One of the pleasures of reviewing books for All About Romance is the opportunity to interact with readers. Recently, one of them recommended Melt for You by J.T. Geissinger. I’m familiar with the author – I’ve read two of her earlier books, including the Slow Burn novel that precedes it. I liked, but didn’t love, either of them. I downloaded this one anyway and it languished in my TBR pile… until I recently picked it up on a whim and OMG, I couldn’t put it down. It’s wonderful on so many levels, and if you haven’t read it, you’re absolutely missing out. Charming, meaningful, laugh out loud funny, sweet, sexy and smart, Melt for You is the best contemporary romance so far this year.

In a top ten list, Joellen Bixby details her Top Ten Reasons Why the Holidays Suck. The list is alternately hilarious and depressing (have you ever listened to the lyrics to Do They Know It’s Christmas?), and concludes with a reminder that her love for Michael Maddox, CEO of Maddox Publishing, is still unrequited. The list very randomly opens this terrific book – and if nothing else, it establishes that Joellen has loved her married boss for a decade, she has self-esteem issues and her inner dialogue is alternately scathing and resigned. From this painful glimpse of our heroine and narrator, we segue into ‘A Day in the Worklife of Copywriter Joellen Bixby’: mostly ignored by co-workers, never takes a day off, frequently given extra work because she’s incapable of saying no, and socially awkward. Her list-making is interrupted by her least favorite person in the office, Editorial Director Portia, who insists she take on a massive project at 4:00 pm Friday afternoon with a Monday morning due date. Arriving home late that evening, Joellen is hungry, tired and cranky.

Unfortunately, her plan for a quiet late night are ruined by loud rap music and raucous laughter coming from the apartment across the hall. After silently fuming in her apartment, she bangs on the door, expecting to confront her usually quiet neighbor Kellen. Instead,

<blockquote>A man I’ve never seen before stands in the doorway. He’s tall, broad, solid as a mountain and about as large. He has shaggy brown hair, hazel eyes, lots of tattoos, and a devastating smile, which my brain notes at the same time it’s trying to process that the man is wearing unlaced combat boots, a kilt, and nothing else.</blockquote>

She’s mid-ogle on his chiseled abs when The Mountain interrupts and asks, “Can I help you, lass?” The huge, half-naked Scotsman continues to render her speechless, so he yells at his similarly half-dressed guests to turn down the music, belches, salutes her, and then slams the door in her face.

What follows over the next few days is a succession of hilarious confrontations wherein Joellen insists her new neighbor turn down his offensive rap music, he delights in tormenting her with his constantly naked torso and tight pants (she nicknames him Prancer) and gentle teasing, and they finally agree he’ll turn off the rap music if she’ll cook for him. He also insists on eating and staying a minimum of forty-five minutes in her apartment. And somehow, during these supremely funny confrontations, she confesses she’s in love with her boss.

Cameron McGregor is the Scottish rugby captain and according to him, the most famous athlete in the world. On a forced sabbatical after a fake news story splashed his name across the tabloids yet again, he’s swapped apartments with Kellen. He’s handsome and well-built, with an over inflated ego to match. He’s also ridiculously charmed by his new neighbor and her deaf cat Mr. Bingley. Despite her sharp (awesome) insults, which he bats away with a big grin, he thinks she’s funny and sexy – and he wants to spend time with her. So Cameron offers to teach Joellen everything he knows about inspiring desire – with a generous side helping of learning to love your body and yourself. OH, HE’S THE BEST. Friends, he’s adorable and I loved everything about him and I want to marry him. That he clearly loves Joellen is simply icing on the cake.

Melt for You’s friends-to-lovers premise is a favorite trope, but it’s the sublime characterization of its principal characters (she dislikes nearly everything about herself but is kind, smart, and loyal; he’s an über famous professional athlete with skeletons and scandals littering his past) and their wonderful chemistry that elevate this ugly duckling story. Joellen delivers some of the best set-downs in contemporary romance as a check against Cameron’s super inflated ego – but her inability to control her physical response around him or resist his charming entreaties/demands to spend time with her – make it clear her comments aren’t meant to hurt. He loves to wind her up, but it’s obvious Cameron has fallen for his sharp-tongued neighbor, and that Joellen, conditioned by her family to believe she’s overweight, unattractive and weird, is blindly oblivious to her own charms. Cameron is kind, adoring and Joellen’s biggest cheerleader, even as he’s (reluctantly) pushing her into another man’s arms. Every interaction between the pair is alternately laugh out loud funny, tender and affectionate, or awkward, and when the relationship finally crosses the line from friends to lovers, it’s impossible not to cheer for this pair.

Ms. Geissinger enhances her principal pair with a cast of memorable secondary characters: retired British stage actress Ms. Dinwiddle – Joellen’s slightly deranged, oft-drunk neighbor and regular Saturday night date; Mr. Bingley, her not-so-deaf traitorous cat who falls as hard for Cameron as every other human who spends time in his orbit; fellow office workers and Michael… well, I don’t want to give all the secrets of this story away, but let’s just say he’s memorable too.

Although it’s chock full of witty dialogue and memorable primary and secondary characters, Melt for You is also a lovely ode to body positivity, loving ourselves and quieting our inner critics. Cameron is constantly reminding Joellen of her value and beauty – he loves her unconditionally, and as the novel progresses, it’s a delight to see her finally learn to love herself.

<blockquote>I’ve spent so much of my adult life trying to not be unruly, to be smaller, more contained, more acceptable, but underneath it all I’m still myself. All the passions and desires and tempestuous needs, all the wants and hurts and sorrows, all the ugly and wonderful things. I am just unruly, peculiar me, and I’m so tired of pretending otherwise.</blockquote>

Cameron’s character has a similar arc – he’s struggling against his own demons – but the slowly evolving friendship between these two does much to heal their individual wounds. Ms. Geissinger incorporates these heavy themes with a lovely, light touch, and they elevate this already terrific novel.

I don’t know how to convey to you just how much I loved this delightful book, so let’s just say it’s my favorite of the year. I’m convinced every romance reader on earth should read it and tell their friends to read it and love it as much as I do, because Melt for You will make you melt for it. I promise.

Cameron McGregor is HUGE – in stature ;-), gorgeous and a very famous rugby player who has a penchant for walking around half naked. He’s taking an unscheduled holiday in the US as advised by his lawyers due to a scandal back in Scottland. Switching homes with his cousin seems like a great idea.

Joellen Bixby is on her way to being the neighborhood cat lady. She slaves away every day at Maddox Publishing while secretly in love with the CEO. She’s sweet but a bit of a doormat and has some “mommy issues”. Sees herself as getting the short end of the look lottery in her genetically blessed family.

Cam moves in, starts blasting gangster rap and literally rattles her world and quiet little existence. Joellen is taken aback by his in your face approach but can’t deny that he stirs something in her.

Little by little, these two form an unlikely friendship. He offers to tutor her in the art of getting her dream man aka Michael Maddox in exchange for home cooked meals. Since he knows how to do a body good, he teaches her to eat healthily and out of the kindness of his heart he even offers tutoring in how to kiss. What a nice guy! Lol.

Slowly Joellen comes out of her shell and grows a backbone. Cameron turns out not to be not the bad guy that she assumed he was at the beginning. They both carry pain and their unlikely friendship starts the healing process. Turns out you truly cannot judge a book by its cover.

Melt for You was sweet, sexy, angst, heart touchingly romantic goodness! The shenanigans that ensue are laugh out loud funny. Much to my delight there are some surprises ahead that you won’t see coming. J.T. Geissinger’s latest is more than worth the purchase price.

I loved this book! It's a slow burn for sure but whoa! I totally got sucked into their world!

Joellen is in a job that she loves, and has been in love with her boss for the last 10 years. She's shy and timid and has low self esteem that she gives in to most demands to her. Cam is a world-famous Scottish rubgy player, whose confidence is waaaay up there. They meet when Cam takes over the apartment across from hers in a very loud and obnoxious way. And so Eliza meets her Henry Higgins.

I love their interaction, their cracks to each other! I enjoyed the way Cam enjoyed Joellen quick responses to him too. And it was really just great how Cam loved Joellen and helped her find her love and acceptance in herself. No woman should be made to feel less by their appearance. Though it feels one sided, how Cam is giving/helping Joellen more, she gives him something too...acceptance and unconditional love and friendship.

Read the book! Read the book!

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for a copy!

A few things caught my eye with this book and made me really want to give it a try. I loved the cover, the blurb made me smile and piqued my interest. I've enjoyed books by this author in the past so I knew I wanted to give this book a shot.

Joellen was not quite what I expected her to be. I understand that women doubt themselves far more than they should but I really wanted Joellen to realize her potential sooner. I sympathized with her and her thoughts, and could relate to them, but she had such potential for growth and I don't think she fully reached her potential here.

Cam is exactly what I expected. Sexy, confident and just what Joellen needs even if she doesn't realize it. He's a player, for sure, but he has redeeming qualities and he shows that as he helps Joellen. I would have liked to have been in his headspace for some of this book, to really get a handle on how he felt.

There is a connection between these two. Neither were looking for it, to be honest, and that's usually the best time for what you really need in life to appear. Now, they didn't come together as I thought they would. I won't spoil it, but it definitely took longer than I thought.

There were a few things I didn't *love* about the book. Our heroine is really hard on herself, and I wasn't quite expecting that. I also was surprised at how long her fascination with her boss continued. I did like the writing and the banter between Joellen and Cam. Overall, the book wasn't what I was thinking it would be but I did like it overall.

When one reads a book, there's a certain openness that one needs to subject herself to, so that the story can be absorbed more thoroughly and can be enjoyed as much as possible. Leaving oneself open, however, can also hurt. Even if one is just reading a "silly" romance novel.

"Silly" though some may think romance novels may be, but they oftentimes hearken to our even "sillier" truths. For years, Joellen Bixby has heard her family and her mirror say shit stuff about her. Until she actually started believing those shitty things. Until she eventually became what they thought of her to be. But, that all seemingly stopped the day she met rough, tough Scottish professional rugby player, Cameron McGregor. She came into her true self when Cam antagonized her too much. She became MORE of herself when he coaxed, nagged, and lifted her up higher than she ever thought she could go.

I loved Cameron. I loved Joellen even more. "Melt For You" was written all in the heroine's POV, and, somehow, she sounded just like me. No, I don't have a sexy Scottish brute for my neighbor, and I'm, unfortunately, not a paid copy editor. (Blessica, the Filipino caretaker, however, is VERY familiar to me.) I do have parents who think I should be thinner, quieter, more submissive respectful, and more obsessed about money-making. They think I should get married, but that I'm too fat for any man to like me. And that I'm already too old and too stubborn in my ways. I'm the exact same age as Joellen and, man.......... she effin' resounded with me. Her love story with Cameron was exceptionally beautiful. Sweet, yet dirty; LOL-funny, yet serious; fast, yet just right in its pacing.

Now, I have to put a stopper on my openness, else I continue bleeding whilst loving "Melt For you" out loud.

I have read this author’s work before (Midnight Valentine) and loved it, so I was very excited to see this come up on Netgalley. I purchased and read the first in the Slow Burn series, Burn for You, and really loved it. I liked this book too, but not as much as Burn for You. Joellen was SO dense, and I just wanted to YELL AT HER throughout much of the book. That being said, JT is such a good, funny, and clever writer. She makes you laugh, she makes you think, she makes you want to stick around to find out how it’s all going to turn out. I will continue to read her books. P.S. I may have loved the epilogue more than the story itself, :)

5 +++ Star Review

Received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

This book was amazing - I loved it so much that 1/2 way thru one clicked another book by this ( new to me author ) Burn for You & I cant wait to read it !!

I am also giving this book a Night-owl 🦉 Award since I was up till the wee hrs of the morning to finish it !!

Loved Cameron & Joellen story !! This author writes with so much heart & humor - I was laughing out loud several times. This book is definitely a FAV so far for me this yr ...

Joellen is like the ugly duckling who turns into a beautiful swan when she feels confident in the love of a good man!! She just has to pick the right one... ❤️❤️

This author writes with some really great laugh out loud humor - yet all the feels of a sexy romantic story!!

Do not miss this book & I highly recommend this author be added to your
TBR lists 👍👍 Great read !!!

Blog link to review post listed below as this was review as part of a promo tour through a PR company.

Thanks,

The plot line of Melt For You is one that is used in romantic comedies of the book and movie variety: ‘nerdy’ girl is attracted to her handsome boss but feels like an ‘ugly duckling’ so in order to gain the confidence to go after the man she wants, she needs help, so who better to help her win her guy than her hot as hell womanizing new neighbor but what happens when the teacher becomes the student and learns more about life and love than he ever thought possible?

It was so easy to fall in love with Joellen Bixby; she’s a every woman heroine - one who is easily relatable because of her insecurities, her social awkwardness, and her unrequited love for a man she believes is out of her league. Watching her come into her own and truly know how beautiful and amazing she is, is what I adored about Melt For You. Cam definitely helps Joellen see herself beyond her exterior appearance, but the only way her ‘enlightenment’ takes…the only way she understands her worth is if she accepts herself and that comes from within.

Cameron McGregor’s outward appearance as well as his actions portrays him as the stereotypical cocky professional athlete, but just like Joellen, Cam is so much more than anyone sees, and it’s who he is on the inside that creates an underlying attraction between him and Joellen. But Cam is in a difficult position because what started as a ‘teachable’ moment becomes more about learning what a real connection feels like and what he’s willing to do to keep it.

Melt For You is a slow burn romance that teaches characters and readers about the true measure of a person and how essential it is to understand one’s worth. It’s a playful and hilarious read but it is also emotional and heartfelt, which makes it a perfect read for readers who can’t get enough of a nerdy girl and a sporty guy and the steps they talk to be their best selves.

4 Poison Apples

You know the kind of book you truly devour? The kind where you can’t bother with food or showers or moving from the couch, because you have to keep reading? The kind that makes you smile so big and have you breaking speed-reading records? This was that book. Delicious slow burn, sexy, funny, heartwarming and impossibly addictive.

J.T. Geissinger has become a trusted, must-read author for me over the course of her last few books. She writes my kind of love story, whether it’s enemies to lovers or friends to lovers, it’s always an all-consuming slow burn you can’t look away from, every moment feeding the desperate need to see her characters happy and together.

MELT FOR YOU imparts the story of a thirty-six-year-old girl who feels unseen, thinks she’s forty pounds overweight and is barely surviving a life in which she falls short every time. Her only dates are with her cat, Mr. Bingley, at home, where she’s spent the last ten years pining after her boss.

Coming home from work one night, Joellen Bixby hears music blaring from her neighbor’s place, so she marches over only to find a larger-than-life, muscled, tattooed Scottish guy with an ego bigger than he is. As it turns out, Cameron McGregor is a world-famous rugby captain known not only for his prowess on the field, but off it too, with a trail of women and scandal in his wake.

Right off the bat, their relationship is a fierce competition of hurling insults at each other, but when Cam helps Jo pique her boss’ interest, they agree on a tremulous truce.

In between that teasing and joking, however, something real blooms. She’s able to be herself around him, awkwardness and all, and she sees the person he really is underneath that perfect, muscled physique… and he’s just as wonderful inside.

But then her boss is finally noticing her, and Cam is scheduled to return to Scotland…

Jo has to figure out her heart’s desire, even when he’s been right in front of her the whole time.

Like me, I promise you’ll devour this gem of a story. It’s sexy and brimming with chemistry. It’s funny—the banter is literally everything! And it’s got heart and romance and all the things so many of us love about reading. I know you’ll love this slow-burn friends-to-lovers romance as much as did.

Sometimes that person you have lusted after for an eternity turns out not to be what you expected and something you did not expect turns out to be everything! Hot and sexy!!!

J. T. Geissinger triumphs with MELT FOR YOU, the second book in the Slow Burn series. Joellen Bixby has a crush on her companies’ CEO, Michael Maddox. She gets help from her new neighbor, Cameron McGregor, captain of the Scotland national union rugby team, to get Maddox’s attention. Unfortunately, Cameron has fallen for Jo in the process. This contemporary sports romance primarily takes place in New York. It is suitable for adult audiences.

I knew I was going to love this book just after reading the first page. The story starts out with the heroine’s top ten reasons why the Holidays Suck. It was hilarious. I love Joellen’s humor. Even her dreams were funny. I like her character. She underestimates herself. She has no idea that she is appealing, which is understandable, considering how her mother treats her. She has worked at Maddox Publishing for ten years and been in love with Michael for just as long.

Cameron McGregor is a fun character. He is vibrant. He sees Joellen for who she truly is. He respects her. He has a great outlook on life. He is good for Joellen. I love how they interact with each other.

Joellen’s boss, Portia, was a fascinating character. You hate her. She is a witch, to put it nicely. You don’t always know what to expect from her. She ends up surprising you.

MELT FOR YOU is skillfully written and entertaining. It is a story that is hard to put down. It has multiple examples of why you should not judge people until you get to know them. I loved that the epilogue starts off with another top ten list (also amusing). I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

***I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author.***

Melt for You is the first book I’ve read by author J.T. Geissinger, and I absolutely loved it. I’m definitely going to check out more titles by her in the future. This story had laughs, heat, great banter, excellent chemistry and 2 irresistible characters that I fell in love with.

Joellen has been not-so-secretly in love with her unavailable boss for years. When he admits he’s in the midst of divorce and shows interest in her, her once unrequited love no longer seems quite so unrequited. Too bad she’s socially awkward and inexperienced. Enter Cameron McGregor, the full-of-himself rugby player temporarily living across the hallway from her, who generously offers to teach Joellen how to reel her boss in. He realizes from the get-go that she has no idea how special she is and he’s determined to show her what she deserves.

I’m not going to lie, when this book started I didn’t like Cameron very much. He was so inconsiderate to Joellen. He was pushy and egotistical and just a lot to handle. I can honestly say that I was utterly and completely in love with him when the book ended. I loved that he wouldn’t allow Jo to cut herself down in any way, shape or form. I loved that he was so damn persistent, especially in the face of her adorable cluelessness. I loved Joellen straight away. She’s so snarky and funny. I found her incredibly easy to relate to. I adored how she stood up to Cameron from the very beginning because he was rather intimidating. It was incredibly sweet how she took care of her elderly neighbor. It was also hard not to be angry at her family for their thoughtless words and opinions, but I loved the lessons this book taught about self-worth and not settling for being anything but your authentic self.

The chemistry between Jo and Cam was just perfect. Not only do they have great banter, they aren’t afraid to be vulnerable with each other. Plus, it’s impossible not to get sucked in by Cam’s Scottish accent and kilt. And the laughs! I can’t even tell you how many times I laughed out loud while reading. The writing was excellent. I can’t wait to read more by Geissinger! If you’re looking for a romance with lots of chemistry, sexiness, snarky banter and guffaw-worthy laughs, this is the book for you!

Loved a Broody Beast in Burn for You?
You’ll LOVE a Scottish Beast in Melt for you!

I laughed and swooned so many times I’m still recovering from this book
Again, J.T. Geissinger brought the perfect mix of sexual tension, banter, humor and lust, with great (and so opposite) characters and a consistent blurb.
What I loved during the whole story was clearly the humor, Cam’s cockiness and his beasty attitude, in absolute contrast with Joellen’s shyness and lack of love life.
And her cat… ad so many supporting characters!

But what got me near the end too was the level of angst and drama that increased a little more, it was so beautiful and sexy to read!

Really, I loved every minute of this book, the series are getting better and better!!!

A really enjoyable read, I totally recommend it, like ALL books from this author!

I went into this book blind and fell in love with the characters, and the chemistry that bounced off the pages, not to mention the humour. I found myself snorting at some parts it’s so funny. I adored it. Why isn’t it a full five stars? Because I was somehow left wanting more. Good thing or a bad thing? Depends on how you look at it! — rating 4.5

I had a really hard time caring for this story, the romance, the characters, the evolution of where this was going... because our heroine was frustratingly pathetic and the support characters were stereotypically drawn, I knew where this was going right off the bat., which made it no fun to get through.

Sometimes, I don't mind reading obvious stories if done well. This just wasn't as sly or witty or sexy or heart wrenching as the author thought she was being. It was all too obvious and the premise has been well executed by others.

This is the second book in this series by this author. This book will definitely take you on an emotional roller coaster of a ride. When you get to the epilogue you will be crying, have the tissues at the ready. This is a sweet, funny, emotional, slow burn romantic read. The characters were well written with fantastic chemistry between them . I can't wait to read more from this author in the future.



Highly recommended

I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book

One of the best book ever! Romance, loyalty, laughs all mixed up with hot sex. A great lesson of life : learning to love yourself.

This romance is engaging and witty. Fun and sexy banter is what I found so endearing, as are the main characters. This story is also about character growth. While this book is on the light and sweet side, it also deals with very real issues. Joellen’s family has affected her confidence in a major way, she has never felt good enough.

Cameron is a star rugby player and Joellen’s temporary neighbor. He is popular, famous and enjoys loud music. Joellen is a hermit emotionally. She has had a huge crush on her boss for years and she knows her one-sided love story is pathetic. Cameron offers her his expert help, giving her tips in her quest to land her very questionable Mr Perfect.

Cameron … I knew just after a few short lines that I'd love him. How could I not? He is such an engaging character, thoughtful, genuine and very easy going, not to mention really hot and yet so vulnerable! I enjoyed the progression of Joellen and Cameron’s relationship, how naturally it occurred. It's a slow burn that was witty, sweet and endearing. They are an unlikely couple, and yet they are perfect together. I loved watching it all happen for them, and I thought it all played out realistically with a whole lot of heart and sweetness.

I received a copy of this book for an honest review.

Melt for You was an amazing story. From start to finish I was entertained and engaged by the characters.

When I asked to receive a copy of this book I was a little hesitant since this trope of hot guy helps a girl-get-another-hot-guy trope seemed a bit overdone. Oh, how wrong I was to be hesitant about this story. J.T. Geissinger did a great job of making the characters and story-line fresh.

Joellen has spent the last ten years in love with her boss. She has poor self-esteem, a family that puts her down, about zero friends, and no dating prospects. What she did have was a cat and a job she mostly enjoyed.

Then Cameron McGregor enters her life with a literal bang. Joellen doesn't like Cameron on sight. He's loud, obnoxious, and good looking. When Cameron offers to help Joellen get her boss she takes the chance to finally get the guy she's always wanted.

I won't give away much more except to say I truly adored this book. I felt like the characters were real and made real decisions. I liked that sometimes I wanted to shake Joellen for passing a guy up like Cameron for someone else. I mean he wears a kilt and no shirt, yes, please.

Start to finish this story was so cute and fresh. I definitely made the trope new and exciting. I liked that the story wasn't about sex, but more about Joellen finding strength in herself. Overall, great story and a must read.