Pretty Sassy Cool All Things Pretty, Sassy, and Cool.
Camden by Xio Axelrod Published by Self-Published on May 23rd 2017
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Falling for Client
Pages: 244
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Sometimes there’s a moment when you know you’ve screwed up. For Camden Skinner, it’s the night a dead pop star walks into his pub.
As one-half of Skin, an agency which specializes in cleaning up behind the ultra-rich and infamous, Cam has gotten used to getting his hands dirty. A little too used to it. After the young singer at the center of a client’s controversy is found dead, Cam decides he’s out. He walks away from Skin in search of a simpler life. Maybe even a shot at redemption.
Redemption arrives in the form of Yara Bujold.
The singer’s meteoric rise to the top surprised no one more than Yara herself. All she ever wanted was to make music. Caught up in the dark underbelly of the industry, Yara is forced to fake her own death. But she can’t hide forever.
Yara tracks down one of the principals at Skin, the very people that helped to tear her down. She’ll force Camden Skinner to make it right, whatever it takes. What she doesn’t expect is remorse from the man that helped to ruin her. And she certainly doesn’t expect to lose herself in him.
Cam finds himself sucked right back into a world he’d hoped never to step foot in again, but he can’t walk away. He has to fix this. Not only for himself, but for her. For Yara. Because she might just be everything he didn’t know he needed. She just might be everything.
Erin: I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Xio Axelrod in person at RT this year and she’s absolutely as personable and delightful in person as she is on social media. I’ve never read any of her books before but I knew I would immediately upon meeting her. When I looked on Goodreads to decide which book I’d start with, the cover for Camden immediately grabbed my attention, and really, can you blame me? The cover is simply gorgeous, as is the cover model Stuart Reardon, so I had no choice but to start with Camden, and I’m so glad I did. I love a good redemption story, and Camden has many things to atone for.
As part owner with his brother of Skin–an agency that specializes in handling the not so pretty controversy the rich and famous find themselves in– Camden Skinner has done a lot he’s not proud of. Cleaning up other people’s messes isn’t what he wants to do with his life, no matter how good the paycheck. After a client finds himself mired in the assumed death of a pop singer, Camden is done. The beautiful singer Yara Bujold haunts Camden and he vows that he’s going to find out what happened to her. When she shows up at his bar one night alive and well and looking for help, Camden is all in.
I really liked these two characters. Camden wasn’t so perfect that he came off as fake. Yes, he’s the knight in shining armor, but it’s armor that’s a bit dented and tarnished. Yara was feisty as hell and after the behind the scenes dark and nasty things she’s seen and experienced in the music business, she’s not ready to just roll over and give up. And yes, the chemistry between these two was steamy hot. Xio Axelrod has given us a two characters that just leaped off the page. Their banter, their attraction to one another, their friendship all felt completely authentic.
Camden was such a fun, sexy read. The writing was stellar, the characters were all so well developed and layered, the pace was quick and the plot kept me completely engaged from beginning to end. Sweet and romantic at times and then steamy and intense at others, it was the perfect mix. I’m so glad this was my first introduction to Xio, but it definitely won’t be the last. Don’t wait to check out Camden … and yeah, even stare at that cover a bit before you dive in. No one would blame you!
She's a Texan, though she drinks her tea plain and NOT sweet. She loves cheesecake, strawberry limeade's from Sonic and her favorite color is purple. In her books, she loves an HEA, but she never minds if the road is rough to get there, as long as the reward is worth the struggle.
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| Overall: | 4 |
