Release Reviews: Bad Apple: Elle Kennedy
Bad Apple
A flirty standalone novel* from New York Times and international bestselling author Elle Kennedy!
One night with him will change her life...
Between her waitressing job, volunteer work, and college classes, there are never enough hours in Maggie Reilly’s day. Especially not for a relationship. Luckily, she’s got the perfect arrangement: a lover she meets three or four times a year. But when she shows up at the hotel expecting to hop into bed with one man, she accidentally ends up with another—Ben Barrett, Hollywood’s most notorious bad boy.
Ben, determined to lay low after another scandal, just wants some much-needed sleep. What he gets is a scorching make-out session with a gorgeous, naked redhead. He won’t accept her apology, but what he will accept is a place to hide out…and if there’s some hot, no-strings sex involved, why the heck not?
But Ben soon discovers that one week with his sassy, bed-hopping waitress is definitely not enough. He wants more. A lot more.
Now he needs to convince relationship-averse Maggie that a bad boy might be oh so good for her—and the best thing that’s ever happened to both of them.
* Previously published in 2008, Bad Apple (formerly Midnight Encounters) features almost entirely new content, including a point-of-view switch. Enjoy this new version of an old favorite!
Maggie Reilly is busy with work, school, and volunteering. So busy that she does not have time for dating distractions. But a few times a year she has a hookup with a certain male friend that keeps her going. All she has to do is meet him in his hotel room then leave all her worries behind for a few hours.Ben Barrett is Hollywood's hottest bad boy. He has escaped to New York to try to get away, but it is hard to lose the media and he cannot seem to get a break or any sleep. He is a bit confused when a fiery redhead joins him in his hotel bed, but is intrigued enough to seek her out again.
Maggie does not treat Ben like he is a celebrity. She challenges him and does not fawn all over him. The one woman that interests him is the one that seems not to want to have anything to do with him. And that makes him just want her more.
So Ben has a brilliant idea how each of them can get something they need. What could go wrong with him hiding out at her place for a week and assisting her with those physical needs she has missed out on?
I liked both Maggie and Ben. Maggie is spirited, but has some deep-seated abandonment and trust issues. And she really is running herself ragged and she is opposed to complications and distractions from her set goals. And Ben is definitely distracting and shakes her life up. And some of his involvement in her life could have consequences.
Ben lives in a fake world. The media all wants a piece of him and to create scandals. He is often used or chased for his celebrity status, so having someone be real and push back at him is refreshing. They have great rapport and chemistry. But if Ben wants more, he will have his work cut out for him to convince Maggie that he is worth her time and energy. And even then, they live in different worlds with different goals, and that is no easy fix.
This is a witty, sexy, heartfelt story about priorities and the real meaning in life. They never saw the other one coming and they got a bit more than they bargained for.
Maggie Reilly has no free time. Between going to school, studying, volunteering, and waitressing, every minute of her day is spoken for, leaving no time for a relationship. Ben Barrett is a celebrity heartthrob, everyone wants a piece of him. He is supposed to be keeping a low profile after a scandal he doesn’t want to explain.
How they end up in bed together as total strangers is another story entirely. But from that first meeting, there is something building between them, even if Maggie is sure she doesn’t have time for anything more than no-string attached. Ben needs somewhere to hide from the media, and Maggie’s place is the perfect place to stay hidden, especially if they can explore the spark between them at the same time.
These two grew on me. I liked their initial meeting, but had a hard time getting into the story. They were smokin’ together and had chemistry for miles. But I think I wanted more to their story somewhere in between the fire and physical. Ben’s celebrity made it difficult for them to get out, and caused problems in the few moments they do try to go anywhere public.
Maggie’s quick habit of treating him like a normal person rather than a celebrity intrigues Ben and keeps him working for more. But even though Maggie treats him as a regular person, the world doesn’t see him that way, and the repercussions of his celebrity causes additional strain on the strings forming from their no strings fling.
This was a quick read with lots of heat. I would have liked even more from Ben and Maggie, especially in some of the deeper moments so they could have worked things out with more depth. These two may not have been looking for anything when they found each other, but they stumbled onto something worth working for, something worth risking everything for.
Elle Kennedy
A New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Elle Kennedy grew up in the suburbs of Toronto, Ontario, and holds a B.A. in English from York University. From an early age, she knew she wanted to be a writer, and actively began pursuing that dream when she was a teenager.
Elle writes romantic suspense and erotic contemporary romance for various publishers. She loves strong heroines and sexy alpha heroes, and just enough heat and danger to keep things interesting!
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