A sinfully sexy new standalone romance from #1 New York Times Bestseller Lauren Blakely I’ll say this about Christian — he made one heck of a first impression. When I first saw the strapping man, he was doing handstands naked on a dock along the canal. His crown jewels were far more entertaining than anything else I’d seen on the boat tour, so I did what any curious woman would do — I took his … would do — I took his photo. I might have looked at the shot a few dozen times. Little did I know I’d meet him again, a year later, at a secret garden bar in the heart of the city, where I’d learn that his mind and his mouth were even more captivating. But given the way my heart had been trampled, I wanted only a simple deal — No strings. No expectations.
Our arrangement worked well enough until the day I needed a lot more from him…
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Let me just say, this whole part-time lover thing was her idea. I’d have gone all-in from the start, but hey, when a gorgeous, brilliant woman invites you into her bed, and only her bed…well, I said yes.
But then, one hysterical phone call from my brother later, begging me to find myself a wife so grandfather’s business stays in the family, and I need a promotion with Elise. Turns out a full-time husband suits her needs too, and a temporary marriage of convenience ought to do the trick, until we can simply untie the knot…
As long as no one finds out…
As long as no one gets hurt…
As long as no one falls in love…
But our ending was one I never saw coming.
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Do you believe in fate? Second chances? Or even maybe third chances?
Christian and Elise meet in the most unique way…we’ll leave it at that 😉 But when they are supposed to meet, things don’t go the way they should and both parties have to walk away. Fast forward a few years later when fate brings them back together and what we get is an beautiful love story.
Christian is a retired man going about life the way he wants. He is sexy, outgoing and living life the way he wants to. Elise is a confident woman yet she is jaded by love and doesn’t want to put herself out there to be hurt once more. The two of them together…it’s fun, sexy and a lesson in how some things are just meant to be. But when a surprise throws them into a totally different direction, can they really walk away from something so perfect?
Part Time Lover was such a unique and beautiful story that had me slowly flipping the pages as I just didn’t want this love story to end! There was something that was just so sexy about Christian and Elise’s story. Kudos to Lauren on another fabulous book!
Fell in love with this very cleverly written romance or was it FATE?
Lauren Blakely is a genius; her stories always beguile me. After all Ladies, how many men do you find on a dock in Copenhagen doing handstands in the full Monty? Or when trying to find out more about the person you go to the wrong eatery? or you are on the same plane the very next day but not knowing the other is there? Paris the City of Lights and Love? Copenhagen where everyone wishes for their “Little Mermaid”. I ask all of these questions because you will have to read this VERY DELICIOUSLY SEXY read to get your answers.
Elise and her friend Veronica go to Copenhagen for a wild weekend, they walk the cobblestone streets, shop, drink and find chiseled Scandinavian Male blonds, the type from a catalog do they stumble upon a buffet boat tour to see the city, agreeing to take the crash course of the city. Is when Elise is taken in by the beauty of Copenhagen only it’s in the Adonis male form…. never did she realize she would find the finest specimen of male his Scandinavian chiseled body, Christian Ellison, upside down in his full Monty had her mesmerized…. desire was beyond agreeing to a date with the naked man, she found herself in the wrong place and returning to the City of Lights on dreaming of what could have been.
A year later, while meeting friends Elise is stunned when Christian runs into her for the same reason. FATE?
Wanting to get close to Elise a Parisian, American divorcee who has been broken, Christian is determined to win her with his charm, charisma, and his British accent. Elise agrees to meet him on Friday evenings for drinks, dinner and talk…. wanting to get to know each other better with no strings attached. After months of Part-Time Romance.
Christian a man on his mission to win her love. How can you not fall in love with Christian, our Danish-Brit who is witty, passionate, compassionate, and willing to do anything to win Elise’s love and attention including agree to anything and everything just to be close…. she knows that her own feelings are starting to develop but she is unwilling to react…until
Elise finds herself willing to help Christian and his brother, she agrees to marry Christian for only three months…. but it’s in those three months that feelings change, and when Christians brother tells them it is no longer necessary to stay married for the convenience things begin to change once again…. flying away to America Elise is broken yet again because she is the one who didn’t want more or does she know…..
“Maybe I do believe in fate. Just a little bit. Maybe I do believe were meant to meet again, but mostly I believe in you.” is when my heart was in my throat and I wanted so much more of these two characters.
So, I ask do you believe in Fate? Destiny?
This twisting romance had me so captivated, entangled in their desires, their needs, and most of all them. I couldn’t stop turning the pages. This is a 1st class story of destiny, chance, luck, serendipity. Je t’aime mon amour” Lauren Blakely!
To be honest – I just couldn’t connect with Elise at the beginning. Something about her really bugged me at the start and I’m not sure what it was exactly. All I know it’s that I thought Christian could do so much better. But then reading and seeing her through Christian eyes I wormed up to her and by the end of the book I loved her (almost) as much as Christian. I like how he slowly tore down her walls and made her start believing in something more.
“I suppose it was fate that thought Christian into my life one fine summer day on a boat tour, but it’s not going to be fate that keeps him in it. It’s going to be me, loving this man and giving him my heart all the days of my life.”
I don’t have words to describe how much I loved Christian. I loved how they “missed” each other a couple of time in the passing at the beginning of the story. I loved how much he wanted to pull all the stops in order to make her his. I loved his easy-going character and how much he loved her even when he knew that she has shelled her heart.
“Elise sneaked up on me. I thought we were only fun and games when we started but then unexpectedly she took my heart. She can keep it. She’s the only one who gets to have it.”
Even though I had troubles reading at the begging – I loved this story. If you need something light, cute and sexy than you found the right book for you.
***Review copy requested and reviewed on behalf of OMGReads Blog***
This was such a fun and sexy marriage of convenience romance! Though the hero and heroine were introduced in the book Wanderlust, Part-Time Lover can be enjoyed as a standalone.
Christian and Elise are both driven and independent individuals. They each have some emotional baggage that has left them jaded about love. A chance encounter (or is it fate?) in Denmark throws them into each other’s orbits, but a simple mistake keeps them from meeting until a year later in France. Christian and Elise have amazing chemistry from the start and I loved how understanding and supportive they were of each other. One of my favorite scenes was at the soccer field, when Elise came to watch Christian play. The sexual tension and build up was delicious and it intensified even the smallest touches and glances. Yes, their relationship starts out as instalust, but with time, the sexy banter and the push and pull gives way to true connection and emotion. Throw in a marriage of convenience trope to help the family of our hero, and you have a truly entertaining story! Fans of Lauren Blakely will not want to miss this newest standalone romance!
*I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this book*
If you love second chance romance Part-Time Lover will be a must read because this story is all about fate and second chances. This book starts off in the past when Christian and Elise first met but it quickly moves onto the present when they meet again but this time it’s in a different country. Once again Lauren Blakely gives us another couple to fall in love with, this book has it all it’s full of sizzling chemistry, passion and just the right mix of funny banter, this book is everything we love in Lauren Blakey. This is a beautifully written love story that’s told in a dual POV and it will have you hooked from the first page where Christian is doing naked handstands on the side of the canal to the final line where we find we have come full circle. Loved every character, loved the story in fact I loved everything about this book and I can’t wait for my next fix from this amazing author.
Aaaahhhh!!! This book made me so happy. I’ve just finished reading it with the dopiest smile on my face. It’s a warm and wonderful story of chance meetings and fateful destinations.
Elise Durand is enjoying the sights of the Danish canals when she spies a naked man doing handstands and gets propositioned by him.
Christian Ellison is a young, enormously wealthy and newly retired businessman, but life after the office doesn’t sit well with him and he needs a distraction. He thinks he found one in the sexy brunette he flashed one day, but fate conspired to keep them apart until the time was right.
A year later, they bump into each other through mutual friends. Has fate spoken? Meeting Elise again couldn’t be just a coincidence, could it?
Only one way to find out and this time she wasn’t getting away so easily.
Elise is bright and successful too, and on the brink of taking her advertising company to the next level, but needs some outside advise.
Christian has a dilemma, one that could only be fixed by getting hitched.
One quickie wedding, two newly-weds, and a marriage of convenience later and we have the makings of this beautiful second chances romance.
Can these Part-Time Lovers become the real deal?
Lauren Blakey does it again and continues to be one of my favorite romance writers. She has such a wonderful writing style and great sense of humor which give her the ability to create such amazing characters you can’t help but fall in love with. Part Time Lover is definitely full time on romance, chemistry, sweetness, fun, and flirty sexy banter. I adore Christian and Elise and I love how they (sort of) meet for the first time. Unfortunately due to some miscommunication they do not see each other again for a full year. When they do, they decide to have a part time affair because neither is looking for anything serious. But then in order to help his brother Erik, they agree to get married. What starts as a marriage of convenience turns into the real deal because the feelings were always there even if their pasts were preventing them from letting them out full force. Of course there is still some of that pesky miscommunication that gets in the way for a bit and you wonder if things will work. I absolutely loved watching Christian and Elise fall in love for real! They have fantastic chemistry and so much in common and are so good for each other! They complement each other in the best ways! This is such a fulfilling story that touched my heart and made laugh and smile all at the same time. Oooh and I love the epilogues!! 5 Full time stars for Part Time Lover!!
He captured her interest as the highlight of her boat tour. Who would not admire a beautifully handsome man doing handstands and yoga completely naked by the canal? When she shouted to him “Bravo!”, she caught his interest enough for him to ask her on a date. Was it Fate then, when they met again a year later? The chemistry was off the charts!
Two characters no looking for love or commitment make an arrangement that will have you laughing, swooning and wishing you could be in her place. Christian is adorable! If you are looking for a dreamy book boyfriend, look no more!
I am voluntarily reviewing this book. I thank the author for sharing a copy with me.
Part-Time Lover by Lauren Blakely
We met both Christian and Elise in Wanderlust – the story of Joy and Griffin (totally not necessary to have read that, although it is packed to the rim with romance!) and I knew their story would be a delightful one – particularly given the circumstances of their initial meeting: naked handstands anyone?! And I was absolutely not disappointed in any way, shape or form. This book and these characters fixed a permanent smile on my face with their cheeky banter and I loved every word.
Following the meeting in Denmark that never was, Christian and Elise meet again in Paris when Griffin and Joy plan a night out with their friends. Obviously the attraction is still there but having been badly burned in her previous relationship, Elise just wants to keep things casual and for playboy Christian that is no problem whatsoever so they agree to have a Friday-night affair.
Circumstances eventuate and Elise agrees to marry Christian for three months in order to help him and his brother with their business. This, in turn, affords Elise access to Christian’s expert analytical skills that she hopes will help land her firm an important marketing account.
I love ALL of Blakely’s characters! The men, the women, the men… but I don’t always say that a certain character is my new fave because really, it’s like picking your favorite child! However, I’m quietly confident that Christian is my newest favorite. He’s so cheeky and lovable and kept a permanent smile on my dial with his dirty mouth – and I don’t just mean that in a sexual way. Elise was an amazing woman! She had her own marketing firm, she knew what she wanted and importantly, what she didn’t want. She could banter with the best of them and she had the hugest heart. I love that she embraced Erik as much as she did Christian, even going into protective mode for him. As always, love the family connections. This is a superb, feel-good novel from the brilliance that is Lauren Blakely.
*arc received in exchange for honest review.
**Reviewed by Melinda for Joandisalovebooks Blog.