Review | "Craving Him" by Kendall Ryan

Craving Him by Kendall Ryan
New Adult Romance published June 17, 2014
Atria Books
Author's website  |  Goodreads  |  Buy the Book on Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads

In Working It, New York Times bestselling author Kendall Ryan delivered a sexy and addictive contemporary romance about Emmy Clarke, a sweet southern girl out of her depth in New York City’s cutthroat fashion industry, and Ben Shaw, the hot male model who introduced her to a world of pleasure. But their story is far from complete…

Emmy Clarke is no quitter. Toughened by her experience working for fashion heavyweight Fiona Stone, Emmy has come a long way from her country girl roots, embracing her fast-paced and unpredictable life in New York City.

Though that life comes with more than a few complications.

First there’s the mystery of Fiona’s pregnancy, which may or may not involve Emmy’s boyfriend, superstar male model Ben Shaw. Emmy has always known that Ben comes with more baggage than she can handle—and not the Louis Vuitton kind. Yet Ben is the only man who has ever loved Emmy for who she is, and she wants nothing more than to do the same for him, even if it means forgiving his past and overlooking their wildly different lifestyles.

But when a shocking secret from Ben’s past comes to light, unraveling all of their progress, Emmy must decide if their relationship is worth the fight, or if it’s time to ignore her passion for him and let go.

My Thoughts...
This is the 2nd of a 2 book series. I read both books in less than 3 days.  I thought the first one was good, but this one was much better in my opinion.  This one starts right in where the last one left off.  Emmy is no longer working for Fiona and her relationship with Ben isn't exactly 100% solid.  This book is all about how they navigate all the obstacles that are in their path to happiness.  I do feel like the characters are a little more solid in this book.  In the first book Emmy was constantly questioning why someone like Ben would want to be with her.  She's still a little skeptical but she's getting there slowly but surely.  She's a tad whiny in this one, but no more so than the last book.

Fiona is the same old horrible person that she was in the first book.  She's manipulative and just plain awful.  She's claiming that her unborn child is Ben's and she make's his life and Emmy's  pretty unbearable for awhile.  Finally Ben comes to his senses and breaks away from her and that makes things better for awhile, but she has this way of creeping back in.  I just love Ben, he's hot and he seems much older than he really is.  I think that comes from having to deal with his mother at such a young age.  He was the grown up taking care of her when he was just a boy.  We do get to meet her in this book and they have a great relationship really, despite how he grew up.  I also love Bray and Ellie and I really do hope they get books of their own!

The only thing I didn't care for in this book was Ben's "shocking" secret.  I felt like it was played up a little too much and I was expecting it to be way worse than it actually was.  I also felt like Emmy's reaction to it was a bit over the top considering what it was.  Sure, it's not something you want to have happen, but I didn't feel like it was the overly shocking considering his profession.

If you are looking for a quick summer read then I recommend this series.  It's entertaining, sexy and hey, Ben's a hot supermodel so what's not to like?!  This is New Adult so there are some very detailed and steamy love scenes and lots and lots of dirty talk.  There is a fair amount of profanity, but it's not overly crass.

XOXO, Shelly

*Disclaimer: I was provided with a copy of this book courtesy of the publisher in exchange for my honest review.*