The Hookup started very emotional & heartbreaking for me. I was trying to understand what made Cain the man he is today. He was throwing away his life and hurting those around him. I was nervous that I would not get past the darkness that lived with him. Then you find out a bit about the betrayal that was put out there. Sophie comes into the picture and slowly brings a little bit of sunshine in Cain's life. Her attitude and quirkiness were everything!!! There is so much more that we will get with the next book. I truly enjoyed reading The Hookup! I was emotionally all over the place and at the end, I was finally able to take a breather. I was not sure if I would get the ending that I hoped for. This book will dig into your heart and stay there.

I received a copy of THE HOOK UP on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the publisher and author.

Five stars and here's why:

I love a opposites attract story and THE HOOK UP delivers. Cain drowns his troubles in alcohol after a serious family betrayal. Sophie has social anxiety issues and just wants a hook up to get it over with and on with her mathematical life. They meet at a bar and sparks fly. *fans herself* The author does a great job of sucking you right into the story and soon you’re glued to the pages. Some readers may have an issue with alcoholism, but Ms. McCarthy handles it very well in the story so it worked well for the characters. I am eager to read more of this author’s work.

If you love great writing and a love story with all the feels then this book is for you. Highly recommend.

I loved this book so much because the characters thoughts and feelings read true to the story. Cain's pain and misery was so heartbreaking to read. He is such a self-destructive character that sees alcohol and sex as a solution to all of his personal problems. Sophie is an adorable brainiac that does not know her own worth. Shee is a great counterbalance to Cain's suffering with her quirky, non judgemental personality.

On a lighter note, I loved reading any scene where Cain and Sophie were alone together because the conversations between them were, at times, cute and funny to read.

I was really interested in The Hook Up. Granted, when it first started, I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy it but, as the story went on, I couldn't stop reading it. I wasn't sure where it was going to go, how things would work out between Cain and Sophie or if it was possible that I was reading a story that wouldn't have a happy ending but was sure hoping that I would.

Cain was an interesting character. A drunk with a deep-seeded hatred of his twin brother. Betrayed and living his life on his own, he goes from work to the bar to bed … either alone or with whatever warm body he could find. Then he sees her … but she blows him off and introduces him to her sister. Well, he'll go with it. Until she opens her mouth and he's hook, line and sinker, all in.

Sophie was a hoot. I actually laughed with some of the things that came out of her mouth. She is OCD and extremely blunt. The woman does not know how to filter, she is brutally honest and says exactly what is on her mind. From being up front about being a virgin, to practicing blow jobs with a banana, she just put it out there. But, there was something about the way Cain accepted her for who she was instead of criticizing her and treating her like some teenager, like her family does. She's falling in love but knows that it can never work when Cain loves his whiskey, loves drowning his sorrows more than living his life to the fullest.

Yes, this story was full of drama. From Cain's personal drama, to Bella's drama, there was a lot. But, there were the fun and sexy times as well. Lot's of sexy times that were both hot and hilarious. I loved that Sophie accepted Cain for who he was as well … that she didn't try to change him, listened to him but didn't try to convince him to do something he wasn't ready for. They were sweet together, even when he was 10 sheets to the wind. They were something that you don't see much in stories any more … open and honest. The ending … wow. Yea, I got my HEA and I couldn't have been happier with the way Erin McCarthy wrote it. So … crisp, fun characters, an unusual story line and an ending that I loved. But Cain, when you take Sophie to her first baseball game in Boston please make it a Red Sox/Yankee game … her first one should be the biggest rivalry in all of baseball!

Received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

I can't believe how much I enjoyed reading Cain and Sophie's story. Sophie is a math whiz who's always struggled with social cues, much preferring the reliance of numbers to deciding what outfit to wear. Cain is in a low place, self-medicating with alcohol after the blow that was his twin sleeping with his girlfriend, leading to a child who's parentage can never be proven.

The two of them shouldn't work. They're about as different as can be, but somehow their one night stand turns into a relationship. Sophie doesn't judge Cain's drinking and he finds her quirks and idiosyncrasies adorable. Before you know it, they're both in a little too deep for a vacation hook up.

My favorite part of this read was watching as Cain and Sophie slowly realized that this was more than a fling. Cain was fighting his drinking so that he could spend time with her and for once, Sophie felt like she could be herself without someone ridiculing the way she spoke and thought and acted.

I'm so completely smitten with these two...and the ending was just absolutely perfect. The tears in my eyes went from sad to happy. Well done Erin. Can't wait for Christian's book!!!

This book is Rated R for adult language and sexual situations.

The Hookup by Erin McCarthy is a book that challenges the reader in many ways. It is a rom-com that had me laughing out loud. Sophie is a socially backwards genius who has never fit into mainstream relationships. She is very literal in her thinking and is brutally honest. She is truthful and blunt because she has never mastered ths art of flirting or dissembling. She has always been compared to her older sister who is more the debutante, leaving Sophie insecure in her own skin.

Sophie has one goal in mind during the time leading up to her sister's wedding---losing her V-card and experience the pleasures associated with sex. She meets Cain at a bar and decides he is the one to help her out. Cain has a lot of demons in his personal life, but takes Sophie up on her challenge. Their conversations are hilarious and Cain is intrigued with her.

But this book is so much more than a rom-com. Cain is not handling a deep betrayal by family members and turns to a crutch used by many individuals to hide pain: alcohol. This book addresses this substance abuse in a very realistic way. How these two people handle their individual challenges is poignant and masterful. Erin McCarthy has written a book that is thought-provoking. She makes you laugh, cry, reflect on choices and above all, hope in an HEA ending. Her characters have a depth not generally found in a romance novel and you love them because they are flawed and fighting to be better people. Thank you, Erin McCarthy for writing a book that is sympathetic and compassionate, without glossing over the widespread damaging effects of alcoholism!

Sophie and Cain. What a pair. He’s an alcoholic trying to numb the pain of betrayal and she’s a genius trying to get rid of her vCard. Not knowing that they are both in for a bumpy ride, they say yes to a one-night-stand. But it doesn’t end.
I have read books by this author and have to say I really like her style of writing.

I received this eBook from the publisher and NetGalley for an honest review.

Great story, I love Sophie, she just really doesn't care, and Cain likesher just as she is. The pacing was good, there was no time where I couldn't wait for it to be over, or was bored.This author knows how to keep a reader interested.

I really enjoyed this book. Sophie was so smart and funny. I loved her directness. And Cain was the perfect bad boy - sexy and sensitive.

3'5 *

I have a love/hate relationship with this book or should I say with Cain . This guy would do all the right things and then with one sweep knocked them all down. As for Sophie – I loved her straight forward mind, her smart mouth and her ability to see something more in Cain . Even though you would think that they couldn’t be more wrong for each other they somehow made it work.

This story had an interesting development and it was a fun read. I just wish Cain hadn't made few stupid moves that I just could not get passed by.

But I’m excited about the next book – it would seem we'll be in for a bumpy ride :)
***Review copy requested and reviewed on behalf of oMGReads Blog***

Good story though it felt a bit long with a few unnecessary scenes. Sophie is super smart and wants to lose her virginity and Cain is the perfect man for the job. Cain wants nothing more than a like fun with Sophie. Shes super smart and super sexy, his unhealthy addiction to hating his twin brother and the bottle has his spiraling out of control and threatens to pull Sophie down with him.

Sophie is absolutely adorable and I found fascinating with all her quirks and no-filter ways. She is a graduate student at Harvard working towards her PhD in math and she is in small town Maine with her sister who is getting married but her goal while there is to lose her virginity. Should be easy since no one knows her and a hookup can be a one and done. Bella dresses her up (not knowing Sophie's plan) and off they go to the bar and upon walking in Sophie sees Cain sitting at the bar. He doesn't notice her but does Bella and talks her up but Bella introduces him to Sophie. This starts it all. Cain is soon captivated by Sophie when Bella is moved out of the way and he was hooked. Cain has been drowning his problems in alcohol and he is an alcoholic. He is a functioning one as he still maintains his job on the lobster boat every day but still holds down the bar stool every night. These two accept each other for who they are, flaw and quirks and all, and they get each other. What starts as a hookup to lose her virginity turns into so much more until there is no denying what is going on until it all goes off the rails.

This book was just "eh" for a long time for me until it finally redeemed itself at the end and now I am looking forward to the next book to find out what happens with Christian and Bella.

**Received this ARC for review from the publisher via NetGalley**

Thought provoking romance

Erin McCarthy's new series The Jordan Brothers has started out with a very well crafted sexy story. Neither Sophie nor Cain are your typical heroine or hero which made the story unique and compelling. I felt both characters had been well developed and were very authentic. I'm very much looking forward to the next book in this series.
I received an advance reader copy from Netgalley.

Ever read a book that you just expect to end really badly? Well, reading The Hookup had me braced for the train jumping the tracks for most of it. I didn't find the drama in the book angsty as much as tragic. I just could see how easily a relationship between Cain and Sophie would end up really badly.

Cain is a drunk. This is not a spoiler as you know within a few sentences of meeting him that he has a huge problem with alcoholism. He knows he's an alcoholic and doesn't know any way besides drinking (and frequent one night stands) to make his life tolerable.

Sophie is a sweet young woman who enjoys math a lot more than partying. She is quirky and has issues with social interactions. What she wants is an easy and low drama sexual encounter, what she gets is an alcoholic who she has a large amount of chemistry with.

I found this book entertaining and believable. I liked that Cain's alcoholism wasn't whitewashed and that Sophie never tried to save him with her "love." (God bless naive young women trying to save anyone with the power of their love, because they'll just end up bitter old women in the end.) I also liked that Cain never drove drunk.

I look forward to the next book in the series as I did enjoy the secondary characters.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys contemporary romance with drama.

I received an ARC in exchange of my honest review.

I went into this one as always blind beyond knowing that the author is an auto-buy for me. I absolutely loved this one. The characters were well written, complex, broken and hurting in so many ways. Sophie is a genius obsessed with numbers and her way to a Ph.D. in math, she's, however, struggling with OCD and social anxiety issues. I both loved and hated her sister Bella because she was a good sister and a terrible sister at the same time, she pushed Sophie to embrace life instead of hiding with her books and totally had her back but at times she aided in Sophie's awkwardness by putting her on the spot. As we were reading I wanted to know more about Bella, and why Christian was such a terrible brother. I was hooked and I laughed, teared up and rooted for them throughout the whole book.



Sophie is on vacation in Maine for her sister's wedding and while there she's hoping to get a few things checked off the bucket list, she's hoping that her anxiety won't knock her out before she accomplishes her goal. Cain is a local who has been hurt and betrayed in the worst way possible and he's drinking his way into an early grave. He's not looking for more than a hook-up when he comes across Sophie.



I identified with Sophie more than I did Cain although I understand why he is the way he is. I totally get Sophie's sense of awkwardness and social anxiety. She's smart yet being smart and out of sync with the crowd is something I can totally understand. I also admire her because despite being awkward she's going out of her comfort zone to get what she wants. With friends, I'm great with strangers?? Lost cause. With that in mind, I loved them hanging out in Cain's home and around town together because this was way more relaxing for them both.



There are some really great moments in the story including their meet-cute because Sophie is way too literal, she totally reminds me of Brennan from Bones and I lol'd during their conversation because too cute. I loved Sophie's inner monologue as she decides she likes the look of him. My least favorite moment also happened in a bar, I totally knew the feelings Sophie was having as the scene went down and kept wanting to scream that it wasn't fear and yet I felt her heartbreaking as well. Oh my gosh, it was so painful to read. This book ran the gambit of emotions for me, I loved it, I laughed, I was totally turned on by their moments, and I understood their pain. I was so invested in their story. I was afraid of what the ending could be because I wasn't sure about Cain, but for me, Bella's actions weren't a surprise I mean really.



In this, even the secondary characters were pretty well done since they didn't have a POV in the story we didn't get their motivations for their actions it made the story more real because in reality we never really know why people do the things they do. I did love the POV of Cain andSophiee though, especially Sophie because she was just as honest with herself as she was with Cain. She was pretty raw and real, she was so confident in so many things and like many of us doubting in outers. This story was sadly way too believeable in some aspects especially int he sense of betrayal because way too many people don't respect boundaries.



I highly recommend it for loves of romance, and finding our place stories.



★★★★★

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Happy Reading my loves,

3.5 Opposites Attracting Stars
* * * 1/2 Spoiler Free
Erin McCarthy made an impression on me years ago when I first found her. In this book, she has hit an interesting chord...two opposites and their needing each other.

A woman who worked so hard in school.. landed in Harvard and had no time to "Experience any Sexy Times." Our guy is a twin and his brother betrayed him in the worst way... and now there is a child who doesn't get to see his Real dad. This causes our guy to work, drink till loaded and repeat day after day.

Both meet at of our gal's sister the wedding. She has decided she is going to get rid of her VCard and the guy who is male with a capitol M is the perfect candidate. The hook-up will be a one shot deal...
Done and Done.

Only both of these two would like more...

Erin McCarthy delivered.

A gifted copy was provided by Random House Publishing Group - Loveswept via NetGalley for an honest review.

Definitely a 5 Star Read!

Sophie is 25-year old nerd who wants to lose her virginity while away for her sister's wedding. So when they go to a bar and she finds the handsome (and drunk) Cain at the bar, she propositions him ... and can't believe that he actually accepts. Cain has spent the last 2 years on a bar stool or working as a fisherman ... but mostly on the bar stool. He wants to forget he has a twin brother and what he did to him. Cain has lived his whole life in this tourist town and is no stranger to hooking up with tourists, but there's something different about Sophie and this intrigues him.

I loved this story! Sophie was so funny because she was so literal ... there were times I was laughing so hard I had to put the book down. For a rich girl, she was just so down to earth ... of course except for her quirks. And then Cain ... even though he was drunk all of the time, I loved how he just got Sophie when nobody else did. I loved how he could see past all her quirks to the beauty that lied beneath and, to me, that just made him hotter. I highly recommend you take Sophie and Cain's journey ... you won't regret it! I can't wait for the next book about Christian and Bella.

I received an ARC courtesy of Random House - Loveswept through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

DNF at 34%.

I tried with this one. I was genuinely curious to see if we'd ever find out whose kid Cain's ex was (I liked the added intrigue of having the possible fathers be identical twins). However, I didn't like the writing nor the characters and couldn't get past the 1/3 mark. Another issue is that it never told you whose POV you were in and it would switch back and forth sometimes in the same chapter and so it wasn't always immediately clear whose POV you were currently reading.

This was a cute, romantic read. Sophie is adorable; she obviously has some OCD quirks and I wouldn't be surprised if she was also diagnosed with Aspergers (although it's never mentioned in the book she definitely would fit some of the criteria). She's real; her uncertainty, her doubts about herself, her low self esteem...it's all real.

Cain...wow he is something. He comes off as a jerk, but as you get to know him through the story you begin to understand why. My heart broke for him after learning about what had happened with Christian and Camp and how it happened.

The ending felt unfinished for me. I get that the author wants you to continue with the series to find out what happened, but if this is read as a stand alone it's frustrating to not have the answers about what happened to Sophie's sister. Why not at least give us a small picture of what happened and let that be the lead in for the next book? Instead the topic is avoided all together and you're left wondering.

This is an author that I had never heard of before. I was scrolling Netgalley and the blurb attracted me to want to read it. This 5 star story really took me by surprise. I was by far impressed with this author’s ability to keep me attentive and focus on her story.

Sophie is visiting Maine for her sisters wedding. She’s a math wiz, a nerd. She never expected to find and fall in love with a guy like Cain. Cain is your typical bad boy. He has a lot of unresolved issues that holds him back. He can’t move on.

What I look for in a story are the characters. Sophie really stood out and made a lasting impression on me. Cain is the disturbed soul that needs a Sophie in his life. An amazingly written that had me reading it in a single day. I just couldn’t put it down for very long. I enjoyed the storyline with a plot that was pleasantly funny at times but also heartbreaking. There were never any dull moments.

Standalone for now because Christian and Bella’s story is next. I can’t wait.