Hi there! Today I get to share my review for a new contemporary romance from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kendall Ryan. THE BED MATE is a new book in her Room Mate series and features two long-time besties who finally connect romantically. I shared a quick excerpt on Tuesday, but there’s a new one posted below. This is a novella, so it’s a yummy snack-sized romance perfect for a slow afternoon.

About the book:
I might be a typical guy, but these last few years, my love life’s been anything but. From crazy ex-girlfriends to one night stands who are stage-five clingers, my relationships go bad faster than the milk in your fridge. The only constant has been my best friend Maggie.

Fresh off a bad breakup of her own, I invite Maggie to my guy’s skiing weekend knowing she needs an escape from reality. But then something funny starts to happen. I start noticing things about her that I never noticed before.

She’s beautiful and doesn’t know it, she’s funny without even trying, and now she’s suddenly single for the first time in forever.

Sharing a hotel room with her proves to be the tipping point in our very platonic friendship. Suddenly I want to put my hands, my mouth, and my … other parts … all over her gorgeous body. I want to claim her, make sure no man touches her ever again. But then her groveling ex shows up, and Maggie’s torn.

Am I ready to screw up the best relationship I’ve ever had for a shot at something more?

**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you’ll enjoy each one as much as we do.**

How about a little taste?

Every now and then, Sam would shoot me a sympathetic look, knowing that I had no idea what they were talking about, but in truth, their company was a welcome break. Between what the woman in the shop had said and the lady on the plane’s insinuation, my mind was going a mile a minute and I was beginning to look at Sam in a way I definitely shouldn’t be.

Okay, so, yeah, he was sexy. That was a no-brainer.

I shot him a furtive glance, taking in the corded muscles of his forearms and the lock of dark hair that constantly flopped onto his forehead. And sure, he was sweet and attentive. He looked after me and made sure I always had a fresh drink and that I wasn’t cold or hot. He held the door for me and pulled out my chair when we went to restaurants. Hell, he’d been looking forward to this trip for months and he’d sacrificed an entire day just to make sure I got here safe and didn’t spend my time sulking.

Still, that didn’t mean he had feelings for me. He hadn’t argued when I’d mentioned us being like brother and sister or anything.

No, this whole line of thinking was ludicrous. Sam was a good friend. That was all…wasn’t it?

After all, Trevor had loved me once and he never did any of that.

Admittedly, that wasn’t the best example, but it proved my point all the same. In Sam’s shoes, Trevor never would have missed the chance to hit the slopes with his friends. He hadn’t even skipped the business trip that fell on my twenty-fifth birthday years back.

But Sam was there, my brain supplied helpfully.

Again, not an indication that he had feelings for me. People were just different. Sam was one of the good ones. And if he liked me surely I’d have known by now. He’d have told me or…something.

“Is that your phone?” Sam turned to me and I blinked, only realizing that I’d been so encompassed in my own thoughts that I’d totally zoned out.

“What?” I asked, confused.

“Don’t you hear that vibrating noise? I think it’s your phone.”

I listened hard and then heard the low, gentle hum he was talking about.

“Yep, probably you-know-who again.” I sighed, but fished the phone from my tiny handbag all the same on the off chance it was a family member with an emergency.

It wasn’t Trevor, though. He had called—I had seven new missed messages from him since I’d left for the airport, but I also had three missed calls from my friend Deanna. I hadn’t spoken to her in more than two weeks because she’d been away on a long-awaited safari, but now more than ever I really needed to hear her voice.

My Review:

Sam and Maggie have been friends since college.  A lot has happened in those eight years, but mostly it’s been Maggie dating a dude named Trevor, and Sam wishing the girl he was dating was half as awesome as Maggie. All their mutual friends can see Sam’s attraction for Maggie, but he’s never made a move…due to Trevor. Sam also thinks Trevor doesn’t appreciate Maggie. at all, and when Sam learns they broke up just after Christmas? He send her a first class ticket to join him and their pals in Aspen for a ski weekend over New Years.

Maggie didn’t think anything was romantic about Sam’s invitation, but everyone, even the stranger beside her on the plane, can recognize that Sam’s actions are above and beyond the call of friendship. And, Maggie’s been seeing Sam in an increasingly carnal light as her relationship with Trevor has fizzled. It didn’t help that their love life was lackluster to start with and Sam’s a virile man. Who’s always been Maggie’s rock, and biggest cheerleader. Maggie’s noticing that Sam’s attentiveness and compassion in her time of conflict are especially awesome, and that she’s loved him as a friend so long the transition into attraction is startling.

But it’s not gong to stop her from finding out if her soul mate was standing beside her all this time. And Sam’s determined to have Maggie see how deep his love goes, even if it means their friendship is forever altered.

Expect some sweetness, some sexiness and some sappy Christmas sentiment as Sam helps Maggie get her groove on. They are a yummy couple who finds that loving your best friend is a whole new dimension of companionship. They have some fund cheerleaders in their friends, and Trevor’s antics don’t overwhelm the romance.

Interested? You can find THE BED MATE on Goodreads and Amazon.

About the Author:
A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of more than two dozen titles, Kendall Ryan has sold over 1.5 million books and her books have been translated into several languages in countries around the world. She’s a traditionally published author with Simon & Schuster and Harper Collins UK, as well as an independently published author. Since she first began self-publishing in 2012, she’s appeared at #1 on Barnes & Noble and iBooks charts around the world. Her books have also appeared on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists more than three dozen times. Ryan has been featured in such publications as USA Today, Newsweek, and InTouch Magazine.

Visit Kendall on her website, Facebook, twitter, for the latest book news, and fun extras.