{Review} Not Over Yet (Hot Under Her Collar #2) By Amber Belldene (@AmberBelldene)

Some people aren't meant to have it all...

Three years ago, nanny Lily Yee enjoyed a passionate fling with her boss, the recently divorced and extremely eligible Eric Roche. Then the sexy surfer/CEO wanted more than she could give, and she fled to pursue her one true calling—the priesthood. 

Eric learned how to love from Lily and wanted to build a happy family with her. But she walked away without explanation, leaving him angry, confused, and…fine, he’ll admit it, occasionally a little desperate for her.

When a crisis in her church leads Lily back into Eric’s arms, his heart calls to her as strongly as the priesthood. He'll do anything to win her back, but she knows she's not cut out to juggle a family and a career. She needs to let him go again soon, but she can’t deny they’re not over yet.

​The three years that Lily Yee spent as an au pair for the Roche family were some of the best of her life.  She felt accepted and loved - loved by Eric and his two precious adopted daughters. 
 
It never mattered to her that he was one of the most successful CEO’s the logistics world had ever seen.   To her, he was perfect.  With his intense grey eyes and hard surfer’s body, he was the only man who could ever make her question her decision to become a priest.
 
But in her heart, she knew that she wasn’t cut out for a ready made family and stayed true to her calling.
 
So now when she needs his help, it only reminds her of all that she could have had.

“Would you take it back?” She reached for his wrist where it dangled at his side and tugged, a gentle plea for him to face her again. “If you could go back to that first night we had sex, would you change what happened? Take a bowl of soup to your desk instead of coming upstairs with me?”
​
He spun, pinning her with his gray-blue gaze. “Would you?”   

​Eric Roche longed for the family that he never had.  His bitter ex-wife made sure that he stayed away from Lily with threats to take away his children.  But nothing ever filled the void in his soul quite like the sweet and complicated girl he once knew. 
 
Together - he's sure that they can overcome it all.  If only he could convince Lily of that too.

​“Trust me, Lily. Be mine, just for now. I’m not asking for a promise. Just be here.”

​Not Over Yet is the best from Amber Belldene yet!  The characters are far more nuanced and real than ever before while her story speaks directly to the soul. 
 
But don’t think for one moment that it doesn’t pack enough heat to light an entire city - because it does, And all the while, Amber floods you with so many good feels that you will remember it for a long time to come…

Exclusive Excerpt - 

He’d never told her about his past because he’d wanted to present himself as good husband material. But she’d left him, and being around her was sandpaper on the stubborn, raw wound.

Christ. Time for a change of subject. He reached for her laptop, but his shoulder spasmed. “Ow. Fuck.”

She was there in an instant, digging her sharp little elbow into the rock-hard knot of muscle. “I thought you said it was better.”

“It has been.” He ground out the words through the pain radiating up his neck and down his arm.

“Are you saying I’m giving you cramps?”

He laughed, but it came out hoarse with strain. “God that hurts. Don’t stop.”

“Sh. I know the drill.”

In the silence, her delicate but strong fingers kneaded the muscle along the top of his shoulder. As it eased, she expanded her focus down his spine and up his neck.
Tingles of pleasure crawled over his scalp and cascaded down his arms. A rush of blood flowed to his groin, but he didn’t fight it—that would only make his desire dig in, as stubborn and intractable as Lily herself.

So much had changed, but she still smelled the same, like the flowery shampoo she bought at the drugstore. Damn, he’d missed her scent. He caught her hand and dragged it around so he could place a single, chaste kiss to her palm.

She shuddered.

His cock pulsed. Okay. Maybe not so chaste.

He spun in the stool to face her. His heart raced, a barrage of desires threatening to break him open so that all his longing might ooze out. Was he actually going to risk her rejection again?

One glimpse at her pretty mouth open in surprise and the answer came back a certain yes. But he had to keep it light, or she would bolt and refuse his help again.

She made a halfhearted attempt to pull away, but he held her hand, and when she encountered the slightest pressure of his grip, she gave up.

Still, her lips pursed. “Eric.”

“I know. Help. Friends.” He traced his fingers over the inside of her wrist.

She leaned closer, letting her belly brush against his knees.

“Lily.”

She met his gaze.

He could say it again, what he’d said the first time. I’m going to kiss you.

But now, with that damn collar around her neck, and her history of rejecting him plus three years’ absence poured on top, a man could only say one thing. “Can I kiss you?”

Her jaw slackened, parting her lips with what could only be surprise.

Score, shouted a voice inside him.

Her pretty, wide mouth spread into an even wider smile.
“Only because you asked so nicely.”

And then she leaned in, meeting him halfway, brushing their lips together. Her smell, her warmth, the familiarity of a long-missed caress. His skin buzzed with desire and he ached to touch hers all over, to press their naked lengths together. But she hadn’t even opened her mouth to him, only let their lips linger in the tender kiss. He wanted to tease his way inside her and test if she tasted the same, but he would accept what she offered and not press.

Not yet, at least

About The Author - 

Amber Belldene grew up on the Florida panhandle, swimming with alligators, climbing oak trees and diving for scallops…when she could pull herself away from a book.  As a child, she hid her Nancy Drew novels inside the church bulletin and read mysteries during sermons—an irony that is not lost on her when she preaches these days. 

Amber is an Episcopal Priest and student of religion.  She believes stories are the best way to explore human truths and is passionate about the deep ties between spirituality and sexuality.  Some people think it is strange for a minister to write romance, but it is perfectly natural to her, because the human desire for love is at the heart of every romance novel and God made people with that desire. She lives with her husband and two children in San Francisco and loves chatting with readers and other authors on social media!  ​

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