Title: Shacking Up

Author: Helena Hunting

Series: N/A

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Published: May 30th 2017 by Swerve

Rating: 4/5 stars ★★★★

“Carving our own path rather than blindly following the one that was laid for us takes infinitely more courage.”

SYNOPSIS:

Ruby Scott is months behind on rent and can’t seem to land a steady job. She has one chance to turn things around with a big audition. But instead of getting her big break, she gets sick as a dog and completely bombs it in the most humiliating fashion. All thanks to a mysterious, gorgeous guy who kissed—and then coughed on—her at a party the night before.

Luckily, her best friend might have found the perfect opportunity; a job staying at the lavish penthouse apartment of hotel magnate Bancroft Mills while he’s out of town, taking care of his exotic pets. But when the newly-evicted Ruby arrives to meet her new employer, it turns out Bane is the same guy who got her sick.

Seeing his role in Ruby’s dilemma, Bane offers her a permanent job as his live-in pet sitter until she can get back on her feet. Filled with hilariously awkward encounters and enough sexual tension to heat a New York City block, Shacking Up, from NYT and USA Today bestselling author Helena Hunting, is sure to keep you laughing and swooning all night long.

MY REVIEW:

4 of 5 stars to Shacking Up by Helena Hunting

★★★★

I can’t believe I’ve been missing out on Helena Hunting goodies all these years. I only found out about her now and I think I should start checking more of her stories out.

Shacking Up came as a surprise to me. The cover didn’t really give me much of a stellar impression. I already pegged it as a smut with a plot thrown on the side. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was nothing like I imagined. It was a steamy read, far from plain raunchy sacking smut is all about. There was real chemistry between the leads.

Apart from Ruby and Bancroft’s compatibility, I also enjoyed how their relationship developed gradually. It’s a slow burn romance and no sex happened until the 70% mark, if I remember correctly, and they were truly steamy ones. The banters were funny and sexy, the innuendos tasteful, and the drama just right.

Minor characters (who are going to have their book eventually) were also introduced and they effectively intrigued me but what I love about it is that the introductions didn’t take away so much of the story time. In fact, they were just brief and casual mentions intended to inform of their existence but though short, I already understood their motivations on some level and wanted to get to know them more. Hunting was excellent in that aspect. I cannot wait to read more about Lexington and Amalie.

***cover art: 2/5 stars. I’m rolling my eyes right now. I wish the cover wasn’t so tacky. Yeah, he’s ripped but we’ve seen that countless times.***