This is not normally the type of book that I read, but I could not put this down! Some parts of the romance development felt cheesy, but I loved the overall, spontaneous and risky vibes.
This is the perfect read for laying by a pool..... in Vegas of course.

When I first started reading this book, I flew through it and could not get enough. The characters balance each other perfectly; the connection and banter felt real and heartfelt, and each interaction that built their story was heartwarming and charming. When we get to 50% of the book, my feelings changed drastically. I personally am not great with any sort of time jump, and the fact it was spread out for so long and with many timestamps became frustrating. I think that we could have made it to the second half of their story more fluidly and less drenching. That chunk from 50-60% was really rough for me and I thought about not finishing, I am very glad I pushed through my own dislikes because the rest of the book reminded me why I was so in love with the characters and their dynamics as a duo. Although, the whole cheating aspect is a big no-no, I don't understand the need to include that. I personally don't feel it adds any dimensions to the character and that they are human and make mistakes, it just feels grimy and wrong. And I feel it is a sensitive topic for people, a point that isn't really a spoiler but I think people should know if it makes them uncomfortable. I still ate this book up and devoured any touch or interaction between the main couple. I think it was beautiful how they found each other and the character development and growth each individual faced.

Mia Sheridan has a way with creating interesting characters with these intricate lives that I just cannot get enough of. How her love stories unfold keeps amazing me every time. I thought Carson being an adult film star would throw the whole thing off for me but I became pleasantly surprised how she turned his character around. I was not in love with Grace because I didn't feel as much character development from her as I did Carson , but I thought the two really complimented each other.
I look forward to reading her next novel.

This book was good loved reading it from start to finish. like always with Mia Sheridan's writing. Such a good read. I just love how she has you hooked on the characters. This book was amazing. thank you NetGally and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for this book and for letting me read this.

OMG OMG OMG!!! I absolutely loved this book! I devoured it! This was a love story about Grace and Carson who I fell in love with immediately. I love how they helped each other be better people. This is a fast paced book that will have you wanting more and more. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone wanting to read a good romance book.

Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for allowing me to read this ARC for my honest opinion.

Very instant-love, second-chance romance. The first half and second half did feel like totally different characters. Carson and Grace's relationship was more light-hearted and playful in the first half. After the 5 year time jump, gone was the sexy, young romance characters and things were a lot more serious. Not necessarily in a bad way, but I enjoyed the first half more. Carson was definitely my favorite part of the story.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book. Review live on GoodReads - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5482916846 - and StoryGraph.

This book sucked me in and I couldn't put it down until I finished. This is the story of Grace, who is in law school and has her whole life planned out. She works extremely hard and is entirely focused. She is in Las Vegas to attend a law conference and to hear a professor who's class she hopes to get into in the fall is speaking. She wants to wow them and of course learn from all the presentations. There is another conference going on at the same time, but it is for adult film stars. She cringes at this, but thinks oh well. Then she turns the corner and runs into a handsome man. They both seem to be struck by each other and after apologizing, just stare into each others' eyes.
Then Grace looks down and sees on his badge, Carson Stinger straight male performer. She can't hide the look of disappointment on her face. He reads her correctly and then says raunchy things to her. They meet again in the bar where they both decide they don't like each other after he seems to be flirting and she tells him her romantic plan for her life to scare him off.
He's over the top, raunchy, conceded and an adult film star. She's an uptight planner.
Then they get stuck on an elevator for two hours and everything changes. This story is wonderful. It looks at how childhood trauma can effect us in different ways that we may not recognize. And how having just one person truly see you and believe in you can change everything. I highly recommend this!

4.25 - oh I'm a sucker for a good HEA and while the beginning of this was quite odd - a perfectionistic law student meets a straight male porn star at a conference in Vegas . . . yep that's the story . . . somehow it was just loads of fun to read. One weekend spent together changed them both. Written in two POV's. Note that there are a few deep issues in this book about sex trafficking that is a horrible problem facing the world so I appreciated it being talked about here. Although this appears to have been first published back in 2013 I had never read it - it's now being re-released and I'm so glad NetGalley allowed me to read this book. I love this author and have read several of her books.

Mia never disappoints. I love her stories. They feel real and they feel raw. A lot of heart goes into her writing and you can tell as you read.

This book hooked me from the start. It's a sweet, surprisingly spicy, and fun second chance romance. Aside from the romance aspect the biggest take is how one person can change your life- how you see yourself and the person you want to become. I loved the dual POV and progressing timeline.

I will admit, I judge a book by it's cover. And I didn't like this cover. I kept skipping past it in my Kindle app over others but I am so glad I stopped to read this one. The premise seemed like it could turn bad quickly with judging and righteousness, but the writing and the characters kept me engaged throughout the entire story and I buzzed right through this!

So the beginning of this book was phenomenal, I have been in a romance slump and I was excited about this one from the jump. I loved Carson's personality, and even though Grace got on my nerves with how judgmental she was of his profession, I was sooo into their relationship. The nickname Buttercup is my new favorite.

I also think the plot, at first, was a fun and interesting concept! Grace, someone looking ton be. lawyer in DC, meets goes to an International Law conference in Vegas where she meets Carson Stinger, also at a conference in the same hotel. The difference is, his conference is for the Adult Entertainment Industry...because he is a porn star. Although they dislike each other at first, they end up spending a weekend together, where the spice is off the charts.

I thought it had so much potential!!! I loved the banter, the plot, the characters, and I was so excited to see where it went.

However,,, I was very thrown off by the turn it took. I understand why he was made to join the military, but I did not go into this book expecting it. I am Middle Eastern, so this really is a subjective thing; I personally don't like reading stories of soldiers who are going into Afghanistan knowing the instability that the US has caused in the Middle East from their occupation. But, I liked that this at least cent3ered on human-trafficking, rather than senseless killings of Afghanis.

I will also say, this was very long. I think we could have went without a huge chuck of the novel, because I think it made it lose its momentum. The romance was soooo good until the 40% mark, and then picked back up at 60%, kind of.

All in all, the writing was very good! I think the writing in this one is better than Archer's Voice. Mia Sheridan really stepped it up. I just wish the plot was tighter.

4.5⭐️ Once again Mia Sheridan has written an incredible love story with a real life message that clings to you long after you’ve finished the book.
This was probably the spiciest book of hers I’ve read yet but so well done. I want to live out a Mia Sheridan romance: equal parts beauty and spice.
“Life is wild”
She did a wonderful job of crafting Carson’s character in the shape of the Scorpio myth. I really loved the transformation from cad to protector. The only thing I didn’t like was the way Carson talked about his past. He says he chose to sign with Courtney because her site seemed more tasteful and respectful and he seems to be kind and respectful towards his costars but when he talks about it later in the book he’s so ashamed. I think it’s fair that he’d regret his choice after experiencing intimacy but I don’t think it’s fair to cast the entire industry in a negative light. The adult entertainment industry is huge and widespread and sex workers deserve respect and validation for the work they do. I don’t think it’s fair to make it seem like they can’t have families or partners without it embarrassing them all. That’s my only beef with the book.
I can’t emphasize enough how much I wanted these fictional characters to find each other again and get a HEA. I found myself aching right alongside them through part 2. The way Mia writes love is deep and profound. She’s one of my all time favourite writers.

Sheridan did it again! her spicy and character development is great. the spice level is even better and I honestly enjoy her plots. I highly recommend.

3.25 ⭐️

I’ll start off by saying I don’t think I’ve ever read about a couple who showered more than Grace and Carson. I mean, these people showered twice a day. It was constantly mentioned. There are other forms of intimacy than showering together, lol.

On a serious note, I feel like Part One of this book did not line up with Part Two and Part Three. Yes, there should absolutely be character development. But, I felt as if Grace completely compromised her morals and beliefs for a man that she had only spent one weekend with (!!!) and hadn’t seen in 5 years.

Also, this opinion might sound nitpick-y… but Carson is hyped up as this big porn star who can show Grace all about good sex. So the sex should be interesting and have variety right? Instead, the smut scenes were very… vanilla to me? He didn’t seem to know anything crazy and mindblowing.

Overall, if you’re a fan of insta-love, typical white men, HEAs of the white picket fence variety, and mafia-esque romances, this is the book for you.

Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS and NetGalley for the ARC, as always.

I was addicted to the beginning of this story. Law student heads to Vegas for a conference, gets trapped in an elevator with a porn star, and ends up having a whirlwind weekend romance.

The middle fell flat for me and seemed to skip around a lot but overall it wrapped up nicely and I enjoyed the ending.

I loved it so freaking much!!
It was fantastic. At first, I was hesitant about the synopsis because of the " straight male performer" thing, however, I liked how the author approached his profession. She didn't glorify the adult industry the same way most books do, she described just as it is.
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The romance and chemistry were absolutely perfect, they started as two people hooking up, but as their time together went on, you could feel how much they connected and how much in love they were, the insta love was so effortless and natural.
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Both Grace and Carson were great characters, they had so many layers and their stories felt so raw and real.
The way the author described how both affected the other's life was spectacular, it made so much sense why both cherished their weekend together.
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I loved the turn their lives took after their time together, they both changed but their personalities and what made them special were exactly the same. Grace didn't turn into a reckless, spontaneous person, but she learned that some things come unexpectedly and that she needed to savor them, even if they weren't part of the plane.
Carson didn't make a 180 solely for Grace's sake, she was definitely the catalyst, but the decision and grit were all him trying to do something important, and how his childhood trauma affected his plans was written so well.
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The ending was one of the best I've ever read, I love it when authors write a HEA and manage to make it believable, not just a syrupy sweet ending where everything turns in favor of the couple at once.
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Definitely one of my favorite reads this year.
*I received an ARC of this book through netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

Was totally obsessed with this book and read it in one setting! Loved the story line of two people meeting in Vegas with totally different backgrounds. The plot progressed well and the sex scenes were steamy! Loved the length of the book and liked the twists and turns to their happily ever after.

I’m not into instalove and that’s exactly what happens here.
Also Carson was kinda of an asshole with Grace in that pool scene. Like I get it he was hurt. But he used another woman to get back at her intentionally in the next minute. What a dick move.
Also, I felt things was a bit hushed by the end.

But let’s move on to the things I liked: Abby and Grace friendship! I’m just a sucker for a real good bestie and Abby was always there for Grace.
I also enjoy reading about both Grace and Carson looking up for their dreams. That was really nice.

I really love Mia Sheridan’s books (like Archer, Most of all you, Kyland) but Stinger wasn’t it for me.

Wow. I was a little skeptical going into this, but Mia Sheridan knew exactly what she was doing. It took maybe 2 chapters to realize I loved Carson Stinger, despite his profession. The banter between him and Grace was absolute gold. I preferred the first half of the book, not to say the second half was bad, but their weekend in Vegas was just so sweet and perfect. I am definitely a new Mia Sheridan fan!!