My Review: One Time Only (One Time Only #1): by Lauren Blakely

Total Star Rating: 3.75 Stars

I shouldn’t do this. I need to stop. I will stop. I swear, I will. I promise. But . . . Not. Quite. Yet.”

– Lauren Blakely, “One Time Only”

What It’s About:

The official blurb:

A fiery, passionate MM romance novel from #1 New York Times Bestselling author Lauren Blakely…

Ever hear the story about the bodyguard who falls for the rock star?
Yeah, it never ends well.

Each day I remind myself that it’s my job to protect Stone. And nowhere in the job description does it say I should lust after the charismatic, charming rock star.

But every night I spend with him the attraction grows more intense, electric, undeniable.

Until one night in a limo when we combust.

One time only will have to be enough.

Because the mistakes from the past are chasing me.

And If I give in again, I might lose everything.

Good thing I’m strong, determined, and dedicated to resisting him.

But after a close call at his concert, all bets are off.

And in his hotel room, we strike a brand new deal.

One that can’t end well for me, but I do it anyway. Because sometimes you grab hold of the desire. And other times, the desire takes hold of you.

~~~

One Time Only was just a quick, lighter, sexy, and fun novel to enjoy while I’m taking a break from the Fantasy genre! It plays up on the forbidden factor of the bodyguard and the enigmatic rockstar having a hot, secret affair behind closed doors. What I especially liked about this one in particular was how it was a M/M romance with a slow burn, but still had plenty of steamy moments to really enjoy too.

Jackson Pearce is a bodyguard for rockstar, Stone Zenith, and while he’s only worked for the musician for a few months, he’s been in this line of for about five years and absolutely loves it, he wouldn’t want to do anything to jeopardize his career, not even the sinfully sexy rockstar he watches over! The problem is, there’s an obvious connection there; the lingering looks, the banter, the attraction, it’s all there and only grows more and more the longer they spend time together. Based off the title, you can guess that they give into their urges and agree to one night to get it out of the way so things can go back to normal, but of course, it only leads to more and more. they can’t get enough of each other!

I definitely liked the chemistry between the two men and their relationship as it developed throughout the book. You could really feel the longing they both had for each other as they couldn’t be together, and yes while there was plenty of smutty goodness, there were also softer and more tender moments that make you truly believe they’re right for each other and that this is more than just a sexy fling.

Sure, there’s nothing really new and it feels like any other bodyguard/celebrity client romance trope type of story, but the author still makes it a fun story with her writing and I still think it’s a pretty dang good book for anyone who’s looking for another forbidden romance with the bodyguard, or if you’re looking for another M/M romance in particular!

‘Did I ever tell you about the rock star who fell for his bodyguard?’

‘Let me guess. Did the bodyguard fall hard for him too?’

‘So damn hard.’

‘Sounds like our love story. And maybe your next song.’

‘It absolutely does.‘

– Lauren Blakely, “One Time Only”

What I Liked:

1. The Forbidden-ness of Jackson and Stone’s Relationship! The author plays up the taboo, riskiness of their secret fling and how wrong it is to sleep with the client, so of course that makes all the secret sex they keep having all that much hotter and risque!

What I Didn’t Like:

1. Nothing New…If I had one critique, it was just that this wasn’t entirely a memorable book that I will gush about for years to come. Sure, I love that it was a M/M romance, and I enjoyed the forbidden factor like I’m sure I’ve mentioned plenty already in this review, but nothing really stood out to me in terms of characters, storyline, development, not really any of it.

Conclusion:

Overall, One Time Only was a quick and fun read that is a great addition for anyone who wants to enjoy the forbidden bodyguard/celebrity, M/M, and secretly dating romance tropes! It isn’t anything too innovative or unique that makes it really stand out from the many other romance titles out there that fall under these storylines, but it was still very enjoyable nonetheless.

Sometimes mood readers just need a specific storyline like this and are in need of it ASAP, well I can say those of you that fall under that category most likely will enjoy this book in particular. It definitely satisfies in the needs to enjoy those particular tropes

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell