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.