Shacking Up - Book Review

By Helena Hunting

Synopsis

Ruby Scott is months behind on rent and can’t seem to land a steady job. She has one chance to turn things around with a big audition. But instead of getting her big break, she gets sick as a dog and completely bombs it in the most humiliating fashion. All thanks to a mysterious, gorgeous guy who kissed—and then coughed on—her at a party the night before.

Luckily, her best friend might have found the perfect opportunity; a job staying at the lavish penthouse apartment of hotel magnate Bancroft Mills while he’s out of town, taking care of his exotic pets. But when the newly-evicted Ruby arrives to meet her new employer, it turns out Bane is the same guy who got her sick.

Seeing his role in Ruby’s dilemma, Bane offers her a permanent job as his live-in pet sitter until she can get back on her feet. Filled with hilariously awkward encounters and enough sexual tension to heat a New York City block, Shacking Up, from NYT and USA Today bestselling author Helena Hunting, is sure to keep you laughing and swooning all night long.

Review

SHACKING UP is the first Helena Hunting book I’ve read, and it left me wondering why I hadn’t read the other one of her books that’s just been sitting on my Kindle…for the past twelve months. I enjoyed the romantic buildup between Bancroft and Ruby: they meet, fall in lust and then seperate for five weeks while Bancroft is out of the country. They get to know each other better⎯and flirt outrageously⎯by talking on the phone and video-chatting almost every day while he was away. It was an interesting way to build a relationship.

I liked Ruby, who comes from money but wants to be financially independent from her father. She’s a little jaded about relationships and she’s a bit stubborn when it comes to people offering financial assistance, and while I could understand her reasons, it did become tiresome after a while. I looooved Bancroft. He also comes from money, but just like Ruby, he’s down-to-earth despite his upbringing. He is polite, affectionate and generous, but he’s also a little rough around the edges and when the situation calls for it, he can be quite the dirty talker.

“I’m sorry.”
“For What?”
“For thinking the worst.”
“No need for apologies, but if you still feel bad about it later you can let me fuck your mouth.”

SHACKING UP is told in dual POVs, and while right now it appears to be a stand-alone, I get the feeling this will turn into a series of stand-alones with different couples. I’m hoping Ruby’s best friend Amie will get her own book considering her fiancé is a total douchebag. When preparing this review, I was shocked to learn that the print length is 480 pages, because it honestly didn’t feel that long. Which, for me, is a sign that the story doesn’t drag despite the high number of pages. That being said, the chapters are very long, and I found myself putting the book down in the middle of a chapter here and there because I just couldn’t make it to the end.