Ursula's Reviews > One and Only

3.5 stars.
The premise of a fake marriage is a problematic one- these sorts of marriages can only really happen in Romancelandia- but I am a bit of a sucker for them. Close proximity, sexual tension (provided they don't jump into bed in the first 20 pages) and the guaranteed HEA generally makes the angst worthwhile.
KS managed to pull this off quite nicely. Her character development was on point, and many of the familiar personalities from her previous linked series deepened my appreciation of the emotional drama that took place in this book.
Beckett and Greer could not have been more different.
She is an all-in, passionate, impulsive woman who tends to do things because they seem like a good idea at the time, and doesn't seem able to anticipate consequences or potential fall-out.



Beckett is the planner, the carefully-thinking-through-to-all-possible-outcomes kind of guy. She wore her emotions like a badge of honour, he was reserved and incredibly self-disciplined.



When they embark on their fake marriage, which is relatively early on, each of them do it for love- Greer for her step-dad, who is terminally ill and would like to walk one of his girls down the aisle before he dies, and Beckett for his 6 year-old daughter, Olive, who he wishes to have with him full-time for the year Olive's mother will be in England with her new husband. Having a stable relationship with a potential mother figure in the house will hopefully convince the ex to leave Olive with him, rather than taking her to England with her. (Their interactions with Olive were lovely to read. She was a sweetie)
What follows is an agonised dance around each other. Serious attraction, painful sexual tension and plenty of frustration- it's all there.
I was like ....


I admit I was a bit annoyed by each of the MCs at different times in the book.
Beckett was SO serious and disciplined, I wondered whether he was too repressed to actually commit to a relationship with anyone. On the other hand, I admired his integrity, and his profound love for his daughter. Meanwhile, Greer was so gutsy and prepared to go out and get what she wanted, I felt she was giving way more to him than she got in return. She hung in there, banking on Beckett finally acknowledging the future she could see for them all. It took him far too bloody long, if you ask me, and the pain this inner conflict caused him was deserved- Greer was braver than he was, but then, I guess she didn't have a child to factor into the equation.
What I liked without reservation was to see Beckett's relationship with his ex: not together longer than a few months after their unplanned baby is born, their relationship clearly never going to work, yet ALWAYS focusing on the child's best interests. No animosity, just love for their child. Such a rare thing to see and read- it was great!
Not my fave book by this author- I really didn't enjoy The Bombshell Effect- as I prefer the male to do the pursuing- but I will always give anything written by this author a shot.