ARC Review: Scandalous by L.J. Shen

“Lots of sexiness?  Check.”
~ Under the Covers

I was giddy with anticipation to read the story about the last HOT-Hole.  At the end of the previous book we know that Trent is now left raising his young daughter after her stripper mother up and disappeared.  He’s also the only HotHole left that’s still interested in digging in and working on their company while the rest want more time at home with their families.  So when Scandalous opens up and we meet the partner they’ve brought in, things quickly start coming together.  Especially when Trent meets his new partner’s daughter, Edie.

There are things I expect from this series and I think this book delivered on those.  Jerk heroes, a little bit on the ruthless and sometimes uncaring side?  Check.  Lots of sexiness?  Check.  Friendship?  Check.  So as you can see, I did enjoy this book because it gave me what I was expecting.  But there were some things that kept me from fully enjoying this and kept popping up in my head.

One was the age difference.  Now, it’s not a huuuuuge age difference but it’s the fact that the heroine is so young.  In my eyes, and although she’s had to mature and grow up way faster than her years, she’s still a kid.  I feel like Trent’s transition from “I can’t act on my attraction” to “let’s push those panties aside” was a bit sudden.  One moment he’s thinking to keep her at arms length, the next he’s getting physical without much remorse about it.  I wish there was a bit more of a struggle there.  And on second point, the chemistry for me was missing a little something I couldn’t quite put my finger on.  I wasn’t as invested in these two together as the previous couples, or even as much as I liked the characters individually.

That being said, I found Edie to be a very relatable character.  My heart went out to her for what she’s had to deal with, and the fact that she’s come out a stronger, fighting woman on the other side.  Trent’s resilient and there was something very sexy about his determination, especially his ruthlessness when it came to business.

While this story didn’t have the emotional impact on me that the previous book had, I still liked the way it weaved some more serious topics that are part of life.  Relationships and prejudice.  And of course, I have a soft spot for Trent’s daughter Luna who was such a sweety without saying a word.

I’m definitely curious to see what Ms. Shen will write next.  We’ve finished with the Hotholes so will we see this series continue or move on to something else?  I’ll be following.

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