We met Kate and Jonathan in Uncovering Love as they are Evie's best friends since High School. They all used to be close, but during his stint in the Army, he just stayed in touch with Evie but drifted away from Kate. But now they are back in close proximity due to him being Evie's new room mate and partner in a PI firm.

Jon and Kate are kind of a mess. They are antagonistic, have less than friendly banter, and sexual tension. One night they give into their attraction only to avoid each other. But due to unforseen circumstances she finds herself in need of place to stay. As room mates they find it much harder to avoid their needs and at the same time find more ways to both entice and inadvertently torture the other one. 

Jon is a nice guy and wants to be in a relationship. He is handsome, charismatic, and protective. Due to his background he likes control and to be needed. He has had a history with both of the girls and at times wanted each of them, but never really got his chance. He is not the most eloquent speaker and often puts his foot in his mouth.

Kate is sassy, outrageous, tenacious, and his a reputation of being promiscuous. But she puts on a facade for others and guards her heart and secrets fiercely. She needs control to be able to deal with stress or pain. She works in a studio with access to models and rock stars and gains plenty of male attention.

They dance around their attraction, have a fear of intimacy and opening up. They have serious sparring skills, sexual chemistry, and fight or flight tendencies. Their biggest problem is communication. Jon is  very talented at saying just the wrong thing at the wrong time. And Kate has hidden vulnerabilities that he seems to be able to hit her with when she least expects it. She keeps her past pain hidden from most, but it affects her choices and life often. And Jon has his own demons he is fighting. They both are afraid to trust, open up, and admit that they want more, and both feel unworthy. Sometimes their needs seem to be the same and other times directly conflict. He likes to feel needed, but she does not want to have to rely on anyone. He's emotional, and she has her heart locked down. He likes control, and she also needs control so that puts them into a battle to win control at times. Throw in the mix some jealousy, angers, fear, and misunderstandings and it just gets more complicated.

We get more with Evie, Tate, Carly, and Melissa from the first book. And we get to meet a new band Three Ugly Guys: Trent, Derek, Sean and Austin, Jon's adorable friend Alex, and also more with Kate's studio co workers Jason, Teagan, and Marc. Her job allowed a bit of rock and roll and the art world to come into play. While Jon and Evie's brings in PI and police work, and military issues. I like the whole dynamics with the groups of friends and how they added more humor and sometimes complications to the story.

This was sweet, funny, heartfelt, but a bit frustrating due to their frequent push and pull. I liked the characters, but sometimes wanted to lock them in a  room together and demand they talk. It was told in both Kate and Jonathan's points of views. It was a easy flowing read full of sexual tension but does not rely on long sex scenes to get it across. Kate's past was the big mystery in this one and it was slowly unraveled. I did not feel like this one had as much drama as the first book. There were some emotional situations mixed in with the humor and romance. But none of it was very in depth or too heavy. I am intrigued by Tate's sister Carly's book in Uncovering Hope. 

Jonathan is plenty busy now that the PI business he and Evie launched has picked up and the police department has noticed his skills in the form of additional contracts. His free time is limited, but after 8 years of civilian life things are looking more positive than they have since his return from active duty.

Kate is forever positive, outgoing and energetic, and suddenly needs a place to stay while her apartment is unlivable. Her best friend Evie offers to move in temporarily with her boyfriend so Kate can stay in her room. The only problem Kate can see is Evie’s roommate Jonathan. Evie doesn’t know Kate and Jon slept together one night and now things are tense between the two former friends.

These two seem like they would be opposites. Though they grew up together, Evie was really the glue that kept Kate and Jon around each other. But there is a heat between them that they allow to spark one night. Jon would love nothing more than for that one night to turn into a relationship, but Kate keeps herself unattached and guarded, putting up a promiscuous front to keep everyone at arm's length.

A lot of drama could have been solved by sitting down and having a conversation. Or at least finishing thoughts that were started but never completed. This aspect of the story rather frustrated me. I think I’m at a point where I like my drama to come from outside the relationship rather than from the characters themselves, which plays into this frustration.

There were times when I couldn’t really figure out why Jon and Kate weren’t working out as a couple, except for the fact that they never talked. How they could live together and share so few conversations baffled me. During those times I found my interest in the story wavering, but somewhere around halfway through the book, things started happening that pulled me back into the story and the characters. When pieces of Kate’s past start affecting the present, the outside source of drama definitely perked my interest back up.

Overall, this was sweet and funny. While parts may have not been my favorite, there was enough that I was entertained with this quick read. The additional scenes from Evie, Tate, and Carly have me interested in Carly’s story, especially with the excerpt from Uncovering Hope at the back. 

ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review.

Evelyn Harper lived the perfect life.

Until she was fired from her job.

After a ridiculous idea devised among friends comes to existence, Evelyn finds herself part owner in a private investigation firm specializing in matters of the heart. Throughout wild antics with her best friends Jonathan and Kate, Evelyn conducts relationship background checks for a wide variety of clients.

Soon it becomes clear that one case has moved beyond professional and Evelyn finds herself fighting an attraction she cannot resist.