This story is not very long and I liked it that way. I found it to be ok. I wasn't expecting a Cinderella thing to be going on but there is. I think the characters needed to spend more time together.

While the premise tempted me to pick this ARC, I felt the actual story telling lacking. I felt there was information thrown in without any context.

• Annie kisses a photo that she keeps in the visor of her car yet there is no explanation on who/what is in the photo. I gradually deduced that it could possibly be her deceased fiancé, however it was never actually stated.
• It seemed there was some story emphasis on some anal beads that Annie ended up with during a bridal shower game but nothing happens with the beads. The beads seemed to be a catalyst for Annie to dismiss Hunter as she accuses him of being “vanilla” when he expressed surprise in finding them. Yet there was no indication that Annie was not “vanilla”. She expressed no interest in spanking or blindfolds or plugs. There was also a surprisingly detailed imagined scenario of Annie with Hunter using the beads, yet the actual intimate scenes between these two characters was pretty mundane.

I couldn’t relate to the characters. I felt Annie was a door mat to her step-family. It did provide some emotional angst to the story but for me, I just felt Annie needed some backbone. Hunter came across as hypocritical. He was upset with his ex-wife introducing her boyfriend to their children. Yet it wasn’t a concern when Hunter became involved with Annie.

And I have yet to figure out the correlation of the title to the story.

This is a good book. The two main characters are Annie and Hunter. Hunter is Annie’s boss at the real estate office he owns. Annie ask Hunter for a favor, she needs a date for her brother’s wedding. Hunter says yes to being her fake boyfriend, but he wants to change from fake to real. There is a mutual attraction. They each have issues like stepmother and stepsister, Hunter’s cute daughters, trust issues and a runaway bride. They realize that they are in love.

A really improbable story but I liked the main characters so I kept reading. It made me smile and kept me engrossed so it must have done something right! I good book to curl up with with a nice glass of wine so long as you don't take it too seriously!

A basic trope that's easy to grasp, settle in and enjoy. But, if written poorly, any romance fan will surely be frustrated enough to throw their e-arc out the window and look for something better. Thankfully, Nicole R. Locker has enough skill to write a story that kept me hooked.

However, her marketing department really needs to revise the title and cover as it didn't do justice to the story. Please do better, book team!

Sly Man Gray, Big Man Blue Series Book 3, Nicole R. Locker

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: General Fiction (Adult), Romance

Oh I was so excited to read this, is sounded just my type of story. And I did enjoy it but....it wasn't a hold-your-breath, must-keep-reading book for me, more a these are nice people, in nice situations, nice kids, nice friends. If it wasn't for the awful step family I'd have been really sad.
I like some Drama in my reading, romances that go awry, and though there were hiccups here there was never a moment when I thought Annie and Hunter wouldn't make it through.
The characters are good, very real and I adored Annie, she's been through a terrible tragedy. Hunter was a great guy, kind, loves his girls, amicable to his ex, and ready to step in and help Annie. Even when she doesn't tell him the full extent of what he needs to do. TBH I found that a bit of a stretch, it really was beyond good friends territory, and she and Hunter were not that.
Her step family were a redeeming point in all the nice, I adore characters such as those in a story, they really did provide some much needed drama in all the sweetness. For me anyway, though of course Sweetness is what others want in a romance. This reminded me of an updated, sexed up version of mum's favourite70's M and B books. If that's what you want – great, but I need a little more.

Stars: Three, an easy to read story, with some great characters, but ultimately a little cute, sweet, lacking tension for me.

ARC supplied by Netgalley and publishers