Once Perfect

A Shattered Past Novel

By Cecy Robson

Synopsis

His life was never easy. Hers wasn’t supposed to be this hard. They come from different worlds, but fate lures them together in a way neither expected in Cecy Robson’s raw, steamy series debut—perfect for fans of Monica Murphy and J. Lynn.

Evelyn Preston’s future once looked perfect—until her wealthy father was caught in an embezzlement scandal and took his own life. Alone and struggling to pay her college tuition and bills, Evelyn finds a job as a waitress at the ultra-hip nightclub Excess, where she used to have more in common with the privileged private-school clientele than her fellow staff members. But something attracts her to the sexy six-foot-four bouncer and underground MMA fighter Mateo Tres Santos. Although they’ve led different lives, their troubled pasts bonds them in both survival and love.

Mateo is ex-army who wound up in prison for assaulting the man who harmed his sister. Now he’s feeling the same protective impulse for this petite blond waitress. When Evelyn experiences a panic attack at the club, Mateo comes to her rescue. And when Mateo is wounded shielding her from a brawl, Evelyn returns the favor and comes to his aid.

As their attraction intensifies, Mateo is determined to find out what nightmares are lurking in Evelyn’s past—even if that means tackling his own to save her.

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Tina’s Review

Evelyn: the Riches-to-Rags cocktail waitress.  She was once one of the social and financial elite then became a pauper when her father’s embezzlement scandal surfaced, the IRS confiscated everything, he committed suicide, any remaining family disowned her & her so-called friends dumped her. Now she’s struggling through school loans, trying to get a degree and pay the bills by waitressing in one of the most elite nightclubs in Philly – Excess.

Mateo: the head bouncer at Excess.  Mateo was a stellar soldier in the Army until, while on leave, he nearly beat a man to death in the heat of passion. Dishonorably discharged and sentenced to prison, Mateo did his time. Now, he participates in the underground fighting circuit and is the lead bouncer at Excess.

Once Perfect is written in a first-person (Evelyn’s) POV style.

Mateo and Evelyn had both had a less-than-ideal upbringing for different reasons & their family issues play a huge role in the development of the story. Learning to accept and understand one another’s differences is the biggest challenge.

The characters are multifaceted. The plot flows smoothly. I was a little disappointment with the lack of dimension & wished for a little more conflict or plot diversity. I really enjoyed the secondary characters & find myself wondering what will become of several of them, BUT I did not care for the continuous racial jabs between friends.

Michel’s Review

I thoroughly enjoyed this new adult romance by Cecy Robson.  I liked the originality of the characters backgrounds and family.  Both of the characters had less than stellar family lives and upbringings.  Although their experiences are on opposite sides of the spectrum.  But opposites attract , Mateo and Evelyn prove this in sexy romance.

The chemistry between Mateo and Evelyn is sizzling.  Their passion is contagious.

I thoroughly enjoyed Once Perfect and would recommend it to other readers.  I am looking for some of the secondary characters to have their own book.

Go read Once Perfect by Cecy Robson

Author Bio:

Cecy (pronounced SESSY) Robson is the Penguin Random House New Adult author of Once Perfect, Once Loved, and Once Pure and the award-winning author of the Weird Girls Urban Fantasy Romance series. A self-proclaimed professional napper, Cecy counts among her talents a jaw-dropping knowledge of useless trivia, the ability to make her hair big, and a knack for breaking into song despite her family’s vehement protests. A writer, registered nurse, and mother living in the South, Cecy enjoys spending time with her family and silencing the yappy characters in her head by telling their stories.

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