5 Smooches
Synopsis
Good Girl. Notorious Bad-Boy. One Phenomenal Love.
From the mean streets of Detroit rises the newest superstar of professional wrestling, Xavier Cold, better known as Phenomenal X. His muscular physique makes men cower before him and women lose their minds with desire.
Anna Cortez is fresh out of college and naive to the harsh realities of the real world. Tired of living under the thumb of her conservative family, she defies them when she accepts a job as the assistant to wrestling’s most notorious bad-boy. Phenomenal X has an animalistic nature that even good girl Anna finds hard to resist.
One night forced to share a bed in a sold-out hotel, lines blur between them and they quickly learn that one lustful night changes everything and neither one of them will ever be the same.
Review
“Xavier Cold is about to be the tornado that flips my world upside down.”
I want to start off by saying that being a big Michelle A. Valentine fan I was anxiously awaiting this books arrival on my kindle. I was not let down. In many ways this book is your typical good girl meets bad boy book and in so many more it is different than any I have read before. Anna Cortez and Xavier Cold are characters I have grown to truly love and this book has only left me wanting more from their story! Both Anna and Xavier come from troubled past that haunt them and make having normal relationships difficult and prevent them from being able to dive head first into what they are feeling.
“I’ve met some actual demons from hell and trust me, beautiful you’re the furthest thing from evil I’ve been around in a long, long time.”
When this story begins Anna is leaving her home and overprotective, controlling father behind for a new life in Portland with her Aunt and Cousin. While on the plane there Anna meets “X”, Xavier, and although she is attracted to him and he is very good at seduction she holds strong and it isn’t long until these two opposites have formed a true friendship.
“You can’t keep looking at me like that. I want you. If you give in to me, there’s no going back, and you’re not ready for someone like me. I don’t have the best self control, and I’m a very selfish man.”
I really liked the fact that in this book the girl did not just immediately swoon over the famous fighter. From the beginning she knew she was attracted to him but also knew what he was offering her, a good time but no long term, was not what she was looking for. I admired her for standing firm knowing what he could offer was not good enough for her. Yet, at the same time she needed to be near him. I loved the rules set forth to keep the friendship platonic . . .
“My eyes zero in on the washboard abs on full display in front of me, each muscle clearly defined and very . . . lickable. Oh, Lord. Did I just think lickable? Who am I? I’ve never in my life referred to a man as lickable before. But in all fairness, I’ve never had a man like Xavier flash me his unbelievably ripped body before either, so I am going to chalk it up to unexplored hormones.”
Phenomenal X held just the right mixture of angst, drama, humor, steam and compassion for me. I have never read any other wrestler books and found Xavier to be very different and very refreshing change from other fighters. I liked how his personality fit the wrestler persona which is very different than the other type of fighters such as boxer or MMA. Michelle Valentine wrote a book that drew me in and never let me go. I am going to be sitting on the edge of my seat impatiently awaiting Hard Knocks #2.
“Shit just got very real.”
~miranda
