Stripped

Stripped by Zoey Castile Happy Endings #1 Told in first person from dual points of view I had a bit of trouble getting into the story…but…once invested it flowed smoothly. The story is about a woman nearing her thirties in a bit of an early mid-life crisis that leans toward depression and definite job dissatisfaction. She is a teacher that once had her life in order but finds herself scattered and scatty though still excellent with her fifth grade students. One morning, with nothing to wear but what is in the laundry bag she picked up the day before, she finds she has someone else’s clothing and none of it will work for school. The person in question has hers and delivers it to her door that morning and there is instant attraction…and why not…Zac Fallon is one hot hunk of man who also takes his clothes off for a living. Robyn Flores and Zac seem to hit it off at first but then something rather judgmental is said and then there is her principal that is a pain in the patoot and her bff’s wedding that she should be more invested in and…well…what should be relatively smooth sailing really isn’t at all. This book had the feeling of a new adult novel even though the lead characters were 28 and 32. The main thing I liked was the camaraderie of the Mayhem City Revue men and hope that even though Zac may not be going to Vegas with them we will hear more about them in book 2. This was an okay read for me that left me curious about the other men and hoping that some of them will find happiness in the future, too. I kind of wonder what Zac and Robyn will end up doing as their lives, though planned to be together, don’t seem to have a definite direction. Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC – This is my honest review. 3-4 Stars

4 Stripping Stars Review By Lisa Late Night Reviewer Up All Night w/ Books Blog Any story that has the word Stripped in the title has to be good right? ABSOLUTELY! Stripped is the first installment in the Happy Endings series by Zoey Castile. What do you get when you cross a male stripper with a fifth grade teacher? A truly wonderful story!! Being honest, I thought there would be more of the "stripper" aspect of this story going in without reading the authors blurb. I was greatly surprised and enjoyed the story so much that it didn't need all that extra "stuff". I fell in love with Robyn, the crazy mess that she is, I can relate to!!! Robyn is not having a good morning, day, week, month...few months. Running down the cleaners to get her clothes only to discover that it is not her clothes in the bag. Turns out they belong to the hot new neighbor living one floor down from her. Zac can't believe his eyes when his neighbor opens her door. That moment, that one connection frozen in time. But then the truth comes out of his profession in the the worst way possible. Stripping at Robyn's BFF"s bachelorette party. Can things ever be the same? You just have to read this story to find out. Heartwarming. Funny. Great character chemistry and a side of drama makes a great read.

Fun, flirty, sexy … an exciting escape. Robyn shows us how easy it is for life to get out of control. She was the always put together person and now she is late for everything and can’t keep anything straight but she’s not sure why. Her frantic search for clean clothes provides her with someone else’s laundry that is very intriguing. What she doesn’t expect is sexy Fallon on her doorstep in search of his bedazzled thong. Fallon is intrigued by the beautiful mess in front of him. Living his life providing women’s fantasies in an all-male review, he’s used to controlling his reactions to women but with Robyn, all bets are off. There is a wonderful journey full of laughter and heart ache as both Robyn and Fallon have to face what they really want in life. Is there a chance that they can find it together? I loved how these two connected and all the crazy moments that ensued along the way. I voluntarily read an ARC of this book and this is my honest review.