Josh Hardwick’s life looks great. He lives with his best friends, runs a gourmet food truck, and spends his nights hooking up with every eligible woman in D.C.. But he hides his daily struggle with dyslexia–which holds him back from expanding his business.The last complication he needs is a relationship. Especially not with an off-limits friend who is dangerously hot…Annabeth Vasquez wears … Vasquez wears combat boots because life is a war zone and she damn well intends to be a survivor. She’s clawed her way out of poverty and is still in shock at her amazing new job. Failure isn’t an option. So being distracted by Josh’s playboy moves is definitely out of the question. The boutique job puts her in the middle of his circle of rich, educated friends. Annabeth can’t believe they accept her–or that Josh wants her.
Dating a player always ends badly, and Annabeth can’t risk losing her job. No matter how well Josh kisses… Her job’s at stake. Josh’s friends will kill him if he screws up and hurts her. But they can’t ignore how long–and how much–they’ve wanted each other. So when Josh comes up with a plan to test-drive their relationship, Annabeth’s on board. Will they be able to move beyond their complicated pasts and fears and discover love makes it possible to have it all?
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I really like the backstory here as well as all of the friends, secondary characters. This is my first NM book and i love it and the concept. Josh is absolutely hero material. I like Annabeth and love that they each work toward helping the other to realize how they are so much more than they realize. This book has great writing with good flow and easy timing.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I an very disappointed that this was only a novella! Josh and Annabeth deserve a full book with fleshed out situations. After all; they had to wait a darn long time!
Christi Barth packs a lot of fun and sexy romance in “Having It All”. For years, Josh and Annabeth have never been anything more than just friends. But as they begin to explore their relationship, they both realize there is more than just friendship between them. A fun story that brings a smile to the reader, their story is a wonderful end to the ‘Naked Men’ series. Each story in the series stands alone as all of the ‘Naked Men’ have now found their HEA. **I received “Having It All” from Booksprout** My review is based on my reading.
Josh Finally Gives In And Turns His Attention To Annabeth!
Josh Hardwick, twenty-eight, is successful by many standards. He owns his own food truck in D.C., Capitol Grilled, serving comfort food to the country’s leaders and shakers. He has four of the best friends he could ever ask for. And he has been with half the women in D.C. Give him five minutes with a woman and he will have her in bed.
He also has fame, although it is undeserved. He and his friends were in a terrible accident during a high school soccer trip that took them to the Italian Alps. They were rescued after three terrifying days and declared the American soccer survivors, a story that dominated international news. Due in part to their good looks and in part to their achievements, the group has remained in the media spotlight years later. Their stories are revisited from time to time as one or another makes the news.
About six months ago, the blog that the guys started to keep in touch with one another after high school was converted into a hugely successful podcast, the Naked Men – ‘naked’ referring to their emotions. And at the same time, Josh’s four best friends have all paired off and settled down. Josh is a confirmed bachelor, however, and has no difficulty playing the field alone.
Annabeth Vasquez, twenty-five, had a difficult childhood. Food stamps, an absent father, a mother in and out of prison. She and her brothers had to scramble to stay together and avoid the foster care system. She had worked as a waitress for years to support herself and her younger brother, and finally got some college under her belt. Although she should be proud of herself, Annabeth suddenly has doubts when she leaves her waitressing job behind and accepts a chance at a real career working as a stylist at her friend Summer’s boutique.
Annabeth had waited on the Naked Men for years. They spent a lot of time in the bar she worked at, POV. They had all developed a friendship with her. More recently, she had entered their inner circle. She is now friends with their girlfriends and fiances, Summer included.
Annabeth had always been attracted to Josh. He was fun to be around, and they enjoyed harmless flirting. Because Annabeth had worked in their favorite bar, she had seen him pick up hundreds of women over the years. She knew he didn’t do relationships, so she only ever admired him from a safe distance.
Josh had always liked the sexy waitress at POV. She never gave him an inch. It was refreshing. But he and the guys agreed long ago not to touch her. Nobody wanted to ruin their friendship. So he abided by that rule and kept his attraction to Annabeth under control.
During another epic Halloween party, Summer asks Josh to talk to Annabeth while she goes to find her boyfriend Riley. Face to face with Annabeth, Josh finds himself questioning whether he wants to remain friends with her, or if he has the courage to finally take things to the next level.
Josh and Annabeth have great chemistry. When Josh finally decides to put on the charm, the pages heat up! Converting their friendship into a relationship proves to be a challenge, however. Neither wants a messy breakup that impacts their entire circle of friends, so a lot is riding on them getting it right. Both struggle with their sense of self-worth, which they need to address if they really want to give their relationship a try. It is nice to see them get their HFN.
This is the last book in the series, but can be read as a stand-alone. Logan, a minor character here, is not mentioned in the backstory, which is confusing until a sentence halfway through references his role in the past. There is a large cast of characters, so certainly reading the other books first would add to the enjoyment of this book. It would have been lovely to have a big HEA for Josh and Annabeth here, as well as follow-up HEA’s for the other couples.
This book is nicely written with only a few minor errors. It is written in the third person, switching from Josh and Annabeth’s POVs. I rate this book 3.5 stars.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is the last book in the series, it took a while but we finally got it. Saying good by to the Naked Men and all their craziness and the love of the their lives.. Has been fun!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This was my first time reading a story from Christi Barth and she did not disappoint, I could not put this down! It’s a fast enjoyable read with all the banter and sparks flying between the characters. Josh and Annabeth have a hot steamy chemistry together and after circumstances bring her into his inner circle they decide to take a chance on that chemistry. It’s a wonderful steamy swoon worthy romance with steamy characters that kept my interest from start to finish. It is a definite must read for any Christi Barth reader, I will definitely be reading more of this series and other books by her!!! I LOVED THIS BOOK!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This was a short and sweet read. I probably would have enjoyed it more if I read hr other books in the series. I wanted to know more about the crash and little bit more depth so I’ll be checking out the other books.
This is the first book thst I have read by this author and it won’t be the last. I enjoyed the storyline and the characters. Loved the chemistry between Josh and Annabeth.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The fifth and last book in the Naked Men series a well written story. This is Josh and Annabeth’s story which I enjoyed reading. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Annabeth and Josh run in the same circle of friends. Everyone else has paired off. But they’re “just friends”. Everyone else thinks that they should just go for it relationship-wise. They’re attracted to each other, but afraid that if they jump in and it doesn’t work out, they’ll ruin their friendship and change the group dynamic. After a scorching kiss at a Halloween party, they agree to take sex off the table and date for a while. There are problems, though – they have very different backgrounds, and have trouble opening up due to family issues. They have pushy friends, and eventually realize that “family” doesn’t always mean your blood relatives, but sometimes it’s who you choose as your family. I really enjoyed this book. Both characters had issues to overcome, yet they didn’t give up. I’ve read other books by this author, and enjoy her writing very much.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This story is just oh so sweet. It is in a novella form so it is quite short but still longer than what novella feels like normally. It is still long enough to have some twists and turns and some background on the people in the story. It is just a really sweet romance between two young people addressing their insecurities. Overall a really good one and I look forward to reading more by this author.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.