REVIEW: Perfect Fling by Carly Phillips

Perfect Fling by Carly Phillips takes us back to Serendipity and everyone we know there! This time, in a moment of loneliness and a need to be close to someone, good girl Erin has a one night stand with Cole.

Cole is back in town, on his down time between jobs. The kind of jobs no one talks about, and very few know about. He is not looking for any kind of relationship, he doesn’t feel he’ll be good for anyone, especially someone like Erin. He has a lot of emotional baggage from the past, not to mention his under cover work, so he’s definitely not planning to stick around. Erin and Cole go their separate ways after their hot night together – well, as much as you can in Serendipity! When they do run into each other, Cole is careful not to get too close to Erin and send her the wrong message. No matter how sweet she is, no matter how great the sex was, it was a one night stand. To most of Serendipity, including his father, Cole is still a bad boy, never outliving his rebellious teen reputation. Few people will actually talk to him…but Erin can see the walls he’s erected and what lays behind them.

Erin is an Assistant D.A., growing up in Serendipity with a loving family. She knows there is tension between Cole and his father, but has never really known why. She’s not sure what’s happened to him to make him so closed off to everyone…including her. She does her best to put the one night stand behind her, but that is going to be impossible to do. Erin’s life is about to change forever. She discovers she’s pregnant, then gets shot at by an unknown assailant. Soon everyone is on the case from her police chief brother, policeman brother…and Cole. Cole’s life has a whole new meaning now. Somehow he is going have to step up and be a father. For now though, his focus is on keeping Erin and the baby safe. Cole takes on the role of Erin’s bodyguard, moving right into her guest bedroom. Until they can find out who is after Erin, he plans to be with her every minute of every day.

Erin understands the seriousness of the situation, for the most part letting Cole take charge of her safety. As the threats continue and Erin and Cole spend all of their time together, Erin sees more and more of who Cole really is. Cole is determined to keep his emotional distance from Erin, and the more time Erin spends with Cole, the more she finds herself falling for him. She knows he plans to leave Serendipity once she is safe, and she knows her heart will be broken. But they can’t resist the pull of each other and are soon wrapped in each others arms again. Erin accepts she’ll probably be a single parent no matter how she feels about Cole…but she knows if she doesn’t even try to make him want to stay, she’ll never know if he might…and she is up to that challenge! Despite the threats, Erin starts getting Cole mixing more and more with the town of Serendipity…and when he starts to find some acceptance, Cole starts to think maybe Serendipity isn’t that bad. Cole still thinks he’s bad though, those walls are harder for Erin to break through. Will Cole start to heal and see all that he can have with Erin and their baby? Before he can focus on that, they will need to find who ever is after Erin. When that happens, Cole will need to make the biggest and hardest decision of his life.

Cole and Erin were people that were very easy to like and relate to. Erin is independent, smart, the ‘good girl’ (even though she hates that label!!), and wants to have a traditional family. As independent as she is, I was so happy she wasn’t one of those characters who didn’t listen when the hero is trying to protect her. She knows Cole is trying to do the best he can to keep her safe, and in that regard she’s willing to listen to him. I also have to say I was really happy that Cole learned of the pregnancy early in the book (even if it wasn’t how Erin wanted him to find out!). I did not want Erin to be one of those women who decides on her own not to tell the father. She is rational (or trying to be) about the pregnancy and how it will mean having Cole as part of her life forever. She really has a big heart too, and she sees what Cole doesn’t say…she looks deeper than the surface.

Cole really pulled at my heart strings! I loved him even though he did not love himself! He was beaten down emotionally by his father for the first 16 years of his life and it affects him to this day. He can’t see the good parts of himself, but he is determined to be a good father to his child, no matter what. There are many layers to Cole…he keeps so much deep inside, if he will let her in, Erin will be so good for him. When she writes about Cole, Carly shows us so well how much emotional abuse (intended or not) can affect who we are and who we become. It is so easy for him to believe he is a bad person because he heard it for so long, he honestly thinks he is not good enough for anyone.

It was great to see lots of the people from previous Serendipity books in Perfect Fling, and how they all tied together – especially in a community as small as Serendipity. Really, I love all the people there!

I LOVED Perfect Fling! Carly writes a romance with such intensity, and in Perfect Fling much suspense. I read the book way faster than I wanted to (because I didn’t want it to end!) and I couldn’t put it down! Carly will pull you in and have you experiencing a multitude of emotions in Perfect Fling…and really, really hoping Cole and Erin can have their happy ending.

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