Just This Once: A King Family Special Edition

Comfort romance at its best! Sweet, charming romance with a lovely dose of spice! I am really enjoying the overarching storyline running through the Sullivans' story and now into the King's. Admittedly it hasn't moved much in this installment but elements have clearly been set up for it. Although I have really enjoyed going back to Outtatowner and Whip and Emily are a lovely couple, their story was a bit more superficial that some other books in the interconnected series. It left me with a slightly disappointed feeling, although I will definitely read the next installment (Abel has my curiosity picked). Summary: Rating 3.5⭐ Spice: 3🌶️ Sweetness: 4🍯

Loved diving back into Outatowner, this time from the King’s side of the line. Whip is a big softie at heart who just wants someone to choose him and to stay. Emily is searching for someone to love her as she is and support her. These 2 are a beautiful couple together. Can’t wait to see the rest of the King story unfold and for them to get long overdue answers to their mother’s disappearance.

The tension between these two is insane. The story line was addicting. Loved this book. Cant wait for the next one.

— 4.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 “You have to let someone in if you want them to know the real you. To love the woman you try to hide.” 📖 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 329 pages 👤 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: Lena Hendrix 🏢 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫: published independently 📅 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞: 15 April 2024 What you can expect: — Adult Cotemporary Small Town Romance — First Person POV — Dual POV — Firefighter X Middle School Teacher — One Night Stand — She's His Boss's Daughter — Opposites Attract — Strangers-To-Lovers — Small Town Rivalry — Secret Relationship — He's *ahem* Pierced 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: death of a parent (referenced, off-page), child abandonment, child neglect/abuse (suspected), and sexually explicit content. Just This Once is the first instalment in the King Family series by author Lena Hendrix. Emily is in need of a fresh start. When a part-time teaching position opens up in the small town of Outtatowner where her parents call home, it seemed like the perfect place to start over. When a Valentine's Day date ends in disaster and ends with an unexpected counter with a sexy stranger, Emily is feeling good and never expects to see Whip King again. She has only one rule when it comes to men. No firefighters. Especially not firefights that work for her father. When Emily discovers that Whip does exactly that... she hightails it out of there and never looks back. Months later when a medical emergency occurs in her classroom, the last person Emily expects to walk through the door acting hero is none other than Whip himself. Why are the hot-as-hell men always the ones that are forbidden? Emily can't go there again, and yet who could deny themselves the temptation and forbidden touches? Will Whip and Emily succumb to their undeniable chemistry and realise that 'just this once' will never be enough, or will their relationship burn to flames before they ever begin? I'm coming to very quickly realise that every single thing that author Lena Hendrix writes... I will not only read and love. I absolutely adored the Sullivan Family series and very quickly found myself hoping for a spin-off series featuring the Kings, and my god has my wish came through. Just This Once was an effortless read filled with a strong cast of characters and engaging interactions that made me unable to put the book down. I was well and truly a Sullivan girly until Whip King came into my life... and now I'm questioning my allegiance. I had an absolute blast seeing a snippet of the King/Sullivan feud from the other side of the dynamic, and I cannot wait to learn from in future instalments of the series. If Whip King is a walking red flag then red is suddenly my favourite colour. THIS MAN. Swoon. Whip's arrogant swagger and sinful smile had me swooning from beginning to end. This man knows how to seduce and I loved every single second of it. Most importantly, I loved to see the softer and more emotionally vulnerable side to his character that we hadn't otherwise been introduced to. This intimate insight enabled me as a reader to better connect with Whip emotionally outsight of the superficial characteristics, and I loved being able to watch him grow and learn as we further divulge into the plot. Whip is the entire package with the... piercing to match. My Google search results looked dodgy-as whilst I was trying to figure out what, exactly, his piercing was. I consider myself educated and my eyes have well and truly been opened. The development between Whip and Emily was so sweet and I love how Whip became the champion for their relationship whilst Emily addressed her own fears and insecurities. I appreciated the efforts put into his grovelling near the end of the story, and honestly I don't think there's a single fault that I can find in that man. Whip and Emily are utterly perfect for one another and getting to follow their journey was a true joy, and I cannot wait to see what these two get up to with their cameos in future books. Emily has carried her reputation as a "good girl" very close to her chest until she finally let go and allowed herself herself one forbidden night with a stranger. Too bad she quickly discovered the hot and mysterious stranger was a firefighter who worked for her father and should have been entirely off limits. Honestly, I can understand Emily's hesitation and split-decision panic. After a disastrous end to her previous relationship left her feeling raw and emotionally vulnerable, I can understand her reluctance in letting somebody new in. I loved Whip's overall tenderness and care towards Emily which helped soften her tough exterior and allow the 'true' Emily to shine through. Their chemistry was magnetizing and alluring, and I was constantly left in stitches as a result of their banter-filled interactions. Emily and Whip have to be two of the most bull-headed and stubborn characters that I've ever read... and yet it worked. Their communications skills were slippery at some moments and I at times found myself wishing that I had the ability to reach into the page and shake some sense into them. Thankfully Emily and Whip ultimately realised what really mattered was being together and put in the work to improve their communication skills. Emily's flaws and complexities as a character only made me adore her more. Her need to emotionally protect herself is innately human and cannot be faulted, and I was really proud of the work she put into her own development. I'm sorry Team Sullivan... it looks like I'm jumping ship to Team King. Just This Once is easily my favourite Lena Hendrix book yet, and I'm beyond excited for the future of this series!

Whip King, I mean let me introduce myself I'm Emily Ward. The end!! Yes that's me claiming a King but sshh don't tell the Sullivan family, I love them too. But I did not expect Whip to be so much more and amazing. Talk about golden retriever and cinnamon roll vibes , you get Whip King. A ONS with Emily has Whip questioning what he wants in life and as fate has it, everything clicks in place. Emily I just adore her, the fierceness she has over her middle school students is so wonderful. This story give us so much insight that has been nigging for me since the previous series and boy am glad for this series. The kooky town I just love. And so good to see those familiar faces. Kings are so much more than inane pranks. And my heart bleeds for them. Perfect small town romance for me. Can't wait for the rest of the series.