The Look of Love (The Sullivans, #1)

by Bella Andre

[kimbacaffeinate]

Have you ever opened a book and slipped into the story letting the author’s voice and characters transport you only to discover you've spent hours lost within its pages? The Look of Love by Bella Andre did this to me. I consumed this in a single afternoon and cannot wait for the next book. If I had to summarize the book in three words: sexy, sweet and hot!

The tale begins at the seventieth birthday for the Sullivan mother. The siblings have all gathered to celebrate and it offers us an intro to this tight-knit family. We see the family through the eyes of Chase Sullivan and I enjoyed the telling. Chase leaves early for a photo shoot scheduled at his brother’s winery in Napa Valley. The weather has turned bad making navigation difficult and right before reaching his brother’s ranch he discovers a car stuck in an embankment and a woman walking in the hail and rain. Chloe Peterson has a nasty bruise on her check and Chase is pretty sure the accident didn’t cause it. The tale that unfolds was sweet, filled with discovery, character growth and a romance that set the pages on fire.

Chase is a successful photographer, drop dead, and six-foot of well toned, take your breath away muscle. He has a smile that will turn your legs to jelly. One of the good guys whose mama raised him right I immediately fell in love. He’s played the field and enjoyed the perks of his profession but Chloe hits him like a semi. Chloe has tried to pick up the pieces of soul and the events leading up to the accident have left her shaken. She is fearful of Chase and has vowed to never trust a man again. I really connected with Chloe she was complicated and genuine. She is brave, scared, confident, and insecure. She is also bright, sweet and funny. I enjoyed watching her reassess, deal with Chase and face her own demons. We get to know a little more about Chase’s older brother Marcus and I am anxious for his story. Secondary characters including Chase’s photography staff had me giggling and enjoying the tale.

The Look of Love was delightful and the tale flowed wonderfully with just the right amount of twists. The physical attraction was hot and you could feel the heat coming off the pages. I loved the slow build of tension and finally the release. The romance felt genuine and despite the short time period Andre made me believe. Chloe is complex and slowly reveals her inner self as Chase carefully peels back her layers allowing her to make decisions and feel confident and in control. There are steamy scenes folks and Andre gave us a delightful mix of sweet, hot and naughty. The Sullivan family consists of eight children and their widowed mother. All of them single. There are six smexy, successful brothers and then the babies (at 24) twin girls. Both are gorgeous and totally different in personality. I am looking forward to reading all of their stories.
Copy received in exchange for unbiased review and originally published Caffeinated Book Reviewer