I had a lot of trouble finishing this book. Sophie, the heroine is a quirky brainiac with minimal social interaction skills. She's an interesting character. Cain, the hero, is an angry alcoholic. Granted the author does a good job helping us understand why he is like he is, but he is not a likable character and doesn't seem to even grow into someone more likable. I found it difficult to see how someone as intelligent as Sophie would stay hooked up with someone as unpredictable as Cain. He is not someone I would want to call a friend. The reason for Cain and Sophie hooking up made sense, but there didn't seem to be enough of an emotional connection between them to sustain the story. Maybe both were just too flawed for that.

Cain and Sophie are such a cute couple. Sophie is a relatable heroine: smart and quirky, with a sly sense of humor. Looking forward to the next book in the series.

Loved it! Really enjoyed both characters and flow of the story was perfect.

<em>The Hookup</em> is the first book in Erin McCarthy's new <a href="http://bookbinge.com/reviews/series/jordan-brothers/">Jordan Brothers series</a> and it follows the first Jordan Brother, Cain.

Cain spends his days on the water at work as a lobster fisherman and his nights in the bars, getting himself super drunk so that he can forget his brother's betrayal. He's an alcoholic for sure but he doesn't care because drinking makes him forget that the little boy he thought might be his son is actually his nephew because his twin brother slept with his girlfriend. It's a betrayal that he hasn't gotten over and I couldn't say I didn't understand what drove him to forget. How could you not? So when Cain is in the bar, getting his drink on, he meets Sophie and man does she help him forget.

Sophie is in town for her sister's wedding and she's on a mission to get rid of her virginity because it's become a thing and she wants to get rid of it. She wasn't waiting for Mr. Right. She just got caught up in school and learning that she never took the time to let loose and lose it. So the time is now and when the guy in the bar that her body zeroes in on accepts her invitation, she thinks she'll just bang it out and they'll go their separate ways but what started as a one night stand ends up being a vacation fling and then they do the inevitable and fall in love thing.

Seeing the romance between Sophie and Cain go from hookup buddies to okay, just one more time to many more times after that and not being able to walk away from each other was fun. I enjoyed seeing them together and I really liked that Sophie could be her nerdy, logic before anything else self with Cain and it was okay. Cain liked her just the way that she was and that was great. On the other hand, Sophie didn't pry too much into Cain's life even when he spent most of the time that they were together, drunk. So that was a bone of contention that is dealt with and I thought McCarthy did a great job of writing that part of the story into the conflict.

The whole thing with Cain's twin brother wasn't really dealt with in this book so I'm hoping that we get more from that in Christian's book because I'm mighty curious about how Christian ended up betraying his twin brother. Cain is so pissed off at Christian and we see it, I need to find out what that whole deal is before I can even contemplate forgiving Christian so I'm all aboard for reading the next one.

This was a really quick read that I read in one sitting and it was a lot of fun. Sure, the hero is an alcoholic and does a lot of sloppy things over the course of the story but things work themselves out and he does right by Sophie in the end which made me happy. I was left with a whole lot of questions that I'm sure we'll get answers to in the next book so I'm hooked.

<strong>Grade: 4 out of 5</strong>

Fun and very entertaining. Interesting concept and fantastic dialogue.
I recommend this book.

Sophie Bigelow is my new favorite heroine. She’s beyond nerdy straight into the genius stratosphere, complete with social ineptitude, careful analysis and blatant honesty. It provides for quite the interesting premise when she decides that at twenty-five years of age with only one gay boyfriend on her resume, it’s time to lose her virginity. Of course, this is a carefully thought out, scientific decision. After her sister, Bella, glams Sophie up (not being privy to that critical piece of the plan) they head to a bar in a coastal Maine town where Bella’s wedding is scheduled to take place in a couple of weeks. Sophie sees Cain sitting at the bar and targets him to fulfil her objective, but at first glance, it's the beautiful, fashionable Bella who catches Cain’s eye. After a short time of observing Sophie's peculiarities and social awkwardness, he sees something unique and refreshing, and he's intrigued.

Erin McCarthy has been a favorite author since I read the first book in her Fast Track series, so I jumped at the chance to read an early copy of this book, and she definitely delivered with this one. Cain was such a tortured hero who had made a big hot mess of his life, but there was something about him I couldn’t help but love. Maybe it was viewing him through Sophie’s eyes, but I could see there was a goodness in him, buried deep under the anger, resentment and alcohol. It was brutally apparent his road to redemption would be painful, but Sophie's logical, literal, guileless way of looking at life was just what he needed. Although Sophie had utmost confidence in her intelligence, she never felt like she fit in or belonged, so Cain's accepting her just as she was, OCD tendencies, quirks and all, was exactly what she needed.

With the humor and heat I’ve come to expect from McCarthy, this book also had a vast amount of emotion to tug the heartstrings. For as different from each other as Sophie and Cain seemed, they had messed up family dynamics in common, and there was just something so sweet and endearing about the two of them and their relationship. And although this was a fairly typical plot and storyline, Sophie's character and personality mad it feel fresh and unique with her delightful reasoning and enchanting honesty. This one is definitely a 1-Clicker, and I can’t wit to read the next book, The Breakup!

*I reviewed this book freely and voluntarily, having made no commitment to provide a review and receiving no compensation of any kind from any source for this review.

Sophie Bigelow is a math genius but she is socially awkward. One thing she’d really like to change about her life is the fact that she’s a virgin. In Maine for her sister Bella's upcoming nuptials is the perfect time. Bella gives her a makeover and Sophie is ready. At a bar, she spots the one. He is hot. A true manly man.

Cain Jordan is at home – in a bar. He is a man driven by anger, and one who drowns himself in alcohol. Meeting Sophie Jordan is about to change his life. At first, it is her gorgeous sister that fuels his interest. Bella proudly tells him that she is engaged and quickly points out Sophie to him. At first glance she is not his type. That quickly changes. For one, he finds her refreshingly honest. And sexy as all get out.

Of course, they hit it off. Sophie is quite loveable. Cain's anger and frustrations are painfully explained. The amazing sex that they share becomes more than either expected. However, although things evolve at an alarming rate, it is painfully evident that there can be no future. She's a college student at Harvard and he's a lobster fisherman there in Maine. Then there is the fact about Cain's alcoholism.

The Hookup is hot and sexy with a warm ending for Cain and Sophie. Erin McCarthy does leave readers wanting more. What happens to Cain's twin Christian and Bella? Perhaps we'll find out in the next in this series, The Breakup.

Many thanks to Loveswept and Netgalley for this ARC for review.

In the Hookup we have two sisters: one a social genius and the other a social failure. Sophie is a smart intelligent brunette who lacks the social skills to flirt with men hence why she is single. Bella is beautiful and easily attracts men yet she’s engaged, planning her wedding. Bella tries to give Sophie pointers on how to flirt with men but her brain gets in the way making her conversations awkward.

Most hookups have a set of rules to abide by, but Sophie follows by her own rules. She’s brutally honest, straightforward, and in a class of her own. Sophie’s character felt like a freak most of the time due to her smart logical brain that spewed intellectual terminology from her mouth. Sophie’s character expressed herself well telling Cain exactly what she wanted. I like strong female characters who don’t shy away from what they want.

When I saw the title of this book I thought not another hookup story. But then I remembered who wrote this book and I removed any prejudgements and doubts immediately. Erin is a seasoned writer. Sure took a cliche topic such as hooking up with a stranger for sex and did several things differently. First, she made me fall in love instantly with these characters. Second, she added layers to the story so it was more than hooking up for sex. Lastly, she created Sophie’s character who is smart, honest, and blunt. Even with her inexperience’s with guys she made up for in her wits. The dialogue is boisterous and witty.

I’m liking it much more than I thought I would. This story grabbed me from the beginning even with its cliche storyline. Erin surprised me at every corner with Sophie’s character. This was a fun and sexy book. I laughed so many times at the literal comments coming out of Sophie’s mouth. I usually struggle with instant love stories, but these characters work well together. The banter between them flows smoothly. Erin is a writing genius.

Cain is the bad boy type with a drinking problem. He buries his pain in alcohol. He’s the hookup guy. He had some obstacles to overcome, yet I still enjoyed the way he made sure to take care of Sophie’s needs. I like when authors create obstacles and problems. I look forward to the way they resolve these issues.

The Hookup is the first book in the Jordan brother series. This is a standalone book about Cain Jordan. This story had alternating points of view. Although, the chapters didn’t identify the change, yet it was delivered smoothly.

First time reading from this author so I didn't know what to expect! Sophie's sister is getting married and she feels this is a perfect chance to try and see what the whole sex thing is about. Cain is brooding to say the least and is not good company. They meet and Sophie thinks Cain will be a perfect candidate to loose her virginity to. As they spend time together the dynamic starts to change. The chemistry between these two is warming! Sophie and Cain are a great match! I really enjoyed the story and watching these too fall. I will deff read more in the series

This story was sooo good. I couldn’t stop reading, can’t wait to see what’s next with Belle.

The Hookup kept me guessing to the very end. If you’ve read the author's backlist, you know McCarthy excels at writing family drama. Man oh man does she deliver with The Hookup. She had my heart in a stranglehold from beginning to end. This is not a simple hookup by any stretch of the imagination. Ten percent OMG, Forty percent sexy to the max, and fifty percent soul-crushing love. One hundred percent perfection.

Cain and Sophie are quite the match. Both are struggling to accept life on other people’s terms. Both are resilient and strong.

Their story will take you to the highest highs and the lowest lows, and still, it will leave you smiling.

This was definitely a great read. Cain and Sophie were complete opposites but they fit each other so well. Sophie is a genius who is completely socially awkward and Cain is an alcoholic trying to drink away his sorrows. You would think they wouldn’t be able to help each other but you would be completely wrong. Cain offers Sophie complete acceptance and Sophie gives Cain complete honesty and peace. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean it’s smooth sailing for our couple and Cain’s past is heading straight into his future. I actually loved Cain and Sophie but I would love to know Christian’s side of the story. Ali can go suck an egg.

I would love to know what happened to Sophie’s sister, Bella and Cain’s brother, Christian. I would like to know Charlie’s story, being a stripper in small town and all.

Great great book!! This is Sophie and Cain book and in the beginning Sophie drove me crazy! She was so literal like overboard and kinda crazy! But I'm so glad I kept reading!! Sophie, because she was so literal became hilarious!! The things that came out of her mouth!! So funny!! I really enjoyed this book!! I can't wait for the next in this series! It's a heartwarming, heartbreaking, really hot, sexy, sweet, nerdy, all around great read!! Cain was just in such a bad way and I understood why, but I felt bad for him because there really was nothing anybody could do?! But when these two get together it was magic!! Definitely don't miss out on this one!! Thank you random house and NetGalley and Erin McCarthy for sharing this book with me!! I really enjoyed and appreciate it!!

The Hookup (The Jordan Brothers, Book 1) by Erin McCarthy
4 Blunt and Awkward Stars
HIGHLY RECOMMEND - ONE CLICK WORTHY
Available May 08, 2018

The Local Alcoholic meets The Harvard Genius
Sophie and Cain are two polar opposites that work so well together, I really enjoyed reading their story. Erin McCarthy is a new-to-me author so I didn't know what to expect when starting this book, but I quickly became a huge fan of hers, and now I cannot wait for the next brothers' book!

This book was so funny, I LOVED the characters!(<- I'm probably going to say that a lot during this review because I really just LOVED them.) Sophie was like a female version of Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory. She was socially awkward and brutally honest, but SO FUNNY! Sophie has a few tics - as she likes to call them - she is borderline OCD and has an obsessive mind that fixates on things. She is studying at Harvard for her Ph.D. and is a total math genius, she can solve most equations in her head except for one. Men. Hence why she is 25 years old and still a virgin. Cain was a self-loathing alcoholic who has no intentions of changing and at times he was a total asshole. He wasn't quite as funny as Sophie, but his character did make me laugh a lot. Cain works as a lobster fisherman during the day and a full-time barstool resident at night. Cain was betrayed by his identical twin brother, Christian, who slept with Cains' girlfriend behind his back. Since finding out Christian may or may not be the father of the child Cain thought was his, Cain has made it his mission to drink himself into oblivion each night as a means to forget.
I was hooked from the beginning of this book. The Hookup had such an interesting storyline with great characters. A lot of humour was added which to me made it so much more enjoyable. I only wished we could have met more of Cains brothers during his story - we were told their names but not much else except for Christian.I am excited about Bella and Christians story. I did have some questions about side characters, but I'm sure they will all be answered in the next book. Which is already on my TBR shelf.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes fun, quirky characters and a sucker for rom-com romance with a little angst mixed in.

Its been years since I’ve read a McCarthy book. I was excited to read this and it was pretty good. Sophie is awesome. I love how she has no filter and just tells you like it is. Now Cain, oy he has a chip the size of Texas on his shoulders. He’s bitter and angry at his twin brother and drowns his emotions in alcohol. But underneath all of that, it’s touching how much he cares for Sophie. I wish there was an epilogue, but I know there’s another book coming about his twin brother so hopefully we’ll get to see more of these two.

Cain was betrayed by his twin brother and girlfriend at one point. Since that time he’s been drinking his life away the minute he gets off the lobster boat he works on. He doesn’t stop until he’s good and drunk. He’s on his way to tying one on when Sophie and her sister Bella walk into the bar. He is immediately attracted to Bella but the more he talks to Sophie the more he likes her and thinks she’s way prettier than Bella. They have a one-night stand and that was supposed to be it. But Sophie gets under Cain’s skin and soon he’s finding he can’t get through the day without her.

Sophie is a nerd, plain and simple. She’s working on her master’s degree at Harvard and wouldn’t have left school if it wasn’t for her sister Bella’s wedding. She’s off for a week and then she’s back to the numbers game. Sophie is determined to get rid of her virginity. When she sees Cain she knows he’s the one that she’ll sleep with. She never imagined that she’d like the guy and want to spend more time with him. They each figure they’ll spend the week together and then go their separate ways. Things don’t always work out the way we plan, however.

This was a cute book. I liked Sophie and her nerdishness so much. She cracked me up throughout the book. Cain took a bit of time for me to like as he was an alcoholic. I realized that he’d been betrayed but instead of fighting for the son that may or not be his, he chose to drink himself to death. I can’t really respect that, ya know? (I'm also aware that there is a way to tell if the boy is Cain's son, they just have to delve deeper into the DNA. It irritated me that it was never mentioned. but that's just me :)) However, he did grow on me and he did try to be a better man for Sophie during the week they were together and I had to admire him for trying.

The book gets a bit darker as the story moves on and it’s not so light-hearted which was a bit strange, but it was what it was. The alcoholism became a huge issues, obviously, and I was happy with what happened at the very end of the book, even though it felt rushed. There is an HEA in the book, so don’t worry about that, it just takes some time to get there.

Overall I liked the book and will read book 2 when it comes out, despite not really liking Christian (the twin) all that much. I have to admit that McCarthy got me curious about him so there’s that.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

This will post as a guest review on Book Binge.
bookbinge.com

I really enjoyed this book and kept reading it to see how the author would solve the central problem of the plot. Unfortunately, she just elided it away without much of a resolution. Authors often set up a romance plot with the problem being two people who don’t live in the same city. Add in that the two people have very little in common and presto! we have a plot!

The unlikely couple are Sophie, a borderline OCD math genius from a very wealthy family. She’s quite awkward socially and so engrossed in studying for her graduate degree in math at Harvard that she hasn’t had an opportunity to give up her V card. Now she’s in Maine for her sister’s wedding and she’s determined to hook up with some guy there and get the deed done.

She sees lobster fisherman Cain Jordan drinking away in a bar and decides that he’s so hot that he can be the one. Except Cain had deep personal problems and is a definite alcoholic. But he’s entertained by Sophie’s frankness and agrees to a help her out with her problem. They find that they really enjoy each other’s company and they start falling for each other.

Cain has descended into a deep and angry depression because his identical twin brother, Christian (seriously - can’t parents see that they’re setting up twins for a problem when one is named Cain and the other is named Christian?) slept with Cain’s girlfriend the same week he had. She got pregnant and now no one knows who the father is because identical twins have identical DNA. For some reason, Cain allowed Christian to assume the Daddy role while Cain just became a morose, anti-social drunk.

So there are the problems. How can Cain get over the insoluble problem of never knowing if his ex’s baby is his or his twin’s? How can two such unlikely people carry on a relationship? And how do a lobster fisherman in Maine and a math grad student in Boston maintain that relationship? What will happen when she graduates? What other type of job can Cain have?

I found the characters intriguing and wanted to find out the answers to those questions. But when I saw that there were only like 10 minutes left in my Kindle and none of them were resolved, I realized that the author was just going to raise a magic wand and all would be well. I found that really unsatisfying. If an author is going to set up a central problem in a romance novel and provide the HEA, the least she could do is make a stab at solving some of those problems. So, while I enjoyed the book, I ended up irritated at how the book ended. It seems that this will be part of a series about Cain’s siblings. I’ll probably read those books also and maybe find out later how Sophie and Cain figured things out. I’d like to read more with them so I guess that that is a sign of a good book.

I was given a free ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this story but I didn't need the language. Cain and Sophie really got each other and I liked how that worked them thru issues.

This is a love story that kept me on my toes. I loved the characters in this book they had such different personalities from the usual ones you read in books lately. The writing was done beautifully and the plot was unique. Sometimes we have a dark side that we need to overcome and it takes the right person to make us do it. We are all broken in different ways and as much as this was a love story it was also about finding yourself. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from this author.

I was gifted a copy from Netgalley for an honest review.

**4.5 Stars**

This was my first book by this author and I really enjoyed it. It was an emotional read, which I was not expecting, but I read it in one sitting as I could not put it down.

Sophie is a 25 year old virgin looking to rid herself of that label. Cain is a lobster fisherman with an alcohol problem and heaps of baggage. While Sophie is just looking for a physical experience, and Cain is more than willing to offer up his services, they both end up with much more than they bargained for. I loved that Cain not only accepted Sophie and all of her quirks, but believed that they were part of what made her truly special.

Watching Cain struggle with his addiction throughout the book was heart wrenching and difficult. His poor choices ultimately lead to breaking Sophie, which was tough to read, but in my opinion pretty realistic in terms of how this story could have played out in real life. His dedication to getting sober after that made him into the hero Sophie deserved.

I really enjoyed the book and look forward to reading more from this author!