Reese King: Olympic medalist, underwear model, Greek god.
His body is chiseled from rock, sculpted by the weight room, and refined by water.
On a daily basis his skin is completely bare for everyone to see, tan and defined, only covered up by a minuscule piece of spandex. There is no denying his sex appeal.
I hate to admit it, but I’m head over heels infatuated with him.
There is one HUGE … him.
There is one HUGE problem though. His achingly gorgeous abs, inked up arm, and cocky swagger belong to my boss, the high-profile, reality star bitch from hell and certified heinous human being, Bellini Chambers.
What I think is going to be an easy job assisting a glorified wench turns into a cluster f*ck of epic proportions.
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I adored this story so much! I felt we didn’t have the same old things happen. We actually get this story in three points of view which gives another spin outside the norm. And it’s about swimming!!
Reese… the Olympic swimmer in his final year, going for gold. He’s looking for his future so he’s doing a tv show with his girlfriend Bellini. Reese is such a sweet caring man once you get to really know him. So why he’s with Bellini… well we do find out why.
Bellini is a sassy diva to put it mildly. When reading from her point of view, it’s kinda comical her way of thinking things. She’s out there so go in with an open mind.
Then Paisley, she is career driven and doesn’t want “the incident” to rule her life anymore. She’s just trying to find her way, so she will literally do anything she can to impress the higher ups.
I found myself savoring this story. I wanted to find out what happens and how things all go down, but I also wanted to just soak them all in. Whether you do a freestyle stroke, a butterfly stroke or a breaststroke, stroke your way into reading this awesome story.
It’s five years later and I’m reading this story again after watching the Tokyo 2020 Olympics which were held over till 2021 with the world pandemic. Seeing those guys swimming on tv had me yearning to go round two with Reese, Bodi and Hollis. It’s just as fabulous as it was back then but I added audio for this one to listen to as I read along. There are three narrators who bring to life Paisley, Reese and the wicked Bellini. Each did a great job hitting key emotions and depicting the characters really well. Hearing Bellini go on and on with audio makes her character even worse but also shows how awesome Reese and Paisley were. I wish the other books got their own audio edition as this series is fabulous.
Stroked is a must read for all Meghan Quinn fans, and all fans of Rom-Coms. She just has a way of creating characters with substance but also with enough flaws to make it real. I feel this book is another winner for her.
We have three main characters for Stroked, but it is not your typical love triangle. Firstly is the loveable Paisley, or Mauve if you feel like it. She is a dark haired beauty who after “the incident” is now the assistant to a reality couple. Enter Reese King, the swimming olympic medalist that is on his last chance for gold and his “girlfriend” Bellini Chambers, the reality star diva that you are going to love to hate. She did grate on my nerves, but I feel that was very intentional, so job well done.
Paisley is destined to prove to her superiors and family that she can handle this job and won’t make any more mistakes, especially falling for the hot swimmer. Bellini is not an easy person to work with, and causes all sorts of problems for her, calling her by a different name being the least. Reese has other things on his mind, his last bid at the Rio olympics and maybe a certain dark haired girl!
You can tell that this isn’t going to end well for one of them.
There are some funny parts to this book that I was giggling with, and some where I was shaking my head at. As I said, Bellini is one character! I also didn’t really get the whole relationship thing with Reese and Bellini, I didn’t quite see how it benefitted him but I certainly did see how he was good for her. All in all, this is a great book to read. You’ll get to appreciate the lengths an athlete goes through to achieve a medal. There are some hot sex scenes between the couple that will keep you warm on winters night! Maybe even a few tears like me but always lots of humor to keep us happy.
*DNF*
Ugh. I can’t do this. I can’t stand Bellini. I normally love Meghan Quinn books and am trying to read her back catalogue. But this. No thank you. Not for me. I’m sure it’ll be for others but I’m just not in the mood for this particular kind of character.
Bellini is the devil. Legit mistress of satan as perfectly quoted in the book. Several times. Hate her. She is evil human. Only thing I didn’t like about the book is I feel she doesn’t get her slice of karma. Loved Reese and paisley. They were adorable together. Not a fan of how Jonathan was. Not cool. Excited for Bodi and Hollis next!
I’ve really been enjoying this series by Meghan Quinn. This is such a great light rom com read. I love the humor and the lightness of these books!
This was a highly entertaining book.
Paisly is desperate to get back into television productiion (after making a serious mistake) and lands a job as an assistant to a diva named Bellini.
Bellini is an over the top heiress, who thinks that she is sheer perfection and everyone else around her is less. She can’t be bothered to learn anyone’s prper name and is attached to her dog, who she thinks is holy.She also is in a fake relationshiop with Reese.
Reese is a swimmer, who is having his last chance to get his gold medel in the Olympics. He agrees to this fake relationship, to boost his popularity. What his did not count on was meeting Paisly.
In this well written book, that is both sexy and humorous, I could actually “Hear” Bellini’s voice, everytime I read her chapters. I wasn’t sure if I should laugh or roll my eyes at how rediculous her character was.
I can’t remember the last time I had as much fun reading a book. Kudos to the author.
Stroked, is about Reese King’s race at getting that gold and Paisley Macarro second chance at getting her dream job.
“Weren’t people supposed to have a little Jiminy Cricket inside them, telling them what to do? How come mine seems like he’s drunk all the time, making the worst possible decisions ever?”
I laughed out loud so many times, I got butterflies in my belly and I cried a couple tears…I felt it all through this story! The chemistry between Paisley and Reese is electric and beautiful. And hot AF!!
“Finding your soulmate is never easy, Paisley. The luckiest people have to work at it, because once you find that true match, you will be that much more grateful for the journey you took to find them.”
4.5 stars
I have had this book hanging around on my kindle for a while now and I’m so glad I finally took the time to read it. I thought this story was so much fun. Loved loved loved Paisley and Reese. Bellini I could have done without but she was a necessary evil for the story.
I actually switched between listening to the audible version and reading. The narrators really brought the characters and story to life. They made they story much more enjoyable.
I love Meghan Quinn and her snarkiness and humor. I want her to be my best friend. I often find myself telling my rl best friend that she needs to up her game our I will use my closely obeserving times that I follow Meghan and kidnap her and make her the new bff. Of course, my Bff doesn’t believe me but it could happen.
I loved this book. I loved the snark. I loved Reese and his greek body and all that he was sporting in his speedo. I loved his comments. I LOVED Paisley. Some of her mental thoughts had me rolling and crying real tears of laughter. Bellini was a bit much but without her I would have missed some of Paisely’s inner snark.
Definitely would recommend this.
Holy guacamole I loved this book! I had so much fun reading it. I’m a newish fan and when I saw this was coming out, I preordered it asapy. I really didn’t know what it was about and I didn’t care. The cover alone was good enough for me!
Besides being funny and g dang hot, Reese and Paisley were awesome , but Bellini killed me. Killed. Me. She was atrocious, self-centered, selfish and horrible, but I loved that girl. Not like be her friend or anything but the shit that came out of her mouth, jaw dropping.
I am so stoked that there’s going to be 2 more books in this series. I need all 3 for my bookshelf!!
Let me just say that Meghan Quinn is all sorts of wrong, crazy, and off the wall ridiculous. I am not sure whether to shake her or congratulate her on her memorable characters.
Without a doubt I will never forget these people. From the insulting Prima Dona to the best friends, each character has something that endeara, skeeves, or makes them yours.
There are so many, many things I would live to share but I refuse to ruin the shock factor. This was hands down one of the funniest things I’ve ever witnessed.
p.s. The audio is beyond….just priceless. A certain someone makes your skin crawl and has the absolute perfect pitch and whine to nauseate.
Meghan Quinn is absolutely one of my go to authors. I first discovered her when I read her Bourbon Series and have been hooked since. When I saw that she was writing a book about an Olympic medalist in swimming, I realized that I couldn’t get my hands on it fast enough. Umm, let’s all admit right now that we watch swimming a lot more intensely then we do golf and it has nothing to do with water.
Paisley Macarro has been obsessed with production for as long as she can remember. Unfortunately she didn’t have her parents support so she has even more weight on her shoulders to prove that she can do it. One little mishap sets her back a few years of her hard work and is forced to practically start over again. She now has a job as being an assistant to one of the most outlandish reality stars who believes she is above everyone else in the world. Bellini Chambers does not make this an easy job for her. She’s demanding, rude and unrealistically living in her own little world where she is the only one that exists. Everyone is here to serve her. Fortunately for Paisley, she’s actually able to stand up to Bellini. The one thing she didn’t expect was the pull she would have towards Bellini’s boyfriend, Olympic medalist Reese King.
Reese King is preparing for his last competition in the Olympics. He has been searching for a Gold metal, just barely missing it each time. His focus is strong and he’s working harder than he ever has before to make sure that his last time would be when he got the precious gold. When Paisley shows up as Bellini’s assistant and ultimately being an assistant to him, his world is tipped upside down. From the moment he laid eyes on her, he was instantly attracted. Unfortunately, he is connected with Bellini and Paisley works for him indirectly. Will he be able to push aside his feelings and remain professional or will his resolve break?
I’m torn on how I feel about this book. I will be honest and tell you that I had a very difficult time getting through the first part of the book and that is because of Bellini. I understand that she is that over the top celebrity brat that we all love to hate. That wasn’t my issue. It was the way her dialogue was described. It was so over the top and graphic that I struggled getting past it. I’m all for humor but this was just too much for me.
I did really enjoy Paisley. She is head strong, fierce, intelligent and doesn’t take crap. She can handle her own and it speaks volumes that she can handle someone like Bellini. She was very likable and I was rooting for her in both her profession and personal life the entire time.
“She’s feisty, sassy, all kinds of contradictions with her sweet personality but with a fiery attitude.”
Reese was so easy to love. He knew what he wanted from the beginning and he went for it. He never held back and he was honest and genuine the entire time. I loved experience his journey of his last Olympic trials. The ups and the downs. How he has to face that he is nearing the end of his career and needs to go out with a bang but also to look towards to future.
“Finding your soulmate is never easy, Paisley. The luckiest people have to work at it, because once you find that true match, you will be that much more grateful for the journey you took to find them.”
Please don’t let my rating make you think that I didn’t like this book. I really did. I loved Paisley and Reese’s story. It’s just a personal preference of the way that Bellini was portrayed and how long it too me to get past it, causing me to struggle for a while before I could connect to everything else. I think a lot of people will find her so over the top and humorous that they will love to hate her, which is exactly what I think Meghan was going for. It might just be the book for you.
Sweet guy wrapped up in a swimmers body is all it took to make me want to dive head first into Reese!
The banter is off the charts in this book. I giggled out loud quite a few times, especially with Paisley. She was a fantastic leading lady. She was mouthy without being over the top and you find yourself seeing traits in her that would make you want to sign up as her best friend.
I loved racing for gold along with Reese as much as I loved racing toward love with Reese and Paisley! The build up of the cat and mouse chase between them was sexy as hell. Who doesn’t love a good slow burn?
One thing I do want to burn, is Bellini. Christ on a cracker Bellini is the most annoying character EVER. To the point where I almost skipped chapters that I knew where in her voice because she was beyond rude to disgusting levels which took away from the story for me a bit, but I would still recommend this book because the writing is good (I mean she made me HATE Bellini with every fiber of my being) and the entertainment value was still there and I look forward to hearing more from the characters I did like.
There are some swimmers that I just know have medal worthy stories to share.
Stroked was a fun escape- spending time with Paisley, Reese, and the rest of these characters, yes, even Bellini, was like watching the inner workings of a comedy show. It was outrageous, outlandish, and just plain crazy. But it was also sweet and heartfelt, and quite romantic. Reese and Paisley are both such likeable characters-she’s tough and feisty, but she’s got a vulnerable side to her that is quite endearing, he’s swoony in all his alpha glory, but he’s also funny, caring, and compassionate. And Bellini, I don’t even know if I have words for that girl- she’s every reality tv star you love to hate, rolled up into one completely offensive and despicable package!
If you’re looking for a completely over-the-top, silly, and entertaining book to read at the pool this summer, Stroked is just what you’re looking for! It’s funny, sweet, sexy…a perfect read to while away the hours. With the Summer Olympics gearing up to start next month, this book couldn’t have come at a more perfect time.
Stroked, by Meghan Quinn, opens the eyes of her audience to the difficulties of being an Olympic athlete in the modern day world. The media barrage, the long days of practice, and the importance of keeping up the image in order to market oneself and keep up with the fan base truly has changed the athlete of today. The pressure is on for Reese King as he continues on his path towards the gold. What Reese doesn’t count on is his emotional connection, knocking him off his starting block, with his lovely assistant, Paisley Macarro. He shares Paisley with his reality girlfriend Bellini Chambers. Chambers takes high maintenance to a whole new level. Paisley feels the same attraction for Reese, but now they must figure out all the pieces of their puzzle in order keep up appearances, invest in their attraction, and of course finish off the Olympics with the golden touch.
Quinn truly did her research, and her accounts of the rigor placed upon swimmings hopefuls was spot on. Reese’s struggles with his previous Olympic experiences provides the audience with the edge of their seat intense sense towards championing his road to success. The mental aspect of an athlete is equally as important as their physical training. Reese is older than his teammates, and he too knows the reality of the tightrope walk he is making as he moves in on Paisley during his final months of preparation. Quinn depicts Paisley as the strong headed, determined young lady who refuses to let one mistake take her down. Paisley’s character develops an inner strength steadily throughout the work. Paisley faces many difficult decisions pulling her emotionally between career and long term happiness. Through Paisley, Quinn does a beautiful job showing the struggles from the staff behind the camera of the down and dirty Hollywood reality producers. The hysterical portrayal of Hollywood’s spoiled brat attitudes amongst the rich and famous reality actors could not be better through the muse of Bellini and all her antics. This read is a wet, wild, and witty dip in the water from start to finish. Suit yourself up and get Stroked!