Perfect Fling by Carly Phillips

Title: Perfect Fling

Series: Serendipity’s Finest bk 2

Author: Carly Phillips

Genre: Contemporary

Erin … The Good Girl
Assistant District Attorney, Erin Marsden, is Serendipity’s quintessential good girl. The only daughter of the ex-police chief, she has never made a misstep, content with her quiet, predictable life … or so she thinks. Until Cole Sanders returns to town with heated interest in his eyes and shadows in his past.

Cole … The Bad Boy
After seven years of deep undercover work in New York City, Cole returns to Serendipity to help his aging father and to find his moral compass once more. Not to get involved with wholesome Erin Marsden. Even as a rebellious teen, he knew a girl like Erin was off limits and that hasn’t changed. But neither one of them can resist their off-the-charts chemistry and a one night stand brings complications neither Erin nor Cole expected.

The Attraction … Off the Charts!
Then Erin’s current case plunges her into a killer’s crosshairs. With more at stake than anyone knows, Erin succumbs to Cole’s take-charge attitude. As a bodyguard, he’s the best. As a lover, he’s even better. But there’s more than the matter of Erin’s safety at stake. And Cole must forgive the sins of his past and prove to himself – and to Erin – that he’s capable of the love and the forever she – and their baby – desperately need.

Once again Carly Phillips has crafted a story that will keep you glued to the page, needing to know what is going to happen next.

I’ve been anxiously awaiting this book ever since I read a snippet of it in the back of Perfect Fit. Because while I loved Mike, I had a feeling Cole was going to be off the charts amazing. And OMG he is.

Cole is one of those heroes you love from the get go. Because of his relationship with his dad he doesn’t think he deserves happiness and especially not Erin. It takes everything in him to stay away from her after their one night together. But when she’s shot and he finds out she’s pregnant with his baby all bets are off.

Erin is the complete opposite of Cole. She grew up knowing she was loved and had worth. Her attraction to Cole throws her off balance as he is nothing like the men she usually dates and when she finds out she’s pregnant it sends her into a tailspin where he is concerned.

I loved this story. Watching Cole and Erin fall in love and then figure out how to have a relationship all while maintaining their emotional distance was a lot of fun as neither one of them knew what they were doing. They both wanted that elusive family, and neither of them knew how to compromise. It was either all or nothing.

Add in the identity of her stalker and her tie to Cole and it makes it a happily ever after unattainable at least in Cole’s mind.

I wasn’t sure how this was going to be resolved but I should have trusted in Carly because the resolution was perfect for them. Anything less wouldn’t have made sense for who they were as individuals and as a couple.

One thing I have to say is that after reading several of Carly’s books her heroes get better and better. I thought Mike was OMG amazing, but Cole is soooo much better. And the tattoo that Carly leaves to our imagination just makes him so much better. Cole has unseated Mike as my favorite of Carly’s heroes.

If you love hot tortured cop heroes then you won’t want to miss Cole’s fall.

Grade:  A+