TEMPORARY BLISS by B.J. HARVEY

Reviewed by Jenny

Mackenna Lewis has commitment issues, and she has every right to have them too.  Having been burned by an emotionally and physically abusive relationship, Mac makes the decision to never again allow a man to dictate to her, nor make her feel less than herself.

‘Walking away from this life, I make a vow to myself; never again will my life be dictated by a man, and never again will I let love lead me astray.’ Mac

Feeling as if she has become the shell of her former self, Mac heads back home and back to the person who knows her best and who knows exactly how to help her over her traumatic experience. And that’s her best friend Kate. And what a pair Mac and Kate are.  Seriously, I loved these girls. They were like a tonic to one another – never judging, always supportive and both so much fun.

 ‘I need to reclaim myself, my identity, my freaking backbone that I used to be known for.’ – Mac

I felt like I wanted to grab a bottle of Tequila, a slice of lime a bit of salt, throw on my PJ’s, curl up on the couch, watch a couple of rom-coms, enjoy some witty banter and basically laugh my tits off with these two best mates.  They felt so real that at times,  it was more akin to eavesdropping on a real conversation as opposed to merely reading about it.

‘That is the beauty of having a best friend. They’ll walk over hot coals with you; they’ll tell you when you’re being dumb, and they bail you out of trouble, unless they’re sitting right beside you in the cell. ‘ – Mac

In the four years since returning home, Mac has met and begun a “friends with benefits‘ relationship with three gorgeous guys, Zander, Sean and Noah and Mac frequently meets up for quick romps and hot sweaty sex with each of these divine men whenever the mood strikes her or them….one on one that is, not all together….although…….hmmmm maybe that’s for another book 😉

All I can say is Mac is one lucky, lucky girl! Each man is the thing fantasies are made of and each provides a different outlet for Mac on a physical and emotional level without the fear of commitment hanging over hers or the guys heads. The situation suits Mac perfectly and everything is peachy until…..the day she claps eyes on Daniel Winters!!

‘Holy shit! I could be in a dark room, blindfolded and bound, and climax from his voice along.’ – Mac

Good grief this man was gawjuss!  Not only is he easy on the eye but Daniel is successful, gentle, warm, funny, sexy as sin, with a hint of that alpha possessiveness that drives women wild.  In fact, he’s pretty much everything a woman would want in a man. But Mac has another three men in her life – is there room for a fourth? And just maybe…….could Daniel supersede all the others?

‘Shit! I need to tell him about the other penises in my life.’ – Mac

The attraction is instant and so ensues a cat and mouse game of Daniel trying to convince the non-committal Mac that they are perfect together and that a relationship is possible, but Mac needs a lot of convincing.  An awful lot of convincing because darn it, that’s not going to cut the mustard with our commitment phobe heroine. What’s a girl to do?

Mac knows Daniel is sincere and isn’t a douche like her ex but Mac is gun shy and it will take a lot for Daniel aka Superman aka Delicious Dan – to convince her otherwise. As deep as Daniel’s feelings are for Mac, he isn’t going to force her hand. Daniel realises this is something Mac needs to work out in her own time, but is Daniel willing to wait around for her?

“Tell me you feel this, gorgeous? Tell me I’m not dreaming this…”  –Daniel
“I’m feeling it, and it’s scaring the shit out of me…” – Mac

I loved the support system Mac had in her family and in Kate. These girls really do share an amazing bond and their antics and interactions were priceless and added so much to this story.  I loved their banter and they frequently had me giggling.

I loved Mac as a heroine though I will admit there were times I truly did want to shake her.  She exasperated me with her ping pong decisions and actions and I really did feel sorry for Daniel during these times.  Don’t get me wrong, I understood why she made the reacted the way she did but that didn’t stop me becoming frustrated with her.

“God, I want to hate you for doing this to us, but I can’t,” he whispers, kissing my forehead one last time before stepping back. “I could never hate you, Mac. That’s why this fucking hurts so much.” – Daniel

I really did enjoy Temporary Bliss. It was like a comfort read for me. You know the ones where you can feel your face forming that constant dopey grin.  It had me feeling happiness, sadness and heartbreak and I was captivated! There were times my heart broke for both Daniel and Mac but I have to say, mostly Daniel.  I felt Mac’s pain, I felt it when her spirit broke, but I felt Daniel’s conflict and pain immensely even though this is told through Mac’s voice.

“As hard as this is for me to say, don’t come back to me until you figure out what you want and who you want it with because I’m getting sick of watching you walk away.” – Daniel

Mac was such witty and engaging narrator. Her inner musings were at times funny, at times sad, at times frustrating, a tad naughty, but above all, Mac felt so real. She was friendly, warm and relatable. How refreshing it was to have a heroine who was so open about her sexuality and didn’t shy away from the fact that she loved sex without commitment. Mac was like a breath of fresh air.

I absolutely adored the secondary characters and hope we get to hear more from them as I felt had something more to give.  I loved spending time with each and every one of them.  Loved, loved, loved the epilogue!   I did feel as though I wanted to experience more of Daniel and Macs relationship as it did feel a tad rushed at the end. There was much I still wanted to explore – to witness it all first hand, but this could be attributed to the authors’ ability to connect me to the characters because I know I wasn’t ready to say goodbye! I really hope we get more – I know I’ll be 1clicking if we do!! Temporary Bliss had passion, humour, heat and emotion…not to mention a smorgasbord of hotties .  A great read for a lazy Sunday and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Jenny: 4 Stars

ARC provided by Author in exchange for an honest review