"The Good Girl Effect" by Sara Cate is a contemporary steamy romance in a new series, “Salacious Legacy”. This new series is related to “Salacious Player’s Club”, it can be read without prior series knowledge.

The story takes place in France and centers around Camille Aubert and Jack St. Claire. Jack is a grieving widow and father. Camille lost her father 2 years prior and feels stuck in her life. While working in a used bookstore in her hometown, Camille comes across an old love letter and photo of an attractive and happy couple – Emmaline and Jack. Camille becomes enamored by this couple and discovers that Emmaline had also passed away 2 years ago. She decides that Jack would want this memory back and heads off to Paris to see if Jack still lives at the address from the letter. Upon arriving to Jack’s estate, she gets mistaken for an interviewee for the nanny position for Jack’s young daughter. Camille can’t bring herself to turn down the opportunity to interview and comes to realize that she does actually wish to become the girl’s nanny. Camille, now Bea’s nanny, becomes increasingly fascinated with handsome Jack. She can’t help her curiosity and it finds her in tense situations with Jack.

The story is told from the perspectives of Jack and Camille. The TENSION in this book is palpable. The back and forth, the letters between them, emotional rollercoaster from Jack.. everything is great. Jack is still grieving and feels love is out of his reach but he can’t seem to stay away from Camille. The story discusses his feelings on his grief and healing, how it’s affected those around him, while also blurring the lines on a “forbidden” romance. Very steamy – praise kink and BDSM included.

I’ve previously read “Keep Me” by Sara Cate and really enjoyed it so was excited to see a new book by them. I’ve come to realize my favorite troupe is forced proximity and this did not disappoint.

I don't think this is one of Cate's better books, but it was still decent. Our library has a large readership for her books, so we will definitely purchase it.

Having LOVED the Salacious Players Club series, I was so excited to receive this ARC, and Sara Cate did not disappoint!

The Good Girl Effect is an age-gap, boss/assistant romance with a grieving single father/grumpy & brooding MMC, a bold and unapologetic FMC, and of course, an exploration of kink. Sara Cate has a real talent for building sexual tension, writing steamy, consent-focused kink scenes, and throughout all of this weaving in real romantic and tender emotions. All in all, I loved this book and would highly recommend it, especially for fans of her Salacious Players Club series.

Thank you to Netgalley, Sara Cate, and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I LOVED the Salacious Players Club so when I saw this title on NetGalley I prayed that I would get a chance to read it! While it did give off Praise (Salacious book 1) vibes, I was pleased with the story progression and the character development.

I enjoyed the set up for the romance with the FMC finding a memento of the MMC and his late wife's relationship and I really enjoyed the dynamic between the FMC and the MMC's daughter. I hope to see more of them in future books in this new series

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing me with an ARC.

This book was a fun and flirty read! The build-up to the steamy scenes was definitely worth it, especially with the Parisian setting. It kicks off the series with a bang!

"The Good Girl Effect" is an engaging start to the Salacious Players’ Legacy series. It follows Eden’s son in Paris, a year after losing his young wife, as he seeks care for their 5-year-old daughter, Bea. Camille, who is hired as the nanny, brings a delightful twist to the classic single-dad/nanny trope.

The male lead is brooding and mysterious, with a redeemable soft heart hidden beneath his grumpy exterior. The female lead is bold, outrageous, and unapologetically herself—I loved her for it. Messy, real, and strong, she brings out the best in him. Their chemistry is electric, and their banter is pure gold, giving off total power couple vibes.

As with other works by Sara Cate, you can expect a mix of heat and tension. Be sure to check the content warnings before diving in. If you’re a fan of this author, you’re likely to enjoy this story and be eager for the next installment!

What I loved was how the author touched lightly on the previous series Salacious Club.

This book completely swept me off my feet. The way it explores grief and healing through such complex, flawed characters hit me right in the heart. I loved how the story didn’t shy away from the darker sides of intimacy but treated it with respect and emotional depth. Moreover, I really appreciate is how the romance isn’t just about attraction but about trust and the courage to let someone in when everything feels broken. I finished it feeling both moved and hopeful, already wanting to read it again.

I feel like Sara Cate shines in her kink representation and the emotional journeys of her characters. Both of those things are always top tier, but especially in The Good Girl Effect. Camille and Jack both have their own journeys. They tangle together so beautifully (and painfully) but every tender moment keeps you invested and dying for the happy ending. I also appreciated the care that was taken around Bea. Some single parent romance books put the kids in the background except in vital scenes and this was not that. She was present throughout, which makes it so much better and more realistic.
This new series is looking great and I cannot wait to follow these new characters and their stories.

Beauty and the Beast meets The Sound of Music... but make it sexy.

This book does not have the pitfalls that I find others of the same genre to have. Most have a tendency to focus only on the sex and not on the plot. But this story and the characters felt fleshed out. I enjoyed reading about them and cared about what would happen. The rest was just a bonus.

I'm glad that this wasn't a "romance fixes everything" book. There were actual emotions and feelings and being in love didn't fix all of the negative ones. I appreciated that.

Of course there were things I didn't enjoy - not a huge fan of third act breakups, and this one was no different. Especially with the reasoning... like I get it, but also. Chill.

And Bea is the love of my life.

Dang! A true scorcher from Cate. I read and enjoyed the salicious players club books and this is a spin off set later in the story timeline in Paris. A really fun nanny romance with a newbie to BDSM/teacher trope. Fun and hotttt!

I have read every book Sara Cate has written, and have been so excited for the next generation of Salacious Players Club characters! It's interesting that Jack's mom, Eden, was a single mother of Jack, and then Jack was a single father of Bea, but with such wildly different circumstances. I am such a sucker for letters within books, and absolutely loved all the letters back and forth between Jack and Camille throughout the book. The one issue I had with this book was the origin of Jack's nickname for Camille being off-putting, but that's just a me problem. As far as spice level, I'd say this one ranks fairly low compared to some of Sara Cate's other books. Overall, I loved the book and getting a chance to revisit some of the SPC characters. I'm so looking forward to the rest of the books in the Salacious Legacy series!

Camille is working in a bookshop when she finds it - a love letter tucked into an old book, accompanied by a photo of a couple in love. She makes up her mind to return the letter.

When she arrives at the house, she is mistaken for an applicant to nanny for Jack’s 5 year old daughter, Bea. Hired as a nanny, she is quickly falls in love with Bea, and with her handsome, single, grieving father. When she discovers his secret, his passion for bondage, it opens Camille’s eyes to all kinds of possibilities.

This spin-off of Sara Cate's Salacious Players' Club series features the adult children of the original club owners, so it was fun to see how the next generation is doing! The hero and heroine were both written well and I enjoyed seeing them work through their individual struggles with grief in realistic ways. This book does feature some trigger warnings, so that's important for readers to know, but those that have read her previous series should feel that this one fits right in with the tone of those.

The Good Girl Effect was a great introduction the Salacious Players’ Legacy series. Following Eden’s son in Paris a year into grieving the death of his young wife and trying to find care for their 5 year old, Bea. Through absolutely adorable kismet, Camille is hired to nanny the young girl, and if you’re here for the single-dad/nanny trope than saddle up. Because this is the legacy of Salacious Players and because this is Sara Cate, things get hot and dark in even measure. Check your CW before you dive in, but if you’ve enjoyed this author before you’ll be right at home and very pleased. Can’t wait for the next one!

The Good Girl Effect is the first book in the Salacious Legacy series written by Sara Cate.

What to expect:
*Second generation kink club owners
*Single dad / nanny
*Shibari rope play

This book kicks off the next generation of the original Salacious Players Club characters. Jack is the son of Eden, Clay, and Jade from the sixth book in the series, Madame.

Jack is a widower who has shut himself off from his family, his coworkers, and even his daughter. When Camille finds a letter that Jack wrote to his wife, she sets off to return it to him and ends up getting hired as his nanny.

There are a lot of hot and cold emotions in this book, the MMC is still grieving but can’t help having intense feelings for the FMC. The FMC was nosey and coerced the MMC into giving her Shibari lessons.

No OW drama, some OM drama in the form of jealousy, no cheating or sharing. Does have a third act breakup, main characters are separated a little over a month before they reunite.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the opportunity to read and review this title.

Format: NetGalley ebook
Genre: Contemporary fiction, romance
Overall score:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice level:🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Characters: Jack (MMC) & Camille (FMC)

Sara Cate will always deliver on spicy, steamy, and sexy. This time, she does it in the city of LOVE! And utlizes some of my favorite tropes. Single dad, live-in Nanny? Truly a fever dream from cover to cover but that's the best part about Sara Cate's books.

A solid, steamy read with emotional weight. While it followed some familiar tropes, the writing was addictive, and I appreciated the character development. Fans of Sara Cate will love this one.