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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
emotional
medium-paced
Blue Ribbon Rating: 5 out of 5
Original Review Link
Assistant District Attorney Erin Marsden has no problem being classified as the town good girl. Then, on the night of her brother’s wedding, Erin throws caution to the wind and has a one-night stand with bad boy Cole Sanders. What was only supposed to be one night turns into something much more when Erin learns that she’s pregnant.
Manhattan cop Cole Sanders has returned to his hometown to recover from his last undercover assignment. He’s not looking for a relationship — his past makes him feel like he’s unworthy of a woman like Erin — but he can’t get the beautiful lawyer out of his mind. When he learns she’s carrying his child, things only get more complicated between them…and that’s before a crazed stalker takes a shot at Erin. Cole’s determined to stay in Serendipity and act as Erin’s bodyguard until whoever’s targeting her is caught. What he doesn’t count on is the growing urge to stay in Serendipity with Erin, to prove that he’s capable of the love and commitment she and their child deserve.
Though it’s hard to pick a favorite Carly Phillips novel, PERFECT FLING just might be it for me. Cole and Erin’s romance was enthralling and I could not put PERFECT FLING down!
Cole is a man whose upbringing has left its mark on him. Combined with the isolated nature of his career, he’s not at ease around people, even those as warm and accepting as Erin. Cole is such a wonderful hero that it just about broke my heart that he didn’t see his true value as a person. Cole endeared himself to me immediately with his all-out sex appeal, protectiveness and vulnerability. I wanted to see him find happiness with Erin because they both deserved it. Erin is loving, caring and smart — my favorite kind of heroine. She’s got a spine of steel and an open heart and that made her absolutely perfect for Cole. As a couple, Erin and Cole are dynamite. The road to happily ever after is filled with ups and downs for them, but the journey is one well worth taking.
The threat of danger from a stalker, work troubles and family issues are as important to the story as the romance, making PERFECT FLING a “full” story. How the various plotlines weave together gives the feeling that you’re living in Serendipity alongside Erin and Cole. I love how Ms. Phillips’s writing makes me feel like I’m part of the Serendipity community. After finishing a SERENDIPITY novel I always end up feeling like I’m leaving the town, which I hate to do.
PERFECT FLING can easily be read as a standalone, although it is the second book in Ms. Phillips’s SERENDIPITY’S FINEST trilogy, featuring the Marsden siblings. The SERENDIPITY’S FINEST series is a continuation of the SERENDIPITY series, so fans like myself are sure to be happy to see familiar faces popping up throughout Erin and Cole’s book. The only downside to reading PERFECT FLING is that I want to read the next SERENDIPITY’S FINEST book, PERFECT TOGETHER, right now!
Note: My review was written for Romance Junkies and is cross-posted here courtesy of Romance Junkies.
Original Review Link
Assistant District Attorney Erin Marsden has no problem being classified as the town good girl. Then, on the night of her brother’s wedding, Erin throws caution to the wind and has a one-night stand with bad boy Cole Sanders. What was only supposed to be one night turns into something much more when Erin learns that she’s pregnant.
Manhattan cop Cole Sanders has returned to his hometown to recover from his last undercover assignment. He’s not looking for a relationship — his past makes him feel like he’s unworthy of a woman like Erin — but he can’t get the beautiful lawyer out of his mind. When he learns she’s carrying his child, things only get more complicated between them…and that’s before a crazed stalker takes a shot at Erin. Cole’s determined to stay in Serendipity and act as Erin’s bodyguard until whoever’s targeting her is caught. What he doesn’t count on is the growing urge to stay in Serendipity with Erin, to prove that he’s capable of the love and commitment she and their child deserve.
Though it’s hard to pick a favorite Carly Phillips novel, PERFECT FLING just might be it for me. Cole and Erin’s romance was enthralling and I could not put PERFECT FLING down!
Cole is a man whose upbringing has left its mark on him. Combined with the isolated nature of his career, he’s not at ease around people, even those as warm and accepting as Erin. Cole is such a wonderful hero that it just about broke my heart that he didn’t see his true value as a person. Cole endeared himself to me immediately with his all-out sex appeal, protectiveness and vulnerability. I wanted to see him find happiness with Erin because they both deserved it. Erin is loving, caring and smart — my favorite kind of heroine. She’s got a spine of steel and an open heart and that made her absolutely perfect for Cole. As a couple, Erin and Cole are dynamite. The road to happily ever after is filled with ups and downs for them, but the journey is one well worth taking.
The threat of danger from a stalker, work troubles and family issues are as important to the story as the romance, making PERFECT FLING a “full” story. How the various plotlines weave together gives the feeling that you’re living in Serendipity alongside Erin and Cole. I love how Ms. Phillips’s writing makes me feel like I’m part of the Serendipity community. After finishing a SERENDIPITY novel I always end up feeling like I’m leaving the town, which I hate to do.
PERFECT FLING can easily be read as a standalone, although it is the second book in Ms. Phillips’s SERENDIPITY’S FINEST trilogy, featuring the Marsden siblings. The SERENDIPITY’S FINEST series is a continuation of the SERENDIPITY series, so fans like myself are sure to be happy to see familiar faces popping up throughout Erin and Cole’s book. The only downside to reading PERFECT FLING is that I want to read the next SERENDIPITY’S FINEST book, PERFECT TOGETHER, right now!
Note: My review was written for Romance Junkies and is cross-posted here courtesy of Romance Junkies.
Maybe it’s not the author entirely; maybe it’s me, and maybe I’m increasingly less enamored with romances than I used to be. It’s not about a lack of talent on the part of the author; I’m just increasingly convinced that all the ways to describe encounters between two people aren’t really all that different and mostly not all that inspiring.
Erin is the assistant District Attorney in her community. She has always been her town’s good girl, a designation she doesn’t even mind or reject. Cole Sanders was the town bad boy. His real dad couldn’t control him; his stepdad did better, but Cole is still the quiet enigma who has traveled some dark and ugly roads as an undercover law enforcement guy. He’s also the guy that good-girl Erin had a crush on as a teenager. And now he’s back in town, and the two, being a bit bored and having a long night ahead of them, agree to a quickie in the sack with no commitments, no future, and no repeats.
Erin doesn’t need protection; her monthly cycle is just around the corner. So by now you’re yawning cause you’ve already guessed this highly predictable plot. If you assumed Erin got pregnant and chalked her early symptoms off to anything but pregnancy, you get to go to the head of the class.
The book becomes slightly less predictable when someone takes a shot at Erin, wounding her enough to require hospitalization. Oh, but who’s gonna watch over the fragile Erin while she recovers? Hmm. Seems bad-boy Cole is the only guy in town with enough time on his hands to do the job. You can yawn again, cause it’s gonna get really predictable from here again. Neither of them can keep their promises of no more sex, and he learns she’s carrying his child, and he’s smitten all the more despite his life of lonely work where no family ties are a definite advantage.
The other aggravation for me with the book is that these characters seem kind of slow and clueless. You’ll figure out long before they do, based on notes received from the shooter, who’s trying to kill Erin. You may even find yourself between yawns blurting out something like, “Get a clue!”
The performance of the NLS narrator (with apologies to those of you who aren't eligible to listen to the NLS narrator) was the best part of the book.
Again, try not to take this as a swipe at an author. Phillips is well beloved in the romance book community, and she’s certainly not some kind of untalented rank amateur. There are just some books that you and I will never be able to build bridges to. This book was such a book for me.
Erin is the assistant District Attorney in her community. She has always been her town’s good girl, a designation she doesn’t even mind or reject. Cole Sanders was the town bad boy. His real dad couldn’t control him; his stepdad did better, but Cole is still the quiet enigma who has traveled some dark and ugly roads as an undercover law enforcement guy. He’s also the guy that good-girl Erin had a crush on as a teenager. And now he’s back in town, and the two, being a bit bored and having a long night ahead of them, agree to a quickie in the sack with no commitments, no future, and no repeats.
Erin doesn’t need protection; her monthly cycle is just around the corner. So by now you’re yawning cause you’ve already guessed this highly predictable plot. If you assumed Erin got pregnant and chalked her early symptoms off to anything but pregnancy, you get to go to the head of the class.
The book becomes slightly less predictable when someone takes a shot at Erin, wounding her enough to require hospitalization. Oh, but who’s gonna watch over the fragile Erin while she recovers? Hmm. Seems bad-boy Cole is the only guy in town with enough time on his hands to do the job. You can yawn again, cause it’s gonna get really predictable from here again. Neither of them can keep their promises of no more sex, and he learns she’s carrying his child, and he’s smitten all the more despite his life of lonely work where no family ties are a definite advantage.
The other aggravation for me with the book is that these characters seem kind of slow and clueless. You’ll figure out long before they do, based on notes received from the shooter, who’s trying to kill Erin. You may even find yourself between yawns blurting out something like, “Get a clue!”
The performance of the NLS narrator (with apologies to those of you who aren't eligible to listen to the NLS narrator) was the best part of the book.
Again, try not to take this as a swipe at an author. Phillips is well beloved in the romance book community, and she’s certainly not some kind of untalented rank amateur. There are just some books that you and I will never be able to build bridges to. This book was such a book for me.
Cole's feelings were so all over the place even he didn't know what he wanted. The mixed signals he was sending were enough to confuse anyone. Erin was quick to call him out when he said one thing but acted in a conflicting manor. It was good to see her push, since that was clearly what he needed.
Erin was an optimist who would have become annoying, but she had a temper that balanced out her innate goodness. She wasn't perfect, but she owned her flaws and mistakes.
They had a good support system. Many characters from past books showed up, but not in an obtrusive way.
Erin was an optimist who would have become annoying, but she had a temper that balanced out her innate goodness. She wasn't perfect, but she owned her flaws and mistakes.
They had a good support system. Many characters from past books showed up, but not in an obtrusive way.
I've been curious about Erin Marsden since we read about her in earlier Serendipity novels. She's the good girl, the lawyer who never stepped out of line. Until the night she had a one-night-stand with Cole Sanders, the mysterious man who is rumored to be all manner of things from a drug dealer to a mob hitman, none of them wholesome. And then she comes up pregnant. Am I pissed about this trope? Normally I might be but Phillips takes a tack I haven't read before (I'm sure it's been done, it's just new to me) and has the birth control fail. Because it's not 100% effective. Subtle PSA Ms. Phillips. I liked it.
And Cole finds out about the baby when Erin is shot. I love that he doens't question whether the child is his. He's in it 100% as soon as he hear's the word "pregnant."
Cole's father was (and is) emotionally abusive and he's not sure he knows how to be a good father, but he knows he doesn't want to do to his kid what his father did to him. It's pulling him apart because he wants to be the perfect man for Cara but he knows deep down that it just isn't in him.
While this wasn't my favorite Carly Phillips, it was still enjoyable. I can't wait for the next one.
And Cole finds out about the baby when Erin is shot. I love that he doens't question whether the child is his. He's in it 100% as soon as he hear's the word "pregnant."
Cole's father was (and is) emotionally abusive and he's not sure he knows how to be a good father, but he knows he doesn't want to do to his kid what his father did to him. It's pulling him apart because he wants to be the perfect man for Cara but he knows deep down that it just isn't in him.
While this wasn't my favorite Carly Phillips, it was still enjoyable. I can't wait for the next one.
I love the Serendipity series...the series is divided up into three categories on Carly's page...the original Serendipity series, Serendipity Novellas, and Serendipity's Finest (which is where this book goes). The Serendipity's Finest books can be read independently of the original Serendipity series. Perfect Fling is book 2 in the Finest series. I loved Erin and Cole's story. The chemistry the two of them shared helped Erin break away from her good girl shell and go after what even if Cole didn't want her too. Cole's past made him think he was not good enough for anyone...especially Erin, but that all changed when someone started targeting Erin and Cole became her bodyguard! Erin's friendship, trust and affection for Cole changed him for the better...but would he realize it before it was to late??
I would definitely recommend Perfect Fling to anyone who reads romance novels...I was hooked from the start and couldn't put it down (even though I had to)
I would definitely recommend Perfect Fling to anyone who reads romance novels...I was hooked from the start and couldn't put it down (even though I had to)
Another great story in the Serendipity Series. This trilogy delves deeper into the Marsden family and Perfect Fling is book two and middle child Erin’s story along with Cole’s. This book is just as hot and steamy as all the others and was also a quick read.
Not my favorite book in the series but still very good.
Not my favorite book in the series but still very good.
I received Perfect Fling as an advanced copy for an honest review.
I love the Serendipity series. I want to move to Serendipity and meet a local hunk.
I was hooked from the first sentence! I was enthralled by Erin's and Cole's story. The angry boy who turned into a hot cop who has vowed to protect and serve. The good girl who secretly longs for the bad boy. They connect (horizontally) over what's to be a one night stand but life has other plans. Life can be funny that way. Protection doesn't work all the time. :)
Then there are Daddy issues and an attempt on Erin's life. You have story gold that has you on an emotional rollercoaster. You laugh, smolder, cry, smile ...
I could not put the book down and I am ready for the next book. In my eyes Carly Phillips can do no wrong. I have read Carly Phillips since being introduced to her through Harlequin Blaze (I still have the original books). Her books are keepers and Perfect Fling is no exception.
I love the Serendipity series. I want to move to Serendipity and meet a local hunk.
I was hooked from the first sentence! I was enthralled by Erin's and Cole's story. The angry boy who turned into a hot cop who has vowed to protect and serve. The good girl who secretly longs for the bad boy. They connect (horizontally) over what's to be a one night stand but life has other plans. Life can be funny that way. Protection doesn't work all the time. :)
Then there are Daddy issues and an attempt on Erin's life. You have story gold that has you on an emotional rollercoaster. You laugh, smolder, cry, smile ...
I could not put the book down and I am ready for the next book. In my eyes Carly Phillips can do no wrong. I have read Carly Phillips since being introduced to her through Harlequin Blaze (I still have the original books). Her books are keepers and Perfect Fling is no exception.
I honestly can't remember when I found my first Carly Phillips book, but I know the "Reading with Ripa" segment on Live with Regis and Kelly got me reading her books again. I was lucky enough to get an early copy of Perfect Fling for review thanks to the author and the publishers through NetGalley.
I'm pretty sure I say this is my favorite Carly Phillips book ever after each new book, and I'm saying it yet again with Perfect Fling. I loved Cole and Erin as a couple from the moment they first got together. There is something about the men in Serendipity that makes me love each and every one of them, and Cole is no different. Seriously made my book boyfriend list (Dare is still at the top, but Michael and Cole almost knocked him out of the top spot). However, Erin Marsden is my favorite character from this book. I loved how strong she is whether faced with a stalker or possibly raising a baby on her own. I love strong heroines in a book, and Erin is hands-down one of the strongest.
I loved the chemistry between Erin and Cole, and especially love how tender and protective they are of one another. Even with their differences, I just felt like Cole and Erin are a perfect couple. I did figure out who was after Erin before it was revealed in the book. The mystery of the stalker gave Cole more opportunity to keep Erin with him to protect her and I really loved how he stepped up to the challenge. I especially loved he was ready to battle both Mike and Sam, Erin's brothers, for the right to take care of the woman he loved.
I love each and every visit to Serendipity. I'm already counting down until we get Sam Marsden's book, Perfect Together, February 4, 2014. For more information about the author or her books, check out her website.
I'm pretty sure I say this is my favorite Carly Phillips book ever after each new book, and I'm saying it yet again with Perfect Fling. I loved Cole and Erin as a couple from the moment they first got together. There is something about the men in Serendipity that makes me love each and every one of them, and Cole is no different. Seriously made my book boyfriend list (Dare is still at the top, but Michael and Cole almost knocked him out of the top spot). However, Erin Marsden is my favorite character from this book. I loved how strong she is whether faced with a stalker or possibly raising a baby on her own. I love strong heroines in a book, and Erin is hands-down one of the strongest.
I loved the chemistry between Erin and Cole, and especially love how tender and protective they are of one another. Even with their differences, I just felt like Cole and Erin are a perfect couple. I did figure out who was after Erin before it was revealed in the book. The mystery of the stalker gave Cole more opportunity to keep Erin with him to protect her and I really loved how he stepped up to the challenge. I especially loved he was ready to battle both Mike and Sam, Erin's brothers, for the right to take care of the woman he loved.
I love each and every visit to Serendipity. I'm already counting down until we get Sam Marsden's book, Perfect Together, February 4, 2014. For more information about the author or her books, check out her website.