"And you reminded me that forgiving my past to chase after a new future could be fucking worth it."
Amy Daws has outdone herself with this book. Not only is it a wonderful story, but the heroine was inspiring. Thank you so much, Amy, for writing a plus-sized heroine with all the sass who is nothing short of amazing. And Max? Max is a total dreamboat.
Amy has become one of my one-click authors, and I may not have read her entire backlog, but this is my favorite so far.
"I see her fully for all that she is and all that I know she will be."
I can't say enough about Cozy. One, she is a plus-sized heroine who is very much aware of her body, i.e., she knows how hard it is to find the perfect clothes or even to shop for them. What she is not is insecure about it, or a doormat. She doesn't throw herself a pity party over any of it. She owns her curves like it's nobody's business, and that, let me tell you, is what I really aspire to be. She's also such a strong person, and she's been through so much. She deserves to be happy.
Also, the untied tie thing? I have that kink too.
"It's almost not fair that the first job I land has to be with a man I couldn't have even conjured in my dreams."
Max is dreamy. Swoony. Incredible. Whatever you want to call him, I'm sure he is that too. The single dad who puts his daughter and his job above all else, because he's been burned by love before and he doesn't want to go down that road again. But then someone walks into his life and changes everything without even trying. And he never saw her coming.
"He looks at me like I'm some sort of foreign creature he has to study to understand. What's worse? I like it."
Cozy shows up at Max's house as a favor for her sister. He's looking for a nanny to care for his daughter, Everly, for the summer. At first glance, she seems like she'll never belong in his house. It's not only the clothes she's wearing, but her whole life philosophy that rubs him the wrong way. Against all odds, though, and because his kid likes her, she gets the job.
"It's a 'zero-fucks-given' kind of kiss. No gentle coaxing, no tantalizing sample. It's the kind where you don't know where your mouth starts and his begins."
Both of them are attracted to each other, but fighting it. Because it really makes no sense, does it? The uber-busy CEO and the nanny with her laissez-faire attitude. However, their connection is deep, because they're more than what they seem at a first glance, and because they match. They just don't see it yet.
"Make no mistake, you aren't a convenience fuck, Cassandra. You are a dream fuck."
There's so much tension between them, and their first kiss was preceded by a couple of laugh out loud moments on my part. I stopped laughing when they kissed, because damn, that was hot. And I knew that the hotness was just getting started because these two... you have no idea.
Soon enough you can see that it's not just about sex. He wants to know more about her, and she's curious about him too.
"If you think for one fucking second your body isn't everything I want... Everything I have been craving... And everything I jack off to when I can't sleep at night because you haunt all my waking moments... Then you're not as smart as you think you are."
Once they start really trusting each other with the things they've kept hidden, a few walls come down between them and it becomes apparent how wonderful they are together. How they can bring out the best in each other. Except they're both stubborn in their ways, and very much scared of what's going on. Of pushing forward and letting go of everything holding them back.
"I don't need to watch you to know that I want you, Max."
I loved the way he needed to mark her. OK, hickeys are not fun, but it's his way of claiming her, and I loved it. I love that he needs her to keep her eyes on him at all times, even though I didn't love the reason behind it.
I loved that he truly doesn't care about her curves and, better yet, he absolutely adores them. Her. He adores all of her. This was truly refreshing.
I loved Everly too, such a sweet kid, and I loved the three of them and their interactions, and how much Cozy helps Everly become who she wants to be.
"She is mine in all the ways I've ever wanted a woman to be mine. And I want to be hers forever."
When push comes to shove, they belong together. Nothing else matters when they want each other like they've never wanted anyone or anything else. Who cares about their differences when they fit together like a puzzle? A beautiful, heartwarming, loving, steamy puzzle that will melt your heart and your Kindle, probably.
I loved this book.
P.S. Amy, can we please have books about Max's brothers? And maybe Dakota? Hmm? :)