Being sexually attracted to Mr. Tall, Dark, and Rude hadn’t been on Shelby’s agenda. He spilled her coffee. She found him naked on her massage table. Now she just wants him out of her massage clinic before he recognizes her…or she jumps him. Not professional. Not at all.But when Shelby and Shane meet again, the third time’s the charm. Shane has found his match in the sexy, intelligent woman he … woman he can’t stop thinking about. Shelby is scared, because she might grow to like this guy. With fate on their side, they might both have a shot at a love they’d stopped looking for.
The Works
Bodywork
Working Out
Wetwork
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Shelby meets Mr. Tall, Dark and Rude when he runs into her at coffee shop.
Second time, at her massage place.
Both meeting were beginning of something special. They didn’t want relationship, but they got more than they want it.
Loved this story, it’s funny, sexy. All characters are amazing and I can’t wait for Maggie and Mac story
Shane Collins is always late. One particular morning he’s particularly late getting to work in order to meet a client. Calling on his best friend Mac, Shane finds himself in front of a coffee shop. In his haste, he runs into a woman, spilling her coffee all down the front of him. Blaming her, he grumbles off as his makes his way to Mac. Later the same day, the same rude man who spilled her coffee is lying face down on a table in her massage clinic. Shelby Vanzant can’t believe her poor luck. Hopefully when the massage is over, he won’t recognize her. That, of course, in not the case.
Sparks fly between Shelby and Shane but they’ve both been burned by past relationships. Shelby and Shane are still nursing broken hearts from each person’s previous relationship and, despite the wishes of their family and friends, want to remain single – until they meet each other. They decide to try a friends-with-benefits arrangement in secrecy. What begins as no-strings attached quickly morphs into anything but.
Bodywork is a steamy enemies-to-lovers romance with wonderful main characters and quirky side characters whose meddling may just mess up everything between Shelby and Shane. The book is a cute and fun read. The story and characters kept me engaged. The book contains role-playing along with steamy and vanilla sex. The author excelled in the character development of Shelby and Shane, also providing the set up for the next book.
I was provided a copy of this book to read.
Marie Harte is re-releasing this series now that she has the rights back and I was privileged to be able to review it and give my honest opinions on the story. Wow what an awesome and hot book of two people who have been hurt in past relationships finding love and trust when they didn’t expect it!
This story has a lot of sex in it! I warn you it’s really hot and a little kinky. Shane Collins is a good guy. He’s a former SEAL, a successful architect and his best friend Mac Jameson runs his uncle’s gym. He can’t have a relationship with a woman without falling in love with her. His last girlfriend cheated on him and to add insult to injury tried to steal from him when she moved out of his house. He’s really gunshy and askes advice from his best friend who is the king of love them and leave them.
Shelby Vanzant owns a successful therapeutic massage studio in Seattle. She’s trying to date again but can’t seem to find a guy that meets her standards after her ex, a successful doctor cheated on her with his secretary. Coming out of her favorite coffee house with her morning joe a brick wall runs into her and he blames her for the coffee mess on his white button down under his suit. Shane was late to a business meeting and Mac was picking him up in front of the coffee house down the street from his home. Opps, not a good impression. Next time they meet, kind of is on the massage table when she takes over his appointment when his scheduled masseuse has an emergency. Both feel the sparks but he doesn’t know it’s her, she does and still thinks of him as Tall, Dark and Mr. Rude! When they meet again the sparks are still there and both are intrigued. The dance between them begins.
I loved watching these two think they can have intimate times without their hearts getting involved. Yeah right with these two. They their families and best friends get involved and things go sideways. Fun times! Shane’s 17 year old brother George, aka Geo – like Leo as he insists being called, thinks he’s so smart. He stole my heart. I can’t wait to read Mac and Maggie’s story!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my ownn
Shane and Shelby burn up the sheets together in their sexual adventures in Marie Harte’s Bodywork. From two relationship-damaged people finding each other…to ending their dry spells…you will enjoy a wide variety of them exploring their sexual fantasies. Family & Friend Hijinks, snarkiness, interesting dialogue, wicked carnal chemistry, detailed world-building in Seattle… are all included in Marie’s Bodywork. All I can say is, I want to live in Marie’s Seattle and meet everyone. I received and ARC for my honest review.
This was an entertaining book. It was fun and steamy. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books by this author.
Fun group of characters steamy romance
4-4.5 stars
Good plot, heated romance and a great ensemble of characters made this an enjoyable read.
I liked the heat massage therapist/Bodyworks owner Shelby and architect Shane generate in this story of two people burned in past relationships and leery of diving in anew. The steamy scenes are varied, not vanilla but definitely not too out there, and the story offers a touch of humor as well.
So many well-meaning friends and family raring to get in on the act of bringing these two together. Shelby’s diminutive gal pal Maggie is great; Shane’s buddy Mac is unfiltered and, frankly, the freewheeling bachelor that makes Shane look that much better to a woman looking for more than just an incredible roll in the hay. And Shane’s teenage brother George: what a mix of precocious worldiness and trouble making, no matter how unintentional the problems he causes.
I read a complimentary copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.
Bodywork by Marie Harte is the first in her The Works series, and is about Shelby Vanzant and Shane Collins. They pretty much start off with the opposite of a meet-cute. A meet-uncute? They literally collide and rush off frustrated and hurt. And their second in-person doesn’t improve anything significantly. That said, they really do share some chemistry and Ms Harte gives them the space to grow that.
Plus their family and friends can see the spark of something and are solidly determined to fan that into flames. So prepare yourself for meddling. If interfering friends and parents and siblings are not your thing, you should likely set this aside. But Marie Harte writes this extremely well, and it is lovely to see Shelby and Shane work to find balance between their loving community and their desire for and right to personal privacy.
Bodywork is an entertaining, sweet, and hot read that definitely had me laughing aloud at points. I enjoyed seeing Shane and Shelby find their way, and look forward to more in The Works series!
These two were just fated for each other…
This story of two broken hearts coming together has so much going for it. The meet cute is grin worthy. Their friends with kinky benefits left me as hot and bothered as them. Their past experiences with love keep them from going all in, waiting for the connection to snap, will it. Oh, the sexual tension. The supporting cast adds angst and witty banter plus sets us up for the next book in this heart warming series. Great read.
Funny enemies to friends with benefits has all of the feels you expect in a RomCom…anger, doubts, sadness, chemistry and love before they know it…can they pull their heads out of the sand before they both lose what they’ve always been looking for. Loved it I volunteered an honest opinion for this book.
Read: 7/7/19
Bodywork was the first book in the Works series by Marie Harte. It was my first book by the author.
Shane and Shelby were destined. They kept running into each other, literally, and creating all types of emotions, positive and negative, until they finally explored the chemistry and tempted fate. Harte utilized her humorous secondary characters for even additional depth and fun.
All in all, Bodywork was a cute, lighthearted and sexy read. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the characters. It was well written and fun. And Maggie, Shelby’s BFF, was awesome as well. I can’t wait to read Maggie’s story next in Working Out.
Very sexy book. She is a Massage Therapist and he is a Architect. He bumps into her meeting up with a friend and growls at her like it was her fault, she was standing still, he was moving. His brother borrowed his car, he was late to work and meeting a very important client. She was getting caffeine for her weekly walk with her best friend before work. His brother talks him into going to see the therapist he saw for his knee injury. His appointment ends up being with one of her employees but she ends up having to finish because Denise’s dog got hit by a car. Everyone in their lives are trying to fix them up but they find themselves falling and not wanting to admit it and not wanting to let everyone else in their lives find out they are sleeping together Great sexy book.
Eccentric character with not your everyday jobs. And the steamy scenes in the not so usual places. Super fast and easy read. Loved the family relationships.
Couldn’t read it quick enough it was so good!
The meet cute of Bodyworks is just that: cute. Our hero, Shane Collins, bumps into our heroine Shelby Vanzant outside a busy coffeeshop. As a result, she spills her coffee down the front of his business shirt. Annoyed and already late for work, he rushes off, spouting off a jerky comment despite a momentary connection where attraction ignites.
Later, Shane sees an ad for Shelby’s massage therapy clinic and books an appointment, although he doesn’t know it’s Shelby’s clinic. Plus, he scheduled an appointment with Shelby’s colleague, Denise. But a family emergency calls Denise away mid-appointment and Shelby must step in and take over for Deinse. Shelby is unnerved by the level of attraction sparking over Shane, which is troubling. If she were to allow it to get out of hand, she could lose her massage therapy license. Plus, he was a jerk wasn’t he?
All the while, Shane doesn’t realize that Denise had to leave and when Shelby steps in to complete the massage, suddenly his body responds with attraction. He’s a little embarrassed and figures he just needs to take the advice of his best buddy, Mac, and have a temporary fling. Only, he believes it’s Denise to whom he is attracted, not Shelby.
He and Shelby bump into each other—literally—again while excersing at a local lake where sparks fly. This time, however, Shane has figured out that Shelby covered for Denise during the second half of his massage, and she was the one who made his body light up like a firecracker.
After a hot encounter, Shane and Shelby agree to a no strings attached, no emotional entanglements hook-up. Especially since both of them had recently emerged from long term relationships where their significant others cheated on them. Neither one of them feel ready to trust again. Besides, they don’t want their friends and family to find out about their “relationship” because they know their friends and family will meddle.
What ensues is a lighthearted comedy of meddling by friends and family, trying to propel Shane and Shelby together. Only the jokes on them because Shane and Shelby are already together. Things backfire, though, when Shane’s younger brother, George, goes too far with his meddlesome ways.
Shane and Shelby’s sexy times are hot. The misunderstanding is quickly resolved and Shane & Shelby get their happily ever after. Plus, Harte sets up Shelby’s best friend Maggie for the next book in the series. All and all, Bodywork is a fun read.
I liked the story and purchased the sequels when I was half way through the first one. A nice story about their pairing although reluctantly at times. A feel good story.
What a great cast of colorful and entertaining characters! So many are invested in the love lives of Shane and Shelby so, that makes for an interesting dynamic when they don’t need any help in that department. Shane and Shelby have passion, chemistry and spark that becomes addictive, so much so, that it is special to them and private. The drama of their past broken hearts and the meddling family and friends put some bumps in their road. This is a fun and very enjoyable book that had me hooked from page one.