantic past with you—one that did not end well.
2) Strike a deal with Nick in which you agree to spend a weekend with him in exchange for his services, under the strict conditions there will be no talking about the past, no second chances, and definitely no sex.
3) Violate all three conditions within 24 hours and spend two glorious days remembering what made you fall for the sexy, egotistical bastard in the first place, and why it hurt so much when he broke your heart.
Add one road trip, plenty of good scotch, and endless spoonfuls of chocolate cake batter drizzled over your body and licked off inch by oh-my-God-yes-right-there inch, then just admit it.
You’re totally FORKED.
“Spend the weekend with me.”
I shrank back. “Spend the weekend with you! Are you crazy? No!”
“Why not?” he asked, like it would be perfectly normal to spend a weekend with someone you hadn’t seen since he ditched you in the Bellagio bridal suite seven years ago.
“Because it’s ridiculous! I can’t even believe you’re asking me to…do that.” I gestured wildly between us, totally hot and bothered.
“Do what?”
“That.”
“I just want to spend time with you,” he said, his face the picture of innocence. “You’re the one who’s reading into it.”
I dropped my hands in my lap and cocked my head. “Really. You ask me to spend the weekend with you and you’re telling me you’re not thinking about sex?”
“Well, now that you mention it—”
“I’m not mentioning it. I’m vetoing it. Unequivocally.” I looked at the glasses on our wooden tray, desperate to find some drop of alcohol we’d overlooked. The absinthe was the only thing left, and even though it wasn’t my favorite, I took a less-than-advisable sized swallow. And then another, grimacing as the alcohol burned its way down my esophagus.
“What’s the problem?” he asked.
“You. Trying to get me in bed after all these years.”
“I’m not trying to get you in bed, Coco. I mean, I wouldn’t kick you out of it, but I was serious about wanting to spend time with you. Look.” He put his hands on the tops of my legs and leaned into me, the bastard. “I know you don’t really forgive me for leaving you in Vegas. And maybe you’re right—maybe getting married so young was a dumb idea, maybe it would have failed anyway, but leaving the way I did was wrong, and I’ve spent the last seven years feeling horrible about it. We spent all that time together, and I don’t even know you anymore. I’d like to know you again. As a human being. As a friend. That’s all.”
It was exactly what I’d been thinking earlier, but somehow it didn’t sound plausible coming from him. “This would be a little more convincing if your hands weren’t on my thighs.”
“But I like your thighs.”
My brain struggled to move beyond the feeling of his palms through the fabric of my dress. I had the crazy feeling that if I lifted my skirt I’d see his handprints burned into my skin. “Is this how you get to know all your female friends? Invite them to move in for a weekend?”
“Not all of them. Just the hot ones.”
“Funny.” He still thinks I’m hot. Warmth flooded my veins. I was starting to get that dangerous feeling, the one I get when I really, really want something, and no matter how impractical the shoe or fattening the cheesecake or expensive the scotch, I just can’t bring myself to walk away. How easy, how delightful it would be to jump back into his bed. But then what? Could I trust myself not to fall for him again?
As Mia (Frenched) is tending to last minute details before her wedding to Lucas, Coco is left in charge of Devine Designs. Coco is desperate to make extra money so she can afford to buy a home and finally move out of her parents' house. In her desperation, she agrees to plan an engagement party for the daughter of a Mafia boss... she is really desperate! Only one glitch (other than the Mafia princess), she must secure the renowned chef Nick Lupo... her ex husband and she only has a week!
You get the drift? This is a funny, emotional, and "I like it rough" love story. Nick and Coco were really meant to stay together. This encounter seven years after their break up is the catalyst they need to finally put to rest all the emotions and secrets they have kept hidden. Rules are made and rules are broken. Their attraction is amazing; their chemistry explodes in every page.
I have to say Nick is a honey! Coco is so apprehensive because he hurt her so badly by leaving her after their wedding night. Who does that and just leaves a note? Then, who goes and apologizes by text message? No wonder she cannot trust him! But he is still that man that turns women into puddles of goo with his incendiary smile. Cocky, successful and totally dreamy, he is the type of book boyfriend we all love to dream about.
You do not need to read Frenched before reading Forked. It just adds to the experience. Coco and Nick will go down as those lovers that forever banter as foreplay and then burn up the sheets making up. Loved this story!
ALSO IN THIS SERIES:
Frenched (Frenched Series Book #1)
When Tucker Branch, playboy heir to Branch Bolt and Screw, screws and bolts a week before their wedding, Mia Devine wants nothing more than to crawl under her newly monogrammed sheets and plan a funeral for her dignity. But her friends convince her that bitter tastes better when it’s drowned in Bordeaux, so Mia grits her teeth and packs her bags, determined to make the best of her luxurious Paris honeymoon—alone.
She never planned on meeting Lucas Fournier.
The easygoing bartender’s scruffy good looks and less-than-sympathetic ear annoy her at first, but when she takes him up on his offer to show her around the city, she discovers that the romance of Paris isn’t just a myth.
Nor is the simultaneous O.
The last thing Mia needs is another doomed love affair, but since she only has a week, she figures she might as well enjoy la vie en O with Lucas while she can. But each day—and night—with Lucas is better than the last, and suddenly her heart is telling her this is more than a rebound fling.
Is it just the seduction of Paris…or could this be the real thing?
The easygoing bartender’s scruffy good looks and less-than-sympathetic ear annoy her at first, but when she takes him up on his offer to show her around the city, she discovers that the romance of Paris isn’t just a myth.
Nor is the simultaneous O.
The last thing Mia needs is another doomed love affair, but since she only has a week, she figures she might as well enjoy la vie en O with Lucas while she can. But each day—and night—with Lucas is better than the last, and suddenly her heart is telling her this is more than a rebound fling.
Is it just the seduction of Paris…or could this be the real thing?
Yanked (A Frenched Novella #1.5)
Fed up with stolen weekends and lonely nights, Mia flies to New York armed with a list of reasons why they should take the next step, but an unexpected guest in Lucas's apartment derails her plans. He’s been keeping secrets--worse, he claims he's happy with the way things are.
Without the magic of Paris, can their mismatched love survive?
Frenched Series Bundle:
COMING SOON:
Floored (Frenched Series Book #3)
Release Date: February 5, 2015
Release Date: February 5, 2015
Erin Upton is too embarrassed to tell the cops what she was really doing while her townhouse was burglarized, especially since the first officer on the scene is former nuisance next door Charlie Dwyer. Where’s the justice in the world when a neighborhood know-it-all grows up to be six-foot-three inches of solid muscle with gorgeous green eyes and a slow, sexy please-arrest-me-now-officer smile? It’s bad enough she’s wearing her robe and slippers—did he have to notice her fuzzy hand cuffs on the bathroom sink? He’s arrogant as he ever was, which is fine by her—she’s too busy with her dance studio’s grand opening to make time for a man. But they keep crossing paths, and
when Charlie offers to help her put in new flooring at the studio one night, things go from hammering nails to hammering each other in a hurry. And about those hand cuffs…
They agree it’s a one-time thing. But when that becomes a two-time thing, then a three-time thing, Erin starts to wonder if maybe she and Charlie could be a life-time thing. Her best friends Mia and Coco found love in unexpected places. Is it finally her turn?
About the Author:
Melanie Harlow likes her martinis dry, her lipstick red, and her history with the naughty bits left in. She lifts her glass to readers and writers from her home near Detroit, MI.
Melanie Harlow likes her martinis dry, her lipstick red, and her history with the naughty bits left in. She lifts her glass to readers and writers from her home near Detroit, MI.
Thank you so much for the wonderful review!!
ReplyDeleteThis series sounds DELICIOUS!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite thing to cook is pasta dishes! my hunny loves pasta!