Cover Image: Secret Crush Seduction

Secret Crush Seduction

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Member Reviews

Secret Crush Seduction is the second in Jayci Lee's The Heirs of Hansol series. It is an absolutely delicious brother's BFF, unrequited love story about Adelaide Song and Michael Reynolds.

Ms Lee's does a lovely job balancing the story elements with the fiery romance. Adelaide knows she needs to revamp her reputation. She crushed on her brother Garrett's best friend Michael for years, and went a little wild in college when her heart was broken when he married someone else. While she went on to pull herself together academically, her grandmother still doesn't seem to trust her to step into a role in the family business. She needs a big something to help everyone see that she is fully ready and able to contribute to Hansol as an adult, in control of herself and her reputation. And she deeply misses the friendship she and Michael used to share.

Cue one charity fashion event where Michael steps in to help as the company's front-facing PR specialist. Spending time together is both torture and everything they've ever dreamed as they both struggle to keep everything on the up and up. Ms Lee writes their longings beautifully, and it's safe to say that just about everyone can see the threads of desire weaving these two together, not to mention the rising temperatures.

Secret Crush Seduction is a terrific page-turning romance, and I also loved the Korean-American representation. Ms Lee's characters are well written, and her women are especially fierce and strong and smart. None of the characters are perfect, but recognize and accept responsibility for their actions, and know how to give an apology. I can't wait for more from this author!

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I really loved Secret Crush Seduction by Jayci Lee! Adelaide Song wants to prove to her grandmother that she's ready to have a role in the family company, Hansol. To do so, she comes up with the idea of putting on a charity fashion show to raise awareness for Autism, featuring sensory-friendly clothing people with Autism can wear. She ropes in Michael, her longtime crush and older brother's best friend, to help her. Michael is Hansol's PR person and works with the family already. He has a close relationship with Adelaide's grandmother, as well as her brother. Michael is starting to feel an attraction to Adelaide, but he knows they can't have a relationship. He is her brother's best friend, they're working together on the fashion show, and he's keeping a secret from her. As they spend more time together, they deny their attraction, but cave and decide to have fling for the duration of the project. While they both know the affair must end in 2 months, their feelings start to grow for each other. I really loved Adelaide! She was a strong woman but still innocent in her feelings for Michael and the fact that she had always harbored feelings for him. She worked hard to prove herself to her grandmother, and I loved learning about the sensory-friendly clothes. I liked Michael a lot, and he and Adelaide had a great connection and chemistry, but his big secret and the fact that he'd been hurt before were blown a little out of proportion in his mind. This book was a quick read, it took me a day to finish, and I wish that it was a full length novel! I would've loved to see even more of the tension and angst between Adelaide and Michael. I really loved the secondary characters, and I felt that the story was well developed. I'm definitely picking up more books by Jayci!

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**Will be posted on my blog during my blog tour spot on 8/1/20**

Thank you to Harlequin Desire and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.

This is book two in The Heirs of Hansol series and we get to have Adelaide’s love story.

My Reactions:

My Attention: it’s a really quick read so it had my full attention

World Building: the multi-billion Hansol fashion empire

Writing Style: flowed nicely

Bringing the Heat: 🔥🔥🔥

Crazy in Love: crush turned into lovers

Creativity: fun to see the Hansol family again

Mood: happy

Triggers: assault

My Takeaway: A crush on the boy Adelaide wanted forever turns into so much more.

What I Liked:
*I wanted Adelaide’s story since book one and I wasn’t disappointed. She’s beautiful, smart, can cook and comes up with an idea to design clothing for people with autism – I mean, she’s awesome! All she wants to do is have a part of the Hansol empire, but her grandmother doesn’t trust her because of her wild, partying past. Adelaide proves this time around she deserves a place in the family business.

*Michael is older than Adelaide by like 10 years and he’s already divorced. He has some personal issues that makes it difficult for him to commit to Adelaide but love wins out. He knows how special she is. I like how they good they are together as a team.

*I love the family dynamics in this series. We see Adelaide brother, Garrett and her cousin, Colin make appearances. But once again, Mrs. Song, her grandmother is boss!

*The sex is steamy, the history between Adelaide and Michael is there, and their banter is fun. You can feel how they know each other so well, plus he’s basically part of the family, which was nice. This story hits all the checkmarks.

Things That Made Me Go Hmm:
I think the books in this series are supposed to be short, but I enjoyed this couple so much I felt like the ending was so rushed, especially when it came to Michael’s “secret”.

Final Thoughts:
This might be my favorite of the series so far mostly because I adore Adelaide! I’m glad she and Michael get a happy ending and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

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Second in Jayci Lee's The Heirs of Hansol series, Secret Crush Seduction's older brother's best friend storyline throws two compelling mcs together and keeps them apart perfectly. (I have not read book 1 yet in this series, but look foward to going back to it!)

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I loved Adelaide! She could be a vulnerable, little hot mess, but don’t disregard her drive and determination to succeed. She could pull herself together to shine with the best of them!

And poor Michael. He wasn’t at all prepared for her toughness and hits to his emotional security! He didn’t give her the credit she deserved until it was almost too late. Even though I knew what was coming, even I hoped he would pull his head out and see what was basically screaming right in front of him!

I enjoyed and appreciated the detail over Adelaide’s Austism-themed fashion show. The time and consideration regarding textures and sensory issues-to name a couple of things-was well thought out and mentioned points I related to! Having a daughter on the spectrum, I can attest that shopping for clothes can be a frustrating headache with issues over fabric texture, zippers, and buttons, etc, but we mostly find a way to prevail:)

Secret Crush Seduction was a great addition to the Heirs of Hansol series. There were strong characters, great chemistry, and a wonderful storyline! I am doubly excited Garret and Adelaide’s cousin Colin is getting a book as well!!

I received an advance reader copy from Netgalley/Harlequin. This is my honest review.

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Jayci Lee has done it again. This time its Adelaide's turn to prove that she is ready for a position at the family's fashion empire. When help comes in the form of her her brother's best friend/childhood crush, mixing business with pleasure might might backfire. I loved reading this book. Adelaide and Michael are amazing and of course grandma song bestows us with her wisdom. I can't wait to see what's next in this series.

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This is tropetastic and I very much enjoyed the execution of best friend's younger sister. It's not the most amazing read ever, but it's OK. Would recommend if you like other Harlequin Desire novels.

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All the tropes in Secret Crush Seduction speak to my soul. Heiress and fashion designer Adelaide wants to be part of her family's empire but she thinks her grandmother continues to refuse because of her wild college days. Her mission is to show her grandma that she has grown and she can part of something bigger, so she enlists the help of her brother's best friend and childhood crush, Michael.

There is a lot of pining from both sides. Adelaide has been in love with Michael for a loooong time. When he married young, Adelaide really thought this is it. Here is where it ends. But he got divorced and her crush and love continued to grow. Michael knows he cannot act upon his feelings. 1) She's his best friend's little sister, 2) He cannot be between her grandma and her dream and he knows that will happen 3) He has a secret he hasn't told anyone.

This steamy story is filled with laughs, dreams and love. Jayci Lee got me intrigued with the story and characters pretty easily; each character (even supporting) has a story to tell. I don't think any of them are there "just because", you know? You can write a story for each of them and they would be soooo interesting. I loved that series follows a family and each of the book tells the story of one of them. This is Adelaide's story and she's the greatest. I want her to have every single thing she desires. And the family aspect, the dynamic, is also amazing. I love Grandma Grace Song and the legacy she is leaving in this world.

I will for sure be reading the next in this series. Jayci Lee is here to stay.

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Adelaide and Michael are everything. Their story gave me all the feels. I love this book, this family, and this author so much!

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I loved Natalie and Garrett's story so I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one and read it. I have to say, the cover of this book is spot on. They look exactly as I picture Michael and Adelaide to be! It was a very fast read filled with sexual tension. I wanted more though! Also, the writing felt a little forced at times but overall I enjoyed it a lot. There aren't a lot of romances out there featuring Asian characters so I am happy that Jayci Lee is writing such awesome books in this genre.

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