Desert Isle Keeper

We all know that going viral can ruin lives but Farrah Rochon has shown in her Boyfriend Project series that sometimes there is a silver lining to the experience. The Hookup Plan is the third book in the author’s collection of tales about how three women gain notoriety for taking down a catfisher in a very public manner and then go on to find true love. You don’t have to read the first two books to enjoy this installment but I recommend them since they are fabulous.

Dr. London Kelley has been pushing herself to be the best of the best ever since she was a young child. She is so obsessed with perfection that when the chocolate fountain at the class reunion she planned begins to malfunction yet again she races over to fix it herself. And winds up with chocolate stains all over her red sequined pantsuit and makes a mess around the snack table. That, of course, is when the school’s most successful alumni, Drew Sullivan, saunters up to speak to her. London is convinced he waited for just this moment so he could once more one-up her.

Drew had a crush on London back in the day and is still fascinated by the driven, caustic, brilliant woman. He felt their old rivalry helped them to be the best they could be and he is damn grateful for the results. He’s a millionaire hedge fund manager well on the way to becoming even richer. London is a talented rising star in the field of pediatric surgery. For his part, Drew is ready to put the past in the past and see what the present holds for their sizzling chemistry. Which, after a string of convenient events, winds up being an awesome night of mind-blowing sex.

London isn’t drunk when she hooks up with Drew after the reunion but she does wonder afterwards if she had some sort of temporary brain damage to even consider being with him. The man had been her only rival in school and she still holds a grudge for every award he won that she wanted, and for forcing her to be a co-valedictorian rather than letting her have that honor to herself. Once out of his hotel room, London gives herself a mental pep talk about being entitled to a single bad decision and forcefully puts their amazing one-night stand out of her mind by indulging in comfort food and time with her besties. But within hours she finds herself back at Drew’s suite repeating the experience. It’s like she’s developed an addiction. The only thing keeping London from hating herself completely over her new obsession is the fact that Drew will be leaving Monday and she never has to see him again.

If you’ve read more than one romance novel, you already know that there is no way Drew is leaving Monday. What happens instead is that London learns that the real reason Drew returned to Austin wasn’t the high school reunion but an audit of the public hospital London works at. They’ve been considering going private and Drew is there to help them assess which, among many options, is the better business decision. Only London doesn’t think medicine should ever be about the bottom line. Once more, Drew and London find themselves in competition – only this time they have to decide if they can finally work together to achieve the best possible option or if they’re fated to remain adversaries forever.

I wasn’t loving this book at the beginning. London is so acerbic towards Drew at the start that I found myself actively disliking her. My idea of romance doesn’t often involve snide comments followed by hot sex, which is the plot for the first few chapters. Fortunately, that doesn’t last. London figures out fairly quickly that her behavior towards Drew is immature and based on her daddy issues, and she changes it. I liked that she remains blunt, opinionated, and driven – London doesn’t change her personality – she just stops being furious at Drew for the problems she had with her father during her teen years. Once that happens these two settle into a terrific relationship.

Drew has always loved that London is smart, outspoken, ambitious, and direct. Their new intimacy allows him to see the more caring side of her. Not only is she terrific with her young patients but she is genuinely invested in and concerned with the staff at the hospital, her two close girlfriends Taylor and Samiah, her mom and step-mom, and her young half-siblings. Drew has only his uncle left now that his mom has passed, and he loves how connected London is without even realizing how many people she has in her life. He also likes that she can be both caregiver and care receiver. She allows him to help her relax and plan surprises for her as well as doing those things for him.

By the mid-point of the story, it’s clear London and Drew are a perfect couple. Their shared history makes them very comfortable together and gives them a strong foundation for their relationship, and they have terrific chemistry from the moment they reconnect. They are also both successful professionals who understand what it takes to be outstanding and give each other the time and space needed to invest in their careers. Drew, especially, is supportive of London’s job while simultaneously encouraging her to take care of herself and have a life outside of work. I liked that they are independent enough not to be in each other’s pockets all the time while still being people who absolutely love being together. This is one of those stories where the heroine and hero feel meant to be. Once we get past that rough start, their love story is joyous and captures perfectly the magic of finding The One.

Ms. Rochon also does a terrific job of depicting how modern romance works. Too often I see stories that include behaviors/language that would have been common thirty years ago but are not at all the norm today. That doesn’t happen here. Everything feels very much like a relationship that would take place in the here and now.

Once past a slightly rough start, The Hookup Plan is a wonderful book and a delightful conclusion to the Boyfriend Project series. If you are a fan of smexy contemporary romances at all, I think you will enjoy this one.

Buy it at: Amazon, Audible or your local independent retailer

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