{ARC Review} Before We Kiss by Susan Mallery

Title: Before We Kiss

Series: Fools Gold #14

Author: Susan Mallery

Published: 27th May 2014

Age Group: Adult

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Source: eARC provided by publisher via Netgalley

Rating: 3.5/5

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BLURB:

Former pro-football kicker Sam Ridge has notoriously bad luck with women—from cheaters to fame chasers. Still, the gorgeous brunette at the bar in Fool's Gold looks harmless—until she takes him home and he discovers a room devoted to securing a man, for life.

Dellina Hopkins never guessed that storing gowns from a friend's bridal boutique would chase away her first and only fling. After her parents died, she skipped her "wild youth" to raise her sisters. She doesn't want forever from Sam, but one night—all night—would've been nice.

His clean getaway gets messy when his firm hires Dellina to plan an event. As long hours lead to late nights, the two succumb to temptation again. Has Sam's luck finally changed? Or this time, will Dellina be the one to run?

One Of Mallery's Steamiest Books Yet!

REVIEW:

The story:

Poor Sam has been extremely unlucky in love, and has been hurt too many times to count. Worst of them all was his ex wife Simone who wrote a tell all book about her marriage with the NFL star. With so much heartache he's all but given up on woman and love. And after a fun night out with Dellina turns into his own personal nightmare, he doesn't think he's luck is ever going to change. After discovering a her spare room filled with wedding dresses he panics and runs, believing she's a crazed woman trying to snag him as her husband. Now he has to work with Dellina planning an important party for his company, and is forced to face her for the first time since their passionate night.

But after Dellina is finally being able to explain the little misunderstanding, things between them settle into a comfortable working friendship. That is until the sparks start to fly between them and they struggle to ignore their growing attraction.

The characters:

For a tough ex NFL player, Sam is actually quite sensitive - not that he'd like to be seen that way. After all the pain and hurt he's gone through romantically he really doesn't trust woman at all. After growing up with parents who wanted to be involved in every part of his life, he values his privacy and is vary wary of people's intentions. I really enjoyed seeing him relax and open up around Dellina, it showed how much he trusted her.

Dellina, is a very organised and efficient woman and it was clear she was in her element planning the party. After loosing her parents at an early age, she took on the responsibility of caring for her sisters. So it was really great to see her able to enjoying her own live now. It was also interesting to see her explore her sexuality, it showed how open and trusting she was around Sam.

Sam's parents were some very interesting characters. They reminded me of the parents in Meet The Fockers! They most certainly have some boundary issues and don't know the meaning of over-sharing, especially when it comes to sex. They added a real spark to the storyline and created some very interesting scenes!

The romance:

Despite their romance starting out as a one night stand (prior to the beginning of the book), their relationship built nice and slowly. After they overcome the initial awkwardness, they start to build a strong friendship, and it's that friendship that makes the romance so much more believable. The love scenes in this book are the most experimental I've read in any of Susan Mallery's books, with pressure points and g-spots being explored several times. It certainly made for some seriously steamy scenes!!

The writing:

Told in third person, the story alternates between Sam & Dellina's perspectives. But we also get the occasional mini chapter of Dellina's sister, Fayrene's story, as she tries to subtly persuade her boyfriend into proposing to her. Plus we get a few bonus chapters about Mayor Marsha, which was interesting. I liked the extra little side stories, it just added something extra and filled the book out nicely. It also introduces the plots for the next couple of books in the series.

FINAL WORD:

This book is all about trust and learning that love is worth the risk in the end. Before We Kiss is another fun and sexy adventure in Fool's Gold…"The Destination of Romance"

CONTENT:

Sexuality: medium-strong / several descriptive sex scenes

Violence: mild / domestic violence with minor character

Language: mild

Drugs & alcohol: mild