5 SMOOCHES!
SYNOPSIS:
From New York Times bestselling author Alexa Riley, a friends-to-lovers romance that will bring you the happily-ever-after you’ve been waiting for
Jordan Chen is the man behind the screen. As part of the elite security team for Osbourne Corporation, he has an iron grip on protection, all without having to make close connections with people. Until he meets the beautiful Jay, and suddenly his quiet life doesn’t seem so perfect anymore. He needs more. He needs her.
A workaholic to her core, Jay Rose doesn’t have a lot of men in her life. Smiling in the face of her enemies gets her the results she wants at work, but doesn’t exactly project a warm, welcoming vibe. So she’s surprised when the enigmatic security expert strikes up a friendship with her—surprised but flattered, and maybe a little bit turned on.
A company as powerful as Osbourne Corporation has powerful enemies, and when Jay becomes a target, Jordan realizes there’s nothing he won’t do to bring her home safe.
REVIEW:
It’s no secret that I’m an enormous fan of Alexa Riley and their smutty insta-love novellas about over-the-top, totally obsessed, all-alpha males claiming the virgins of their dreams. When they announced that they were launching a series of full-length novels, I was beside myself with glee. Three full-length novels stuffed to capacity with all of that possessive, protective, alpha-male-getting-his-woman goodness? Yes, please. I’ll be honest, though, and admit that there was a teeny, tiny part of me that wondered if they could make the transition from novella to full-length novel, so it thrills me to no end to say that that worry wasn’t warranted because not only did they make the jump, but they totally nailed it. They did a fantastic job building rich, detailed plots while still packing the pages with all of the safe steaminess their readers have come to love and expect from them.
I loved Everything for Her and His Alone, the first two novels in the For Her series, and knowing what this author duo did with those two books, I couldn’t wait to see where they were going to take us in Claimed. I anxiously waited for this one to hit my Kindle, and I squealed with smutty, safe-read satisfaction when it finally hit my Kindle. I loved Claimed, I loved Jordan, I loved Jay, I loved them together in all their awkward, nerdy, virginal glory. There was plenty of the obsessed, protective, possessive, growling hot guy stuff that we all want in an Alexa Riley story, and they paired that hottie hero with a fierce little powerhouse of a heroine who was also funny, quirky, a little bit clueless and kind of clumsy. Stuck in the friend zone, I loved how they maneuvered from professional pals to a romantic relationship. Their sweet, sexy romance wasn’t the only thing happening here, though. There was also an intriguing and exciting suspense plot that held my interest just as much as Jordan and Jay’s budding relationship did.
Claimed was everything I hoped—and more than I anticipated—it would be. It was charming, romantic and steamy with an abundance of the Alexa Riley style of alpha fixation that we readers have come to crave insatiably. Fantastic side characters and a good dose of humor take this from a really good story to three hundred pages of pure escapism reading pleasure. With three fantastic full-length novels under their belts, I am praying to the smut gods that in addition to their addictively naughty novellas, we’ll see more novel length stories from them in the future. Claimed by Alexa Riley gets five smooches from me!
~ Danielle Palumbo
