Cade takes cares of his sick younger sister by doing what he does best–cage fighting and starring in adult movies, his newest harebrained moneymaking scheme designed to pay for his sister’s growing medical bills. But when his latest gig finds him admitted to the ER sporting an erection from hell, thanks to the little pill given to him by the director, he can’t get the pretty little nurse who treated him out of his head, even though he knows she’s so far out of his league it should be illegal.
Alexa’s always played it safe…Tired of being pigeonholed as the sweet, innocent one, hardworking nursing student Alexa has been looking for ways to break out of her Goody Two-shoes image. When her friend suggests the outlandish idea of losing her virginity to the sexy and sure-to-be-skilled porn star, Alexa is mortified. But then when Cade refuses her proposition, she finds herself pissed off and embarrassed. When she tracks him down to give him a piece of her mind, she isn’t prepared for what she finds. Watching him care for his little sister tugs at her heart, and suddenly it’s no longer just about losing her virginity, but about helping Cade. Because Lord help her, she might actually be falling for a porn star…
He’s a tattooed porn star, construction worker, former fighter, AND he’s an all out hero. Yep, he is Cade and totally swoon worthy. Cade has lived a hard life, being thrust into adult responsibilities when he was merely a teenager. He lived with and cared for his ailing grandparents until they died, and he took on the full custody of his three-year old sister, Lily, who suffers from spina bifida. He is all about Lily and will do anything to ensure her care. But, when the medical bills start piling up, he needs more than just his meager construction wages, so he takes the only offer on the table that will yield him enough money to secure Lily’s healthcare….that of a porn star.
Alexa has just hit the big 2-1, but she hasn’t experienced all life has to offer. As a girl of privilege, she has always been too busy to really date, and has remained a virgin, but on her 21st birthday, her best friend MacKenzie plans to make sure she is taken care of in that department and who better than a porn star? Enter Cade….aww but this isn’t the first time Alexa has laid eyes on Cade. She had the [awkward] pleasure of seeing and tending to Cade at the hospital where she is a nursing student. But upon seeing him at a bar during her birthday celebration, MacKenzie is all too eager to offer Alexa’s vagina on a platter to Cade. Like any hot blooded male who has developed a crush on his nurse, Cade offers his address for when Alexa is ready to attend the Cade School of Sex, so to speak, and it isn’t helping matters that Alexa has already been crushing on this beautiful specimen of pure overloaded testosterone.
When Alexa makes use of Cade’s address, but for different reasons, she is not prepared for what she sees. She doesn’t see porn star Cade. She gets a glimpse of the REAL Cade … with Lily.
“I couldn’t help but compare how very different our lives were. My parents and I vacationed in Italy and spent Christmases at our ski lodge, and I never wanted for anything growing up–except for maybe more freedom. Cade was saddled with a special-needs child.” ~ Alexa
The story evolves from here in such a sweet and heartfelt manner, it is hard to put this book down. The slow romance between Alexa and Cade is truly endearing. The common element they both share that feeds their romance is none other than an adorable now six year old named Lily. The bonds that are formed between Lily and Alexa are inspiring and act as fuel to Cade’s already building flame toward Alexa. But Cade doesn’t feel he is good enough for the innocent and privileged Alexa…
“How could I be enough for you, baby? You deserve the world. My own parents didn’t even want me…” ~ Cade
…but Alexa knows what she wants and needs – Cade….
“You might not have been who I ever pictured myself with, but you’re exactly what I need…” ~ Alexa
…that is until her heart becomes at risk. Let the volley begin. Their romance suddenly is not just a risk of heartache for Cade and Alexa. Lily is fully invested in Alexa and that precious child’s heart is also on the firing line with the push-away pull-together attraction these two feel for each other.
Kendall Ryan has written a heart warming love story of two polar opposites with a different type of humanity that we rarely see in our alpha males. The steam is scorching, yet not quite to the point of making me glisten in afterglow. The very first sentence had me laughing out loud, but the epilogue had me squeeing out loud, bringing the story full circle to the happy ever after I so badly wanted for these three characters. I really had a hard time putting this one down. This is a very fast read with a small degree of angst, but is very much worth reading. While I love the story, it didn’t quite make the 5 star mark for me. There was just something missing in the evolution of the story keeping it at 3.5 to 4 stars in emotional reaction for me.
Thank you to the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review and for purposes of this blog tour.
Meet the author:
Kendall Ryan is the author of the bestselling erotic romance novels UNRAVEL ME and MAKE ME YOURS. She’s addicted to reading and writing romance novels filled with angsty tension, kissing and alpha males.
She lives in Minneapolis with an adorable husband and two naughty puppies, one of which may be part monkey. She’s hard at work on her next novel, RESISTING HER, which will be available in mid-2013.
You can find Kendall lurking online at: www. KendallRyanBooks.comor on Twitter, where she spends far too much time fangirling over fictional hotties, @KendallRyan1
Image may be NSFW.
