Book Review: Hold Me Until Midnight (Entangled Brazen; Grayson Brothers) by Christina Phillips

((Blurb): Every good girl loves a very bad boy...

Scarlett Ashford needs a date for her father's wedding. Only she doesn't just need a guy in a suit-she needs a bodyguard. The only problem is that Jackson Grayson is big and gorgeous and way too sexy. So much so that Scarlett's tempted to let this hot bad boy ruin her oh-so-good reputation...

Jackson doesn't do relationships and he certainly doesn't sleep with clients. Yet he can't fight their inconvenient attraction, or how badly he wants Scarlett's warm and wicked curves against his body. He wants her. Now. Even if it's just for one night, and even if walking away the next morning isn't as easy as he thought.

Besides, one hot and incredibly intense night between a bad boy and a pampered princess could never turn into something real...could it?

Hold Me Until Midnight was a book I stumbled across in my search for another that I was trying to remember. It sounded like a quick and fun read, and that is exactly what it was! Nothing groundbreaking for the genre. But there's enough wit and charm to fill ten of these books and I really enjoyed every minute of it. If you're looking for something with a little family drama mixed with a pretend Hercules boyfriend and a not as cliche rich-girl-poor-guy theme, then Hold Me Until Midnight is the book for you!

What I liked
The story is short, sweet, and to the point, and character building and reader connection is 100% complete. At no point did I feel the story was rushed beyond what felt right for Scarlett and Jackson. Their interactions were perfect for this kind of story. Right out of the gate Scarlett meets Jackson in an attempt to employ a bodyguard who can double as a fake boyfriend for her dad's wedding. Jackson's not really in the "escort" service, as he claims, but there's no denying lust at first sight and he agrees. Sometimes the whole I wanna jump your bones from page 1 doesn't work. It feels cheesy and forced. In this case it did and by the narrative you knew it was going to be fun to watch these two work together.

I mentioned that it's not a typical rich-girl-poor-guy theme. Scarlett isn't a pampered princess who is either too innocent or too bullheaded. She's able to pick up what Jackson throws down, and vice versa, and both characters were on the same intellectual and moral level.

What I didn't like
There wasn't anything too exciting that happened. The main strife of the story is between Scarlett, her dad, and a rich, seedy guy that her family would like her to have a better relationship with. I think another chapter or two could have been added, still keeping the story short, but building the tension and story behind the father. There wasn't a big plot hole or anything by that not happening, I just felt like it could have amped up all of the emotions a little more and provided a little more clarity as to why that guy was as bad as he was (besides just taking Scarlett's word and some context clues for it).