**”**Narrators Muffy Newtown and Jacob Morgan will make listeners blush and laugh their way through this Las Vegas-based romantic comedy in which the sin extends beyond the city…Newtown is great at emphasizing character individuality and sneaking humor into her delivery. Morgan, with his swoon-inducing, even-toned, perfectly paced voice, is everything listeners want in a hero.” — AudioFile Magazine
A new standalone, laugh-out-loud romantic comedy by New York Times bestselling author Helena Hunting.
Cosy Felton is great at her job—she knows just how to handle the awkwardness that comes with working at an adult toy store. So when the hottest guy she’s ever seen walks into the shop looking completely overwhelmed, she’s more than happy to turn on the charm and help him purchase all of the items on his list.
Griffin Mills is using his business trip in Las Vegas as a chance to escape the broken pieces of his life in New York City. The last thing he wants is to be put in charge of buying gag gifts for his friend’s bachelor party. Despite being totally out of his element, and mortified by the whole experience, Griffin is pleasantly surprised when he finds himself attracted to the sales girl that helped him.
As skeptical as Cosy may be of Griffin’s motivations, there’s something about him that intrigues her. But sometimes what happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas and when real life gets in the way, all bets are off. Filled with hilariously awkward situations and enough sexual chemistry to power Sin City, Making Up is the next standalone in the Shacking Up world.
Making Up is the fourth instalment in the Shacking Up companion series. Making Up follows Cosy and Griffin as they navigate the murky waters of dating with an age gap.
I didn’t enjoy Making Up as much as I wanted to. The rushed beginning, lack of palpable chemistry, and age gap left me unsatisfied.
Making Up has an incredible rushed beginning. Readers are thrust into the plot with Cosy working at an adult toy store with Griffin looking to purchase some items. The main characters exchange some fun banter then readers are thrust into the middle of their date. Things happen quickly, but the climax of their introduction sizzles rather than burns.
I expected Cosy and Griffin to have red hot chemistry, especially with a setting steeped in sex, however their chemistry was lukewarm at best. Griffin is awkward and shy, but in a way that doesn’t work in his favor. Instead, Griffin comes off as insecure for a lot of their interactions since the reader barely gets to know who Griffin is as an individual.
I’m not opposed to age gap novels, so my criticism isn’t in shaming the age difference. Instead, my criticism is of the inclusion of the age gap in the first place since Hunting does nothing with it. Hunting never does anything interesting or groundbreaking with the age difference other than a few lines here and there pointing it out. I’m just glad it was fetishized.
Making Up does a lot of telling rather than showing. There are too many instances where the reader is told a summary of something the characters did rather than experiencing it with them. So, for most of the novel I felt little to no connection to the characters or their relationship. As you’re reading along it feels as if the epilogue comes out of nowhere since it felt like I spent no time with the characters.
Overall, Making Up is my least favorite instalment in the series since it lacks Hunting’s signature chemistry and laugh out loud moments.
At first I wasn’t sure if I would like Griffin and Cody together because he is so much older and they are from different walks of life but they make it work. There are a lot of secrets that Griffin has but the one he didn’t know about is the worst and you aren’t sure how much Cosy can deal with. Cosy is young but a very adult look on life and she makes Griffin see the fun side for a change.
Reviewed on behalf of Once upon an Alpha
Whether it be an emotional angst-fest or an over the top rom-com, Helena Hunting can always be counted on for a story that engages and entertains the reader, and Making Up, the latest in her Shacking Up series, is no exception.
From an impossibly ridiculous meet-cute to bedroom scenes that had me fanning myself, Helena Hunting kept me wrapped up in this story from start to finish. This may be my favorite of the series so far.
Making Up was, in a word, FUN. A fun, easy read that was a wonderful escape from real life. Griffin was that perfect swoony leading man, one who worked his way into my heart early and kept me rooting for him the whole time. A genuine good guy, I love how he loved Cosy, (even before he knew he loved her) and l adored the lengths he was willing to go to to make her happy.
Cosy was sweet and adorable and admirable, and I wanted, no needed, her to be happy. A hard worker, even at her young age, she had a solid head on her shoulders. I loved that she wasn’t overly dramatic and kept Griffin on his toes.
Helena made these two work hard for their HEA, but to me, it was worth every mile of the journey.
From the awkward and funny first encounter, Making Up is a roller coaster ride of drama, heat & adventure. Cosy the free spirited college student and Griffin the sexy older executive shouldn’t make sense, but together they just fit. Seeing how sweet & attentive Griffin is makes him one of Helena Hunting’s most endearing heroes. Looking forward to reading cousin/best friend Lincoln’s story next.
**3.5 Sars**
Set in Las Vegas and in New York, Making Up is about a man who runs an international, billion-dollar hotel empire, and a woman who runs the local adult toy store.
There were many moments in the story that I loved: it was sexy and funny, it made me laugh and swoon; Griffin’s sexy alpha tendencies had my ovaries exploding, and Cosy’s feistiness and sense of humor provided for great banter.
There were many differences between the characters: he’s rich, she’s poor; he’s in his thirties, she’s in her early twenties; he’s got it all going on, she’s just starting out and doesn’t know which road to take; he’s just ended a long-term relationship, she’s never had anything long-term. And for the most part, these differences worked.
For me, the problem came with the seemingly unnecessary drama. What made this worse was the way Cosy over-reacted in most situations. And, while she is young, her actions made her appear immature, rather than the strong, independent female we are being led to believe she was. There were a few times the mom in me came out and I wanted to yell at her to “slow down” and “quit rushing to judgement”. Fortunately, by the end of the book, she started to show signs of maturing.
I love Helena Hunting’s storytelling. I love her voice and the view of the world she shares with her readers. So while this may not have been my favorite in this series, I still quite enjoyed it and definitely cannot wait to read Lincoln’s book!
4.5 Stars! I great book where opposites attract! Lots of humor, heat, and I loved how these two quirky characters found their way. I love that the setting is in Las Vegas and certain phrases always made me smile and rang true in my own life. I love how there are life lessons in this book too! How many don’t do “touristy” things in their own backyard, don’t judge someone based upon their age/income, and how opposites can and do attract. Cute and fun, this is a fantastic summer read!
Making Up is really sweet with Griffin and Cosy at the helm. This book gave me ALL the feels. I was laughing and feeling angsty and angry and then back to being totally in love with Griffin. I was worried for awhile that we wouldn’t be getting Griffin’s story. I kept hearing about this chick named Imogen. I’m not gonna touch that, other than to say that HH will break your heart and then fix it again before the end of the story.
I have loved every book by Helena Hunting so far, and this one was great as well, but it wasn’t my favorite. I liked Cosy a lot, but then it seemed like once her age was known it was like she flipped a switch and seemed to act totally differently. At the beginning I totally thought she was in her mid/late twenties not barely 22.
I really liked Griffin and he is totally swoon worthy but I feel like he tried to act too much like her age to make it seem like their age gap wasn’t too noticeable.
It took me a bit to get into it, but over all it was funny, and I laughed out loud quite a bit!
Ah, Helena Hunting, you’ve once again given us a story and characters that were easy to fall in love with. From the hilarious banter between all of the characters to the outrageous antics, I found myself laughing throughout the story. Griffin is delicious and from his first appearance, I fell hard for this sexy, thoughtful man. Cosy was an absolute hoot! She had me laughing throughout with her no-holds-barred, take-no-prisoners attitude. She’s a girl who has balls and isn’t afraid to wield them! Together Cosy and Griffin have amazing chemistry and I love how her carefree spirit rubs off on him. They each make the other a better person just by being in each others’ lives. Of course, their relationship isn’t drama-free so expect more than a few bumps in the road but in the end, Griffin and Cosy get the happily-ever-after that they both truly deserve. 5 stars
I love Helena’s heroes! Always alpha, but charming and endearing to the max. I couldn’t help but fall in love with Making Up. Don’t miss this one!
Sexy funny read. Businessman meets girl who works in an adult toy shop in Vegas! What could go wrong? Read to find out.
This is my first book in this series and now I need to go back and read the other books!
Since my last read was on the serious side I was ready for something lighter so I opted for chick-lit that is listed as a rom-com. “Making Up” is from A Shacking Up series by Helena Hunting and while it fits my “cute” definition, I can’t say I was laughing out loud.
Cosy is a college student working in a sex toy store. She’s beautiful (duh) and bright so she kinda’ tarts herself up in her attire to earn higher commissions. Griffin is buying gag gifts for a bachelor party and even though he’s embarrassed to be in a sex toy store, he’s impressed by Cosy. A couple weeks later he gets up the nerve to ask her out and although Cosy has decided she doesn’t date customers, she eventually gives in. She’s unconventional and refreshingly honest where Griffin couldn’t be much more traditional, but he’s obviously smitten with her. There’s a ten year spread in their ages – her 22 to his 32 but they overlook it for the moment and one thing leads to another. Ba da bing, ba da boom and they wind up spending most of their time in bed. The relationship is supposed to be short term due to his constant travel and her deep-seated desire to be footloose to travel wherever and whenever the notion strikes. So much for “best laid plans”.
The characters are entertaining but there are some bumps on the road to romance for this couple that introduce dramatic tension and add dimension to what would otherwise be endless bouts of bedroom scenes. The dialogue is snappy and witty and worthy of some chuckles. The pleasant surprise is the stellar writing; not just syntactically correct but concise and succinct with no evidence of any fluffy phrasing. Every word is necessary to tell the story. Hunting is a talented and gifted writer. I’m impressed and look forward to reading more of her work. Four and a half stars.
Making Up was absolutely amazing, I had a very hard time putting the book down. I was captivated by Griffin and Cosy, they just gave me so many feels. When they first met, after their first date. Well they’re just amazing together, Cosy is very simple, hard working and putting herself threw school to get what she wants. Griffin has always had everything he needed and after his engagement ended this start to change but in a good way . So if you have not read this book, you must is just plain beautiful and funny.
Constantly mucking it up
From their first encounter, Cosy and Griffin set off sparks and take a rollercoaster ride through hot sex, love, tears, hot sex, love…well you get it. Fortunately, even though Griffin is constantly mucking it up, not intentionally poor guy, he is learning how to beg for forgiveness, big time!
This series is so much fun to read with snappy dialogue and hilarious situations.
Oh my heart… this book is so darn perfect! Making Up by Helena Hunting is an amazing and delightfully entertaining romcom that will steal your hearts and give you all the swoony feels.
From the very first scene until the epilogue, I honestly enjoyed every moment with Cosy and Griffin. I know now why so many romance fans fall in love with Helena Hunting. With plenty of humor, steam, sweetness, and heart, this book is addictive and so much fun. I found myself smiling so much, laughing out loud a few times, and feeling so giddy with all the feels. There’s just enough drama, complications, and unexpected surprises that keeps the story interesting. While some parts are a bit predictable, Hunting manages to make it so exciting and fun that I was engrossed the entire time. The characters are absolutely wonderful and relatable. They’re also adorably quirky, amusing, and just so lovable. I won’t deny it.. this cute romcom definitely has my heart and I’m utterly smitten with Cosy and Griffin.
Cosy is my girl and I admired everything about her. She’s funny, smart, adventurous, independent, and just an awesome heroine. Griffin stole a piece of my heart from the moment he stepped into the adult toy store where Cosy works. He’s ridiculously hot and rich, but there’s this sweet, tender, and vulnerable side of him that I find so irresistible. I also really love that he’s down to earth, honest, kind, romantic, and just a really good person. His determination to show Cosy just how much he cares and loves her is so heartwarming and I just think he’s perfect for Cosy and vice versa. They’re seriously such an adorable and cute couple. Their chemistry is sexy and undeniable. I love their playful bantering, their flirtatious and steamy scenes, and all their amusing and endearing moments together. They gave my heart plenty of delicious swoons and feels and I honestly love love love them together!
Adorably hilarious, deliciously swoony and irresistibly charming, Making Up by Helena Hunting made my heart melt over and over. It’s humorous, entertaining, sexy, romantic and sweet. It’s truly an absolute fun and delightful read and I honestly cannot recommend it enough. If you love romcoms, awkward meet cutes, quirky lovable characters, and swoony romances, then you need to get this book ASAP. I adore Cosy and Griffin and their story so much and I hope you get to meet them really soon.
I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
So Helena Hunting has been one of my favorite authors since the PUCKED series and I didn’t realize that Making Up was part of the Shacking Up series and now I need more family Mills!! Though you don’t necessarily need to read the other books in the series to enjoy Making up, it can provide some history to the chain of events that transpire between Cosy and Griffin.
I loved everything about Cosy and Griffin’s relationship dynamic, Helena really knows how to develop a great love story full of crazy situations and drama. I feel that Cosy was such a well developed main character that was full of insight that we should all take note and apply it to our daily lives. Griffin is a sexy alpha leading man that you fall more and more in love with as you read this book. One of my favorite quotes in this book is ” Show me your weakness, so I can give you my strength,” if that doesn’t get you wanting to know what lead to this quote I’m not sure you are worthy of anything Helena Hunting.
I now am very curious about the other Mills men and will now read this series backwards, I can only hope that the other Mills men are as intense and sexy like their older brother Griffin.
Reviewed by: Glori I.
Oh my goodness – this book was SO good!
This is my first Helena Hunting novel and it will not be my last. I fell in love with the story from the very first page! Cosy and Griffin are a perfect match and I could not get enough of them! Cosy is witty, strong-willed, funny and perfectly puts Griffin in his place. Griffin is swoon-worthy, sweet, and caring. I love how they balanced each other.
I didn’t realize this novel was part of a series, but I am quickly buying up the others. I need more of the Mills boys in my life! Though I am not sure if any of the others will ever top Griffin for me.
This is a must-read – get your hands on it now!
Reviewed by: Brianne M.
A quick, fun read. If I could change one thing, it would be for the characters to be a bit more fully developed. The author does a great job of switching between viewpoints and the character of Cosy is just quirky enough to make it all work, but I felt like the whole thing was a little shallow and would have liked to have a little bit more of Cosy and Griffin’s individual personalities rather than so much of them together. It’s definitely a balance and for the most part it’s really fun to read.. I do enjoy the changing settings and the supporting characters like Nev and Lex. Happy to have read this one.
Five marshmallow stars! Free spirit meets noble heart!
Holy guacamole! Where have been Helena Hunting all my bookish life? Damn it! This is the first time I’m reading a book written by her and believe me it won’t be the last. Her writing is magical and flawless. She penned a charming masterpiece packed with all the elements of a wonderful romance. It reminded me why I enjoy so much a good romantic comedy and Making Up is just perfection with real and complex characters, a story that flows smoothly in perfect pace and unique plot that make this an original romance! It owned me from the first pages. It wrapped my soul in a light and comfy blanket. It warmed my heart with pure romance and it filled me with lots of laughs.
Sweet, hilarious and very sexy. Making Up is a feel-worthy fusion of spice, swoon, humour, and heart. It’s breath-taking, it’s consuming and it’s so beautifully told. It is a fuse of hot and forbidden attraction with angsty shades and funny moments. This book is between delicious and scandalous. It is more than a cliché fairy tale, it is EVERYTHING you want in a romance and more!
Cosy and Griffin’ story is an unexpected punch of lust, attraction, chemistry and deep love. They are complete opposite but together they complete the whole puzzle! Their story is an unusual and hilarious fairy tale. Cosy is a free spirited princess and Griffin is the charismatic knight in shining armour ready to conquer the heart of the beautiful princess who will mend and consume his noble heart. It was funny and sinfully hot the way they meet: from the place to the time: simply unexpected.
I’ve wanted to read this book since I read the first chapter. It was sweet and angsty (mostly from Griffin’s POV!) and a fun read. I needed something light with a guaranteed HEA, and Helena delivered. Thank you!
I just love the romantic humor! Helena does it well!