Best Friends with Benefits

One of my favorite romance trope has always been best friends to lovers and I have always been a sucker when it comes to this specific trope. And Candy Sloane has delivered. She has more than delivered because she has written a love story that truly captures the essence of this specific genre. Ms. Sloane has layered her story, Best Friends With Benefits with heart, raw emotions and of course a plethora of hot steamy dirty sex!!!!!

“She was his Val, but she was also her own woman. A woman if he’d met in a bar now, he would have made sure they ended the night wet and naked and fucking.”

Right off the opening pages, I was hooked. Ms Sloane did an amazing job introducing her raw characters in Best Friends With Benefits. In this sweet, sexy, and dirty love story, readers are introduced to two best friends, who will soon discover a new uncharted territory of their friendship. Lines will be crossed and blurred when sex and emotional feelings are involved. For Valerie Barkin and Alec Roger, their fourteen year friendship meant the world to them. It was always Val and Alec. They were inseparable and knew every facet of their lives. They were each other's shoulders to lean on. The good, the bad, and the ugly were experienced together. And so when Alec drags Val to attend their high school reunion, their friendship got a little more complicated when they were forced to play a game with their old high school friends. And this game changed everything when a hot steamy kiss was involved.

Valerie Barkin knew her best friend was hot and loved by the public since he was a member of the hottest rock band. Val loved Alec but she knew of his rockstar playboy ways. She knew he didn't believe in commitment and marriage and so Val never thought she could change his views. Alec loved Valerie. She was the girl who truly understood and loved him. And so when they were reunited, Alec began to look at his Val differently especially when they finally shared one passionate kiss.

“She had ruined him, by saving him. But he couldn’t let her know it. He would try to follow her rules even if it killed him.”

That one kiss set precedent to a weekend of hot, steamy, passionate sex. Val made rules to their weekend of sex with no strings attached. No feeling would get involved. Just a weekend of sex and then they will go back to being best friends. Well, the rules went out the window when deep emotional feelings begin to emerge. Val wants Alec but will she be enough for this rockstar who plans to never settle down. So will Val be able to change Alec's mind when it comes to marriage and commitment? Or will this weekend be a realization that they are better off as best friends than lovers?

“In some ways it was what he wanted. To kiss every uncharted inch of her, take his time with her pleasure rather than fuck her hard and fast, but he knew how dangerous that was. If he felt like this after one kiss, how would he feel after making love to her? And fuck, God help him, he wanted to.”

Best Friends With Benefits was a fun, sexy, sweet, and steamy read!!!! I love getting lost in a story as two people discover the truth. And for Val and Alec, the truth is that they are more than just best friends. They are two people who have experienced every ups and downs together. They make each other smile and are part of each other's mind, heart, and soul. Their friendship and love is what makes Alec and Val. They are each other's biggest cheerleader and supporter. And so if you are looking for a friends to lover story that is hot, sexy, and emotional then this book is for you.

Best Friends with Benefits (Most Likely To, #1)She was kissing him now. Screw her stupid rules. They couldn’t stop her from this feeling, from this want. From responding to the sweet gesture he’d offered her that morning. She leaned in to him, slowly at first, so he’d know exactly where she was going—for his lips, his sweet, hot, naughty lips.

She brushed against them lightly, testing, but when Alec pressed against her with more force, opened her mouth with his tongue and dove in deep, she could do nothing but meet his demand—nothing but ride to wherever he was taking her.

ARC received from: Netgalley

Rating: 5*

Trope: Friends-to-lovers

Chemistry: Off the charts Scorchio

One-Sentence Summary: Two friends become more at a high school reunion

Review: Holy smokes, this book is HAWT!!!! I don't think I will ever look at a Coca Cola vending machine the same way again! Seriously, wow. Bring me some of that ice now to cool me down!

I loved the setup of the book. Usually friends-to-lovers romances are a little tricky when it comes to explaining why two characters suddenly decide to cross that line but here Alec and Valerie haven't seen each other in person for ten years and it is sort of believable why.

The setting of a high school reunion is believable as a catalyst as well and it made for some interesting set ups and comic scenes - I kind of feel a bit sorry for Reece though?

As to Alec and Valerie themselves, I love their backstory. Alec has a bit of an angsty background but rather than shoving some angst in there for no other reason than to make you feel sorry for a character, his past does come into play and directly explains his reluctance for a relationship in the present. Valerie also has her own stuff going on, waiting for a job offer in London and trying to understand her conflicting feelings she has for her friend/lover.

It seems like this book is the first in a series and whilst I can't find out any more information about the followup at the moment, I know I can't wait to read more from this author.

In conclusion, if you are a fan of friends-to-lovers trope - of if you just want a well-written sexy read - you will LOVE this book.

He pointed at the wilting flowers in her hand. “What are those?”
She’d forgotten she still had them. “I was going to Pretty Woman you,” she explained. “Roses are hard to come by on short notice.”
“You brought me flowers?” His mouth quirked up and displayed his dimple.
“What?” She stood up straighter. “You’re the only one who’s allowed to be sorry?”
“Typical Val.” He stepped closer to her, his eyes not leaving hers. “Trying to steal the thunder of my apology.”