KaraSkinner

Genre: Contemporary

Word Count: 13,700

Average Goodreads Rating: 3.47/ 5 stars

My Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Sebastian Clark and Nicole Harrison don't want to have a relationship with each other. In fact, when Sebastian approached Nicole for the first time, he wasn't even looking to sleep with her. He just wanted to have a drink with a lonely woman at the hotel bar. 

But a one-night stand became two nights, and even though Sebastion and Nicole know it can't last, they both feel something more than a couple nights of sex with a stranger. In each other they find escape from their stressful jobs and their pasts. Even though they know their connection with each other won't stretch longer than the weekend, they want the weekend to last forever. 

You can read Weekend Lover for free on Smashwords. 

I was a little worried when I started this book. I'm usually not a fan of one-night stand stories because a) no happily ever after and b) one-night stands seem so awkward in real life, it takes a lot of suspension of disbelief for me to enjoy the too-perfect sex scenes. 

But this book is an exception. 

Despite the shortness of the story, Melissa Blue is a master at crafting complex characters. Both Nicole and Sebastian are realistic. Nicole is a woman who is great at PR, and consumed by her job. Feeling a little bit of burnout after a long day on a business trip, she goes for a drink at the hotel bar. She just wants to have a drink and go up to her room, but things go awry when Sebastian approaches her with a cheesy line and a con-man smile. 

Unbeknownst to her, Sebastian is dealing with his own trouble. A past relationship left him feeling bitter and cynical. A publicist himself, he's also swamped with a demanding job. He didn't mean for anything more than a light conversation when he approached Nicole. He wasn't looking for a relationship, or even for a one-night stand. But the more he talked to her, the more he wanted her. And the more I liked him. 

 

The dialogue between the two of them is light and witty most of the time. The few times it gets personal, the conversation moves smoothly. Nothing about the chemistry between the two of them feels forced or fake. 

He said, “Since it'd be rude for me to order a drink without getting you one too, what would you like?”

She scoffed. “Yeah, you do that incredibly well. Come in, wow the estrogen with your testosterone and the woman can't help but say yes. So for all of woman-kind, I'm saying no. You can't buy me a drink.”

“Really?”

She hummed in assent. “I've already granted you squatter’s rights next to me. You might get the wrong idea.”

“What would that be?” His laugh was as rich and deep as his voice.

A shiver danced down her spine at the sound, but she refused to revel in the sensation. The wrong idea just might become too appealing. “That your con man smile actually works. Whatever you have in mind, the answer is no and it will stay no. I don't have time for momentary distractions.”

The wattage of the smile didn't dim. “Most people believe a moment is a second. It's a single point in time. Do you know how much can change in a moment?”

 

And the sex scenes and descriptions are just as fantastic.  Sebastian is the perfect gentlemen, even when he's saying he's not, and despite her dominant and strong personality, Nicole has a bit of a submissive streak to her. And somehow Melissa was able to write it in without taking anything away from Nicole's strength. She might enjoy submitting to Sebastian, but Sebastian submits to her just as much. Both of them have a competitive streak in themselves that lead to fantastic sex scenes. 

What's more is that this story isn't love at first sight. By the end of their weekend together, both of them do have feelings, but it's not love. They enjoyed the thorough distraction they found in each other, a sweet escape from life. And that is perfect. No marriage proposal or even an "I love you" is traded. It's actually realistic enough for me to enjoy it, even though it has plenty fantasy. 

Sebastian had long since crossed a personal boundary. What was one more? So, he kept right on kissing Nicole like it was the last time he'd get to taste her. It likely would be. They had set up boundaries that neither could cross without losing something in the end. This weekend had been perfect. There was bound to be a minefield he hadn't foreseen if they tried to prolong it. She couldn't be this woman who made him forget the bitterness of the past, a woman who made him consider the things he'd long since given up.

 

My only complaint with this story is how their work lives consume the characters. Even in the bedroom, Nicole is thinking about how all of her skills and talents of a PR person bleeds into her sex life, too. Her competitive streak from her job is what makes her so great in bed. That was a little annoying. I would have preferred less talk about her job, even if it does play such an important part in the sequel. So a half star off for that. Aside from that? It's a fantastically entertaining and quick read. 

If you liked this review and want more, please check out my blog, Lover's Quarrel, where you can find new books to read and even donate to charity in the process: https://loversquarrelreviews.com/