Carter’s been crazy about Nina since the first time he saw her emerald eyes, but his fratastic reputation landed him in the friend zone before he even had a chance to say, “How you doin’?”So when Nina suggests they become friends with benefits, he can’t believe his luck. After all, once he’s gotten in her pants, winning her heart should be easy… right?**This is a full-length, standalone romance … is a full-length, standalone romance novel with no cliffhanger, no cheating, and a heart-swelling HEA.
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Flirty, angsty and a swoon worthy forever after, Hazel Kelly brings it all to the pages with Friends with Benefits book two in her Beta Brothers series! It is always nice to read a work that deals with universal relationship issues and moves them beyond generic. Hazel Kelly did a great job of writing a book that while filled with charm tackled her characters vulnerabilities and hopes in a way that made Friends with Benefits an entertaining read that went beyond superficial.
Carter’s reputation as a player served him well until it prevented the one girl he was truly interested in from taking him seriously. Nina had bad luck in relationships to the point that she was beginning to think attracting cheaters was part of her genetic makeup. These leads shared more in common than their outer facades revealed and were ultimately two lonely people terrified to risk being hurt, resorting to the boundaries of “friends with Benefits” to avoid heartache.
Carter and Nina were easy to develop a reader rapport with. Each character brought an element of likability to the story. What started off as a fling with no commitment rapidly became a lot more as the leads each tried to decipher the feelings they were developing for each other. The self-sabotaging that each party brought into the mix as their insecurities started to surface was carried out skillfully by this author. Ms. Kelly with insight and a lot of steam was able to evolve these characters from the consequences of their mistakes in a believable manner.
Friends with Benefits was the right mix of fun and serious showing off Hazel Kelly’s tremendous talent for a great read!
*While part of a series this book can be read as a stand alone.*
HOLY SMOKES!
Okay, this book is HOT. First of all.
While the premise of this book is not a new one (the whole “let’s just be friends and fool around and we will both promise not to get emotionally attached, but then we end up getting emotionally attached” scenario), what I loved the most about THIS version of the trope is the amount of emotion Hazel made me feel, especially the latter part of the book.
I also loved the dialogue. The snarky back-and-forth Carter and Nina had was my kind of humor, my kind of tone, and I thoroughly enjoyed how they would joke with each other. They had the feeling of truly liking each other, not just wanting to get into each others’ pants.
I read A LOT of books, but Carter is definitely one of my favorite book-boyfriends. If you like college romances, he will be one of your favorites, too!
Though I haven’t read any books by Hazel before, I will ABSOLUTELY be reading more by her. For me, she may be one of those authors whose synopses I don’t even read, I just know that if they wrote it, the book will be phenomenal, regardless of the story line.
(I was given a copy of this book in consideration of my honest thoughts)
4.5 Stars
Nina is a college freshman whose roommate is dating a fraternity brother of popular junior Carter Montgomery. Via circumstance and proximity, they’re mostly just a little more than acquaintances, but not for Carter’s lack of trying.
I liked how Nina didn’t initially give in to Carter’s flirting and come-ons nor was she pining over him. The story avoided the clichéd virginal, sheltered, tongue-tied freshman characterization and instead presented a heroine who engaged in typical college activity, wasn’t looking to settle down at nineteen, and who could hold her own with an experienced frat boy. It led to a stronger female presentation, but also pages of banter where their chemistry brewed. And while it helped build the sexual tension between them, it also made Carter work for it and in the process have feelings for her beyond simply lust.
Now that’s romance!
And it paid off as once the duo ducked under the covers (or against the classroom wall), their encounters were hot and authentic.
I liked both Nina and Carter’s characters. While it would have been nice to see the hints of their family backgrounds fleshed out a little more, for the most part they were developed enough through the course of the story to form a clear picture their personalities.
Even though Carter was a former manwhore and there were the occasional references (nothing too skeevy though), it was a cute journey watching him squirm when Nina insisted on the no commitment arrangement.
Carter’s past aside, he really knew how to woo the girl once he was hooked on Nina. (Chapter 24 was my fav, but he could be my Valentine any time too.) And while I wanted to talk some sense into him right along with everyone else when he let his worries get the better of him, I also adored him a little more for caring about limiting Nina’s freedom so early in her college life.
Told via their dual alternating first person POV, this no-strings friends with benefits tale has a perfect balance of steam and swoon. If you enjoy relatively low angst, safe, sweet, and sexy college romance, you’ll want to grab a bag of M&M’s and settle in for this one!
I received a complimentary copy of this book for free to give a voluntary honest review. This review contains only my own thoughts and opinions of this book.
To say this story was cute sounds like an insult, but it was. It was easy to follow, humorous and really sweet. Simple and to the point, but not necessarily in any bad way. In short, It was a perfectly enjoyable read.
One thing that did bother me though was the somewhat lack of depth and drama that a book and storyline like this needs. Considering Carter’s womanizing ways and the whole arrangement he had with Nina I was expecting a lot more drama than I was given. There were after all lots of room for it with jealous exes, the insecurities they both shared, difficult pasts and family situations. None of this was properly taken advantage of and I feel like it hurt the story. This entire concept is built for bucket loads of drama and I only got half a glass of it. Still, the drama I did get was very much enjoyable. However since it was so little of it and resolved so quickly it left me unsatisfied.
I really liked the dialogues in this book. It was different from what I’m used to with both the humor and how it built the most part of the story. The amount of dialogue developed clear cut personalities and built strong bonds in the relationship. However, as much as I liked the dialogs I felt that it became a bit too much sometimes. Because while it did help with forming the personalities and relationships it also took away some the story’s depth. I didn’t fully get that introduction of the characters to understand exactly who they were or where they were coming from. There where hints in both Carter’s and Nina’s cases that their pasts had not been all roses and lilies. This was not explored and I having finished the book I still know next to nothing about either of their pasts. Even simple things such as how they came to know certain people, what they liked doing in their spare time or just who their families were was left out. Friends with Benefits solely focused on the now and while that is mostly fine I can’t help to feel that I missed out on a lot of depth and complexity that would have strengthened the characters, storyline, relationships and … well, everything.
Overall I am happy with how the book turned out and satisfied with the ending. I do love happily ever after after all. Had there been a bit more complexity and drama to the story I am certain it would have been a five star book. As of now, it lands on 3.5 stars.
I am guilty of judging this book before I even read it. I thought this book was going to be all sex and minimal plot. The blurb and the cover didn’t add much to the opinion I formed. Then I read the book. I gotta tell y’all, I was surprised and pleased!! I love it when a book turns out to be the exact opposite of what I thought it was going to be.
I enjoy it when I read a romance where the main characters have some sort of friendship of sorts. Nina and Carter know each other through their best friends, who are dating. Their relationship was friendly for months before they hooked up. Their friendship made their transition into FB’s pretty easy.
Nina and Carter’s sexual relationship was hot. I did laugh when she was amazed by the size of Carter’s package. I would have had the same thoughts. I also liked that the sexual tension and attraction didn’t fade as I read the book. The author did a fantastic job of keeping it hot until the end of the book. 95% of the romances I read have the sex scene fizzle out after the first time.
I liked Nina and I agreed with Sadie after reading the first couple of chapters. She needed a FB. I understood why she didn’t want a relationship. If I had been treated that way by my exes, I would have the same feelings. I also understood why she had rules when she instigated to FB arrangement with Carter. She did kind of annoy me at points in the book. She got jealous way to easy. She was willing to believe that Carter was seeing other people besides her. She was too stubborn to see that Carter cared about her. Why else would he have brought her dinner (with cheesecake!!) on Valentines Day?
I loved Carter. He was perfect for Nina. I liked how he took things slow with her. He had feelings for before she approached him to be her FB. It was like Christmas and his birthday rolled into one when that happened. When they broke up, even though he instigated it, he was as hurt as she was. I loved seeing a guy who was in touch enough with his feelings to admit that.
The book ended on a positive note. I liked that everything was resolved. I liked that future plans were made. I can’t wait to see Nina and Carter in other books. I can’t wait to see how their relationship progressed.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
From the book blurb – “Carter’s been crazy about Nina since the first time he saw her emerald eyes, but his fratastic reputation landed him in the friend zone before he even had a chance to say, “How you doin’?”
And that is a problem because Nina is so wary of Carter’s reputation that she can’t conceive of them as being anything more than friends with benefits, while Carter wants so much more.
This book completely captured me and I loved it. The story is engaging the writing is great. It’s a fun, sexy romance with some really hot steamy scenes. Their first time together had me melting! I will definitely be looking to read more by this new-to-me author, Hazel Kelly.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A very sensuous story yet still filled with beautiful romance. The characterizations of all the players was well done and believable. The dialogue throughout this story is quite comical, in parts, witty even. A smile was brought to this reader’s face a number of times. This reader read this story more than once.
A recommended sensuous romantic read!
I voluntarily received an advance review copy of this novel and I am leaving an honest and unbiased review. I have no affiliation to this author.
4 Sexy Carter Stars!
So cute!! I’m really missing my college romance stories! I enjoyed reading about Carter and Nina. So much that I read it in one sitting! It was so sweet! Actually, maybe it was Carter that made it so sweet! I did get mad at him at one point, but he and his big D definitely made up for it. Lol!! After reading this, I most likely will be looking at Reese’s Pieces differently! But in a good way! So, if you’re looking for a light, easy, no strings attached story, don’t hesitate to #1-click Friends With Benefits! I’m sure Carter won’t let you down!
-Juls
I love Nina and Carter!!!
Friends with Benefits was written beautifully. This is the second book I have read by Hazel and I could tell the difference in her writing. Friends with Benefits was everything and more. Carter is in his third year of college and Nina is in her first year. Friends with benefits is never easy so what was Nina thinking with all of the rules she put into place. There’s bound to be some heartache but can a friendship or relationship be rebuilt?