Accidentally On Purpose by Jill ShalvisAccidentally On Purpose by Jill Shalvis
Published by Avon on January 24, 2017
Genres: Contemp Romance
Pages: 384
Format: eBook
Source: Advance Reader Copy, Avon Addicts
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four-stars

There’s no such thing as a little in love…

Elle Wheaten’s priorities: friends, career, and kick-ass shoes. Then there’s the muscular wall of stubbornness that’s security expert Archer Hunt—who comes before everything else. No point in telling Mr. “Feels-Free Zone” that, though. Elle will just see other men until she gets over Archer . . . which should only take a lifetime . . .

There’s no such thing as a little in lust…

Archer’s wanted the best for Elle ever since he sacrificed his law-enforcement career to save her. But now that she’s earned happiness and success, Archer just wants Elle 24/7. Their chemistry could start the next San Francisco Earthquake, and Archer doesn’t want to be responsible for the damage. The alternative? Watch her go out with guys who aren’t him . . .

There is such a thing as…

As far as Archer’s concerned, nobody is good enough for Elle. But when he sets out to prove it by sabotaging her dates, she gets mad—and things get hot as hell. Now Archer has a new mission: prove to Elle that her perfect man has been here all along…

This third book in the Heartbreak Bay series is just as fun and sexy as the previous ones. Elle and Archer have been dancing around each other for about a year, and their friends can see the sparks flying off them. But what no one knows is that they have a history. And it’s not exactly pleasant.

When Archer first met Elle, she was a troubled sixteen year old who was caught in a police raid. He was a twenty two year old rookie cop who wanted to do what was right by the girl with the haunted eyes. But what he felt was right, wasn’t what the department felt was right. So he got a job that gave him a bit more freedom and less red tape.

Elle has come a long way since those days, but she feels like not only can the scales never level out from what Archer did for her, but that he’ll never stop seeing her as that young girl. They share a group of friends, but neither allows the other to get too close. Add in the antagonistic spark they have, and they constantly fight their attraction. It was sexy, but it was also kind of frustrating.

Much like Elle and Archer, this book was hot and cold. I enjoyed it, and I loved the sexual tension, but after a while I thought their antagonism went on too long. Their misunderstandings and residual feelings got in the way of anything they could have. Archer kept everything so bottle up that I wanted to shake him! Just open up a bit! Elle couldn’t let go of the fact that he had done so much for her that she owed him. Archer never felt that she owed him. When they finally had a frank conversation, it felt like it was, I don’t know, not enough? Or not soon enough? But on the whole I really enjoyed the book.

With a series that emphasizes friendship as much as the main romantic relationship, you can’t ask for a better ensemble cast. This author does a great job balancing out the full cast of characters and not overshadowing the romance. The fun and the snark make this one easy to read, and hard to put down.

***ARC courtesy of Avon Books

four-stars