Review: Hooking Up by Helena Hunting

Amalie Whitfield is the picture of a blushing bride during her wedding reception–but for all the wrong reasons. Instead of proclaiming his undying love, her husband can be heard, by Amalie and their guests, getting off with someone else. She has every reason to freak out, and in a moment of insanity, she throws herself at the first hot-blooded male she sees. But he’s not interested in becoming her revenge screw.

Mortified and desperate to escape the post-wedding drama, Amalie decides to go on her honeymoon alone, only to find the man who rejected her also heading to the same tiny island for work. But this time he isn’t holding back. She should know better than to sleep with someone she knows, but she can’t seem to resist him.

They might agree that what happens on the island should stay on the island, but neither one can deny that their attraction is more than just physical.

Filled with hilariously scandalous situations and enough sexual chemistry to power an airplane from New York City to the South Pacific, Hooking Up is the next standalone, laugh-out-loud romantic comedy from Helena Hunting, the New York Times bestselling author of the Pucked series and Shacking Up.

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We jump right into the action at Amalie’s wedding and things quickly go from bad to worse. It was clear that Armstrong’s a jerk and he’s awful for her in the previous books so I wish she would’ve figured it out for herself before being publicly humiliated, but I’m just relieved she walks away. It’s an emotional rollercoaster for Amalie, dealing first with her husband’s callous betrayal and then being turned down by the man she propositions. After taking some time to calm down, she decides to go on her honeymoon alone. The solitude is just what she needs, except she’s not alone. The sexy stranger who refused her advances just happens to be on the same plane, headed to the same island and it doesn’t take long for sparks to fly.

They give in pretty quickly but agree this is just an island fling, one that means nothing and won’t continue when they return home. If only it were that simple. Feelings abound but Amalie’s hesitant to open herself up to anyone and understandably so. He wants to give her time and the space she needs to get past everything that has happened, but he can’t stand to be apart. This is a tricky enough situation that’s made more complicated by the fact that Lexington Mills is Armstrong’s cousin and they’ve had a rivalry going all their lives. Armstrong refuses to acknowledge his wrongdoing and insanely believes Amalie should let this go and continue their marriage. He won’t leave her alone and is making her life miserable in many ways, including being one of the biggest obstacles in the way of a relationship with Lex.

Hooking Up is funny and sweet, just like the rest of the series. Amalie was so demure and one-dimensional in the first book, although Ruby kept telling us how Amalie’s fiancé had changed her for the worse. Now we get Anarchy Amie, who hasn’t been let loose in years, but the fierce independent woman inside her can’t stay buried any longer and she finally stands up to Armstrong. Ever vengeful, he plants a seed of doubt, telling her that Lex never wanted her, he just wants to beat Armstrong by stealing his woman.

It should be obvious that Armstrong’s a conniving liar not to be trusted, but Amalie has a history of picking the worst possible men and Lex seems to fit her bad boy ex profile, with his tattoo sleeve and dirty mouth. Is she a prize in their lifelong rivalry or is Lex really the one for her?

This story is a lot more will they/won’t they than Shacking Up and it’s not quite as lighthearted but it’s every bit as good. I’m looking forward to the rest of the series.

Shacking Up series

• Shacking Up book 1
• Getting Down novella book
• Hooking Up book 2
• I Flipping Love You book 3
• Making Up book 4
• Handle With Care book 5