Hot Mess by Emily Goodwin

My life is a hot mess.

Single, working, and raising two daughters, it’s a miracle I get us up, dressed, and fed every morning. Forget about dating—nobody’s got time for that. Even if love hadn’t left me jaded, I’m not settling for anything less than perfect this time around. 

Lucky for me, the perfect man just happens to work in my office. But there’s just one small problem: he’s my boss, and is totally off limits. But hey, if it’s meant to be, it’ll find a way, right?

Then a night out with friends turns into a night in with the walking-talking bad boy cliche of a bartender. It’s just one night. No harm, no foul, right?

Except when the hot bartender turns out to be my boss’s trouble-making brother, who wants more than just one night with me. The more I resist the spark between us, the more I find myself wanting him too. Which puts me in the middle of what could be the biggest sibling rivalry of the century.

Life is messy. 

And love? 

Well, love is even messier.

ellie's $0.02:

Normally I don't get into the whole single-mom-divorcee-getting-back-into-the-dating-sex-scene books.... but this one struck me.  Struck me in a good way.  This was also my first Emily Goodwin book.  So I really had no idea what to expect and was praying to God it didn't suck.  That would be awkward.

So the first thing that attracted me was the main character was an editor.  Hey.  Cool.  I'm an editor.  Hopefully Goodwin gives the career field a good name in this book.  She did.  Not that I don't think authors and readers get how busy an editor's life can be.. but DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA?  Woe is me.  Goodwin nailed it. So basically it was kinda fun to see what an author thinks an editor goes through.  

Now that just means I need to meet a hot sexy bartender/firefighter.

At any rate.  Enough about my dream life as a glorified editor.   I liked the way the characters clicked.  I liked the maliciousness encompassing one of the characters (can't give it which one).  I like enough drama to give me a jolt, but not keep me sweating bullets the whole book letting me have time to enjoy the chemistry with Luke and Lexi.  I like that's messy but sweet.

Goodwin's storytelling is entertaining and fun.  And I felt the stress of the characters and the emotions through the pages and words.

She raises an eyebrow. “What if you want to take me home and kill me?”

“I want to do a lot of things to you, but killing isn’t one of them. Well, not in the literal sense at least.”

“How would you do it?”

“Do what?” I ask.

“Kill me. I need to know. Is it going to be slow and painful? Or fast and quick? I’d think if you’re wooing me then taking me home, you’d have some sort of Silence of the Lambs thing going on, right? Why else would you take the time to talk to me and liquor me up?”

I laugh. “You liquored yourself up. And you’re right. But it would be more Dexter style and I’d never get caught.”