Reviewers love New York Times and USA TODAY
bestselling author
Susan Andersen
âA smart, arousing, spirited escapade that is graced with a gentle mystery, a vulnerable, resilient heroine, and a worthy, wounded hero and served up with empathy and a humorous flair.â
âLibrary Journal on Burning Up
âA sexy, feel-good contemporary romanceâ¦a winner.â
âPublishers Weekly on Bending the Rules
âThis start of Andersenâs new series has fun and interesting characters, solid action and a hot and sexy romance.â
âRT Book Reviews on Cutting Loose
âSnappy and sexy⦠Upbeat and fun, with a touch of danger and passion, this is a great summer read.â
âRT Book Reviews on Coming Undone
âLovers of romance, passion and laughs should go all in for this one.â
âPublishers Weekly on Just for Kicks
âAndersen again injects magic into a story that would be clichéd in anotherâs hands, delivering warm, vulnerable characters in a touching yet suspenseful read.â
âPublishers Weekly, starred review, on Skintight
âA classic plot line receives a fresh, fun treatment⦠Well-developed secondary characters add depth to this zesty novel, placing it a level beyond most of its competition.â
âPublishers Weekly on Hot & Bothered
Dear Reader,
Family, whether itâs one my characters were born into or one that theyâve created for themselves, is an ever-present theme that runs throughout my books. Carly Jacobsen has assembled her own. Sheâs never had her motherâs approval, but she has the love of her best friend and BFFâs husband, as well as that of a young-at-heart older couple. Together the five of them have forged a clan. Between her crewâs unconditional approval, her beloved pets and her dancing, sheâs built a life that fulfills her, and needs nothing else to complete it. Or so she believes.
Wolfgang Jones is not a people person. Heâs a man with a plan for his future who doesnât see the point in cluttering up his life with personal entanglements. Then heâs sucked into Carlyâs messy life, his troubled teenage nephew is dropped on his doorstep, and his agenda gets shot to hell. Wolf fights the good fight, but like any good hero he eventually realizes whatâs really important in life.
I hope Carly, Wolf and their tribe will make you laugh out loud and maybe shed a tear or two.
Plus, be sure to check out my new book, Playing Dirty, coming soon. In Avaâs long-awaited story, golden boy Cade Gallari may have broken her heart back in high school by publicly revealing heâd slept with the âfat girl,â but sheâs a decade older and wiser now. Ava isnât the gullible dreamer she once wasâand she plans to prove it when Cade, hotter than ever, breezes back into town with an offer she canât refuse.
Susan
This is dedicated, with love,
to two special women in my life
To
Caroline Cross For apples and cherries and friendship and long phone conversations. And for all the excellent suggestions that helped improve my writing.
And to
Mimi Armitstead. That memorable weekend you spent drilling intelligent answers to dumb questions into my head was merely one shining highlight out of so many.
You guys are the best.
~Susie
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
EPILOGUE
âI DONâT KNOW WHAT to do about him,â Carly Jacobsen complained to her friend Michelle as they paused to accommodate a group of Japanese tourists wanting their pictures taken with real live Las Vegas showgirls. âHeâs stubborn, opinionated and just wonât listen.â
âA typical male, in other words.â
She muffled a snort. âYeah.â Her feet were killing her, but she smiled prettily for the camera and tried not to feel like an Amazon as she towered above the tourists. Thank God she and Michelle were wearing the silky brunette twenties-era flapper-style wigs from the final act instead of the towering headpieces from an earlier number. That made them only a foot taller than everyone.
âLook at it this way,â Michelle murmured over the shutterbugsâ heads. âAt least you can be grateful heâs got four legs instead of two like the guy I live with.â
âThere is that,â she agreed. âRufus has been one tough pup to train, but at least I have some eventual hope he is trainable.â
âWhich is more than you can say for most men.â
âRight.â Carly had never had any interest in living with a man. And yet⦠âOn the other hand, you get regular sex. I only have the dimmest memory of what that was like.â
They struck a couple more poses before easing away from the tourists, who bowed, smiled and murmured their thanks. Carly flashed them a genuine smile in return. She really liked the Japanese. They were polite, and that was very much appreciated, because she didnât see lovely manners every day in her business. Especially among the male half of the population.