Cover Image: Hooking Up: A Novel

Hooking Up: A Novel

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Member Reviews

This is the second standalone book in the Shacking Up world. Amalie is Ruby's best friend and is engaged to Armstrong, Bane's cousin. In the first book, Amalie comes off as very proper and Armstrong comes off as a jerk. Once gets a sense that all is not well in their relationship.....and in Hooking Up, it all blows up. The story starts off with the aftermath of this blow up. Amalie' s past choices of boyfriends are explained, which sheds light on why she was with Armstrong. Her hero and how she met him is bittersweet.....I couldn't get over the regret! The hero is just perfect!!!!! A bit impulsive at times but just perfect for Amalie. Both he and Amalie end up finding themselves......Amalie comes to terms with her avoidance of deeper relationships and the hero ends up "growing up" a bit and taken more seriously. The sex in this book is definitely hot and plentiful! We also get to visit with Ruby and Bane...so that was a plus. Loved this book and it was a great addition to this series. I think I know who the 3rd book will be about and I can't wait!

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I super duper enjoyed this novel. It read like a movie that I was laughing at or hiding behind my hands or face palming or falling in love with.

I swear I was all over the place. I haven't despised a character as much as Alexander. And i havent enjoyed the romance and comedy of two characters like Lex and Amie in a while. But I swear the angst (when I wasn't fanning myself because of the mega hot scenes) was killer. I can't tell you how many times I had to take a quick breather because I was either furious or stressed to the max. Thankfully, Helena Hunting made Amie into a kickass mother fucker who totally kicked ass at all times *fist bump*

Also thankfully, she made Lex, Lex. So tender and wonderful and filthy mouthed and magnificently hot and total book boyfriend material.

I love these two together and can't wait to see which characters she writes next in this series.

*link to come when review is live*

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Does Helena Hunting ever disappoint?
The answer is no.

5 Hooking Up Stars

We all met Amie in Shacking Up. We all met Armstrong. Did we all hate Armstrong? Thought so.
Just a little warning, you won't like him at the end of this book either. Or the beginning. Or anywhere in between. You will continue with your hate-fest for Armstrong.

Now, on to Amie. Amie is fantastic. She's fun, sweet, an amazing friend, and has a little wild streak which gave her the name Anarchy Amie. Seems reasonable that after her husband screws her over that she'd go a little crazy. I know I would.

Anarchy Amie comes out to play.
But who does she want to play with?

Going on the honeymoon of a lifetime--alone--Amie finds herself again. She gets back to what it means to be Amie and she finds a hot, sexy, tattooed bad boy to hook up with while she's there. It's just the thing she needs to get over her cheating jerk of a husband.

Helena will make you laugh and swoon and fall in love while reading Hooking Up. You'll cheer for Amie and her Hottie Hook Up throughout the entire book. You'll want more, but you'll be completely satisfied with the end.

The perfect blend of romance, comedy, and finding yourself while losing yourself at the same time. You're gonna love this book.

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I loved this book from page one and could not get enough once I started reading it! I knew there was more to Amie as a characters from the previous book Shacking Up as well as there was more to Lex from the novella in Eye Candy but I was loved what I got with their book. I'll admit that I was never an Armstrong fan from either the novella nor from Shacking Up and I didn't think that she did enough to him for what he did to her!! I liked that she was a strong character despite the events that took place at the beginning of the book and she remained strong throughout. I also enjoyed seeing Lex's soft side and finally finding out about his history with Armstrong. I also liked catching up with Ruby and Bane from Shacking Up even though there was not much. I liked how the book moved along without dragging and kept me engaged to see what would happen next. I hope there is another book after this one and we can find out about Armstrong's older brother because I really liked this series! I would recommend this book to others!!
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC copy of this book via NetGalley.

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Two competitive cousins.
One alluring woman.
Only one winner.

After having not one, but two men aggressively hit on her, Amalie "Amie" Whitfield must have thought she won the lottery. But she's likely rethinking that not hours into her marriage. What a disaster! So bad, it's funny. The running theme for our heroine would be "nothing is ever as good as it seems." Especially given her shitty luck in picking men.

After her shit-tacular wedding, Amalie decides to make use of her honeymoon and give the middle finger to her dickhead husband-for-now, Armstrong Moorehead, by spending his money. Given what this woman has been through, you can imagine her emotional state. But she's a complete hot mess, exposing one vulnerability after another. The airport scene is particular is hilarious.

As everything begins to fall apart around her, in swoops Lexington Mills, Armstrong's cousin and adversary. Is he there to save the day, or take advantage of her? I was leaning toward one thought throughout, but that doesn't mean Amalie doesn't have doubts.

There are some things that are certain in this book:
Amalie should have never listened to Armstrong in the first place.
Something is very wrong with Armstrong's morals. The guy is completely selfish and self-absorbed.
Lexington is a far superior lover of the two cousins.

"You're going to let me fuck you and you're going to like it."

It is clear that Amalie and Armstrong don't stand a chance at a future together.
But does Lexington stand a chance?
I liked how Amalie and Lexington seemed to be in sync. Their situation isn't exactly a revenge type situation, as they were attracted to one another early on. I saw their actions as inevitable. And I liked how they fully enjoyed their time in Bora Bora, yet struggled with what happened next. Armstrong, being a thorn in their sides didn't make things easy. But they found a way to make things work.

If you are looking for a very sexy story with some good laughs, check this one out.

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"We'll just keep it between us," I whisper as he bites the tip of my pinkie. "You'll be my favorite secret."

Hooking Up was a fun, sweet, sexy read.

The book starts with a wedding that ends only in heartbreak. Her so called husband, the one who is supposed to love and cherish her to the end of their days, destroys what they have. Screwing someone else other than Amalie..... Thus leaving her embarrassed in front of all their friends and family. So Amalie, being Amalie... throws herself at Lex for revenge "sex" but good ole boy Lex declines, knowing that she will regret it the morning. To escape all of this disaster of her so called life, she goes to her honeymoon alone. Or so she thought.....

It's not her cheating scumbag of a husband, but Lex.

Lex has always loved Amalie, and seeing her marry someone else broke him. She is the girl that got away, and he is not letting her go this time. Amalie will be his.

During their stay at Bora Bora, it got pretty steamy under the sheets. Amalie and Lex's chemistry is off the WALLS! You could just feel the tension between them, that emotional connection..... What was so called a hook up, turns into something so much more.

I have read quite a few of Helena Hunting's books, and this has got to be my new favorite. And to finally get insight on what Amalie was doing with a douchebag like Armstrong. *GOD I LOATHE HIM* All in all it was a beautiful love story, one that will leave a smile on your face as you finish the last page.

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4 Stars

Hooking Up is a fun, sexy, and sweet read that will have you laughing out loud and rooting for the heroine, Amalie.

Amalie gets humiliated during her wedding reception, when she hears her new husband getting a little way too friendly with a guest. So what is a mortified bride do? Find the nearest, hottest man and get revenge. Ok, it didn't quite work out for Amalie with her rebound guy--she more than embarrassed herself with him. So she takes off in hiding and the perfect getaway from all the drama is to go on her honeymoon. Alone.

But Amalie gets a surprise when the hot man, she tried to seduce ends up at the same vacation spot. Their chemistry is hot, but both decide it's best to leave their attraction on the island. But it's not that easy, when family and friends start to mix into their relationship.

I was really pulling for Amalie--her husband is a total jerk--one of the most a-hole characters out there. And you think leaving him would be easy, since what he did, but Amalie will find out it's not. Another fantastic read from this author. Review link live on release day: https://2girlsasianwhitechickbookblog.blogspot.com/2017/10/hooking-up-by-helena-hunting-117.html

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Ok I really enjoyed this book. Disclosure I have not read Shaking Up where this is noted as a stand-alone from what I gather main character from Shaking Up makes appearance in Hooking up.

I needed something different to read and this was the perfect book, who doesn’t love a story with a wedding? I felt horrible for Amie, loved Lex and couldn’t stand Armstrong.

I enjoyed it and will be going back to catch Ruby’s story.

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I havent read a book from Helena in so long.
But when I saw this book and reas the blurb I just knew I had to read it.
It was amazing. I laughed alot, swooned so much and wanted to throat punch a certain someone so many times haha.
Just loved this book so much xx

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Oh this book was so deliciously riveting to read with so many lol and
Interesting parts that I couldn’t put it down
I laughed more than a lot! I swooned, sighed and wondered what would happen towards the end for the characters!!
I’m there was a specific character i wanted to get angry at and when you read it you will understand
Amie certainly had a dilemma on her hands with Armstrong.
Lexington makes an appearance and with secrets galore, you have to wonder if Amie will get her HEA!!
On reading this story I thought that perhaps if you don’t choose a certain person to belong to then how would your life end up!!
A thoroughly enjoyable read!

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Hooking Up is one of those books that kept a smile on my face. I loved Lexington and Amie! Their story wasn’t all laughs, though. It had parts that were emotional, and it was a bit of a forbidden love story as well.

If you’ve read Shacking Up, you know the back story of Amalie. She is Ruby’s best friend. Lexington is Bane’s older brother. The book starts out at Amie’s wedding… and she’s not marrying Lex. This wedding… gah! It made me mortified for poor Amie. Armstrong is the biggest tool. Seriously, there is nothing redeemable about this guy. Then there is Lexington Sigh. Lex is an amazing man.

I’m getting ahead of myself, though. Lex and Amie have had a connection from the moment they met, but it never went anywhere. Now, after the wedding from hell, they are coincidently at the same place at the same time. Their connection is there and stronger than ever. It’s supposed to be a short term thing. A ‘What happens in Bora Bora stays in Bora Bora’ thing… but, these two have undeniable chemistry and can’t seem to stay away from each other.

Between Lex and Amie, I couldn’t tell you which character I loved more. And that is a good problem to have! I thought they were both amazing and I really felt that they belonged together. They were so compatible and their chemistry was off the charts.

Hooking Up is a funny, sweet, sexy and all around entertaining read. Helena Hunting always does an amazing job of making her books entertaining. I love that about her and always look forward to reading her stories because of it! This is one I recommend if you’re looking for a fun, forbidden love story!

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This was a hoot! Loved the opening... all of the connections from past books and best of all....
The new relationship we got ... Am I telling you, Hell No- You will have to find out for yourself!
I promise you will enjoy the discovery

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Loved this book! Helena Hunting never fails to deliver and this one is no exception. Amie was literally betrayed by her douchebag of a husband on their wedding day (at the reception) when he had some skank give him oral sex. It wouldn't be so bad, but the whole encounter was caught on speaker so all the guests witnessed her humiliation.

Lex is the douchebag's cousin and he stepped out for a moment from the reception. Turns out his date for the night is the oral skank. He finds Amie bawling her eyes out-the year before they almost had a thing, but his cousin being the competetive jerk he is, put in his dibs first.

Amie goes on her honeymoon alone, and Lex is there for business (the resort is part of her husband's family's chain of hotels. Things happen, delicious things, and they don't want to leave it all behind on their holiday.

But you just know her husband will play dirty and things are going to get complicated!

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4 1/2 Star Review.....

Helena Hunting is well renowned for her ability to write fun, original and laugh out load stories, and HOOKING UP is no exception. Lexington and Amie were excellent characters, with some fabulous quirks like stripped bacon socks and carry-on luggage packed to the rafters with sex toys! Yep, sex toys!

I enjoyed every second of this book and with its entertaining storyline, swoon-worthy hero, sassy heroine and passion hot enough to fuel a volcano. I’ll definitely be recommending HOOKING UP to my fellow readers and friends.

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This book had all my favorite characters from Shacking Up. Lots of humor and sexy scenes, but it also had some sad and tender moments. I absolutely loved it.

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I love everything Helena has written, absolutely everything. But I have to say, I thought that Shaking Up was her best work! Boy, was I wrong. I LOVE Bane so much I can’t even begin to tell you. HOWEVER...the hero in this book (and I’m not telling who he is) is A M A Z I N G. Hooking Up has quickly become my favorite book of Helena’s, probably EVER!!

This book was so very hot and sexy, I fell in love with all of the characters, especially Amie, immediately. If you read the first chapter which was posted just about everywhere, you know that Amalie unfortunately married a douchebag. Luckily for her, Amie found that out shortly after saying I do. When I read that first chapter...I was completely ready for one hell of a book!! Helena did not disappoint!

BUT...I’m about to disappoint you. Because I just cannot say another word about the story. There’s been so much speculation as to who Amie ends up with, I just don’t want to ruin it for anyone. I will tell you this, this book was funny, emotional, BEYOND sexy and probably one of the best reads of the year! I highly recommend checking it out.

And I cannot wait for you to see who Anarchy Amie ends up with ;)

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I love Helena Hunting's books. They're fun, usually some laughs and a little heart angst, but in the end, swoon-worthy. I didn't feel that as much here.

I was smiling, don't get me wrong, and I loved the h and H. I just missed them connecting as a couple. I didn't feel that mental and emotional connection, just the physical.

However, I did get a lot of giggles out of it, it was SUPER HOT, and great characters. I could see Ms. Hunting's brilliance in the writing. However, I couldn't see why these two were in love. I could believe in lust, but the story itself didn't really show what made them connect. I wanted more of that.

So, 3 stars. It was fun, but the emotional connection wasn't there.

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Before I start this review, I just want to say, Helena Hunting has the best book covers, and hell if this isn't one of my favourites, I love it. Now that I've got that out of the way, all I can say now is….Wow! I was hooked on this book from the first chapter. The writing….Perfect. The story….Brilliant. The characters….Funny, sexy, complicated, intriguing, all the above. The interaction between all the characters was brilliant, the chemistry between the main characters was off the charts, I mean way off the charts. The dual POV worked so well for me, I love getting into the characters mindsets. A full five stars from me, I can't praise it enough. Although this can be read and enjoyed as a standalone, the first book in the series, Shacking up, sets the tone for this book, and is equally funny and enjoyable, well worth putting this book on hold whilst you read it. I was provided with an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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When I requested this book, I had no idea that it was part of a series. Now this book can be read as a stand alone, but both MC's are introduced in "Shacking Up" . Since the heroine, Amalie, plays a very big part in that book, I did something I normally don't do. I stopped reading this book and started "Shaking Up" first.

I have to be honest and say that, reading the first book, made me enjoy "Hooking Up" more.

It also made me hate Amelie's husband Armstrong, that much more !! Which is quite the accomplishment...since this book opens with Armstrong and Amelie's wedding, where all the guests get to hear her new husband, getting off in the bathroom....with someone else...

Amelie is mortified of course, and she fleeds the scene....right into the arms of a sexy someone she knows.... Revenge sex seems like a great idea to Amelie...the man is sexy after all and she has all this hurt and rage she needs to get rid of.

Too bad the man in question refuses to go down that road with her. Well... not yet anyways ;)

Because when the two of them meet up again, on what was supposed to be Amie's honeymoon, all bets are off :P

But what happens, when something that was supposed to be a hook-up...a rebound... turns into something so much more.

I really enjoyed this one, especially after reading book 1. I just couldn't for the life of me, figure out what Amie was doing, with a douche like Armstrong.

Thankfully I got a bit more insight into Amie's way of thinking and I was very glad to ee her returning to her old self a bit more.

As you have probably noticed... I haven't really said much about the hero. Reason for this, is that I was asked to keep his name a secret. Though there are plenty of reviews already posted, that do have his name included. I will just keep my end of the deal and say that I really liked the man ;)

All in all, this was a funny, sweet, sexy and at times a bit emotional read. I am very curious what this author has in store for us next ;)

In ARC was kindly provided to me, by the author, via Netgalley.
My reviews are posted on DirtyBooksObsession

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Hot sweet and angsty. A story of mistakes, regret, jealousy and dysfunction. Interesting characters and fast paced dialogue. A memorable love story at heart. I enjoyed it.

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