Today we have the release blitz of Your Inescapable Love by Layla Hagen!
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A sizzling new friends-to-lover romance from a USA Today Bestselling Author. Each book in the Bennett family series is a full, standalone story.
Max Bennett was nine years old the first time he met Emilia. The two formed a tight friendship that lasted for years until she moved away. Now, years later, Max enjoys a successful career, and his brilliant business sense helped him take his family’s company to the next level. Max loves his life: carefree and fun. He has everything he wants, and has no intentions of settling down anytime soon (even though his family might have other ideas).
But when a chance encounter brings him face to face with Emilia, he starts questioning everything. The girl he last saw years ago has grown into a beautiful woman with sensual curves and a smile he can’t get out of his mind. Their chemistry is sizzling, and between old memories and new challenges, the two form a connection that is undeniable.
Emilia Campbell has a lot on her plate, taking care of her sick grandmother. Still, the twenty-eight year old physical therapist faces everything with a smile on her face and a positive attitude. The one area in her life where she’s not too optimistic is love. After practically being left at the altar, Emilia has sworn off men. Until the childhood friend she hero-worshiped and hasn’t quite forgotten, steps into her clinic. Max is every bit the troublemaker she remembers, only now he has a body to drool over, and a smile to melt her panties. Not that she intends to do the former, or let the latter happen.
They are both determined not to cross the boundaries of friendship. But as they spend more time together, their chemistry spirals out of control.
Can Emilia trust her childhood hero with the key to her heart and accept she might have found her one true love?
Review
**4.5 stars**
I was so excited to Max's book, I love the Bennett family. I love how different each of the siblings are and that their stories are each different. Layla did a great job at Max's story and I loved how it was told.
Max, oh the hot negotiator brother for Bennett Enterprises. After moving back to San Francisco from London, he wasn't looking for love, wasn't looking his old childhood best friend, nor was he looking for a physical therapist. Lucky for him, he found all 3 in 1, Emilia. I think Max is my favorite Bennett brother out of them so far. He had this side of him I wasn't prepared for. He was so caring and protective. He was protective of Emilia at age 9 and he is even more protective of her now.
Emilia is so sweet. She has her plate full and isn't looking for any type of relationship. She's had her Grams as her family for her entire life, so when she becomes the primary caregiver for her, life gets crazy. Working as a physical therapist provides a decent income, what she wasn't prepared for was Max Bennett as her patient. Being face to face with adult Max is different than 9 year old Max. Watching her trying to resist him was fun.
I loved watching these two fall in love and admitting it. Their story was sweet and fit them. I'm always a sucker for friends to lovers and this one didn't disappoint me at all. The secondary characters were just was good. We see more of Alice and Christopher compared to the other books.
I can't decide which sibling I want next, I think it'll be Christopher but Alice intrigues me so much! I'm excited for the next one. Bring me more Bennett's!
Excerpt
Laughter
rumbles out of Max in a deep, heartfelt sound. I desperately try to come up
with something clever to say. A strand of my blonde hair falls from my ponytail,
and Max tucks it behind my ear, the pad of his thumb lingering on my earlobe.
Heat radiates from that small point of contact, spreading to my cheeks, my
neck.
“Lie on the
table, Max,” I eventually say. He does as I instruct him, and once he’s on his
back, my fingers accidentally touch his chest and an electrifying zip makes
every part of my body heat up. He exhales sharply.
I attempt
to decipher the expression on his face. There is heat in his eyes—that much is
clear, but the way his brows are arched indicates that he’s as surprised by my
reaction to him as I am by his reaction to me.
“Emilia,”
Max says in a low voice. “I think we have a problem.”
“Mmm?” I
urge, not wanting to say anything unless I’m certain we’re on the same page. I
wouldn’t put it past my sex-deprived body to be messing with my mind.
“When I
found out you’d be my therapist, I thought we’d pick up where we left off years
ago. But then I saw you all grown up and sexy and… well.” He cocks an eyebrow, a devilish grin crossing his lips. “Just
thought I’d put this out there. They say communication is the key to
everything, right? And it used to work for us.”
I chuckle,
shaking my head. His breathing is labored, and so is mine. Stepping back, I put
some much-needed distance between us.
He nods
slowly, scratching the faint stubble on his jaw. “It’s only a matter of time.”
“What is a
matter of time?” I ask, not following.
“Until
we’re comfortable with each other again.”
Oh, I
hadn’t thought about it like that. “Maybe you’re right.”
Judging by
the way my entire body seems to go hyperalert when he’s around, that seems like
wishful thinking.
“Let’s
start with your exercises.”
He groans.
“I hoped you’d forget about that.”
“No chance.”
I explain the exercise in detail for the next few minutes, and Max’s already
nonexistent enthusiasm for the exercise turns to downright annoyance. To his
credit, this particular exercise is a
bitch. He follows through with my instructions and does a set of twenty
reps.
“You’re in
great shape,” I commend him. “Most people are out of breath by the time they
reach twelve.”
Max draws a
deep breath. “I worked out a lot before the accident, and I also play water polo
on occasion.”
The thought
of Max in a pool, shirtless and playing polo is fodder for my brain, which
turns everything into a dirty picture.
“You know,
the faster you finish the physical therapy, the faster you can do your regular
workout again and keep those hard abs of yours in place.”
“You
noticed?” he asks smugly.
“Couldn’t
help it,” I admit. “It’s all messing with my hormones big time. Like you said,
just putting it out there.”
“Maybe
communication doesn’t always help. It didn’t really clear the air, did
it?”
I chuckle
nervously, pulling with my fingers at the hem of my shirt.
Seeing as
how the air seems to consist of hormones and sexual tension, the question is
almost rhetorical. When we were kids, we used to talk out loud about
everything, and it helped us put some awkward incidents behind us fast. But
openly admitting our attraction for each other just seems to be making
everything worse.
Clearing my
throat, I say, “Okay, new resolution. We’ll just ignore the chemistry until it
goes away.”
Max curves
his lip up in a smirk, and I can tell he has a witty reply in mind. He remains
silent, though, and now I’m dying to know what he’s thinking, of course.
“Are you
seeing someone?” I ask, realizing I have no idea what the status of his love
life is. My stomach is in knots as I wait for his answer.
His smirk
becomes more pronounced. “This coming from someone who wants to ignore the
chemistry?”
“Just
hoping to alleviate my conscience. As light as our flirting was, I’d feel like
shit if there’s a woman in your life.”
“I’m not an
ass, Emilia. I wouldn’t have flirted back if I was seeing someone. What about
you? I have to say right off the bat that if you are, and you’re blushing like
that when I’m just looking at you, dump him. He’s clearly not good enough.”
“You know,
one thing did change about you, Max. You weren’t so full of yourself before.
Now you’re bordering on being cocky.”
“Bordering?
Please. I’m far past that border, deep into Cockyland.”
“Cockyland?”
I giggle, then remember what Mrs. Devereaux said, that confident men are
usually great in bed, and I can’t help the heat rushing to my face.
“Something
about you changed too, Jonesie. You laugh a lot more. It suits you. But you
haven’t answered my question.”
“I’ll tell
you everything while you do another set of twenty.”
He gives me
the stink eye but doesn’t argue.
“I’m not
seeing anyone. But I almost got married six months ago.”
“What
happened?” Max asks in a soft voice, pausing for a split second.
“He dumped
me three weeks before the wedding.”
“That son
of a bitch.”
I smile at
his indignation. “How do you know it’s not something I did?”
“I have a
hunch. Tell me.”
I instruct
him to do a set of straight leg raises, then tell him what happened.
“We’d been
together since college, and we got along well until Grams got sick. Things
became more difficult, I was stressed…. Three weeks before the wedding, he said
it was all too much responsibility for him, and he hadn’t signed up for this.”
“He was a
jerk. You got off easy.”
“Maybe, but
it still hurt. Like I wasn’t worth fighting for, you know.” It also twisted the
knife into an age-old wound, hitting too close to home. My father took off
right after Mama’s funeral, claiming that raising a kid was too difficult and
he was meant for other things. “I suppose it’s better that it happened so early
in the game before we signed the papers, but it hurt. I’ve put my romantic life
on hold since, but I could use a friend, Max.”
My fingers
are on the edge of the treatment table, and Max feathers the back of his hand
over them, a devilish smile on his face. “I volunteer for that spot, Jonesie.
Now, if I accidentally make an inappropriate comment or look at you the wrong
way, please chalk it up to the fact that I’m a weak man.”
I point a
menacing finger at him. “No messing around with me. I mean it.”
“Or what? Will
you spank me?” He wiggles his eyebrows. “You already have me lying down.”
“You’re a pest, you know that?” I say under my
breath, but can’t hold back a smile.
“I’ve been
called that before. Nuisance, plague.”
“You say
that with pride, as if it’s a badge of honor.”
“It is. It
means I’m determined.” Max resumes a serious expression. “And I’m determined to
be a good friend to you, Emilia. I promise. Now, what’s the next torture you
have in store for me?”
As I
explain the next exercise, his eyes zero in on my mouth. Nervously, I lick my
lower lip, and Max’s gaze smolders me, like that of a man ready to break his
promise. Damn it. How is this ever going to work?
Your Irresistible Love (The Bennett Family Series, Book 1):
Amazon | B & N | Kobo | GooglePlay | Amazon UK | iBooks | Audible
Your Captivating Love (The Bennett Family Series, Book 2):
Your Forever Love (The Bennett Family Series, Book 3)
About Layla Hagen
I fell in love with books when I was nine years old, and my love affair with stories continues even now, many years later. I write romantic stories and can’t wait to share them with the world. And I drink coffee. Lots of it
Links:
Website: https://twitter.com/laylahagen
Facebook: https://facebook.com/LaylaHagenBooks/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/laylahagen
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