Series: Love In LA, #4
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Release Date: April 21st, 2021
Add to Goodreads | Amazon.in (Available on KU)
I had my own plans for the summer.
Ones that didn’t include revisiting my childhood crush.
Sleeping with the boss?
Probably not what my dad had in mind when he asked for my help.
But from the moment I step foot in the office, I can think of little else.
I still want Jonathan.
Am I willing to gamble my relationship with my dad and my heart?
*Inevitable was previously featured in the I Have Lived and I Have Loved charity anthology. It was a 15,000 word story that has been expanded to 80,000+ words. Some details may have changed, but the feel of the story remains the same.
Ah, Jenna Hartley, you write such a great romance! And another age gap romance, which only makes it that much more enticing. Inevitable is an angsty, workplace, dad’s best friend, age gap and forbidden romance that will leave you panting for more and wishing for your own Jonathan. Honestly, you’d want your own Sumner too. I’m always nervous about reading dad’s best friend romances, because I never know what I’m going to get when I go into the story, but Jenna built up such a wonderful world, with two stunning characters and kept me hooked right from the start.
Sumner’s life is not going exactly the way she planned and after she walks out of another terrible relationship and makes a decision to start her own business, her life starts to get a little more complicated. Her father suggests that she get some business experience by working for his best friend who owns a commercial real estate company and is well respected in LA and in the industry. Jonathan is not just popular because of his work ethic, but also because of his sexiness and his charm, plus, it doesn’t hurt that he goes by Wolfe instead of his first name. And if that’s not enough, Sumner’s had a crush on Jonathan her whole life. Because what do you do when your dad’s best friend is a total fox? You love him from a distance.
“And while I’d hoped my childhood crush had been stamped out, it was turning into a raging inferno. My attraction to this man was off the charts. And he was completely off-limits.”
Jonathan and Sumner are complete opposites and I love that by coming together, that’s what we first get to see. Jonathan pores himself into his work all the time, he’s addicted to working, because it keeps him busy and his mind occupied. Sumner’s main goal in life is to make time for more than just work and she wants to help people achieve that. Which means, when she joins Jonathan’s company, that’s something that she decides to help him out with. She gives him an assignment that he doesn’t seem to fully grasp and it becomes clear to her that he needs her help. And so it begins.
Their opposing personalities is really what makes their relationship so spectacular. Sumner isn’t the little girl he watched grow up and now that he’s seeing her through fresh eyes, Jonathan wants her. And honestly, I don’t blame him. She’s confident, she’s independent, she knows what she wants and what she likes and she’s going out of her way to make it happen. And on top of that, she’s beautiful, sexy, smart and incredibly charming. So Jonathan is pulled between wanting her and trying not to fall into the trap of wanting a younger woman. I loved how the conflict in his mind played out and how he tried his best not to let himself fall down that hole. For Jonathan, it wasn’t even about her age, it was about her being his best friend’s daughter. Because Joanthan sees Sumner for who she is – a driven, passionate woman with a dream she’s going after – and he wants that woman all the same.
“I knew that no matter how hard we tried to fight this—we were inevitable.”
Phew, the chemistry is tangible! Jonathan and Sumner are so so sexy together and there’s just so much about their relationship that you will grow to love. And the best part is that it’s not just physical. The sex is incredible and captivating, but it’s the relationship these two build that truly makes it that much more amazing. I loved how they helped each other improve their lives, how much Jonathan supported Sumner and how much she assisted in making his life a little easier. Of course, there’s all the angst that comes with lying and keeping secrets and pretending that they’re not anything but just family friends, but all of that just adds to the forbidden element and their relationship too.
And, for fans of the Love in LA series, we get to see Alexis and Juliana again, which is always such an incredible feeling in my books.
Thanks to Jenna Hartley for generously providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
anna reads here 