Author: Ashley Jacobs, S.S. Rich
Series: South Bay Billionaires Series Book #2
Category: Contemporary Romance
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Loved it! Reserved is in my top five book favorites of 2023. Feel free to stop reading this book review now if you trust me enough, just go out and grab this book (after reading the first book in the series, of course, I adored Arrived as well!)
Van is a meticulous go-getter who knows what and who he wants. And from the moment he saw Cami and the light that lives inside of her, he fell hard and fast. There is nothing in the world that he won't do for her and this sentimental devotion blinds him at times from seeing Cami's perspective. Still, his heart is always in the right place and he isn't too proud to admit mistakes and prove that he can do better the next time.
"Yes, he was more than a bit domineering and I wouldn't describe him as verbose, but...the saying 'still waters run deep'? That was Van. There was an incredible depth to the man that both surprised me and intrigued me." - Cami
Cami is a people pleaser who is trying to branch out of her shell but is still reserved compared to the larger-than-life people in her orbit. She comes from a humble background and while she loves her family, they are a weight around her neck of expectations that don't leave room for the catering business she has created from the ground up. Ironically, the one person she finds her voice to stand up to is the one person who only wants to help her achieve her dreams in the first place, Van.
Van and Cami were perfect for one another and though she had her doubts, he was all in from the beginning and knew he could support her in all the ways she needed. He was her rock, her solace, her cheerleader, and her best friend all rolled into one hot lover. For all of those wondering about the spice level, Cami's best friend Preston said it best...
"'He sounds like your dream guy-and a total daddy, I might add.'" - Preston
I couldn't put this book down and devoured it in a day. I'll admit Cami grated on me at times with her tendency to stick her head in the sand and not stick up for herself, but Van stole my heart and I couldn't not rate this five stars.
"But Cami - she was exactly who she seemed to be. And I wanted to bury myself in her, figuratively and literally, and bask in her authenticity." - Van
This series is far from over and I am desperately waiting for Preston’s book please and thank you. She is the girlfriend that we all need to hold us together at the worst points in our lives and I cannot wait for her to shine.
"'The world's just not ready for me.'" Preston, Cami's best friend
Tropes and Themes: Contemporary Romance, Workplace Romance, Billionaire, Grumpy x Sunshine, Touch Her and Die, Groveling, Daddy Kink, Praise Kink, Age Gap, He Falls First.
Blurb
Cami
In the Bay, Van Costa is synonymous with ruthless. Broody and stoic with a side of tall, dark, and fucking gorgeous, he's a savvy, successful businessman who never loses focus. So imagine my surprise when the indomitable Van Costa relentlessly pursued me after a single meeting, then fell to his knees for me the first chance he got. And he's been doing his damnedest to convince me I'm his ever since. But I have reservations–I've been used before, taken advantage of by someone I thought loved me to my core. How do I know Van won't do the same?
Van
I had built my career with a single-minded focus–for myself, my business partner, and my family. But the day she waltzed into my office with her lunch trolley and a smile that lit the room, she became all I could see. Now, I'm focused on how to prove I'm worthy of a permanent role in her life and in her bed. Camellia Maria Rivera is everything I never knew I needed and definitely don't deserve. But I'm determined to pursue her–without reservation.
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