Sexy Bad Valentine: Sexy Bad Book 4, Misti Murphy

Evie is desperate and dateless, Max has no shortage of female companionship.  Two strangers unlikely to meet until an ad campaign turned dating show bring them together.  But when something grows between them the very thing that brought them together might just tear them apart.  Can Evie move past her fear to let Max in?  Is Max really ready to give up all of his "variety" for one woman?

Max has a job to do and it turns out that the perfect person for the role he's casting is also the same woman he can't get out of his head.  He's doing his best to avoid the casting situation because he knows if Evie is chosen he can't pursue her like he wants to.  His sister, however, has no patience for his dithering and selects her because she's actually perfect for the role.  Despite knowing he shouldn't, he approaches Evie and omits some crucial parts of his life in order to keep her from bailing.

Signing up for Puppy Love was an accident.  She didn't mean to submit her application and she regrets it even more when she catches the attention of the seriously hot guy with a wrecking ball for a dog.  The dog almost bowls Abby over at the park and the owner does the same to Evie's senses just by smiling.  She knows she can't pursue a relationship with anyone outside the show but the show's dog-walker is just too irresistible.  So against her better judgment she and Max give in to temptation.

Their banter is cute.  Evie's awkward stumbling and flirting and confessions are all so very endearing that we fall for her just as hard as Max does.  Max is very clearly a man who enjoys female company and yet there's something sweet about him as he pursues Evie.  He gets caught up in her sweetness and awkwardness and you can see that they really could be perfect for one another.  When everything comes to light it's Max who fights for them.  Evie's reaction is pretty expected, and not unfounded either, so it's up to Max to do all kinds of groveling.  The way he goes about it is public, honest, and so very sweet.

I do wish there were a bit more of an ending rather than just the tiny party scene with the slightly awkward ex encounter, but overall the story was full of humor, tenderness, and sexy times.  The characters were written well and even in this short novella the MC's had depth and were multi-faceted enough to draw you in and keep you interested.  By already knowing there's a menagerie of odd pets this story did not disappoint in the pet-with-personality department.  An absolutely enjoyable addition to the Sexy Bad series.

*98¢ on Amazon or FREE on KU!