Wednesday, October 3, 2018

Review - Just This Once by Mira Lyn Kelley




Just This One
by Mira Lyn Kelly
Series: The Wedding Date, #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: October 2, 2018





He can’t have her.
So he moves in with her…
What could possibly go wrong?

As heir to a chain of luxury hotels, Sean Wyse III always gets what he wants. So when he sees a freeloading roommate taking advantage of his spunky best friend, Molly Brandt, he doesn’t hesitate to step in. He kicks out the roommate…and moves himself in.

Molly loves quality time with Sean, but spending nights with him one wall away threatens to wake the crush she thought she’d gotten over. A crush Sean knows nothing about, which might be a problem…considering how hard Sean’s been working never to think of Molly that way.






Friends to lovers is always a fun read and throw in that this is also a best friend’s little sister trope and there was a lot to like about this book.

I really loved the friendship that Molly and Sean had. They gave each other space to just be who they were with no expectations or demands. And for Sean, who is always under the spotlight of his family and work demands, this is something that he knows is rare to find. Molly’s had a secret crush on Sean since she was 15, but she knows he is looking for a partner who fits into his world of business and society, something that she doesn’t have the pedigree or schooling to do, so she’s carefully put those feelings into a box and locked them away, knowing she can never be the one to fill that role in Sean’s life. Even though Sean knows Molly is everything he wants in a partner, he could never see bringing her into his world since the demands would force her to compromise who she was, and the person who Molly is, is the person he needs in his life to keep him grounded and give him the space he needs to just be himself.

When circumstances have Sean moving in with Molly, who is dead set against that idea and just wants him to move out, and Molly figures that flirting with Sean will make him uncomfortable enough to pack his own bags and high-tail it back to his hotel apartment, neither is truly prepared for the intense feelings that surface…and boy you could feel the sparks between these two! And when they decide that “just this once” will be enough to scratch the itch, well nothing could have prepared them for just how deep their feelings for one another truly go. I really loved how they tried to commit to going back to being just best friends – but when even the knitting channel couldn’t help them get back into the friend zone “just this once” turned into “just for now”, and if Sean was going to have his way, it would turn into “just forever” – if only he can get Molly on board with that!
“Messy Sean is my favorite Sean.” She turned to him. “Not just because he looks so good on you, but because I like you best when you’re all relaxed instead of watching your words to maintain an appropriate image for Wyse. I like the Sean I get behind closed doors. The one who sits like a guy and says everything he thinks and makes me laugh at all his inappropriate jokes.”

Throwing his arm over the back of the couch, he turned to face her, his eyes serious. “I’m not that Sean very often anymore.”

She shrugged. “You are to me. Even when you’re all suited up and on your best behavior, when you’re looking at me, that’s the guy I see.”

“That’s why you’re my favorite.” Stretching his arm behind the couch, he caught a bit of her hair between his fingers and met her eyes again. “All the time, Moll.”

“Sean, you’re kind of giving me that swollen-heart feeling,” she warned quietly.

Their eyes held a moment longer, and then he blew out a short breath. “Yeah, and I’m getting a semi.” He shifted back into the cushions, not so much putting more distance between them as adjusting it with his posture. Removing the deep-eye staring and potential for an escalating situation. “Time for some negative reinforcement.” Rolling his head against the cushion to look at her, he asked, “You ready for this?”

She laughed, enjoying the return to a state of full disclosure with her best friend. “I don’t know, what are we talking about?”

Grabbing the remote, Sean scrolled through the offerings. “Brace yourself, Moll. This is going to be rough.”

A close-up of what looked like a half-finished sweater lit up the screen as a woman’s gentle lilting voice ran like nails down a blackboard, immediately drawing every muscle in Molly’s back tight. “No,” she snapped, reaching for the remote and failing when Sean’s hands planted against her forehead and the other held the remote out of reach.

“Sorry, Moll.” He laughed, fighting her off. “It’s for the greater good. Drastic times, drastic measures and all that.”

Squirming, she stuffed her bare foot into his armpit and wiggled her toes. “You sound like a girl,” she taunted at his shocked squeak. “I will not watch this knitting show. I work three jobs, Sean. My downtime is precious.”

“All the better,” he countered, dropping the remote behind the couch to catch her foot. “Every time we get a case of the wayward thoughts, we turn this shit on as punishment. Pretty soon we’ll be safely back in the land of Platonicia.”
One of the things I really enjoyed with this book was the extended cast of characters and their influence on Sean and Molly’s relationship. This is a close-knit group of friends that look out for one another and can always be counted on - even though they tend to get all up in each other’s business at times! Max’s reaction to finding out his baby sister was hooking up with his best friend was no surprise, but neither was his reaction once he calmed down and realized that who better than Sean, his best friend, to trust his baby sister with. Sean’s parents were just awful as were some of his business associates, so it was easy to see why he needed Molly to keep him grounded.

The story itself kept a good pace and the author does a nice job of bringing her characters to life. The ending for me wasn’t as tight as it could have been – I was a bit confused at first as to how things were playing out and I wish there was a bit more dialogue between Sean and Molly to wrap things up. I did enjoy the humor throughout the book – these two were a lot of fun together and had me laughing quite often.

Overall, I enjoyed the story and look forward to more in the series!

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book I received from the publisher from NetGalley.





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