I always love Bryant’s books. When asked, I always put her in my top 5 authors list. I feel like I am going to be in the minority here, but this one was my least favorite of hers. For me this book was okay, but small things that annoyed me stacked up. When it isn’t one big issue about a book standing out, it is always difficult for me to write a review. This is especially the case when it is an author you enjoy. With this review, I struggled, because the book isn’t bad… it just wasn’t for me.

I love a good age gap romance. I also love social class differences within romances. This one checks both of my boxes. Throw in a cute kid that adds to the story, and almost always you will have a big win for me. I asked myself over and over while reading this book why I wasn’t loving it. I feel like the majority just came down to personal preference and those annoying tiny things that bother some of us, which have no impact on others. This book had so many tiny items that annoyed me.
-Cassie being immature.
- ex: Rolling her eyes… all the time
-Her parents purchasing and then taking back a Lexus but allowing their parent (Cassie’s Grandmother) to drive a POS.
-The fine line between employer and employee and power. This one felt like it wasn’t clear enough for me. When one person holds all the power, and a line isn’t distinctively drawn it bleeds over to abuse of power for me.

There was more but those were just a few of the ones that bothered me most.

The sex scenes were steamy but for me, the romance was just okay. I didn’t feel a lot of chemistry between Brook and Cassie. I think if you are going to overcome a lot of obstacles, employer/employee, age gap, a socio-economic class difference (kind of) you need to make me believe it is all worth it. I also need to believe the relationship is strong enough to overcome them. I kind of feel this is a “happy for now” book. However, I think most will enjoy this one and feel like it is worth the read. I am going to put it in my “reread at a later date” pile and revisit the book to see if changes the way I feel about it.

This book was well written and engaging. The two main characters were both likeable and multi-dimensional, the pace in which their relationship was developed was believable, and they had great sexual chemistry. My one tripe is that I didn't really feel the romance and didn't really buy into the love. The story was told entirely from Cassie's point of view - I felt Brooke's perspective was missing and I didn't really get why she would be interested in Cassie as a long-term partner given how completely different their lives were. Having more of a glimpse into Brooke's feelings and thoughts would have helped.

This was a very cute book. Though Cassie annoyed me from time to time I still found myself rooting for her. Sometimes the way the author had her think about other woman made me rethink how I felt about her as a character. But compared to other romance novels it was tame and nice.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an arc.

Cassie Miller’s parents cut off all funding when she dropped out of medical school so she takes a nanny job for millionaire businesswoman Brook Wellington. But when both women discover their mutual attraction, it gets harder not to give in to temptation…

In her acknowledgments, the author says that after writing some pretty heavy books she decided to write something more playful. And she delivered. As in really, really playful. At first sight, this novel follows the cliche of boss-nanny romance but the execution makes it really worth a read. I liked that the author takes her time in building up the leads’ chemistry and turns the heat up slowly, but once the hotness is on, it burns.

People who have read her Ms. Bryant ‘s erotica novella ‘Shameless‘ under the pseudonym of Brit Ryder, know that this author can write intimacy well. This is more a romance than erotica but the sex scenes are as varied and hot as in ‘Shameless’. It’s a step under Meghan O’Brien’s books but it’s nevertheless hot.

Typical of this author, this novel is written in first person from the exclusive point of view of Cassie’s, which provides an aura of mystery around ice-queen Brook, a guarded and enigmatic businesswoman. Even though there is an age gap of 14 years between the main characters, this is balanced well as Cassie is a woman more mature for her age, who maintains the freshness of a person in her 20s. Brook isn’t a larger-than-life ice-queen like Lee Winter’s characters but she is very reserved and cautious and it’s a pleasure to see her thaw in and out of the bedroom.

The cast of secondary characters are very well developed and all are relevant to the plot or subplot. My favourite is Nanna, Cassie’s grandma, who is a spitfire and super funny. Both leads’ extended families help to bring the main characters to life and justify their actions and personalities. Brook’s 6-year-old son is a very well written character and plays the main role in getting the leads together.

Overall, a really hot lesbian erotic romance that won’t disappoint Ms. Bryant’s fans. 4.5 stars.

ARC provided by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

See all my reviews at www.lezreviewbooks.com

I absolutely loved everything about this book! Cassie and Brooke were excellent main characters and their relationship developed at a nice easy pace. Cassie was definitely more relatable as she was more open with the reader. Brooke was definitely an enigma but that was what drew Cassie in. Brooke's son Noah was adorable and wonderful and added a super sweet note to this sexy novel. Another great read by Kris Bryant!

3.5 stars

Perspective is key in this review. For what I imagine the book was intended to be for the reader, a hot romance, it delivers very well.

For me the dialogue didn't seem realistic but the story had plenty of pace and fun characters, including young Noah.

3 Stars. Cassie Miller is broke after her parents cut her off for leaving med school. Cassie starts to nanny and then is asked to be a full time nanny to Brook Wellington's son, Brook offers a good salary and a place to stay and Cassie can't help but say yes. Brook is beautiful and successful and Cassie can't help but have a crush on her. Brook is closed off and does not open up to Cassie at first. Cassie starts to become friends with Brook's son and Brook seems to be jealous about it. They both start to spend more time together and see where it goes.

Cassie and Brook have a huge age difference, about 14 years which bothered me throughout the entire novel. Brook is so successful and Cassie is just a 25 year old college student and seems to sort of getting her life together. Their whole relationship seemed to bother me a little. Their chemistry is okay, it sort of seem to come out of no where. Brook does not seem interested as much in Cassie in the beginning of the book and they seem to not have many interactions. It does evolved and Brook sees Cassie take care of her son and do a good job with it. I did enjoy this book, as I do usually enjoy Kris Bryant novels in general. This was not my favorite novel but it was easy to read and I did get sucked into seeing where their relationship would go.

I am a big Kris Bryant fan! I also like age gap romances and rich girl/poor girl romances. Temptation has all of those things, but there is a small twist on the latter. Cassie grew up in an upper middle class family but was cut off from her parents when she decided to drop out of med school and pursue a graduate degree in an area her parents didn't approve of. Brook is the rich older woman in this one. She is under 40 but still much older Cassie. Since this one is told from the viewpoint of Cassie, we see that she is attracted to Brook at the start of the romance. We are unsure about if Brook is attracted to Cassie until the book is well underway. Cassie is ends up getting hired by Brook to be the nanny to her young son and things take off from there.

As I was reading this one, I realized I read a romance very similar to this one. I can't figure out who wrote it and that is still bothering me, but I still enjoyed this one. Brook is a sort of an Ice Queen, but eventually Cassie is able to thaw her out. As I was reading this one, I thought it was going to be a slow burn, but oh was I wrong. The sex is steamy and I found myself reading one of the sex scenes twice because it was that HOT. I really enjoy most of the things about this romance but the aspect that this one was very similar to another romance.

I still give it 4 stars.

This book promised to be everything I love in a book: age gap, character has a child, boss and employee relationship and a ice queen, so naturally I was very excited to read Kris Bryants new book.

As much as I did enjoy the read and found myself engaged in the story I was slightly disappointed with the connection between the two characters. It just didn't fully connect the way Bryant can normally do with her characters.

I am however keen to do a re read or listen via an audiobook if available as I feel I might enjoy it more the second time round.

Kris Bryant is continuing her streak of winners. This book has everything. Ice Queen , romance, age gap and she made me sob, not cry, but sob. These are also the hottest sex scenes Kris has ever written. Single Mom Brook Wellington, the ice queen at the helm of the Wellington Corp, sees how Cassie is with kids at a soccer game and offers her a job as nanny for her son Noah. Noah and Cassie become friends right away but Brook is standoffish until an almost tragedy melts her some. Their relationship

Another One!
Once again, Kris Bryant did not disappoint with her ability to write a compelling story. In this story, Cassie starts working as a nanny for the very beautiful and accomplished Brook (who runs a family empire).
It is interesting to see the attraction that develops between Cassie & Brook, and how they struggle to maintain the employee/employer boundaries that should not be crossed. And once the boundaries are crossed, can Cassie truly have a relationship with Brook without being accused of only liking Brook because of the money she has?

MY 600TH REVIEW

Cassie has been cut off by her parents when she quit med school to follow her dreams. She is offered a job as a nanny for the rich and gorgeous Brook’s son Noah. She can’t say no, especially when the job comes with health insurance, a car to use while tending Noah and even an apartment. Brook is even willing to work with her school hours. Add in the chance to be hear the charismatic woman and Cassie is all in! Gorgeous Ice Queen Brook is in a bind. She works in her family corporation and that demands lots of time. She spends as much time with Noah as she can but she needs help and after watching Cassie handle a difficult child she was babysitting, she knows she is the one for the job. The only problem is that Cassie is just too beautiful and endearing….and she finds herself melting under her spell.

Oh how I do love this book!! It was so sweet and wonderful and lovely… It is a slow burn romance that is a lot of fun. There are so many great characters, Brook’s family, Nana, Noah and of course Brook and Cassie. I fell in love with all of them, well, most of them anyway. There was so much love of all sorts in this book, Mother and child, grandmother and granddaughter, the love of a family for one another and of course the romantic love shared between these two incredible women. There were sexy bits too, that made me all hot and bothered. I truly adored this book and I think you should give it a try!

What an entertaining read. Cassie Miller is looking for a steady income so she can be her own person, live her own life, and make her own decisions. I liked how Cassie stepped away from family money to pursue what she was interested in, teaching. Brook Wellington lives her life for work and her son, Noah. Brook appears to have it all together but she realizes she is unable to do it all and "calls" on the help of a nanny. Once that decision is made, all three of their lives are changed forever. I enjoy reads about family, individuals coming to an understanding about self as it relates to life going on around them. Brook's not so nice sister Gwen and her nice and funny sister-in-law Erica are wonderful secondary characters. Cassie is quirky and full of life. Brook is serious and stiff. There is also an age gap between the two that is well handled and does not take away from the story. The tension, give and take, and understanding that no one is perfect only added to this wonderful read.

I'm a big fan of Kris Bryant. She has a lot of 5 star books that I've read and re-read before. This one is good, but it wasn't my favorite. I'm not sure what it was, since it was still very sexy and the MC's chemistry was wonderful per usual, but I felt some other parts were lacking. I think the B stories just didn't hold my interest.

Surprisingly I thought Cassie was more in control of her life than the "ice queen" Brook. I also felt more connected to her character, probably because most of the book was from her POV. I wish we got a little more time with Brook on just her everyday life, whether it's what her work is like or a little bit more with her and her brother. I could have done with more details to help flesh everyone out.

Overall it was still a good book and I would recommend people to read it.

With a title such as Temptation, I would have been disappointed if there hadn’t been a couple of steamy scenes. No worries, Kris Bryant totally delivered, steam and more.

After reading The Traveling Triple-C Incorporeal Circus by Alanna McFall, I needed something much lighter. The good news is, so did Kris Bryant. As she explains in the foreword, “After writing about a mass shooting, a person struggling with anxiety, and a survivor of a plane crash, I decided to write something flirty and fun”. Mission accomplished. You can always count on Bryant to write endearing and layered characters, even in stories like this one, when most of the angst comes from the not-so-simple act of falling in love.

Cassie Miller is a twenty-four-year-old graduate student whose well-off doctor parents cut her off when she quit med school after her first year to study environmental science instead. Cassie had to cut back on her way of life, move in with her grandmother (the wonderful Nana) and work as a babysitter to pay for school. Things start to look up when multi-millionaire Brook Wellington offers her a job as a nanny (complete with her own apartment, a Range Rover she can drive on her work hours and a salary high enough to pay her school fees). Brook’s six-year-old son Noah is a shy and very sweet boy, and Cassie falls in love with him almost immediately. Now, if only she could refrain from falling for his beautiful and sexy as fuck (I’m quoting) mother as well… Spoiler: she won’t, she’ll fall head over heels for the older woman, and it’ll be magnificent, which is how it goes in romance novels (and sometimes IRL too if you’re really lucky).

I don’t even know where to start on the characters. They’re all excellent, and, except for Brook’s sister Gwen, not monolithic (and even Gwen is believable, as unyielding as she seems). Cassie and Brook are the best, you’ll want to be friends with them. Cassie sees through Brook’s ice queen persona from the start, to the softie whose priority is her son’s well-being. Cassie’s hurt from her quarrel with her parents gives her a sarcastic edge, but she’s really a sweetie at heart, and I love her relationships with her grandmother and with Noah. Brook’s family is rather interesting too, from her parents to her sister and brother (who left the family business to make it on his own as a chef) to her sister-in-law. The smaller characters – Cassie’s best friend, Noah’s teachers, Brook’s ex – feel genuine too.

As I’ve written before, I’m not a big fan of age gap romances. However, I thought it worked really well here. The fourteen-year difference between Brook and Cassie is real but they are both at moments in their life where what they have in common is more important than what they don’t share and I honestly can imagine them building on that.

I needed a lighter read and that’s what Temptation is. The good news is, light can be really good too.

I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

I loved this book. I devoured it in 2 days because the tempo made it impossible to put down! If not for my job getting in the way it wouldve been a one sitting read. The chemistry between the main characters was palpable and I was rooting for them as much as Erica the wine loving sister-in-law. I did find the Gwen character a little one dimensional and expected more fleshing out there. It seemed the “villain” characters were a bit caricature like but honestly I moved right past them to get to the romance! Will definitely read again.

This book was a surprising find for me. The story made me laugh, cry, and contemplate life via Cassie, Brooke, Noah, and a cast of interesting secondary characters. I enjoyed the boss/nanny and age gap dynamics even though the latter wasn't a major focus until the end. The relationship that Cassie developed with her charge, Noah, was heartwarming as she pulled him out if his shell and he became like family for her. Cassie and Brooke tried ademently to deny their feelings for each other, but their chemistry was just too strong to resist. Their love scenes sizzled and were varied in content. I'd definitely recommend this book to others and give it 5 single nods!

I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book has a great first line. I was hooked from the start.

Cassie decided to go against her parent's wishes and drop out of medical school. They decided to cut her off. In need of money to fund her graduate studies, she takes on work watching children. Brooke runs her affluent family's business while her CEO father makes deals hobnobbing on the green. She is in need of a full time nanny for her son.

I really liked both of these characters. Cassie had a lot of chutzpah, likely inherited from her firecracker grandma. She knew that she didn't want to follow in her parent's medical footsteps and decided to pave her own way despite having to give up their support. Although she was raised with money and privileged, she wasn't above going out and doing the work to achieve her personal goals. Brooke is somewhat of an ice queen but shows glimpses of a softer side when she interacts with her son.

This is an age gap romance, which I am honestly tired of reading. I feel like it must be a lesbian romance mandate for publishing these days. And in the grand scheme of things, I don't think that it enhanced the story in any way as it wasn't a huge conflict. Sure, it was mentioned and there were concerns in there, but nothing truly dramatic enough to make the gap a necessity. Having said all of that, the fact that it wasn't made a big deal was a huge positive and made it so it didn't bother me so much.

There was so much to like about this story, though. The interactions. The tension. The jealousy. I liked how Cassie falls for Brooke's son before she ever falls for Brooke. I love a good forbidden love story. And what is more forbidden than wanting to gain intimate acquaintance of your much younger employee? There was a surprising amount of emotion. Bryant mentioned in her acknowledgement that she was looking to write a flirty novel. I wouldn't categorize this book as that. It was deep, sweet, and felt very real. It even made me cry.

There was quite a bit of steamy sex once things got going. I expected it, so it was OK. I mean... I did read the title and see the cover, after all.

Overall, this was a fun story about two women that can't find a way to deny their mutual attraction, and have an even harder time of denying their growing feelings for one another.

I recommend this to those who like to read about romance, rich-ice-queen-single-mothers, struggling college students who attract everyone, childcare, private schools, estranged family, ski resorts, and video games.

4.5 stars

Kris Bryant is fast becoming a go-to author for me. I've read and loved a number of her books now, and this one is no exception.

The leading ladies are polar opposites yet so meant to be. I loved watching their relationship unfold. Brook's son, Noah, added depth to their story. Hell, he was the crux of them getting together.

There are some likable, and unlikable, side characters and one who stole my heart and broke it too. Bless you, Nana.

My one tinsy-winsy quibble is that the story is told completely from Cassie's perspective. More than once, I wished to hear Brook's point-of-view too.

This author seems to have a thing for writing from one character's perspective, but she's so talented, I'd be all over a book told from both MC's point-of-view.

Copy provided by the publisher, Bold Strokes Books, via NetGalley

5 stars for Temptation by Kris Bryant

Cassie Miller needs a job. After a year in medical school, she dropped out after realizing being a Doctor wasn’t for her. She decided to go to graduate school for her masters in Environmental Sciences followed by her Ph.D. Unfortunately, her parents, both M.D.s have cut her funding completely when she dropped out of Med School. No car, no stipend, no tuition, and no contact with Cassie. At the moment she is living with her grandmother Nana and driving her old Acura.

Brook Wellington of the Wellingtons wants a live-in nanny for her six year old son, Noah. She offers Cassie a sweet deal – a one year contract, good pay, health insurance, a furnished apartment above the garage and with time to go to her classes. Cassie is hesitant because she has never been a nanny and she has a crush on Brook. Brook is the COO of her family’s worldwide import and export business. Of course, Cassie takes the job plus she is already smitten with Noah.

I recently read a book that I felt there was little chemistry between the two MCs. Not this book! You feel it almost immediately. It goes to show you what a good writer Bryant is because this story is told only from Cassie’s perspective. Confession – Ice Queens are my favorite and Brook is one of the Iciest I’ve met and yet she melts when with her son. I also love age gap romances and this one is14 years (Cassie is 24, Brook is 38). Not a large gap, IMO but a gap nonetheless. It was a good choice that Cassie was from a wealthy family. Although not nearly as wealthy as the Wellingtons, Cassie was comfortable around the entitled and knew how to react or not react when around them.

I’d love to gush more but I don’t want to spoil it. I will say that this book has a relatively large cast but it didn’t feel overwhelming. I do want to give a shout out for Nana, Cassie’s grandmother. Everyone needs a Nana in their lives.

Hmmm… this is definitely in my Top 5 favorite books of the year.