Hush, Hush

I received an ARC copy of this book from the author and Give Me Books Promotions for my honest review. And wow was this book EVERYTHING. Hush, Hush releases on August 14th!! 

"A new seductive forbidden romance that caters to Manhattan's elite..I knew the rules: Never reveal my true identity. Play the game, give the illusion. Don't get close to the clients. The dark and glamorous lifestyle of the rich and shameless open my eyes to a lavish world of sin and wealth, and a man I can't have. A man I desperately want- James Riviera. We're treading a fine line as we live the ultimate double life until we make a startling discovery that tests both of our loyalties. I only had to follow the rules, but rules are meant to be broken."

"My voice is a little shaky because I'm about to sell my soul to the Devil."

Aubrey is a struggling college student living with her best friend Natalie in New York. Aubrey is working two jobs and trying to support herself and her Grammy, who has taken care of her since she was a kid. Natalie has more money than she knows what to do with, and a secret job that pays incredibly well. When she asks Aubrey to join her, she is hesitant at first, but ultimately agrees. Working for Sanctuary Cove has rules, it tests your morals, but money is not a problem anymore. 

I'm not going to lie, when I first started the book I didn't think it was for me. I don't mind the steamy scenes in books, I usually don't like when it's just jam packed full of nothing but sex. It didn't bother me in this one though, because I was so interested in the story line. Some of the sex in this book even had me blushing, but it was definitely necessary for the story. You might need to get yourself some birth control after this read though, I'm telling you the scenes were so hot they were melting the pages off my Kindle. 

"Yeah. I'm an angel with black wings born with no morals or modesty, and legs for days that spread like holy water. But at least I put them to good use."

I though Aubrey was fantastic. I love it when an author makes the leading lady strong, independent, and not afraid of her sexuality. It's nice to read about a girl that goes after what she wants and isn't afraid of what people are going to say or think about her. Aubrey has lost a lot in life, but she is loyal to her Gram and her best friend. When things started happening in Aubrey's life I felt for her so much. My heart broke for her, I wondered how she would come out of this, yet she still remained strong and did the things she needed to do to stay loyal to the people she loved. She was a fantastically well written character. 

"A real friend accepts all the imperfections and lifts you up when no one notices that you fell. One who's always there with a shoulder to lean on, who can forgive even the biggest mistakes that hurt more than just one person."

My favorite part of this story, wasn't the love happening, it wasn't the steamy sex, it was the friendship between Natalie and Aubrey. I loved the dynamic between the two, and you could just feel the love they had for each other. I love when an author writes about a strong female relationship instead of pitting the females against each other. These two loved each other so fiercly, even the crazy lives they were living couldn't come between the friendship they had built. 

"He's breaking just as much as I am. I don't know how I'll recover from this, because this goodbye is so very unwanted. Our story isn't done, but the book is being forced closed."

I thought I knew where this story was going. When Aubrey met James, in a very unconventional way, I thought I had it all figured out. About 55% into the book Lucia dropped a bomb on me. I re-read the page about 4 times making sure I read what I thought I read. It was absolutely insane. I felt my heart fall into my stomach, and it just broke for Aubrey. That shows how much of a connection I had already made with these characters that this bomb affected me in the way that it did. You absolutely MUST go into this story blind, do not try to take apart reviews and find out what's happening, just start the story and find out like I did. Trust me on this. 

It's been a long time since a book made me cry. I have to say this is the last book I thought would get me emotional, but there I sat, in my bed this morning, just bawling as I finished it. This book was so much more than I expected. It was so much more than a romance, more than the sex, more than the friendship. It was a story about life, and making mistakes, paying for those mistakes, but building yourself back up and moving forward. It touched me, it touched my heart, and I am so glad I had the pleasure of reading it. 

Overall, I'm absolutely, no questions, giving this book 5 STARS. This is a fantastic read. This is not just a story about sex, it is so much more. You should take a chance on this, the story is amazing. 

GOODREADS LINK: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44166765-hush-hush


PURCHASE LINKS

US: https://amzn.to/30TH0af
UK: https://amzn.to/2Y55CzP
CA: https://amzn.to/32QTp0l
AU: https://amzn.to/2K1SYIa

Free in Kindle Unlimited

 

                                                                   AUTHOR BIO

A competitive athlete for over ten years, Lucia Franco currently resides in sunny South Florida with her husband and two boys. Paranormal romance was her first love, but she has a soft spot in her heart for small-town and reunion romance stories.

When Lucia is not hard at work on her next novel, you can find her relaxing with her toes in the sand at a nearby beach.


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