Beyond Friendship (The Irresistible Series Book 3) by Marlyn Love – Review byTara Johnson Barnes
Beyond Friendship by Marlyn Love
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Beyond Friendship is the third book in The Irresistible Series. It is a slow burn, friends to lovers, contemporary romance full of passion, chemistry, lies, secrets, betrayal, drama, angst, and sexual tension. The story centers around the characters of Brian and Amanda and is told from each of their POV. When Brian first meets Amanda, he is stunned by her beauty and feels an instant attraction to her. He jumps at the chance to play the hero and come to her rescue when he sees her receiving unwanted attention from a gentleman admirer. Amanda is instantly attracted to Brian and the chemistry between them is undeniable. However, as fate would have it Amanda is the sister of his best friend, so Brian puts her in the friend zone and tries to ignore his feelings for her. This might be for the best anyhow because Brian is notorious for having one-night stands with women but refuses to have anyone become close to him. He has very good reasons for not allowing anyone to get too close to him and has been harboring a secret for years that not even his best friends know about. Years go by and Brian and Amanda have been doing their best not to act on their attraction to one another. It is almost unbearable, but Brian feels it is for the best because of the secret he harbors. When his secret is revealed, Amanda stands by his side but is he too damaged for them to have a relationship?
This storyline was intriguing and sucked me in from the first few pages. Instantly I needed to know what would become of the attraction between Amanda and Brian. Would they fall into each other’s arms? Would she be just another one-night stand? Would his best friend be okay with the relationship? It was interesting to see how the tension between Amanda and Brian built and how he had enough respect for her to not follow through with his attraction to her. Then to learn that Brian had reasons for not wanting more than one-night stands with women. Initially, he comes across as a playboy who uses women and tosses them aside. It turns out there was far more to it than that and he guarded his heart closely for very valid reasons. Amanda was sweet, kind, smart, and very understanding when she learned of Brian’s secrets. I loved this slow-burn romance between the characters and how the relationship between them built over time. I look forward to reading more by this author.
