City of Dreams, Book 3
WINNER ~ 2019 National Readers Choice Award ~ Contemporary Series Romance by OKRWA (Oklahoma Romance Writers of America)
Honey packs everything she owns and heads to NYC to jumpstart her art career. Her cheating boyfriend is history, and she finally acknowledges the truth of her mother’s mantra: Careers are forever and happily ever after isn’t in their DNA.
All she needs is a job and a place to live. What she doesn’t need is a taciturn, sexy, ballbuster but she’s woman enough to know the difference between need and want. Isn’t she?
Jake’s childhood was marred by tragedy and his future hijacked to a promise born of guilt. His failure drove him to a career as a SEAL and a security expert. But it’s not enough. Soon he’ll give up his freedom in reparation for the life he lost. Honey may be the last sweet stop on the road to a joyless future.
If it’s what they both want, what’s the harm in a no-strings affair?
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Their No-Strings Affair by Charlotte O’Shay is a story of two troubled people overcoming their upbringings to find a path to happiness. The characters are detailed and believable. My heart broke several times at what Honey had to endure on her road to success in her field and the way she was treated growing up. Jake has his deep burdens from childhood as well. Their friends and work mates are vividly painted in the story and really bring additional life and depth. The twists and turns really pushed my limits for patience and anticipation.
This review is my opinion and was not influenced by the ARC I received.
5 stars
CatQ, Booksprout reader
The “City of Dreams” from the series title is New York, a place where small town kids go to make it big. The main character’s name is Honeysuckle Hill, Honey for short, a small town girl who dreams of being an artist living and working in NYC. (Yes, she’s embarrassed about her name too, since she’s actually not a porn star. The girl’s mother has a lot to answer for, the least of which is the silly given name.)
Honey’s a complicated character, which Ms. O’Shay excels at creating. She’s brash and sassy but also vulnerable, smart but gullible, streetwise and naive at the same time. At “five feet nothing” she’s a bundle of kinetic energy moving at breakneck speed until she runs into Jake Ricco. Ex-Navy SEAL and human brick wall. Jake runs his own security firm, and they meet at a society wedding reception where Honey is filling in for a friend and Jake is running security. The wedding, coincidentally, is the same one from Book One in the series, tangling the story lines together rather nicely.
Jake has a host of his own issues and insecurities, not the least of which is the looming deadline on his arranged marriage in Italy. Honey’s tendency toward chaos doesn’t fit in with Jake’s neat and tidy lifestyle, but he’s inexplicably drawn to her — opposites attract, after all. The more time he spends with her, the more he loosens the tight grip he’s got on his buttoned-down life, and the more he begins to realize he wants more than the future he’s mapped out.
The back and forth between the characters is such fun to watch, as is the transformation of Jake’s character as his walls begin to crumble, his assumptions about life tangled into a knot and unraveled in new ways, thanks to Honey. Ms. O’Shay writes with heart and humor and keeps the pages turning.
This is a standalone story, and although the other characters and events are mentioned here you can read the series in any order without spoiling the underlying plots. Although the story starts after Halloween and runs through Christmas, this makes a great read for the beach or poolside.”
Katie O’Sullivan, Author, Cape Cod Dating Rules series
katieosullivan.blogspot.com
There’s nothing better than a romantic meet-cute that puts a smirk on your face and makes your toes curl.”
romance4thebeach
I’m a big fan of city romances. There’s something magical about New York City and in Their No-Strings Affair, Charlotte O’Shay brings NYC to life. It’s like the big city is a major character in this romance and we get to fall in love with NYC as well as the couple.
Favorite Character: Honey. Everything about her from her snarky attitude to her artistic view to her naivety to the way she can talk herself out of any situation, I love it all. She’s an everyday reader’s heroine, dealing with one crisis after another with aplomb. Highly recommend 5 stars Must read. N.N.LightBookheaven
A beautiful novel with a free-spirited artist and a broken man in need of some love. These characters are very different from one another, but Charlotte O’Shay really makes it work with the buildup of sexual tension between them. There’s no denying the yearning for Jake to get a happily ever after, and Honey seems like the perfect person to make it happen. Without a doubt, an author that readers will go back to again and again for an escape from their normal life and into a world of romance and red-hot passion.” InD’tale Magazine
I enjoyed this entire series by Ms. O’Shay. I do have to say this one is my favorite. I loved the characters and how they interacted together. There was humor, angst, and the right amount of love scenes. I read several books a week and many authors include so many sex scenes that I find myself skipping through them. This author focuses on the relationship between the characters! I loved how the characters from all of this series were intertwined into each book but yet they still standalone.
I have a few special books that I read over and over. This series goes on that list! I look forward to reading more from this author.” Amazon Reviewer