A high school reunion
is about to get down and dirty and a whole lot more complicated in this new
erotic romance from New York Times
Bestselling Author Katee Robert.
Jake Davis had it all in high school—a scholarship to his college of choice, a
promising football career, and the gorgeous prom queen for a girlfriend. And
then he lost it all when he was injured right after graduation. Ten years
later, he’s mostly made his peace with that, and now runs a company that
provides women with dates for special events. Imagine his surprise when he
discovers that the ex who left him in the dust needs a fake boyfriend for their
high school reunion…
Jessica Jackson used to be the mean girl to end all mean girls. But life didn’t
turn out like she’d thought it would, and now she’s twenty-eight, single, and
works as an insurance agent to A-listers instead of being the A-lister like
she’d always dreamed. She can’t go back to her home town and admit just how
thoroughly she’s failed, so she lets her friends set her up with a fake date
for the reunion.
The second Jessica realizes that her fake date is Jake, she tries to call the
whole thing off. The problem is the chemistry between them is even hotter now
than it was when they were teenagers. Against her better judgment she lets
herself get drawn into Jake’s arms again—and into his bed. But time doesn’t
heal all wounds—sometimes, it actually makes them worse—and if Jessica and Jake
can’t learn to forgive each other, their second chance might not last the
weekend.
Book 3
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Taking a fortifying breath that did nothing to fortify, she scrolled through her texts to find the number that had shown up last night. The words were short and to the point.
I’ll pick you up at the airport.
Nothing there to tell what kind of man she’d ended up with, and she’d been too cowardly to text back anything other than a generic agreement. Now there was nothing left to stall with. Jessica hitched her purse higher up on her shoulder and headed through security. The big red line tiled into the floor was a point of no return in so many ways. Why did I think this was a good idea?
Her mama didn’t raise a coward, though, so she lifted her chin and marched forward. No matter who this guy was, she’d faced down worse. She’d been worse. It couldn’t be more horrifying than the Miss Texas Teen USA pageant of 2005 where that little brat Misty Brennan cut holes into her dress and she didn’t realize it until she was out on stage and had her pink polka dot bra showing to the audience and God. Jessica had powered through that and walked out with second place, and she’d power through this, too.
She joined the people from multiple flights crowded around the baggage claim, her body practically vibrating from nerves. The scent of too many people in too little space assaulted her, but she was more focused on the faces she didn’t recognize from the plane. Too many, all filtered in with the travelers—there was no way she’d be able to pick him out of the crowd. Her date had her picture, so he’d have to be the one to approach. What if he doesn’t? What if this is just karma giving me one last kick in the teeth?
Oh, for God’s sake, stop being so dramatic.
“Jessica.”
A thrill shot down her spine, quickly eaten up by a dread so strong, she wished the ground would open and swallow her whole. She shot a look at the nearest exit, but if she took off now, she’d have to admit that she fled instead of turning and facing her Number One Nightmare.
Jake Davis.
Praying she was wrong, she turned slowly to face him. Nope. That was definitely Jake Davis, ex-quarterback, ex-boyfriend, just all around ex when it came to Jessica. And he was definitely way better in real life than he’d been in the pictures she’d seen while she was creeping on him. Her heart picked up and her body sparked to life in a way it hadn’t in far too long.
Something like ten years.
She was staring. She couldn’t stop. Jessica licked her lips, her breath stalling in her lungs when his green eyes met hers. His eyes had always been one of her favorite features—a true green that brightened depending on what he was wearing, framed with thick, dark lashes that had always made her jealous when she was a teenager. Going by those eyes, Jakes would be judged downright pretty.
At least until you saw the rest of his face. His hair had darkened over the years, closer to brown than blond, and his lantern jaw was covered with… “What the hell is that on your face?”
He blinked, the only outward sign that she’d surprised him.
“Nice to see you too, Jessie.” He touched his scruff. “A lot’s changed since you left.”
Her gaze jumped to his right shoulder. There was no outward sign of the injury that had started the end of it all, but then, he was wearing a light-weight black T-shirt, so it wasn’t like it would show. Focus, Jessica. “What are you doing here? Are you picking up someone for the reunion?” There you go. Nice and casual.
“You might say that.” He kept looking at her like he could see the inside of her head. Another new trick.
She glanced around, trying to be subtle. The baggage claim had started to clear out, and there weren’t any conveniently gorgeous men standing around alone. Where was her date? Now would be the perfect time for him to sweep in and do the job she’d hired him for. “I’m here with someone.”
“I know.”
She frowned. “What are you talking about?” On second thought, escaping Jake before she met her date was probably a better choice. She didn’t want to have to deal with meeting this new guy and trying to pretend they’d been dating forever. And how was she going to explain how she’d magically lost him between getting off the plane
and the baggage claim.
Cora’s so-called perfect plan was teetering toward disaster.
“Your order from Diamond Dates.” He gave her a slow, knowing grin that she felt all the way to her toes, and offered his hand. “Jessica Jackson, I’m your date for the reunion.”
Reviews by the
Wicked Reads Review Team
Lee’Anne –
☆☆☆☆
Really enjoying this series so far.
Jessica was the "Regina George" of her high school and when her
friends find out about the upcoming high school reunion she has, they demand
she attend. Jessica knows showing up alone isn't an option, especially knowing
she could run into the love of her life whose heart she broke, so her friends
hook her up with an escort service.
Jake Davis had his heart broken by Jessica back in high school and has loved
her ever since. Now, 10 years later, he spends his days running his lucrative
escort business and thinks he has his chance at revenge when Jessica's name
pops up as needing a date to the reunion. When Jake sees how different Jessica
is since high school, he quickly changes his mind and the old sparks between
the two ignite...
I like that you can read these in any order and I think that the love story
behind this one has been my favorite so far! What I didn’t love – while I think
the idea of this series written by different authors is awesome, I think that
the small details are key and I was disappointed that one of the previous books
mentioned the lack of name tags at the reunion while this book made a point of
mentioning how silly it was to have name tags at a masquerade ball. Also, the
entire first half of the book, Jessica is dreading the reunion as she was such
a "mean girl" in high school; then at the actual reunion, there
really wasn't much drama and it was almost anti-climactic on that front.
Avid Reader –
☆☆☆☆
M/F Romance
Jessica and Jake were
the couple to
be in high school. However, when Jake is injured and Jessica takes a look at
where her life is going – she bolts, leaving Jake heartbroken and angry.
Skip ahead to their 10 year reunion. Jessica has a decent job but is not where
she thought she'd be. Despite having AMAZING friends, she is hesitant to attend
the reunion because of how horrible she was in high school. She was the queen
bee and made everyone else feel little.
Jake went on with his life, but he never really forgave Jessica for breaking
his heart. They had plans and when he was injured, those plans halted. When he
has a chance for a little revenge, he takes it. His new business venture is one
where people can hire escorts for weddings, reunions, etc. Any place where
people need a date.
When Jake and Jessica come back to their high school reunion, Jessica is
plopped right back into her horrible family life. Jessica has a mom who
constantly belittles her and a father who is a serial cheater and doesn't
really bother to be engaged in their family. Jake knows that it was bad in high
school, but I don't think that he really understood how bad her home life was.
Jake and Jessica need to decide if forgiveness is deserved. Hurt feelings come
to light, new hurts create angst, and you can really see how Jake and Jessica
work through their past and leap towards their future.
Sarah –
☆☆☆
This is a cute second chance romance. When the prom queen accidentally hires
her prom king to be her date for their high school reunion, the two former
lovers spend the reunion weekend working through the feelings they still have
for each other. The result is a novella full of angst and heat.
I really enjoyed Jake. Dumped brutally by his high school love, he has enough
of a sense of humour to thoroughly enjoy Jessica’s reaction when she realises
she has hired him as her escort. But he is also sensitive enough to spare her
public humiliation and humble enough to refrain from rubbing her nose in his
wealth and success. He is a good guy, a charming and attractive guy, but he’s
maybe a little bland and a little too... nice.
I found Jessica more difficult to engage with. A reformed mean girl, she admits
at one point that she made Regina George look nice in high school. She spends
the book telling us that she’s a new, nicer person but as soon as she’s back
with her schoolmates she whips out nasty barbed comments. Insights into her
home life make her somewhat sympathetic, but I struggled to relate to her or
even like her at times.
The heat between Jessica and Jake is great and I liked the way they dealt with
their past baggage without too much angst. But somehow, I think I was supposed
to enjoy this more than I did. It might be the novella format that doesn’t
allow for detailed character development or it might just be that Jessie and
Jake’s relationship still feels kinda high school when they are both supposed
to be grown adults. For me, the ending was too easy and the whole story wrapped
up just a little bit too neatly.
Ruthie –
☆☆☆☆
This is one of a series of books with the same theme, but by different authors.
I read them out of order, but it definitely didn't matter, as nothing important
is revealed about any other storyline.
There is quite a shift in this book as the lead, Jessica, was the school mean
girl and she knows that going back will be a challenge, and yet her friends
persuade her that she needs to put some of that time behind her. When we see
her at her parents' house, it is not difficult to understand just how and why
she became such a student. Luckily, Jake has the patience and desire to know
the real Jessie, and watching it all come together is very enjoyable. There are
some fun moments, and some pretty sad ones, but Ms. Robert is adept at ensuring
we are cheering for the pair, and giving us the result we need!
Engaging story; I have enjoyed all I have read so far of this series.
New York Times and
USA Today bestselling author Katee
Robert learned to tell her stories at her grandpa’s knee. Her 2015 title,
The Marriage Contract, was a RITA
finalist, and RT Book Reviews named it “a compulsively readable book with just
the right amount of suspense and tension.” When not writing sexy contemporary
and romantic suspense, she spends her time playing imaginary games with her
children, driving her husband batty with what-if questions, and planning for
the inevitable zombie apocalypse.
Connect with
Katee
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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided
a free copy of Prom Queen (Bad Boy Homecoming #3) by Katee Robert to read and
review for this tour.
Book 3
