Random Acts of Hope

Random #4

by Julia Kent

She dressed professionally, wearing a plum-colored fuzzy v-neck sweater that contoured to the swell of a rack I remembered so well, legs encased in a slim pencil skirt that embellished those creamy hips I could imagine naked with a flicker of memory, lips painted fire-engine red and that maniac-inducing fifties pin-up girl look that I'd dismissed as silly when the girls in college wore it - but that made her smoking hot.

Down, boy.

God damn Charlotte, my ex-girlfriend, had to be here, of all places. At a bachelorette party where I was a stripper, dressed in a cop uniform with pants that suddenly got way too tight.

And she had to be so fine.

"Ooooh, honey, you're one big officer," said a sultry voice behind me as I watched Charlotte in the other room, chatting with the bride.

A hand stroked my hip and hesitated before sliding a bit lower, filling a palm with my ass. "Arrest me, Officer. I've been a bad, bad girl."

With one look at...

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Amazon, New Adult, Humor, Fiction

ebook

First published July 28, 2014

About the author

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New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Julia Kent writes romantic comedy with an edge. Since 2013, she has sold more than 2 million books, with 5 New York Times bestsellers and more than 21 appearances on the USA Today bestseller list. Her books have been translated into French, German, and Italian, with more titles releasing in the future.

From billionaires to BBWs to new adult rock stars, Julia finds a sensual, goofy joy in every contemporary romance she writes. Unlike Shannon from Shopping for a Billionaire, she did not meet her husband after dropping her phone in a men's room toilet (and he isn't a billionaire in a rom com).

She also writes romantic suspense as Meli Raine, sexy shifter romances as DJ Jennings, billionaire shifters as half of the author team Diana Seere, and co-authors with Elisa Reed.

She lives in New England with her husband and three children in a household where she is the only person with the gene required to change empty toilet paper rolls.

She loves to hear from her readers by:

Email at jkentauthor@gmail.com

Twitter @jkentauthor

Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/jkentauthor

Instagram @jkentauthor

Visit her at http://jkentauthor.com

FORTHCOMING:


Love You Again (Love You, Maine, #2), July 19, 2022

Ten First Kisses (anthology with my story, Shopping for a Booty Call), August 12, 2022

Love You More (Love You, Maine, #3), October 11, 2022

Love You Now (Love You, Maine, #4), January 3, 2023


Author photo credit: Felix Rust http://www.felixrust.com

Reviews

[Syndi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book I read in the series. I even love it more and more. Miss Kent has a signature writing that makes every banter, inner dialog ar efun as hell. It is sassy, sarcastic, smart mouth and sexy second chance story.

I do think that the second chance between Charlotte and Liam, can be dragged a little bit more dramatic instead of insta lust meet at the door.

The ending is well.... sad with a glimmer of hope. I feel the ending is just left hanging. Not cliff hanger but just.... hanging there.

At the end, I end up loving thia book for its fun banter.

4 stars

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a fan of Julia Kent's books for a while now...but I must say out of all of the RAOC books this is my absolute favorite. Liam and Charlotte's story was emotional so so very emotional. I will not reveal any secrets but I caught myself laughing especially at the bachelorette/sex toy party where Liam see's Charlotte again for the first time since they split up...it brings up the memory of the miscarriage that Charlotte had and as sensitive this is Julia Kent handles it with respect, grace and emotion all the emotions that will have you sobbing! On a happier note there are some very very funny scenes with Mavis the chicken and Esmeralda the blow up doll..oh yeah a big big snake..you will need to read the book to find out what happens. In this book we see RAOC band members, Darla and Amy...a rock band with strippers who could ask for anything more! Although this book could be read by itself I do recommend that you read the others in the series prior as it will help you understand all that has happened with this group. Thank you Julia Kent for this series and especially this book as I said earlier this has to be my favorite of all!

[L.E. Chamberlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fourth installment of Random follows Travis's bandmate Liam. When you're "six and a half feet of golden boy, muscled delight" like Liam is, what better way to make some extra cha-ching then stripping, right?

And when you're a celibate resident life director overseeing hundreds of horny college students, what better way to honor the safe sex lifestyle you promote than selling pleasure aids, right? Or at least that's Charlotte's rationale.

Charlotte and Liam, childhood best friends and high school sweethearts, collide again after five years of pain, doubt, anger, and huge misunderstandings. Fate could not have played a worse trick on them, though; they come face-to-face at a sex toy party Charlotte's hosting with Liam as the entertainment.

I refuse to wrote anything that would spoil the emotional sucker punch of this story, but let's just say that when you're young and in love, your own wild imagination is often your worst enemy. Random Acts of Hope takes that and runs with it until you're begging for a break. Be prepared for the feels. Like, with tissues.

What I adore about Julia Kent's writing is that she can pack some of the best LOL moments I've read in with sob-into-your-pillow heartbreak yet never diminish her pitch-perfect character portrayals. The characters I fell in love with in the first book are still here, in living color, but this is truly Liam and Charlotte's story.

Darla, Trevor, Joe, Sam, and Amy, as well as Mavis are all back, and we meet a new "friend" named Esme. Buckle up for another wild & random ride, but this time do yourself a favor and bring the tissues. I promise, you will thank me for it.

[Amber .:★Wild Heart Reviews★:. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was laughing from the moment I started reading this book. There were so many parts in it where I could barely contain my cackles of mirth that I had people in my house asking me what was so funny. Trust me, the part that comes to mind is not something I want to explain to my dad. Anyway, read this one, it's worth it if nothing else then for the laughter that will ensue.

[Aimee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I laughed so hard I cried. Not an easy feat, I assure you. I almost peed my pants I laughed so hard. First read years ago. Second read via audio 8/21/23. Still awesome and hilarious.

[Jammie Bebout · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. When I saw this book, I literally did a happy dance. I have been waiting for it none too patiently, and I have to say the wait was sooooo worth it. This fourth installment in the Random series has bad boy sex god of the band, Liam, running into his ex-girlfriend Charlotte, the only girl to ever break his heart. Julia Kent gives us a front row seat for all the fireworks that ensue as this couple precariously tries to navigate their way back to each other. The characters in this series are so well-rounded and real that you can’t help but become totally invested in their lives. I was especially drawn in by Liam and Charlotte’s story; the way the pain of their past and hopes of the present are so totally interconnected. You just can’t help but root for them though. Although not as lighthearted as some of the other books in the series (though it definitely does have its moments), this is definitely one of the best books in the series. If you’re looking for a book that will capture your interest as well as your heart, this is the book for you.

[Maddison Hoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I definately think Liam and Charlotte are my favourite characters from the Random Acts series.

I felt so sorry for each of them because each person believed the other to be in the wrong without any of it being settled for 5 years.

When Charlotte gets pregnant again I'm so glad Liam didn't act like he did five years ago and dump her but gets tested again to see if it really is his kid.
I was so heart broken for him when the test came back positive for his sperm, the anguish he felt over knowing he threw away Charlotte and their first child because he thought he was sterile and then that not being the case.

I couldn't belive she lost the second one as well, that was so tough to read.

I need to know more about these two. Do they get married even though she's not pregnant anymore? Do they start trying for another one?, because I feel they really needed to even though he was going on tour, I felt like the story needed to go there for them to heal their hearts from all their loses.

Thanks Julia for another great story.

[Allie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well I believe Ms. Kent is trying to kill me. I have read most her book to include all the books from the Random Series. This book had me laughing all my breath out, crying during the laughing so hard that I fell off my bed and bumped into a wall as I tried to get tissues for my leaking eyes. I am a walking zombie today because I couldn’t put the book down and selected to read it instead of sleeping. Random Acts Of Hope was Hal-Larry-Us….loved it. All the good ole stories from the pass 3 books were there made a re-appearance, but this one was brought the cougars instead of sweepstake addictive mamas, overachieving new RA’s instead of disappearing cellphones and a horny snake instead of Mavis the chicken. But the one thing that got me was the serious parts over the stories development. It is a great read that kept flowing throughout the book. Excellent job and bravo.

[Mila]

DNF @ 40ish%
NO.
An idiot and a doormat.

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one pulled on my heart… Liam had seemed so aloof in the previous books. Now you get his story, his history. Charlotte had to be strong, endure so much alone. Through “events” she and Liam re-connect. Just when they have found each other again, history tries to repeat. Will 5hey survive it?

[Nicola Marsh]

Such a great second chance story.
And I love the cast of secondary characters in this series.

[Iluvbooks44 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal book!!!

I love Julia’s books, she is one of my favourite authors.

I loved this book from start to finish.

I love the characters and the story.

[K D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story with love and hurt and mistakes. My gripe is that, of course the heroine is celibate while the hero sows his oats while they are broken up.

[Tiblu · Rating 4 out of 5]

I laughed some but mainly I cried,I cried... But it's good to be soo moved with a book.

With the other books,it seemed all I did was laugh,but here ,here I cried. I cried but that's ok,it was a good,good story that moved me to a place where tears were needed,and I'd rather cry any when moved by a really good book/story than than feel nothing with a bad/mediocre story... Out of all the couples soo far Liam and Charlottes has been the most serious,Sam and Amy had their moments but Darla added enough comic relief with an incident with Amy's phone that the only real tears I shed their were from laughing too hard ;) Both guys made BIG mistakes with the girls/women that stole their hearts in high school and while Liam's made more sense than SAMs did for staying away,the saddest thing is the lack of effort on both guys parts to be with the women they loved at first.... I'm grateful they finally came around... Liam wasn't easy to love at 1st ,in the past between being a ginormous man whore ( not love for those) and only being slightly less of a jerk than Joe ( who seems to bee more than enough Jerk at times for 4-5 groups of ppl) at times I wasn't sure how to feel especially when we learned more about Charlotte and what she went through and just how extremely different they handled things ( like their "sex lives") ,it wasn't easy to like Liam and what really,really bothered me was medical tests or not it just didn't make sense to could be that close to someone and know them for as long as they had ,I just wrap my head around never asking why? Or how ? When such a huge betrayal is assumed.. Assumed,especially when your "proof" is soo arbitrary at best..cutting person out I get... But to completely shut out with NEVER another word or confrontation or anything ?
Well let's just say I'm glad Liam finally got a clue and now that he has I wish he or Sam or Hell even Blue would hand Joe the Jerk a huge clue coz he sure needs one... Odd as it might seem for me Joe was the only true downside ,I can see what Darla sees in Trevor ( Mavis and insane attachment to chickens and all ;) He's a good guy and you can really see their connection) but Joe ? Even after all that happen back on Eden , it s difficult to know what Joe really wants except to act like a "Debbie downer" for the rest most of the time. I really hope in book 6 he gets his act finally together or at least in a much better place....
Thanks again Ms.Kent a good time was had ...
Thank you...

[Rebecca Fitts · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW!! Hot, steamy, yummy, emotional, love, seduction, toys, sexy, and fantastic!!! Julia, you always please your fans and I can't thank you enough. This Random Acts of Crazy book has to be my favorite and I didn't think you'd take that away from RAOF. Liam and Charlotte's story is emotional, heartfelt, loving, gut wrenching, want-to-cry-that-good!! I had to read the first chapter twice because IT IS THAT AMAZING! Your sense of humor captivates the reader and never stops. You go so far as to bring back my favorites stories from the other books...Mavis/Trevor, Amy/cellphone, and Darla/Mom. This book is about Liam's love and you knocked it way out of the park. Charlotte and Liam see each other after 5 years at a bacherlorette party where he is hired to strip and she is the sales rep for adult novelty toys. From there they will both try to find ways back to each other and to find the truth about what happened 5 years ago. This story is captivating, riveting, heartfelt, humorous, and outstanding. Random Acts Of Crazy is making it big and so is this series. With each new story, my love for RAOC, friends, and families grows bigger and bigger! Of course, I'm hoping that everyone has had the pleasure to enjoy all your books so the witty banter in this one isn't lost---what a shame that would be. If you enjoy romantic comedy and need a Julia fix...read this now!!! Amazing, unbelievable! I think...wait, I know I have girl crush on her! LOL (My hubby thinks so...I spent our night reading this instead!) xoxo :) Thank you again Julia and I can't wait for the next! (T+M hopefully)

[T.S. Pagan · Rating 2 out of 5]

“ The worst thing you can do to a man is give him a problem he can’t fix.”

I really liked this book.
It’s a Standalone novel that tells us the story of Charlotte and Liam. They were High school sweethearts until the fateful day Charlotte calls Liam to tell him she was pregnant. He breaks up at the same phone call without even an explanation. She has a miscarriage and is forever broken because of it.
A few years later they meet again at a bachelorette party where Liam is a striper and Charlotte is selling sex toys. In the very same party Liam also encounters his mother. Tapping his ass. Hilarious scene!
So, he sees Charlotte, but he’s also mad at her for their past and how they broke up. For him, she did something unforgivable because he’s sterile since he was a 16, which means she cheated on him and tried to pass the other guy’s baby as his.
So, of course he makes some “evil” arrangements so they meet again, until one thing led to another and they begin a new relationship, but no one wants to talk about the past. So, they start something new without actually resolving their old issues and the doubts keeps luring their minds.
This book was a very easy read but still heartfelt. Some very funny Laugh Out Loud scenes and a heartbreaking end.

[Kristy Dean-Veen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please read the series from the beginning. Start with random acts of crazy. This is book 4 in the series. Julia Kent has done it again. There was comedy and there was well developed characters with real feeling you could relate to. Loved this series. You will laugh a lot and even shed a few tears of joy, tears of love, and tears of hope.
Liam as always loved Charlotte. They were friends before lovers. When Charlotte became pregnant their senior year, he knew it was not his and that she cheated on him. He was broken and devastated and will to "tap" anything to help drive the pain away. Were Charlotte was broken and hiding and dealing with the lose of the child. She didn't understand why he just dumped her and the child.
One night Liam is stripping when an older woman starts to man handling him. It's turns out to be his mom and his ex girlfriend Charlotte who is sailing sex toys. All things will come to a head and reasons of hope and love will prevail as random acts of crazy takes stage. You are in for a great show.

[Ronda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favorite book in this series, and that's saying something because I loved all of the books! I laughed, I cursed, I laughed some more, I cried, and I felt hope. Having been through a similar situation (you'll know what I mean after you read, and, no, dating a rock star is not the similar situation) I can tell you that Julia did a great job of expressing the emotions involved. Sometimes a girl needs a good cry, so thank you for that. On a happier note, GOD I love Darla! She and Amy make me LOL so much that my kids want to know what I'm laughing so hard about. Sorry kiddos, can't really explain to you about chickens and Esme and phones! Wonderful read and I really hope someday to have a follow up on these characters. I will feel an absence in my life if I don't know what happens to all of them in the future.

[Jeannie Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished reading this, and I must confess it had my emotions all over the board--but in a great way!
This is Liam and Charlotte's story, and to say they have a scarred history is putting it mildly. Unlike the previous books in the series, this book covers a very sensitive subject--miscarriage. The author handles it in perfectly, but be advised that it is still heart wrenching in parts. On the flipside, we see a return of Mavis the chicken from the first book, and a new 'character', Esme, and I couldn't contain my laughter! Add in a rock band, male strippers, sex toys, well, you get the picture! Kudos to you, Julia Kent! This had to be one of my favorites in the series!
This is part of Julia's Random Acts series, so I would suggest you read the others first to get the inside jokes and tie ins.

[Deanna Snow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Julia is one of those authors that I one click without even "reading the back" of the book. At this time the first book in this series is free!! You cannot beat that price! Once again we have an in depth story about one of the band members. A misunderstanding that led to lost love, but it is found again. In each book of the series you get to reconnect with all your friends from the previous books....LOVE that. I hate when you don't get the chance to re-connect with characters. You become so invested in their lives, and you want to see how they are doing!!
This installment, as with the rest of the series, will NOT disappoint. My only complaint, and it is a small one, is that this is the first time in this series where the ending felt a little like a cliffhanger. It isn't, but you just want to know more!!! Looking forward to more in this series!

[Heather andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again Julia has done an amazing job with this series. You tend to fall more and more in love with each character and I do believe Liam has stolen that head light from Trevor, "my boner was so big it was going to burst out of my fly and go strangle some small contraband pet in one of the dorm rooms. Bed. Charlotte. Bed. Charlotte. We'd slept together without sex, her a** cradled up against my raging erection for hours." Liam is like all the other members of the band when it comes to their women, it's about the sex, "I don't mind being dirty." He lunged across the bed, pulling me down by the (naked) waist, all my soft, squishy parts pushing up against his hard, chiseled parts, and it felt soooo good." I would actually love to see another book with Darla, Joe and Trevor to see how they handle that situation because I'm still hurt by what happened between them in the Eden book.

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Julia Kent is so good. Liam is in Random Acts of Crazy, he has been with lots of women since his heart was broken by his love in high school. Liam loves the life of a rock star and strips on the side to make enough money to live. Anything to avoid joining the family business- his dad runs a car dealership and has been trying to get him to work there since graduating from college.
I love that Liam is ready for his act at a bachelorette party and his mom grabs his butt, not knowing it is him and his ex-girlfriend from high school Charlotte is at the same party.
Liam and Charlotte haven't seen each other in 5 years, he shut her out but neither has forgotten what they once had. Lots of good fun with the band in this book and romance and hope. Wonderful. I hope there is one more book with all 4 bandmates and their ladies to wrap it all up neatly...

[Beatriz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the prologue of this book and it intrigued me, so I picked it up, not having read previous books in the series. It's a stand alone and while there are some seemingly running jokes that went over my head, it can be read as such. It wasn't really what I was expecting, but it was an enjoyable read. The ending was somewhat abrupt (could've used an epilogue, maybe, unless she's planning to continue the series), but ok and generally a HEA. The author seems to be fixated on characters that grew up in religious households or environments, but were sexually promiscuous in one way or another. It comes up several times with about 3-4 characters in the book and I thought it was a little bizarre to read it over and over.

I'm not really interested in reading the rest of the series, but on its own, it was a fun way to pass the time.

[Emily Finch · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was going to be 2 stars then the snake and chicken incident happened and that's disgusting so it's half a star. Felt like I've been trying to read this for weeks. So boring. The main characters are complete and utter fucking morons and my head nearly exploded each time they didn't just sit down and have a fucking conversation.

I despise it when authors make the female not have sex the entirety of the time that the love interests are apart (in terms of the love interests being previously together). If a guy did that to me I would certainly not be pining for five years and not attempting to move on with my life. Such bullshit. And for him to not even tell her that he's infertile? Shit boyfriend and deserves fuck all. Obviously if it had been a new relationship sure but when it gets serious you tell your partner that kind of information.

For fuck sake.

[Jeri-lynn Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can never go wrong with an Random Series book by Julia Kent. Julia took this book in a different direction then the other RAOC, this one was funny, but also dealt with a tough topic, the writing was real, you could feel all of the emotions. You can feel the emotions of Liam and Charlotte and their journey, it was a real tear jerker and knowing from my sisters experience of having ten angles in Heaven, I could feel their losses.

There is a lot of Julia's humor written throughout the book, from "toys" racing across the floor, to snakes, chickens and Esmeralda.
I encourage you to read this for a wonderful journey!

[iDreem2 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book!!!!! No really I lived this story. I know I say this about almost all her stories, but I now have new favorite characters by Julia Kent. Liam and Charlotte are great, they are so well written and not one sided flat characters. And their story... Their story made me cry, rejoice, and laugh. I liked Sam and Amy's story, enjoyed the beginning of Trevor, Joe, and Darla, but I absolutely LOVE this story. Ms. Kent just keep getting better with every new book. I hope we get a wrap up of Trevor, Joe, and Darla

[Kek219 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

Ms. Kent's 'Random Acts' series gets better with each addition. I loved this story of Charlotte and Liam. It had everything...strong characters, laugh out loud moments, angst and a great ending. I cannot wait for the next installment.

While 'Random Acts of Hope' can be read as a stand-alone, I HIGHLY recommend reading the series in order, starting with 'Random Acts of Crazy'. You will not be disappointed.

**Received an ARC for an honest review.

[Jodi Ciorciari-marinich · Rating 5 out of 5]

GREAT !!! I have to say I think this is my favorite of all the series. Liam and Charlotte are great together and the story was different. Beautifully written by Julia. The story had a beginning, middle and end which I loved. No jumping from when they were young to now. Cant wait for the next in this series and hoping there is a next one. Was always nice to see all the other guys and girls again too

[Becky Burciaga · Rating 4 out of 5]

Randomly sigh worthy

Ms Kent continues to amaze me as to how she keeps her stories so emotionally engaging, and her characters so heartwarming and sigh worthy. Many times during the story, I felt my heartstrings pulled several different ways...with the secondary stories running in the background, there are multiple opportunities for you to be swept up and carried away. As this series continues, the reoccurring characters bring so much life, laughter and heart to each story.

[Laura Butts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book as an advanced reader copy. I felt this book was a wonderful complement to the previous books in the series. It was very touching extremely emotional. It also had great insight into what women go through in life. My favorite parts were the funny one liners and inside jokes. Great job as always!!