Accidentally on Purpose
Jill Shalvis     
December 2021 Releases

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Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Heartbreaker Bay
Book: 3

There’s no such thing as a little in love . . .

Elle Wheaton’s priorities: friends, career, and kick-ass shoes. Then there’s the muscular wall of stubbornness that’s security expert Archer Hunt—who comes before everything else. No point in telling Mr. “Feels-Free Zone” that, though. Elle will just see other men until she gets over Archer . . . which should only take a lifetime . . . 

There’s no such thing as a little in lust . . .

Archer’s wanted the best for Elle ever since he sacrificed his law-enforcement career to save her. Their chemistry could start the next San Francisco earthquake and he craves her 24/7, but Archer doesn’t want to be responsible for the damage. The alternative? Watch her go out with guys who aren’t him . . .

There is such a thing as . . .

As far as Archer’s concerned, nobody is good enough for Elle. But when he sets out to prove it by sabotaging her dates, she gets mad—and things get hot as hell. Now Archer has a new mission: prove to Elle that her perfect man has been here all along . . .

Other books in the series:

Elle Wheaton is one of those take no prisoners heroines. I’m not saying she’s a badass but she doesn’t suffer fools gladly—or men who think they can tell her what to do, or how to live her life, or hover over her like a helicopter parent. Enter security expert Archer Hunt who has a knack for doing every single one of these things.  

Elle and Archer have a complicated history. He first meets her when she’s a sixteen-year-old urchin. He rescues her from a bad situation, tries his best to set her on the right path, and loses his job as a rookie cop in the prospect (Elle blames herself for the latter). Archer becomes her defacto guardian angel. Fast forward eleven years and we find them working at a building owned by Spence (Archer’s friend and now Elle’s best friend), Elle as the general manager and Archer as an independent contractor.

Elle and Archer are in a cycle of both wanting each other (badly) but both too reticent/scared (Elle) or too stubborn/scared (Archer) to put it out there, and they’ve been doing this dance since she was hired—so about a year now. I like the circling each other thing as long as it’s not dragged out too long, because that can get old fast. Ms. Shalvis gets a Goldilocks badge in this respect. She doesn’t drag it out too long or conclude it too quickly. It’s just right. Although, it’s funny how everyone else sees how hot they are for each other except them.

I loved Archer. I’d call him the quintessential sexy, quiet and brooding hero, which is one of my faves. He keeps his emotions under wraps but when he lets them out—when he lets his guard down, watch out, Elle. The man is potent. And he’s whole lot possessive and can be prone to a healthy amount of jealousy.

“I am into you,” he said.

“Because I’m suddenly unavailable to you and dating others?”

“I told you,” he said. “Mike’s a player. I did you a favor.”

“And Caleb?”

“A good guy,” he allowed. “But you’re off-limits to him.”

She crossed her arms. “And why is that? And it better not be because seeing others date me suddenly made you want to do the same.”

His gaze never left her. “I don’t want to do the same as Mike and Caleb.”

“No?” she asked.

He gave a slow head shake. “No. Because dating isn’t all I want to do to you.”

Sexual tension is everywhere and Archer is the force field from which it generates. Seriously, the guy is hot and all kinds of sexy. I loved that Elle knows just how to handle him. She’s not one to give in to his demands too quickly or too easily. The woman knows how to stand her ground, and she gives as good as she gets. This scene had be laughing out loud because it’s happened to all texters at one time.

Elle: I’m going to kiss you!

Archer: With tongue?

Elle: Kill you. I’m going to KILL you. Ducking autocorrect.  

The thing is Archer is a weakness of hers…which makes for some sizzling, sexy times as their relationship moves from the office to the bedroom.

But this wasn’t helpful as it put his neck within an inch or two of her mouth. He had a really great throat and damn if even after a day in the woods fishing and hiking and God knew what, he still smelled sexy as hell.

“Are you …sniffing me?” he asked.

She froze, her nose pressed to the back of his neck. “No.”

“Yes you are.” He sounded amused. “You just inhaled me like I was one of Tina’s muffins from the coffee shop—”

Later she would swear she had no idea what came over her, but she bit him. Not a hard bite, more like a nibble. With a lot of teeth.

But with these two, you know it’s not bound to be a smooth transition. They have many obstacles to overcome—emotional and otherwise—like the appearance of her sister and the baggage and trouble she brings with her. Families! We should always remember we don’t get to pick ‘em our own. Thank goodness though, all’s well that ends well. And Elle and Archer are well indeed. :)

A bit of a side note but not an afterthought, I was completely intrigued by Spence. He’s described as sexy geek. The breakup with his ex is mentioned and how badly he was burned by the experience. Well I want—need to know what exactly happened. Will he get his own book? I sure as hell hope so. Is his ex going to be the heroine? I do love second-chance romances. And when will his book be out? Clearly, I’m already vested so the waiting is going to be my cross to bear.  

~ Beverley