One silly little hookup in an alleyway shouldn't have changed my life. I'm independent and logical, introverted and so scared of getting hurt that I'd rather be single forever. Roscoe Rhodes is the opposite. He's codependent and irrational, extroverted and so convinced we should be together that he practically throws his heart at me.We have nothing in common, yet I find I can't seem to stay away from him.With our best friends dating and our businesses being right next door to each other, I know I can't hide forever. Sooner or later, one of us will have to budge.Why do I hope it's me?
Octavia Jensen is a coffee addict, a tale-spinner and a hopeless romantic, usually in that order. She spends her free time chasing adrenaline rushes or writing steamy, romance novels, and sometimes, those feel like the same thing.
This book was EVERYTHING!!! I am not even a fan of insta-lust but the spice in this book?? UNREAL 🔥
This book picks up after Jagger (but you don't have to read that book) and follows the story of Rhodes and Mila, who instantly feel attraction for each other, but have a few obstacles on the way. Mila is afraid to open up to Rhodes because she's overly independent and scared of getting hurt so she pushes all potential love interests away. Rhodes is OBSESSED with Mila and very intense but he constantly messes up every opportunity to get to know her because he lets sex get in the way. I liked how they both learned to open up to each other and get vulnerable.
I liked how they couldn't physically stay away from each other, it was like they needed the other to breathe and I ATE IT UP. I also enjoyed how they were both business owners (and their business are next to each other!!) and how supportive they were.
This book is very efficient and excels at what it sets out to do: it's an enjoyable, hot and sweet novella with lovable characters that makes it hard to put down.
Love love loved this story. Every character in this series so far has felt unique and different from other characters I’ve read. It’s hard to believe someone can make you fall in love with characters in such a short novella but I was truly invested in both Rhodes and Mila!
This story had the exact balance of fun and sexy scenes along with heart felt and wholesome character development that leaves you wanting to read more about these two. Can’t wait for the next story in this series because Octavia Jensen can’t seem to write a book that I don’t love ❤️
'He visto una mujer que no necesita a nadie. Alguien que devora su cena porque siempre se salta el almuerzo por ser una trabajadora tan dura y dedicada. Alguien que llega a casa del trabajo y ve documentales de naturaleza y baila con su almohada al ritmo de la música de su tocadiscos. Veo que estás contenta con el lugar en el que te encuentras en tu vida y no sé por qué, pero saber todo esto ha hecho que mantenerte alejado sea aún más difícil. No necesitas a un hombre y seguro que no me necesitas a mí. Pero si me quisieras… estoy aquí.'
•Mi opinión puede contener Spoilers. •Esta destinada a ser un descargo personal no para que alguien más lea pero si lo haces y te ofende, me disculpo porque sé lo que es que te guste un libro y otros lo critiquen.
Rhodes de Octavia Jensen
Argumento:
Un pequeño encuentro tonto en un callejón no debería haber cambiado mi vida. Soy independiente y lógica, introvertida y tengo tanto miedo de que me lastimen que preferiría estar soltera para siempre.
Roscoe Rhodes es todo lo contrario. Es codependiente e irracional, extrovertido y está tan convencido de que deberíamos estar juntos que prácticamente me arroja su corazón.
No tenemos nada en común, pero creo que no puedo alejarme de él.
Con nuestros mejores amigos saliendo y nuestros negocios uno al lado del otro, sé que no puedo esconderme para siempre. Tarde o temprano, uno de nosotros tendrá que ceder.
¿Por qué espero que sea yo?
Mi humilde opinión:
Romance con aventura de una noche, atracción instantánea, opuestos se atraen, él se enamora primero.
Me encantó esta pareja! Hay tensión sexual, pasión y chispas volando por todos lados desde su primer encuentro. Disfruté de las bromas y los momentos dulces. Mila cree que Rhodes solo está interesado en el sexo y no en una relación estable razón por la que no lo toma enserio, detesto la falta de comunicación pero estos dos hicieron que no me importara tanto. Él quiere una relación estable y no se da por vencido, me encantó verlo insistir y ganarse su corazón y sobretodo verla a Mila encontrar por fin el hombre de su vida. Rhodes sin dudas era un romántico y adoraba a Mila.
Me divertí mucho con los amigos ayudándolos para que estén juntos. Totalmente me apunto para leer el próximo libro, espero que sea la historia de Shawn.
This books starts where Jagger ends. Although these are pretty much standalone you can read them so you don't miss anything. Our Mmc Rhodes has his eyes for Mila from the beginning and i loved it 😍 . The push n pull was necessary for them to work out their insecurity.
We get to see some old characters and their funny banter was all I needed 😂 .
Somehow I believe Shawn would get his book next and I can't wait for them.
Thank you octavia for giving me this early copy ❤️
Heat level: 4/5. Fast burn book since the main characters jump each other's bones immediately. FMC tries to fight her attraction since she knows MMC sleeps around. Hand necklaces and a man who is a bit too big and leaves her sore. He steps up and pulls out all the stops to win her over, including a bit of light stalking. Great and entertaining read.
(arc review) In Rhodes we meet the goth girl Mila and the gym rat Rhodes, who are introduced because one of his bros is dating her bestie (read Jagger!).
Rhodes sets eyes on Mila and thinks "I'm going to marry that chick". Mila bats an eye at Rhodes and thinks he's a fuckboy, and frankly he doesn't do a very good job of proving her wrong. He spends most of the book behaving like a fuckboy who pulls down the girl's knickers everywhere. 😅
Oh, I love Octavia's books. Her writing is so enjoyable, and they're always light, funny ( not forced or anything, it just is) and with high quality 🌶️.
Mila is a very relatable fmc, and Rhodes is completely infatuated with her, and the two of them catch fire when they're together (they even try to control themselves, but without much effort 😂).
It's not a very long book, and it's so engaging that it's a quick read.
I didn't like Rhodes as much as Jagger but the story line was different. That is, of course, a good thing and I am glad to know the author doesn't just write the same trope with different people. I liked the story, short and steamy but it was just a like.
TW - smoking (sc, weed, vape), cheating (sc on the FMC, past), light stalking, parental abandonment (past), adoption
CW - public play, hand necklaces, cum play, honourifics
Tropes - obsessed, one night stand, opposites attract, size difference, they ride his motorbike together, he makes sure she's eaten, they shower together, he washes her hair, he falls first, light stalking, banter
We're back in the Marino friends and family universe and Roscoe Rhodes did not disappoint! Tysm Octavia Jensen for letting me beta read 🩵
This books starts where Jagger ends and while you don't have to read that, I'd recommend it anyway 😉
Rhodes and Mila (FMC) have a one night stand and, while all their interactions end in sex, Rhodes can't help but want more and he won't stop until he gets it. Him and Mila were so fun together. She has her hangups and reasons for not wanting to let Rhodes in but even she can't deny that they are good together.
As always, the pair had great banter and were hot together 🥵. Can't wait for the next pair 👀👀
You can find the side characters in the books below
Scale: ⭐️ - would've DNF'ed / continued out of spite ⭐️⭐️ - shit, but whatever ⭐️⭐️⭐️ - meh, could've been better ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - lit 👅 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - loved it, inject this shit into my veins 🤪
🫑 - no smut 🌶 - no point 🌶🌶 - mediocre at best 🌶🌶🌶 - standard smut, hot 🌶🌶🌶🌶 - 🥵 okay, some CW 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶 - fuck me 🥵🥵 CWs / filthy with a side of filth - see Poison / Room Twenty-Two: Hide and Seek/ The Naughty List
A short sweet quick read. I love how Octavia Jensen is dependably able to write some good steamy scenes with green flag sweetheart heroes, which Rhodes definitely is. And her women are usually strong independent women, which Mila definitely is. Her light tone and comedic timing has me constantly bursting out in laughter over something a character said or thought. She even pokes a small jab at one of her previous books and makes puns! (Love an author with a sense of humor)
These two initially meet via Remi + Jagger but they instantly connect and it explodes into a burst of -- back alley quickie sex. :( Roscoe got the sex he wanted and Mila thinks that's all its going to be, but my my, how wrong they both are.
The thing that stood out to me the most were all the [almost directed to the reader] insights on how Mila dealt with Rhodes, aka how to deal with this type of or in general man and/or woman. Some examples are: I’m just pretty sure I only have one more in me before oversensitivity ruins it. too much can be too much
I can tell by the dopey grin on Jay’s face that he definitely got his, and if I know anything about him at all, I know he didn’t come until she got hers first. My friend group is full of gentlemen, after all. women before men at all times
“You need more food than this, Mila.” [...] “Yeah, I figured you’d say that. That’s why I have Milo’s on the way for you. It’ll be at Catacomb in—” he checks his Grubhub app— “ten minutes.” The grin on his face tells me he knows exactly how smooth that was. “Eat when you have a minute.” The giant idiot just walks away with a wink, leaving me sitting there with my jaw on the floor and my heart twisted in knots. I don’t know what happened, but the Rhodes I’ve seen today... he’s worth risking a lot for. the feed a man and he'll stay works on women too
him: “Never be embarrassed, okay? Tell me when I’m fucking up or hurting you in any way. It’s the only way I’ll know and do better. You have a pretty convincing mask.” [...] her: “I’ve always had to have a strong mask. I’ll try to be more honest with you.” communication is key
“I fucking hate fishnets.” Jordan shudders, rubbing her thighs. “The last time I wore them, I looked like a mermaid when I took them off. It wasn’t sexy.” I don’t know. I don’t think guys really care about that kind of thing, but it matters how we feel about ourselves. girls do wear the clothes for themselves
I really do enjoy taking my time to get her ready to take me. Especially now that I know she struggles with it. great tip for all the guys that actually have something to worry about
I have found this in her other works as well, but like how the dark romance genre is charged with more red flags than they know what to do with, Octavia Jensen always gives me more than your mom's hallmark romance stories, but with consenting safe-word green flags.
I love this author’s short and spicy novellas. Rhodes was a really enjoyable read. It was super hot, but I also loved the hilarious banter and how sweet the story was.
We first get wind of an attraction between Rhodes and Mila in Jagger. At the start of this story, the two have a super hot one night stand behind a bar. Since their relationship started in such a spicy way, Mila is convinced that Rhodes only wants the physical aspect of their relationship. However, Rhodes wants everything with Mila and is ready to do anything to prove it to her.
Both of these characters had things to work through before they could be together. Mila was especially conflicted on the idea of trusting Rhodes. I loved how Rhodes was silently doing things to support Mila and her business while pursuing a relationship with her. It was also fun to see characters from some of her other recent releases.
I can always count on delicious shminky spice when I pick up a book by this author. This story had public play, cüm play, and hand necklaces. There was also after care and an emphasis on consent and using safe words and honorifics.
I enjoyed this a lot and can’t wait to see what this author writes next.
I am absolutely hooked on Octavia and the Marino crew. These reformed playboys with more red flags than I can even count have me swooning so hard. Rhodes is our latest to take the dive into monogamy and I just loved him and Mila so much.
The reverse grumpy sunshine vibe was so dang cute. I love how happy go lucky Rhodes is, and paired with Mila and her many many walls, he looked even rosier. I really loved Mila too. While this novella didn't dwell much on her past, I thought her hesitation to let her heart go made it so much sweeter when she did. When she finally agreed to give Rhodes a date I may have audibly squealed.
I'm really hoping we get Shawn's story soon. I'll be so excited if it's with Jordan and these three besties end up with besties. I'll likely demand a triple vacation novella, how much fun would that be?!
“Fate is bullshit and destiny is a scam, but love? True love? That’s real, and that’s what I’ve got with my bike riding, weight lifting, too-much-dick giant.”
I had so much fun reading about Rhodes and Mila. The spice LITERALLY starts in the prologue and I was here for it. Mila was such a fun character too, I could really relate to her reluctance to be in a relationship. But also like Mila, I would not have been able to resist Rhodes. He was so hot and funny and caring. He reminded me of a big, sexy, fluffy teddy bear.
I love Octavia’s writing and would def recommend this book if you’re looking for a quick, spicy, fun read.
I read this book immediately after reading Jagger. I enjoyed this novella. The writing is good. I loved this gentle giant. And his monster c*ck. Spicy scenes were spicy. The only thing I didn't like was how the MCs sounded like the ones in Jagger. Same lines and same nicknames. Felt like I was still reading Jagger at the beginning. But the more I read, the more I could separate them, and it ended up being good. I very much liked this couple. Read this novella after Jagger.
Rhodes and Mila are a perfect match even if it took them too long to get on the same page. He definitely fell first, but she was right there with him when he admitted his feelings were more than lust.
Was there a plot? Sort of. Was there character development? Marginal. Was there spice? Yup. Total read time was under 3 hours. Perfect for killing time at an airport if you can avoid blushing while you read.
“It’s wrong, and I know it is, but is the red flag really that red? It looks more pink from where I’m standing, maybe a tinted white.”
If Mila isn’t all of us 😅😅
Thank you @authoroctaviajensen for letting me ARC read for you again, you know how much I LOVED Jagger and I can’t get enough of these boys.
Rhodes, the big dumb sweetheart, has an immediate attraction to Mila and spends most of the book pinning after her and going about it in all the wrong ways after they have a one night stand . Meanwhile, Mila is convinced Rhodes only wants one thing and is desperately trying to protect herself from making poor choices but she just can’t seem to stay away either.
These two were fun and Mila was super relatable and Octavia writes some of my favorite banter.
Rhodes is short and spicy and picks up right where Jagger left off (also short and spicy with 👌🏾banter), and was a great read to end April with.
Read if you like: 🏍️Boys who ride bikes 🖤One Night Stands 🏍️Size Difference 🖤He falls first and hard 🏍️A tinnnyyy bit of stalking 🖤Opposites attract