Sleeping Arrangements

Sleeping Arrangements
by Amy Jo Cousins
Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

My Review:
It's been such a long time since I read a paper book. I'm normally all about my kindle, but I made a special exception for this one. I read book two in the series and I had to see how Spencer and Addy got together too.

Addy's a civil engineer who inherits a house from her estranged great-aunt. Spencer is the lawyer in charge of the inheritance. These two have passionate, angry, lustful sparks flying from the first time they meet. The great-aunt's will says that Addy can't inherit unless she's married. Addy decides to find someone who will partner with her in a six month marriage and then walk away, no strings attached.

In addition to being the late-great-aunt's lawyer, Spencer just happens to be living in the house at the moment. And in a strong bout of Insta-Lust, Spencer decides that he doesn't like great-aunt's stipulation any more than Addy, so he can be the one to help her out with the marriage project. He's this stubborn, calm, efficient and composed guy, but I don't really think he was an alpha-male. He pretty much deferred to Addy on everything and gave her lots of time and agency to make decisions whenever she wanted. He never pressured her, but he knew what he wanted and was always working towards a goal, even if it was behind the scenes work.

I loved seeing Addy and Spencer with her family. They all felt so good together. They were close and happy and accepting. They all loved to banter back and forth, but it never got the point where someone was being cruel. It's the sort of family that anyone would want to live in. Even when things might have been hard growing up, or times of pain, they all stuck together and never lost their joy at being together.

Addy never tried to be someone she wasn't. I loved that her and Spencer never pushed the other into fulfilling some role that they weren't designed for. Addy's good at it, she loves it and it's a role that fits her perfectly. She never doubts herself in a “I really should just be a housewife” way and she never just rolls over and defers to Spencer because “he's the man”. Spencer is a lawyer, but in a quiet, get-things-done sort of way. He never sits at home with Addy trying to out-convince of what “should be”. He loves her for who she is and is completely accepting.

So yes, there was Insta-Lust to begin with. At the very beginning, Spencer seemed a little over-bearing, but they had a drawn out and believable time getting to know each other and never jumped into sex just because. This book enters the bedroom, but is not overly explicit.

At the end, I had some happy tears because Addy and Spencer were just so sweet together. This book is a Harlequin Desire, so it does tend to follow a given formula. But the book feels fresh and original. It doesn't rely on tired cliches to get where it's going and the ending was well worth it and satisfying. Sometime in the near future, we should have books for Addy's other siblings and I can't wait to read those as well.