A wallflower gets seduction tips from a playboy athlete—until love changes the rules.
Socially awkward Joellen Bixby has a date every Saturday—with her cat, a pint of ice cream, and fantasies of the way-too-handsome Michael Maddox. She’d give anything to win over the unattainable CEO of her firm, but how can she when she blends in so well with her cubicle? The answer may be closer than she … closer than she thinks.
Cameron McGregor is a cocky, tattooed Scottish rugby captain who just moved in next door. He’s not Jo’s type—at all—but the notorious playboy is offering to teach the wallflower everything he knows about inspiring desire. Though a lot of women have rumpled Cam’s kilt, Jo is special. Far from the ugly duckling she thinks she is, in Cam’s eyes she’s sharp, funny, and effortlessly sexy. Now, thanks to him, Jo is blooming with confidence and has the man of her dreams within reach.
Unfortunately for Cam, he’s just helped to push the woman of his dreams into the arms of another man—and now he’s in the fight of his life to keep this beauty from getting away.
more
4.5 Beautiful Mountain Man Stars!
I loved this hilarious and heartfelt enemies to lovers romance! Joellen Bixby is a meek wall flower, but also a natural caretaker. She works hard, takes care of the people around her and has been in love with her boss for years. Then famous footballer, Cameron McGregor, moves in across the hall. He is loud, rugged, very sexy, and he upends Joellen’s tidy world. They have a rocky, antagonistic start, but Cam has a way of getting past all Joellen’s defenses. He loves her wicked, sassy mouth, that she doesn’t fall at his feet and her marvelous cooking. He talks her into cooking for him and he will help her attract her boss. As they spend time together, priorities change, making enemies become friends and their fiery attraction begs for even more! I loved their hilarious banter and how they learned to trust each other. Cam is so cocky, funny, and had me totally swooning! Joellen was awkward, and quirky, and I loved seeing her grow into a strong, self assured woman. There were several emotional moments that made this a wonderfully multifaceted story. The epilogue was so perfect along with the list of 10 reasons why rugby doesn’t suck! I highly recommend this hilarious and heartfelt romance!
Loved a Broody Beast in Burn for You?
You’ll LOVE a Scottish Beast in Melt for you!
I laughed and swooned so many times I’m still recovering from this book
Again, J.T. Geissinger brought the perfect mix of sexual tension, banter, humor and lust, with great (and so opposite) characters and a consistent blurb.
What I loved during the whole story was clearly the humor, Cam’s cockiness and his beasty attitude, in absolute contrast with Joellen’s shyness and lack of love life.
And her cat… ad so many supporting characters!
But what got me near the end too was the level of angst and drama that increased a little more, it was so beautiful and sexy to read!
Really, I loved every minute of this book, the series are getting better and better!!!
A really enjoyable read, I totally recommend it, like ALL books from this author!
Melt for You by J. T. Geissinger is Book Two in the Slow Burn series. This is the story of Joellen Bixby and Cameron McGregor. I have read the previous book but feel you can easily read this as a standalone book.
Jo feels she is in love with her boss, Michael Maddox for the last few years. But Jo feels she just blends in with the furniture and he will never notice her. But then things start to change. It appears he is going to be single and she gets a new neighbor, Cameron who said he will help her. Cameron moves forward to help Jo with her self esteem and to see herself as more than she is. Jo’s boss does start to acknowledge her more and she feels things are moving forward. But Cameron starts to learn that he just found the women of his dreams and he helping her find someone else. Now he has to turn things around or he will loose her.
Really great read that is hard to put down. I also have to say as other reviewers have said it is a a must read of the acknowledgments.
Joellen is a woman we can all relate to sometime in our life. Whether it be work, love life (or lack thereof), or unrequited love. Throw in a cocky Scot who runs around in a kilt, with looks to die for and you have the setting of one the best romantic comedies you will read all year. I loved their story and laughed at the snarky comments Joellen and Cameron threw each other. The book is more than a modern day Ugly Duckling, it’s the bringing of two lives together with one kicking and screaming all the way!
A wonderful story that you can’t put down.
So many emotions and this story evoked them all
To borrow a term from a reading buddy: Gah! Why is it so hard to come up with words to do justice to the best books?! This author was already an automatic 1-click for me, but we’re talking top five favorite author territory now. Note that though this is the second of the series, they are true standalones as the books are connected through theme and not with characters (where the first book was a spin on Beauty and the Beast, this book takes on the story of the ugly duckling).
Wonderful characters – check. Though Cameron initially comes across as a sort of a happy go lucky party animal, we soon see that there’s so much more to “The Mountain” as Joellen thinks of him then the slightly obnoxious surface he presents. Joellen is a bundle of insecurities to start, but Cam quickly brings out the feisty in her and I loved the banter between them. I also loved that, thanks to Cam, her character brings that spirit and sass to other parts of her life.
As the series title suggests, this is a slow burn romance, which makes the payout when it comes just that much sweeter. The author does a great job with pacing and setting up the plot as it wasn’t just sexual tension that built over the course of the story; I was waiting for the shoe to drop but I got more than one shoe and none were what quite I was expecting. Laughter, anger, frustration, tears, joy–so many emotions and this story evoked them all.
To sum up, this story hits all the marks for me; great characters, plenty of laughter and, yes, a few tears and a story I just didn’t want to put down. One of my favorites of the year. 5+ stars
B2B Kelly
Melt For You is the second book in the Slow Burn series by J.T. Geissinger. I was sold on this book first because of Tattooed Scottish Rugby Captain, but this book was so much more. This book was hilarious and sexy; I couldn’t put it down read it in one day.
Joellen Bixby is wildflower who doesn’t believe she is as beautiful on the outside as she is on the inside. When her new neighbor Cameron McGregor (Tattooed Scottish Rugby Captain) offers to give her some advice on how to catch the man she has been crushing on for ten years, in exchange for her cooking him dinners especially her shepherd’s pie. What could go wrong right? We, romance book-aholics know lots of drama and misunderstandings.
So much sexual tension between Joellen and Cameron that it heats up the page but the bantering between these two was the best. J.T. Geissinger know how to write a good slow burn book, she gives you a little taste to keep you turning the pages and when the characters finally come together she has you wanting a cold shower just to cool off from the hottest.
Highly recommend this series to anyone who loves a good romance!
What a great read! This book grabbed me right from the start. An amazing story about a self-loathing woman with extreme body image issues and the man that loves her for who she really is and helps her learn to love herself just the way she is. A real page turner that will make you laugh and cry, hate the characters and love the characters. A must-read for any J.T. Geissinger fan, and a great book for new readers too.
For me, Melt For You is to rugby what Claire Contreras’ The Player was for soccer – it might have singlehandedly turned me into a rugby enthusiast based solely on my love for a fictional player. Hell, the book speaks very little about the actual sport, but Cam McGregor’s intense appeal is enough to win anyone over. He is the epitome of the strong yet vulnerable book boyfriend, with the perfect mix of ego, sensitivity, and intelligence. His larger than life personality fills the entire book but Joellen and her wit and snark and REALNESS are his equal match. She is every woman that has ever felt the slightest bit insecure and is so achingly relatable. Between their friendship and inevitable ascension into love – I really didn’t want the story to end. Between this and Midnight Valentine, I seriously can not wait to read another book by J.T. Geissinger and she has officially joined the ranks of my “must read/auto buy” authors and I’ll be adding all of her books to my physical bookshelves too! She now has 2 books on my “Best of 2018” list! 5 out of 5 wine glasses.
I enjoyed this book so much! I thought I already read the 1st book of the series but apparently, I haven’t, yet I didn’t have a problem with starting with this one. I love it! Both the Hero and the heroine’s lovable, their banter is insanely good and of course, funny as hell.
I adore Cameron and somehow Joellen is sooo relatable. Because as a fat girl growing up, I definitely realize the undermining scrutiny, especially from family. Though thank goodness mine’s so not like Joellen’s family. Sure there are times when I feel underappreciated, yet they also support me to the fullest.
I’m glad that Joellen finally finds her happy ending though I was hoping for a better closure between Joellen and her family. Overall, a good story with good writing. Not surprised coming from Geissinger. Can’t wait to read more from this series!
3.75 stars–MELT FOR YOU is the second instalment in J. T. Geissinger’s contemporary, adult SLOW BURN erotic, romance series. This is twenty-nine year old, Scottish rugby captain Cameron McGregor, and thirty-six year old Joellen Bixby’s story line. MELT FOR YOU can be read as a stand alone as there are no apparent connections to the previous story line.
Told from first person perspective (Joellen) MELT FOR YOU follows the acrimonious relationship between New York neighbors Scottish rugby captain Cameron McGregor and Joellen Bixby. Cameron McGregor has come to America, if only temporarily, in order to avoid a scandal back home. Sexy, athletic and an arrogant womanizer Cameron is about to come face to face with a woman whose self-esteem has been shattered; whose maturity level is questionable; whose naïvete and caustic barbs draw our hero like a moth to a flame. Joellen Bixby has spent ten years of her life pining after her boss, a married man she hopes to attract at the upcoming company party. Her self-deprecating humor and attitude gets old pretty fast, so much so that Cameron struggles with her constant put-downs and disparaging personal remarks aimed at deflecting compliments and praise. What ensues is the growing relationship between Joellen and Cameron when Cameron offers to work with Joellen as she sets out to get noticed by the company CEO.
MELT FOR YOU is a story of opposites-attract. Joellen is a wallflower, an ‘ugly duckling’ who hides behind a poor self-image, and a lack of confidence including the inability to say no when it counts. A bit of a push-over whose aggressive attitude hides years of emotional struggles Joellen wants to find love but in doing so dismisses the man who battles his attraction to a woman who is oblivious to his ministrations and growing love.
The world building follows a ‘stream of consciousness’ as the reader is pulled into the mind of a woman caught between what she thinks she wants, and what is right in front of her. Our heroine’s naïvete is compounded by her single mindedness as it involves her attraction to, and desire for the company CEO, missing the growing love of a man who is willing to give her his all. Weeks will pass and our heroine will remain oblivious so much so that she is willing to risk everything for her shot at the top.
MELT FOR YOU is an engaging and entertaining story line but the heroine’s over the top, combative and whiny personality is frustrating such that I was unable to truly enjoy all of the potential humor, and the back and forth repartee between the leading couple. Joellen’s issues of low self-esteem had been branded into her psyche by those she considered more beautiful and worthy, and her character development was questionable as Joellen continued to struggle with body image all the while focusing on her end game of falling in love with the ‘perfect’ CEO. A ‘slow burn’ romance MELT FOR YOU was a bit of a struggle but the kilted Scottish rugby player is worth the price of admission alone.
I will note that the author adds a cautionary tale at the end of the story – a warning of sorts for anyone who battles with, or knows someone who struggles with heart breaking issues of low self esteem that oft times, do not transfer, to a happily ever after.
And I just melt.
What happens when a wallflower gets seduction tips from a manwhore athlete?
Trouble.
Joellen has been in love with her boss for a very long time. But how can he possibly notice her when she blends into the wall just perfectly? Her social life consists of having dinner with her neighbor, petting her cat, eating ice cream and fantasies hat starred her boss.
Everyone knows who Cameron McGregor is, except Joellen. He’s one hot Scottish rugby captain with all those swoony accent that just moved in next door. He knows how to push her buttons. He’s annoying. He’s definitely not her type. No way! But then, he offers to teach her everything he knows on how to get her man.
Jo is something else, and Cam knows it. He hates it when she thinks so low of herself. She’s funny, she doesn’t know she’s petty and sexy. After a while, and all those 5-am wakeup calls, Jo finally bloomed! And she’s about to get her man! Sorry for Cam, he just pushed the woman he wants into the arms of another man. How to get her back? He will surely have the match of his life.
I love, love, love this book. Not just because of the hot-emotional and sweet romance, as well as the amazing characters but the issues that has been tackled as well. I love the fact that this book deals with one of the most sensitive topics of this generation with regards to body issues and body shaming.
Although I would have killed for Cam’s POV!!! I would have love to know his innermost thoughts.
Melt For You is a spectacularly written novel with REAL, imperfect characters, real emotions and amazingly-paced romance that will steal your hearts in no time.
Sigh.
Swoon.
Double sigh.
Fainting swoon.
This book will make you melt. It’s not even a lame pun. Melt For You should be titled “ridiculous, wide smiling puddle on the floor for him” but I think it’s harder to market so…Melt For You.
Where to start with my “gushing, over the top gleeful 13 yr old girl asked out by her one true love” enthusiasm for this book?!?!
Should we start with the gorgeous mountain of man that doesn’t wear shirts, has a fondness for kilts, and the sexiest brogue known to man? Did I mention said mountain is an international rugby star? Oops, my bad, he totally is, that and a whole lot more. He is perfect. Abso-bloody-lutely perfect! And the tension, lust, and confused emotions in this book make it a page flipping good time.
Like I said melt is so passé!
A feel good, laugh out loud, heartfelt read. Melt For You by J.T. Geissinger is book two in the Slow Burn Series. I have not read book one, but after reading Melt For You I will definitely be picking up a copy. This book was absolutely amazing, I laughed and swooned hard.
Cameron is a huge celebrity in Scotland, the captain of his Rugby team. When he moves into his cousins Manhattan apartment, he is surprised to find out that the neighbor across from him has no idea who he is.
Joellen is a simple girl working her dream job at a publishing company. She is content with the life she lives, that is until she finds out that the man she has been lusting over for 10 years, is getting a divorce. When the annoying neighbor strikes a deal to help her seduce the man of her dreams, she is hesitant but accepts.
Joellen and Cameron had a rocky start, their relationship started with Cam wanting home cooked meals and Joellen’s desperation to get a man’s attention. Although they were both attracted to each other, Joellen was so determined to get the man she “loved”, that she never thought twice about a relationship with the man helping her get him. Cam did everything he could to try and show Joelle her worth, he tried to get her to see the amazing woman he saw, and in the process he fell in love with her. It took one very awful situation for Joelle to realize her dream man might not be so dreamy after all, and finally open her eyes to Cam, the man that had been right in front of her.
J.T. Geissinger wrote a beautiful story about a woman with low self esteem and a man who just needed someone real in his life. They just worked, they say opposites attract and these two couldn’t have been more different. The book just flowed, it was witty and charming. A must read!
4 astounding stars!
Review by Nancy, Late Night Reviewer for Up All Night w/ Books Blog
“Love is war, darlin’. Only thing in life worth sheddin’ blood over.”
After finished reading Burn For You—the first book in the Slow Burn series, I kicked myself in the face for not reading J.T. Geissinger sooner. And now after finished reading Melt For You, I’m in love. Stupidly in love with her writing—her characters are warm, they have their own flaws like everyone, but you will find hard not to love them. Their banter is off the charts, and their sizzling chemistry left me feeling breathless. I fell in love with their chemistry from page one.
Melt For You gave me all the FEELS! I swooned, laughed my ass off, got teary, and loved every minute of this enemies-to-friends-to-lovers romance written as only J.T. Geissinger can do it—perfect.
“You’re not weird. You’re unique. There’s a difference.”
I think my ovaries die of happiness with this book. Cam McGregor was… I don’t know how to put it into words, you just really need to meet him. He and Joellen were a match made in heaven. So perfect together, they were like two pieces of a puzzle that just fit.
This is definitely one of those books you didn’t want to end and you’re already thinking of re-reading it again, and again. J.T. Geissinger is on my auto-buy list now.
If you want a story that will melt not only your heart but your panty parts, this is definitely the book for you.
A fantastic slow burn read from a new to me author. I absolutely adore Cameron and his swoony, sexy and oh so flirtatious personality. A perfect fit for Joellen in this somewhat friends/neighbors to lovers trope. Filled with witty banter and scorching chemistry that hooks you until the end. I highly recommend this book.
On its face, this is a lighthearted, super fun rugby romance. I mean Cameron McGregor is literally everything I love about a romance hero: incorrigible, witty, smart, kind, dead sexy, and just a little wounded. The tone of this book is, for the most part, light and easy and there were moments where I felt my heart race in that way that I am completely unable to resist.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t a perfect read for me. I have loved every single thing I have read by this author, so this felt like a rare misstep for me. It’s not that the book isn’t good, rather I suspect this is a case of “it’s not you, it’s me.” There were moments that I loved, and lines that made me laugh so hard. However, I had a really hard time connecting with the heroine. I didn’t like her. I mean, I did – at first. She came on fiery and fierce and while I found her a bit tightly wound, I appreciated her feisty spirit. However, that spirit quickly fizzled out and I didn’t love how all-encompassing her low self-esteem was. And that’s a tough thing to say because I have struggled with the same issues that she does – and I have for almost my entire life. However, she made me sad. She was like a version of me without pluck or humor or perspective. I didn’t like how her vision of herself influenced her relationship with Cameron. I didn’t like how his role was to prop her up, over and over again, while she kept trying to tear herself down. And, honestly, I wasn’t crazy about the way she treated him.
I also struggled mightily with the fact that she kept pursuing/lusting after one man while falling slowly into a relationship with another. As if there was any competition, pfft. However, this is entirely my own fault. I know that these storylines don’t usually work for me but I was so excited by a new release from an author I love (and a rugby player to boot!) that I overlooked this potential issue. And it was an issue for me. It kept me from attaching myself to the love story, and it caused repeated side-eye feelings toward the heroine, with whom I already had some issues.
So, in the end, not my favorite offering by this author, but also not a total loss. There were some fun, campy scenes with secondary characters (including an adorable deaf cat, and a hilariously dramatic eccentric landlord). It’s a solid Ugly Duckling storyline and Cameron McGregor is charming as all get-out, protective and alpha growly just the way I like my heroes. It was impossible for me not to love him.
Melt For You is book 2 of the Slow Burn series by J.T. And I must say a slow burn is exactly what it is. Being a slow burn I feel as if, it gives the story more of a depth. You learn more about each character. Their in’s, their outs, their ups and downs at a much smoother pace because it is not rushed. I enjoyed Jocelyn and Cameron’s story so much. It was funny. It was heart warming. It was sweet. Even though we did not get Cameron’s perspective on things, I feel like J.T. wrote his character so well, I could see what he was thinking or feeling with just his actions. That takes on a whole new writing level. That is what makes J.T. the amazing author that she is. Not many authors can do that.
Jocelyn is a 36 year old woman who eats ice cream with her cat Mr. Bingley most nights while fantasizing about her unattainable boss of ten years. She is not your average woman. She is shy, corky, and feels as she is the ugly duckling People walk all over her because she lets her insecurities get the best of her, but she would do anything to win the affection of her boss Michael.
Cameron is the tattooed, cocky Scottish rugby player who traded places with his cousin Kellan for the holidays. Cameron wants to get a way from the spot light and gossip rags even if it is for a couple weeks. The prince panty dropper just wants to be low key.
Unbeknownst to Jocelyn, she is surprised when her neighbor is not her neighbor but her neighbors cousin. What starts as a simple command as “Please turn down your music” quickly turns into a cat nabber who demands dinner be cooked for his silence of music. I know it sounds bad, but it is quite hilarious. When Cameron learns of Jocelyn’ s unrequited love, he is inspired to help her achieve the happiness she wants, but what he doesn’t expect is pushing the woman of his dreams into another man’s arms. Now he has show Jocelyn love without her even knowing it, in hopes she will see what actual love feels like, not lust.
Melt for You had me TOTALLY melting the entire time I was reading it. This book was phenomenal! It’s only the 2nd book I’ve read by this author and I actually only stumbled on Book 1 by mistake. If all of the author’s stories are as good as these 2, I have to get my hands on her entire backlist.
This book took me on an emotional roller coaster ride. It certainly put me through the ringer. I laughed, I cried, I wanted to throw my Kindle across the room. This story had it all with lots of laugh out loud moments, social awkwardness, sexy banter and a swoon-worthy hero.
There was also a very strong message throughout that really resonated with me. So many times others, and unfortunately family, are so insecure with themselves that they tear you down which plays havoc on your self-esteem. Which was the case we saw here with Joellen.
This was an amazing story and if I could give it more than 5 stars, I certainly would. I cannot wait to get my hands on more stories by this author.
ARC received from the publisher via NetGalley.
A Slow Burn Novel
Wowza….I fell in love with J.T.’s work when I stumbled upon her Bad Habit Series.
Melt for You is the story of Joellen and Cameron.
Oh Joellen, I feel your pain! When you hear the negativity all the time it becomes you. Her world before was dull and gray. She felt her life was settled, she felt like she was as content as she could be. She had unrequited love, that she kept to herself for YEARS! Her self esteem was shattered and she needed a bright dose of color. She could be so much more.
Enter Cameron, Scottish, rugby player and alpha swooniness. He has such a dose of fresh air and color! His bravado and his ego was fantastic! He knew he was hot stuff and wasn’t afraid to share it. But under all that alpha swagger, beat a heart of gold and a beautiful soul.
Joellen and Cameron’s interactions and quick dialogue in the beginning was hilarious! I could just picture them squabbling in Joellen’s apartment. It was refreshing to see how the reader didn’t know ages until later, and then I fell for Cameron harder. I wanted to smack Joellen upside the head and tell her to really see how hard Cameron was working to make her fall in love with her. Cameron helped Joellen realize that she was perfect, just the way she was!
J.T. call this series Slow Burn and it totally is with Joellen and Cameron. It was slow, it was delicious to see it play out and the ending was so lovely. Thank you for your words! Your stories are phenomenal!
Oh gawd I love a Scottish hero!!! And Cameron McGregor is absolutely the best! I’m just so overrun with emotions after finishing this book! I want to laugh and cry and start reading it all over again because it..was..wonderful!
Joellen learns she has a new neighbor when the most horrendous music blares from behind the door across the hall. She never expected the mountain of a man, wearing nothing but a kilt and boots, to answer her knock. She never expected to find herself being blackmailed into cooking him dinner each night or to agree to kissing lessons. Least of all, she never expected to fall in love with the overgrown egomaniac. But she did. And the getting there is a thrilling ride of sarcastic wit, humorous banter and sexy smiles.
Nothing makes me happier than a heroine with snark and a hero who can appreciate it. Cameron not only appreciates it, he encourages it, and in doing so begins to show Joellen that she’s perfect just the way she is, despite years of believing otherwise. I absolutely LOVED him for this because I saw so much of myself in Joellen. Yet with all his egocentric mannerisms and dialogue, there was so much more to him and when he shared those deeper thoughts and philosophies…it was a game changer. Not just for the heroine, but for me. Thank you Ms. Geissinger for putting into words what every woman who has ever criticized herself needs to hear.
I also loved that this author would merrily trot me along with laugh out loud one liners and then suddenly, within one line, my heart would clinch and my eyes would well up with tears and I was feeling everything! That’s the kind of thing I long for when reading.
Okay, so I know this review is a bit disjointed and doesn’t flow but that’s because there’s just too much goodness here to put into words. This is a book you have to experience to appreciate. A mere description will never do it justice. So I’m just going to end this here by saying that one of THE most romantic and heartfelt, and yes, make-you-cry lines I’ve ever read is when Cameron McGregor claims to his woman in regards to ice cream, “I have all the flavors, lass.” Sigh.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided by NetGalley and Montlake. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I also purchased a copy of this book for my own library.