Okay, so I just finished "Beneath the Hood" and like, wow. Emily McIntire really went there with this one! It's an age gap, forbidden romance, and if you're into that super intense, angsty stuff, you're gonna eat it up.

So you've got Jackson, this older, kinda broken car guy, who gets this gig in Hollywood. But then he's suddenly in charge of watching Blakely, who's the boss's daughter and also this huge social media influencer. And she's only nineteen! Total red flag situation, right?

But here's the thing: Blakely seems to have it all on Instagram, but she's actually dealing with some really heavy stuff, like an eating disorder and crazy anxiety. And Jackson is the first person who actually *sees* her, past all the filters and perfect posts. Their connection is just so raw and real, even though he's like, nine years older and totally off-limits.

McIntire does such a good job with the sensitive topics. It's not just some fluffy romance; it actually deals with Blakely's struggles in a really honest way. You feel for her, seriously. And Jackson's trying to help her while dealing with his own baggage, which just adds to the whole drama.

My only minor thing is that sometimes the "forbidden" aspect felt a *little* drawn out, like, we get it, it's complicated. But honestly, their chemistry is fire, and you just want them to figure it out. Just a heads up, it's pretty mature and deals with some intense themes, so definitely check the trigger warnings if you need to!

Overall, it's a super emotional, really powerful read. If you're looking for a romance that's more than just surfacelevel, this one's for you. It's definitely staying with me.

This was so so good I love Emily and her work and I think it’s so underhyped! Definitely 100 recommend!!

I will preface this by saying I have not read the first books, and I don't feel like I missed any of the story and really enjoyed the characters.

Blakely is the "typical" rich California girl, who is in front of the camera and portrays herself one way, while in private she is actually struggling with panic attacks and an eating disorder. She is essentially left in the care of nannies and her body guard when her dad (a famous producer) leaves for his work. So she grows up alone in a city that can destroy you.

Jackson comes to CA to finish his dad's dream and build cars that will star in movies. But when the boss asks him to keep an eye on his daughter he ends up in a situation where he has to choose staying away from her or letting his heart take the reigns.

Age Gap
Boss's Daughter
Trauma (panic attacks, eating disorders, death)

I received an advance review copy audio version. Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing Audio, for the opportunity to listen to this book. Brooke Bloomingdale and Liam DiCosimo did an amazing job narrating this audiobook

Story: 4.5 ⭐️
Steam: 4 🔥
Audio: 4 🎧
TW: obsessive thoughts, ED thoughts and actions

This age gap romance was super fun! I really enjoyed Jacks. I’m glad his story was enjoyable cause I’ve been loving him since book one! It was difficult to be in Blakey’s mind a lot of the book but it was great to watch her grow and heal.

Audiobook Performance: the narrators both did a wonderful job. The male narrator’s female voice needs a lot of work but other than that they both were great!
I will say that a trigger warning would be really helpful at the beginning of this audio. I was caught off guard by the obsessive thoughts regarding food and exercise. It could definitely be triggering to readers. I checked out the physical copy and the warning is there but it wasn’t read in the audiobook.

📖Beneath the Hood
✍️Emily Mcintire
📣 Liam DiCosimo & Brooke Bloomingdale
🎧 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Age Gap, taboo, daughter of his boss.
“I’ll go find somebody who will” “Over my dead body”

The performance made the tension even thicker, the spice more vivid, and the emotional moments hit deeper. A few transitions felt a bit rushed, but overall, it elevated the story in all the right ways.

Thank you to NetgAlley and Blackstone publishing for my ALC. 💜

This was good to me but not great. I was intrigued enough to continue reading, but the pacing was off for me. I felt like I was missing a lot because I had not read the first two books in this series even though it is noted as a standalone. I also had a hard time connecting with the characters fully which I believe was because of the pacing. The chemistry between them just seemed a little off. They went from her being flirty and him being like it's never going to happen to I think I am in love within a short span. I did think everything about Blakely was very eye opening in regards to being in a job where you are in the public eye. I appreciated how Emily handled the topics of heavy anxiety, depression and eating disorders. I appreciated how much Jackson supported her through all of this and was ultimately the only person in her corner that recognized she needed help. I liked the age gap between them and that even though Blakely handled everything poorly overall she just needed someone to believe in her for HER not for what she put online. I think Jackson did a good job navigating those waters with her and helping her to the other side.

Blakely has an image to uphold for her followers. She has events to attend and outfits to where. She has to eat healthy. She hates reading the comments people say about her. So she does what she can to avoid them. Something that has recently caught her eye though is Jackson Rhoades- a man working for her father. He is older and so handsome. And she loves needling him and getting a rise out of him. She has to put on this front like she has more experience than she does, but she realizes rather quickly that he can see right through her charade. She secretly likes that he can see that side of her and still be around. She LIKES the attention he gives her because it is for the real her. But her inner demons are hard to not listen to. She thinks he won't like her for long or he won't stay around long- no one in her life seems to. But Jackson seems to be here to prove her and her thoughts wrong. He makes her feels things she hasn't felt before. He makes her feel safe. But then their secret relationship blows up in her face and she is forced to make a harsh decision that will ultimately save him. Of course it backfires and Blakely finds herself asking the hard questions and recognizing she needs to take some time for herself before she can be the woman she wants to be for Jackson.

Jackson is literally living his dream. Or him and his father's dream. He has always wanted to work on cars, and that is what he is doing. He needed to take some time away from his small town and all that heartache. So here he is in California. Noticing his 19 year old boss's daughter. The one who can't seem to stop trying to poke at him. The beautiful one who lives in a world he never has bothered to play in- social media. But he finds himself intrigued enough to play back. And before he knows it lines are crossed. He really likes HER. HER without the mask. The woman that no one gets to see but him. It makes him feel special that she shows him and no one else. But there are so many demands with her job that seem to hurt her and somehow she doesn't see it. She doesn't see that she needs help. That her anxiety is taking control and that the only person in her life who seems to have her back is him. He is willing to stand up and shout that they are together for the world to know. But she is scared of the backlash. So when she makes a decision without him to ultimately save him, he cuts town and decides to lick his wounds at home. He knows he loves the real woman in there but doesn't know if she will ever be ok enough to just be with him.

There were a lot of heavier topics discussed in this one. Like I mentioned anxiety, depression, eating disorders as well as family problems and death of a parent (not on page). I appreciate those heavier topics sometimes as unfortunately that is part of life and thought that Emily did a great job of navigating that territory. I just had a hard time with the pacing which affected other things. I felt like I had whiplash when I was trying to keep up with the trajectory of their story. I am honestly not sure if I am interested enough to continue the series, but we shall see. I also had a hard time with the male narrator which probably also affected my enjoyment of this too.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

Huge thank you for the ALC from Blackstone Publishing via NetGalley!

I love Emily’s work and I was super excited to get picked for this one! I really liked the way Emily wrote about Blakely’s mental health and disordered eating, it was written really sensitively. It had all the age gap romance you’d expect and was a super sweet romance.

I loved Brooke Bloomingdale as Blakey but I struggled with Liam as Jackson. He sounded very forced and false which is where the audio let me down.
Overall it was a good reread!

I would give this book 5 stars, but the male narrator decreased its worth.
Here me out: I LOVED everything about this book (character portrait, her business, serious topics like ED, father-daughter bonding, age gap, steam, sex scenes) and then I adored the female narrator. But that guy: I can't with his mimicking female voices.

They sounded too childish and spoiled for me.

But, beside that: 10/10. Would get it in paper copy!

Beneath the Hood is the third interconnected standalone in the Sugarlake series. This book follows Jackson. He is a heartthrob who recently moved to LA after he was offered his dream job, restoring classic cars, but it turned out to be keeping an eye on his boss's daughter.

Blakely is a big influencer who feels the pressure to keep up wth appearance. The pressure to be perfect caused her anxiety, but also for her to became obsessed with counting and calories. Blckely works at her father's business and loves to pester Jackson. She was given more opportunities to do that when they started spending time together.

I enjoyed the bantering between the two and watching the transformation of their relationship. At first, Jackson thought Blackely was an annoying, entitled 19-year-old. He later saw beyond the surface and became her main support person.

I enjoyed the narration by Brooke Bloomingdale and Liam DiCosimo. However, I wasn't a fan of when Liam did the feminine voices.

Absolutely LOVED this story. Anything that Emily writes is amazing. The narration for this was so good. I love Liam Dicosimo.

This age gap, forbidden romance was emotional and beautifully written. Jax and Blakely’s story touched on tough topics like mental health and self worth while building a slow burn romance full of tension and growth. Their connection felt deep and real, and I loved watching them help each other heal.
The narration was expressive and brought the characters to life. Jax is sweet and strong, and Blakely is more vulnerable than she seems. Emily McIntire does a great job blending romance with real issues. It’s a heartfelt, swoony listen that makes you root for both characters until the very end.

This one really pulls at the heart. It takes on many different life challenges so definitely look at trigger warnings.
I really loved the MMC. He was always so good and had a big heart. I really enjoyed his chapters.

The healing in this story was incredibly moving to me. Women (in my experience) are told constantly that we aren’t good enough, skinny enough, and pretty enough, so to have a character going through that in the public eye was beautiful. I loved Jackson in the previous 2 books, so I was so glad to get his story and to see him get over what he thought was love. I did find the age-gap a little cringey, but overall I loved the story!

Beneath the Hood is an age gap romance between influencer Blakely and Jackson, who works on classic car restoration in Hollywood. While I ended up enjoying this book, I found it difficult to get into it at first. The narrators did a good job bringing the characters to life. However, I feel like my issues with this story was more on my part than anything. This isn’t my first Emily McIntire novel and it won’t be my last, just like the others I’ve read the story was easy to follow and the characters felt really flushed out l, I just feel like this story just wasn’t for me. I appreciate the opportunity to listen to this. Thank you.

A raw, emotionally charged age-gap romance that hits hard—even if it doesn’t quite dethrone my top Emily McIntire favorite.

Emily McIntire’s Beneath the Hood delivers exactly what the Sugarlake series promises: angsty intensity, flawed characters you want to protect, and a love story that skates the edge of “should we or shouldn’t we?” Jackson’s quiet, wounded strength pairs beautifully with Blakely’s outward glamor and hidden fragility, making their push-and-pull feel both combustible and compassionate.

What kept me hooked
Depth beneath the glam: Blakely’s struggle with loneliness, influencer pressure, and disordered eating is handled with empathy rather than melodrama.

Jackson’s gentle steadiness: His protective streak never veers into alpha-overload; instead, he offers the patient acceptance Blakely craves.

Dual narration: Brooke Bloomingdale captures Blakely’s spiraling thoughts with aching sincerity, while Liam DiCosimo’s low-key grit makes Jackson instantly believable. Their chemistry in audio makes every boundary-testing moment crackle.

Found-family threads: Cameos from earlier Sugarlake couples add warmth without stealing the spotlight.

Why it’s four, not five
Pacing hiccups: The middle third lingers on secret longing a bit too long before the relationship really evolves.

Predictable beats: While emotive, the plot follows familiar forbidden-romance checkpoints, so a few twists felt telegraphed.

Verdict
Beneath the Hood isn’t the series installment I’ll replay endlessly, but it’s a gripping, heart-squeezing listen that showcases McIntire’s talent for messy, meaningful love. If you enjoy age-gap tension, nuanced mental-health themes, and stellar dual narration, this audiobook is more than worth the ride—even if it doesn’t slide into “all-time favorite” territory.

5 stars! This was a spicy, unforgettable romance story!

This book had everything I love in a romance and more! The dual POV made it so easy to connect with both Jackson and Blakely. I love dual POV and being able to see inside their minds. This truly made their chemistry even more intense and the emotional depth hit that much harder.

I hate to say it, but I am a sucker for a good age gap romance, and this one absolutely delivered. Add in the opposites attract, grumpy x sunshine, forbidden romance, and celebrity/influencer angle? And you have me hooked from page one. And let’s not forget that her dad is his boss. The tension was crazy!!

The spice? SPICYYYYYY. Emily McIntire knows how to write steam that’s both hot and emotionally charged—it was perfection.

This was also one of the very few books where the third act breakup felt needed. It added real growth to the characters and made the ending that much more satisfying.

One thing I really appreciated was how the author portrayed eating disorders and mental health with care. It added a deeper layer to Blakely’s story and made her character more relatable. That said, I recommend checking trigger warnings before diving in.

Also, the audiobook narrators were amazing and brought so much depth to both characters.

This was my first read in the Sugarlake series, but definitely not my last! If the others are anything like this, I’m in for a binge-read.

If you’re into steamy, angsty romance with real emotional weight, this one’s a must-read!

This book perfectly embodies all of the angst, off limits, age gap vibes that I adore in a story. I didn’t think it could get better than the first two books in the series that I have read but this has definitely become a fast favorite. The performance and transitions by these new-to-me narrators in this audiobook are flawless and I would absolutely recommend listening!

Okayyyy so… I read this thinking it was a standalone and THEN realized it was book 3 in a series 😅🙈 But let me just say—I still liked it and didn’t feel lost at all, though now I’m super curious about what I might’ve missed 👀 So yes… I’m absolutely going back to read the first two!!

I loved these two characters so much. The age gap trope is always a favorite plus the banter was great, and the whole opposites attract/enemies-to-lovers vibe is another favorite! 🔥🔥🔥

But what I really loved was Blakely’s individual storyline. Watching her slowly learn to love herself, peel back the layers of her high society life, and speak out about how fake things can be on social media!😭👏 It was very raw and real. I loved how this story gave her space to grow and finally be seen for who she really is.

So now I’m officially on board and heading straight back to Sugarlake to catch up on books 1 & 2 💛… and by headed straight back I mean, adding to the TBR…

I wasn't a big fan of either main character. Blakely is an immature influencer. She's made millions, but works at the front desk of her father's business? She has real issues to work through, and she does, but that felt too rushed. I would have liked to see her explore that more.

I like age gap, but hearing the MMC constantly mention how young the FMC is was weird. Jackson started the book still in love with someone else. He compares them a bit and talks about having feelings for both at the same time. No thanks. I just couldn't connect or like either of them. I appreciate NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to listen to the audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.

✨ Slow-burn, age-gap, emotionally raw: This one got to me good!
I went in expecting a grumpy mechanic meets influencer romance (and yes, we got that), but what I didn’t expect was how deeply this book would lean into mental health, loneliness, and the pressure to be perfect in a world that only sees your highlight reel...I can relate to that a little too closely.

Blakely is the kind of character who feels real—flawed, sweet, spiraling—and her journey? It was absolutely gutting at times.
Jackson (swoon, obviously) brings this quiet, protective energy that’s impossible not to love. Their chemistry builds slowly, but when it hits, it hits!

I loved the messy, heartfelt conversations, the LA-meets-Sugarlake tension, and the way this story gave space to healing—without rushing it! That's my kind of pacing!

Why not 5 stars? A few moments teetered on the edge of being a little too much for me; I’m still processing how I feel about the age gap dynamic. But the heart? The message? The writing? All there!

If you're in the mood for a romance that feels—like, really feels—this one’s worth the listen!