The Proposal by Adriana Locke

Blakely is on the brink of a bit of a “tri-life crisis” when we meet her on the eve of her 30th birthday. She’s been living a free and slightly wild life for the last decade, but now that she’s almost 30 she wants things to change and to become more adultier. Renn’s Blakely’s older brother’s (Brock) best friend and teammate that’s obligated to be on his best behavior per both his father and rugby team. They’re both in Vegas for Blakely’s birthday (albeit he’s there unexpectedly with her brother), and one thing leads to another and a night of fun winds up being way more than either had bargained for when Renn and Brock initially crashed the girls’ weekend that was planned.

The Proposal is the very definition of why I first fell in love with Locke’s writing. It’s fun and romantic and bright, and the characters are instantaneously engaging and loveable. Blakely is cheeky, sweet, and is completely relatable in certain ways. Renn is disarmingly charming (and apparently hot) and given that I love a cocky but misunderstood hero, he’s everything I love. Add in Brock and Ella, who’s Blakely’s best friend and Brock’s sorta-kinda-not-but-maybe girlfriend, and you get this cast of characters that I loved immediately. Also, I'm seriously hoping that Renn's siblings all get books, too. And Renn and Blakely together? Loved them! The witty, flirty banter is fun and made me not want to put their story down. The chemistry between is palpable, and the spice was deliciously spot on. The level of drama adds a solid level of interest to the storyline without being too dramatic. This is yet another must read by Locke. She's one of my favorite contemporary romance authors around, and if you haven't read her before this is a great book to start with.