Title: Only the Beginning
Author: Elle Thorpe
Year of publication: Out today! The author kindly gave me a copy to read and review
The heroine: Actress Bianca James
The hero: Carpenter Riley Clarke
The blurb: I’m the darling of Australian TV. A good-girl actress with a spotless record. Or at least, that’s what I let the public believe. But what I do behind closed doors would shock them all. I’m a far cry from the girl next door I play on their screens each night.
Riley Clarke knows that better than anyone.
I loved him once, but for the past ten years, all we’ve done is fuck and fight. Some might say we’re friends with benefits, but the truth is, we aren’t even friends. All we are is explosive chemistry and screw-you-senseless sex. He makes me hot. He makes me feel. He makes me reckless.
When scandal rocks my carefully constructed world and my secrets are exposed, it’s Riley’s arms that close around me, protecting me from the storm. But storms create floods, and a flood can drown you. You and the people you love.
Standalone or series: This is book four of the Only You series, but can be read as a standalone.
The review: I really enjoyed this story about two people in love, but for different reasons are unable to make it work. Bianca is a household name thanks to her decade long lead role on a famous Australian TV show. Riley is a carpenter who became a father at sixteen. Because they have the same small circle of close friends, they are part of each other’s lives, and all they do when they’re around each other is fight or rip each other’s clothes off, sometimes both.
When they finally agree to give a relationship a go, it backfires spectactularly, thanks to the paparazzi and a secret Bianca didn’t even realise she was keeping. Once Riley knows the truth about everything, will he stand his ground and keep her close, or will he walk away forever? How will Bianca bond with his daughter who hates her?
I adored Riley. He was a really lovely guy just trying to do his best, even when he was out of his depth. I felt for Bianca, for the little girl whose childhood was marred by tragedy and the woman who’s sacrificed the man she loves to protect him. It was a pleasure to read their story.
