review || RESCUING THE BAD BOY { blog tour }

Rescuing the Bad Boy by Jessica Lemmon

Publisher: Forever (5/26/2015)
Series: Second Chance, book 2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: NetGalley/Publisher
Purchase links || amazon | bn | ibooks | googleplay || add to goodreads

Rating: ★★★★★

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Not All Scars Heal
For Donovan Pate, the lake town of Evergreen Cove is a minefield of tough memories-including the day he had to let go of Sofie Martin. Years later he still can't forget the taste of her lips and the feel of her killer curves. He knows he's too damaged, that he should stay away for her own good. But what the head says and the heart wants are two very different things . . .

Seven years ago, Donovan broke Sofie's heart. Now her career depends on playing nice in order to pull off the charity fund-raiser of the decade. She vows to keep things professional . . . yet working by his side every day doesn't make it easy to fight temptation, and it isn't long before she finds herself falling for this bad boy all over again. But loving Donovan means helping him face his past-so they can fight for a future together.

about Jessica || A former job-hopper, Jessica Lemmon resides in Ohio with her husband and rescue dog. She holds a degree in graphic design currently gathering dust in an impressive frame. When she's not writing super-sexy heroes, she can be found cooking, drawing, drinking coffee (okay, wine), and eating potato chips. She firmly believes God gifts us with talents for a purpose, and with His help, you can create the life you want.

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{ excerpt } .

Her soft touch landed on Donovan’s arm, and the anger shuddering inside him shifted into an ache. She stepped closer, the warmth between them radiating enough heat to set him on fire. But like the fireplaces he built, he could handle it. He could handle the heat from her, not because he was impervious, but because he was strong enough to soak her in and not burn to ash. 

She turned his arm where paint was drying. She swiped at it with her sleeve. “I made a mess.”

He’d forgotten about the paint. “Don’t… I can… There is a shower in the…” He lost his train of thought when she turned those emerald green eyes up to him. He watched her delicate throat work as she swallowed. His eyes traveled up her neck and landed on her mouth. Needing her mouth, he lowered his face, watched her eyes grow dark and wide, watched her lift her chin to meet him.

Heat. He wanted more. If only to test his own strength. 

He moved his lips gently against hers, but resisted holding her to him. She held onto him though, grasping his forearms with both hands, her fingers wrapped around his elbows. Pressing her body against his, pressing her tits against his ribs. 

Hell, sounded like an invitation to him.  Deepening their connection, he thrust his tongue into her mouth, reached around, and grabbed her ass with both palms. When he squeezed, she sucked in a breath. 

“Told you,” he rumbled.

“Told me?”

“Not a complaint, Scampi.” He squeezed again. “Perfect.”

A choked laugh left her throat. “Big.”

Still moving his hands over her backside, he said, “First thing I noticed about you at the Wharf.” He’d been plating up a chicken scaloppini when the manager walked in to show around a few new servers. Two he couldn’t remember, and Sofie. Bent over the plate, he’d peeked between the metal shelves framing that perfect ass . He’d stood to get a better look, and she’d pegged him with those moss-greens. 

“Second thing I noticed was your eyes.”

Her lips parted slightly. “And the third thing?”

He kissed her. She tasted incredible. “The first time you talked to me.”

She rolled her eyes. “And what did I say?”

She didn’t think he remembered. She was wrong. “‘Can I get a side of cock?’”

Laughing, she shook her head. 

He smiled back at her, unable to help himself. “Then you cleared your throat and said, ‘cocktail sauce’.”

Shaking her head, she said, “Worst abbreviation ever.”

“Kitchen guys are immature.”

She blinked up at him, studying him, like she was trying to piece him together. He didn't want her to. Once she pieced him together and had the whole picture, she wouldn’t like what she saw. 

He kissed her again, keeping his hands on her body.

“Are you testing my boundaries?” she asked, her tone teasing. He recognized that comment from the night he rescued her from Torsett.

“Mine,” he corrected.

Sofie bit her lip. “I don’t date much.”

“Me either.” At all, actually.

She shook her head, more in thought than in argument. “I don’t think I have any boundaries with you.”

He was beginning to think he had none with her, either.

{ review } .

So... I ended my BRINGING HOME THE BAD BOY review with a note about how I was in love, LOVE, with the teaser for RESCUING THE BAD BOY and can I just say...

It lived up to all my expectations and more.

From cute nicknames (I mean... seafood shouldn't be a cute nickname but gah, Donovan does it so well) to my favorite way to write an epilogue, this title just hit all of the marks.

Seven years ago, Donovan (unknowingly) took Sofie's virginity; when he coldly drove her back to her car and then brashly told her to leave, he earned himself a slap on the face. Of every punch his body had received in his life, he has always felt that that was the most deserved.

"I don't do virgins." --Donovan

Sofie always had the ability to make him smile. She was the rare one who was able to see the good in him, something that left him uncomfortable. She was also the only one to make him nervous, both as a young guy and again when he saw her for the first time in years.

When he left Evergreen Cove, it was with the intent to never return again. He was left his grandmother's mansion and a trust upon her death, and all he wants to do is sell the damn thing and leave; problem? There's a long standing event that is tying the mansion up for the next three months and he's stuck. When he goes to remedy this, he gets his first interaction with his Scampi in seven years.

I absolutely loved Donovan and Sofie. This SECOND CHANCE series that Jessica is writing is shaping up to be one of my favorites, for sure. This group of bad boys of summer, all grown up, is so fun to read about. With Donovan and Sofie, you could tell that there'd been more than just a roll-in-the-hay-'emotion' back in the day with the fact that from the moment they re-meet, the tension is thick. Immediately, they both go into their newest conversation locked-and-loaded, ready for a fight.

"I don't do assholes." --Sofie

Sofie has done some growing up over the years. She'd always been a bit mule-headed (it was kind of how she earned her nickname, after all) but even now as an adult, she's not afraid to stand up to him. When he corrects her use of "Donny", she tells him, under no uncertain terms, that if he can call her Scampi still, then she can call him Donny.

Donovan had a rough life; there was no denying it. He needed someone who was strong-willed but had a big heart -- and I think he'd always known that that was Sofie. I think that his feelings toward her scared him from day one, and it took some growing up for him to finally accept what she had to give him. She had the ability to take away his negative memories and bring a new light to his life.

Then there's this scene, in a shower, and they're talking tattoos... My goodness, Donny's last comment? Insta-tears. I loved him from the get-go, but that right there sealed the deal for me.

If the final chapters and epilogue are any indication, Sofie and Donovan make an excellent team and are, and have always been, the perfect one to balance the other out.

{ previous reviews in series } .

BRINGING HOME THE BAD BOY { review here } .



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