Author: Rachel Bailey
Publication Date: 28 September, 2015
Publisher: Entangled Embrace
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Age Recommendation: 18 and up
Rating: 4 stars
~ I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review ~
Book Description:
Sometimes all a girl needs is a little practice...
It's been twelve months, three days, and eleven hours since accounting student Scarlett Logan made it past a second date. A pitcher of mojitos in hand, she employs her supreme graphing skills to narrow things down to one horrifying explanation. Kissing. Clearly someone needs to teach her how to kiss properly. Like, say, her best friend and roomie, Finn Mackenzie. He's safe, he's convenient, and yeah, maybe just a little gorgeous.
Finn knows exactly why Scarlett's boyfriends are disappearing quickly. Him. Not a single guy she's brought home is nearly good enough. And he'll be damned if he lets some loser give her "kissing lessons." No. He'll do the honors, thank you very much. The moment their lips touch, though, everything turns upside down. But Scarlett deserves the one thing Finn can't give her. And if he doesn't put an end to the sexy little shenanigans, he'll teach Scarlett the hardest lesson of all...heartbreak.
My Review:
I adored this book. This was my first time reading Rachel Bailey but I can guarantee you it will not be the last. The Finn Factor is a fun, sweet, swoon-worthy, quick read.
Scarlett Logan, can't seem to keep a date interested. It's been over a year since she's made it past the critical second date. Guys just won't let her in and she can't figure out what she's missing that keeps them from coming back for more. One night after a number of her 'famous mojitos' and some series best friend talk with well, her best friend, Scarlett concludes, through graphs mind you, that her inability to keep a guy around is her lack of experience with kissing. She must simply be a terrible kisser and decides on a course of action to rectify this. Of course after numerous mojitos Scarlett determines that there is only one way to go about this...practice. She's going to contact Cole Jericho, a client at work and a well known actor...who will clearly having his kissing game down.
"Well, he's been on TV most of his life, so he's had to kiss a lot of girls on camera." With the roles he'd been playing in the last few years, it had been a LOT of girls."" - Scarlett
Finn MacKenzie, never saw it coming. He's been working behind the scenes for years keeping Scarlett's un-worthy dates at bay
"It had been more complicated to track down her dates in the first few years of our friendship, and sometimes they'd get to four or five dates before I could find the latest guy, assess him, and send him packing. Luckily things had become much more streamlined since she'd moved in......She really needed to start picking a better class of guy." -Finn
then boom, she practically smacks him straight in the heart with this talk of being a bad kisser and wanting to practice; practice with some random, rich, handsome actor. He's not worked this hard to keep guys who could appreciate all that was Scarlett away for the past four years to be undermined by some silly notion (brought on through no fault of her own, ahem) that she's a bad kisser. There is only one way to fix this...It has to be him, Finn has to fall on his sword (so to speak) for the cause.
Can Finn's and Scarlett's friendship survive kissing lessons or will it doom them to a life without each other? I have to say, that first kissing scene...you think it's going to be all awkward and well, awkward but if you couldn't feel this couple's chemistry before then, you got a load of it during that kiss!
(Gratuitous Chris Pratt moment, don't judge)
It was hot and I think I may have even fallen in love with Finn by then. The guy does some shady stuff all in the name of friendship, but he truly does it out of a love that he doesn't even recognize and Scarlett isn't exactly clear of conscious either. I loved their back and forth, I loved the friends to lovers aspect, it works beautifully in this story. Finn is going to have your heart fluttering in no time, he is really such a great guy. He's dedicated, hard working, caring, a little bit broken, and a whole lot of sweet. Scarlett, is a great girl. She's the girl you want to be at that age. Working out who she is and where her life is going, surrounded by friends and family, (even if she would like to strangle her parents every now and again, I mean who doesn't right?) she's kind, generous, fun, also a bit broken, and equally as sweet as Finn.
I really enjoyed the rest of the characters as well. They are all a bit unconventional, especially Scarlett's parents, who I adored, the scene where Scarlett and her mother talk sex with Finn's youngest sister still makes me giggle. I could totally feel the heat crawling up my chest and put myself right into Scarlett's place. I am hopeful that we will perhaps see Finn's oldest sister in a upcoming book, although this is a stand alone. Maybe if we beg enough? :-)
This is a sweet, funny, moving book about family, friendship, and love. If you are a New Adult, Contemporary Romance, or Adult Romance fan you will enjoy this sweet story .
~ HAPPY READING ~
I live with my own personal hero and four dogs on the east coast of Australia. Our house is on my dream property – 10 acres of native trees on the side of a hill, within driving distance to the beach.
I’ve always loved dogs. I love all animals, but dogs have a special place in my heart. My current pack is: Dougal the Border Collie (the most perfect dog that ever there was), Oliver, a black Lab x doberman (the Heathcliffe of dogs – all brooding, clingy and likely to snap), Princess Ava the rescued greyhound (she’s always posing as if a camera is hovering nearby), and Billie our other rescued greyhound (who is still settling in and wondering what she’s got herself in for.