Insatiable by Melanie Harlow

Category: Contemporary Romance
Publication date: 11/11/2019
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Cliffhanger: No

Look, I’d probably read Melanie Harlow’s grocery list if she published it. So, it should come as a surprise to absolutely no one that I enjoyed this book. 

Plot overview: Meg comes home for her sister’s wedding and embarks on a friends-with-benefits scenario with her best friend from childhood, Noah. Sexy times and lots of intense emotional stuff ensues. It’s small-town romance at it’s finest.

First of all, Meg is a great heroine. She’s open and vulnerable, but never weak or stupid. She’s the type of woman you’d want to be friends with in real life—fun, sassy, with a great sense of humor. Right from the beginning, I was invested in her story and rooting for her to get her happily ever after. 

Noah is a hot cop who is good to his family and his dog. Is there really anything sexier than that? 

It was good to see the rest of the Sawyer clan again, too. But while there are characters from other books in the series in this story, it can be read as a standalone. If you don’t want to dive into the series from book 1 (which would be weird because it’s a great series, but whatever), you can pick this one up and you won’t be lost or confused or annoyed at the size of the cast of secondary characters. 

If I was going to nitpick, I’d warn you all about a couple of things. These things weren’t enough to make me rate the book down or stop reading, but...I made a note and side-eyed Noah a little: 

1. At one point, the sex between Meg and Noah is intense and...rough. Now, it’s all consensual, so it shouldn’t trigger anyone. But I’m here to tell any men who might be listening in the audience this: If my husband were to slam me into a wall so hard during sex that I had a bruise on my face that I had to cover with make-up for a week, I’d be PISSED. And even Noah feels pretty bad about it afterwards (even though he said that she might’ve used her safeword, but that he probably wouldn’t have heard her anyway because he was so busy slamming her into things). It’s a scene that bordered on...concerning for me. 
2. Towards the end, Noah’s head is really up his own butt. Everyone knows that he loves Meg but he’s super stubborn about it. I’m generally OK with this, but he was pushing the boundaries at one point. The angst and brooding were strong with him. He’s frankly pretty lucky Meg didn’t nut-punch him.       

But still, minor nitpicks notwithstanding, this was a good, emotional, sexy read about a sweet, funny, hilarious girl-next-door type and her hot, slightly damaged alpha hero. It works on pretty much every level.    

And I’m assuming it’s Sylvia’s turn for a HEA next, and I’m ALL IN. :) 
 
Does this book contribute to or help crush the romance stigma?
It’s clean and sober. No rehab needed.

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