5+ Stars! A very funny steamy read!

At Amie and Armstrong's wedding reception, Armstrong gets a BJ from someone other than his bride ... and it's broadcasted over the PA system for Amie and all the wedding guests to hear. Amie is humiliated and Ruby (Amie's best friend) convinces her to take the honeymoon ... by herself, so she can get away from all the gossip and let Armstrong deal with the fall out. But who does she meet at the airport ... Lexington, Armstrong's cousin and Ruby's future brother-in-law. And they end up on the same plane as they are both going to Bora Bora.


Lexington is trying to get back in his father's good graces by going to Bora Bora to evaluate one of their resorts and he can't believe his good luck at meeting Amie at the airport because he has had a crush on Amie for the past year. He met her the same day she met Armstrong ... actually he met her first, but while he was getting her a drink, Armstrong swooped in and warned her off Lex and asked her out himself. Armstrong and Lexington have been very competitive at everything since high school. But now that Armstrong has screwed up with Amie, Lex has the opportunity for a do-over. Lex and Amie begin an affair in Bora Bora and decide that it will end when Amie leaves in 3 weeks. But when they get back to New York, the s**t really hits the fan!


I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It was so funny that at times I had to put the book down so I could try and contain myself. And the sex scenes ... WOW! Ms. Hunting sure knows how to write them! I just fell in love with both these characters ... Amie was trying to be a good girl but the devil in her just kept wanting to come out and play. And Lex was supposedly the bad boy but actually was a gentleman with a naughty side. Together they had all kinds of chemistry and were just good together.


I received an ARC copy courtesy if St. Martin's Press through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

when amalie whitfield's new husband broadcasts a blowjob he's getting from someone who isn't his wife in the opening pages of hooking up, she is beyond humiliated. but when she keeps encountering the same guy, in the bridal suite as she's cutting herself out of her wedding dress, on the flight to bora-bora for her non-honeymoon the attraction that sparks between them makes her feel desirable in a way that she hasn't for a long time. even excluding the reception incident.

amie isn't expecting to fall in love. after all, she's technically married. and her relationship with the new guy will always be complicated by her relationship with her soon-to-be-ex.she tries to end things once she leaves bora-bora, but it doesn't matter how much time passes because when they re-encounter each in new york it's just as explosive between them.

but it's more than just sex. except amie has a hard trusting her judgment. after all she only married her soon-to-be-ex because he seemed to check the right boxes. and he turned out to be an even bigger headache than the previous guy she dated who got arrested after they came back from a mexican vacation.

but in order to really have a chance, amie needs to be free. and this proves to be a surprisingly difficult hurdle. because it's not just her marriage that is tying her up in knots. it's the doubts she has about herself. so she needs to find the strength to do that in order to have a real chance with her hot hookup.

Ah! Who doesn't love a wedding? Some of our most memorable moments happen at weddings. For Amie, I think this might be one moment she'd rather forget.

Hooking Up was a bit of a second chance story with a little bit of we never had the first chance thrown in. I loved the characters but at times I found myself conflicted with their circumstances. Their attraction was instant when they met, but life had something different in mind and they were robbed of their HEA. Fast forward to now and they have to decide if taking a chance on each other is fate's way of saying who cares what everyone else thinks. Or, is Hooking Up a bad idea.

I really enjoyed this book and I thought the story was entertaining. I liked Amaie and how she was fearless in going after what she wanted. Lex was a hot, swoony, sexy alpha that hit all the right buttons for me. I can't wait to see what's next.

I love Helena Hunting’s romantic comedies, because they’re always remarkably unique, fun, sexy and truly memorable. I’m still chuckling over Hooking Up long after reading it, and it is definitely going on my keeper shelf.

Amalie Whitfield has a bit of guilt over the wilder exploits committed during her youth, a time in which she cheekily refers to herself as “Anarchy Amie,” and she’s spent the last few years trying to tame her impulsive nature and mold herself into the type of person she believes she should be. She’s just married the type of man she thinks she should marry, one who would provide her with a life worthy of a Stepford Wife, but he shows his true self when he gets caught cheating on her during their reception and doing so in a very public and humiliating way. She’s hurt and pissed and gets rip-roaring drunk, and when she suddenly crosses paths with her husband’s devastatingly attractive cousin, Lexington Mills, she bluntly propositions him.

Although Lex is fiercely attracted to Amalie, he knows her advances are coming from a place of pain fueled by alcohol, and he reluctantly turns her down, which further deflates her already bruised ego. She leaves her disaster of a wedding to lick her wounds, and her best friend convinces her to escape the post wedding scandal and go by herself on her honeymoon in Bora Bora. Amalie vows to use this opportunity to reclaim some of her feistiness and indulge in hot sex, especially when she discovers Lexington is on the island as well.

Of course, she’s hesitant because she’s a bit wounded by his previous denial, and he’s loath to get involved with her, considering she’s still technically married to his cousin with whom he has a shoddy relationship. But this reborn Amalie is persuasive and Lex has a weakness for her, and what Amalie doesn’t know is that he’s has wanted her since before she ever got with his cousin. They indulge in a steamy affair that rocks both their worlds.

Lex quickly becomes emotionally invested in Amalie and she begins to realize something powerful is brewing between them, but her heart is still tender. She’s also questioning herself, her motivations and decision to her marry her soon-to-be-ex-husband. She wonders if she was ever truly in love with him versus the idea of him. When they leave the island, she’s still struggling emotionally and nothing is settled between Lex and her.

Lex is definitely a top 2017 book-boyfriend. He’s utterly charming and downright irresistible as he considers everything Amalie is going through and treats her with patience and caring. Their connection is powerful and solid, and their sexual chemistry is electric, and Helena Hunting does a remarkable job of delivering smoking hot, fan-worthy love scenes while also developing a believable and steadfast relationship. It’s sweet, sexy and utterly captivating.

But what makes this romantic comedy truly stand out above the rest is the abundance of ingenious humor infused into every aspect of the story, and it will cause belly-aching fits of laughter. I felt punch drunk after finishing Hooking Up, and it’s a prescription worthy serotonin-raising experience. I’ve been replaying specific scenes, antics and dialogue in my head since finishing, and I continue to laugh over some of these ridiculously wonderful moments. This combination of heady romance, scorching heat and unbridled comedy is what makes Hooking Up an assured feel-good experience, and the reader will walk away feeling lighthearted and emotionally satisfied.

I’m pretty sure Hooking Up was written for me. It certainly seems that way. If I made a checklist of everything I love in a romantic comedy, this book would have every single box checked, plus a couple of write-ins. It’s a DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) book that hooked me from the prologue to the epilogue. I devoured it in one day.

I rooted for Amalie every step of the way as formerly-feisty “Anarchy Amie” sheds her Stepford Wife persona and finally gets her groove back. Armstrong, her soon-to-be ex-husband, is a total douchemus maximus. The man does not have one redeemable quality, which makes him the perfect smarmy foil to totally dreamy Lexington.

Lex and Amie sitting in a tree k-i-s-s-i-n-g. Except Amie is interested in doing a lot more than kissing him. Who could blame her? Lex is the total swoony package. Time out to sigh over Lex. *sigh* Unfortunately for her, he is determined to be a gentleman and not take advantage of her vulnerability—despite his naughty desires. Let’s face it, though. Lex doesn’t stand a chance against Amie who is funny, sexy, uninhibited, and determined to get some action (if you know what I mean). When you add in the romantic Bora Bora setting and fierce mutual attraction, you’ve got the perfect powder keg for sinful sexy times.

Cheers to Helena Hunting for creating such a seductive, sweet, and wickedly funny treat. I gave a standing ovation to one of the most hilarious smack-down speeches in fictional history.

Hooking Up was the perfect cure for the angst fog I was in. I loved this rom-com like crazy.

Recommended for fans of:
Sexy romantic comedies
Reformed bad boys
Champagne
Douche canoes

This is the follow up book to Shacking Up. This book we get Amie, Ruby’s BFF’s story. Amie is engaged to Banes’ cousin Armstrong and is a total douche in Shaking Up. If you can I would recommend reading Eye Candy, a novella that has a short story from Ms Hunting that has a little bit more of a back story of Amie and Armstrong and it shows you what a total waste of space he is and how big of a jerk he is.

Hooking Up starts out with Amie and Armstrong’s wedding day. Wedding is over and on to the reception they go. When everyone hears Armstrong getting it on with a woman who is NOT Amie. Mortified she escapees the reception and decides to go on her honeymoon alone. On the plane she meets up with a person she least expects to be there. Without giving away who the mystery lover is I’ll call him tall dark and handsome (TDH). TDH is someone she vaguely knows and is attrachted to but has ignored the attraction because she thought that Armstrong was who she should be with. Amie and TDH have amazing chemistry together and can’t fight it anymore. They agree while on the island they will be a secret. And when the “honeymoon” is over they will go back to the way they were before. But once they are back home it’s hard to fight the attraction and chemistry that they have towards each other. I really loved this book and I can’t recommend it enough. It’s sweet, sexy and funny.

I got my first look at Amalie and Armstrong in the Halloween anthology called Eye Candy. I hated Armstrong with a passion! What in the world is Amalie doing with him? I was happy to see she was getting her own book so I could see her kicking him to the curb.

Normally I wouldn’t be able to relate to why someone would put up with a man that is so obviously wrong for them but after learning a bit about Amalies background, we see why she’s trying to force herself into this box for him.

While I wish she would have wisened up sooner, I’m glad that she realizes him for the skum he is before the signatures on the marriage certificate is dry. Finally, we were going to get to see Amalie shine. Thankfully she didn’t let Armstrong manipulate her anymore but the one that really stole the show was the one who helps hers get over Armstrong.

The true Hero of the story was sexy, charming and just a tad bit of a bad boy that made him irresistible. The way he took care of Amalie was seriously hot! He’s just one of those characters you want to read over and over again. I hope we’ll see more in this series.

All kinds of wonderful and sexy!

Half of Helena Hunting’s Hooking Up was slamming hot sex and the other half was me wanting to light a torch, gather some pitchforks, and go after her ex all mob-style like. If you’re wanting a book that keeps you engaged, has you wanting to light up a big ole rally cry to action, all the while fighting butterflies and sparkling tension, you’ve definitely found it here.

Amalie’s emotions have been put through the wringer. She’s at her high-profile wedding when the groom is caught in a compromising situation with another guest. A sexual situation. Needless to say, it leaves the bride, Amie, out of sorts. She wants to get away from it all, and it takes her to Bora Bora, alone, and on her honeymoon.

Or so she thinks…

This review is pretty much going to be a big bundle of vagueness. The hero will remain a mystery and the circumstances will be revealed when you pick this up (because it’s so good!), but I’ll give you my emotions reading this book.

From the get-go, I was behind Amie one hundred percent, and I wanted to see her thrive. She’s a fierce person, but she’s had a lot bringing her down, and the hits just keep on coming. I wanted to give Amie a big hug and protect her. But most of the time, Amie just had me cracking up. The woman is fierce and can be just as bold as she is sweet.

But I loved how Amie admits she’s a mess, too, and attempts to find herself—her true self. Is she the polished, refined Amalie she shows the world or the Anarchy Amie she used to be when she was younger? And how does her hot hook up fit into the mess?

If you’re still on the fence, let me just say that there is also SO MUCH SEX! Hot and sweaty and perfect. I could feel the heat crackling on my skin.

This was a great read that really pulls you in and keeps you there. Fans of Jill Shalvis will find Helena Hunting right up their alley. Sweet, spicy and decadently naughty, this was the perfect all-day read.

4 stars!

YES! a winner of a story. Excellent writing and superb heat.

Absolutely amazing! Amalie tried her best to be everything her parents wanted. Staying out of trouble and finding a handsome and successful husband were at the top of her list. However, her happy marriage didn’t even last the reception. Heartbroken she decides to live life to its fullest and go on her honeymoon. Alone. An island oasis was the perfect setting to begin again, leaving her unfortunate experience in the past. Will she find the happiness that has been denied her so long since she tried to be someone she wasn’t? Armstrong never saw hr strength and determination but he definitely sees it now!

After reading Shacking Up, I knew Amie would be getting her own story. Hooking Up gives you the background how she and Lexington met. It made my heart sad with the missed opportunity and made me sneer at Armstrong. That is when everything clicked together and knew that Amie and Armstrong were just all wrong for each other. My question was why wouldn't Armstrong let her go? What was in it for him. Obviously he was a prick from the get go, and seeing others on the side. The wedding happened and everyone saw his true colors.

Anarchy Amie comes out to play after her disastrous wedding. She leaves and is "Hooking Up" with ....well you will get to know once you dive into this book. Helena adds a bit of comedy to this drama filled book. You get a little bit of angst with Amie's indecisions. The HAWT chemistry flows through your screens and will send a tingle through your spine! I loved this book. Even though you can read it as a standalone. I recommend to start with Shacking Up, then the Novella Eye Candy ( where Lexington comes into the picture), then Hooking Up. You will love and enjoy all of these characters as much as I do!

I've been a big fan of Helena Hunting's for some time. Alex, Violet, and Lance are particular favorites of mine, and Hunting's Hot Romance Novels never fail to entertain. Going into Hooking Up, I thought there was no way that Hunting could top Alex and Lance, but she does. Lexington might just top them all.

He met Amalie first, and the connection he felt with her was instantaneous. Unfortunately, his feckless cousin Armstrong got to her and now they're getting married. Their wedding reception proves unforgettable when Armstrong is heard, over the PA system, receiving a certain sexual favor. Humiliated and disgusted with herself for marrying this toad, Amalie decides to go on her honeymoon anyway. Seated next to her on the trip over is Lexington.

Okay, so you probably can figure out where this is going to go. The fun is in how Hunting gets you there. You may be surprised at some of Amie and Lex's interactions, and you may be surprised at some of the choices and decisions they make. You will laugh, you will cry, and you will squeeze your thighs together.

My favorite parts of this book were those in which Lex had to face the less-than-savory parts of himself. He had to own certain behaviors; otherwise, he and Amie could never be together. Self-examination is never a simple, pain-free process, and Lexington suffers as he accepts his role in a cycle of one-ups-manship. Amalie, too, has to confront mistakes she has made. Settling for security over emotional intimacy seems easy, but what message do you send yourself when you do?

Of COURSE the sexy times are phenomenal. Lex chooses to use these moments as a means to convey to Amie how he feels about her, whereas, for her, their hot headboard rocking helps her discover that sex can be rock-you-to-the-stratosphere phenomenal.

Helena Hunting fans will love this book. For those of you new to her, this is a pretty solid introduction. You get the love, you get the erotic, and you get the emotional poignancy.

It was obvious the moment we met Armstrong in Shacking Up that he was the personification of douche, unfortunately, Amalie (Amie) was completely oblivious to the fact. Her own issues and a succession of bad relationships clouded her judgment where Armstrong was concerned. Leading her to the ultimate mistake in marrying him and being humiliated on her wedding day by Armstong's claiming the title of King Douche.

All the effort Amie put into her relationship with Armstrong in an attempt to make her family proud of her has resulted in her becoming a shell of her former self as well as Armstrong's careful manipulation of her vulnerability. HIs carefully crafted emotional and verbal abuse has undermind Amie's self-esteem leaving her questioning her every decision.

Armstong is the epitome of a narcissistic personality and his rivalry with his cousin Lexington lead him to take advantage of the situation with Amie when it presented itself. An opportunist at heart, Lexington's interest in Amie brought her to his attention.

Lexington (Lex) is Armstrong's cousin and Bancroft's (Shacking Up), brother complicating the situation further. the history between Lex and Armstrong has created more than a little turmoil and scandal in Lex's life. His attraction to Amie hasn't abated since their first meeting but her relationship with Armstrong put her in the no-go zone. However, fate seems to have other ideas for the pair.

The epic disaster of a wedding and subsequent fall-out led Amie to take her honeymoon alone while Lex avoids the gossip-mongering by throwing himself into business. Which coincidentally happens to be in the same resort as Amie's non-honeymoon. Unable to avoid the sizzling chemistry between them, Lex and Amie take full advantage of their smexy vacation.

Hooking Up hits all the buttons, there is a small amount of angst which is counterbalanced with some insane laugh-out-loud moments. Although it is the character development and romance that are the highlights of the story.

The relationship between Amie and Lex has to be one of the most complicated I have ever encountered, yet there wasn't a moment that I doubted that they should be together. The ease with which they completed each other lives despite the drama-llama was proof positive that love will always find a way ♥

It was a joy to catch up with Ruby and Bane (Shacking Up), not to mention Francesca, and see the wonderful progression of their relationship.

I hate to have to say this, but Hooking Up was a book which really didn’t work out for me, which was a real shame, as I had been really looking forward to reading it. I was a fan of the set-up of Hooking Up, as the scenes between Amalie and the love interest were smoking hot. Also, any guy was better than her husband Armstrong, after what he did to her, I wouldn’t give the time to him either. So, I was all for Amalie having the time of her life on her honeymoon, she deserved it after what she had been put through and really, she did just deserve some fun and happiness, her past relationships hadn’t been the greatest either. So, I was thrilled the way things had worked out, the love interest was absolutely charming and beyond what Amalie truly deserved. My only peeves were that, I wish Amalie and the love interest just didn’t spend a lot of time overthinking things, as clearly what they had was fantastic. And by overlooking the many complications their way, they could be strong enough to go just beyond their time together in Bora Bora. Basically, they just needed to be upfront and honest about things, instead of beating around the bush and hearing things from other people. I also found that aspects were too convenient for my liking, sometimes I appreciate the element of surprise, instead of things falling into place. Also, there’s characters that I’ve disliked in the past, but none more so than Armstrong, this guy, honestly all he thought about was himself, he was so stubborn and just longing things out just so he could one up the love interest, too immature for my liking! All in all, I’m kind of sad I wasn’t able to enjoy this book more, as it had the potential to be a great read.

We first meet Amalie in the first book in this series Shacking Up and you hope to all get out that she is going to get rid of the dumb butt that she is engaged too.
She does in a way. After he gives old Brittany Whore-ton's oral skills a go. At his and Amalie's wedding.


I knew he was a big old dirt bag.

Amalie is humiliated. And she tries to jump on Mr. Hottie (It said in my email approving the ARC copy to not release the name of her hookup but I think that cat's out of the bag) He reluctantly pushes Amie off him since she is waving around the hedge clippers that she used to cut off her wedding dress. Amie's best friend Ruby talks her into going ahead and taking her honeymoon by herself. It will give her time for some of the talk to die down about old cheater boy and skank.

On the plane Mr. Hottie is there..and when she gets to honeymoon destination she decides that heck with it..she has been through it and she deserves to just hook up with someone and not care.
Mr. Hottie fills that position.
Helena Hunting does a fantabulous job with making her leading men come to life in my little twisted mind so I'm all in for this.
I came three times. During sex. That's like being told unicorns are real. And then actually seeing one.


I think I'm a total dirty pirate hooker.



I'm not going to ramble on because I'll end up spilling all the beans. But have the electric company on alert that your usage will go up if you read these.


Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.

Helena Hunting is a new author to me but after reading Hooking Up I will definitely be reading more of her books! I really enjoyed this one. It's fun, very sexy, and has characters you just can't help cheering for.

On what should have been the best day of her life Amalie Whitfield is humiliated in a way no bride should have to face. During the reception no less. In an attempt to get away from it all and forget what shamble her life is in Ami decides to go on her honeymoon alone with no intentions of staying alone once she gets there! The Person she runs in to and could definitely help her forget is the last person she should want but he's the only one she craves. Will he be the most fun she ever had or the worst decision she ever made?

A great read that I would definitely recommend.

“I don’t want to get hurt again.”
“I don’t want to hurt you, Amie, I want to love you. Won’t you let me try?”

Let me start with this: I won’t say the name of the hero—it’s not in the blurb, so it’s not in the review. However, that “hot-blooded male” is 100% Grade-A Book Boyfriend material, and every swoony moment, word, thought—along with every dirty word, kinky act, loving aside—made me fall deeper in love.

Do I love him more than Bane, from the hilarious and sexy Shacking Up? Hmm, not sure. After all, there are some choice Bane moments in Hooking Up, so it’s hard to decide. Hard. So, so HARD.

What’s not hard, however, is simply loving this book. Hooking Up is what I’ve come to expect from Helena Hunting—a laugh-out-loud funny read coupled with a seriousness that makes the old knees weak. Here, Amalie’s heartache, her confusion, her turmoil is the source of said seriousness and it was impossible for me not to a) feel for her, and b) root for her to accept her hot-blooded male as genuine.

There’s the expected conflict—after all, just because the wedding reception was . . . *ahem* blown all to hell, doesn’t mean it’s smooth sailing for our couple. But that conflict was low-key, taking a rightful backseat to the chemistry and romance of Amie and her man, and that’s just one more thing to love about Hooking Up.

It’s a smart, sassy romance, it has hurt and pain, naughtiness and niceties, and kickass female friendships (seriously, Ruby and Amie are #FriendshipGoals), and it’s only made all the sweeter by Amie’s hot-blooded male—and the impossible-to-ignore way he makes a girl fall in love.

She still belongs to someone else on a technicality and there’s no goddamn way she’s ready for what I want from her. Which is everything. All of her. The parts that I can’t have. The heart that’s still broken.

~ FIVE Hot-Blooded STARS ~

Omg really love this story. I've been wanting to read it since Shacking Up and Eye candy. It didn't disapoint. Love Helena's writing and storyline. Didn't want it to end. I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

After meeting Amelie in Shacking Up, we knew her story was next. It was awesome to see her take back some of the control of her life, especially after being subdued for so long by her jerk fiance.
Lex was amazing, and watching as the two of them become more comfortable with each other beyond the bedroom and really develop their relationship was delicious. Such a great read - will definitely recommend.

After totally falling in love with Shacking Up earlier this year, I so badly wanted Amie to get a book of her own. She deserved SO MUCH MORE than her POS fiancé Armstrong. Little did I know, it was going to get worse before it got better and I didn't have any idea how truly scummy Armstrong really was. But, I wasn't wrong about her being deserving of more. She was a great heroine and I really enjoyed her book — and her pairing with the sexy mystery man whose name I can't reveal. (At the publisher's request, sorry!) 

It's probably for the best that I'm super vague in this review, so I'm going to keep things pretty short. I loved Amie and thoroughly enjoyed watching her truly come into her own during this book. Armstrong is far more disgusting than I could've ever imagined. The mystery man is AMAZING and I loved him with Amie. I laughed out loud countless times during this book — and cringed so hard during a couple of the scenes where I was basically dying of embarrassment on Amie's behalf. There are a TON of super hot sexy times in Hooking Up, which you probably could've guessed from the title. *fans self* There were also a few feels I honestly wasn't expecting. 

Hooking Up was a great follow-up to Shacking Up. If you enjoyed the first book and, like me, wanted more of Amie, you don't want to pass this book by. Plus, you get some great Ruby and Bancroft scenes... a couple of which are truly special. You don't want to miss those. 

FAVORITE QUOTES

"No was the very last thing I wanted to say to you."

I crush my mouth to Amalie's, swallowing her scream, because she's coming, too. It's not a very coordinated kiss. It's messy and teeth-clashing. It's want and need. It's possession. Hers and mine."

"You're my favorite appetizer. I'd have you before every meal if I could."