I loved the characters and the storyline development of this book. It was absolutely one of my favorites so far and I can't wait to delve in to the next one that this author writes. The storyline was simple, enjoyable, and entertaining.

I read Grounds for Seduction when it was originally released and I was looking forward to rereading this newly edited book. The storyline is fast paced romance that blends drama and suspense.

I liked the hero in the book , Gabe. After a troubling childhood and adolescence Gabe realizes what’s important. He’s dedicated himself to his family and friends. Always looking to go the extra mile to protect those he loves.

Especially keeping the Bro Code intact- Never mess with your best friends little sister.

In this case, the little sister Maddie doesn’t understand that rule. She’s awfully feisty and eager to get Gabe to notice her. I found her judgment to be a little off at times. She means well but she comes across a bit harsh. She’s also wishy washy wanting Gabe then pushing him away. I thought Gabe deserved better.

The book leaves us with a happy for now ending. I’m glad these two were able to put aside their differences and make it work.

GROUNDS FOR SEDUCTION by Shelli Stevens. This story is just my type. I love heroines that are strong and independent, yet still need that sexy alpha male to step in and help out on occasion. Maddie and Gabe are smoking! Their chemistry is off the charts. At times, Maddie did come across a bit immature but not so much that it detracted from my turning each page, eager for what happens next. Ms. Stevens incorporates not only the love story filled with hot scenes, but some mystery and danger as well. (received ARC from NetGalley for honest review)

This was a fun, sexy book that did not require a lot of thought or depth. Maddy is after Gabe who has always thought of her as his best friend's little sister. She's out to change his mind about her while he helps solve a crime relating to her coffee shop. Sexy shenanigans ensue.

Maddie is a young twenty-five year old girl that has come from a rich family. Maddie has always eaten out, drives a Lexus as her first car, many other things that spoiled rich kids do. Maddie has just finished her MBA and has lived in Italy for a year when she returns to Seattle. Maddie has decided to open her own espresso coffee shop but has no idea about coffee stuff at all. What she knows she learns from her one employee that she has. With things going good for Maddie, the only thing left is for her to find a rebound romance after her previous rough relationship.

Meet Gabe, a police officer and best friend to Maddie's brother. Gabe has always tried to keep things on a friend level with Maddie because of who she is, but when Maddie lays it on thick with Gabe, what is he to do? Maddie thinks that this can just be a sexual rebound for her but as things progress and Gabe gets protective of Maddie because of the Espresso Bandit, things change.

Gabe is not a long term relationship kind of guy. He is a love them and leave them kind of guy so how is it that he had developed these feelings for Maddie. Gabe also has some issues from his past that keep him from letting himself fall completely for Maddie. Will these two be able to overcome these issues?

There is one little thing at the end of the story that throws you for a loop too that I was not too fond of, but only in how Maddie treated Gabe when this happened. Overall I thought this was a good read and I liked the characters as well. The story flowed easily. I think this will be an enjoyable read for lots of readers.

I loved the way Shelli Stevens brought the characters together. It was equal parts true love and hot sex.

This was a good read- between 3 & 4 stars for me. I thought the premise was interesting but some of the interactions seemed a little forced or just plain unrealistic. That being said I did enjoy the book & will read more by Shelli Stevens- I think this book just needed a bit more editing.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. I also left a review on bn.com (DaneWeimMama) & on goodreads- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34153552-grounds-for-seduction?from_search=true

Panty Scorching 0
Angst 0
Tissues 0
Storyline 3.5
Value 3.5
Overall Rating 3.5
Kindle eARC
Reviewed by Ladyballs

Hmmmm....not sure what I want to say other then this book did not live up to the hype I had made up in my mind.

Gabe is a hot guy, single and a cop...he is best friends and been best friends with Eric who is from a more affluent family then he. Eric's little sister is Maddie and has somehow always been on Gabe's radar but nothing more then the little sister of his best friend, until now.

She is opening her own coffee shop and coincidentally there is a robber going around robbing coffee shops...YAWN. Naturally at the same time their attraction to each other starts to grow, her shop is hit and Gabe is assigned to watch her during the day (and at night in her bed). Bigger yawn.....

I hated Maddie...she is wishy washy, naive at times, self centered and has a way of making me grimace. Gabe is just too nice. Ya know the saying nice guys finish last...or he is a doormat...or a glutten for punishment...that is him. There relationship is too forced and has a childlike/teenage feel to it. Its awkward and hard to watch. There are sex scenes but I felt so unconnected to these two and their relationship as well as the far fetched storyline they did nothing for me. The writing was choppy and the characters thoughts were all over the place. It felt rushed and I felt the author was struggling at times to make cohesive sentences. Me no likey :-(

This story had lots of hot sexy scenes; I like it when the girl falls for her brother’s best friend. After a horrible break up, Madison Phillips has decided to become an independent person, what person doesn’t want to be their own boss? She opens up her own business, a coffee shop, even though she can’t make a decent cup of coffee to save her life. While at her brother’s welcome home from Iraq party, Madison decides she is going to have herself a fling with her brothers best friend, Gabe Martinez. Gabe shows signs of not being interested in Madison but she is determined to get him to her coffee shop in hopes that he breaks. Gabe warns Madison to be careful due to the robberies that have been going on in the coffee shops in the area. Will Madison get her wild ride with the sexy cop Gabe? How off limits is your best friend’s sister? If you want the answer to these questions, you need to get the book so you can read for yourself. Book has your forbidden romance, drama, action and some serious sexy time.

***I voluntarily reviewed this ARC for an honest review via NetGalley, this is my honest opinion and has not been influenced by the author, Publishers or NetGalley in anyway.***

Grounds for Seduction is steamy, and not just from all the espresso. But, unfortunately, I couldn't connect to Madison, the heroine, at all. She comes across as a spoiled, bitchy little diva rather than what I think the author was trying for, which is a strong, aiming to be successful young entrepreneur. Madison is on the verge of opening up her new coffee shop, Ooo La Latte, and is at a party celebrating her older brother's return from his term in the military when she sees his best friend, Gabe, again. She used to have a crush on him when she was a teenager, but because he is 6 years older than she, she rarely saw him, so soon pushed him out of her mind. Now that she's single again, after having been dumped by her ex, she's looking for a rebound, and who better than a hottie cop.

Unfortunately for Madison, Gabe isn't about to embark upon anything with his best friend's little sister, so she has to try really hard to get him to go along with her plan for some no strings sex. If she hadn't needed protection after a man tried to kill her after breaking into her new coffee shop, she probably never would have gotten her chance for a rebound fling with the delicious Gabe.

I really like Gabe, and it's because of this I didn't rate Grounds for Seduction even lower, because he's so sweet, and has such a huge heart, not to mention, is seriously sexy. But, I absolutely cannot stand Madison, she brings the entire story down a couple notches. If I had liked her, I would have rated this at least 4 stars. The plot is nice, the execution is good, their chemistry is sexy, it's just that Madison is a ridiculous character. Rather than being strong, independent and sexy, she is actually whiny, entitled and bratty; she isn't a good match for someone like Gabe. But, because I connected so much to Gabe (hot cop alert!), I couldn't give it the 1 or 2 stars Madison deserves.

This is my first book by this author and it's an ok read. This is not a book that you are going to remember for long after you read it and there isn't much about it to distinguish it from most other "little sister" romances but it's a solid 'ok.'

This book is about Madison (Maddie) and Gabriel (Gabe). Maddie is the little sister of Gabe's best friend Eric (and by little sister I mean the 25 year old adult sister of Eric). Gabe and Eric are tough cops who have been best friends since they were kids. Gabe is known as a no strings attached bed hopper. Maddie has always had a crush on him. When Maddie finds herself fresh off a break up, she turns to Gabe for some of his notorious no strings attached fun. Maddie doesn't want a relationship, she just wants to feel good about herself. Of course, Gabe is all 'I can't, you're my friend's sister' blah blah blah. But the entire time he is "resisting" he is also wildly attracted to Maddie and wants her badly.

The author throws the two characters together after Maddie's Espresso cafe gets robbed by the "espresso bandit." Maddie is the only bandit victim to see the robber's face so Gabe and Eric figure she has to be protected or the bandit will come after her. This was kind of the beginning of a lot of things that I didn't love about this book. First, the espresso bandit is just a stupid name and I couldn't take the threat seriously. Second, from the time that Gabe barges in to save Maddie from the bandit he's popping erections left and right. Ok, we get it, he's attracted to her but dammit, have a little restraint. The woman was almost murdered. Third, Eric doesn't want to keep Maddie with him because he's worried about exposing his wife to danger. That made me feel like, damn, you'd just leave your sister? So Eric ask Gabe protect Maddie and Gabe agrees but he treats her kinda rude. Gabe is mad at himself for being attracted to Maddie and often takes it out by snapping at her. Maddie realizes Gabe's struggles so she is ok with being snapped at and continues throwing herself at him.

I mean, really, this isn't a bad book but I just wasn't rooting for these characters to be together. Maddie comes off way desperate and Gabe comes across as somewhat of an a-hole. This just isn't what I'm looking for in a romance.

Grounds for Seduction was a good 4 star read.

Madison is feeling down because she is the only one not in a relationship at the moment. And at her brother’s welcome home party she is really feeling it. Than she see’s Gabe, her brother’s best friend. He has definitely grown into a very handsome man and she decides that she is going to pursue him.

I guess I just haven’t seen you in a while, and I’m discovering that being a cop has been good to you.

Gabe can’t get Madison out of his head. She is off limits. She was Eric’s little sister. He could fantasize all he wanted, but the erection stopped there.

When Madison’s coffee shop opens she gets quite the present from Gabe, it was hot. Gabe realizes that things can’t go any further, Madison gets frustrated and kicks him out of the shop. One night Madison makes a huge mistake and realizes it too late, she was being robbed.

Gabe goes alpha male on her and demands to be her protector until the robber is captured.
This is when the heat and attraction kicks in between them, the sex is off the charts hot.

I’m not going to be able to go to spinning class for a week.

I really enjoyed this read, Gabe was the hunky alpha male and Madison was the strong feisty female. These two together were great. There were a few twists and scares that added a great element to the story. I was all over the place with my emotions. These two definitely had their issues to work out that’s for sure. It was a great read and I look forward to reading more from this series.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. Reviewed by MAustin from Alpha Book Club

I read Grounds for Seduction when it was originally released and I was looking forward to rereading this newly edited book. The storyline is fast paced romance that blends drama and suspense.

I liked the hero in the book , Gabe. After a troubling childhood and adolescence Gabe realizes what’s important. He’s dedicated himself to his family and friends. Always looking to go the extra mile to protect those he loves.

Especially keeping the Bro Code intact- Never mess with your best friends little sister.

In this case, the little sister Maddie doesn’t understand that rule. She’s awfully feisty and eager to get Gabe to notice her. I found her judgment to be a little off at times. She means well but she comes across a bit harsh. She’s also wishy washy wanting Gabe then pushing him away. I thought Gabe deserved better.

The book leaves us with a happy for now ending. I’m glad these two were able to put aside their differences and make it work.

loved this book! I want Gabe for myself! I loved the chemistry between Gabe and Madison, Not to mention the banter between the 2 of them. I loved how Madison played Gabe to get what she wants, the woman has a lot of nerve, which just made me love her even more! I read this book all in one setting and wanted more!! I will definetely be putting this author on my go to list!
My heart really goes out to Madison bc her feelings for Gabe are so strong and he keeps giving her mixed signals. I love how Gabe is there for her and tries to not break his brother code with her brother. Madison really has some bad luck but she keeps trying and pushing herself. I loved watching her not giving up and how she is with Gabe. I do have to say that she is a very strong minded woman and I loved that about her. You will fall in love with these characters.
Don't let me forget! You will definetely get some laughs out of this book also.

Loved this opposites attract story. Madison was a sweet but pampered princess and Gabriel was the alpha hottie with a giant chip on his shoulder, but together they brought out the best in each other. The story was hot, sexy and had me laughing out loud a few times with Madison's goofy antics. Yeah, I'm talking about the microwave eggs and her idea of getting the drop on a burglar - in her underwear! That had be laughing so hard, I was getting weird looks at work, but it was worth it. I love a good laugh and this had some stellar moments of hilarity :)

The story moved quickly and stayed on point. It had some steamy love scenes and some great banter between the MCs. I loved the fact that as Gabriel's best friend and Maddie's older brother, Eric didn't pull the usual stunt about warning his best friend from his sister. He actually respected both of them and was up front about accepting a relationship between them. That was refreshing to see.

There was one thing I could have done without, and that was the conflicting emotional signals Maddie throws Gabriel towards the end. Her knee jerk reaction to feeling abandoned by Gabriel came off as selfish and immature. Granted Gabe chose the worst time to leave her but Maddie acted like it was a crime that she had to save herself?! I didn't understand that. It just rubbed me the wrong way that she couldn't be more proud of herself for surviving, on her own. Yeah, it would have been awesome if Gabe had burst in and helped her fight off the bad guy but to expect him to literally break the laws of physics to rescue her seemed far fetched and unfair. Somehow, I think that could have somehow been written to show Maddie in a better light.

This book is a re-issue with updated material. It has the hallmarks of a Shelli Stevens novel, many well written love scenes, a smoothly crafted story and extremely strong characters. Grounds for Seduction is a best friend's sister story and there aren't a lot of surprises along the way. I appreciated the well-rounded characterization and voice of the hero. I found the heroine to be a little over done, perhaps too many examples of her "independence" made her seem aggressive rather than assertive to me. As a Seattle dweller, I always love the scenes and settings in Ms. Stevens' books as they are beautifully and accurately detailed. If you like an erotica series with well crafted storylines, this one is for you.

I have chosen to not finish this title. As I do, I picked it up again about a week after I initially started it and I was still not able to get into the book. The chemistry of the main couple fell flat for me, which makes it difficult for the romance to really work.

I appreciate the opportunity to read the title.

Madison Phillips just wants to make her little coffee shop thrive and maybe get Gabriel Martinez to see her as a women and not his friends little sister, she just didn't think it would take getting robbed to do. Police officers Gabe see maddie as a sexy beautiful womenbut will not cross that line until she in danger. The increasing volatile robber will come after her she can identify him and Gabe isnt going to let anything happen to her. But what happens when the finally act on there passion can Gabe still keep her safe. Hot sexy sassy and suspense filled ride. A definite must read I can't wait for more in this series.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Review Copy of this book.

*** Reviewed on behalf of 2 Girls Who Love Books***

Despite the fact that during the majority of the story they are searching for a dangerous robber, this story felt lighthearted and rather fun.

I am always a sucker for a romance involving a brother's best friend and little sister. Even though everyone is an adult in this story, there is always the push and pull and resistance to a relationship that must be overcome. Usually makes for a good story and this one didn't disappoint. The dialogue was witty and enjoyable to follow. And the hotness factor was definitely there as well.

I enjoyed watching both of the main characters come to realize that they wanted more than just a hot hookup!

I will admit that there were times that I found Madison and her family to be a bit annoying - just the 'rich' and entitled mindset and I would have liked to see a bit more of the relationship between Gabe and Eric (Madison's brother) for the story to have felt more complete.

Overall an enjoyable read - recommend!

From the moment I saw one of my favorite tropes mentioned in the blurb - that of brother's best friend - I knew that I wanted to read Grounds for Seduction. While this may not be the most sophisticated of novels, there were a couple of surprises for me. I was particularly pleased with the resolution to the Espresso Bandit plot line as it was not something I was expecting.

Madison and Gabe are fun characters to root for. Like many a best friend, Gabe doesn't want to betray Madison's brother by starting anything with her. Madison doesn't let his continued refusals stop her as she keeps pushing to get her way. That circumstances force them to remain in close quarters certainly helps her quest and what starts on her part as a rebound relationship has the potential to develop into something more. The question is whether the two of them will want to take that chance.

I do wish that the secondary characters had played more of a role in the plot as they often seemed superfluous. Madison, at times, frustrated me in the same way she frustrated Gabe. I would have really liked to see more of his relationship with Madison's brother as well.

Despite those quibbles, I enjoyed reading Ground for Seduction and I look forward to reading further books by Ms. Stevens.

4 stars