The friends-to-lovers romance between main characters Jillian Stearns and Klaus Newman was well-crafted, with lots of flirty, witty banter and fantastic chemistry. I loved how playful they were at times, as well as how supportive they were of each other. That said, I was slightly frustrated at first because they wouldn't just tell each other how they really felt, plus I couldn't understand why Jillian tried to push Klaus away every time he got close. However, her fears became very understandable as more details about her family and upbringing were revealed. There were a lot of complex family dynamics at play in this story, and Jillian needed a chance to repair her relationship with her parents before she was able to fully embrace the idea of a future with Klaus.
Overall, "Fighting Dirty" was a funny, sweet story that featured likeable, sympathetic characters, and I recommend it for all fans of contemporary romance. I hope there are more books to come in this series!
Overall, "Fighting Dirty" was a funny, sweet story that featured likeable, sympathetic characters, and I recommend it for all fans of contemporary romance. I hope there are more books to come in this series!
*Review copy provided by the author via Social Butterfly PR. All opinions expressed are my own.
About "Fighting Dirty"
Fighting Dirty, an all-new irresistible, fake relationship standalone
romance in the smoking hot Ice Kings Series from Stacey Lynn is
available now!
On or off the ice, I have no problems fighting dirty to get what I want.
But this is one fight I might just lose.
There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for my best friend.
Like, hide the fact I’ve been in love with her for years.
Or agree to be her fake boyfriend when we have to return to her hometown for her exes wedding.
Little does Jillian know this is what I’ve been waiting for.
It’s a dream come true. I finally get to touch her and love her in all the ways I’ve been dying to show her.
For one weekend only, she’s mine, even if she thinks it’s fake.
Pretending to love her is easy.
I want her to be mine forever.
Getting Jillian to admit it’s what she wants too, is another thing.
On or off the ice, I have no problems fighting dirty to get what I want.
But this is one fight I might just lose.
Read an Excerpt from "Fighting Dirty"
“I’ll do it.”
“What?” I mean, that was Becca’s plan, but I still hadn’t decided if I was going to ask Klaus.
He’ll have to pretend to be my boyfriend. Someone who loves me enough to prove I’ve totally moved on from Roman and Julianna. I’m not sure my mental health can handle spending a weekend with Klaus pretending we’re dating and then coming back home after and going back to being friends.
“Sure. Why wouldn’t I do it?”
“Are you sure?” I take a small sip. Too much wine will go straight to my head. My appetite still hasn’t returned since Saturday, mostly because I’ve been dreading this moment. “Because it’s not just a date, I mean, it is, but we’d have to act in love and all that stuff.”
Klaus laughs and pushes off his stool. “I do understand the general idea of being a boyfriend and what that entails.”
A warm, calloused, and gorgeous hand covers mine, forcing both my hand and the avocado oil glass bottle to the counter.
“Look at me.”
When I do, he steals my breath. I’ve been able to hide my reaction to him for years. First I pushed it aside because I was stupidly in love with Roman, and then we were friends.
Are friends.
Right. Friends shouldn’t feel this way or have their body heat just because they’re in close, touching proximity to each other.
Someone should tell that to my vagina.
“What about Bailey?” Bailey’s his on-again, off-again cheerleader girlfriend with the local NBA team. She’s also a pre-med student and sweet as hell. It’s difficult to hate her even when I tried. And before Bailey, there was Barbie and Brianna and Bianca. Klaus has such a fascination with women whose names start with the letter B I hesitated to ever introduce him to Becca. Fortunately, Becca’s immune to his charm.
“I haven’t seen Bailey in months.”
“What?” I ask again. “I thought…”
“We weren’t serious. And she wanted something I couldn’t give her.”
“What’s that?”
“Commitment. My heart.” His steel-blue eyes are perfectly framed with long, golden-brown lashes that blink slowly. “I didn’t feel that way about her, so we ended things, firmly, months ago, and I don’t want to talk about her anymore. I’d love to take you to the wedding. In fact, I want to take you.”
A tiny little bubble of hope lifts my voice. “Really? You’ll pretend with me?”
His eyes bounce from mine, to my nose, to my lips before meeting my gaze. I swear that steely blue deepens into another emotion before he smiles. “Sure. I’ll pretend with you.”
A flutter of warmth skips across my shoulder, to my neck, down my spine.
Pretend to be in love with Klaus Newman?
I can totally pull that off.
But can I do it while hiding the fact I think I’m already halfway in love with the guy?
I guess we’ll see how good of an actress I am.
***
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