Member Reviews
I love Katee Robert's Dark Olympus series but I can't say the same for these. There was little plot to invest in with some ok spice. I mostly finished the stories because I can't make myself not finish a book.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Romance for the ARC
Not at all what I expected. Didn't realise it was a compilation of short stories. This was not my type of read.
I absolutely loved this! You get two books in one which is a steal. Each book kept me absolutely entertained and wanting for more I loved the characters from each of the book and was grabbing for more with each turn of the page the first book you experience accidental pregnancy which I actually love it’s one of my favorite tropes, and I felt it was done exceptionally well. The second book is more grumpy sunshine which is another trope I’m absolutely adored with you also have the brothers best friend/boss trope. Would absolutely recommend
Such a fun quick read. Two novellas in one: Make Me Yours and Make Me Need. I can't tell you which one I liked most because both had their own appeal. I did read Make Me Need quicker, so maybe I preferred that one. Cameron and Trish had this chemistry and dynamic that was divine.
In Make Me Yours I wasn't sure what to expect, it started a little slow but when Becka and Aaron heated up it got there!
I am not a huge surprise pregnancy trope fan, or at least I didn't think I was, until this novella. Thank you Katee Roberts for that <3
Thank you for the eARC Netgalley and Harlequin <3
These were such good characters! I love we got to see a bit of continuation with the first couple in the second half. I mostly loved Cameron and Trish’s banter and story. I really enjoyed this read.
As a big fan of Katee Robert books these shorts didn’t really hit the way I wanted them too. Of the two the first we definitely my favorite which was surprising considering the troupe. I found both to be very fast to paced and the sex scenes tended to go from 0 to 100 so quickly which usually her books do not. Additionally I found a lot of the scenes from the second book to be either almost fade to black or just super repetitive. Also the book overall needed some formatting working and it seemed to jump from character to characters mind in a somewhat confusing way.
As much as I usually LOVE Katee Roberts work, this just wasn't for me. The insta love was just a little over the top. I'm not the biggest fan of that trope in general but for me here it just went into the that's being extra category. I felt like there was very little plot. I ended up skimming much of the spice because there was so much and I was just trying to get to the story itself.
Not for me but if you're looking for a short and spicy read you'll definitely enjoy it!
This book had the bonus of being two connected stories in one, that if separate could be read as standalones.
Book 1: Make Me Yours
I'm typically a hard pass on the surprise pregnancy trope, but Robert always writes such great chemistry between characters I was willing to give it a go. Aaron and Becka are complete opposites yes compliment each other so well. Especially when Becka gets out of her own head. My biggest issue with this book was the abrupt ending and jump ahead. We went from making up from their first fight at months gestation, direct out of nowhere to the delivery. With no real relationship building.
Book 2: Make Me Need
I didn't enjoy this story as much as the first. The relationship between Trish and Cameron felt forced, despite the insta lust. I did like Trish's go get 'em positive attitude. And how she took none of Cameron's BS. Giving back as good as she got. As well that Cameron relocates to help serve Becka's dreams instead of the more predominant reverse we usually get in stories.
Both books were a relatively quick read and full of the spice I've come to expect reading Robert's more recent books.
While I am a fan of Katee Robert, I will admit I haven’t completed their entire back catalogue (working on it 😊). That was to my advantage though, because it meant I could jump into Illicit Temptations with fresh eyes. Previously published under the titles Make Me Yours and Make Me Need, Illicit Temptations presents the first two stories in the Make Me series in one concise volume. As someone who isn’t super keen on collecting novellas individually, this felt right.
Admittedly, I didn’t read the entire book in one sitting—which is something I am prone to doing. I picked it up as a sort of entertaining cleanse between much more emotionally draining reads. As such, Illicit Temptations acted as the perfect popcorn read. It was fun, sexy, funny, and the dialogue was fantastic.
That being said, I would not write either story in this book off as pure erotica. Both held just the right balance of smut and substance for me to not feel like everything was rushed for the sake of adding in another sex scene.
Surprisingly, my favourite was Make Me Yours. Normally I am not a “surprise pregnancy” person, but for this story it just worked, and I loved Aaron and Becka for how relatable each was in their own way. However, both novellas were good and definitely felt connected enough to exist within the same book. In all honesty, having now read the first two entries, I am so excited that more from this series will be getting the same treatment. Forbidden Games, volume 2 of the Make Me series, will be releasing next January, and will contain stories 3 and 4—Make Me Want and Make Me Crave. I already know I will be buying both collected works like a dragon with a sexy horde as soon as they’re released.
I’m a huge fan of Katee Robert! She never misses.
Make me yours is a pregnancy trope I actually liked reading and make me need is a work romance. They are both good stories and I enjoyed reading them
It's official Katee Robert can do no wrong. I utterly devoured this book.
Originally published as "Make Me Yours" and "Make Me Need" combined into this beautiful creation is perfection.
The strong characters are what takes the cake for me. They are wrote in a way that I cared enough to stay up way to late and finish. The romance, as always, is brilliant.
Illicit Temptations contained two short novellas by Katee Robert centered around the Livingston siblings. In the first one, Becca Baudin and Aaron Livingston have a one night stand that results in an unplanned pregnancy. Deciding to keep it, the two of them shuffle through the awkward process of figuring out what that means for their lives moving forward. In the second novella, Trish Livingston starts working at her brother’s company to the chagrin of Cameron O’Clery, her very no nonsense boss. When they finally succumb to the intense chemistry between them on a work trip, they’re left wondering what will happen between them once they’re back home.
Overall I definitely enjoyed the writing. I enjoyed it so much that I wanted more! I felt like both of these stories would have benefited from getting their own full length novel. I wanted them to sink into their personalities a bit more than the shorter length was able to accomplish. The tension and scene-building in both was phenomenal!
3.75/5⭐️ 3/5🌶️
Fun, entertaining and spicy! Katee Robert brought her signature spice into two modern-day storylines. Illicit Temptations is broken up into two different books & storylines, though you will want to read them in order as there are spoilers in part 2 from part 1. Both of the books are more novellas than full length books and I found I wanted more from both stories; especially at the end of each (no epilogue). I was granted that with part 2 & some character carry-over. Part one follows Becka & Aaron, a commitment-phobe FMC and a scrumptious MMC. The two meet at a wedding and have one wild night that turned out to be more than they anticipated. Pregnancy tropes are not my go-to, but I found myself cheering these two on throughout the story in spite of that. Katee brought in her typical banter and stayed true to fashion with a stubborn, strong-willed FMC. Part 2 follows bubbly-but-insecure Trish (baby sister of Aaron) and Cameron (Aaron's business partner). This storyline has all of the tropes I eat up: Workplace romance, brothers' best friend, forbidden romance, forced proximity, he-falls-first and grumpy X sunshine. Trish comes barreling into Camerons life as the company's new admin and turns Cameron's world upside down. The two have an instant physical attraction and an unanticipated work-trip has them facing their feelings sooner rather than later. As their relationship progresses and gets more complex, you see them battle their own demons and insecurities, which brings everything to a head. Without giving too much away, both stories are guaranteed to have spice & HEA. This is book one in an upcoming series & I hope to see more of these characters!
I was pleasantly surprised to see that this book was split into two different novellas featuring different couples.
Both books were very steamy and were quite enjoyable. There were cute moments through each story.
The main review will be split into each part. BEWARE SPOILERS BELOW.
Make Me Yours
2.5 stars
I really wanted to like this story, as this isn’t my first Katee Robert book and I’ve enjoyed other books she’s written.
There were times I could understand their thought processes, and in stressful situations we don’t always act with the most reasonable mind. However, it was more often that they were being unreasonable. Becka needed time. She needed to let the man who was going to be the father of her child know he was going to be, well, the father of her child. It could have been a nice, healthy discussion. But it wasn't.
Then, there was Becka’s personal troubles, such as her family life and not wanting to follow in her parents footsteps. This was a very important piece of Becka’s story and I don’t feel like we got enough of it. We didn’t get to see her grow from it, naturally. On her own. I wish we had more time between her and her sister.
Make Me Need
3.5 stars
Make Me Need was more enjoyable. On many levels. Cameron and Trish were fun. Their banter was fun, their personalities were more bearable. Overall a more much pleasant experience. Dare I say, an enjoyable experience? I only wish that I had more of them. I want a full novel with just these two living their best lives.
2.5 stars
I really wanted to like this story, as this isn’t my first Katee Robert book and I’ve enjoyed other books she’s written. I wasn’t able to like either of the characters in this first novella, Make Me Yours.
There were times I could understand their thought processes, and in stressful situations we don’t always act with the most reasonable mind. However, it was more often that they were being unreasonable. Becka needed time. She needed to let the man who was going to be the father of her child know he was going to be, well, the father of her child. It could have been a nice, healthy discussion. But no, because he became pushy and forced her to move in with him. After threatening to tell everyone she knows???? Sir, calm down. Sit down, let’s grab some tea and have a chat.
Then, there was Becka’s personal troubles, such as her family life and not wanting to follow in her parents footsteps. This was a very important piece of Becka’s story and I don’t feel like we got enough of it. We didn’t get to see her grow from it, naturally. On her own. She didn’t want to tell her sister that she was pregnant because she didn’t want her to think that she was just like their mother. When she does finally tell her, it’s over in a flash. I wish we had more Lucy, Becka confrontation.
Make Me Need
3.5 stars
Make Me Need was more enjoyable. On many levels. Cameron and Trish were fun. They had cliche problems but blah, blah, blah. What’s wrong with a bit of cliche? I live for it, Their banter was fun, their personalities were more bearable. Overall a more much pleasant experience. Dare I say, an enjoyable experience? I only wish that I had more of them. I want a full novel with just these two living their best lives.
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫🌶️🌶️🌶️
💭My thoughts: This was previously published as two books Make Me Yours and Make Me Need.
Make Me Yours was a cute read although it had one of my least favorite tropes, surprise pregnancy, it still had a great plot and great character development.
Make Me Need was so very ADORABLE. Brother’s best friend, workplace romance, grump x sunshine. It had it all, such a quick read and perfect ending. It was such a fast ending I wanted more of Cameron and Trish. I recommend if you want some quick romance reads.
Illicit temptations is 2 books rolled into 1.
The relationship dynamics in both sections of the book are absolutely amazing.
Make Me Yours: ⭐⭐⭐
Surprise pregnancy trope
Aaron- is absolutely in charge. Hes charismatic and pursues what he wants at all costs.
Becka- seems like a fun character, but she wasn't really memorable. Her character seemed to be completely devolved into the pregnancy trope.
Make Me Need: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Cameron- is not the easiest person to deal with. He says what he thinks and thinks what he says. To say he is rough around the edges is an understatement, but he also has this super sweet puppy dog thing going for him. He's so respectful even when he really REALLY doesn't want to be.
Trish: wants to make it on her own, but she hasn't been able to find a way to do so until her brother Aaron steps in and offers to help. Her confusion about Cameron is fun to witness as a reader. As someone with freckles, I love that she has freckles.
*The first section would be rated as a 3 and the second would be a 5 so I went in the middle.
Surprise pregnancy? Check. Instant love? Yep. Grumpy sunshine? Also check! I enjoyed getting to meet these characters and would love to read more about them later!
Thank you Harlequin Romance for the copy of this book.
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Read if you like: pregnancy trope, workplace romance, forced proximity.
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This is two stories in one publication. The first story follows Becka and Aaron, who find out they are expecting after a one-night stand, and then Becka moves in with Aaron. The pregnancy trope isn't my favourite but I thought this was done well!
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The next story follows Trish and Cameron. This was a fun workplace romance and I enjoyed it more than the first story! It was fun to read about Trish and Cameron and watch them fall in love!
Illicit Temptations
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to receive an eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Illicit Temptations is two books in one. The first story follows Bekah and Aaron through their accident pregnancy after a one night stand. Sometimes I get an ick from the accidental pregnancy tropes but this one worked well for me. I enjoyed getting to see the chemistry and emotional relationship building between Bekah and Aaron.
Book one ends with Aaron going on paternity leave after Bekah’s delivery and picks up with Cameron (Aaron’s business partner) and Trish(Aaron’s younger sister) having to work closely together during this transition period for the company. The chemistry is immediate between Cameron and Trish. Think grumpy boss meets sunshine assistant.
Such a fun and easy read. Finished in one day. Could not put it down.
Cute, sexy. Solid read. Not sure why it was re released as one book when it’s a two interconnected stand-alones but it was a solid 3 ⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and Katee Robert for the digital arc