Review: Pretty good addition to the series :)
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 2, 2014
**This was an ARC copy given free by Netgalley in exchange for a honest review**3.5-4 starsThis was a pretty good story. I liked both Anna and Jake and I liked them together. The story was fun and sexy...nothing too deep but it's a good romance to enjoy for an afternoon.Anna is a smart and driven young woman. She works as a global consultant and works a lot and at all hours. She lost her dad when she was a teen and her and her mom went through some very tough times before things got better. This drove Anna to work hard and save money in case of anything horrible happening in the future.Jake is a motorcycle mechanic and kind of a free spirit. He left home at 18 and has been traveling around the country for the last 5 years. Jake has a good reputation as a motorcycle mechanic and usually gets enough work fixing or building custom bikes that he makes the money he needs to get by but he doesn't focus on possessions. The last 6 months, Jake has been staying in his Grandma's brownstone, fixing it up so the family can sell it now that Grandma is staying upstate with the rest of the family.Anna had been involved with a co-worker, Todd. They worked well together but when he was sent to the west coast for a project, Todd broke it off with Anna saying a long distance relationship was too much of a "distraction". 6 months later and Todd's back in town and sniffing around Anna because he realizes his mistake in letting her go. The only problem is Anna has no interest in getting back together with Todd but he wont take the hint. Also, since Anna and Todd's breakup, Anna's friends seem to think it's their duty to fix Anna up with every "nice guy" they know. Anna made up a fictitious boyfriend to keep Todd and her friends at bay but unfortunately no one actually believes her story. Now Anna's friend is having a wedding and Todd will be there since he's buddies with the groom and was instrumental in the bride and groom meeting. Anna decided she needed to find a stand in for her fake boyfriend but since she leaves it until the last moment she doesn't have much luck with her search. She does however, encounter Jake. Anna has noticed Jake since he moved in down the street and started fixing up the house there. She's walked by his garage many times (usually intentionally) so she could glimpse him while he was there working on a motorcycle. What Anna didn't realize is that while she was watching him, Jake was in turn watching her. There's a strong attraction between them and Anna's tempted to explore it but also doesn't think Jake could pass for her fake boyfriend and doesn't try to get him to help her by posing as her fake boyfriend for the wedding. Jake has other ideas though and ends up convincing her that he should go with her to pose as her boyfriend and also have some fun while they're there. Anna doesn't often have time for fun and decides to grab on to what fun she can (for the weekend).Jake and Anna fly in for the wedding and Jake has managed to procure the loan of a motorcycle for them to drive around town. This ends up causing quite a stir among Anna's friends as they wouldn't expect her to be involved with someone so earthy. Todd behaves like a real jerk during the wedding weekend activities, trying to push Anna to spend time with him and give him another chance but forcing through the pretense of work. Jake and Anna do manage to find some time to themselves though and explore the chemistry between them. Jake is actually very good at realizing what Anna needs and treating her well. He also can tell when she's thinking too much and tries to get her mind on other things. This is good for Anna and I think it's probably the first bit of happiness she's had in a while. The problem lies in the fact that Jake has so real roots and Anna can't imagine anything solid with him since she lives her life for her job. Anna has focuses on school and then her career for so long she just can't imagine letting anything else be the focus of her life. But things get muddled for Anna as she spends more time with Jake and realizing she doesn't want to go back to the dreariness of living for her job. Things don't go smoothly for the couple and there's some drama before everything is said and done but I was happy with the way things ended. The story ends with Anna realizing a need to change her life priorities and she and Jake decide to go it together in to the future (and eventually to their HEA but no L-bombs are dropped yet). :DI found this to be a very enjoyable story. I liked both Jake and Anna and could understand both based off my past experiences. I would have liked to get a bit more of their ending...maybe an epilogue to show Anna and Jake a bit down the line would have been a nice finish but it's not that big of an issue as I still liked the ending pretty well as it was. This was a good addition to the series and I'm planning to read the 3rd book in the series when it comes out. I'd recommend this story. :D