Sweet Temptation

Love & Legacy, Book #1

By Bella Matthews

ISBN# 9798218776985

Author’s Website:  https://www.authorbellamatthews.com/

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Heidi

Lucky Beneventi has been working hard to make it into the pro football league.  And, all his hard work has finally paid off.  

He lives with his best friend, Linc, who just informed him that his sister is back from Paris and will be moving in with them.  Lucky has always had feelings for Lexie, but she struggles with cystic fibrosis.  When they were kids, they snuck out for a night swim that left her spending weeks in the hospital.  Both of their dads warned Lucky away from her after that.  But Lucky is a grown man now, and if he can convince Lexie to give him a chance, nobody will be able to stop him from being with her.

Lexie has accepted that her life won’t be as long as most people’s.  However, she doesn’t want to leave people behind when she goes.  She doesn’t want them to mourn her or be hurt.  So, she keeps her distance and doesn’t allow herself any meaningful romantic relationships.  However, Lucky won’t let her put him in a simple box.  He forces her to feel, to love with wild abandon.  But what happens when he gets a glimpse of the pain that this disease will cause?

This book reminded me a lot of Ruckus by L.J. Shen.  The female lead in that book also had cystic fibrosis.  This book wasn’t nearly as sad as Ruckus, but it does lightly touch on the heartbreak that CF can cause.

I enjoyed this story.  However, this is the first book I read from this author and she apparently has written several novels in this world.  I felt behind by not knowing all of the characters.  Granted, it’s a romance so it’s pretty easy to pick up a romance anywhere within a series.  I just would have liked to have known the other characters better.

I found Lucky to be incredibly sweet.  He would not let Lexie relegate him to a one-night stand.  And, you have to love him for that, even if it left him with some groveling to do.

I did enjoy the side characters in this book, especially the Sinclair brothers.  Linc and Lochlan were a good balance of jokesters and protective big brothers.  And, I can’t help, but be curious about whom Linc is spending his nights with. 

I think this was a decent story.  It wasn’t mind-blowing, by any means, but it was a sweet story all the same.  I do prefer the emotional rollercoaster of Ruckus, to this one.  But this wasn’t bad.