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It took me a little while to get into Exposed, but once I did I thoroughly enjoyed it. Taking two characters who have obviously had pent-up feelings for each other for a while and who are part of a tight-knit friend group, and throwing them into a ‘casual’ relationship is bound to make for a good story once it gets going.
As the book opens, Brenna James has an essential problem: she’s horny. Or at least, that’s the only feeling she will own up to from her larger mess of emotions. Dissatisfied with her job and questioning her life as she watches her friends pair up, Brenna finds herself in a bar bemoaning the lack of good sex in her life. And just who should overhear her but Rye Peterson, bassist for Kill John, the band Brenna manages, and her longtime crush/nemesis.
Rye too, has carried a torch for Brenna for years. He’s tried to ignore it as she’s his friend Killian’s cousin as well as the band’s manager. But after so long on a low simmer, hearing that Brenna just wants regular hot sex with no strings attached, sends him over the edge. Not caring how desperate he sounds, Rye tells Brenna he wants to be the one to take her edge off. Resistant at first for fear of what it could do to their circle of friends, she eventually relents.
While the initial build-up to this relationship feels a little uncomfortable and awkward – a man overhearing a woman’s complaint about her love life and taking that as an excuse to pursue her despite her reservations is not exactly romantic – the strong feelings which already exist between Brenna and Rye, along with Rye’s willingness to back off when Brenna isn’t receptive, saves the story here. And once they move past that initial dance, it’s easier to see what there is to like about Brenna and Rye together. For all that they’ve been rubbing each other the wrong way for years, they know each other very well and have natural chemistry. Rye shows Brenna he truly wants to cease hostilities by going out of the way to get her favorite coffee for her, paying her extra attention, and always respecting her wishes when she speaks up. After that it’s a quick slide for her into a romance, because who wouldn’t cave to that onslaught of charm and respect?
When Brenna decides to take Rye up on his offer, the two agree to start a secret ‘sex-only’ relationship, each too chicken to admit they want more than that. But it’s not long before they’re cuddling, having sleepovers, and sharing secrets like a normal couple. Their chemistry is so strong and easy, the relationship seems to write itself. Brenna opens up to Rye about her desire for a career beyond Kill John, and Rye shares details of a personal injury which has him worried about his future as well. Despite a misunderstanding towards the end of the book, born of their struggle to communicate how important this relationship is to each of them, Rye and Brenna are clearly a good fit.
While I wasn’t the biggest fan of the initial premise of this book, I fell head over heels for Brenna and Rye once they got going. Although Exposed can be read as a standalone, I’d recommend reading the VIP series in order as the first two books are some of my favorites by Kristen Callihan, and it makes the character cameos that much more fun when you have the backstory. Fans of the series will definitely enjoy this latest entry.
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Grade: B+
Book Type: Contemporary Romance
Sensuality: Warm
Review Date: 02/08/21
Publication Date: 07/2021
Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.
College student by day. Book enthusiast around the clock. With any luck I'll eventually be able to afford food AND books. But I've got my priorities straight.
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I agree with your grade. My favorite of this series is Managed with Fall a close second (Jax is just so clueless that I gotta love him). The premise of Exposed didn’t bother me as Rye and Brenna have known each other for so long but I understand that I might feel this way because I knew the characters through the previous 4 books and have been waiting for their story. Rye was so sweet when he took care of Brenna. I also liked the scene at the end with their family of friends. I think the reason I wouldn’t give the book an A is that I didn’t feel there was quite as much character growth/development compared to my favorites of the series. However, it was still a really good read. Thanks for the review!