Trouble by Tia Louise

Trouble by Tia Louise is a push and pull romance between two characters who are incredibly stubborn but compatible in many ways. This book can be read as a standalone but I felt like I should have read Twist of Fate since Daisy and Scout, Joselyn's cousin and childhood friend, made an appearance. There's also the fact that Joselyn kept mentioning that Spencer saved her, which I'm assuming happened in that book. That was their beginning. I wish we had a recap of that in this book because I had no idea. This book features some popular tropes including a cheating ex-boyfriend, hero who does not know how to love due to past childhood trauma, some frustrating moments between the two due to a lack of communication. Nevertheless, I can say is that Spencer and Sly aka Joselyn had amazing chemistry and they were excellent characters in their own right.

"This is more than scratching an itch or satisfying a primal urge. I don't remember anyone but her. It's only her."

Although Spencer and Joselyn's relationship was a bit rocky at first, I loved how independent, strong, and courageous Joselyn was when dealing with Spencer's issues, her cheating ex-boyfriend, and her best friend's dangerous husband. On the other hand, Spencer is composed, cold, dependable, and completely capable of love despite him thinking otherwise. His childhood had a lot to do with the man he is today. Coming from an abusive home and getting adopted by a man who valued his treasures more than people, it's no wonder that he doesn't know how to love. At one point in the book, I was frustrated by Joselyn because she gave Spencer an ultimatum just because he didn't contact her right away. Ironically, he didn't contact her because he was trying to help her best friend. Thankfully, this discord didn't last too long but I wanted to shake Joselyn for not being understanding of Spencer's actions and behavior.

"Love becomes priceless when you have to earn the right to keep it. True love takes risks. It takes vulnerability. Only then have you found something irreplacable."

In the end, this book was quite enjoyable and I really liked the chemistry between Spencer and Joselyn. That had some incredibly sexy scenes and I would not mind reading more of Tia Louise in the future! Although this book had some rather cliched moments, I still enjoyed my time with it and thought it was a solid summer read. It was rather straightforward and there wasn't a lot of angst involved. If you love reading books where there's a lot of back and forth between the hero and heroine, especially when the female lead is determined to love the male lead but he is confused on how to proceed, then I recommend giving this story a try!

*This ARC was generously provided by the author and publisher for an honest review*

Rating: ★★★★☆