Series: Cloverleigh Farms #9
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Release Date: November 21st, 2022
Add to Goodreads | Amazon.in (Available on KU)
CW: fat shaming, infidelity (not leads), divorce
Well, this is the one where she falls for his father.
And that groom? He’s my ex.
I didn’t realize who the gruff, gorgeous older man was the night he rescued me from a creep in a Manhattan hotel bar. All I knew was that a hot, bearded stranger with a protective streak showed up right when I needed a reminder that real gentlemen still exist.
(Although he left his manners behind after asking me up to his room.)
It was the hottest night of my life, but I never thought I’d see the former Navy SEAL again.
Imagine my surprise at the rehearsal dinner one week later, when my sexy one-night stand is introduced as the father of the groom. Even more surprising? That temptation we felt in New York was no fluke.
In public, we pretend there’s nothing between us.
In private, we can’t keep our hands off each other.
The situation is beyond complicated. Zach never even knew he’d fathered a child until recently, and he wants to earn his son’s trust and respect. As for me, I’m looking for a man who wants to start a family, and Zach has made it clear he’s not that man. He’s fifteen years older, newly divorced, and he lives across the country.
But no matter how many times we draw the line, we keep crossing it.
Nothing so wrong should ever feel so right.
Melanie Harlow knocked it out of the park with Tempt. Everything about Millie and Zach was sheer perfection—the romance, the steam, the relationship—and I never wanted it to end. Zach might just be my favourite Melanie Harlow hero too, because he was perfection wrapped in more perfection. I tried to slow down the process of reading this, because I never wanted it to end, but the need to dive deeper into Millie and Zach’s life and their romance was too strong.
In Tempt, you’ll find:
✨ a steamy one night stand
✨ strangers to lovers
✨ age gap (15 years between them!)
✨ sexy former navy seal
✨ sexy wedding/event planner
✨ plus size heroine with epic body positivity
✨ the Cloverleigh family!
✨ slightly forbidden
✨ her ex’s dad!
In talking about Millie and Zach’s relationship, the most important thing to talk about was how despite Zach being the dad of one of Millie’s ex, their relationship was never about revenge or something harmful. I have nothing against revenge sex with your ex’s dad and I’m not criticising or shaming the books that do it that way, but I feel like so many of the stories that fall into the trope became about revenge. I loved how in this one, Melanie made it so different. And in that, she made it better. Millie and Zach meet by accident when their flights out of New York are cancelled due to a storm, which leads to a hot one night stand in his hotel room, with zero intentions of seeing each other again. Till Zach shows up at Cloverleigh Farms for his son’s wedding and Millie happens to be the wedding planner.
I loved Millie so much. As a plus size woman who is confident in her body, but has faced fatshaming from family and strangers, I connected with her so hard. I loved seeing how she wanted to change the world for plus size people by providing them with more choices when it comes to wedding dresses and experiences like that. Millie was also so incredible in ways that I don’t think I have enough time to talk about. Her relationship with Felicity and Winnie was so beautiful too, because those sisters are such a good group of people. Then there’s Zach. He’s slightly grumpy and gruff, but he’s also such an incredible person. With a rough past, Zach overcame everything working against him and became a Navy SEAL, and now works as a bodyguard. He’s protective and alpha and all of the things we love about our heroes. But he’s also so soft underneath all of that. He’s the most supportive person and the way he sees Millie was just…*chef’s kiss*
“Listen, I wasn’t looking for you. But when I saw you in that hotel bar, it hit me like a lightning strike—I had to have you. But once wasn’t enough. I swear to God, you never left my head for a moment after that night we spent together.”
Their relationship was mostly physical, with escapes and trips to see each other, making it work in whatever way possible. I loved seeing them struggle with their feelings for each other on their own, but ignoring all of it when they’re together. I loved Jackson and enjoyed the way he provided Zach the much needed support and guidance. Winnie and Felicity were incredible sisters and I loved how they saw Millie and how they supported her through everything. While their physical relationship was a fast burn, their emotional relationship was a beautiful slow burn and I loved it so much, more than I thought possible.
Everything about how this story and their relationship was handled worked so well for me. I want more Millie and Zach! And I hope this isn’t the end of the series, because I definitely want to spend more time with this gang.
Thanks to Social Butterfly PR for generously providing me with an advance copy. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
anna reads here 