J. T. Geissinger

A wallflower gets seduction tips from a playboy athlete--until love changes the rules. Socially awkward Joellen Bixby has a date every Saturday--with her cat, a pint of ice cream, and fantasies of the way-too-handsome Michael Maddox. She'd give anything to win over the unattainable CEO of her firm, but how can she when she blends in so well with her cubicle? The answer may be closer than she thinks. Cameron McGregor is a cocky, tattooed Scottish rugby captain who just moved in next door. He's not Jo's type--at all--but the notorious playboy is offering to teach the wallflower everything he knows about inspiring desire. Though a lot of women have rumpled Cam's kilt, Jo is special. Far from the ugly duckling she thinks she is, in Cam's eyes she's sharp, funny, and effortlessly sexy. Now, thanks to him, Jo is blooming with confidence and has the man of her dreams within reach. Unfortunately for Cam, he's just helped to push the woman of his dreams into the arms of another man--and now he's in the fight of his life to keep this beauty from getting away.

Melt for You

AHHHHHHH i loved this way more than i thought i would... i tried to read geissinger's "ruthless creatures" last month and didn't hate it, but also still found myself losing interest, but THIS. this is everything i was craving in my recent romance kick! i liked that joellen's body and looks were not model-like, and that they were a key part of her character that didn't end up changing by the end of the book. cam was also the best -- love how he established from the very start that he didn't want to hear her talking badly about herself, and he never once suggested there was something about her that she should change :') i was also desperately searching the "he fell first" and "obsessive mmc" tags on goodreads but was NOT finding what i wanted, which was THIS - cam falling first and being the sweetest person ever but not being a total pining idiot, still prioritizing her + friendship with her above how he feels + his whole personality isn't just loving her + you don't find out until the very end of the novel BUT he would still do absolutely anything for her... YEAHHH! joellen fully knowing that cam would never hurt her so she's not afraid when he's angry, knowing that he wouldn't criticize her or want her to change anything......! i do think the portia storyline could have been slightly cleaner -- it was obvious portia was just looking out for joellen since the moment she told joellen to be careful going out to the luscious kitty (or whatever the fuck) with michael, but i feel like her motivations could have been explained slightly better haha. maybe this isn’t that big of a deal but i also don’t love jokes abt kilts being skirts. ALSO it was def a little dated what with joellen having a LAND LINE and also why did she and michael EMAIL instead of... like... TEXT??? DO YOU ALL NOT HAVE CELL PHONES??? plus i think most of my friends do do personal stuff on their work computers but... I WOULD NOT BE CAUGHT DEAD S*XTING ON MY WORK EMAIL......... ALMOST HAVING PHONE S*X ON MY WORK PHONE...... LIKE WTFFF WHY ARE YOU TAKING PERSONAL CALLS ON YOUR OFFICE PHONE WEIRD AFFFFFFF okay phew now that i got that out of the way.

the grammar and the writing were both rly good (i noticed right away bc i've been reading too many romance novels that are subpar in that aspect lately lol) and i thought the plot was well-paced + didn't feel too forced in any particular way! i am starting to realize i like slower-paced novels since i lose interest so quickly if the main couple consummates their relationship too fast, and this is from the slow burn series LOL so ig it was perfect for me in that way! THOUGH i will say that joellen is dense as hell AND ALSO i thought michael didn't have to be THAT evil to be knocked out of the competition lol. but still, these things weren't big enough that they rly impacted my enjoyment of the story, esp since i read it p quickly LOL i breezed right through this bc i liked joellen and cam's dynamic so much! j.t. geissinger is truly so good at banter -- even tho i didn't finish ruthless creatures, i could still recognize that haha. i know j.t. geissinger doesn't write books like this as much anymore, but i now recognize she's a really good writer and maybe i just didn't vibe with that one book. i am now reading burn for you, which, while it seems like other ppl on the internet generally agree that melt for you is the best of this series, i think i will also enjoy. report back soon!

lucia

AHHHHHHH i loved this way more than i thought i would... i tried to read geissinger's "ruthless creatures" last month and didn't hate it, but also still found myself losing interest, but THIS. this is everything i was craving in my recent romance kick! i liked that joellen's body and looks were not model-like, and that they were a key part of her character that didn't end up changing by the end of the book. cam was also the best -- love how he established from the very start that he didn't want to hear her talking badly about herself, and he never once suggested there was something about her that she should change :') i was also desperately searching the "he fell first" and "obsessive mmc" tags on goodreads but was NOT finding what i wanted, which was THIS - cam falling first and being the sweetest person ever but not being a total pining idiot, still prioritizing her + friendship with her above how he feels + his whole personality isn't just loving her + you don't find out until the very end of the novel BUT he would still do absolutely anything for her... YEAHHH! joellen fully knowing that cam would never hurt her so she's not afraid when he's angry, knowing that he wouldn't criticize her or want her to change anything......! i do think the portia storyline could have been slightly cleaner -- it was obvious portia was just looking out for joellen since the moment she told joellen to be careful going out to the luscious kitty (or whatever the fuck) with michael, but i feel like her motivations could have been explained slightly better haha. maybe this isn’t that big of a deal but i also don’t love jokes abt kilts being skirts. ALSO it was def a little dated what with joellen having a LAND LINE and also why did she and michael EMAIL instead of... like... TEXT??? DO YOU ALL NOT HAVE CELL PHONES??? plus i think most of my friends do do personal stuff on their work computers but... I WOULD NOT BE CAUGHT DEAD S*XTING ON MY WORK EMAIL......... ALMOST HAVING PHONE S*X ON MY WORK PHONE...... LIKE WTFFF WHY ARE YOU TAKING PERSONAL CALLS ON YOUR OFFICE PHONE WEIRD AFFFFFFF okay phew now that i got that out of the way.

the grammar and the writing were both rly good (i noticed right away bc i've been reading too many romance novels that are subpar in that aspect lately lol) and i thought the plot was well-paced + didn't feel too forced in any particular way! i am starting to realize i like slower-paced novels since i lose interest so quickly if the main couple consummates their relationship too fast, and this is from the slow burn series LOL so ig it was perfect for me in that way! THOUGH i will say that joellen is dense as hell AND ALSO i thought michael didn't have to be THAT evil to be knocked out of the competition lol. but still, these things weren't big enough that they rly impacted my enjoyment of the story, esp since i read it p quickly LOL i breezed right through this bc i liked joellen and cam's dynamic so much! j.t. geissinger is truly so good at banter -- even tho i didn't finish ruthless creatures, i could still recognize that haha. i know j.t. geissinger doesn't write books like this as much anymore, but i now recognize she's a really good writer and maybe i just didn't vibe with that one book. i am now reading burn for you, which, while it seems like other ppl on the internet generally agree that melt for you is the best of this series, i think i will also enjoy. report back soon!

Me hubiera gustado más si hubiese sido dual point of view 

Valeria 

aleksandra

4/5

I never thought I would absolutely adore this book.


  
    "No one ever told me it was okay to be me.”

„You have to decide to accept yourself. It’s cliché, but you really do have to love yourself before you can love anyone else.”

Rebecca

Apparently I'm just reading a bunch of mediocre romances right now. Honestly, I read it yesterday and don't remember much about it. The biggest thing I remember is that she didn't like her body due to family trauma (relatable) but he "helped" her appreciate her body, by still helping her lose weight?? It was very mixed messages, like it wanted to pander to the idea of not changing yourself for a man/idea, but also it's fine if you do, here's how to do it right.

Lover of Romance 

This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance

Melt For You by J.T. Geissinger is the second book in her latest series and I fell in love with Burn For You last year.  I have had this book on my Kindle ever since I read Burn For You. I am not sure why I waited so long for Melt For You to be honest. I think the set up isn't my favorite in romance to be honest. The whole unrequited love with a mix trying to set up the person with someone else. So its something I was super excited to read however, I wanted to read this series in order and Ache For You was recently released and I want to read that one so badly so I thought since this book Melt For You received so many wonderful reviews that I would finally pick up this book and spent all afternoon yesterday reading this and I just couldn't put it down. It was FABULOUS, I wish I could just leave this review with that and that would be it because this book satisfied me in every which way and as a plus, it's an Ugly Duckling Fairy Tale Retelling and there aren't that many retellings of that fairy tale so I was thrilled.

in Melt For You, our story begins with Joellen who is socially awkward but is a hard worker. She has stayed with her job for over ten years, only taking one day off when she had surgery. She has been in love with her boss, the CEO for many years but he is married, so untouchable for her.  Joellen has a new neighbor who is driving her crazy with his super loud rap music, always wanting her to make him her dinner meals, her cat has betrayed her in loving him, and he is an arrogant rugby player who never has a shirt on. But when he discovers that she is in love with her boss who is getting a divorce, he begins to give her some lessons in winning her boss over but soon the lessons begin to turn into something more between them and there is sizzling chemistry whenever they touch or argue or laugh together. But this ugly duckling's journey into turning into a swan will show that her beauty has always been there and that Cameron has admired her for who she is and not for who she has become and accepts and loves her with no conditions.

Melt For You was such a beautiful love tale and with this spin, on the "Ugly Duckling" I admired how this author wrote this story for sure. It was so delectable and I admired seeing them journey together and boy the LAUGHS. I swear this book just gave me so many happy feels and I was laughing all the way through this book because seriously their banter was so infectious. The first half of the book you just see the chemistry building up stronger with each chapter. Their interactions were addicting and I honestly just couldn't get enough of seeing them together. But then we get some vital emotion that gets thrown in the mix. We start to see their painful pasts come into their relationship.

Our hero suffered seeing his parents make painful decisions and suffered from some traumatic memories but what we see is that Cameron was born a preemie and growing up was smaller than the other kids, but now Cameron is one of the best athletes in the world and is built like an ox with muscle on muscle, he has worked hard to eat right and work out like a beast to become stronger and not let anything or anyone hurt him again. I loved his strength, courage, and devotion to living a healthy lifestyle. And I am telling you, I wanted to just drink a green smoothie while reading this book!!

Joellen grew up in a home where her parents did love her to an extent but always looked down on her Her parents and sister always had the perfect style of bodies and Joellen didn't quite match up to what her family looked like and they tend to put her down A LOT and it was so sad to see that in the beginning of the book Joellen believe that she is dull and fat and not that pretty and it broke my heart and I related so much to this (since I received similar treatment from my family growing up) so I really connected with Joellen and understood her so well.
People can be arseholes. Sometimes those arseholes are family. It sucks, but it doesn’t mean you have to take on their bullshit. Your mother’s BS is about her, not you. You’re perfect just the way you are, lass.
And boy Cameron doesn't like her family after one phone call with them because he can tell how they view her and it makes him furious and I think I fell in love with him in that moment. Because Cameron sees Joellen as the gorgeous woman she is inside and out, that beauty within is more important than what is on the outside but he also sees the lovely woman she is and wants to show her how beautiful she really is and tries to get her to see that beauty despite her lack of self-esteem. Love seeing that.

Now the romance in this book is truly so endearing and love seeing them find true love together when they don't see it coming at first. Even though Cameron is trying to get Joellen with the man she wants, throughout the story you see that Cameron is falling for Joellen and wants her to choose him and love him instead but won't force her, he wants Joellen to want him in her life and to have that choice. He is so patient with her even if it makes him mad in how her boss treats him. Joellen at first believes that she loves Michael, but we start to see her come into herself, having more confidence in who she is, and the feelings she is beginning to have with Cameron despite his horrid taste in music. I really loved seeing the chemistry and those beautiful sensual moments when they practice kissing and boy it will set your curtains on fire because boy they have some moments of exploding passion and it just engages the reader right away. And the sex scenes....SMOKIN HOT!!! This is where we see Cameron come into his Alpha Male character because boy I love alpha's in the bedroom and he ticked off everything I desire in a hero and he was so YUMMY I wanted to keep him for myself.

Overall Melt For You is truly one of the best romances I have ever read, its a story of growth, confidence and finding love when you least expect it.....a romantic retelling that is guaranteed to stun and delight you in every delicious way,...A BEAUTIFUL GEM OF A ROMANCE!

Missy Zuber 

Loved the bantering between the two.
Loved Cam. Joellen is realistic and relatable with her insecurities when it comes to her weight and looks.
Minor age difference 29/36. Nice to find an older woman younger man story.

samantha youngclaus

the stupidest love triangle in literature

Catarina Silva

3
That was cute, and the topics it touched about self-love are really important, but it was just an ok read

Amanda J 

Find this review and more at 
  kimberlyfaye reads.


I totally fell in love with J.T. Geissinger's writing and characters when I picked up Burn for You earlier this year. I couldn't wait to get my hands on Melt for You. It sounded fantastic and, unsurprisingly, it was. I loved it every bit as much as the first book. Now I just have to wait for the third one, which is several months away, but at least I have time to tackle her backlist now... 

First off, I absolutely loved the characters. Jo was one of the most relatable heroines I've met in a long time. At times it felt like she was literally inside my head. I understood her struggles and her mindset. I also loved that she was an older heroine. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy reading romances about characters of all ages, but it's especially great when a character is closer to my age. I was Team Jo from the very start. 

Oh, Cameron. He was basically heaven sent. What I wouldn't do for a hot, Scottish, rugby-playing neighbor... Cue all the swoons. Just imagining his words in that Scottish accent made me melt. While things between he and Jo started out a bit rocky, I loved the path of their relationship. Of course, I was cheering for them to be more than friends because the other guy Jo was interested in just seemed a bit too good to be true — I wasn't wrong — but I was still happy with their banter and everything else about when they were just friends. Cam made me swoon all over the place with the way he treated Jo and talked to her. Something about a man like him being so deep and sensitive and reassuring a woman who struggled with self-esteem and body issues that she's enough, MORE than enough, made my heart really happy. 

I love a great slow burn romance and that's exactly what I got with Melt for You. There was a smidge of a love triangle, but it's not something that bothered me a bit. I always suspected that not only was Michael a total DB, but that she and Cam were endgame, too. They had too much chemistry not to be. Bottom line is I just loved everything about this book. It made me so smiley happy that I basically felt like I had turned into the heart eyes emoji while reading. 

I received a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

FAVORITE QUOTES

December in the mall is like The Hunger Games meets Lord of the Flies, completed with a reenactment of Death Race in the parking lot when you finally try to leave after twelve hours of spending money you don't have. Fun times. 

Dear God, he's a Scotsman. A huge, half-naked Scotsman in a kilt. Smiling at me like he knows all my secrets, what color my panties are, and that I'm curious what it would be like to have a man pull my hair during sex. 

"Ah, lassie. If it were anyone else but family who made you cry like this, they'd already be in an ambulance."

"Your body isn't a thing to be looked at and judged against some standard of perfection that doesn't even really exist. It's the vessel that takes you through life, allowin' you to experience all the beautiful things life has to offer."

"I'm gonna get you naked. Then I'm gonna make love to you. Then you're gonna tell me if you want it sweet and tender again, or if you want it dirty and hard."

window

Didn't like this one as much as Burn for You, but still a good read. I have a hard time with heroines who let other people treat them like crap and have serious self-esteem issues. It's real life for many people, I know, I just prefer my MCs to not be doormats or constantly tell themselves how fat/unattractive/worthless they are.

Lacey

I adored this enemies-to-friends-to-lovers romance!!! It's so sweet and I'm a sucker for slow burn. And it was great reading about a modern wallflower!

amanda s.

Caitlin Aiello

J.T. Geissinger

Quand un sportif dragueur joue les coachs en séduction, attention à ce que l’amour ne bouleverse pas toutes les règles ! Joellen Bixby n’est pas très à l’aise en société. Elle préfère passer ses samedis soir en compagnie de son chat et d’un pot de glace à fantasmer sur l’irrésistible Michael Maddox. Et même si elle donnerait tout pour séduire l’inaccessible PDG de son entreprise, elle ne sait pas comment s'y prendre. Après tout, comment fait-on pour attirer l'attention d'un homme aussi parfait quand on est du genre à passer inaperçu ? La réponse se cache peut-être juste sous son nez... Quand Cameron McGregor (un Écossais arrogant couvert de tatouages, et capitaine de l'équipe de rugby) emménage dans l'appartement voisin, c'est le début d'une drôle d'amitié. Autant vous dire qu’il est à l’opposé de tout ce qu’elle aime chez un homme ! Mais qui de mieux que ce dragueur invétéré pour lui enseigner l'art de la séduction ? Michael Maddox n’a qu’à bien s’accrocher ! La Joellen 2.0 arrive ! Malheureusement, quand Cam se rend compte qu’il a poussé la femme de ses rêves dans les bras d’un autre, il est déjà trop tard... Mais il n’est pas du genre à baisser les bras et il est bien décidé à lui prouver que c’est lui l’homme de sa vie.

Melt for You

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