Just This Once

I don’t give out five stars a lot but I loved this book. The town is amazing and all if the characters that flow through it are great. Heat, love, passion are full in this book. I loved everything about it. A great story with a mystery to be solved I’m sure throughout the series. Great read

Whip and Emily were perfect together! After a one night stand, they ran into each other again and couldn't fight their chemistry. Though both had their own hangups about relationships, they agreed to see each other in secret. Their secret eventually got harder to keep as their feelings became more real. They both were exactly what the other needed to help heal their issues from their pasts. They did it with respect for each other and so much encouragement. They were sweet and funny and so devoted to each other.I love how Ms. Hendrix always weaves a little mystery into the story that gets solved throughout the series. I was happy to see previous couples pop up too! Can't wait to see more Kings 👑

Just this once, The Kings family andThe Sullivan s a constant baddelBetween the family'sAwesome story about school teacher, meeting one of the handsome King boys and falls in love, with him. His father raised his children, as he claims she ran off.But when the boys get older theyQuestion her ware abouts.I am moving on to book two , to seeIf anything comes up about her.Love the story.

I really mean 3.5 stars!I read the second book before the first accidentally and the second one definitely has a better plot & straight to the point, while this one is more playful and has better 🌶️🌶️🌶️ details.This book is good but the ending was way too repetitive. Whip is a hot, charming alpha with a bit of arrogance, but rightfully so because Emily, as funny as she can be, was also giving hella whiplash with her terrible communication skills and indecisiveness.Their “getting to know each other” part is so fun, flirty, and beautiful, I just wish the end didn’t drag the way it did.

This book was great. Storyline and the characters are spot on. I will be reading this series to the end. I think I will be ready the Sullivan's series also.

First off , let me admit I loved Whip from the start. He cooks, has tattoos, is a sweetheart who misses his mother desperately, knows how to melt you with a kiss and soft touch. Tattooed tall HOT bulky firefighter with charm, manners and just enough dirty banter to melt you I to a puddle. But his controlling father tries to run the town and Whips life. thankfully Whip has siblings to help ease that constant haunting of the disappearance of their mother. Whip also has his Chief and boss to guide him. His respect for Chief Martin gets In The way when Whip realizes his one night stand is Chiefs daughter. Emily had decided just this once she would be her old care free self. Take what the hot guy at the bar was offering and enjoy some hot sex. When morning comes, Emily is reconsidering labeling Whip as a one and done until she sees his firefighter uniform. That prompts a quick high-five and fast escape. Only these two are nowhere near finished with their irresistible attraction. everybody in town sees it. Secret looks, secret hookups and their secret won't stay buried in this small town of knowing eyes and ears. Emily came home after a bad breakup Hoping for a teacher job and setting down roots. The blue birds book club becomes a surprising support system that might be her savior long term.Emily is written like a demure teacher /librarian type but has had her confidence shaken by former boyfriend. She just wants to help peop!e and at times acts before knowing a full story. I like her slow rediscovery of her sass, wilder side and relationships with her Dad. Whip is described as a tall tattooed big firefighter but his heart is walled up. He desperately seeks approval from Chief Martin and his wife. He doesn't really believe he deserves the Martins welcoming attitude towards him and struggles to accept praise. Hot alpha firefighter doesn't describe Whip. HE loves to cook. He seeks approval and praise in career, with family and friends. He's always expecting negative responses and prepared to defend himself alot. When it hits him that he does deserve better and accepts that his position at the FD is earned, Whip has to figure out how to show Emily he's all in. So BIG GESTURE it is and involves practically the whole small town. Sparks finally ignite from both Emily a d Whip in a blowout fight on the sidewalk after a failed date night. The tension gets to them both and the exchange is a well written verbal assault of accusations, assumptions and misinterpreted information that results in heartbreak. dad is a total bully in town. Whip and his siblings being raised by their aunt bug could have been just like their father. Sister had already broke from the bullys mold and influence. The boys just wanted their fathers respect and approval but he's too controlling and blinded by greed. There is a secret about their mother's story that is slowly unraveling which is intriguing.The underlying back story of Kings vs. Sullivan's in town continues in this book too. Its less of a plot line but provides some funny pranks and small town gossip.

Cocky Firefighter Meets overachiever but insecure Teacher! Each character has wounds and insecurities and are frankly a mess! But their strengths seem to pull them together and bind them up to one beautiful, sweet and completely loving unit! I loved their journey, each fumbling through learning more about themselves and each other! You don't have to be perfect to be perfect for each other!

This was a perfect small-town romance for me. 🔥🔥🔥A tall, tattooed, buff firefighter who is sensitive and can cook too…sign me up! Pair him with a shy, unassuming school teacher with an inner sassy wild side and I am all in for this ride!This is my first time reading this author based on a recommendation from one of my fav authors to read Just My Luck. Since I like to read a series in the order in which it is written I started with 'Just This Once'. I was well into the book when I realized that this series was a spin-off of The Sullivan Family series. I just wish 😉this information had been shared in the blurb somewhere. I would have read that series first so I could get a better understanding of all the characters involved. That's just me though. There is also a bit of a mystery around Whips mom that was not resolved in this book and that made me feel some kind of way. I will definitely read the next book in this series. Then I will see if I want to circle back to read The Sullivan family series to see if I can get the back story of the Kings vs. Sullivan family feud.

THE KINGS ARE HERE!!! I couldn’t wait to dive into this series because I knew those men were going to win me over. Whip easily slide himself into one of the fav Lena men (glitter peen and all 😏).Whip and Emily have quite the meeting when he finds her eating her feelings in the middle of the grocery store. After convincing Emily to join him for drinks this leads to quite a memorial night.“ I had disrespected her enough for the both of us.”After that night Emily begins to avoid Whip after learning that he is a firefighter and works for her dad. Only Whip won’t let himself be forgotten and eventually they find each other again and a secret relationship is born.“You’re my safe place, Prim.”Emily is a teacher and she has her eye on the teacher position that needs to be filled. I love that she gets the ladies in the BlueBirds to help and brainstorm what she can do to impress the principal.I honestly devoured this book in one sitting. I was laughing, fanning myself at the spicy scenes and felt my heart ache at the emotional moments.“How did I make you feel?”“Like I’d burn down my entire world just to have you.”There is a certain mystery that comes up that in literally chomping at the bit to solve but that will definitely be down the line in this series.There is so much more to these King Men and I honestly can’t wait to meet every single one and their FMC counterpart.

— 4.5 stars⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫“You have to let someone in if you want them to know the real you. To love the woman you try to hide.”📖 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 329 pages👤 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: Lena Hendrix🏢 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫: published independently📅 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞: 15 April 2024What you can expect:— Adult Cotemporary Small Town Romance— First Person POV— Dual POV— Firefighter X Middle School Teacher— One Night Stand— She's His Boss's Daughter— Opposites Attract— Strangers-To-Lovers— Small Town Rivalry— Secret Relationship— He's *ahem* Pierced𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: death of a parent (referenced, off-page), child abandonment, child neglect/abuse (suspected), and sexually explicit content.Just This Once is the first instalment in the King Family series by author Lena Hendrix. Emily is in need of a fresh start. When a part-time teaching position opens up in the small town of Outtatowner where her parents call home, it seemed like the perfect place to start over. When a Valentine's Day date ends in disaster and ends with an unexpected counter with a sexy stranger, Emily is feeling good and never expects to see Whip King again. She has only one rule when it comes to men. No firefighters. Especially not firefights that work for her father. When Emily discovers that Whip does exactly that... she hightails it out of there and never looks back. Months later when a medical emergency occurs in her classroom, the last person Emily expects to walk through the door acting hero is none other than Whip himself. Why are the hot-as-hell men always the ones that are forbidden? Emily can't go there again, and yet who could deny themselves the temptation and forbidden touches? Will Whip and Emily succumb to their undeniable chemistry and realise that 'just this once' will never be enough, or will their relationship burn to flames before they ever begin?I'm coming to very quickly realise that every single thing that author Lena Hendrix writes... I will not only read and love. I absolutely adored the Sullivan Family series and very quickly found myself hoping for a spin-off series featuring the Kings, and my god has my wish came through. Just This Once was an effortless read filled with a strong cast of characters and engaging interactions that made me unable to put the book down. I was well and truly a Sullivan girly until Whip King came into my life... and now I'm questioning my allegiance. I had an absolute blast seeing a snippet of the King/Sullivan feud from the other side of the dynamic, and I cannot wait to learn from in future instalments of the series.If Whip King is a walking red flag then red is suddenly my favourite colour. THIS MAN. Swoon. Whip's arrogant swagger and sinful smile had me swooning from beginning to end. This man knows how to seduce and I loved every single second of it. Most importantly, I loved to see the softer and more emotionally vulnerable side to his character that we hadn't otherwise been introduced to. This intimate insight enabled me as a reader to better connect with Whip emotionally outsight of the superficial characteristics, and I loved being able to watch him grow and learn as we further divulge into the plot. Whip is the entire package with the... piercing to match. My Google search results looked dodgy-as whilst I was trying to figure out what, exactly, his piercing was. I consider myself educated and my eyes have well and truly been opened. The development between Whip and Emily was so sweet and I love how Whip became the champion for their relationship whilst Emily addressed her own fears and insecurities. I appreciated the efforts put into his grovelling near the end of the story, and honestly I don't think there's a single fault that I can find in that man. Whip and Emily are utterly perfect for one another and getting to follow their journey was a true joy, and I cannot wait to see what these two get up to with their cameos in future books.Emily has carried her reputation as a "good girl" very close to her chest until she finally let go and allowed herself herself one forbidden night with a stranger. Too bad she quickly discovered the hot and mysterious stranger was a firefighter who worked for her father and should have been entirely off limits. Honestly, I can understand Emily's hesitation and split-decision panic. After a disastrous end to her previous relationship left her feeling raw and emotionally vulnerable, I can understand her reluctance in letting somebody new in. I loved Whip's overall tenderness and care towards Emily which helped soften her tough exterior and allow the 'true' Emily to shine through. Their chemistry was magnetizing and alluring, and I was constantly left in stitches as a result of their banter-filled interactions. Emily and Whip have to be two of the most bull-headed and stubborn characters that I've ever read... and yet it worked. Their communications skills were slippery at some moments and I at times found myself wishing that I had the ability to reach into the page and shake some sense into them. Thankfully Emily and Whip ultimately realised what really mattered was being together and put in the work to improve their communication skills. Emily's flaws and complexities as a character only made me adore her more. Her need to emotionally protect herself is innately human and cannot be faulted, and I was really proud of the work she put into her own development.I'm sorry Team Sullivan... it looks like I'm jumping ship to Team King. Just This Once is easily my favourite Lena Hendrix book yet, and I'm beyond excited for the future of this series!

Whip King, I mean let me introduce myself I'm Emily Ward. The end!! Yes that's me claiming a King but sshh don't tell the Sullivan family, I love them too. But I did not expect Whip to be so much more and amazing. Talk about golden retriever and cinnamon roll vibes , you get Whip King. A ONS with Emily has Whip questioning what he wants in life and as fate has it, everything clicks in place. Emily I just adore her, the fierceness she has over her middle school students is so wonderful. This story give us so much insight that has been nigging for me since the previous series and boy am glad for this series. The kooky town I just love. And so good to see those familiar faces. Kings are so much more than inane pranks. And my heart bleeds for them. Perfect small town romance for me. Can't wait for the rest of the series.

This was my first Lena Hendrix book but it will not be my last! This book focuses on the King's but lots of mentions of the Sullivans (Which I assume are the books before this one) so I am so keen to go back and learn those characters but for now lets focus on the real reason we're here.The Jacobs Ladder.Wait no -Fire fighter...Fire fighter WITH a Jacob's ladder.But it doesn't end there. I am also here for Emily and her story and her growth, How she handles adversity that is constantly thrown her way. But also the forbidden romance... the snippets of the books to come and the books that I need to loop back and read because I cannot get enough of Outtatowner and how do we go there?Not to mention the ending - There is nothing Whip can't do. He is the book boyfriend benchmark for me!Tropes:Small townFirefighter x teacherForbidden romanceOne night standBosses daughterJacob's ladder

This book was quite underwhelming for me. I seriously just kept on skipping so much. There could have been more angst, more drama more of everything. This was definitely not to my liking.