5 Smooches!
Synopsis
He’s hot. Like, stop breathing kind of hot with his killer body, vivid blue eyes, and constant five o’clock shadow.
Did I mention his body?
Watching Hollis Knightly, Olympic diving gold medalist, man-pony specialist—and cocky bastard—stand up on the diving platform in nothing but a small piece of Spandex? Yeah, I’m beguiled.
And easily seduced.
I want to keep things light but he won’t leave me alone. And hell, if he’s not wearing me thin.
What is supposed to be a simple summer fling with a very hot man, has now morphed into a f*cked-up mess of feelings, attachment, and dare I say it…love. But I don’t do relationships. And Hollis Knightly does.
REVIEW
This is the third book in Meghan Quinn’s Stroked series, and right off the block, it started strong and just got stronger with each subsequent book. Quinn’s writing style – a positively captivating and engaging blend of humor, heat and heart – never fails to draw me in. This is the fifth book of hers that I’ve read this year. I’d be hard pressed to name a favorite, but I the whole Stroked series has definitely become a favorite of mine.
“I’m not a one-and-done man. I like being in a relationship.”
Readers of this series have gotten to know Olympic gold medal diver, Hollis, through the previous two books. In reality, though, we barely scratched the surface of this character in the previous two books. The Hollis we’ve gotten to know was cocky, a bit arrogant and whip-quick witty. He never seemed to take anything too seriously, that is until he met Melony. Hollis turned out to be such a huge surprise – he was not at all what I was expecting! He was shockingly swoony and heart-thumpingly sexy, and don’t ask me how this was even possible, but his over-confident cockiness was actually quite endearing! I know, it’s crazy!
“It seems so effortless, uncomplicated, like we were meant to be together.”
Melony is a make-up artist working for the she-Devil, Bellini Chambers. She’s a bit closed off, a bit brusque and doesn’t trust easily, if at all. Relationships are not for her, she doesn’t date and falling in love isn’t something she will ever allow herself to do. The thing is that she is <very begrudgingly> drawn to Hollis, and it’s becoming exhausting warding off his never-ending, continuous barrage of advancements. She’s not even sure she wants to, but doesn’t think her already battered and broken heart can withstand the inevitable run through the mill that she is certain a relationship with Hollis will deliver.
“…he Noah Calhouned my ass.”
Oh my, the wooing that this man does of this woman was breathtaking. It’s the legendary type stuff of the great male romantic leads, like Noah Calhoun from Nicholas Sparks’ The Notebook. The lengths that Hollis went to in order to get Melony’s attention, her affection, were staggering. Not only was the man a complete romantic, but he was relentless in his pursuit of her. It stands to reason that an Olympic caliber athlete would be a highly focused individual, so it’s not surprising that when Hollis decided to focus on Melony, he was in it to win it. He never gave up, he never gave in, and he gave it his all. He was so incredibly creative and thoughtful in quest to win her over that I was literally swooning in my La-Z-Boy. The problem is that Melony has some serious trust issues, and her walls are higher and more fortified than the ones that Trump wants to build along the U.S. border. Hollis, despite all of his cocky arrogance, has a full plate himself. He’s training for the Olympics, he’s pursuing Melony, and under that outward happy-go-lucky persona, he’s carrying a tremendous amount of guilt over a tragic mistake in his youth. He’s just so adamant, unwavering in his certainty, that he and Melony are meant to be together, he’s just got to convince her to try. There is no other option as far as he’s concerned.
“Melony, are you in? Will you put faith in us? In me?”
I loved this story, every single word of it. Meghan Quinn did a fabulous job developing this story and these characters. By this point in the series, I felt like I knew them all, and I was invested in Melony and Hollis before I even picked this book up. Even while tackling some sensitive, emotional obstacles, the romcom genius that is Meghan Quinn liberally wove in that snort-laugh-inducing, tears-in-my-eyes, clutching-my-sides, can’t-catch-my-breath sense of humor her readers have come to associate as uniquely hers. The things she comes up with are original, fresh and so flipping funny. But humor wasn’t the only thing, this book was heavy on the romance – this is a really great love story!! – and the chemistry between Hollis and Melony was explosive. This book was so hot, absolutely unashamedly, deliciously sexy.
I have thoroughly enjoyed this entire series. After each book, I swore that it was my favorite. Now, having read them all, I honestly can’t choose a favorite among them, I loved them all and for very different reasons. Quinn’s writing kept me engaged, entertained and grinning from cover-to-cover. I am so beyond impressed by her, by this book, by this entire series, she’s earned a fan for life with me. Without hesitation, Meghan Quinn’s Stroked Hard gets 5 smooches from me.
~ Danielle Palumbo
