Man Cuffed

(Man Hands #4)

A new comedy from the USA Today bestselling duo!

Mac

A good cop can always spot trouble. That’s why my senses started pinging the moment I met the hottie next door. The neighborhood may never be the same. First she confuses me for a male stripper and tries to remove my uniform. (The guys on the force will never let me live that down.) And then there’s the breaking and entering.

I don’t know what to do with her. My libido has a few ideas of its own, though. Bad, bad ideas.

Meg

Hey, it’s not my fault that Hot Cop’s nightstick gets excited every time we see each other. And I can’t help that someone broke into his apartment.

Fine—that last thing was totally my fault. And I intend to make amends. So when he needs a date for his sister’s wedding, I’m there. This is right up my alley. I’m an actor. By the time it’s over, his entire family will believe we’re a couple.

Even him.

Warning: may cause unrestrained giggling in public. Contains: a bridezilla with a turkey leg, a flash mob, and a growly hero.

Meg is an actress waiting on her big break but making ends meet by being a server. She is sassy, stubborn, and a bit mischievous. She has been unlucky in love but would like to find it...and would settle for some good orgasms like the next-door neighbor seems to be handing out. 

Mac Maquire crossed her path initially when she thought he was a male stripper. And later found out they were new neighbors. He is stoic, cynical, protective, and a total commitment-phobe.

A little tit-for-tat and reciprocal favors lead her to act as his fake girlfriend for some family functions. But considering he already has the hots for her, is anti-relationship, and his family is ready to welcome her into the fold,  that might not be the best idea. But she is going to be his buffer. 

I will admit that I had a bit of a hard time warming up to Mac. He was so gruff and closed-off. And it is a bit uncomfortable for him to be making another woman scream through the thin walls before they got together. But Meg took it in stride and basically just wanted it for herself, and it did show us his anti-commitment stance. It took a while to see more of his heart and vulnerability. Meg was lively, cute, and a breath of fresh air, but even she had some reasons to feel a bit defeated by life.

But later in the book, I started to really like seeing their dynamics get more personal and for them to explore their hot chemistry. There is some angst around the whole is-it-fake-or-is-it real-or-is-it-just-sex idea? And they are both confused. Part of his issues can only be improved by actually facing them instead of totally avoiding them. But Mac is one stubborn and resistant man with strong opinions. But I loved that Meg was also strong and could appreciate her own self-worth. I liked how she challenged him but was not going to be a doormat either.

It was a funny, sexy, sweet, and sometimes crazy rom-com with a grumpy, reluctant hero and vibrant heroine. I liked the side characters of her friend, Cassidy and his romance reading friend, Lance and would like to see more with them. His family was wacky and all kinds of dysfunctional, but it added depth to the story.  This can be read as a total stand alone but there are connections to people in the previous book  Boy Toy since Meg is Sadie's sister and Cassidy is Liam's sister. 

Meg is a struggling actress, waiting tables while she waits for her big break. After a particularly stressful shift, she finds herself mistaking an actual cop for a stripper cop. At least she’ll never have to see him again after that immensely embarrassing gaff. 

Mac will never live down the time he was mistaken for a stripper. But now the sexy wench is living next door, breaking in to his apartment. At least he can get even and appease his family in one fell swoop. 

But as they continue the charade, there may be more going on than just pretend.

Once again, Sarina and Tanya have written a laugh out loud romance. Meg’s quirky sense of right is hilarious next to Mac’s laser focus and anti-commitment stance. They may start out as a no-strings, but as they play pretend it is so convincing even they aren’t sure what is real anymore. There is a lot of back and forth as they settle into their neighborly ways, and then again as they bring their arrangement into the mix, but they have a way of making that angst incredibly entertaining.

Mac is very anti-commitment. But his reasons for keeping women at arms length (emotionally) are the kind of things that can’t be ignored, even in situations where pretend is in play. Because his reasons are very real and ignoring them hasn’t made the underlying issues go away. I was surprised by a few of the twists that come up surrounding Mac’s past, and though it explained his reticence to let women in, I loved how it played out in his present with Meg.

This book stands alone, even though Meg is connected to previous characters. I actually felt like I would have been just as entertained not knowing Meg from previous books as she is such a huge personality on her own. I loved returning to this world and the larger than life situations these characters create and find.

These can all be read as stand-alones, but they are friends.

Sarina Bowen

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Sarina Bowen is a USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance. She lives in Vermont's Green Mountains with her family, six chickens and too much ski gear and hockey equipment.

In 2016, Sarina became a Rita Award winner! The Romance Writers of America honored HIM by Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy with Best Contemporary Romance, Mid-Length.

Tanya Eby