Plus One by Aleatha Romig Published by Romig Works LLC
Publication Date: May 16th 2017
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 272
Source: Author
Format: eARC
Goodreads
Buy Online: Amazon ♥ B&N ♥ Kobo ♥ Apple
Disclaimer: I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely mine.
A fun, sexy new stand-alone from New York Times bestselling author Aleatha Romig.
He’s sexy and confident, the kind of man every woman notices. You know, the one with the to-die-for body and panty-melting smirk. And then there’s the way his designer suits drape over his broad shoulders and big…well, we’ve all heard the rumors, the ones that say he’s up for any challenge.
But I can’t see him that way. He’s my boss—technically one of the owners of the company where I work—and definitely not in my league. Men like him don’t notice women like me, and they don’t date them.
And I don’t date men like him.
Until that one time that I catch him in a compromising position when I’m also in need of a last-minute date for a wedding…and then it’s not real. It’s blackmail.
For one weekend, he’s my plus-one.
Beautiful and unobtainable.
From the moment she walked into my office with those stunning blue eyes and crazy sensual curves, she’s been on my mind. Three years and never once has she acted interested in me. Usually I flash a million-dollar smile and women fall to their knees, some literally.
Not her.
Then on the occasion that I agree to let another woman do that—fall to her knees—guess who happens to catch us?
It may not be the most conventional way to get on her radar, but I didn’t get this far in business without knowing when to seize an opportunity. If this sexy little firecracker with perfectly kissable lips thinks she can blackmail me into attending her cousin’s wedding, I’m going to jump at the chance to be her plus-one.
Review
I have never read any of this author’s books but that cover and the blurb were very enticing and I quite enjoyed it.
Kimbra Jones works in HR and responsible for enforcing the company’s code of conduct but when she catches her boss in a compromising position, what does she do? She blackmails him into being her date for her cousin’s four-day wedding extravaganza, so she won’t have to face her family’s interrogation about her single status.
Duncan Willis works as hard as he plays and in his early thirties has built a successful business with his best friend as well as a reputation as a ladies man, but one woman has never fallen for the lure of his bank balance or his panty-melting smile and for three years since the first day she walked into his office, she has never given him any opening. Duncan is going to seize the opportunity Kimbra has given him to win her over in the four days they have to spend together, starting right away with exploring their physical attraction.
But after a weekend of a pretend relationship filled with lots of real sex and getting to know each other, what will happen when both Kimbra and Duncan return to their real lives as boss and employee? Does their relationship fade away with the start of a new workday or will Duncan be able to convince Kimbra to give him a chance to show her how he really feels about her? Will Kimbra be willing to take a chance on a man with a list of conquests that can fill a phone book?
PLUS ONE was an entertaining and lighthearted read and Kimbra’s family really made this story a fun one for me. With a grandmother and mother with no filters and no boundaries, anything goes and there were definitely lots of mortifying moments courtesy of these two. I really liked that Duncan was down to earth and from a simple background and he took so much pleasure in getting to know Kimbra’s family and enjoyed their antics.
There were a few things that did not add up for me starting with Kimbra’s blackmail attempt, but all in all, this was a fun book and I definitely would read more lighthearted romances from this author.
Excerpt
I’m in an alternate universe and it’s every fantasy I never knew I had.
What CEO of a billion-dollar company dreams of enjoying a farm in the middle of nowhere? Who imagines waking in a small bedroom, complete with a canopy bed and sunshine streaming through pink curtains, as birds sing? What owner of a 7,000-square-foot penthouse with a to-die-for view of the Empire State Building enjoys the hominess of a hundred-year-old, 3,000-square-foot farmhouse with a wraparound porch, creaky floors, and a view of cornfields?
Sitting with a cup of steaming black coffee, I listen as Kimbra and her brother Kevin bicker back and forth while helping their mother in the large eat-in kitchen. The warm spring air is filled with the sizzle of frying as the aroma of coffee, eggs, and bacon reminds me of some of the best diners in New York.
Although Kimbra’s dad, Oscar, is talking, I can’t concentrate on anything but Kimbra—Kimberly Ann. That’s what everyone here calls her.
“Because of you, I’m out ten bucks.” Kevin says, not doing a good job of whispering.
“Me?” Kimbra asks. “What did I do?”
Kevin tilts his head my way. “You brought a real guy here. I put money on him being made up.”
Kimbra reaches out and punches his shoulder.
He lifts his hands in surrender. “No. Listen. I was sure it was a good bet. When Mom said your boyfriend’s name wasn’t Timothy, but Duncan, and you didn’t want him in the wedding, Susan and I figured he wasn’t real. I bet Jimmy ten bucks this fake Duncan guy would be a no-show. Susan and I were sure that before last night, you’d have some reason why at the last minute he couldn’t attend. You know, like you’d make up some accident or something.”
Her brother is about as good at speaking softly as he is at being nice to his sister.
“Shut up!” Kimbra whispers back. “Obviously he’s real.”
Kevin’s head falls back in laughter. “He’s real, all right. Last night I thought your old bed was going to collapse.”
Kimbra’s eyes flash to me. And though I look down at my coffee and pray her dad isn’t listening, the gleam in her expression makes my cock twitch with the memories of the night before.
About Aleatha Romig
Aleatha Romig is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author who lives in Indiana, USA. She grew up in Mishawaka, graduated from Indiana University, and is currently living south of Indianapolis.
Aleatha has raised three children with her high school sweetheart and husband of nearly thirty years. Before she became a full-time author, she worked days as a dental hygienist and spent her nights writing. Now, when she's not imagining mind-blowing twists and turns, she likes to spend her time a with her family and friends. Her other pastimes include reading and creating heroes/anti-heroes who haunt your dreams!
Aleatha is a "Published Author's Network" member of the Romance Writers of America and PEN America.
Leave a Reply