Dear Letter Girl, I need to see you. When can we meet?
Her response never came. My secret pen pal with a dirty mind has ghosted me. I've roped Jules, my sweet as pie next door neighbor, to help me track her down.
There's only one problem--I'm falling for her. The tortoise shell glasses, out of this world curves and delicious treats are making the search for The Letter Girl even harder.
My notes were supposed to be a one time thing. A little too much wine and naughty thoughts on a winter's night. I never thought Berk would write back. I wanted to tell him it was me, but the fear of rejection kept my lips sealed.
Now he’s enlisted my help to track down The Letter Girl and our search has him hot on my, ahem, her trail.
She's the girl next door.
He's my secret pen pal.
Truth is on a collision course with their hearts and it’s only a matter of time before one of them gets wrecked...
Title: The Third Best Thing
Author: Maya Hughes
Series: Fulton U Book 3
Pages: 369
Genre(s): Contemporary, US, New Adult
Hot Buttons: death of parent(s), parent emotional abuse <-- highlight to reveal (may contain spoilers)
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Maya Hughes has become one of my go-to writers when I’m looking for some steamy romance filled with heat and heart. It’s a new-adult romance, but if you feel that’s not your thing then I still urge you to give this book a go. I didn’t consider myself a fan before Ms Hughes showed me the light!
This is the third book in the Fulton U series, after The Perfect First (Reece and Seph) and The Second We Met (Nix and Elle). While the characters from these earlier novels do appear in this one - and despite Jules and Berk first being introduced in the earlier books - this book does stand completely alone and you don’t need to have read any of the others to understand and enjoy this one.
And you’ll more than enjoy this book. It’s got a sweetness to it that hasn’t really been in Maya’s other books. Along with the deep emotions and sexy sex, of course!
Both Berk and Jules have a vulnerability based on their past life experiences, the way they’ve been treated, and how they feel about themselves. Because of this, you almost immediately develop deep connections with our couple - both individually and as part of a couple. Despite this, the book still manages to keep it light. I’ll admit that there were times that I had a wee blue to myself but there really is minimal angst or drama and all the situations feel real.
But god-damn - I wish all those cupcakes, cookies and treats were real. Major drooling going on over here.
Jules is a character I really think all women can relate to. She’s self-conscious about herself - mainly how she looks or how she thinks other people think she looks. It’s never self-pitying but you can feel her pain and sadness. The fact that Berk is so smitten with her certainly helps her to feel better about herself - but she also builds herself up over the course of the book. A great message for anyone and everyone. I admit to feeling a wee bit of fire in my belly after reading this book. Why do I actually care what random people think of me? What if I didn’t?
Anyway… this is the kind of book I can and did get lost in. The story is absorbing, interesting and, as I said before, the characters are people that I can relate to, cheer for and admire. Those pages practically turn themselves and that’s testament to the engaging writing of Ms Hughes. She’s fast becoming one of my favourite authors and I can’t bear that in this book alone she teased two, if not three couples that (fingers crossed) will get their own books in the future.
Another exceptional book from Maya Hughes and very worthy of 5 stars. She really needs to write more and write faster!!
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BUY NOW!
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Maya
Hughes can often be found sneaking in another chapter while hiding in
the bathroom from her kids! :-) I’m a romance writer who loves taking
inspiration from everyday life, namely my husband and biggest fan.
Inspiration also strikes when I hear a song, meet someone new or
daydream while at soccer practice.
I’m the mom of three little ones, the wife to an amazing husband and also work full time. Some of my favorite things are cinnamon rolls, white wine, laughing until I can’t breathe and traveling with my family.
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AUTHOR LINKS!
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FULTON U SERIES!
