The electric chemistry between them is hotter than anything Dex has ever created in the kitchen.
Dex Sinclair is a globe-trotting chef who is filled with wanderlust, but from the moment he’d laid eyes on his brother’s future sister-in-law, Cayla Wright, he was filled with a different kind of lust. Watching his brother fall in love is more than he can take. He wants that for himself. He longs for a woman who challenges him. A woman who makes him want to share everything – his joys, goals, dreams, and achievements with her. A woman who makes him want to give her his heart. She is everything on his list, but some things a man just needs a woman to admit.
Goals. Cayla has plenty of them. Marrying a handsome, nice, black man is her main goal. Dex lights her fire, but he is not what she is looking for in a potential husband. Easy on the eyes, for sure. Dynamic and driven, without a doubt. Truth-telling…unfortunately, he is that, too. Black, not even close. Dex’s gray-eyed gaze pierces her soul, but Cayla keeps a force field around her heart.
Cayla is unsure if she can love him. Dex refuses to accept anything less.
Dex and Cayla’s love has the potential to be epic. Their charisma is something magical worth fighting for.
Francesca Penn lives in Texas with her husband and son. While obtaining her Technical Writing degree, a creative writing course and play-writing elective reawakened her desire to create stories. Her brain lives in fiction; even the songs she listens to become music videos in her head.
When she is not writing, she can be found hounding her loved ones with multiple "What-if" scenarios. As a true closet romantic, she is prone to filling up her DVR with Hallmark movies. A friend once told her that she'd trained the whole 20 plus years she'd known her to write romance since her nose was always in a love story.
Francesca believes that love is colorblind and plans to provide a mix of couples of different races and ethnicities because - to her - men are like Skittles, and we all know their motto.
I loved this book but I disliked Cayla so much! I had to put it down a few times and do a woosah with her and her attitude. So Dex and Cayla met in the first book in this series. She finds him attractive but is set on falling in love with and marrying a black man. Not only that but she is very inexperienced and has yet to find out who she really is. Dex comes in and blows her mind with sex. She resist at first but says we can just have sex, nothing more. Of course someone develops feelings. That complicates things and we get to see Cayla in all of her craziness. I don't want to spoil it so I'll stop her. Just know that Cayla will work all of your nerves.
Can I just say that Dex is the ultimate book boyfriend! I fell for him in book 1 and just knew he would be a great lover. He did not disappoint. That daggone Cayla worked my ever loving nerves. She was so argumentative and silly. Chock it up to being young and dumb. I really felt like smacking her into next week. Here was this gorgeous sexy, kind man who wanted her. Not to mention he could cook his tail off and treated her like a gem. The man was the blueprint of what a boyfriend should be. Oh yeah, he was also rich so they wouldn’t have to struggle. He was sensitive to her needs and everything, but she couldn’t get out of her own way.
Personally, I would have melted my resolve when he sent “The Sample” of his manhood to her from Spain. Who makes a replica of his most intimate part and sends it to the woman who you have declared to pursue? I was impressed. She had the opportunity to sample the goods before she “sampled” the goods. That part! The irony in that was Dex spent the entire book saying that he wasn’t her sex toy, but he actually had one made from his own body as a gift to her.
If there was a question about his worthiness, it would have been squashed when he packed her that lunch! After the epic “3 for 3” scene, she should have been worshipping at his feet. My goodness, the writer had me feeling like I was in the room with Dex, wishing my name was Cayla. Another one of their epic scenes together was the rain sequence. Baby, I need to rein-act that scene with my husband. I am still fanning over that.
I found myself cheering when Dex told Cayla off after she embarrassed him at the party for his new show. I wanted to smack the taste out of her mouth when she said she wasn’t his girlfriend in front of his colleagues. When he dragged her out of there and sent her tail home, I was so proud of him. I was tired of her playing with his feelings. Dex was a sensitive man who was sorely misunderstood. Everyone thought he was this super predator, but all he wanted was to find love. I was happy when his dreams came true, but I wasn’t ready to let him go. I want more. I know, just greedy. Lol
I loved this book! A fresh spin to me because authors usually write the lead “h” as indecisive and the lead “H” let’s her run all over him due to her insecurities. I loved the fact that Dex knew his worth and wasn’t going to put up with anymore of Cayla’s sh*t. I was ready to drop kick Cayla more than a few times in this book. The Sinclair men don’t let anyone play with their emotions. This whole idea that she wanted a black man drove me up the wall. I just needed to slap Cayla one good time. I do like that she had to put in work to get him back.
This is one of my all time favourite read. Not because of the girl (who I can't even remember her name) but because of the guy Dex. He's swoon worth, leave my guy for him kinda guy. He's patience and he can cook. I thought the girl was a bit childish. A 4 star read
I loved Dex's personality. He was very straight forward and to the point. He said what he wanted and went after it. There was never any illusion that he wanted Cayla. Cayla on the other hand was confused and didn't understand that there was more to love than loving one race of men. Then she wanted to leave her options open JUST IN CASE a successful man of her choice. She could not see the forest for the trees. The ironic part was that she was described as being light bright and almost white. Because of all that was mentioned, I thought she was certifiably slow. I thought she needed to be therapy. Dex tried everything he could to get her to love him and she failed. So he gave up. I liked his reaction to her. It was REAL. So often in stories, the main characters screw up and are instantly forgiven and all is right with the world. Not in Dex's case. Strangely, I enjoyed this installment of the series more than I did the first book. This one was just a bit more relatable and real life. I recommend both installments to avid readers. I think you will enjoy them both on different levels
Another great story! Lovin’ me some Dex! So freaking sexy! To say that Cayla got on my last nerve is an understatement. It amazes me how someone who prides herself of being a straight shooter can be so dense! I think he should’ve kept her blocked just a little while longer. Happy that Nick blasted her because she deserved it. Not sure why everyone else was falling for her “Woe is me!” crap! I’m glad Dex is happy but I can truly say that Cayla doesn’t deserve him! I’d even go as far as saying I don’t think he should propose to her. On a negative point, better editing is needed! The typos and missing and misplaced words really need to be addressed. It messes with reading flow when you have to re-read or mentally remove a word that shouldn’t be there.
Gosh, I was so ready to birch slap Cayla.... How someone can be so smart and so freaking "dumb" and so clueless . I had my mouth wife opened when she embarrassed Dex , mind you in public,no less and had no idea of her wrong doing. Wow! POWER of love, Dex's love for her is beyond words. I would have dump her ass a long time ago. Can we please, "meet" baby Graham, have some interaction with, feeling his little personality. Who does he looks like? That kind of stuff. Kudos to Dex for being such a wonderful guy, because of his love and patience, Cayla got her shot together. And I loooooove Dex and Kalilah friendship and love for each other. It's just beautiful! Waiting for Natalia and Ryan!!! And what with Chloe!?!
Between Take It and Admit It, this read had more of an underlying meaning. Cayla with a C very much was annoying but once you understood where she was coming from it all made sense. She is the perfect picture of “everything that glitters ain’t gold.” She’s well put together, appears like she got it going on but really she doesn’t. She has her insecurities and she’s lost. She doesn’t know herself, what she wants or her worth and that makes her very hard to try to date and even love. Dex knows his worth but has had his trauma of just being pretty enough to bang but not love. The ending isn’t what I expected but it fit perfectly.
I enjoyed this book too much. Found myself reading as opposed to doing my Econ readings. With that being said, this book had sooo involved.
This heartwarming and heartbreaking story of how not knowing what you want and being stubborn, green and stuck on ideals of what you thought you wanted can ruin the real thing for you especially when it’s right in front of you. This book pulls you in with great and relatable storytelling along with hot sex and true character growth. So far I have read 3 books by her and will continue on to the 3rd book in this series and other books by her. Love is love, no matter color of the packaging.
Like my review for Book 1, Take It, I wanted to give this book 5 stars. I really did, and for many of the same reasons: the banter is witty, the plot is engaging, and the spice is SPICY. But I withheld that elusive fifth star for the same reason- the conflict is redundant. How many times can the MCs make the same mistakes without it being overkill? For me, there were 1-2 unnecessary passes and, given the characterization of the FMC, the final ‘’misunderstanding’ was just UNBELIEVABLE.
That aside, it’s a great read. I can’t wait to read Natalia’s story. I hope Felix gets a book, too.
3.5 for Dex and how the author wrote the heck out of the intimate scenes! I want a Dex. Everyone deserves a Dex.
If I had to judge everything else, it’d be a 2. The heroine, Cayla was the worst and like her brother-in-law from the first book, a lot could have been avoided if she’d sought therapy. At one point, I was convinced the author hated her heroine because she made it very easy to dislike her immaturity and stupidity. Also, didn’t think the diction of some of the characters was authentic at times.
But Dex…I’ll buy this book just to revisit the hot interludes. The playlist bit was especially enjoyable as those particular songs are also on my list!
This story was a good read. I loved Dex, but couldn't stand the childish behavior & immaturity of Cayla. I was so disappointed in her attitude, esp. as a 26 y/o. She was extremely selfish & inconsiderate. I enjoyed when Dex finally sent her butt packing & even after several people told her to re-evaluate herself she initially felt she had been treated wrongfully, wtf? Dex went above & beyond to show he cared for her & because of his skin color it wasn't enough. I did not like the ending, I initially was thrown off from the perspective of suddenly reading from Natalia's viewpoint. Guess more is to come. Overall, both books are enjoyable.
Absolutely loved this book. I don't think I have been introduced to a more frustrating character than Cayla. I take in account she was young, but my goodness I felt so bad for Dex, especially at the party. Just straight embarrassed him. The constant explaining to her. Nick going in and telling her about herself was everything. I was happy when she finally began do the work and realize what she had in Dex, because as he said he was in fact a complete catch.
I really really enjoyed this. I loved dex. I loved cayla because these books don't normally have black women reserved about dating outside their race but in real life a lot of bw do have reservations about it. I know she was stubborn, annoyingly so, but I related to her fear. Her fear of real love & the package it came in. I wish more authors wrote black women in these new interracial relationships with this kind of nuance. She actual went on a self discovery journey that was noticeable. She had changed & rarely do romance books do this. It was refreshing
I really liked Dex, the male lead he was such a class act!! Now Cayla I absolutely hated her! She was truly awful, disrespectful and unappreciative. How a man like Dex fell for someone like her is a mystery. She was just so childish and immature. She would openly flirt with other men in front of Dex and then turn around and get pressed when he called her out on it. The book started with her being awful and ended with her being awful! She never redeemed herself in my eyes.
Admit It picks up where Take It left off. The book details the journey and relationship of Dex and Cayla. I was team Dex from meeting him in the first story. Cayla had sooooo much growing up to do that I am not even sure she deserved him. There were times during the story that wanted to reach through my Kindle and shake her. One of the things I love about Ms. Penn’s stories are her secondary characters: Felix, Max, Natalia (Ryan?). Hope to SEE them soon.
I really really tried to like Cayla but hated her down to the epilogue. After reading Nick and Kalilah's story and loving it so much I couldn't wait to read Dex and Cayla's. Dex could have done so much better as Cayla did not deserve him. She was just so immature and had no redeeming qualities and I felt the author (Francesca) tried to force her change on me the reader. I gave the book a 4 star because Dex was just the best!
Cayla learned a lesson, the hard way when she called Dex out in a very public place. I’m happy that he made her think and realize what she did hurt him, and that I’m sorry just won’t cut it, she had to learn from her mistakes in order to realize she was In love with him all along. I’m was happy when Cayla showed up on his doorstep with her puppy 🐶 in tow, so that the healing could begin.
Relationships can be so complicated and stressful especially when people, cough! like Cayla, cough! don’t know or choose not to know themselves. That was Cayla who had a man, Dex, who loved and cared for me but she threw him away because she was immature and selfish. She learned the hard way though.
Btw, this book contained some of the most sensual and erotic scenes I had ever read. 🔥🔥🔥
I loved Dex! Cayla was, at times, completely infuriating. But Dex made up for it. He was hot and sweet and thoughtful and hot! I recently discovered this author and am so glad I did! Her writing is a delight. I recommend reading the first book so the characters will be familiar.
Hats off to Dex A. Sinclair!!! Love is a really powerful thing if your willing to put up with a lot crazy things lol! Ms. Cayla with a C work my nerves from time to time and I wanted to choke her like Homer does Bart! However I’m so glad she came to her senses and discovered what she wanted out of life. I love Francesca’s! Read all her books and u won’t be disappointed
I really enjoyed this story. The chemistry between Dec and Cayla was off the charts. Cayla made me so angry with all her back end forth. I lived how Nathan handled Cayla, it was a black man with class. I highly recommend this book to all my fellow romance readers. You will not be disappointed.
For about 95% of the story, I could not stand the leading female Cayla. Her irrational thinking and rudeness was a turn off and made it hard for me to complete reading the story. She finally got it together but she did not deserve any happy endings. I absolutely love Dex’s character and wouldn’t mind reading more about him. Maybe a prequel???
A carryover of the characters from book one. The love fest continues. Intelligent, witty characters who are vulnerable but looking for love. A lesson in learning to adjust your requirements for a future husband so that you open your heart to what God has ordained for you. They went overboard with the sex, but it was still an entertaining story.
I thought it was ok. I just felt like expect more to this story. I wanted more juicy drama. At the end of the story I was confused I had thought it was going to be more about Cayla and Dex end of the story.
I just read Take it and then Admit it. WOW!!! Every emotion, personality and action were lifted from the pages in clear view. Ms Penn, you are a magician. I am your new stalker. Thank you for two of the best reads in a while.
another enjoyable read I didnt care for Cayla much but I liked how she did get her stuff together at the end an everything turned out for the better what's not to love about Dex.....;)
The book was good, but the only thing I could think is the author needs an EDITOR!!! There’s nothing like getting into a good novel and then having it ruined by horrible punctuation and easily corrected pronouns. I couldn’t take some parts seriously due to these errors but the author has promise.
But moving on... Max and Chole... what’s up with that? Ryan and Nat?! Mostly max and Chole are burning a whole in my brain. What’s up with her behavior? He doesn’t notice? Who is her husband? Basically what is their book called?
Dex and Cayla lord she took him thru it and he wasn’t having it so let the shenanigans begin lots of hurt feelings back and forth but I’m happy she got her stuff together and got Dex cause he was so worth it