Title: Accidentally on Purpose Author: Jill Shalvis
Series: Heartbreaker Bay #3
Release date: January 24, 2017
(Sub)genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 384
Buy: Amazon US ~ Amazon UK
Rating:
I received this book from Inkslinger PR in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
There’s no such thing as a little in love . . .
Elle Wheaton’s priorities: friends, career, and kick-ass shoes. Then there’s the muscular wall of stubbornness that’s security expert Archer Hunt—who comes before everything else. No point in telling Mr. “Feels-Free Zone” that, though. Elle will just see other men until she gets over Archer . . . which should only take a lifetime . . .
There’s no such thing as a little in lust . . .
Archer’s wanted the best for Elle ever since he sacrificed his law-enforcement career to save her. Their chemistry could start the next San Francisco earthquake and he craves her 24/7, but Archer doesn’t want to be responsible for the damage. The alternative? Watch her go out with guys who aren’t him . . .
There is such a thing as . . .
As far as Archer’s concerned, nobody is good enough for Elle. But when he sets out to prove it by sabotaging her dates, she gets mad—and things get hot as hell. Now Archer has a new mission: prove to Elle that her perfect man has been here all along . . .
“She yearned too. Yearned for him to see her as a woman, strong and capable enough to stand at his side. But after what they’d been through, she knew that would never happen.”
Elle is a confident, independent woman who answers to nobody. Growing up she didn’t have a supportive family, it was just her, her sister Morgan and their drifter mom. When Elle and Morgan are left to take care of themselves, things go south and the girls end up in a pretty bad situation. 16-year-old Elle tries to save the day and fails, luckily she’s saved by rookie cop Archer. Over the years, Archer has always been on the back of Elle’s mind, but working together with him for the past year has been hard. She has feelings for him, but she’s sure she nothing but a bad memory for him.
“What would know you about my feelings, Elle?” he asked very, very quietly, his warm breath brushing her temple. And just like that, a new kind of tension came over her, something else as well, something that skittered along every single nerve ending in her body. Bad body.”
Archer always thought he would become a cop, just like his father was. A meeting with a young girl who’s caught up in a messy situation changes everything. He leaves the force and is now the owner of his own security firm. Always busy with his work, Archer doesn’t feel the need to court a woman, but he isn’t a monk either. Since Elle is back in his life, no other woman interests him, but thinking she deserves better he stays away. Obviously, this doesn’t work.
“She wasn’t available. Hell no. Not that she was his. He wanted her. And he wanted her bad too. But she’d worked her ass off to become the woman she was now. He knew he reminded her of bad times, and there was no way he’d risk setting her back or damaging her in any way.”
Elle is no longer the scared girl she used to be, but deep down she isn’t sure Asher can forget how they’ve met and what she has caused him. Archer is proud of the woman Elle has become, despite her upbringing. Over the years he has (unknowingly to Elle) kept an eye on her, so he could help her achieve her dreams. Elle and Archer have feelings for each other – feelings everybody can see – but they don’t give into them. One silly game of ‘truth or dare’ changes that. Suddenly they can’t get enough of each other, but their inner voices keep warning them.
Accidentally On Purpose is the third book in ‘the Heartbreaker Bay series’ and is written in the same pleasant style I know the author’s books for. However, this story has a bit more angst-y feeling then her other books I’ve read. Archer and Elle haven’t seen each other face to face in a long time, but they do share a history. Both their lives changed when they met, and both use the event as some sort of excuse to not date the other. I really like Elle and Archer, but for the street smart, confident people they are, they are not very good at communicating. Please folks, stop making assumptions about somebody else’s thoughts, it doesn’t work!
“I want to be yours. I want you to be mine. We could fly to Vegas, or go home to my place because I have the better shower. Whatever you want as long as we do it together. But we irritate each other.” “Yes,” he said, “but I’ve discovered that I want to spend every irritated moment with you.”
I’ve enjoyed the story of Elle and Archer, I give Accidentally On Purpose 4 stars. I can’t wait for Spencer’s story!
Thank you so much! ~Jessica, InkSlinger PR