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4.5 stars: The H wasn't really a bully

But I looooved how much of a bulldozer he is... Gawd, Sam Mariano knows how to write them. It's the first time I read a book by her where the MCs have a kid (and both happen to be single parents).

Gemma's (35 ish?) being bullied by her neighbor. Her neighbors, Brent and Lisa, want her to move out so that their higher-class friends can move in😐. Gemma happened to own the property and her modest house for a while now before her neighbors came into her turf with their own agendas. But they're doing stuff to her property and she's tired of it. When Brent corners her and threatens her daughter, Parker, she realizes she's had enough. Parker suggests she go see Hayden; Hayden happens to be the father of Parker’s school bully, Landon.

Hayden's (late 30s?) been a widow for a while. He loved his wife very much and thinks about her constantly😏. When Gemma bursts into his office asking for help, he mistakes her for being an *erotic* dancer because she just got out of work😬 (she teaches dance) and she's dressed on the skimpy side😅. Once he realizes she's actually there as a potential client, he changes his tune, not before he tells her just how expensive he is... and then she declines his help. The problem? He wants her👀, and he's gonna have her... whether she wants him or not 😈(okay, she also wants him, but she just keeps saying no... what ELSE is poor Hayden supposed to do??? 💅🤷🏻‍♀��)

Oh LAWD, I love that Hayden doesn't like being told no😈. Sigh- SM writes some of the best n0ncon/dubc0n scenes👀, and here, they're definitely in the dubc0n category🙃. From the simple hand on her thigh scene 🔥to the more *aggressive* hotel room scene🥵, I was eating it up like candy👀. I wish we had more smexy times scenes though lol (I know... I'm so greedy... considering it's only 147 pages long, I needed to be grateful for what we got lol😅).

Although Landon's a bulldozer, he's also pragmatic and doesn't have blinders on when it comes to his son and the bullying he's done to Gemma's daughter. Even when it seems like he and Gemma don't have a future, he keeps going. He's really into her, and he's gonna do whatever he can to make it happen💁🏻‍♀��.

Even though I read this after I read Even If It Hurts, I didn't feel lost. I can't wait to read the next book in the Coastal Elite series- Parker and Landon's book. I can only imagine the tension that we'll experience👀... now Landon really IS a bully to Parker😉... GAHHHH👀!

This would've been 5 stars if I hadn't felt how much love Hayden felt for his dead wife😏. She's dead- she's not a b... she's not an evil crackling w#0re, so how am I supposed to hate her😒? Considering how short this book is, I felt satisfied *enough* to feel like there really IS an HEA/HFN for Hayden and Gemma, but I didn't like how hesitant Hayden was about this😑. Ugh... I get it- it shows that he's not a fickle person when it comes to love, but I wanted to KNOW he was over his dead wife... I didn't wanna QUESTION it... Sigh😏... As for Gemma's ex, good riddance💁🏻‍♀��.

Overall, I really enjoyed this! Word on the grapevine is that she's planning to expand on the ending (when Parker goes to talk to Landon👀) when she releases this on its own (in the summer). I can't wait❤️!

⚠️ safety squad ⚠️
-no cheating/sharing/owd/omd
-noncon ish/dubcon ish
-H is a widow/both single parents
-the h’s neighbor is kind of a bully/corners her