REVIEW: Hookup by Anne Marsh

Hookup by Anne Marsh is a sexy modern romance for an app developer and social media influencer brought together by an online video.

Maple Washington is a former ballet dancer turned social media influencer who has a huge following that tune into her pages for photos of her workouts in the latest athletics wear, mixed with the rest of her upbeat and lively life. But her wholesome online persona is in danger after her ex-boyfriend posts a nude dancing video of her up on Kinkster, the hookup app for people looking for sexual adventures.

Confronting the app developer Max O’Reilly about the illegally posted video Maple is relieved to find that he takes consent seriously and is quick to take it down. What she doesn’t expect is to be attracted to Max, the self-professed ‘Hookup King’. Maple is all about relationships, while Max is into single nights of pleasure with no commitment. Can they parlay what becomes a genuine friendship and a sexy affair into something more?

This is a fun, exciting and steamy story! I loved both characters, Max with his charm and charisma and Maple with her bubbly and joyful outlook on life, even with the failure of her last relationship (and the revelation that her ex is a real jerk). And surprisingly, there is no instant sex for this couple, but rather the development of a friendship through text messages and in-person meetings that leads them eventually to explore their extraction (and mutual taste in exhibitionism) in some sexy love scenes.

It’s Max who falls head over heels for Maple, putting his desire to be single at war with wanting to spend more and more time with Maple. He doesn’t begrudge Maple’s success as she gets offered new contracts that could take her around the world, but instead tries to figure out how they can keep their fledgling relationship going. It turns out they also have some mutual friends who encourage them to take a chance on someone new. It’s an all around entertaining story, with a writing style I really enjoyed (first person point of view from both characters) and a sweet happy ending.

Book Info:

Publication: Mar 01, 2020 | Harlequin Dare |

If billionaire Max O’Reilly doesn’t take my video off his hookup app, I’ll destroy more than his high-end laptop. But this computer genius is no geek. He’s all tanned skin and hard muscle and knowing looks. And my man picker must be broken beyond repair, because I can’t help responding to his cocky grin.

Max has figured out my secret: I love to be watched. But I never imagined my hateful ex would upload a video of me pirouetting in nothing but my ballet slippers. Now my job as a social media influencer is on the line. Because who’s going to hire an unwitting porn star to promote their products?

The Silicon Valley CEO wants to make it up to me, and I do need a respectable-looking fake boyfriend to save my reputation. But when a game of beachside truth or dare turns X-rated, the heat between us could fry any electronic device. And when the king of kink wants more than a hookup, I know I should exit stage right before I’m the one who gets burned.