Here’s the thing…I am not a fan of the “fake relationship” trope. Too much time is spent rehashing “he/she doesn’t feel the same about me” and “he/she won’t ever love me they way I love them” blah blah blah.

But I LOVED Luck of the Draw.

A year ago, when Zoe and two friends won the lottery, she quit her guilt-inducing job as a corporate lawyer. After a night of drunken introspection, Zoe decides to make a list of the people she’s wronged, then draw them out of a jar and apologize to them. And as luck would have it, the first person she draws out is the family from the last case she worked on before quitting her job.

When Zoe shows up at the O’Leary family home to apologize, she instead meets their son, Aiden. He is NOT pleased to meet her, but knows who she is. And he isn’t the least bit interested in hearing Zoe’s ill-planned apology. But her arrival does happen to come at a fortuitous time for Aiden, and he ropes all-too-willing Zoe into a scheme to help him win the bid for some land.

I hadn’t told my friends about my late-night guilt jar making, hadn’t told them that my lottery-night wish for adventure wasn’t really my heart’s desire. But everyone knows you can’t buy forgiveness. Everyone knows you have to work for it, and this thing I’m doing with Aiden? This is working for it.

Aiden knows his plan is crazy. But he also knows Zoe is smart and can help him convince the owners of the campground where he spent his summers to sell the land to him. The process is involved and includes competing against other couples, spending weekends at the camp, and finally a presentation about his plans for the camp.

I shrug. What does she mean, we go? I go last. It’s my presentation. She’s flipping through pages with a new purpose, and I can picture her, all those years of fancy-ass education. Probably a front-row sitter, this one.

But slowly, Aiden’s cynicism about this woman he’s spending so much time with begins to slip away. Zoe truly works in ernest to help Aiden’s dream come true, and he realizes her presence in his life has brought some unexpected changes.

“She – well. She’s sort of our center point. The one we take our cues from, in some ways. Everything’s quieter without her.”
Ain’t that the truth is the first thing that comes to mind, because everything is quieter without her. Even when she’s right next to me, if she’s not talking, it somehow feels like the loudest quiet I’ve ever heard.

The thing I loved most about this book – besides the wonderful writing and fantastic dialogue – is that the story remained focused on the relationship development and hardly dealt with the impending termination of their arrangement. Also during Aiden and Zoe’s time together, the reader is witness to the personal growth of both the hero and heroine. Yes, they grow closer to each other, but each of them had their own separate issues to work through, which they did with the assistance of the other. It was a beautiful, lovely story.

I LOVED, loved, loved this book! And I don’t like fake relationship stories, so that’s saying a lot. I could go on and on about how much I loved Luck of the Draw, but instead I’ll just say READ THIS BOOK! It’s a rare gem of a story that has everything you could want – excellent writing, witty dialog, fun and realistic characters, a compelling plot. As I said in my review for Beginner’s Luck, I’m totally kicking myself for not reading these books sooner. It isn’t often I’m sad I’ve finished a book, but it helps that now I get to go read the final book of the Chance of a Lifetime series!

*thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books/Lyrical Shine for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review

4 1/2 STARS!

✦ Dual 1st POV

✦ Enemies to lovers AND fake engagement / forced proximity (weekends at a cabin)

✦ Grumpy (but mostly: secretly hurting *sobs*) paramedic

✦ Lawyer

✦ CW: Grief, loss of a sibling (due mostly to addiction)

✦ The emotions tho! So many emotions.

✦ Slow burn, great tension and chemistry throughout. Fairly low heat when the sex starts. (But no complaints here, it was still hot)

✦ I just loved watching these two work through their own shit and then work through things to become a oops-this-isn't-at-all-fake couple. So good!

Zoe Ferris is determined to make things right with the O'Leary family, except when she arrives on their doorstep, there is no warm reception. Not that she was expecting one, but still, she didn't expect for Aiden to ask her to pose as his fiancé. Will Zoe and Aiden be able to pull their fake relationship off and prove to everyone that things between them are real or will they lose their shot at happy ever after because he sees her as the enemy?

Having really enjoyed the first book of this series, I've been looking forward to reading this one, and I've got to say that I love Ms. Clayborn's writing. She has a way of hooking this reader from the very beginning with sexy and engaging heroes like Aiden; independent heroines that are determined to do their absolute best in things they choose to pursue such as Zoe's determination to make things right with Aiden's family; and compelling dialogue that had me fascinated by the main characters back stories and had me loving their growing relationship, as Zoe does her best to win Aiden over since he sees her as the enemy because of what she did in the past.

As for the dialogue, I loved it due to the main characters back stories and everything these two go through on their journey to happy ever after because Zoe isn't afraid to speak her mind and prove she can help Aiden to get what he wants. Will Aiden accept Zoe's help? Moreover, the heroine is sassy, independent, hard-working, kind, caring and I loved how determined she was to make things right with the hero because what her firm did to him and his family was despicable. I also liked the close friendship she shares with her two best friends and that she can go to them with any problems she has because she needs advice when it comes to Aiden. Is she doing the right thing?

While the hero, he was such an interesting character driven by what happened to his brother and determined to help others that suffered what he did. He's also confident and I liked that he was willing to accept the heroine's help, even though it couldn't have been easy to be in her company when she's partially to blame for how things went with his brother's wrongful death case. Will everyone believe they're a couple? Furthermore, I couldn't help but sympathize when it came to the hero's past and how much what happened to his family affected him and his parents. Why doe the hero feel such guilt?

Overall, Ms. Clayborn has delivered a really good read in this book where the chemistry between this couple is strong from the start and gets stronger with every moment they interact; the romance was special and had me hoping that everything would work out for the best for these two; and the ending had me liking that Aiden realizes how much Zoe has come to mean to him before it was too late because the heroine is good for him and vice versa. Really, they need each other to heal and finally move on from their pasts. I would recommend Luck of the Draw by Kate Clayborn, if you enjoy the enemy to lovers trope or books by authors Lucy Parker, Ainslie Paton, Jenny Holiday and Julie Ann Long.

I am a stubborn cuss and resisted the lure of Clayborn’s much-lauded first romance, Beginner’s Luck. As my Twitter handle says, “always late to the game”! I confess I’m here to sing praises. I won’t even do it very well because I was up till the wee hours polishing off Luck Of the Draw, despite having a full work day with several important, need-to-be-alert meetings slotted in it. But here I am and here we are and I’m tethered to the cheering bandwagon.

There’s another reason I wasn’t keen on Clayborn’s first, or second for that matter, other than the romance cheering section; more pernicious to me was the alternating first-person narration: heroine/hero, heroine/hero, like that. When one of my favourite romance writers, Ruthie Knox, went first-person-rogue on me, I was annoyed, but I followed. (I’ve only ever fully forgiven first-person narration in my favourite novel of all time, Jane Eyre.) So, between the squee and the self-conscious “I’s“, Clayborn had to work hard to thwart my side-eye. But foil it she did, by keeping the action on its toes; the characters, compelling and lovable; and by a perfect balance of humour and angst (my favourite narrative tone/mood). What I couldn’t fault her for? The premise was all kinds of tropish catnip.

Zoe Ferris won the lottery and quit her high-powered lawyer’s career. She wants to plan the trip of a life-time, but can’t bring herself to do it. Deep down, Zoe doesn’t believe she deserves her good fortune. She is plagued by the people she hurt when she was high-powering her way to success: the intern cowed; the barrista condescended to. Zoe suffered from the smart person’s hubris of being smarter than anyone else in the room and suffering fools without empathy. Zoe is particularly haunted by her memories of the O’Learys, father, mother, and brother, who brought a lawsuit against the pharmaceutical company who marketed the drug that was supposed to help their son/brother beat an opioid addition. It killed him and Zoe was the attorney who ensured the settlement was circumspect, with no admission of guilt on the drug company’s part.

To put her guilt to rest, Zoe shows up at the O’Learys’ house to apologize and encounters, instead of two grieving, elderly people, six feet plus of grumpy EMT, with a chip on his shoulder the size of a redwood, in the form of Aiden O’Leary, deceased Anthony’s twin. Aiden treats Zoe with unforgiving contempt and takes advantage of her “twelve-step” making-amends self-redemption by asking her to act as his fake fiancée, to help him pitch to buy a childhood camp for the purpose of turning it into a Wellness/Recovery from addiction centre. Thus begin Zoe and Aiden’s volatile week-end trips to Stanton Valley Camp, complete with frantic chatting on Zoe’s part and grunts from Aiden, with skin-crawling bugs and amenities-not, all the while Aiden and Zoe reluctantly joined in guilt-appeasement and hot attraction.

A first-person narrated romance novel can only be as good as the protagonists’ voices. And the only way I’ll keep reading is if the voices are not accompanied by endless internal rumination, but advance external action, especially in the form of zippy dialogue. Because of Clayborn’s juggling internal-external narrative act, I cared about Zoe and Aiden. I cared about them individually and I really loved them together. Clayborn managed to make them funny and vulnerable. She joined them in their internal struggle with guilt and with the good old-fashioned edict to live an examined life. It was refreshing and intellectually invigorating to read a full-fledged HOT romance between two sexy, serious people who grapple with ethics. Clayborn shows us how they grow, how they heal, and how, in the process of personal growth, they fall poignantly in love. Did I love everything about Luck Of the Draw? Pretty much. I can’t help but think Aiden’s voice is a bit forced, a bit “is this really how a dude thinks?” The novel could’ve used a heavier editing hand, maybe I’d have shaved about, oh, 15% of the ruminations. But then, just as Zoe and Aiden are getting close, Clayborn hits me with this Zoe-thought phrase, “This is so different, this weekend, this affection, this – tenderness.” And I’m gushy, admiring all over again.

Along with Lucy Parker and Alisha Rai, Clayborn is writing this fresh, irreverent to the genre yet loving it all the same, romance. Miss Austen would be proud. With her, I say Luck Of the Draw is evidence of “a mind lively and at ease,” Emma.

Kate Clayborn’s Luck Of the Draw is published by Lyrical Shine, Kensington Books. It was released on April 24th and I would zip right on over to my favourite e-vendor and get myself a copy. I received an e-ARC from Lyrical Shine, Kensington Books, via Netgalley.

FTC : I got this from NetGalley for a review.

Trope Tags : #Enemies-to-lovers #grumpy-hero #series-book #smexy #forced-proximaty #fake-relationship #awesome-heroine #sex-in-a-cabin #trying-to-make-ammends

Heat-Level – 5 Chilli’s. On scene smoking hot sex.

Content-warnings – Sibling-death, drugs, guilt

Notes on Author Style – Kate Clayborn writes from a first person-POV. The chapters alternative between Aiden and Zoe, a style which I really enjoyed as it gave me their love story from both sides.

Quick-scores –

Heroine – 5/5. I adored Zoe. I was so worried throughout the book that she would lose herself in her quest to make ammends but she had her limits and I loved her more for enforcing them. I wanted to scream at her for allowing Aiden to treat her the way he did until I realised that she truly believed that she deserved it. Reading her journey from self-hatred to love is wonderful.
Hero – 4/5. Aiden was so wrapped up in his grief, he doesn’t realise how badly he treats Zoe until she worms her way under his skin with her generosity and strength. He was hard to like, so wrapped up in his grief that he becomes mean and reactive at points. His character development is lovely; this isn’t a love fixes all stoy but more that love allowed him to breathe past his pain.
Romance – 5/5. I adored this romance. It started as something so tortured, and secret, but blossomed into something truly beautiful. I wanted them to work so much but all I could see was barriers and torment. It was breath-taking.
Plot – 5/5. It starts with a woman trying to make ammends and ends with a fake-relationship in a family camp-site in the woods, competing with established couples for ownership of a buisness. Realistically, it’s sodding bonkers but it’s written in such a way that you don’t even question it – I loved it.
Cover – 3.5/5 – It’s clear, easy to read but really doesn’t have any correlation to the book inside.
Re-read? – I have reread it. Loads.

Favorourite Part –

I think my favorite part is when, after they give in to their desire, they start to behave like a couple at the camp. I read all those chapters with a grin on my face.

Favourite Line –

“You sore?” I ask her. Which sounds pretty presumptious. I should’ve taken a walk; it’s too early for me to attempt conversation. “I mean, good morning.”

She smiles. “You know I have done it before. It’s not like you planted the flag there.”

What didn’t work for me?

Nothing. I adore this book.

Sometimes it is hard to make things right. In this case money is not the answer. A interesting take on what you can do if you win the lottery and what you cannot do is you win the lottery. Good characters and interesting plot kept the story moving.

Too dark for my mood?

There was more angst in this book than I expected. Both the H and h have misplaced guilt which I found depressing. But both are trying to improve themselves and their circles. I found this to be a positive aspect, but it was brought down again by revisiting their guilt. Perhaps I just wasn’t in the mood for this type of novel. The book was well written, but I did not enjoy feeling the darkness these two characters are both forced to work their way through the majority of the book.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book and I am providing my honest review.

The premise of this book was intriguing, but I thought there was way too much angst. Both main characters are dealing with tons of misplaced guilty and I had a hard time liking either of them. It was just too depressing for me.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for an honest review.

Weeeellll?! This book was very well written and done beautifully! But I'm not big on the tearjerkers, and this one had me balling!!! Lol it definitely gets you all up in your feelings! I definitely recommend it if you like emotional books it did have some funny moments light steam, I will read more from this author! Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for sharing this book with me!

What a way to start a new series...this is a story rich with the message of the grace of healing and overcoming personal tragedy...as well as the determination it takes to work through loss. Seldom do characters come along who touch you so deeply that they take up residence in your heart.

The characters were shaped with such realism that it was easy to identify with them, I was struck with the ease of transporting myself into the lives of Aiden and Zoe, seemingly becoming part of their story.

This ARC book was complimentary, provided by the Publisher and w. I am voluntarily providing my honest review.

When I first saw this series, I thought, "How fun!" Three best friends buy a lottery ticket, they win, and each makes some sort of life choice made possible through their winnings. Kit used her winnings to buy a home, Greer used her's to go back to school, and Zoe was supposed to use her money for a trip. However, six months after quitting her job at the law firm, Zoe still had not gone on that trip, and she appeared to be stuck.

This book was a lot more emotional than the previous one. Yes, there was lots of fun banter, and the camp antics made me smile, but getting to the root of Zoe's pain actually made my heart ache a little. I was shocked to learn she was in such emotional turmoil, because she always seems so confident and up for a good time, but there was a painful past buried inside her, which she really needed to deal with.

I loved the path Clayborn put Zoe on, because it brought Aiden into her life, and he was a most wonderful hero. I will admit, I was not sure about this grumpy guy, but the more I got to know and understand him, the more I loved him. He too carried a ton of emotional baggage and guilt, and thank goodness circumstances put him and Zoe together, because they each were what the other needed to move in the right direction.

Overall: This was a wonderful and emotional journey, which made me laugh, sniffle a little, and happy cry.

I really enjoyed the first book, but couldn’t make it through this one.

Found it slow and non moving. Just bla.

I really enjoyed the first one of the series but not this one.

Net zgaley provided a copy for an honest review.

Luck of the Draw by Kate Clayborn is the second romance in her Chance of a Lifetime series. The first story, Beginner's Luck, was on my best of 2017 list and I was highly anticipating this one. It was just as good as I'd hoped!

When three friends win a lottery prize together, they have to make some serious choices about what to do with the money. For Zoe Ferris, quitting her job as a cutthroat attorney is the first step. She says she want to take some vacation time off to plan a trip yet she finds herself stuck. She's unable to move forward, paralyzed by guilt for a number of things, including the last case she had before she quit. She makes a 'guilt' jar, putting pieces of paper with names of all the people she believes she's wronged and with whom she wants to make amends. As luck would have it, the first names she draws from the jar are the parents from her last case, that of a young man killed in a drug overdose for whom she had negotiated a cash settlement in a wrongful death suit. Mentally steeling herself, she heads to the address, encounters the son and brother of the young man who died – and promptly faints in his driveway.

Aiden O'Leary doesn't know what to make of the lawyer who shows up on his doorstep except that she's beautiful, and suddenly in need of medical help. A paramedic, he gets her back on her feet and when she awkwardly tries to offer to atone for what happened with his brother Aaron, Aiden knows just how she can do it. A summer camp that he and Aaron went to as boys is up for sale, and he wants to make a presentation to purchase it from the owners, long time family friends, to develop it as an addictions treatment center. But the owners are looking for a family to take over. He wants Zoe to pretend to be his fiancee, spend several weekends at the camp and help him sell the idea of his proposal. Zoe agrees, and despite an awkward and almost hostile start, they come to a truce.

Then things get more complicated because neither wants to deny the attraction simmering between them, even though getting involved is the last thing they should do. The heart and the mind don't always agree though, and a heated affair ensues. As their time together ticks away, painful truths and confidences are shared, and a true friendship develops along with stronger feelings. But when their secret engagement is found out to be a lie, will it spell the end of something that was just becoming a lifeline for them both?

Emotional, heartwarming, and full of laughs and tears, Luck of the Draw is a compelling romance. From the first page I was drawn into this story of guilt, forgiveness and redemption. Zoe made mistakes when she was younger, and she is afraid of making those mistakes again. Coming into a decent amount of money makes her wary of making decisions too fast, to the point that she can't make any at all. Aiden's proposal, that she help him out with his camp presentation by pretending to be his partner is the impetus she needs to push herself forward.

Similarly, Zoe helps Aiden to look at the relationship he had with his brother Aaron and come to terms with the guilt he feels for not being able to prevent his death. It's a slow realization that takes place over the course of their time together at the camp, Zoe's willingness not to shy away from tough issues giving him the kick he needs to face things head on. He still makes mistakes but becomes a man able to forgive and accept things as they are. When they are unable to resist the attraction to each other they make a pact that they will keep sex separate from the rest of what's going on around them, and they share several sexy and emotional love scenes. When that spills over into their time back home, it seems like they might be able to find something for themselves, until everything goes awry. It takes courage on both their parts to fix what's broken and make it into something newer, stronger, and worth keeping.

The other aspect of the story I really enjoyed is the friendship between Zoe and her two best friends and fellow lottery winners, Kit and Greer. Zoe realizes that she's been holding back from them, not giving them the same commitment to their friendship that they've given her. Her time with Aiden helps her see that she can open up to them and reveal her insecurities and that they will accept her as she is.

Luck of the Draw has lighthearted moments to balance the emotional ones, though readers shouldn't be surprised to find themselves shedding a few tears too. The author draws you into a complex world navigating grief, friendship and love in a page turning and thoroughly enjoyable read. I highly recommend both Beginner's Luck (Kit's story) and Luck of the Draw and I'm looking forward to reading Greer's story next!

This review has been posted at Harlequin Junkie and feedback updated with the link. An abbreviated version has been posted at sale sites. A blog link has been posted at Goodreads.

The Good, The Bad, and Everything In Between
I can’t break it down. I just can’t.

I sat here, trying to figure out how to delineate between the good and the bad and I felt so many mixed emotions, much like Zoe and Aiden.

I mean, I absolutely ended up loving them. I say “ended up” because at first, I wasn’t sure if this was going to be my cuppa. I’m a fluffy bunny, and angst isn’t my jam. But I thought, fake engagement, it’s one of my favorite tropes so it can’t be all that angsty, right? *nervous laugh*

Dude I said I was cute, not bright. *blinks* anyway, the setup to the fake engagement takes a leap of faith (the first of many), but in the end this is a story about guilt, the guilt of past mistakes, of disappointing loves ones, chances missed. It’s not easy to dive into, but it’s so strong once it takes hold of a reader.

It really was a rollercoaster. You feel every jarringly awkward moment while climbing up to that peak when their relationship turns from fake to real, but when the story gets that momentum going, you feel the rush of falling in love. You feel that smile break free on your face as the ice begins to thaw and finally, you experience burst of adrenaline when Aiden truly lays himself bare. For those who love a good grovel, it was the grovel that you hope for, the grovel that shows other grovels how it SHOULD be done. It was epic. When Zoe has her moment to give it right back, I couldn’t stop smiling. That climax is cathartic and made all the early angst so, so worth the journey.


The Bottom Line
Another strong, emotional read from Ms. Clayborn that is decidedly different from the first book in the series, I ended up loving Aiden and Zoe. yes, it starts slow and the guilt can be intense at times, but the journey? Lord, this journey is worth that pain.

Ms. Clayborn made me tear up, made me think, made me care, and that’s all I can ask of an author telling me their tale.

If you’re in the mood for a story that deals with these issues while still giving you a satisfying romance, i would definitely recommend this.

**ARC provided by publisher via netgalley for review**

A Chance of a Lifetime #2, It was on a whim that Zoe, Kit, and Greer bought a lottery ticket and even more surprising that they actually won. Kit bought her dream house and was renovating it, Greer went back to school, and Zoe quit her as a corporate lawyer and was going to travel but she kept procrastinating when it came to planning the trip. One lonely night Zoe realized just how much guilt she carries around, guilt about so much from her past so she decides she's going to do something about it. In a jar on little slips of paper she wrote the names of people, people she thinks she has wronged in some way and she is somehow going to right the wrongs. First up the O'Leary family. The O'Leary's lost their son to a medication that was supposed to help him get rid of his opioid addiction instead it killed him. Zoe was one of the corporate lawyers who worked on behalf of the pharmaceutical company. Zoe feels guilty because they didn't get the justice they deserved, just a settlement check.

Aidan O'Leary feels a certain amount of guilt too. He feels guilty he wasn't there for his brother, that he didn't life closer and couldn't take care of him better. But he wants to do something in memory of his brother, he wants to buy the childhood summer camp they use to attend and turn it into a rehab place for addicts. The only catch is that the current owners are only willing to sell it to a family. Aidan first wants nothing to do with Zoe but than he realizes she could be useful and proposes, proposes a fake marriage. Zoe agrees but to something a little bit more believable a fake engagement. For six weekends they are to pretend to be engaged while the owners hear the plans each couple has in store for the camp. After the first disastrous weekend Aidan realizes he's making this harder than it needs to be, he's partially aggravated because he realized Zoe was trying so hard and he wasn't cutting her any slack and also because as much as he doesn't want to like her he does.

The relationship between them is slow burning they agreed that they needed to get to know eachother better in order for the plan to work, they never meant to fall in love. In this fake relationship they both learn alot about each other and themselves they come to a few realizations about themselves. Overall, this was a nice read. The characters are flawed and you really get to see them grow and learn. It is a bit of an emotional read especially at the big reveal moment. Aidan and Zoe are good for each other they really do help each other relieve the guilt they are feeling and come to certain realizations about doing what you want to do and not living for someone else. I'm picky about my first person POV, but Clayborn does an excellent job with it I got completely absorbed in the story. It's not necessary to read the first book of the series but with how close Kit, Greer, and Zoe are it's nice to have the back story, well Kit's at this point. I was hoping this was Greer's book but we only have until November for her book, so I'm excited.

I received an arc from Netgalley. Great read and a beautiful love story. Aiden is the strong, silent, and shy type. Zoe is a smart, clever, and determined woman meaning to right her wrongs.

Aidens brother Aaron dies tragically and Zoe is a lawyer negotiating the settlement with the family. Hostility comes first when Aiden first meets Zoe but that soon changes after Zoe gives in to Aidens deal.

Sparks fly in this book. Great read!

I finished this aeons ago but like, every time I tried to say something about this book, I just couldn't find the words. But like, I thought Beginner's Luck was great (haven't reviewed that one for the same reason; Lisa pls)??? but Kate completely outdid herself with this one. Luck of the Draw is by far the best book I've read this year, and I wish I could eloquently express my feelings about it, but since I couldn't, I'll just leave her with this: I LOVE IT. I love both Zoe and Aiden as individual characters and together as a couple. I felt so much for them. I love how grief and guilt were incorporated and dealt with in the story. Was totally invested in Zoe and Aiden's fake relationship thing, and again when the lines were crossed and fake turned real. The epilogue was magical and wrapped up the story so neatly.

I have nothing else to say, Your Honor.

A cute story about two people who meet in the most unlikely way. Zoe was the attorney who helped a pharmaceutical company settle a case with Aiden's family for the death of his brother. Zoe has since quit her job realizing it wasn't what she wanted to do and set out to make amends with the families she felt she wronged while working for that company. Aiden's family is her first stop.

Aiden desperately wants to do something with the money his family received from his brother's death, something that will make a difference in the world. He comes up with a brilliant plan but needs a "family" to do it. So when the woman who he believes wronged his family shows up on his door and offers to do anything, he suggests she play his fake fiance so that his plan can move forward.

The unlikely romance that develops between Aiden and Zoe was almost funny to read/watch. Aiden still had a lot of anger and guilt related to his brother's death and blamed Zoe for some of it even though all she did was represent the company that made the drug that caused his death in court. Zoe though tried and tried to do as Aiden asked in an effort to work through her own guilt.

This book ended up being more than I expected. Initially I wasn't sure if I was going to like either Zoe or Aiden. Both were strong, intelligent characters with emotional hurdles to overcome that kept them frozen at a particular point in their lives. They both were finding themselves unable to move on, so it was good that they found in each other the perfect person to push them past that point. On the surface, they didn't seem at all suited for each other. Aiden was carrying a big grudge against Zoe for her part in negotiating the wrongful death settlement that his family was paid, while Zoe was drowning in guilt over her past choices and actions. However, when they finally started to open up to each other and see past their surface hurts, it was beautiful to watch them connect to each other as individuals. I also loved how Zoe was "all in". Once she committed herself to helping Aiden, she was absolutely determined to do the best job she could, no matter what it would cost. I did find that the story slowed down a bit in the middle, but it ended strong, with one of the most moving declarations of love that I've read from a hero in awhile.

Reviewed by Kini

Favorite Quote: “You’re the hero of this story,” he says, fierce and plain, the clearest he’s spoken since he sat down. “You were my rescue boat, Zo.” “Your— what?” “My rescue boat. I was on this island, all by myself, and you came to rescue me.” “Aiden, I’m not sure—” “The island is where I’ve been since he died. Or maybe it’s where I always was, but I used to have him there with me. He died and he took half of me with him, I guess, and damn if I didn’t know what to do. Damn if I didn’t feel like I’d die on that island too.”

I really enjoyed the first book in this series and I ABSOLUTELY adored Ben that hero. I am friendly with the author of these books, she is wonderful. I am in awe of her writing skills. This book is going at the top of my favorites list for 2018. The characters in this book are are so very broken. They are mismatched, yet perfect for each other. This book took an emotional toll on me and covers some very heavy topics- guilt, grief, and anger are just a few, but I absolutely loved every single moment of it. Clayborn gave me a story of two imperfect and deserving characters who get together for the wrong reasons and quickly fall in love for all the best reasons.

Zoe, our heroine, is a an attorney who worked on settlements. She won the lottery with her two best friends and has been drifting since then. She was unhappy at her job and left promptly upon winning the lottery. She has been plans but can’t move forward on any. She’s stuck. She sees an article on a Pinterest type site about making a gratitude jar, but instead makes one filled with all the things she feels guilty about. All her wrongs if you will. She feels like she deserves to continue to carry this guilt because she’s sad and overwhelmed and just doesn’t know what else to do.

Aiden is a paramedic who has recently moved back to Virginia. He is grieving the loss of his brother who was an addict and died of an overdose. Aiden is shy and it comes out as gruff. But at his core he is a caretaker. Aiden wants to turn a camp in to a wellness recovery center as tribute to his brother.

Zoe and Aiden meet when she shows up at his house looking for his parents. They are in her guilt jar. The parents don’t live there, but Aiden is. He recognizes her as the attorney on the settlement from his brother’s death and he is angry. But Zoe faints. Aiden slips in to caretaking/paramedic role and so their story begins. He asks her to pretend to be his fiance for the bidding process on the camp he wants. Activate Fake Relationship trope!

This book worked for me on every level. I love emotional broken characters who work through their shit. But also this book was heavy and hard for me to read at times. There is a lot of grief related sadness in the book. So if grief is a trigger for you, this may not be the book for you. Grief and loss is hard for me to read, because it causes me to reflect on my own issues of grieving. So there were spots that I had to take breaks while reading, but it didn’t impact my enjoyment of the book.

Zoe and Aiden are amazing characters on their own, but together they helped each other in so many ways. Both needed to learn that having a strong support network behind you helps you and is not a hindrance on your person.

The writing is superb in this book. I have so many passages and quotes highlighted. It is told in alternating, first person POV and I loved every moment of it. Everything felt luscious and real. The conflict is internal and external and it felt visceral to me. Everything about this book felt visceral to me.

Here are some more favorite quotes to help convince you to READ THIS BOOK.

Aiden about Zoe.
Here’s the problem: I don’t feel the right things around Zoe. She’s supposed to be an enemy I’m keeping close, a tool I need to get something I want. But I don’t feel what she’s supposed to be to me; I haven’t since that first day.

He lifts his head, pushes himself up so he can kiss me again. “It’s like that with you,” he says. “Half the time I don’t know if I want to yell at you or fuck you.”

Zoe about Aiden

He pushes me too, and it feels good, that pushing, or at least it feels right. Necessary. But I don’t know how to explain it to them. I don’t know how to explain that fighting with him makes me feel as if I’m finally getting somewhere.

But all I see is Aiden, far below me, his arms still crossed over his chest. I feel something, when I look at him, some... I don’t know what. An exchange, I guess, something physical in his body that seems to charge my own. I can’t see his eyes, of course I can’t. But somehow I can. Somehow I can see him looking at me, challenging me, pushing me. It’s funny, how I once wanted to shrink under that stare. Funny how the first time he looked at me, really looked at me, I literally fell at his feet— sick, shamed, overwhelmed. But right now he’s looking at me and all I want to do is get bigger, get out of my cramped huddle against this pole and stand, rise to my full height, stretch out my arms, and reach that damned ball.

It’s so abrupt, so commanding, and I smile a little, a few tears that I’d held in springing out of the corners of my eyes. It’s that knife-edge feeling I get with Aiden, all the time, mixed-up emotions he brings right to the surface in me. Anger and lust. Frustration and sympathy. Fear and freedom. Lonely… and still, somehow, in love.

I loved everything about this story. The hurt, the sadness, the loss, the love, the intensity of the sex. There is a scene where they are camping and he pushes the beds together and the love making lasts for pages and pages and it was so beautiful and emotional. I highly recommend this book. Kate is a relatively new author, but after only two books she is an auto-buy author for me.

Grade: A+