My best friend made damn sure I knew the rules. His sister was strictly off limits.UNTIL NOW.KALIGrowing up it was always the three of us. Me, my twin brother, Kyle, and our best friend, Aiden. We were inseparable all the way through high school.Did I picture myself with Aiden from the first moment I laid eyes on him back when we were eight? Hell. Yes. I fell in love with his soul that day. But … Hell. Yes. I fell in love with his soul that day. But he was always more Kyle’s friend than mine. And Kyle made damn sure we both know the rules.
I was strictly off limits. Forever.
But now Kyle is gone. Dead from a freak accident. And Aiden is still here. Looking hot as hell in his grown-up body. Looking sexy AF with those tattoos all over his muscular chest. Sad and in need of comfort. Just like me.
AIDEN
Every time Kyle caught me lusting after his twin sister, Kali, he reminded me of the rule. “You were my friend first.”
If you want to get technical about it, I was Kali’s friend first, not Kyle’s. But that’s not how he saw it. One rule. That’s all we had between us. Just one. Stay away from my sister.
All these years I’ve honored that. I never broke his trust. Until now. Because he’s dead. He left us. And being with Kali is the only thing that makes the pain go away.
I want Kali. I want to marry her, and have kids with her, and keep her in my bed forever.
But I want Kyle’s blessing too. And that’s something I’ll never get.
Pretty Thing is new sexy, brother’s-best-friend romance filled with tender moments, second chances, and steamy love scenes that will make you sigh with happiness when you turn the last page!
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Pretty Thing is not typical JA Huss in that there isn’t any mind twisting or conspiracy theorizing or nail-biting suspense. However, it was a solid, sweet, and satisfying story. 🙂
I think I felt a little “lost” in Pretty Thing initially because it wasn’t exactly what we’ve come to expect from Huss. I admit to trying to “figure it out” early on since that’s what I’m typically doing when I read her but I wasn’t disappointed that those elements weren’t there. The story worked as it is, I think.
There wasn’t as strong of a connection with Kali and Aiden as I’m used to having with Huss characters and I’ve been pondering why. Here’s what I think: There’s not as much character development in this story. Kali and Aiden kinda are who they are already. We see glimpses of what they were like growing up and how that shaped them but for the most part, this is a small window of time where they’re dealing with a tragedy as well as the feelings they have for one another. I don’t mind that there wasn’t as much character development because in this case it kinda worked with the story. However, I wouldn’t have minded exploring Kali and Aiden more deeply. Especially Kali and her reasons for having moved away and stayed away. She made comments about not knowing who she was anymore and I realize circumstances allowed for her to get in touch with the real her but I’d have liked to know more about why she’d lost herself in the first place.
So Pretty Thing wasn’t your average Huss story. But it was solid and well-written. I liked it overall despite the few things I missed. It was sweet. Not a word I ever expected to use to describe a Huss story. LOL But it was sweet…and hot. And a satisfying read after accepting it wasn’t standard Huss-fare.
Pretty Thing by J.A. Huss is a new standalone romance. The trope is brother’s best friend with a twist. I expected a hot and steamy read – I did not expect so much depth and emotion and angst. It was well-written and well-paced and may have brought a few tears to my eyes. The story is about three best friends. Boy and girl twins, Kyle and Kali, and Aidan, their neighbor who all meet around the age of eight. Fast forward to Kyle’s funeral and this book was off to the races. I will definitely be reading the other books coming soon by this author, Sweet Thing and Wild Thing. Enjoy!
OMG, this was such a hot, sweet, quick read. I can’t wait for more.
This book gave me all the feels!! I literally cried with these characters! JA Huss never fails to build characters and worlds that I just don’t want to leave! Another home run by my favorite author!
I love all of JA’s books. They are usually very twisted and suspenseful. She has surprised me by writing something more contemporary and heartfelt….which I am occasionally in the mood for.
I love all of the history between Aiden and Kali. It makes me long for my younger days. There are a few small surprises, but be prepared to cry too.
This is without a doubt my new favourite JA Huss book. I loved everything about this story and the characters.
After Kyle dies, he leaves twin sister Kali and best friend Aiden grief stricken and floundering and turning to each other to help get them through the pain. Throw in feelings that couldn’t be acted on years ago and it’s only a matter of time before everything comes to a head. Kyle made his feelings clear years ago regarding Aiden and Kali so there’s plenty of guilt when they realise those feelings are still there.
I found this book quite emotional which I was not expecting. I admit I got a lump in my throat more than once. There’s something about the characters that draws you to them and I loved them all, even Kyle who may no longer be here but boy does he make his presence felt in this book.
This is a brilliant book that really tugged on my heart strings and one of my favourite books of the year.
Pretty Thing was a beautiful love story. A friends to lovers/brother’s best friend romance. Two friends brought back together by death. Two friends finally admitting what they feel for each other.
The story was both heartbreaking and heartwarming. Sweet and sexy. Tender and Hot AF. I smiled. I laughed. I cried. I hoped for the HEA. And was so satisfied with the ending.
3.5 stars
Super sweet and sad story with a beautiful happy ending.
I really like the story but find it a bit hard to click with the characters. It wasn’t until very late on the book when I felt like I really really liked them.
But the story was well written and sweet and very different from what I was used to from this author.
Great story, will be waiting for the next sweet book from her.
Oh my heart!! Absolutely loved this story. I definitely shed a few tears too. I understand how Aiden felt like he was betraying Kyle but how he could’ve deny his feelings for Kali anymore. And the messages Kyle left of the app?? Omg loved it!!
This was such a sweet book! I love JA Huss’ darkness, but I am in love with her sweet side too! I loved all the emotions this book brought out – it was beautiful! Aiden and Kali were just so perfect! FIVE STARS!!
Only J.A. Huss can make me cry, make me laugh and make me fan myself, all while reading one book! But with Pretty Thing, she did all that and so much more. I didn’t know what to expect with this poignant tale of 3 friends and the way life moves forward when the trio becomes a duo. And yeah, it had been years since Kali, her twin brother Kyle and their best friend Aiden were all together but the bonds they created from the first time they met at the tender age of eight could never truly be severed. Not even when life throws them all a curveball and Kali and Aiden are left to pick up the pieces and hopefully find a way to move on.
Wow. This is one powerful little read. There is a deep sadness at the loss that has been suffered by Kali and Aiden and yet all the underlying feelings they have had for the other come racing back to the surface. But do they go against Kyle’s wishes? Do they continue to long for the other and do nothing about it? Oh my, it’s one big messy situation and yet Huss manages to carefully allow Kali and Aiden to sort through their grief and find some semblance of peace, no matter the cost.
And I loved the subtle ‘signs’ from Kyle that gave a certain sweetness to this story. It added the right touch as both Kali and Aiden have this push and pull, wanting the other so fiercely and desperately afraid to hurt Kyle. They were beautiful signs of acceptance and was exactly what our couple needed to move on. Kali and Aiden have an incredible chemistry and their reluctant yet overwhelming desire led to some insanely hot trysts. Those scenes added a realness to what they were dealing with internally and couldn’t help but act upon.
Pretty Thing proves that J.A. Huss can incite fierce emotion even in the pages of a shorter read. She knows how to get to the heart of the matter and keep me thoroughly engaged and I’m in continued awe of her talent.
This book is quite simply lovely from start to finish and deserves a solid 5 stars!
Julie A Huss is an incredible writer. She has written several genres and has mastered them all. Once again I was not disappointed in her book! This is a standalone, but she puts a sweet little nugget that ties in another series. LOVE IT! She brings out emotions and her characters are loveable. Her audio books are just as good. For me, she is a one click author in ebooks and audiobooks.
This book is a pretty thing to behold!
This book emotionally wrecked me, but that is what I loved about it and this author! I cared about these Aiden and Kali so much, and I felt their pain and loss. But I also wanted them to have their happy ending, so I was quasi mad at now-dead Kyle for keeping them apart! I won’t spoil anything, but I also cried happy tears at the end! Kali took a wonderful journey in this book to find her true self again. Aiden had to learn to fight for what he wanted even when he thought he couldn’t have it. I loved that he was take charge in some areas, but let Kali take charge in others. I did laugh too, so it wasn’t all tears! To sum up – I cried lots of sad tears and happy tears along with some laughter, and I loved every minute of reading this pretty thing!
This was a deviation from the norm of Julie’s writing but a great read nonetheless. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was unique, heartbreaking, and tragic but also a beautiful contemporary love story. I loved all of the characters. Aiden & Kali’s road to love wasn’t easy but it was perfect. I loved their connection and loyalty to one another. This was unexpected but I loved it. I even cried once. This is a standalone with a HEA. I highly recommend reading it!
***ARC generously provided in exchange for honest feedback.***
I picked up this book and did not put it down until I was done. I loved Kali and Aiden’s story. There are a lot of tears and so very much love. I wanted to smack Kyle, even though he wasn’t there. The messages made me laugh and cry real tears. Such a fantastic book. Highly recommend reading it!
One of the things I absolutely love about JA Huss books is that you can never expect what it will be like to read. This book was not your normal Huss book. This a wonderful story about love and reconnecting!!
The one thing I have learned from reading JA Huss books is to always expect the unexpected. This one is no exception. We get a softer, sweeter, more emotional story here. Not taking anything away from any of her other stories, but this one tipped the emotional scale for me. I laughed. I cried, oh man did I cry. And I OH My’d. If this is a softer side to JA Huss, then I am totally on board!
This story reminds me that you can’t let time or distance or what other people say and think stop you from doing what you want. What you need. What you feel. It reminds me that our time is limited. And that time should be spent doing what we love/ want/ need to do. The influence of others is almost always guaranteed, but the ultimate decision is left to us.
There are a lot of authors that I love and read everything they write, but there are only a handful of authors that I need their books as soon as they are released. JA Huss is one of the authors I need to read on release day because I am never disappointed. Pretty Thing is her latest story and I love it.
Pretty Thing is a beautiful friends-to-lovers romance. It is the story of Kali, her twin brother Kyle, and Aiden. They meet when they are eight. Kyle demands that Aiden keep his hands-off Kali. Kyle and Kali keep their relationship as friends even though they both want more until an accident causes Kyle’s death.
Needless to say, when these two friends try to figure out how to deal with their grief, they turn to each other for solace. The comfort becomes physical, and then they are conflicted from their feelings of betrayal of the brother and friend they both love.
Pretty Thing is a short, for Huss, sweet romance with all the lovely warm feels that make a good story. I loved seeing this softer side to Julie’s writing. The story has everything love, friendship, heart-wrenching, romance, and characters that touched my heart. It is an emotional journey that Aiden and Kali travel to get to the right place where they can accept their feeling. Pretty Thing is a standalone novel without any of the twists and turns of a traditional Huss story, but It is a page-turner that I will read again and purchase the audio if and when it becomes available.
When I think of JA Huss, I think dark and twisted .. this one is not that BUT I was surprised to find that I thoroughly enjoyed it!
This story was sweet and sexy. It was fun with all the swing of emotions.
I really liked what JA Huss did with these characters, how she made a strong independent female lead, how she had a swoonworthy but broken hero and how she brought them together in the end. It was a good read and something that I definitely needed at the time!
If you’ve ever read JA Huss, be prepared for something truly different than her usual in your face, twisted storyline. Although, to be fair, there is a bit of twisty but more of the ethereal kind. I don’t recall ever really crying while reading one of her books. It definitely has the steam factor I expect from her, but holy heck, the emotional storyline just grabbed me, squeezed my heart and made the tears just flow. It took me much longer to read than usual since I literally had to catch my breath (often) and clear my vision before I could continue. Kali and Aiden is a true friends to lovers story with a twist. Aiden must always remember…he was Kyle’s friend first. These two will find out getting your happily ever after is not always easy, but it might be worth it.