My Sexiest Mistake (Harlequin Blaze #44)

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Synopsis

Ryan Donnelly is a corporate trainer who has been writing romance novels on the side. She wants nothing more than to write full-time, but first she has to finish the new sexy novel she's been working on. The only problem is that it's been years since she last had sex, so the love scenes just aren't flowing for her. When her agent suggests setting her up with an escort service so that she can get some inspiration, Ryan is scandalized, but before long, she decides to just go for it. At the hotel bar where she's supposed to meet the guy, she sees a gorgeous man who raises his hand in her direction. When she approaches Cade, she finds someone who is easy to talk to and soon they're headed upstairs for some sexy fun time. But little does she know that he wasn't her paid companion after all.

After sealing a multi-million dollar deal that will make his web business a reality, Cade Douglas is celebrating in the hotel bar. When he raises his hand for the waitress, he gets a gorgeous brunette hitting on him instead. When Ryan invites him upstairs to her room, he decides not to question his good fortune, but the more time he spends with her, he comes to realize she thinks he's an escort. Not wanting their time together to end so soon, he stays quiet, but when they meet up again the next night, he quickly finds out that the jig is up and that she's plotted erotic payback. The next day, he also discovers that Ryan is the trainer for the company he's hiring to create content for his new website. The pair try to maintain a professional relationship while struggling to keep their hands off each other, and soon give in to the irresistible temptation. But Cade's divorce along with a sordid family history have soured him on the idea of happily-ever-afters, so when Ryan falls hard and fast for him, can he get on the same page?

Review

My Sexiest Mistake is a stand-alone contemporary romance that was Kristin Hardy's debut novel. Ryan is a corporate trainer who has dreams of becoming a full-time romance novelist, and her next book, a steamy contemporary, could propel her to the status she's seeking. But first she has to complete it, and with limited sexual experience, she's struggling to write the necessary steamy love scenes. Ryan's agent suggests setting her up with an escort service a friend of hers uses, so that Ryan can get some hands-on inspiration. At first, Ryan is scandalized, but then she decides to take the plunge. At the hotel bar where they're supposed to meet, a gorgeous man appears to be beckoning her over, so she assumes he's her Casanova. In reality, Cade is merely a businessman who's in the hotel bar unwinding after a day of wheeling and dealing with investors. He raises his hand to call over the waitress, but instead a beautiful woman approaches him and starts up a conversation. Next thing he knows, he's in her hotel room and things are getting very steamy. He eventually realizes that she thinks he's an escort, but enjoying his time with her and not wanting it to end, he doesn't fess up. Instead they agree to meet again. After realizing that she was duped, Ryan plots a little erotic payback, leaving Cade "all tied up." She assumes she'll never see him again until he shows up at her office, looking for a partner to provide content for his new website. She's determined to keep thing strictly professional, but working with Cade every day is a major distraction. Finally Ryan gives in to the attraction and they agree to a discreet, casual affair until one of them burns out. The more time she spends with Cade, though, the more attached she becomes. But with a sordid family history and a failed relationship in his past, Cade doesn't believe in happily-ever-afters.

Ryan got her college degree with plans to teach English at a prep school, but when she had trouble finding a job, she instead went into corporate training. She's good at her job, but her real passion is writing. She's already published several sweet romances and now wants to dip her toe into steamier waters, which she hopes will get her a multi-book contract that will make it possible to quit her day job. The only problem is that after an unsatisfying first sexual experience in college, she hasn't been with a man since, so she's finding it difficult to write the loves scenes to finish her latest novel. When her agent suggests hiring an escort, Ryan is a little scandalized, but the more she thinks about it, the more appealing the idea is. She thinks she can get the inspiration she needs without any worries about maintaining a relationship. When a guy at the bar where they're meeting raises his hand, she thinks it's for her. She's surprised by how easy their conversation flows and impressed by how gorgeous he is, so it doesn't take long before they're getting hot and heavy in her hotel room. But when her agent calls the next day, wondering why she never met up with the escort, Ryan knows she was duped. Angry with Cade but still craving his body, she plots a night of erotic payback that leaves her very satisfied, but she thinks she'll never see him again. Then he shows up at her workplace, needing her help with his project. She wants to keep it strictly professional between them until she can't bear the distraction he presents and gives in to a casual affair. But it doesn't take long before she's falling in love and wanting more, but it doesn't seem like Cade feels the same way. I appreciated Ryan for her adventurous spirit and talent at both her teaching and writing jobs. However, I thought her characterization could have gone a little deeper. I couldn't help wanting to know more about her first sexual experience that seemed to put her off men, but very little about it ever materialized. Overall, though, she's basically the quintessential hopeless romantic.

Cade is a businessman, working on creating a website that he hopes will be the next big internet sensation. After securing a seven million dollar investment from a venture capitalist, he's celebrating with a drink at the hotel bar. As he raises his hand to call over a waitress, another gorgeous woman approaches him instead, hitting on him. When Ryan invites him up to her room, he thinks he just hit the jackpot, but soon the oddity of the things she says makes him realize that she was likely meeting an escort and thinks he's that guy. Cade knows he should probably fess up, but he's really enjoying her company in more ways than one. Thinking she'd end their interactions if he did, he decides not to say anything. After a steamy evening together, they agree to meet up again the next night, during which she ties him up and has her wicked way with him as payback after finding out the truth. Cade can't deny that it was still a pleasurable time, but when she leaves in the morning, he figures he'll likely never see her again. Then he chances to run into Ryan at her workplace, a company Cade wants to hire to create content for his website. Although he agrees to her demand that they keep things professional, he can't deny that seeing her every day is an exciting temptation, and soon he's appreciating her teaching skills as much as her bedroom talents. When Ryan finally proposes that they resume their affair until one of them burns out, Cade is eager to jump in with both feet. But when she tells him she loves him, he feels it might be best to end things before she gets hurt even more. Cade was a pretty good guy who just had a hard time believing in an HEA after watching his dad run through a succession of women throughout the years and then having one failed relationship of his own. I'm glad that he came to his senses before too much time passed and realized that he'd fallen for Ryan, too.

The GoodReads rating for My Sexiest Mistake is pretty low, and with it being my first read by Kristin Hardy, I went into it with some uncertainties. I think it was the mistaken identity scenario that attracted me to read it in the first place, and the beginning of the story was pretty fun and steamy. After the truth is out and Cade and Ryan reconnect in a professional capacity through her employer, it turns into more of a workplace romance. At that point, the storytelling could be a little slow-paced at times. However, there was enough simmering attraction and relationship development taking place to keep me interested. Once they both give in to their undeniable attraction, things turn hot and sexy again. They may have met in a very unconventional way, but their chemistry was unmistakable. While there maybe could have been a little more character development for Cade and Ryan, there's enough that I liked them both. Even though it made me a little sad when Cade broke up with Ryan, I generally understood his reticence toward becoming more deeply involved and luckily he realizes his mistake relatively quickly. I enjoyed how the author brought everything full-circle, wrapping up the story where Cade and Ryan's relationship began. IMHO, it was a perfect ending. The story may not have had a great deal of excitement, but given that this was Ms. Hardy's first published novel, I thought she did a pretty good job with it for a debut effort. It was good enough to leave me open to trying more of her work in the future.

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Kristin Hardy