Getting Lucky

Reunions #1

by Avril Tremayne

Blurbs coming soon

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance, Harlequin

219 pages, Paperback

Published July 26, 2018

About the author

Lover of funny stuff, steamy stuff, and Campari. ​ Gin too. Okay - and wine. And cheese. Doer of courses. Travel tragic. Italian wannabe. Eater extraordinaire but does not cook. Avid shoe collector.

Reviews

[Nicola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best friends to lovers, plenty of steam and quick witty dialogue, what’s not to like.

I’m here to discuss your sperm.”
“I hope you don’t say that to all the boys.”

[Bibi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, this is a first. First time rating an Avril Tremayne book less than 4 stars and truth be told I would have given it less. It was repetitive and tedious, with too much sex (gasp), and not enough story. Sorry.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need to take a deep breathe before I write this review up, wow what a story a friends to lovers story, it is sexy, steamy, sensual and filled with humour and emotion, MS Tremayne you have knocked my socks off with this story, fabulous I loved it.

Romy Allen has decided that her body clock is ticking fast and it is time to have a baby, and now the decision for IVF and donor sperm is made when in steps her very best friend Matthew Carter her superhero to help he is more than happy do give up sperm and for Romy to use with a turkey baster so to speak, him in San Francisco and her in London this should be easy, or will it? When Romy arrives at his place with all the paper work needed for this to go ahead he decides to rip it up and go with the sensual pull between them and do things the normal way to fall pregnant and who doesn’t love an orgasm or two.

Matt has always just done things he is a wealthy entrepreneur makes decisions on the run and has had many, many one night stands sex is just sex to Matt but when his best friend Romy wants something so badly he will do whatever to make it happen for her, but having sex with Romy just once might just make him think that sex for sex not be enough for Matt anymore.

I just could not put this one down I inhaled and savoured every word in this story OMG Romy and Matt had loved each other for ten years but neither of them would step up and confront this love more so Matt whose childhood canned any thoughts of love being best and Romy comes from a totally opposite family, but the sensual pull between these two burns the pages up, both are so scared to lose that friendship that has meant so much to them. Yep this is one that should not be missed fabulously written moving and emotional I loved it thank you MS Tremayne for a keeper. I am loving this Dare line from Harlequin

[Lauriel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could. Not. Stop. Reading.
I love Matt and Romy so much.
This book made me go awww and laugh out loud and fan myself because the sex is *hawt*.

[Rach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Impossible to put down!

Avril Tremayne is another author I am coming to know by voice alone, it is so unique to her and I love it. It’s super easy to follow, pacy and filled with humour, even in the darkest moments she can coax out a smile. This one had me tearing up, laughing out loud and hanging off the edge of my sunbed, racing to get to the end and the HEA you know is coming, and yet, can’t imagine being possible.

I adored the long-standing friendship between Romy and Matt, the fact that he’s been there at her beck-and-call for so long, her right hand when suffering through the pain that is her uterus, and the understanding he has for that/for her is so heart wrenching, especially when he thinks himself so unworthy of her and incapable of loving her as she deserves.

It’s something of an unrequited love story with an honest, upfront look at the challenge many people face when confronted with a body that doesn’t quite perform how “god intended”. It was touchingly done. As for the whole sperm-donor angle, I adored how she got across Matt’s growing connection to the unborn/potentially unmade baby through the tale, despite his intention at the outset. It had me clutching my own hand to my chest and melting with him, especially in the baby clothing scene (not saying anything else as don’t want to spoil it for others). Truly beautiful, Avril.

And yes, of course, the sex is off the charts, it is a DARE after all, but as with all DARE’s that’s always second to the fabulous love story at its heart. Can’t wait to read Avril’s next!

[J Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this story!
Romy and Matt have been friends for ten years. So when Romy, whois facing surgery that will render her infertile, asks Matt to impregnate her, he says yes! Matt's a self-confessed sex addict, but the one woman he's never pursued, is Romy, preferring to keep her friendship. So when they throw away the turkey baster and resort to good old fashioned sex, no one is more surprised than Romy.
Their path to a HEA is strewn with witty banter, laugh and cry moments. Probably the reason I had to read this one twice!
A scorching romance with enough sparks for a firework display. If you like friends to lovers, put this one at the top of your list.

[Sandra R · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this novella and it was very well written and I really love this author's books. :)

I do however have to say, that I would have preferred a bit more actual story spliced between, before and after, the many, many sex scenes. They were extremely steamy and intense and 'breathless', but I found myself skipping some near the end. This is a M & B Dare though and the handful I've read in this series appear to be all about the sex, so I assume that was the brief for all the authors.

The dialogue was snappy and entertaining and I would have loved an epilogue. I've read almost all of this author's books and I will keep reading them as long as she writes them! 4.5 stars.

[Pooja Ajmera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice story! It's wonderful to read the book...

You will love the friendship between two friends turned lover - Matt and Romy!

Matt has shutdown his heart since long and is protecting Romy since they were together in graduation and with feelings deep down hidden he realizes that he can no more control them and same is the case with Romy..

The story is about how both of them team up together for the baby Romy wants and then their hearts play the trick!

Read the book to discover how wonderful Avril Tremayne has shaped up the love between them ! Just read it!

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant second chance story.

When Matt and Romy shared a house in college sparks flew, but they never seemed to get together.
Romy had loved Matt from afar and he had been her protector always there when she needed him.
Will one last favour bring them closer together or rip them apart.
A great read..

[Cathleen Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a lovely read by Avril Tremayne about two friends, one of whom, Romy, wants who have a baby by IVF. Her friend, wealthy Matt Carter comes up with a counter offer, which is too good to refuse.
Loved it.

[Geraldine Sadiku · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this hot friends to lovers and so much more story with a great story line and a few twist and turns as well as an insight into the characters, well worth a read.

[Lisa McNair · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book and this author. I will read anything she writes. Her dialogue is snappy and the characters are unusual but relatable.

[Lindsi · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5*

[Angela Maher · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and steamy read.

[Vonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've seen Avril's books around HQ, but couldn't quite pin her down on a writing style. I do recall she came through on the HQ KISS imprint [which produced very few books for an imprint to sustain itself in the early 2010s], which was Harlequin's way of busting down a wall to get into New Adult/College Age books - a flair-off to their PRESENTS line with some lighthearted sexy romps.

Anyway, eesh, what a way to [literally] plow through and re-introduce me to her style of storytelling. I liked it, I liked it a lot which scared me when it veered into territory I get upset with - and this is my personal hang-ups not the book's issues.

I loved the premise - long-time friends from University, man and woman, decide to bring sex into their relationship to "help" her have a baby.

She has painful periods, so before she has a procedure that could strip her barren, she asks one of her guy BFs to father the baby. It's a huge-ass case of Unrequited Love from her, but then as the real truth unravels, we learn there's been a lot of secrets kept these 10yrs of friendship.

But, really? has it truly been just a friendship as both of them had gotten jealous of the other being in a relationships with someone else?

So the male MC, Matt, steps up to offer his sperm; it seems they were going to go the Plan A route which was AI/IVF, but then...whoa, here is PLAN B as she shows up to his new house and Blammo! latent sexual attraction blossoms.

I think what I took to heart was MUCH-NEEDED CONVERSATIONS happening out the wha-zoo, despite all the rather rough, selfish sex being had.

I liked how "tuned in" our female MC, Romy, was because she continued to hold him not just accountable [to not "check out"] but to really participate and not run off/run away to hide how he truly felt.

There was too quick of an easy-peasy HEA with small grovel/apology, because well, from my own viewpoint as a reader the final time they had sex it was wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am, but she reiterates to us though the sex was over quick and fast [ugh he jizzed on her back] he spent hours with her, took a shower with her, washed her and then slept beside her in her bed for the rest of the night/early morning.

WE [the reader] never see this, so we can only trust HER WORDS, and she was forgiving him for all of his BS, even the silly BS in the past.

I'm hard-pressed to call this relationship toxic because...hmm, it's weird since their ability to be able to talk is sustainable and their banter being quite engaging, something told me Matt would need a few private moments to think and rethink, Romy simply had to back-off to give him time. She did that, but the final chapter was over too quick and back onto sex.

There was an interesting element here I haven't seen before and it had everything to do with Matt's parents or how he was brought up.

His parents were sex addicts and they took their addiction to a Internet/website porn channel of their own, so they weren't upset with their son if he was having sex with girlfriends.

Except his father did end up sleeping with Matt's last girlfriend. They were not even ashamed of him catching them having sex and they were both quite promiscuous and often tried to "hit on" people brought into their home.

This gives Matt a warped sense of self--especially about SEX... because he hasn't had a serious anything, just hook-ups, since that girlfriend his Dad boinked...

So, yeah...Matt feels like he's not a good person, as if liking sex or the kind of sex he likes makes him god-awful or dirty from the inside which can be difficult to wash away.

And every time he and Romy would f*ck he wasn't the kindest of lovers, nor the sweetest...but then Romy would be agreeable during the sexual acts and then more adamant later in the aftermath that she didn't mind it.

The thing was she was presented to us as kind of a softie, a naive warmhearted young woman who didn't have much experience in sex and deeply in love/lust with Matt...for years.

To me, she simply appeared to "perform" in the act but I would've liked to have at least seen ONE gentle, sweet sex scene where I could tell we had her complete autonomy and she wasn't just feeding into passion/attraction/lust for Matt finally being fulfilled.

[Renée Dahlia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trigger warning: severe period pain (used as a reason for pregnancy), fertility, baby as saviour trope.

After reading several of Avril's book and enjoying her funny, hot, escapist style, I was really looking forward to this one. I really wanted to like this book, and yet, over a week later, I can't get it out of my head. This book isn't as funny or as hot as I was expecting.

The hero is a bit too brutal for my liking (some readers will love him for that), and his backstory and the whole fertility set up thing was a bit bitter for me, especially the whole 'have a baby, solve the period pain' idea.

If you like the friends to lovers trope with a hero who doesn't believe he deserves love, then this one might work for you.

[Josie]

Great premise but the hero was insufferable, there were too many secondary/minor characters introduced very early on to establish relationships and it was unnecessary detail given the length of the book, and the pacing was both too quick in terms of plot and relationship development, and too slow in terms of actual page pacing. This was a DNF for me.

[Harlequin Books]

Miniseries: Reunions