Review: Good Boy by Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy

Good Boy by Sarina Bowen, Elle Kennedy
Series: WAGs #1
Published by Rennie Road Books on January 31st 2017
Pages: 269


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Hosting her brother’s wedding for an MVP guest list is the challenge of Jess Canning’s life. Already the family screw-up, she can’t afford to fail. And nobody (nobody!) can learn of the colossal mistake she made with the best man during a weak moment last spring. It was wrong, and there will not be a repeat. Absolutely not. Even if he is the sexiest thing on two legs.

Blake Riley sees the wedding as fate’s gift to him. Jess is the maid of honor and he’s the best man? Let the games begin. So what if he’s facing a little (fine, a lot) of resistance? He just needs to convince the stubborn blonde that he’s really a good boy with a bad rap. Luckily, every professional hockey player knows that you’ve got to make an effort if you want to score.

But Jess has more pressing issues to deal with than sexy-times with a giant man-child. Such as: Will the ceremony start on time, even though someone got grandma drunk? Does glitter ever belong at a wedding? And is it wrong to murder the best man?

Caution: May cause accidental aspiration of tea or coffee. Do not read in a public place where loud laughter is inappropriate. Contains hot but hilarious hockey players, puppy cuddling and a snarky pair of underwear.

Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy have proven once again that they are a formidable writing team. Put them together and you get magical storytelling that warms your heart and assails you with humor.

Good Boy is the first book in the M/F WAGs series, which is a spinoff of the M/M Him series. WAGs is an acronym for wives and girlfriends of professional athletes, in case you didn’t know.

Blake was introduced in Us. He is Wes’s pro hockey teammate as well as Wes and Jamie’s annoying neighbor. His stupid nicknames, aggressive friendliness, and constant intrusion in their lives plucked my last nerve. I knew Sarina and Elle would have their work cut out for them with Good Boy to make me like him, and boy did they deliver.

Jess is Jamie’s sister. She considers herself to be the underachiever of her family—the screw-up who never follows through with plans and is still directionless at 26. All she wants is to make her parents proud and find a successful career that fulfills her.

Blake and Jess had a one-night hookup that she deeply regrets. He’s looking for a repeat, or a threepeat, or fourpeat, or…you get the picture. He lays the moves on thick and, yes, he is incredibly douchey.

Despite his relentless pursuit of Jess, Blake grew on me as his softer side starts to show. He’s actually very kindhearted, charitable, and supportive. He means well, even when he’s being a pain. As Jess slowly glimpses the huge heart beneath his clueless jokester exterior, he becomes harder and harder to resist. I enjoyed the push and pull between them.

I loved everything about Jess: her determination as well as her vulnerability. Blake’s relationship with his family is enlightening, and his mother is especially entertaining. My one objection is that Blake’s over the top irritating behavior lasts a little too long. I was probably 15% through the book before I could start to tolerate his style. However, he proves to be both lovable and annoying—with the emphasis on lovable.

It was great to be reunited with Wes and Jamie, and their wedding is to die for. Jamie in particular is featured frequently throughout the story as he interacts with his sister.

Good Boy is a raucous good time filled with love and laughter.

Recommended for fans of:
Sports romance
Jokesters
Quarter life crises

**ARC received in exchange for an honest review.**

STAY (WAGs #2) coming mid-June!

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