4 wonderful Luke-tastic stars for Luke and Ashleigh!
This is a 3 part series of novellas and you can buy them separately or buy the entire set (which is what I recommend- it's a better value!)
The entire trilogy was given provided to me as an Advanced Reader's Copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is my second Louise Hay series and let me just TELL you--she writes really great male characters. The first series, which started with Week in New York was about Ethan and Anna. Read it if you get a chance.
This is a great story about life long friends who discover that their Happily Ever After has been right in front of the faces for years. From page one, I was hooked and knew I was going to love this story. It had such a warm, sweet feeling, with the promise of growing in to a hot, delicious feeling as the book progressed. And, it did not dissappoint!
Here is the publisher's summary: "A Wonder Woman costume, a bottle of tequila and a game of truth or dare between two close friends changes everything. Is it possible for a guy to turn on a switch and realize he's been in love with a girl that's been under his nose for over a decade? Ashleigh Franklin can't decide.
Ashleigh wants the fairy tale. Ever since she was a kid, her best friend's brother, Luke, has been her fantasy Prince Charming. Now he's trying to convince her that she's the one he's wanted all these years. There's no way it's that easy to escape the friend zone.
Single after years living with a girlfriend, Luke has finally woken up. What he's been waiting for has been right under his nose for almost his entire life. Can he persuade her that he's serious and won't break her heart?"
Luke and Ashleigh and Haven (Luke's sister) have been close friends for most of their lives. As they have grown into adults, their friendship goes from simple friendship into the forming of family of choice. They are very close, and Sunday night dinners are tradition they use to keep their family unit connected. It's quite a cosy picture but when we start to scratch the surface, we realize that all is not as it seems. Ashleigh is in love with Luke and she has been since she was a teenager. Luke is clueless and views Ashleigh as his little sister's best friend and treats her the way a brother would.
Luke is in a long term relationship with Emma. They live together and everything. When Emma starts making rumblings about marriage and kids, Luke realizes he wants none of those things tries to figure out what to do about the future of his relationship with Emma.
At the same time, Ashleigh is trying to get over her unrequited love for Luke and is dating Richard, a doctor at the hospital where she works as a nurse. Things seem be going well between them, but unfortunately, Richard isn't Luke and so pales in comparison to him. Ashleigh also struggles to decide what the future holds for them.
As this is happening, Luke wakes up to what a beautiful woman Ashleigh is. He has always known she was a wonderful person. It becomes very apparent that although Haven and Ashleigh are referred to as best friends, Ashleigh is Luke's best friend and the person he trusts most in the world. He sets about trying to convince her that what they could have together is worth pursuing. Ashleigh is a great heroine and although I wanted to shake her at times, I also understood her reluctance to jump into the kind of relationship Luke says he wants. It's very nice to see that Ashleigh and Luke are both determined to make sure that nothing changes the foundation of the lifelong friendship they have.
"Let's make a promise that whatever happens tonight, we make sure we're always family. That is non-negotiable as far as I am concerned" he said with that sexy grin that made my insides melt since forever"
When they decide to pursue their romance, things go from 0-60 in 3.4 seconds! Ashleigh's head spins a bit and she tries to slow things down and Luke is having none of it- he is not messing around!
"We're not friends, Ashleigh; do you know that? Not anymore. You're mine. Every part of you. The sooner you get used to that, the better
.
Watching Ashleigh and Luke figure things out was fun. It was a little frustrating that Ashleigh seemed to struggle to trust someone she seemed to know so well and how she let other people's opinions influence her so readily. But, all in all this was a fantastic read and you will leave you wanting to read more of Ms. Hay's work!
