The Shacking Up Series

Shacking Up #1, 2, & 4

by Helena Hunting

Three sexy, hilarious full-length Shacking Up novels by New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Helena Hunting together in one convenient package for the first time!

Shacking Up
Ruby Scott is months behind on rent and can’t seem to land a steady job. She has one chance to turn things around with a big audition. But instead of getting her big break, she gets sick as a dog and completely bombs it in the most humiliating fashion. All thanks to a mysterious, gorgeous guy who kissed—and then coughed on—her at a party the night before.

Luckily, her best friend might have found the perfect opportunity; a job staying at the lavish penthouse apartment of hotel magnate Bancroft Mills while he’s out of town, taking care of his exotic pets. But when the newly-evicted Ruby arrives to meet her new employer, it turns out Bane is the same guy who got her sick.

Hooking Up
Amalie Whitfield is the picture of a blushing bride during her wedding reception–her husband can be heard, by Amalie and their guests, getting off with someone else. She has every reason to freak out, and in a moment of insanity, she throws herself at the first hot-blooded male she sees. But he’s not interested in becoming her revenge screw.

Amalie decides to go on her honeymoon alone, only to find the man who rejected her also heading to the same tiny island for work. But this time he isn’t holding back. They might agree that what happens on the island should stay on the island, but neither one can deny that their attraction is more than just physical.

Making Up
Cosy Felton is great at her job—so when the hottest guy she’s ever seen walks into the shop looking completely overwhelmed, she’s more than happy to turn on the charm and help him purchase all of the items on his list.

Griffin Mills is using his business trip in Las Vegas as a chance to escape the broken pieces of his life in New York City but pleasantly surprised when he finds himself attracted to the sales girl that helped him.

As skeptical as Cosy may be of Griffin’s motivations, there’s something about him that intrigues her. But sometimes what happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas and when real life gets in the way, all bets are off.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Humor, Romantic Comedy, Anthologies

821 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 3, 2019

About the author

Helena Hunting is the author of The USA Today and NYT bestselling PUCKED Series. She lives on the outskirts of Toronto with her incredibly tolerant family and two moderately intolerant cats. She writes everything from romantic sports comedy to new adult angst.

Reviews

[Auntee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent series! I loved every Mills brother and the women they fell in love with--- and each story was super spicy!

[Wendy'sThoughts · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Sign Me Up Stars
* * * * Spoiler Free
I happen to love binge reading favorite authors. I will wait with bated breath willing time to go faster. Helena Hunting has provided me many happy hours living in her worlds...Her characters take me by the hand and let me in...showing me their humor, heart, and passions.

Ms. Hunting decided to put together three of the Shacking Up series...Lucky, Lucky You. No calendar to mark up, no clock watching for the next book to drop!

Enjoy!

Shacking Up (Shacking Up, #1)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Hooking Up (Shacking Up, #2)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Making Up (Shacking Up #4)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

For more Reviews, Free E-books and Giveaways

[Maria (Ri) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shacking Up
4 stars

There is no doubt that this author can write some humor and snark. Her characters are always spirited and unique. I enjoyed this first peek into the Mills brothers and cannot wait to read more. I did struggle a bit with Ruby's friend, Amalie in this book and wondered about her upcoming nuptials and how it was changing her. That seemed to be a focus of the story that I didn't think really needed to be there.

Hooking Up
4 stars

I already had a good idea of what was to come with this book because so much of the first book had foreshadowed what was to come for Amalie. Therefore, this book was a little bit of a letdown for me. Everything happened as I had expected it. I did enjoy Lexington more than I anticipated and that is the reason that this went from 3.5 stars to 4 stars.

Making Up
3.5 stars

I seem to be in the minority when it comes to this book because this book was not my favorite. I never could connect with Cosy the way that I wanted to. I often found her too judgemental and too quick to jump to the wrong conclusions. Again, much like Lexington in his book, Griffin, saved this story or I might not have even finished it. Everything was predictable and felt like a rehash of every other trope out there. I realize that these authors are not reinventing the wheel here when it comes to romance but this felt meh and left me irritated that everything (such as other woman drama) was so over-the-top.

I am still a huge fan of this author but this book was not my favorite of hers. That is the beauty of books though because what might not work for me could be someone else's favorite.

[Zen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic!

This was my absolute favorite series by Helena Hunting. I loved all the stories featuring these brothers, but my favorite, has to be Bane and Ruby.

[Lissa Smith Reads'~A Bookaholics Bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rated
4 Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Great Read
Owner Amazon Library
Owner Digital Library

[Demi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this entire series in two days. LOVE the Mills brothers. Each story is about a brother and their journey to find their one and only. My favorite brother though is Lexington from the 2nd in the series, Hooking Up. All three stories are unique and as funny as they are endearing. Highly recommend time spent reading this series!

[nat✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first two I actually enjoyed, but the last one just wasn't it for me. It was really boring and honestly I found Cosy's personality to be both lame and ironic. I couldn't even finish it — Chapter 10 was the last straw.

[Em · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the first two books. The third book felt forced and I didn’t enjoy the connection between the two characters. Griffin was smarmy and dishonest and I didn’t understand the draw.

[Janelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Warning: curse words contained herein.

This author's books keep popping up in my recommendations. (And every time I have to pause to note that she is *not* Helen Hoang, despite the vague similarities in the cover designs.) There was a sale on, and I picked this up. Three books, a series, with brother-heroes.

I have regrets. The heroine of the first book was a spoiled brat, not above accepting her father's money to pay her rent, but too good to work for it. The amount of privilege dripping off the pouting character was off-putting.

The second book involved a wretched "bad guy". The villain drives the half-hearted conflict central to the story which is all resolved very quickly at the end by the heroine doing what she should have done in the first place. Look, if all it took to force his hand was asking for a divorce instead of an annulment, then DO THAT. There was no reason to drag it out. The heroine was trying not to embarrass her family? That conflict isn't backed up anywhere in the story. No ridiculous scenes of her parents putting pressure on her.

And the last prompted me to make a new personal rule: no more age gaps in contemporaries. The hero opens the story with a personal rule about not dating women under 25, and she's 22? She's 22 and the author is selling her as a "free spirit" who "doesn't want to settle down"? Nope the f out. I'm not doing this anymore. Of course she's a free-fucking-spirit. She's 22 and she isn't supporting a family. She's not flirting with you, dude. She works behind the counter in a sex toy shop; it's her job to be nice and make you feel comfortable.

DNF the third book, and deleted from my Kindle library. Now to figure out how to get Amazon to stop promoting this author to me.

I'm getting grumpy in middle age. Over the last few years, I've hit my limits on things I'm willing to read in romance. Thank goodness there's still a lot out there that still qualifies.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

A romantic journey to finding the one.

I absolutely loved this series! I’m convinced Helena Hunting can do no wrong. Each and every book was so good. The storylines kept me reading into the wee hours and then again as soon as I woke up the next day. I loved following each of the Mills brothers as they find love. If you like hot Billionaire storylines with strong female characters you will not be disappointed. Each FMC I wanted to be besties with and each MC made me swoon. I’m definitely adding Bane, Lex and Griffen to my book boyfriend list. All three books were such an enjoyable read. I laughed, sighed, blushed profusely and even cried at times. That’s how well Helena draws you in. I highly recommend reading these and then just continue on through her catalog. She never lets you down.

[Emily Przybylo · Rating 4 out of 5]

three in one

There’s three books in this grouping. I didn’t love the last story of Cosy and Griffin. It felt rushed in their relationship development, even the timeline was a longer one than most. But it felt like they jumped into liking each other almost immediately and there were hardly any cute moments that led to that “liking.” I also wasn’t a huge fan of the age difference. I loved the other two stories.

[Ann Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic series! Although there's a ton of drama, HH balances it out with equal amounts of humor. I thought the Kindle edition of this boxed set was set up well and easy to navigate. Buying this 3-in-1 is about equivalent with buying 2 of the books separately, so it's cost effective to buy this instead. As of right now, it's on sale until 5/30 or 5/31/21 and in my opinion is worth the money.

[Leslie Witherspoon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic series! Mills brothers are hot!

Fun sexy trio read. I’m a huge Helena Hunting fan and this series did not disappoint! Hmmm… hard to decide which is my favorite brother… might need to read again.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the Mills brothers

I loved reading this trilogy about the Mills brothers. Each brother had a very different story and I loved how the author kept updating the other family members in each story.

[Lorianne Ferry · Rating 5 out of 5]

These books are great. I loved them all. I did a reread and it was good to read them all in one place. I would love to have a book on Lincoln, Armstrong’s older brother.

I loved the end when all the boys were in the office when they all meet Cosy.

[Sheila Nguyen · Rating 5 out of 5]

3 Fun reads

The books kept getting better and better! I don't know if I can choose a favorite couple! I just fell in love with Griffin's story. I am never disappointed reading a Helena Hunting book!

[MommaJa MommaJa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

I love when there are more chapters with the other characters. I always thought when reading the others were is this older brother and I did not disappoint. Highly recommend book here if you loved the other two.

[Ana’s passion is HEA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn’t put the series down

I love the Mills family and the strong women they fell in love with. These were fun romantic comedies that I just couldn’t put down. Sexy and engaging.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shacking Up - 5*
Hooking Up - 4*
Making Up - 3*

[Wallace50 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read.

Enjoyed all 3 stories about the Mills brothers and their ladies. The last story about Griffin and Cosy was my favorite.

[Krystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Mills brothers!

This was an enjoyable series featuring the Mills brothers, Bancroft, Lexington, & Griffin. The stories are fun, easy to read, and have plenty of steam.

[MRO]

re-read

[Henry Berk · Rating 5 out of 5]

All 3 were great

Enjoyed all three books. Each had a good story and interesting characters. Liked Cozy's story best. Would like Nevah's story

[📘📗📕📙📖📚 · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Lois · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I actually only read book one, Shacking Up, I’ll definitely read the other two another time. This was cute. Pretty simple and low on drama, but overall a quick, fun book.

[Meluvbooks2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love it

Love the bundle of Mills brothers. Each book is different with its own spice. My favorite is Bane. I enjoy this author. It doesn't disappoint

[Nanc · Rating 5 out of 5]

What fun, enjoyable reads!

[Carlyn Zanidean · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is hilarious... every single character you will fall in love with..

[Ali's In Literature · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 1:
What do you get when you combine one struggling actress, one former rugby player, and too much cold medication? A seriously HOT meet-cute! Throw in some pet-sitting, a dash of long-distance mutual pining, and one ridiculously cute ferret (no, that's not a euphemism!) and you have yourself Shacking Up.

In Shacking Up, we meet the first of the Mills brothers, Bancroft. A retired professional rugby player, he's making the move into the family business. Ruby, also from a privileged background, is trying to make it on her own. She needs a place to live. Bancroft needs someone to look after his unusual pets. It's a match made in Manhattan.

Book 2:
In Hooking Up, we continue with Ruby's best friend's story. Amelie, who we first met in Shacking Up has just had the shock of her life. Angry and mortified, she finds herself repeatedly bumping into Lexington Mills, brother of Bancroft, and sparks fly.

I didn't think it would be possible to love Lexington more than Bancroft but wow! The middle Mills brother certainly delivers (as I'm sure Amelie will agree). There's a lot to love about Amelie, who is another feisty protagonist, rediscovering herself after a very public humiliation. I love how sexually free she is and the airport security scene had me crying laughing, while Bora Bora was sizzling hot (and not just because of the sun)!

Book 3:
In this final book we finally meet Griffin, eldest of the Mills brothers. Just like his younger brothers, Griffin is a lot of man, but unlike his brothers, it's clear being the eldest has taken a toll. He's intense and serious. There isn't much joy in his life right now.

When a chance encounter leads him to Cosy, there's instant chemistry. But there's a huge obstacle for them to overcome. My least favourite of the three, there's still an awful lot to love about this story. I genuinely don't understand why so many have rated it so low. While I'm not the biggest fan of unbalanced power dynamics, I feel that Cosy is a strong character who is more than a match for Griffin. My only gripe is the ostentatious clothing 'gifts' in the earlier chapters which don't *really* seem to serve any real purpose other than to set up a small conflict. But it's a minor thing and doesn't detract from the overall story.

I really would love to hear more about Cosy's sister, Nevah, and Griffin's cousin, Lincoln... (I'm already matchmaking in my head).

[MissPetiteBrunetteBookBlog · Rating 5 out of 5]

-Hooking up
This book takes place after Ruby & Bane’s book “Shacking Up” but can be read as a standalone.
We start with Amalie marrying the pig Armstrong however happiness doesn’t for last long after something awful happens and she soon wants out. Deciding to take control over her own life again she goes on her honeymoon alone yet finds that Bane’s brother,Lexington, is also on the same flight to Bora, Bora. Amie decides Lexington might be just the distraction she needs! The normal excitement in a Helena book is there as always. A must read! Dual POV.

-Making Up
Are you Ready For this laugh out loud, sexy summer read from the shaking up series? Cosy Felton enjoys her interesting job, well enjoys the paycheck, working in the adult toy shop until the very sexy Griffin Mills walks in needing help getting items for a batchelor party. He is gorgeous and not what she was expecting when she came to work that day. Can she help Griffin without him turning red with embarrassment? Griffin didn’t want to get stuck picking out sex toys for a bachelor party but when he meets the sales clerk he changes his tune real fast. Cosy and Griffin are adorable together. This is Book 4 in the series but can be read as a standalone. This is a feel good, easy read great for the summer! Told in dual POV. I love these Mills’ Brothers!