I need a fake date. She needs my late-night expertise. Now, if we can just keep our hands off each other… completely.
After all, just look how she’s kept her lips sealed about the hot, multi-O night we spent together. Yes, just look at those sexy lips.
In any case, we only fell off the wagon once, and it was months ago. I’m sure we can make it through these weddings without banging each other in the limo.
Or can we?
INSTANT GRATIFICATION is a sexy, standalone romantic comedy in the Always Satisfied series of standalones! The series includes SATISFACTION GUARANTEED, INSTANT GRATIFICATION and OVERNIGHT SERVICE and they can be read in any order.
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Sigh. Maybe I would’ve been better off just reading the book as opposed to listening to the audio – I didn’t particularly enjoy the singing and rapping and they sort of detracted from the story for me. I also had a hard time connecting with the characters. We get a bit of a backstory for Jason by not really Truly and while their chemistry is apparent, I just didn’t feel emotionally invested in their HEA. While I love stories with overlapping characters and worlds, I did find the introduction and inclusion of so many characters to be a distraction and a bit confusing. So even though I didn’t dislike the book, it definitely doesn’t rank amongst my faves from LB. 3 out of 5 wine glasses.
Jason is best friends with Truly’s brother. Six months ago they slept together. Now that he’s had a taste of her, he can’t get it off his mind. But, Truly quickly put him in the “friend zone” because she didn’t want it to cause problems with her brother. She loves him too much to jeopardize their relationship. But, when Jason needs her as a date, can they keep it in the friend zone?
3.5 stars from me on this one. For me, it started out slow and I kept losing interest. It got better, but I had to read half the book to get there.
Instant Gratification is the newest stand alone, contemporary romance from this talented author. It ‘s a bestfriend’s sister and friends-to-lovers story, one of the tropes that I love reading. If you had read Satisfaction Guaranteed, then you would know Jason as Malone’s Brit bestfriend, and Truly, Malone’s twin sister who owned Gin Joint.
After his plus one partner left him to pursue her acting career, Jason needed a date to an upcoming wedding gig he had booked at the weekend. Jason runs a paid-groomsman business and if the occassion warrants, he does a side gig as fake bestman to the groom for an extra cash. Most of the time he could go solo on these events, but since his client wanted him to come as a couple, he needed a fake girlfriend ASAP. Then, the idea came to him to ask his friend, Truly.
Truly needed a lab rat to her new project launch and who better to work with than the sexy as sin, flirty and with the most seductive British accent than Jason? So, they made a deal and shook on it.
I loved the fun, flirty, witty banter these two had. The going back and forth, the loaded comebacks and lingering gazes, I swear I want to yell at them to just kiss and be done with it, LOL. But of course, they both have valid reasons for not repeating that one night they gave in to their feelings. Mostly, Jason doesn’t want to betrays Malone’s friendship and he truly believes he isn’t cut out for relationships. While Truly wasn’t sure about the depth of Jason’s intentions and hurt the friendship between her brother and Jason.
The story was told through Jason’s POV with a bit of Truly’s insights in between. Their journey to finally acknowledging their feelings and admitting to the people who matters was angsty, but one paved with fun, sweet, sexy times and flirtations coming from Jay Bond that will make you blush and laugh out loud at the same time. Loved it, highly recommend it and I can’t wait to read the next couple’s story!
Leave it to Lauren Blakely to come up with a best-man-for-hire storyline that features a jaded-with-love Brit who gives American men lessons on how to be suave and debonair! Add a secret dalliance with his buddy and best friend Truly, (love her name) who also happens to be his other best friend’s sister. Can Jason and Truly continue to fight their lust for each other and pretend their night of passion years ago never happened? Odds are they’re fighting a losing battle, and the odds are even better that you’ll love this sexy romance just as much as I did.
I just fell in love with Jason’s character. I could almost hear his English accent as I was reading. And Truly is a true bad-ass! It is the story of two close friends who have been attracted to each other for years, but never took the plunge because Jason’s best friend Malone, is also Truly’s brother. So out of respect and not wanting to ruin any friendships, they stayed friends. Until one night they both could’t take it anymore and gave in! This is a very funny story with tons of very steamy scenes! Great love story!!!
Jason and Truly’s story was so worth the wait! The Queen of RomComs does it again! This story has everything you’ve come to love and expect from Lauren Blakely – a quick wit, original storyline, and sooo much heat! ANOTHER FIVE STAR read from Ms. Blakely!
Friends to lovers standalone book, Jason and Truly, a twin brother best friend, one night that changed everything. Their chemistry can’t be denied. I loved seeing old friends from other books. The audiobook is fantastic I totally recommend it, you will feel every emotion in the words, the narrators did an amazing job as always.
4.5 “That One Time” stars!
I don’t want to be in the friend zone. I want to be in her zone.
It’s easy to get lost in Lauren Blakely’s newest romantic comedy, Instant Gratification. This entertaining friends-to-lovers romance is filled with witty banter, solid friendships, fantastic chemistry, and a swoony love story, and I loved it!
Months ago, Truly and Jason spent an unforgettable, mind blowing night together. They agreed it should be a one-time thing because Truly is not only Jason’s best friend’s twin sister making her off limits, they are also good friend they don’t want to risk their own friendship by becoming more. After that night, Truly friend-zones Jason hard and he has no other option than to accept it.
“I resisted for years. And soon, resistance became the norm. It was easy enough to be friends with her, to sign up for crazy, heart-pumping classes together, to run a 5K by her side.
That was how we operated. She was one of the gang.
Until that night earlier this year. She’d suggested we go snowboarding, and naturally, I’d said yes.”
Truly and Jason have done a pretty good job at putting their hookup behind them for several months but when they both need a favor, they are thrown together again and sparks fly higher than ever.
Truly and Jason are such genuine characters and their witty and flirtatious banter make this story so much fun! There is no denying the connection they have, and I love that Truly and Jason are honest and don’t deny their feelings. They know what they want and they know what they don’t want. Their own friendship as well as their relationships with Malone, Truly’s brother, mean too much to them to risk the fallout if things go south but it gets harder each day to keep their attraction in check.
“He’s too charming, too amusing, too easy to be with. He’s like a bag of popcorn. Have you ever tried to eat just one handful of popcorn?”
They may give in at times but Jason and Truly are good at going back to just friends. At least in the beginning. The more slip ups the harder it is because they are actually really good together inside and outside the bedroom. Not only do they have sizzling chemistry and swoontastic moments, it’s their strong, easy friendship that makes this story believable. They know each other better than anyone and I trusted in their connection. They are solid and goofy in the best ways. They know when to joke around but they can also be serious and real when they need to be.
I love Truly and Malone together. They are functional and mature and there is very little drama. Even though there is some push and pull, it was well done and it worked with the story. I never got frustrated with them and enjoyed every step of the way as they realize they are each other’s happily-ever-afters!!
I have to give a shout out to the secondary characters! They are awesome and it was so good catching up with Charlotte from Big Rock , Nick and Harper from Mister O , and Malone from Satisfaction Guaranteed . I also can’t wait for Overnight Service featuring Josh and Haven after we get a snippet of Josh’s POV!
Overall, Instant Gratification is another delightful friends-to-lovers romance that is enjoyable from first page to last. Don’t miss out on this rom com hit!
“This kind of love is the ultimate instant gratification.”
You can definitely never go wrong with a book by Lauren Blakely and make it a best friend’s brother romance and you know you are in for a great and fun ride. Instant Gratification was such a fun and charming read with all the best feels. I loved the characters, their witty banter and interactions and just watching them fall. Such a great read.
Jason and Truly shared an unforgettable night months ago and its all Jason thinks about. But they are just friends, right? As a Best-Man for hire and podcasts, Jason was charming and funny and overall very likeable guy. Truly is smart, ambitious and driven. When they step in to help the other when in need, the chemistry between explodes. I just loved their friendship, chemistry and interactions so much. Instant Gratification by Lauren Blakey was a brother’s best friend romance with a friends to lovers feel that was sweet and delightful to read.
~ Liz
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Jason is a professional Gentleman, Truly is a bar owner and his best friend’s sister. The chemistry between these two is off the charts in this steamy romance. Interwoven with characters from some of her other books, this is a light, fun and sexy read from Blakely. I’m looking forward to reading more stories in this series of standalone stories.
Truly and Jason have chemistry. They gave in once and decided never to do it again as they didn’t want to hurt Truly’s brother who is also Jason’s best friend. When Jason needs a date for a wedding, he only wants to take Truly. Can these two continue to deny the chemistry between them, or will they finally combust?? What happens when Truly’s brother finds out? Loved this story. Can’t wait for the next installment in this series!!
This book is one of a kind. It gives us so many characters, both new and from past series/books, and for me it is one of the things that made me relate to it even more. We got to see Truly and Jason interact with their friends and their siblings, which showed us their separate lives, their separate connections and their internal feelings and emotions that they would not admit to one another.
Lauren Blakely is by far one of my favorite authors and her books never disappoint. I was looking very much forward to Truly and Jason’s story and I’ve already read it once and listened to it once. The chemistry between truly and Jason was damn hot. I loved their flirtatious banter and the fact that they remained good friends even after they first hooked up. Their friendship played a key role in their falling in love. They are both workaholics and entrepreneurs and this helps them understand the sacrifices in working long hours. They were both really passionate about their jobs and had future goals.
Loved everything about this book.
I received an Advanced Readers Copy of Instant Gratification in exchange for an honest review.
This is typical Lauren Blakely that we’ve come to expect — fun, flirty, sexy characters with laugh-out-loud moments. We were introduced to Jason and Truly in previous books so I was excited to read their story. I think what I most enjoyed was their flirty banter throughout the book. And if you’ve read this author’s other books, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to be see some familiar characters. I love catching up with couples from her other books — it makes the whole experience even more enjoyable. I think the audible version of this one would be awesome!
Witty, funny, steamy, Lauren Blakey strikes again……this is book two in this series and it delivers. Jason is a best man for hire and Truly Goodman’s brothers best friend……Truly owes a bar and makes up some tasty cocktails. But what she really wants is Jason but they agreed the first time was also the last time……yeah ok. Five great big STARS for this one.
Jason and Truly are friends turned lovers one night that they promise not to repeat because Truly’s brother is Jason’s best friend. The two have sparks like crazy between them. Jason needs Truly to be his date for his wedding business and she needs Jason’s late night skills. These two can’t keep things to just friends. A great read and funny rom-com.
This is a story that will captivate you, it will draw you in and as always this very talented author will make you feel part of this elite group of family and friends that Instant Gratification is based around.
This is the second book in the series and I think it can certainly be read as a stand-alone but I would recommend one clicking Instant Guarantee, you won’t be disappointed.
Jason is Malone’s best friend and Truly is Malone’s sister so these two know each other but you know what they say about dating your best friends sister…. Jason has a very unusual job and at times he needs a plus one for his Best Man for hire and Truly seems the perfect choice after all she has been his friend for many years but what happens when friendship turns into more will Jason risk his friendship with Malone or will his feelings for Truly be worth more than friendship…..
A wonderful story that’s full of amazing characters with plenty of witty banter this book has it all because let’s not forget the sizzling chemistry Jason and Truly share as well as the camaraderie shared between this group of friends. You will laugh, you will giggle and you will certainly swoon so please get your one click finger working and get this must read for all romantic comedy lovers.
Rating: 2.5 stars
The best part for me here was I loved how the hero has been and still is really into the heroine, despite how the lady does protest too much about why they can only be friends after a previous one night stand. He tried to respect the relationship lines in the sand she claimed she couldn’t cross out of fear of alienating her brother if things didn’t work out. However, it is pretty obvious both of them really wanted to give into temptation again and again and again due to the attraction/torch they still carried for one another. The flirty, non-stop, back and forth banter was proof of that. I must admit it started to get too repetitive and inappropriate language/comebacks started coming out of their mouths considering they claimed to just be buddies. Friends don’t talk to each other that way, folks. It did truly feel they were just spinning their wheels for a very l-o-n-g time. especially since at midway through they still weren’t a couple.
It is also time to fess up I didn’t really buy into the reasons they claimed they couldn’t be together. Putting a sibling or a friend’s feelings or wants before their own lifetime of happiness is a popular, overdone troupe in romantic reads. I can’t help but feel it shows lack of good judgement and immaturity in a main couple. Living your life to please someone else never works out well. The shoe was on the other foot, so to speak, regarding the hero’s reluctance to commit to a forever type of love again. Yeah, that baggage was a hurdle, too. Just lurking in the background ready to surface and add to this constantly on-going relationship angst.
Proof I struggled with weighing the good aspects of the story vs the not so great is I found myself repeatedly putting the book down. About midway through, I realized I was finding it all rather exhausting. Sure, I wanted them to be together, but with half of their journey behind them with little to no progress, something else came to mind. If you want instant gratification involving a main couple that are a couple through most of the book, this story line doesn’t live up to the title. A lot of time is spent on career coffee talk conversations and irrelevant cameo appearances of sub-characters. All of which kept interrupting the romantic plot. At 65%, I realized a heck of a lot of time had been wasted. The writing was starting to wander all over the place.
Here’s to hoping others really like this book. All in all, I enjoyed parts of it but I need both both main characters to be on board and fight for love. Not keep making excuses and talk themselves into a different reality. Heck, based on how quickly the heroine brushed off the hero after a quickie in a car because other things came before him, I’m not sure why he even wanted to be with her after that. Again, I’ve read these same elements so many times, for me it did lack the originality I’ve come to expect from this talented author. I’m still a huge fan of her work. This one just isn’t at the top of my favorite list.
Title: Instant Gratification, Series: Always Satisfied (Book 2), Author: Lauren Blakely, Pages: 350, stand-alone but part of a series, flirty, dirty talking, smexy, back and forth banter, self imposed can’t be together drama, friends to lovers relationship angst, slow paced, graphic smex scenes. Rating: 2.5 stars
Book 1 – Satisfaction Guaranteed
Book 2 – Instant Gratification
Book 3 – Overnight Service
(I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not given any payment or compensation for this review, nor is there any affiliation or relationship between this reviewer and the author/publisher.)
Instant Gratification is the second book in the Always Satisfied Series. I listened to the audio that was fantastic. It was great to listen to all the characters that Lauren Blakely had together. I usually just listen to the text to speech on my Kindle Fire. Or when I am listening to Audible usually the most you get are a man and a woman reading to you. This book was so very different! It was great to listen to ALL the different characters voices reading to you! I have never read/heard anything like it! Thank You Lauren Blakely. You made this a fantastic audible with 15 different narrators to listen to!
Now my only complaint is that I bought both the book and audible book together so that I could follow in the ebook along with the narration and I couldn’t get them to line up. I am not sure if it was user error or that they don’t go along together.
Now Instant Gratification is a friends to lovers romance. Jason Reynolds and Truly Goodman are supposed to be just friends. Although, they have gotten together in the past but now they are clearly in the friend zone or are they? They spend a lot of time each wanting each other and maybe moving past “the friend zone”. Another “BLIP” happens.
I will always think of the pancake song when I eat pancakes!
Do yourself a favor and get the Audible version! I think it works quite well having 15 narrators! This may be a game changer for Audible! Needless to say Lauren Blakely hit Instant Gratification out of the ball park! 5 + STARS
Instant Gratification was a delightfully entertaining romantic comedy with just the right mix of humor and heart. I loved the relationship between Jason and Truly and absolutely enjoyed their flirty banter. Between the sizzling hot chemistry and sweet moments these two shared I was hooked. The secondary characters added another riveting layer to their story and I can’t wait to see which characters story is next. If you enjoy engaging romantic comedies with all the feels and characters you can’t help but adore then this story will give you Instant Gratification.
My heart can’t take how sweet this story is. I fell in love with the characters quickly, and how could I not? If they were nothing short of being swoon worthy. Their friendship captivtated me and so did thise moments where I got a peek behind the curtain and found out how they really felt for each other. It was so easy to connect with them. The build up in their relationship as they navigate their friendship and the projects they are working on, is amazing, they will make you laugh out loud, swoon all over them and of course, take your breath away with the intensity of their feelings.
Swoony, fun and sizzling.