I absolutely understand now why this book is one of the most highly praised in all of Kennedy’s series! Allie and Dean are so lovable and so compatible, you are rooting for them from the very beginning and each piece of information revealed about their chemistry just pushes their relationship right along. These characters can’t help but fall in love with each other even when they both try so hard not to! Seeing Dean’s mushy side develop until he’s getting Allie’s obscure French soap opera at his penthouse is truly character development. I also loved the Allie-cat nickname, seeing Summer’s actual introduction in the series and the start of her relationship with Allie, and understanding more about Hunter as a Dean 2.0. This book is also such a sweet spot in the series timeline where all of the characters you know and love are in the story or just on the outside of the story. I LOVED this book and might be the only one in the series I’d consider rereading. 

I had also previously read about the major third act plot point in Summer’s Briar U book, but it was entirely different reading it from Dean and Allie’s perspective and seeing their growth through it. Truly handled so well with how the characters make decisions to better themselves and each other. 

This might be the only romance book I’ve been embarrassed to read in public! Allie and Dean’s trade off of dominant and submissive behavior is fun, fun, fun. The kink is high in their encounters, putting some things in their sex life I’m sure some people only fantasize about. They are continually pushing each other’s boundaries in such a hot (and consensual) way. Dean’s exhibitionist kink explains so much about him and apparently Allie too!