Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  Kicking It in Vegas

SERIES: Out and Kickin’

AUTHOR:  Riley Long

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH:  142 pages

RELEASE DATE:  August 7, 2023

BLURB:  

I woke up in Vegas with a hangover and a ring on my finger.

At my last recollection, the bachelor party was off to a great start. During dinner I met sexy celebrity Chef Oliver who was far more intriguing than his surly public persona let on.

Afterwards, my buddies and I set out to bar-hop at some of Sin City’s biggest hot spots. To my surprise, I ran into Oliver again as he was unwinding by tossing back drinks at a bar. What followed was a hot night of dancing and drinking… and a very confusing morning.

Not only did we spend the night together, we got married. Oliver is quick to suggest divorce, but I’m not ready to give up so easily. We may be opposites in every way imaginable, but there’s a chemistry between us I can’t deny or ignore.

Can I convince Oliver to give our unlikely romance a chance? Or will what happened in Vegas end in Vegas?

REVIEW:

Note:  This is the second in the series and does have major spoilers for the first book.  It can be read as a standalone.

Cam Newton is in charge of the Bachelor weekend for his friend Theo and his fiance Nate in Los Vegas.  He’s got a reputation as being laid back and going with the flow, so he’s worried that everyone will be very upset if this weekend doesn’t go off without a hitch.  He’s been very frequently calling the restaurant they’ve booked for their fancy dinner upon arrival.  He realizes he’s being a bit of a pain, but he’s absolutely committed to making sure everything’s perfect.  He continues to call to speak to the chef, Oliver Ridley, who frankly is nicer than he expects after the many calls and changes he’s requested.  He also asks to meet with the chef before the dinner on the night of the event.

Oliver Ridley has changed.  In the past he was a volatile presence in the kitchen.  After a bad breakup and some very bad press, he’s definitely a new man now.  While he’s a little irritated with Cam’s constant calls, he understands after Cam explains why so much is riding on this being perfect for his friends.  Then when he meets Cam, well he can’t help but be attracted.  The flirt a little bit before the dinner and then things go very well 🙂  Everyone of the friend group is very impressed with the affair.  Whew!

Later, some of the group goes bar hopping.  At Julian’s, who should Cam run into but Chef Oliver 😉  They chat and then dance and definitely drink.  They are having a fantastic time.  Apparently so good a time that the wake up the next day in Cam’s hotel room wearing wedding rings.  Neither of them remembers what happens, but there is definitely a marriage certificate with their names on it.  Wha????

Oliver and Cam are both shocked.  What are they going to do?  They agree to speak later after Oliver meets with his attorney best friend to figure out what’s next.  Then there are grainy pictures in the paper of Oliver and Cam with a “Famous Chef marries mystery man” headline.  Gulp.  Guess they are going to have to figure out a plan sooner rather than later.  Oliver has tried so hard to stay out of the tabloids.  Cam is a true romantic and wants to see if this can work between them for real.  He really likes Oliver not to mention their chemistry is off the charts 😉

The more time Oliver and Cam spend together, the more Oliver changes his mind about making this marriage go away.  He really really likes Cam and doesn’t want to just let this opportunity go.  He’s got the restaurant running smoothly and he wants to expand his business.  Maybe he can combine both of his desires to make things work on both the personal and professional front.

This was adorable!  I actually like this second book more than the first one.  I loved both of these characters.  They were so cute together 😀  Cam is such a sweetheart wanting to make things perfect for Theo and Nate.  He was so zealous about the plans and his constant calls to Oliver 😉  The secondary characters were also a fun part of the story – particularly Tenderloin 😉  Grant, Oliver’s best friend who seems to know him better than himself, as well as Jeremiah, his second in the kitchen and Cara, his front of house manager have his back all the way.  Cam’s friend group, Theo and Nate, Parker, Levi, Bennett, etc. are there for Cam when things hit the fan.  I loved how Cam didn’t want to take any focus from Theo and Nate’s celebration, but his friends wanted to support him too – even the skeptical Parker 😉  Oliver really has changed and he wants to prove it to not only Cam but himself.  He’s not going to squander an opportunity to finally be happy.  Loved the epilogue and can’t wait for the next book because a certain skeptic I think is going to find out he’s not immune to love after all 😉   Highly recommended for fans of low angst, drunk married making it work, fun romances with a definite HEA.

RATING:

BUY LINK:

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