by Lani Lynn Vale
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Goodreads

Ares saw him for the first time at a Kilgore Police Department benefit dinner. She’d gone with her dad as his plus one. Hayes Greer had gone by himself and brooded silently across the same table as her, drinking whiskey and not saying a word.

It only took that one time for her to become interested.

The next time she saw him, he was doing another benefit—but this one requiring a whole lot fewer clothes. And that was when she knew. She wanted him. Badly. But the morose Hayes was too busy thinking about his sins to see what was right in front of his face—Ares.

***

Hayes Greer knew the moment that he saw the feisty Ares Downy again that he should’ve stayed away. Maybe if he hadn’t done the stupid calendar, he wouldn’t be questioning every single woman’s intentions.

Maybe if he’d listened to that niggling feeling telling him to stay away, he would’ve been able to do his job a little better. But seeing her with a knife to her throat, in the middle of a building set to blow, made his usually well-wired brain start to malfunction.

Because nobody was allowed to touch her like that—only him. Nobody was allowed to scare her, either. Not and live to tell the tale.

*ARC provided by WIldfire Marketing Solutions in exchange for an honest review*

Sigh. What is it about a Lani Lynn Vale book that always has me devouring them the second they get in my hands? Ask Me If I Care is no different and the fact that we finally get to see the mystery that’s been building up for the last few books finally resolve is amazing! I did not see that coming and that’s what I love about LLV’s books.

Hayes Romine has been that character in the background that I’ve been dying to know more about and we get to see the big picture of him. Ares Downy is a guidance counselor at Kilgore High School and she meets Hayes at a charity function she goes to with her dad. Her ex is Hayes stepbrother and she dreads going but when she meets Hayes, well, regrets are out the window. The sparks are there but they don’t really get together until months later when Ares puts in a complaint about bullying happening in the school.

As they get to know one another, in the most hilarious and embarrassing ways, the two can’t help but click. But when Hayes hides a part of himself from her, something that darkens a bit of his soul, Ares puts her foot down. Either he opens up about himself, or they won’t work. Man, my heart hurt for Hayes when he finally does and Ares is so sweet when she figures out how to help him. Ack!! I can’t deal!

I love that in every book we get a little bit more of the characters from previous books, how families have grown and changed all while getting introduced to new characters and looks at what to come. I can’t wait to see how Louis and Calloway try to work towards their HEA. 4 stars for another great LLV read.
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