Manic Monday, an all-new hilarious and romantic standalone from Piper Rayne, is LIVE!
The perfect man for me is a blood-sucking lawyer. #pfftwhatever
Been there.
Done that.
Burned the T-shirt.
I didn’t swear off all men after my divorce, but I sure as hell swore off anyone remotely like my ex. On the top of that list? Attorneys. Everyone knows they can’t be trusted.
Now that I’m back in Chicago, my focus is my daughter, my mom and me. I haven’t given up on finding my happily-ever-after, it’s just on hold—indefinitely.
Then I see Reed Warner again, and he weasels his way into every part of my life, not willing to take no for an answer.
In spite of my better judgment I can’t stop thinking about the way his designer suits fit his muscular frame, or the way his blue eyes seem to eat me up with every glance.
You know when you’re on a diet and even hummus seems irresistible? Reed is like the equivalent of chocolate éclair and my willpower is fading fast.
The problem? Not only is he a lawyer…
He was the best man at my wedding.
Excerpt
My phone rings just as I step onto the train. “Hello?”“Victoria.” Darcie barks my name like she’s the head nun at a Catholic high school and I’m showing cleavage.
“How did you get this number?”
“I have my connections,” she says, and I already know from her tone that she’s about to ruin my day. “What’s up, Darcie?” I try to hide the irritation from my voice, but I’m not sure I’m entirely successful.
“I just found you a partner to help with the carnival event.” I blow out a breath and find a seat in the back of the train.
“I don’t need a partner.”
“Well, he would only help out if it meant that he could work with you.”
A million swear words set off like a round of fireworks in my head. “You’re kidding me?”
She laughs. “I wish I was.”
I detect a bite of jealousy in her tone.
“If I was single…anyway, he requested you and we so rarely get fathers or father figures so in this case, I have to let him have what he wants. And for some reason, that’s you.”
I watch the city skyline getting closer out the window.
“Who is he to Henry?” I ask.
She laughs and then I hear chatter behind her. I wish I was in front of her, so I could shake her shoulders and get her to focus on me.
“Oh, you’ll find out.”
“Henry’s mom’s boyfriend?” I ask.
“Nope. Ask for yourself. Gotta go. Oh, and I’m sending him your phone number right now.” Click. The line dies.
Mother fucking hell.
Am I trapped in some Mean Girls reunion movie?
I haven’t even tucked my phone back into my purse before it dings with a text.
I’d ignore it if I wasn’t worried that it could be my mom needing me.
Unknown: Hey, it’s Reed. The stunning guy you just reacquainted yourself with twenty minutes ago. How about a nightcap tonight to start brainstorming ideas for the carnival? I add his contact information into my phone, so I don’t mistakenly answer again.
Me: Don’t you have a son to watch at night?
Reed: Nope.
Me: I don’t think your girlfriend would appreciate your invite. We can talk details over a morning coffee and that’s it.
Reed: ???
Reed: Not even dinner? I don’t respond.
Reed: Lunch? Even business associates have lunch together. I shake my head and try to tamp down my temper.
Reed: Fine. But mornings are hard for me. I’m being difficult for the sake of being difficult now. I can’t very well ask Hannah to come in late to plan some stupid carnival booth anyway.
Me: Saturday?
Reed: J J J J J My place. The three dots appear but I respond before he can.
Me: McDonald’s on Peterson. The kids can play, and we’ll talk. Noon.
Reed: You run a hard bargain and I make a lot of deals. What the hell does that mean?
Reed: I take it that’s the end of our conversation? I don’t reply because there’s nothing else to say. Reed: Message received. Have a great day, Victoria. J I tuck my phone back into my purse with a giddy feeling inside. Damn it. I wish my stomach would get the message my brain is trying to send it.
★★★★ - 4 Star
I was a little torn as to what rating I should go with this book. I considered a 3.5 but I ended up settling on a 4 star since I liked Reed so much. This is actually my first read of duo author Piper Rayne. I am interested to see what happens with the rest of this series.
The first 40% of the Book I really could not get into. Victoria’s character felt somewhat childish at times. I half expected her to stomp her feet like a toddler, but it didn’t quite get that far. Her character got better as the book went on, I still however did not feel a connection to her. Reed’s character was so patient! So understanding! He truly is an amazing book boyfriend. I didn’t really catch why Reed and Pete had a falling out though.
I liked the story-line of this book. It is told in Victoria’s POV. I would have liked to have gotten the opportunity to read what Reed thought in some of the situations. I think it would have helped forged a better connection between the characters. The last 60% of the book was really enjoyable, and I really need to read what happens with Chelsea and Hannah, so I will definitely be reading the rest of this series. Manic Monday made me laugh and it also made me cry a little bit. Looking forward to reading more. I read an early copy of this book. The opinions expressed are my own.
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About Piper Rayne
Piper Rayne, or Piper and Rayne, whichever you prefer because we’re not one author, we’re two. Yep, you get two USA Today Bestselling authors for the price of one. Our goal is to bring you romance stories that have "Heartwarming Humor With a Side of Sizzle" (okay...you caught us, that's our tagline). A little about us... We both have kindle’s full of one-clickable books. We're both married to husbands who drive us to drink. We're both chauffeurs to our kids. Most of all, we love hot heroes and quirky heroines that make us laugh, and we hope you do, too.
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