Never Been Kissed

*This was a book I purchased. All thoughts about the book are my own. I have not been compensated in any way for my review*

Published: July 1, 2014

Never Been Kissed (Boys of Bishop) — Molly O’Keefe

I think after reading this book, I’ll only have ONE book left in Molly’s Boys of Bishop series to read. Until she writes more of them, of course (or if she does…).

I realized today after double checking to see just how many books were in her series that I’ve read almost the entire series…out of order. Excuse me while I facepalm. I hate reading books out of order…but this is what I get for not doing more research. Good job, me.

Never Been Kissed is the SECOND book in her Boys of Bishop series. Between The Sheets comes after this one (the first book of her’s that I reviewed on my blog) and Indecent Proposal is book number FOUR (the last book that I reviewed by Molly). So now all I’m missing is book number one. It’s already been added to my very long “to be read” pile.

Just like the last two books I read by Molly, I loved this book. Loved. This. Book. I had already been introduced to the characters because of the first two books I’d read (which come after this one — again — OOPS)… so I kind of had a feeling of who Ashley and Brody were.

Though, just because I had been introduced to both of them previously, that doesn’t mean that I didn’t want to get to know them and learn their story. Because I did. Badly. I had zero willpower (again) and bought this book right after finishing Indecent Proposal. Because I had to.

Have you ever found a new author or book series and just fallen so in love with it that you have to have ALL of the book that are in that particular series or that particular author has written? That’s what’s happened here. I needed these books and I’m going to be SO SAD when they’re over.

In Never Been Kissed, we have the younger sister of Harrison (Harry) Montgomery from Indecent Proposal. Ashley Montgomery isn’t a politician like her older brother… but like him, she does want to make the world a better place. To make strives towards meeting that goal of helping the world (and probably also to get away from her mother), Ashley goes to Africa to do some humanitarian aid work. She’s a brave woman. There are places in that part of the world where this kind of aid is desperately needed, but it’s such a dangerous environment that not everyone can or would go.

While Ashley is in Africa, she and a friend that she makes while volunteering (another woman) take a short holiday cruise to recharge their batteries. This is where things go wrong. Remember when I said that this part of the world was dangerous!?

PIRATES. There are PIRATES there. I’m not talking about the Captain Jack Sparrow (he could kidnap me whenever he liked) type of pirate. These particular types of pirates are Somali Pirates. They typically go after shipping containers (Think the movie Captain Phillips) but are also known for going after wealthy Americans and other foreign nationals. That’s what happens to the girls.

Both Ashley and her friend Kate are kidnapped by the pirates and held captive for weeks. Their families are notified and ransoms are demanded before the girls will be allowed to go free.

That’s where Brody Baxter comes in.

Ten years before Ashley and Kate meet, become friends and are kidnapped in Africa, Brody had worked as a security guard for the Montgomery family. He and his team were tasked with the job of keeping the Montgomery’s safe. Ashley during that time, developed one hell of a crush on Brody. He’s this big badass man who is also very kind and sweet. Doesn’t seem to play the same type of games that most of the people in her world — her politician father’s world — like to play. He’s real. Her seventeen year old heart just about sent her into heart failure when he was around.

When she finally gets up the nerve to make a move on Brody, things go from bad to worse. He’s a bit older (I can’t remember by how much) and employed by her family. When she makes her move, he doesn’t react. Can’t react. That’s the bad part. The part that hurts Ashley’s young heart. The worse part is that her mother discovers them with her lips connected to his.

Ashley is led to believe that she got Brody fired from the job (she didn’t, he quit) and is even more heartbroken.

Fast forward back to the present time and Harrison Montgomery (after being notified that she has been kidnapped) knows that there is only one man that could bring her back safely. Unfortunately, it’s been ten years since Brody and Harrison last saw each other and neither man is particularly a big fan of the other. When Brody learns that it was Ashley that is in trouble, he immediately agrees to do whatever he can to help. For her.

Brody storms in to save the day and sweeps the battered Ashley away from the hell hole she’d been staying in. Ashley and Kate had been separated not long after they’d been taken, so Brody couldn’t take them both home. After a trip to a hospital to be patched up, and a long flight back stateside, Brody finally gets Ashley home.

Within hours of being home, Mrs. Montgomery makes an appearance and tries to persuade her daughter into doing television appearances and interviews to help her brother’s campaign. Since Ashley is just barely on the road to recovery, she refuses the “requests” her mother makes. But, knowing that her refusal won’t mean much to her mother for long, Ash knows she needs to get away from her family to give herself time to heal and get back to “normal”.

That’s where Brody comes in (again) to save the day.

He knows that Ashley will leave town with or without him, and with the concussion she has (plus other injuries) she can’t be by herself. So… he agrees to help her hide, and takes her to the one place that he knows none of the Montgomery’s will look for her.

Bishop, Arkansas.

This is where the story really takes off. We get to meet the main background characters and fall in love with them just like we (and by we I’m totally talking about myself) have started to fall for Brody and Ashley. We’re introduced to Brody’s younger brother Sean and their dad Ed…who along with his wife adopted Brody when he was a small child. We also get to meet Cora and get a peek at Wyatt and Shelby from Between The Sheets.

The chemistry and connection between Brody and Ashley gets to deepen and grow while they’re in Bishop. They take their relationship, which is defined by intense attraction, but isn’t really a friendship to the next level. It’s apparent to everyone that comes into contact with them that there is something magical happening between them, even if they can’t see it for themselves at first.

I loved the banter between Sean and Cora. Their relationship was just great. Miscommunication and jealousy kept them from really getting to know each other, but once they were able to work past all of that and really get to know each other, things for them just clicked. I loved that Brody was able to pick up on the tension between the two of them, and guess the reason behind it before they figured it out.

Once Ashley is finally starting to feel healed, and her stitches come out, the happy bubble she’s been in starts to deflate. Things happen and she has to go back home to deal with things. Brody learns some things about some people he’d protected in the past that could potentially ruin his future career and Ashley’s (plus Harrison’s) futures if things go too sideways. When Harrison learns about Brody’s issue, he makes it clear that whatever was happening between his sister and the other man need to stop. Pronto.

Basically, Harrison is a big brother and is trying to protect his little sister (AND HIMSELF… politicians.. ugh) and ends up doing more harm than good. Which is typically what I notice happens when brothers stick their noses in their sisters romantic business.

Both Brody and Ashley have to do some serious soul searching, but things end up happening just exactly the way that they should. I really loved the ending. Okay, I really loved the whole book, but I really loved the ending.

Like I’ve said with each of the other books in this series, you shouldn’t miss this one. Though, don’t do what I did. READ THEM IN ORDER. You’ll get to meet everyone in the right time and fall in love with them like you should.

The first book in the series, for those that want to read them in order (like I should have) is Wild Child. I’ve already bought it (Amazon is so handy) and it’s on my “To be read” list. Which is long. Very long.

Anyway. Don’t skip over this book… OR this author. Molly has a magical way of creating characters that have so much LIFE to them that you can’t believe that they aren’t real. I wish Brody was real… and maybe Wyatt too.

10/10 would recommend this book to everyone.

Indecent Proposal

*I was given a free copy of this book in return for an honest review. All thoughts are my own. I was not paid by the publisher or the author for my review.*

Available: September 30, 2014

Indecent Proposal — Molly O’Keefe

Okay, I can’t lie. I completely read this book RIGHT after finishing Between the Sheets. I was just so wrapped up in the story and Molly’s work that I couldn’t help myself. I also went to amazon and bought Never Been Kissed (Harry’s younger sister’s story) by her too after finishing this one. Willpower. I have none.

This book is a part of her The Boys of Bishop series (just like BtS). I was just as enraptured by this book and the characters as I was with the last book.

In Indecent Proposal we have Ryan Kaminski. She’s a bartender at a bar in NYC. She’s brass, bold and doesn’t let people walk all over her. Basically, my hero.

At the bar where she works, a man arrives and catches the eye of herself and the other bartender. Lindsey (the other bartender) nicknames the man Ken Doll. Because he looks like a Ken doll come to life. I laughed. After several days of watching the man arrive at the bar and not socialize with any other people around him, she notices that he comes in one night and he’s sad. Desolate looking.

Luckily for Ryan (and unluckily for Lindsey) Ken Doll is seated on her side of the bar, so she gets to serve him. Several rounds of scotch, and an order of chicken and waffles later, Ryan learns that Ken Doll’s real name is Harry. Just Harry. The attraction between Harry and Ryan is palpable. Lindsey can feel the tension from the other side of the bar, and when cutting time comes around, she offers to let Ryan go home… so that she can spend some time with Harry. Along with that surprise offer to leave work early, comes the gift of a condom from Lindsey’s back pocket.

The bar where they work has a strict no-fraternization policy, so Ryan has to be careful to not get caught by their boss as she leaves.

They agree for her to meet him at his hotel room as to not grab the attention of Ryan’s boss. The chemistry between Ryan and Ken Doll is amazing. She learns that his name isn’t actually Ken Doll… it’s Harry. Just Harry. No last names are exchanged between the two of them, because they only see this as a one night stand.

Things don’t exactly go according to plan. Because of course not.

Harry ins’t just Harry. He’s Harrison Montgomery and he’s running for Congress. Yeah. Not just a normal guy you meet in a bar. His family is like the modern day Kennedy’s and his mother is the Ice Queen that holds it all together. I liked Harry (I found it hard to call him Harrison) when he wasn’t being a potential congressman.

Ryan learns the hard way that condoms aren’t 100% effective and that morning sickness is a bitch (that gift condom gave the gift that keeps on giving… for eighteen plus years). Because they didn’t exchange any information or last names, Ryan has no way to contact Harry to let him know what happened. Until her brother steps his foot in it and tries to do the right thing. You know. Like brothers try to do.

Both Ryan and her brother Wes learn from a press conference that was shown on TV who Harry really is. And because he’s a brother and wants to fix things for his sister… Wes decides to go confront Harry about the pregnancy and hopefully can pressure him into doing “the right thing”.

Which ALSO doesn’t go according to plan. Ryan is very clear about not wanting anything from Harry. When Wes shows up at the Montgomery estate to see Harry and break the news… he kind of interrupts a photo shoot / interview thing. So the hope that the news of Ryan and Harry’s little bundle of joy would remain hidden is dashed. Quickly.

The initial confrontation between Harry and Ryan after he learns she’s pregnant isn’t pretty. I was proud of her for sticking up for herself and I wanted to smack Harry in his entitled face. He’s the definition of an asshole the entire time they’re “meeting” and leave her with an ultimatum.

He can either spread nasty rumors about her and her brother Wes to the public about how they were trying to blackmail him… or she can marry him.

I don’t know about you, but I think I would have done what Ryan did. She married him, of course (which made his mother almost have a heart attack).

I don’t think Ryan quite knew what she was getting into when she married into the Harrison family, but I loved that she didn’t change who she was. She stuck up for herself and the baby, and didn’t let Harry or his family or friends (or the media) make her become something she wasn’t.

Through the course of the book, Harry begins to change. I loved watching that change. Loved watching him start to realize what an amazing woman he had married and was living with, and how strong she was. I was so proud of him by the end of the book. I could have smooched his face (I probably would have done that anyway…).

Both of the main character aren’t the only people that grow in the book though (no I’m not talking about the baby) his mother also changes. She’s this very stern, ice queen bitch of a woman through most of the book, but she starts to soften just a bit, and we’re able to kind of understand where she’s coming from with her attitude. I don’t really agree with that attitude, but I understood it.

I loved this book. Completely, over the moon loved this book. I thought the story was fantastic and the characters — even when they made me want to say bad words — made me fall in love with them. Like I said at the beginning, I had ZERO willpower after I finished this one and took myself over to Amazon to buy Harry’s younger sister Ashley’s story Never Been Kissed. Both this one and hers intertwine just a little, so by the time this book is over, you’ll know who I’m talking about. I’ve already started reading it — couldn’t help myself — and so far I’m loving that one too.

Molly O’Keefe isn’t an author that you should skip over. Though, be prepared that if you start reading one of her books, you’ll want to read ALL OF HER BOOKS. I’m completely not kidding about that.

I’d 100% recommend this book to everyone and anyone. It’s too good to miss. 10/10 would definitely recommend.

Between the Sheets

*I was given a free copy of this book in return for an honest review. All thoughts are my own. I was not paid by the publisher or the author for my review.*

Available: July 29, 2014

Between the Sheets — Molly O’Keefe

I’ve been patiently waiting to read and review this book. I got it in May, but decided to wait a while until it was closer to the publish date before starting it. 

I wish I hadn’t waited. 

This book was SO AMAZING. Quite honestly, it’s one of my most favorites I’ve read so far for this review blog. If you haven’t read anything by this author, you seriously need to go to your nearest bookstore or library or anywhere that you buy your books and get this authors stuff. You seriously shouldn’t miss her work. I won’t be from now on. 

I don’t know if I can accurately describe to y’all how amazing the book was. I know I keep saying that, but it’s because there aren’t very many other words that exist in the English language that are fitting. Amazing? Awesome? Gripping? Complex? All of those words and more fit this book.

In Between the Sheets we have Wyatt (Ty) Svenson; a badass former biker dude, with hair that has to be pulled back into a ponytail, a face that seemingly always has a days worth of stubble on it and an eleven year old son that he learned about four months ago. So basically, he’s new at this dad thing. Really new. Poor guy. 

We also have Shelby Monroe, who is our frozen heroine. I don’t mean the movie, Frozen. I mean that she has a seemingly impenetrable shell around her made of ice. Everyone in town thinks that she’s cool and collected, and that nothing fazes her. That’s not exactly the case. Shelby lives with her mother who has pretty severe Alzheimer’s. On top of caring for her mother, and keeping up the cool and collected facade, Shelby is also an elementary school art teacher. 

Remember how I said earlier how this story is complex? It’s because of the characters. There are so many different sides to both of the main characters. It really helps build them and make them more human. If that makes sense. 

Ty is used to being judged for his badass looks. He looks like a troublemaker, and when he was younger…he was one. Right around the time his son Casey was born (although he didn’t know about it at the time), Ty pulled himself out of the dangerous lifestyle he was living and made some huge changes. When he discovered he had a son, he worked his ass off to get custody and moved with Casey to a new small town for them both to start over. 

That’s where he meets Shelby. Their introduction isn’t exactly the best. They’re neighbors and his loud motorcycle building habits that extend into the late night hours isn’t a very good match against a stressed Shelby and almost constantly confused mother. The stress of her mother’s disease has her more than a little on edge. When Ty finds out that Shelby is one of Casey’s teachers, I laughed at his reaction. Well. BOTH of their reactions. Shock. Horror. Disbelief. All of those emotions and more. 

They’re both able to make peace between them for both Casey and their own sake… and their relationship begins. At first it’s pretty unstable. She’s fighting some pretty serious demons from her past, and doesn’t think she needs or wants a serious relationship (or any kind of relationship) with Ty. He’s not a stupid guy, and picks up on that vibe she gives off… but he can’t stay away. 

Casey was the one that broke the news to Ty that he was a father. He was a smart enough kid to know that he was in a toxic situation and that he needed to find a way out of it. Luckily for him, Ty was that way out. He has some serious anger issues, but you can totally understand that based on his background. Casey’s mother — and Ty’s ex — was arrested for possession with the intent to sell… of meth. A very scary hard drug. She would drag him around to all of her crazy parties when he was a younger child… so he has some pretty bad trust issues. 

The growth of both Ty and Shelby and for Casey in this book was so remarkable. For Ty, he was able to learn that putting down roots and developing ties to a community wasn’t a bad thing. Casey was able to learn that love — being loved — wasn’t a dangerous, hurtful thing. That he even had to learn that lesson broke my heart. I loved Casey. Shelby’s lessons were that it’s okay to rely on other people, that opening yourself up…while it might hurt… is a good thing. You can’t do everything for yourself. She learned she wasn’t Wonder Woman. 

I loved being able to see how much these characters that I came to love grew and flourished during the book. There were some definite rough patches and stumbles along the way, but it helped shape them into becoming the people that they were supposed to be. 

Molly O’Keefe has a wonderful ability to give life to a character in ways that I don’t always find when I’m reading a book. I haven’t fallen so hard in love with a new book by a new author in a long time. I’ve seriously liked a lot of books so far this year, and have found lots of fabulous new authors (new to me), but this one just got to me. 

I seriously think that everyone needs to read this book. Wholeheartedly, 100% believe that people need to fall in love with Wyatt, Casey and Shelby like I did. You won’t be disappointed. 

10/10 would DEFINITELY recommend.