Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Review: Perfect Fling by Carly Phillips

Perfect Fling by Carly Phillips
Series: Serendipity's Finest, Book 2
Publisher: Jove
Genre: Contemporary Romance Perfect Fling Cover
Release Date: July 30, 2013
ISBN: 9780425259726
Blue Ribbon Rating: 5 out of 5
Original Review Link
Book Purchase Link
Carly Phillips Reading Order

Assistant District Attorney Erin Marsden has no problem being classified as the town good girl. Then, on the night of her brother’s wedding, Erin throws caution to the wind and has a one-night stand with bad boy Cole Sanders. What was only supposed to be one night turns into something much more when Erin learns that she’s pregnant.

Manhattan cop Cole Sanders has returned to his hometown to recover from his last undercover assignment. He’s not looking for a relationship — his past makes him feel like he’s unworthy of a woman like Erin — but he can’t get the beautiful lawyer out of his mind. When he learns she’s carrying his child, things only get more complicated between them…and that’s before a crazed stalker takes a shot at Erin. Cole’s determined to stay in Serendipity and act as Erin’s bodyguard until whoever’s targeting her is caught. What he doesn’t count on is the growing urge to stay in Serendipity with Erin, to prove that he’s capable of the love and commitment she and their child deserve.

Though it’s hard to pick a favorite Carly Phillips novel, PERFECT FLING just might be it for me. Cole and Erin’s romance was enthralling and I could not put PERFECT FLING down!

Cole is a man whose upbringing has left its mark on him. Combined with the isolated nature of his career, he’s not at ease around people, even those as warm and accepting as Erin. Cole is such a wonderful hero that it just about broke my heart that he didn’t see his true value as a person. Cole endeared himself to me immediately with his all-out sex appeal, protectiveness and vulnerability. I wanted to see him find happiness with Erin because they both deserved it. Erin is loving, caring and smart — my favorite kind of heroine. She’s got a spine of steel and an open heart and that made her absolutely perfect for Cole. As a couple, Erin and Cole are dynamite. The road to happily ever after is filled with ups and downs for them, but the journey is one well worth taking.

The threat of danger from a stalker, work troubles and family issues are as important to the story as the romance, making PERFECT FLING a “full” story. How the various plotlines weave together gives the feeling that you’re living in Serendipity alongside Erin and Cole. I love how Ms. Phillips’s writing makes me feel like I’m part of the Serendipity community. After finishing a SERENDIPITY novel I always end up feeling like I’m leaving the town, which I hate to do.

PERFECT FLING can easily be read as a standalone, although it is the second book in Ms. Phillips’s SERENDIPITY’S FINEST trilogy, featuring the Marsden siblings. The SERENDIPITY’S FINEST series is a continuation of the SERENDIPITY series, so fans like myself are sure to be happy to see familiar faces popping up throughout Erin and Cole’s book. The only downside to reading PERFECT FLING is that I want to read the next SERENDIPITY’S FINEST book, PERFECT TOGETHER, right now!


Note: My review was written for Romance Junkies and is cross-posted here with permission from Romance Junkies.

0 comments: