Publisher's synopsis: Sparks fly as a reclusive carpenter and a workaholic project manager fight their forbidden attraction in this steamy romance about finding that all-important work/life balance.
Violet
I never meant to lie to my parents about my job—I only wanted to make them proud. So when Dad asks me to return to New York to manage the renovation of a townhouse he owns, I can’t say no, even though I’m in way over my head.
But the real challenge comes in the form of Kyle, the gruff and ruggedly-handsome foreman, eighteen years my senior and my father's best friend. We clash on everything, except for the chemistry that sizzles between us—chemistry he stubbornly denies.
Kyle
Returning to New York wasn't in my plans, until my oldest friend entrusted me with leading a restoration project and keeping an eye on his headstrong daughter.
Keeping an eye on her is easy; resisting her not so much. She's beautiful, hard-working, and infuriating as hell. The more she challenges me, the more I want to throw her across my knee and teach her a lesson. No matter how much I fight it, Violet’s determined we should be together. And she’s right.
She might be my best friend’s daughter, but she was made for me.
My thoughts: I love the romance and spice that Jen Morris puts in her books, but she really outdid herself with She Was Made for Me. If you're looking for an age gap and/or forbidden romance, you absolutely have to dive into Violet and Kyle's story.
I've loved plenty of Jen's characters (Harriet and Luke, Josie and Cory), but Violet and Kyle just hit different. Maybe it was the way Kyle took charge, his gruffness, or his way with words when he was with Violet, but I could've easily read another 350 pages of Kyle being Kyle.
I loved these two characters, and I couldn't get enough of this plot. Even the parts I'd usually consider boring (home renovations generally don't excite me) were fun and entertaining (and even sometimes steamy). The cast of characters combined with the plot to truly create something I enjoyed from start to finish.
For an age gap/forbidden romance, I thought both Vi and Kyle were very relatable. Every decision they made and every action they took fit their characters perfectly. I find myself having to suspend my disbelief for a lot of father's best friend/age gap romances, but I surprisingly didn't have to do that with Kyle and Violet. Every scenario, from their initial hesitation to finally admitting their actions to others, all came across as very plausible.
Overall, She Was Made for Me was a fun, steamy romance that fans of age gap romance will be sure to devour. Kyle's dirty-talking, take-charge nature is a wonderful foil to Violet's need to prove herself, and both characters played off of each other so well. The spice is some of the hottest I've read from Jen Morris, and I cannot wait to see what she has planned for the rest of this series.
[Thank you to Jen Morris for providing a review copy of this title. All opinions are my own.]
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Release date: 9/12/23
Format: eARC
eARC provided via: the author
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