Early Book Review: Marriage Lessons (Off Guard) by Katie Allen

Marriage Lessons is the third book in the Off Guard series by Katie Allen, and is currently scheduled for release on October 15 2018. Each book does stand up on its own, with only brief mentions of the characters from the previous books. However, the books are all great, so I still recommend reading them all.

Falling for your boss—no matter how fast he makes your pulse race—is such a cliché. But it’s one Annabelle Shay can’t seem to avoid. Gallery owner Louis Dumont is stupid hot. Plus, he’s sweet, sensitive and a brilliant artist. But he’s also oblivious. Which is good because Annabelle loves her job too much to risk it. Louis hasn’t been with a woman since he was wounded in Afghanistan, remaining guarded about his body and his heart. But Annabelle is different. She keeps him grounded. Which is why protecting her—first pretending to be her husband to ward off unwanted attention, then inviting her to move in after her landlord kicks her out—feels so natural, even if it invites rampant temptation. Try as Annabelle might, there are some desires you simply can’t shake. Louis repeatedly joke-asking her to marry him isn’t helping, especially when their unbearable attraction upgrades them to roomies with benefits. But Louis is still keeping pieces of his past to himself, leaving Annabelle to wonder if he’ll ever truly be vulnerable with her—or if she stands to lose everything.

Marriage Lessons is a contemporary romance that hit all the right chords with me. Annabelle and Louis have chemistry from the very beginning- but work together and are friends but neither seems willing to take the risk. It is only after Annabelle faces unwanted attention at the gym, she needs a place to live, and she is attacked in the gallery they finally have to think about the attraction and where it might go. I thought Annabelle was a great character- she is strong, smart, and quirky. I liked Louis a lot, he is funny and thoughtful, with a humorous fear of ladies hunting him. I thought a little bravery- and conversation about how they felt might have wrapped things up a little quicker but I really enjoyed the ride. I liked the danger and suspense portion of the story- although I have a vague suspicion about the who and what before hand. I really wanted to get inside Louis's head, I wanted to know what he was thinking and how he felt- much like Annabelle wanted to. However, I was completely engaged with the characters and was left wanting more insight into the characters, and maybe a follow up to the series where all the characters get together and interact (maybe a weeding?). I just love the personalities in the entire series and want to see them all again.

Marriage Lessons is another wonderful book from Allen. The characters drew me in and never let me go, and I can not wait to read more.