Unveiled Attraction

by Chelsea M. Cameron

Maeve Ivey doesn’t have time for bullshit. She’s got her bridal boutique to run, she just started designing custom wedding attire, and she’s healing from a vicious breakup. Plus, she also has a cat named Shady that needs plenty of belly rubs. Everything changes when her makeup artist quits and in walks Cedar Shay to interview for the job. The very same Cedar Shay that Maeve spent one reckless and steamy night with a thousand years ago. Okay, it wasn’t a thousand years ago, but it was way in the past. To top it off, that was Maeve’s first time, period. Of course, Maeve is professional enough to overlook that little (MAJOR) fact, especially when it’s clear that Cedar doesn’t remember her at all. Great. Things are distant and cordial until Maeve finds out that not only does Cedar remember her, but she’s been thinking about that night too. A LOT. The two are determined to keep everything above board, but will they be able to resist each other when they’re together all the time? Or will they give in to temptation and potentially ruin everything they’ve both worked so hard for?

Genres: Romance, LGBT, Queer, Lesbian, Contemporary, Adult, Contemporary Romance

190 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 14, 2019

About the author

Chelsea M. Cameron is a New York Times/USA Today/Internationally Best Selling author from Maine who now lives and works in Boston. She's a red velvet cake enthusiast, obsessive tea drinker, former cheerleader, and world's worst video gamer. When not writing, she enjoys watching infomercials, eating brunch in bed, tweeting, and playing fetch with her cat, Sassenach. She has a degree in journalism from the University of Maine, Orono that she promptly abandoned to write about the people in her own head. More often than not, these people turn out to be just as weird as she is.

Reviews

[Jacob Proffitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This author does that thing where characters from other books are referenced, but without any other indication that it's a series. I kind of hate that.

So that cover is gorgeous and I don't apologize for being sucked in. And I don't regret it, either, so there's that. The book isn't great. The characters are mostly surface and more than a little too perfect. Cedar and Maeve have yearnings and they spend the novel getting closer and closer until they're together and then they overcome an imaginary obstacle and then HEA. Maeve's wedding consultant business is only detailed enough to fill out plot, though her friendship with the dressmaker, Andrea, was a highlight by being an order of magnitude more authentic than any other interactions (including between the main couple).

So it's a light bit of fluff, is what I'm saying. The only real conflict in the story is that Cedar comes to work with Maeve as her makeup artist in her wedding business and that somehow makes their relationship impossible. Romance authors often do this where they imagine that all workplace relationships are forbidden and that's just not the case. Yeah, Maeve is her boss, kind of (Cedar sets her own work hours, makes her own appointments and has her own relationship with clients) but that just means they have to be extra careful about consent and that Maeve risks harassment accusations if Cedar is unstable. There's no huge power imbalance, is what I'm saying, because they're both about on par career-wise and reputation-wise and both can walk away from the business relationship relatively easily. Indeed, this is proven when the eventual solution is moving Cedar to a contractor relationship with just an affiliation with the business rather than being actually in-house. I thought for a while that Maeve's other consultants were the problem and that they had some kind of understanding about workplace romances, but no, everybody was very chill when the relationship came out.

Anyway, I hated that whole unexamined "we can't be together because of work" thing. That's weakly offset by having liked the main relationship despite how shallow it really was. So we'll call it an even three stars that might have been a "rounding up" situation if I had been feeling meaner.

A note about Steamy: There are two or three explicit sex scenes and I felt that they worked well. Indeed, they're one of the better-integrated elements of their relationship, though still a bit too perfect. Anyway, the middle of my steam tolerance.

[Jos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chelsea Cameron is quickly becoming my comfort read author. I can always count on some diverse LGBTQIA+ rep in the cast and the awkward hot messes are incredibly relatable.

This one was a little more hot mess-y than others. Both the MC and the love interest were awkward and there was something intriguing about watching that awkwardness play out in a first person perspective.

I appreciated the way flawed actions were handled between the couple. Nothing was overly romanticized and the flaw was acknowledged. The issues or implications are not expanded on, but I appreciated that a light read didn't just gloss over red/yellow flag behavior.

The story felt pretty complete. Loose ends were tied up at some point throughout the novel, although in some cases maybe not in the most satisfying way.

My biggest issue however was the insta-love. The characters have a one night stand years ago and then a short time after meeting again they are throwing around all the big feelings. I just wish some of their time together could have been expanded on so I could understand the connection better. Or maybe even some missed connections/wrong place wrong time throughout the years that would help ease me into the feelings.

Overall a decent read if you are looking for a light, first person perspective, revolving around weddings.

[Jamie (TheRebelliousReader) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars. This was a lot hotter than Marriage of Unconvenience but I will admit that I liked the characters and the plot of the book a lot more than this one. Maeve was fine, not my favorite and it took entirely too long for me to warm up to her. Cedar was much more likable and I did like their romance. They had a one night stand five years prior and then meet again when Cedar applies to work for Maeve in her bridal shop. They had pretty good chemistry and again this was really steamy and I liked that this was a light read. No angst or big drama.

[Matt Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very enjoyable read. Definitely recommended.

I liked how the characters went about solving their problems. It was messy in a human way. The matter of fact treatment of therapy as a tool to help yourself heal is appreciated as well.

It’s sweet, awkward, funny, sexy, and most importantly a great romance on the whole.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 - review to come!

[. (not active on this account stop adding me) · Rating 3 out of 5]

✨ full review now on my blog!

[decklededgess · Rating 3 out of 5]

‘Twas cute. Then the sex happened and there was too much tongue description. Everything after that just felt like a rushed need to wrap up their lives into a pretty little married box. It didn’t need that, I think.

[C.L. Ogilvie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Light hearted and uplifting read!

I tore through this book in two days. Great characters, wonderful supportive relationships and a sweet, grounded but intense romance! A great spin on one of my favorite romcom tropes

[Jodie Squelch · Rating 3 out of 5]

The overall story was sweet, hot and addictive but what stuck with me the most about this book was the lack of consistency on the timeline...
one minute cedar was arranged to come in the next day at one for a interview and next minute Maeve was emailing her to come in following week...
then cedar got the job and was told to start Monday but then it jumped to her starting on a Wednesday...
then in one paragraph it went from a Wednesday morning to a Tuesday morning and then to a Thursday...
I could continue to list... and for me this was massive downfall and took away from the story because time was either jumping forward or backward without reason...
but once again I finished this book in one sitting... it was gripping and I look forward to more this author...

[Issy Waldrom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes things are meant forever, even if it isn't that way at the start. A one-night stand, that haunts her memories, and then a breakup that breaks her heart and leaves her a mess. But then Cedar walks back into her life, and things get complicated - and not necessarily in a bad way.

Sweet, high-energy at times, and heart-warming, this is a tale of healing, of decisions that may not always seem the best, but for the future that they lead to? It about deciding what you want, and working to get there. I guess it really is a second-chance tale, and while things develop quickly, they have a precedence, and it is cute. And the little twist at the end - it was great! Very much enjoyed.

[Christina Hannan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet and Sexy

This book was so much fun and easy to read. I enjoyed following along Maeve's journey as she tried to get over her ex and try not to fall in love with the woman she had a one-night stand with at her very first Pride parade. When the two meet again, it's almost like fate collides and I was rooting for them both the entire time. A cute and steamy read with a great ending!

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Say Yes to the Dress inspired adorableness

It's a "Say Yes to the Dress" inspired stand-alone sequel to the "Marriage of Unconvenience" book. The plot is interesting, the characters are engaging, the sexuality is fire & the romance is adorable makes this story enjoyable & entertaining.

[Ngoni Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chelsea M Cameron is quickly becoming one if my favorite authors. She has a sweet and cute way of writing. Her characters are super cute and very likeable as well.
This one was also very nice, I enjoyed Maeve and Cedar as they navigate their journey. I loved Cedar so much more she was just perfect.

[Molli Moran · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adorable and steamy

I really liked this. Maeve might be one of my new favorite Chelsea characters. And Cedar was awesome as well. Maeve’s desire for a HEA was totally relatable, and I loved the push and pull between her and Cedar and the “will they/won’t they” vibe.

[Lauren Siegert · Rating 5 out of 5]

The relationships in Chelsea's books are always ADORABLE and #goals and this one didn't disappoint. There were a ton of moments that made me shriek out loud and wake up my cat, so he'd give it one star, so luckily he hasn't got an account.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

cute, but underdeveloped

The story was cute. However, there were numerous grammatical errors. The plot was underdeveloped so I was left with a lot of questions at the end of the book that were never answered. There wasn’t much climbing action or a climax.

[Jessica O · Rating 2 out of 5]

Technically a DNF, but I made it 75% of the way through, so I'm counting it as done. My main complaint about this is that there are so many extraneous details and conversations that don't really have anything to do with the plot. I just couldn't get through it.

[Doug Elliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun follow-up to Marriage of Unconvenience. Hopefully the wedding business does not involve creating too many Versailles dresses as they seem destined to hasten the aging process.

[Maryp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally loved it, but ended too soon.

[Leah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Beyond what the characters did for a living, I felt like I learned nearly nothing about them or why they were interested in one another.

[Rachel]

DNF @40%

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars, there was basically no conflict or character development.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very quick and spicy read, and I loved how side characters in Marriage of Unconvenience were the main characters in this one.

[Snailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a cute, quick read, which is what I expected. I love that this author writes fluffy stories where lesbians fall in love without anyone dying horribly. SO refreshing to read.
This one (compared to the other 2 I've read) just felt flat to me. There was such little actual conflict, which would have been fine if I felt like I got to know either of these characters beyond their jobs and style choices. Their rush to move in and get married without really knowing one another felt like it was poking fun at U-hauling, but in a way that I didn't find ironic or funny, just annoying.

[Katia · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little bit of fluff, a little bit of steam. It was a fun one, although way too insta-lovey and the couple moved way too fast. Their relationship wasn't well developed but their interactions were cute nonetheless.