Tahoe Roth.

Irreverent, cocky, playful and naughty.

He’s not the guy you date.

A sexy new Manwhore series standalone contemporary romance from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Katy Evans.

I was really excited to read more about Tahoe and Gina after meeting them in previous books of the Manwhore series. They have built an antagonistic, yet flirty friendship. They both like what they see, like each other, but know they shouldn't touch. He's a big player and she's been hurt and betrayed. Their best friends Saint and Rachel are now married so they will frequently cross paths.

Gina is broken lonely and has abandonment issues.  She wants to be loved and accepted, but is untrusting and fearful. Tahoe Roth is a rich, cocky, sexy beast who is also a total man slut. He is playful, honest, and usually gets whatever he wants. He does not do feelings or relationships. He does not feel worthy of a good woman and says he is not interested in being a one woman man.

They dance around each other in a game of cat and mouse with sexual tension swirling around them. As their friends seem to be moving forward, they seem to be in life limbo at the same time. She's terrified to trust and be herself, and he's got issues from his past holding him back. But she can see that there is more in Tahoe's hidden depths under his easy going facade. And he can see her under her armor of make up and glamour and strives to be her protector. But he takes it so seriously that he will protect her even from himself. These two really are a hot mess. They have such a pull to each other, but are both so scared of being hurt or hurting the other. They both have issues with self worth, acceptance, and making themselves vulnerable.

It is told in Gina's point of view so Tahoe is an enigma. I would have loved to have had his point of view and see more of his thought processes and vulnerability.  I really wanted to know what his deal was. Why was he such a ladies man? Why did he doubt his ability to be good enough for a good woman? 

Although I adore Katy Evans' books and I have liked this series and characters, I did struggle a bit with this one. Initially Tahoe and Gina were actually hard to connect with and understand. They were friends and their interactions were flirty with some underlying sexual tension. But their behavior was often erratic, awkward, or involved avoiding. Her trying to fill the void with a safe man and him with multiple women continuously being paraded about was frustrating. It was kind of an odd friendship. They ran hot and cold and were so confused themselves that it left me wondering too.

And their romantic build up was so slow--nothing more than a few pecks of kisses up until after the 75% point and then it seemed rushed to the end. I had a hard time really getting a handle on Tahoe at times. I liked the descriptions of him--his sexiness, humor, protectiveness, and sweetness. But some of his womanizing behavior really was a turn off and I am still not sure that all of his reasons make sense to me.  I really would have liked to understand him more earlier on, but his story was not also revealed until the last part of the book. And Gina drove me crazy with her back and forth decisions.

By the end, I had come to like them, but the story and some plot points sometimes left me shaking my head.  I was glad to have more with Rachel, Saint, Wynn, Emmett, and Callan who will be the subject of the next book in the series. This was not my favorite Katy Evans' book, but I am still glad I read their story. I am looking forward to Callan's book and more with the whole crew.

I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review. 

He is one night stand material only. The man mothers warn their daughters to stay away from, but he is the only one Gina feels a strong attraction to, if only he was willing to go there with her.

Tahoe Roth is one sexy man. Confident to the point of being cocky, he knows the women love him and he takes full advantage. But Gina can’t get him to cross over the friend zone despite the heat that flares between them when they are near each other. As they watch their friends settle down, Gina and Tahoe often find themselves in close proximity. Crossing that line for a one night stand would mean awkward exchanges at gatherings at the Saints, so both avoid being alone in order to preserve the friendship.

Told entirely from Gina’s point of view, Tahoe is this sexy, untouchable mystery to her. I would have liked to get more from Tahoe, either through his point of view, or more connection with Gina. There were so many questions about why he acted as he did that even in the scenes where Gina learns of his past, I didn’t feel like we really got enough depth to really answer all my questions.

Learning why Tahoe was such a ladies man was an emotional point in the story. I loved what it said about him that he had felt and done what he did as a younger man, but I also had a hard time drawing the connection between that version of Tahoe and the reason he claimed to not get serious with women. They just didn’t compute to me. It was almost like it only served to explain part of why he was known as the ladies man, but not to the extent he had stepped into that role.

I really wanted to love this book. I enjoyed the glimpses of Tahoe and Gina together in the background of the Manwhore series and was excited to see them dance around each other. But it felt like that was all they did for most of this book: dance around each other with no real progress or connection. There was very little deep conversation between them for nearly ¾ of the book, they saw each other briefly or avoided each other instead of confronting feelings that were obviously crackling between them. 

I enjoyed seeing more from Saint and Rachel, and Wynn and Emmett, but most of the other side characters got on my nerves. Gina’s parents were terrible to her and she accepted it as “just the way it was” without question. Even her new man was often sketchy and lukewarm at best towards her, making me wonder why she stuck it out with him as long as she did.

I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Kim and Rachel's 4.5 star reviews and Tammy's 4 star review