The Only Thing by Marie Harte

Title: The Only Thing

Series: The Donnigans #3

Author: Marie Harte

Publisher: Sourcebooks

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: May 1, 2018

"Readers will...read this book from cover to cover...and then read it all over again."―RT Book Reviews for Just the Thing Five Stars GOLD

What do you do when a "fake" relationship is so much better than the real thing?

Hope Donnigan is finally getting her life together. She's working a job she likes, has some amazing friends, and is steering clear of Mr. Wrong. Now if only she could get her mother to understand that. Maybe a hot tattoo artist from the other side town is just the ticket to teach her mom a lesson.

J.T. Webster fell for Hope months ago at his sister's wedding. So when she propositions him to be her fake boyfriend to get her mother off her back, he's all in. The only problem is J.T. had no idea their pretend relationship would be better than anything real he's ever had...

The Donnigans Series:

A Sure Thing (Book 1)

Just the Thing (Book 2)

The Only Thing (Book 3)

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Hope couldn’t find it in herself to blink, focused on God’s gift to womankind. Her aunt’s invitation to dinner had come at the perfect time, giving Hope an excuse to avoid her mother’s weekly nagathon. Since her idiot older brothers had hooked up with the loves of their lives, her mother had deemed Hope fair game again. So much for their pleasant détente, where Hope stopped blaming her mother for her many issues and Linda Donnigan stopped getting on Hope for breathing wrong.

Yet Hope hadn’t anticipated seeing J.T. Webster. He hadn’t been at the last two dinners Aunt Sophie had invited her to. “Greg?” she asked, her mind on other things.

Like how incredible J.T. filled out a simple T-shirt and jeans. The man had the prettiest brown skin, like a smooth chocolate caramel. Light but so filling. She swallowed a sigh.

Liam was white, and she knew J.T.’s mom had been black. She also must have been gorgeous, because J.T. had his dad’s height and brawn, as well as the face of an angel who liked to sin. A lot.

She swallowed a sigh and continued to visually eat him up, wondering if the size of his hands and feet could be correlated to the size of other things.

God, get your mind off sex, Hope. His father is here! Aunt Sophie is here! And you’re off men, remember?

“Yeah, Greg,” J.T. said, looking concerned. “Gas Works Park ring a bell?”

Geez, she’d seen Greg and J.T. just last week. “Oh, no. No problems on that front.” To Liam, who studied her a little too intently, she explained, “Ex-boyfriend. A jerk I ran into. No biggie.” She shot J.T. a look, pleased when he kept quiet.

Last weekend, Greg, a guy she hadn’t dated or seen in over four months, had accused her of using her brother to bother him. But Hope hadn’t thought about Greg the Cheater since she’d dumped him, so she knew her brothers couldn’t care less about the guy. When Greg had tried to get a little gropey at the park, she’d taken him down, courtesy of the self-defense classes her brothers taught.

J.T. hadn’t had to do more than watch her take Greg out. She’d been so proud of herself… when she’d been able to tear her imagination from what J.T. would look like naked.

So sad those images replayed themselves over and over again.

“Right.” Liam stared from her to J.T., a question in his eyes.

“So who’s pregnant?” she asked, hoping to shift attention away from herself.

Rena squealed. “Del is! A tiny little bun in her McCauley oven.”

Del looked embarrassed, which was funny, because Del could out swear the mechanics she bossed around on a daily basis and took woman power to the next level. The woman had arms covered in tattoos, funky ash-blonde braids, and icy gray eyes that seemed to look through, and not at, a person.

Hope could see a faint resemblance from brother to sister despite their different skin tones. Both J.T. and Del had the same shape of their eyes and stubborn chins, just like their father. Only someone as obsessed with J.T. would have noticed that, she realized, and felt like a moron for being so enthralled with the man.  

Fortunately, Liam and Rena started badgering Del for details, letting Hope off the hook.

Since she hadn’t yet greeted her aunt, Hope started to turn and found J.T. suddenly in her way. “Oh, sorry.”

He put a hand out to stop her from bumping into him. And sweet baby sexy, she felt the touch go from her arm all the way through her body, centering between her legs. Oy.

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GOOGLE PLAY

Caffeine addict, boy referee, and romance aficionado, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Marie Harte has over 100 books published with more constantly on the way. She’s a confessed bibliophile and devotee of action movies. Whether hiking in Central Oregon, biking around town, or hanging at the local tea shop, she’s constantly plotting to give everyone a happily ever after. Visit http://marieharte.com and fall in love.

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Collision Course by Marie Harte

He's always had a way with the ladies

She won't give him the time of day

Sparks fly when two hearts in motion collide.

Florist Joey Reeves is working overtime to stay away from Lou Cortez, the ace mechanic with a reputation for irresistible charm. She's a single mom with enough on her plate—the last thing she needs is entanglement with the hottest guy in town…

"Well, hello there."

Joey glanced up and froze. The man who'd been haunting her sleep looked even better in the hard light of day.

"H-hello." She coughed. The guys who worked at Webster's Garage all looked larger than life, covered in tattoos, muscles, and that indefinable sense of danger they wore like a second skin. But this guy, the tall, Latin lover with dark-brown eyes and lips made for kissing, had ensnared her.

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Collision Course was an entertaining new book in the Body Shop Bad Boys series! This book had everything in it that I expected from this series: steamy sex scenes, tons of flirting, and a lot of humor. 

The main character, Joey, was such a strong woman. I felt so bad for her because there were so many tough obstacles she had to overcome. Tons of people in her life let her down in the past and I just wanted to give her a hug and make her feel loved. Joey was such a dedicated and loving mother as well, which was really sweet to see. I do think she kept some secrets for too long from certain characters, which was frustrating sometimes, but I understood where she was coming from. I thought the author did a great job at making Joey a very real and relatable woman. 

Lou was the smooth-talking ladies man of the book. He knew exactly what to say to make a woman swoon, and he sure did make me swoon with some of his words! But, I liked seeing that there was more to Lou than his sexy and flirty side. He had a lot of passions and emotions that I was not expecting! However, there were times when I was hoping for more from him. There were moments when he did make some remarks and judgments that really bothered me. I understood how and why he had certain views that he did, but I still didn't agree with them. It was nice to see him eventually learn not to make those kinds of comments and judgments. 

The romance between Joey and Lou was full of steam and passion. The sexual chemistry between the two of them was off the charts! Marie Harte knows how to make your e-reader feel like it is melting in your hands! There were a lot of trials and tribulations that they had to face, so it added a lot of angst and intrigue to watch them overcome those issues together. 

Overall, this was a sexy and fun novel! If you are looking for a book that is steamy and fast paced, then you need to check this book out! 

3 / 5 Fangs

*This ebook was given to me in exchange for an honest review. * 

Ten minutes and a text later, Joey drove to Becky’s house and planned to indulge in some girl time. Maybe Becky could help her understand her fascination for Lou.

She arrived at Becky’s soon enough. Her friend shared a condo with a teacher friend. As Joey entered, said teacher left with a smile.

“She’s got a date tonight.” Becky motioned to the coffee table, laden with wine, crackers, and cheese. “And apparently now so do I. Dig in.” Becky lowered her voice and said, suggestively, “Welcome to my pad, sweetness. Boom chicka bow bow.”

Joey laughed. “Stop. That only works when I’m the plumber or the delivery guy.”

Becky sighed. “Guess I’ll have to save that for Trent, who’s out of town this weekend. How the hell am I supposed to seduce him when he’s helping his grandmother move?”

“Aw, that’s so nice.”

“Nice ain’t sexy. Gah.” Becky munched on a cracker. “But I’m excited to hang with you. I can’t believe you finally got paroled. So Brandon the criminal is hanging with the other hooligans, eh? Way to dodge that bullet, Joey.”

“Funny.” Joey paused. “Ah, there’s one thing. I can’t stay past eight. I have a…date.”

Becky stared. “Not with sexy Lou again.”

Joey’s silence answered for her.

“Oh my God. Dinner must have gone well the other night. Tell me.”

Joey swallowed. “He was polite, charming. He looked amazing. He’s really built.” She flushed, feeling that “built” inside her all over again. “We talked then walked after dinner. He paid too. And he was so nice, so sweet. We held hands.”

“Romantic.” Becky sighed.

And then last night he bent me over the flower table and made me see stars. Yeah, romantic.

Becky hugged a pillow to her chest, her expression dreamy until her eyes narrowed on Joey’s face. “Why are you blushing so hard? I mean, your face is really pink.” Her eyes widened. “Holy crap. You had sex with him, didn’t you?”

“N-no.” She cleared her throat. “That’s a little personal, don’t you think?”

“Oh my God, you did. You did! Joey Reeves got some lovin’. Hot damn. It’s about friggin’ time!”

Still feeling overheated, Joey glanced up at her friend. “You can’t tell anyone.” She swore. “I can’t believe it happened. It just…I’m still trying to process it.”

“What’s to process? You fell for the magic in his man-wand.” Becky shrugged, as if it was no big thing. “Happens to the best of us. Well, except for me and Trent the Boy Scout,” she grumbled.

Joey was stuck on man-wand. “What did you call it?”

Becky burst out laughing. “If you could see your face. Hey, you should hear half the things they call it. Fuckstick, staff of life, lady’s lollipop. I could go on.”

“Please, don’t.” Joey grimaced.

“I know, right? Man-wand is so much better.” Becky paused. “Is it, Joey? Is it better? Or did you lollipop him? You know, like what we in the know call it—the hand and blow.”

Joey’s face threatened to melt clean off. She had a feeling she could fry eggs on her cheeks. “I can’t believe I’m having this conversation.”

“Me neither.” Becky grinned. “You’re like beet-red right now. Or fire-engine red, maybe. Hey, did you guys remember to wear a ‘raincoat’?” Becky snickered.

“Stop talking, please.”

“Just tell me this. Do you want to do it again? As in, was it any good? Tell me, and I’ll shut up.”

“It was amazing, okay?” Joey growled. “So great I can’t stop thinking about doing it again. And I don’t tend to do well with men and sex.”

“That’s because you live like a nun in the Church of Reeves, presided over by Father Andrew and Sister Amy. God, it’s a wonder you have a kid with all the guilt your parents keep throwing on you. And after eight—”

“Nine.”

“—years you’d think they’d let it go.”

“So maybe I was just desperate. It was a one-shot deal, right?” So why am I thinking of being with him again when I know it’s a mistake?

Becky shrugged and ate more crackers and cheese. “I think you should be desperate again. If you want him, have him. You have a right to be happy. Take joy in his man parts. Go forth, just don’t prosper.”

Joey choked on a laugh. “Yes, Mom.”

“Ouch.”

“Don’t worry. We were safe.” Rather, he was safe. She’d been so far gone she hadn’t thought about protection until it was almost too late, which was just stupid. Granted, she wouldn’t have babies with Lou while on birth control. But she could always chance a disease with an unknown. She’d been so wrapped up in the moment, lost to her body’s needs.

But Lou had thought ahead.

Which put his actions in a different light. Had he expected to have sex with her?

“What’s that look?” Becky asked.

“He was ready for it. Us, I mean.”

Becky looked confused.

“He was prepared.”

“Jesus, Joey. You can say condom and not burn in hell. So he was prepared. Good for him.”

“You think?”

“Who cares why he had the condom? He had it, you had fun. And if you’re lucky, you’ll have more fun tonight.” Becky poured herself some wine. “Have some for me, would you? Because I’m clearly not getting any.” She cocked her head, considering something. “Unless Will’s home.”

“Becky.”

Becky laughed. “Nah. Will’s in Italy this month.” She chuckled. “Kidding, kidding. I’m wanting Trent. I am. Really.”

They laughed some more, and when Joey excused herself for the bathroom, a new text popped up. Lou had decided on the place. An address in Rainier Valley, where he’d mentioned he lived.

She didn’t know what to think, so she took care of business and blanked her mind.

She returned to the living room. “He invited me to his place.”

Becky blinked. “You were gone maybe five minutes.”

“He just texted me.”

“So go.”

“To his place?”

“Why not? Is he rapey or something?”

“No.” He’d been a perfect gentleman since she’d known him. And even after sending her to heaven, twice, he’d ended their impromptu session at the flower shop with a hug and by walking her to her car. “No. He’s nice. Sexy. Too—”

“He’s exactly what you need.” Becky nodded. “Give me your phone.”

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Roadside Assistance by Marie Harte

Title: Roadside Assistance
Series: Body Shop Bad Boys #2
Author: Marie Harte
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Release Date: September 6, 2016

Underneath the axle grease and tats

He's a gentleman

Foley Sanders figured he'll always be content with a life of cars and casual hookups. Until a run-in with Cyn, a statuesque firecracker with a hate-on for men, leaves him bewitched and intrigued-much to her annoyance.

Maybe Cynthia Nichols was a little hard on Foley, that muscular, tattooed, super-hot mechanic next door. But she's tired of feeling defensive about her size and has sworn off men. She's got a new job, new life, perfect plan. Foley has trouble written all over him-no way is she going to fall for his charms.

Foley might look like a bad idea, but underneath, he's all gentleman. Too bad Cyn's not buying it. What's a bad boy to do when the goddess of his dreams won't give him the time of day?

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This is book two in the Body Shop Bad Boys. I didn't read Test Drive but after finishing Roadside Assistance, I really want to read it. 

Cynthia Nichols is a successful woman in her thirties. She co-owns a business with her brother Matt and sister-in-law Nina. At the beginning of the book, Cyn is fiery mad. The Body Shop next door has overtaken her parking lot and she made sure the one in charge of the body shop at that time, Foley, knows about it. She was having a bad day and she kind of went off on him. Despite her temper she wasn't blind, the guy was hot.

Dear God, where did the Websters find their mechanics? San Quentin? Rikers? Baddies-R-Us?

Foley Sanders is a mechanic. He loves his job and he's happy with his life. He loves his mother Eileen and his best friend Sam. When Cyn shows up at the shop, he can't help but notice her. She is tall and curvy and suddenly, she becomes his type. Unfortunately, for him, she is not an easy puzzle to crack. She's stubborn and she has a temper. She also has some self-image problems thanks to her mother telling her she is fat and no one would love her unless she loses weight. But, Foley is not a quitter. He knows they can be good together and he is going to make it happen.

he wanted a woman with looks, brains, attitude, and strength

This was a really sweet story! Foley was a great guy. He had a great heart despite not having much in the form of ambition. He was happy with the ways things were going in his life. Cyn, had an awful mother, she was constantly belittling her but Cyn was determined to move forward. I loved Cyn, she had spirit and wasn't scared to say what was on her mind. 

Marie Harte also had a way of making the secondary characters important to the story. In this case, Eileen and best friend Sam's side stories were both interesting.  I'm pretty sure Sam is going to need a book himself. I see trouble lurking for his girl. I can't wait to read it. 

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Foley didn’t know how he’d shoved both feet in his mouth so fast, but yeah, he’d done it. He stared at her empty chair, sincerely confused about how their lunch date had gone from awesome to shitty in the span of seconds.

They’d been doing so well. She’d shared details about herself. He’d told her how close he was to Sam and his mom. She seemed to have no problem with him—until he’d mentioned what she ate. He still had no idea why that should be a big deal. The woman was gorgeous, and she obviously knew she’d never be a stick. But who the hell wanted that?

The whole package had to attract him, at this age at least. Years ago he’d been a dog. He’d readily admit that. But now he wanted a woman with looks, brains, attitude, and strength.

Cyn seemed to possess all that. Talking to her had been easy and engaging. She didn’t let him steamroll the conversation. The superficial part of him acknowledged he’d never seen a more beautiful woman. Her face could have launched a dozen or more magazine covers. And what guy didn’t want more than a handful in the breast department?

Well, fuck, he was hard again.

He calmed himself, remembering her confusion, her anger, and her poorly concealed hurt. Man, he’d stepped in it big-time. Now he had to make things better. Somehow.

Except he had no idea how to go about apologizing. Any way he thought about it, he’d end up reminding her that he’d called her a big girl. And while he’d meant it as a compliment—he was big guy, after all—she’d apparently been insulted.

“Women.”

He paid the bill and left in a huff. By the time he’d gotten back to work and involved in a Wrangler’s suspension problems, he hadn’t gotten any further with a solution to his dilemma.

“So what happened on your date?” Lou asked.

Sam and his big mouth. “It was okay.” It was a disaster.

“You don’t look happy.” Lou didn’t move from his position by the Jeep.

Foley stepped out from under the lift. “I’m thrilled to be at work. Life is just grand.”

“Oh man. She shot you down?” Lou didn’t laugh at him, so Foley decided to take a chance.

He glanced around and saw Johnny buried in a Chevy, so he leaned closer and whispered, “She left me sitting with my thumb up my ass. We were getting along great, then somehow she thought I called her fat or some shit, and she took off.”

“What exactly did you say to her before she got upset?”

Foley ran down their conversation.

Lou groaned. “Foley, you never comment on what a woman eats or doesn’t eat. Are you loco or just stupid?”

“We were being honest with each other.” Foley was confused. “I never called her fat. You’ve seen her. She’s fucking built, man.”

“Woman hears ‘big,’ she’s hearing ‘fat.’ I’ll bet she’s dealt with a lot of bullshit over her size for a long time. She’s tall for a woman, then you add her curves. Between guys wanting a piece of her and other women being jealous of her, adds up to issues, my friend.” Lou sighed then smiled. “Issues I’d be happy to help her get over. She really is one sexy woman.”

“Yeah, yeah, Lou. Keep it in your pants.”

Lou chuckled. “Dealing with dickheads has probably made her sensitive. Then you said something that added to that. You’re screwed.”

Just what he didn’t need to hear.

“But look at the bright side.”

“Yeah?”

Lou gave him a big old smile. “I didn’t call her anything. And I have a sudden thirst for coffee.”

Foley would have slugged him if Sam hadn’t entered the garage.

“How’d the date go?”

“Big mouth.” He slugged Sam instead.

Caffeine addict, boy referee, and romance aficionado, MARIE HARTE is a confessed bibliophile and devotee of action movies. Whether hiking in Central Oregon, biking around town, or hanging at the local tea shop, she’s constantly plotting to give everyone a happily ever after. Visit marieharte.com and fall in love.

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