Ruby, the heroine, is quirky, independent, an off-off-Broadway actress who's trying to make it apart from her wealthy family, but is desperately low on cash, out of job opportunities, and a few days away from homelessness. The hero, Bancroft (aka Bane) is a handsome, rich, successful, stunningly sexy alpha male who's captivated the moment he encounters Ruby at a friend's high-society engagement party. Their meeting is sexy, but also hilarious and incredibly awkward, setting the stage for their unlikely partnership as the story moves forward.
Where there's smoke, there's fire, and there's plenty of steamy heat in Shacking Up. The chemistry between Ruby and Bane is positively off-the-charts. This is the first book of Helena Hunting's that I have read but it definitely won't be the last, that's for sure!

I have read previous stories by Helena Hunting but I think I like this one the best! So funny yet it pulls at your heart strings. Great story.

Helena Hunting gets better with every book she writes. Which is seriously saying something since her Pucked series was pretty damn close to perfect.


Shacking Up was the perfect combination of panty melting sexual tension and laugh out loud hilarious that I just couldn’t stop flipping the pages to see who was going to crack first. From the very first meeting Bane and Ruby had me completely captivated. They were both just so real and genuine and everything about their relationship grew so organically that I felt like I was part of it all.


Ruby was great. She was a truly different heroine in all the very best of ways. She is absolutely one of the best characters I have read this year. I can’t even begin to explain exactly how real she felt. Ruby was so stubborn and set on doing everything herself but she was still so caring and sensitive. She was so confident and self reliant and I loved that she knew exactly what she wanted and she worked so hard to get it.


Bane was a wet dream come to life. Former rugby star turned sexy in a suit businessman, with a soft spot for exotic pets. And from the minute he lays eyes on Ruby he is done. He had the whole growling, possessive, jealous alpha male down to a tee and I want one. Bane was just perfect. And even though he was a genuinely good guy he still had enough rough around the edges to make him amazing.


The two of them together was this awesome recipe of sweet, sexy, hilariousness and I honestly can’t think of a better way to spend a few hours of free time than sinking into Shacking Up. You have to race out and one click this right now.

This was such a fun read! Helena Hunting writes such fun and loveable characters! Ruby is just so sassy and fantastic that I was hooked on her right from the start! Then you add in Bane, rugby star-business man who's off the charts hot and pretty freaking awesome too and it's the perfect combination for me.

Their story is fun and sweet and sometimes very silly and it will leave you with a super happy heart! I liked the slow-burn between these two and how they get to know each other. These characters feel real and like people I would want to be friends with. I loved Ruby's attitude and determination, she WILL do it her way. Bane is just as wonderful, all sexy and witty and confident! This was a great read, it made me laugh and swoon and I definitely can't wait for more!

I've never read any of Helena Hunting's work before, but "Shacking Up" had me rolling with laughter and steam coming out of my collar at the same time! Coming from "new" money, Ruby finally had enough of her father's insults and decided to head to NYC to pursue her dreams on Broadway. Bancroft comes from "old" money, and after blowing out his knee in rugby, he was forced to join his father and brothers in the family business. I don't like to give the story away, but sometimes I wondered if "Bane" had rocks in his head instead of brains. This is a very sweet, funny romance and I look forward to reading more of Ms. Hunting's books.
I was gifted a copy of this e-book through Net Galley for my honest opinion.

Wow a must read. Ruby is down on her luck finding a job and apartment. Runs into Bane before and audition and he makes her sick. Non to say she ends up living with him.

This story line was too light and fluffy for me. There wasn't enough conflict and was filled with long winded inner thoughts of the two main characters. At times I liked the story but overall it wasn't for me.

Shacking Up by Helena Hunting
Romantic Comedy. Standalone.

Shacking Up is a new romcom standalone from Helena Hunting. Most of her Pucked books are favorites for me, so I couldn’t wait to meet some new characters she created. One thing I love about her writing is how funny, outspoken and dirty her female characters are, and luckily, Ruby brought the dirty :)
“I’m crossing everything that it goes well tomorrow. I’d even cross my vagina lips if they hung low enough.”

Ruby is from a wealthy family, but she is determined to make it on Broadway instead of working for her dad’s erection-extending pharmecutecal company in Rhode Island. As much as she wants to make it on her own, she is struggling, and only 5 days away from losing her apartment, so her audition the following day is the most important of her life. But first she has to attend her best friend’s engagement party.
"Some random guy mistook me for someone else and jammed his tongue down my throat when I was leaving the party. Then he coughed in my face and his date accused me of being a slut.”

Ruby didn’t mean to, but the guy was gorgeous and kissed really well, so she may have accidentally kissed him back. He was so sick and so high on cold medicine, he mistook her for his date when she left the bathroom.

The next morning, when Ruby wakes up for her big audition, she is sick as a dog, and her day only gets worse. Luckily, her best friend’s fiancee has a friend leaving town on business for 5 weeks and needs someone to take care of his pets, so Ruby has 5 extra weeks to come up with a job and an apartment. But in the meantime, the guy she is pet sitting for is the same guy who kissed her and got her sick, so he really owes her.
"His now lopsided grin is making my panties reevaluate their importance in my life."

Bancroft is also from a wealthy family, but played Rugby for 6 years before joining the family business, so he understands that need to follow your dream, and I love that they related on the same level, as people who grew up in a wealthy family business but don’t want to follow in the footsteps.
"I certainly wouldn’t mind spending time with him, naked, in his bed, playing hide and seek with his penis in my vagina."

Bancroft loves his pets, but he is totally crushing on his pet sitter, so over lots of facetimes, calls and texts while he was away, the two really got to know each other. And boy, did they flirt! Ladies, this was one slow burn. The couple was apart most of the story, but it was worth the wait. Plus, I loved one of the pets so much! But when they meet again in real life, things may get a little awkward after 5 weeks of flirting.
"Bancroft shirtless is a vision. Bancroft naked is damn well fucking phenomenal. “Oh God, that is huge!” I say when I finally reach the visual destination of Erectiontopia."


Likes:

•Helena’s signature humor where the female has no filter.
•I loved the pets and how cool Ruby was about them (I admit, I want one of the pets so badly! The other one? NO.)
•Loved how they had similar backgrounds and could relate well.
•I love texting in books.
•The formatting was great.
•I kind of liked the slow burn.
•I smiled the whole time.
•It seems like Helena set up a great book for Ruby's friend Amie (or at least I hope so, because her fiancee is a total douchcanoe.)

Dislikes:

•I would have liked more together time.
•The end felt a little rushed.

The Down & Dirty:
Shacking Up was a fun, sexy romcom with Helena Hunting’s signature humor where the heroine has no filter, which I loved. This was a slow burn, with the couple apart for the first 80% or so of the book, only talking, texting and facetiming. I really loved the slow build, but I would have liked to see more of the in-person connection. While it isn’t the most memorable book, Shacking Up was a solid, fun, quick romcom standalone that I enjoyed in one day.

Rating: 4.25 Stars, 4 Heat

Hang out with Helena at Wicked Book Weekend 2018, 4/20-4/23 on Ft. Lauderdale Beach

Yup, I definitely got what I had hoped for - I laughed a lot, I swooned a bit, I was upset, I grinned goofily (and stupidly) and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

Ruby and Bane, even though they are both part of the upper class with all its attitude, its arrogance and its stiffness, are both a bit different. Both are trying to find their own way and live their own life instead of just following the rules and expectations of their class. Whereas Bancroft has the support of his family in doing so, Ruby's family, well, let's just say that her father won't get a "Dad of the Year"-badge.

When Bane causes Ruby to fail spectacularly at an audition (Long story, don't ask!) which leaves her unemployed and unfortunately as a consequence also homeless, he offers her the position as a pet-sitter for his rather unusual pets while he is on a business trip.
Many, many phone calls and video chats (not all of them G-rated) later, as well as many many laughing fits later, Ruby is still living at Bane's place and Bane is determined to keep her there even when he comes back.
Some complications and misunderstandings later, meddlesome relatives included, some more swoon-worthy action happens to take place and....we're off for our happily ever after. Or not. Maybe?

I really laughed so often so hard, even when I was just thumbing through the book trying to write this review I stopped here and there and read a bit and laughed a lot. You know, when a book is so good that when you close it, certain sentences or scenes come to mind and you just sit there and giggle or dream a bit... Well, I did a lot of giggling like that after reading this book. And thinking of Ruby cuddling with Franny.....*sigh* So. Sweet.*sigh again*

This was my first book by Helena Hunting but it won't be my last. I really enjoyed reading this book from the first page till the very last and I know that I'll read this book again. And again. And... if you want to know what all this fuss is about - read it! It's amazing!

I really enjoyed the humor in this book!!

Excellent contemporary upper class romance. Ruby, her family and friends are wealthy. Several years ago, following her parents divorce, she realized she didn't want to follow the 'traditional' path the majority of people she knew followed. She wanted to be classy yet an independent woman seeing to her own needs. If she kept relying on her father's money she'd end up being controlled by him and whomever she had a relationship with. Bancroft (Bane) is also from a wealthy family and chose his own dream. Now that his pro-soccer career is over he's joined the family business. Ruby runs into financial difficulties but won't run home to daddy. Bancroft may have an alternative. There were numerous times when I chuckled. I like that the characters both wanted to be independent and unique. I received a complementary copy of this book and chose to write a review. I very much look forward to reading more of Ms. Nothing's books in the future.

Shacking Up by Helena Hunting is the funniest book I’ve read in a long while. It’s witty and smart, and has dual POV’s, which is one of my favorite styles of writing / reading. Ruby and Bancroft (Bane) are well-fleshed out, and the romance is a nice slow burn, similar to Mariana Zapata’s romances.
Without giving too much away, this story involves a: temporarily homeless Ruby, who goes through some much-needed personal growth; Bane, who I just want to hug because he’s sentimental (the answering machine!) and loves his most unusual pets – Tiny and Francesca, like they are his children (which, they basically are).
I love that most of the relationship is built through communication and that it grows naturally through friendship to love. There were some scenes that melted my heart – the Skype sessions with his pets, for instance! The times where I could see the tension between them were some of the best in the book! This was a 5 * read, and I can’t wait to read more by Ms. Hunting!

You might assume suspense and intrigue are the only things that keep me awake, but humor is just as powerful a motivator. Shacking Up is a swoon-worthy romance that is so ridiculously funny and clever that it is impossible to put down. Ruby Scott and Bane Mills meet at their friends’ engagement party when Bane runs into Ruby with his mouth and proceeds to kiss the daylights out of her. He’s sick, doped up on cold medicine and almost incoherent, but their kiss is explosive and mind-blowing — until he coughs in her face.

They exchange germs, and Ruby leaves the party incubating a very bad cold. She doesn’t have the luxury to be sick, because she’s a struggling actress who desperately needs a steady income, especially now that she’s just been evicted from her apartment. Laryngitis, nausea and vomiting don’t make for an ideal performance, and she epically (and hilariously) bombs an important audition. She runs into her kissing bandit soon afterward, and he feels guilty about her impending homelessness. He offers for her to stay at his place while he’s away on business for the next five weeks, if she’ll pet-sit his beloved ferret and tarantula.

Ruby and Bane are wildly attracted to each other, notwithstanding that cough, but can’t explore their feelings as he leaves town. Their necessary phone calls to check in turn into anticipated, heart-to-heart conversations full of flirting, and their relationship develops at a charming pace. The sexual tension builds as both await Bane’s return, and the anticipation is intoxicating, for them and for the reader. Shacking Up has hysterically awkward moments, sexy banter and a memorable and steamy love story, and reading it is so enjoyable that sleep becomes irrelevant.

Fun fun fun read!! Shacking Up is a super cute story with a perfect ending. Ruby is feisty & independent & Bancroft is a sexy animal lover- what is not to love? Helena Hunting will be on my authors to always read from now on. I hope there are more books with the characters from Shacking Up (Bancroft has 2 brothers!!)

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

Hunting is fast becoming my 'go-to' rom-com author and she is the queen of fun, easy to read, sizzling reads.

Fun and fresh I defy anyone not to fall in love with these characters.

Helena Hunting is the author of one of my all time favorite romances, Clipped Wings. And while I personally did not enjoy her first Rom Com hit, Pucked, I knew I had to give her comedic side another chance. When the opportunity arose to read an ARC of Shacking Up it was the perfect chance and I decided to give it a go. And boy am I glad I did so! I felt myself teetering on the verge of a book slump and this book saved me. I read it in two days flat and could hardly tear myself away from my kindle -- was exactly what I needed.

I loved both Ruby and Bancroft so much. While they both come from wealthy families, they couldn't be more different in the way they live their lives now. Ruby has turned her back on the family money in favor of pursuing her dreams to make it big on broadway. After some rather unfortunate circumstances, Ruby finds herself dirt poor and ready to be evicted from her apartment. In comes newly acquainted Bancroft with a solution to her living situation and compensation that she couldn't possibly turn down - his live in pet sitter.

Ruby and Bane have instant chemistry and they can't seem to get enough of each other. There's tons of playful flirting, plenty of sexual tension, and enough hilarious banter to go around. I'm a big fan of the angst, the more the better I always say! This book definitely delivers in that area and the slow burn romance burns oh so good.

If you're looking for a sexy and humorous read, then definitely give this one a shot! I had so much fun with these characters and I cannot wait to see what Helena has in store for us next in Hooking Up!

Shacking Up by Helena Hunting was a fun read! I enjoyed this story with all its humor and snide thoughts and comments. The two main characters Ruby and Bancroft are so enjoyable together. They went from friends/roommates to an all-out relationship. All the interplay between the two is funny and entertaining. I laughed a great deal at the comments they gave each other and the thoughts that Ruby said out loud and to herself caused quite a few smiles. I strongly recommend this book.

So funny! Review to follow. I think I want a ferret lol.

I decided 2% of the way into this story that Shaking Up was going to be binge-worthy. I was giggling, and when I finally looked up, and it was 1:45 am. Bane (Bancroft) and Ruby's unconventional meeting and FaceTime-enabled budding romance was unique and made their long distance arrangement work. The banter and alternating POV's through inner dialogues made this story work. While Shacking Up was a bit predictable, and I knew where this story was going, it didn't matter. I loved the characters' fun banter and alternating voices. The angsty build-up made this story a fast-paced, fun and sexy romantic comedy.

I need to know what happens with Ruby's best friend Amalie and her fiancé. I hope Helen's next book is about them.

This review appears on www.kindlecrack.net, www.facebook.com/kindlecrack, Goodreads, Amazon, Pinterest, Google+ and Twitter. A review copy of this book was kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

I fell in love with Helena Hunting’s in your face and hysterical writing style reading her Pucked series, but my love for her continues in Shacking Up. Shacking Up is every bit as entertaining, sassy, funny and sexy as I’ve come to expect from this author; it is a bit tamer in the sex department, but that didn’t make it any less enjoyable and I’m hoping a whole new slew of romance readers find her because of this book and fall in love with her and her writing. A crazy drunken kiss and a series of unfortunate accidents bring two people together and watching them go from strangers, to friends, to more was exciting and so damn enjoyable.

Ruby and Bancroft come from very similar backgrounds, but both chose professions that didn’t follow the traditional lifestyle of the wealthy and influential. When Bancroft blew out his knee and his professional rugby career is over and he goes to work for his father’s company and falls into all the trappings of his privileged upbringing including dating women his mother sets him up with. What Bane doesn’t expect is to kiss the wrong woman at his cousin’s engagement party which leads to an interesting series of events including her moving in to take care of his unusual pets while he is away on business for six weeks or the fact that he looks forward to their nightly chats while he is gone. The more time Ruby spends in Bane’s apartment, she realizes that he could be dangerous to her heart and well being but he is so addicting.

I loved the slow build to their relationship even when they both wanted to jump right in right away, they held off for practical reasons which let them really begin to know one another. It was refreshing watching them both develop feelings and the need to spend time together even if it was just through video chat and not rush right into a relationship. Honestly, I think it made their first time together more special and definitely more intense.

While they both needed a few lessons on communication and while I felt like Bane’s uneasiness with his new job was kind of glossed over (I would have loved to see him really come into his own at his father’s company) I still am giving this book 5 stars because the overall story was fun, sexy, and just plain wonderful.

Contemporary romance at its best, don’t miss Shacking Up by Helena Hunting!