Masked Hearts by Evelyn Aster

Happy Halloween! Does everybody have their costumes picked out yet? Well dear God I hope so. Otherwise it’s a little late to put something together. I’m gonna be a slutty panda! Why, you ask? Well, I’ve never done the whole slutty costume thing before, and I figured that if I was ever going to do it I might as well do so while I’m young and foolish. I also love pandas, so…yeah. Now on with the review!

I love, love, LOVED this book! Did I mention I loved it? Because I did. What we have here is the absolute perfect sweet yet sexy romance novel, all of which is centered around Halloween. I’ll admit, at first I was a little wary about how sexy this book could actually be. After all, our female lead character is a kindergarten teacher who sings in the church choir on Sundays. But once she started debating the merits of having a f*%k buddy versus using her vibrator I was like, “Holy Hell, we’ve got a live one here!”

Sienna is a kindergarten teacher whose fiancé broke up with her at their rehearsal dinner (prick), and Mark is the divorced father of one of her students. The two happen to meet outside of class-time one afternoon at the Holiday Café, and are immediately smitten with one another while drinking some Toil and Trouble lattes. What follows is an addicting story-line wherein Mark has to convince Sienna to take a chance on their relationship, even if she’s scared of being hurt again. They also have some amazing sex, which is so yummy, yet slightly dirty and sweaty. Toil and Trouble indeed!

I’d like to start off by saying that Mark is probably one of the most ideal book boyfriends ever, even if he does come with some baggage of having two kids and a crazy alcoholic of an ex-wife. He never gives up on Sienna though, and is always fighting in her corner. He’s also an amazing father. I feel like sometimes romance novels have difficulty properly incorporating children into the mix. Normally, whenever we have a single parent or divorced parent involved in a budding relationship, their kids are always off doing something else with their ex-partner. Basically, they are never in the picture, which gives dad the perfect opportunity, not to mention time,  to woo a young lass into bed. However, in this book there is the perfect balance of Mark finding the time to be a really cool dad, but also to sweep Sienna off her feet…and against a wall, if you catch my drift. I also love his name. Mark. It’s so sexy and manly. Not like Jace, or Logan, or heaven forbid, Trick. Still can’t get over that one.

At times, this book did make me a bit fidgety. Let me explain. There were moments where so many forces were coming against Sienna and Mark, that I was so anxious and worried that she’d either get fired from her job, or they’d break up. We’ve got an ass of an ex-fiancé, Mark’s bitch of an ex-wife, a lusting teacher who is incompetent at her job, and an annoying principal who refuses to listen to reason. That’s what we call a clusterf*%k ladies and gentlemen. However, even though this book did make me nervous at times, it just goes to show that there was more to the story than hot lovin’. It felt more real, like everything isn’t dancing faeries and butterflies.

I’ve also gotta give it to Sienna, that chica has some ridiculous willpower. She may have made some questionable decisions at times in regards to the return of her ex-fiancé and Mark, but when it came to her teaching and dealing with conniving, backstabbing coworkers, she always remained professional. I’m telling ya, if it were me, I would’ve had a convasation with some people. It’s like a conversation, but you know it’s serious. I also would have taught people the meaning of the phrase bitch-slap, because I would have been slapping some bitches. But alas, Sienna was classy throughout. You go girl!

Overall, this book was nearly perfect. I did find it a little ridiculous that the whole book spans a total of 2 weeks, during which Mark and Sienna decide they will spend the rest of their lives together. You know, there’s nothing wrong with dating for a few months. Maybe try living together, see if he hogs the sheets, drinks milk from the carton, that kind of thing. But you know what, I didn’t even really notice that their relationship was so short because I just loved the rest of the book. It’s funny, sexy, and frustrating at times, but in a good way. Halloween and the Holiday Café are also constant features throughout the book, so if you’re looking for something festive to read this weekend, or a way to entertain yourself while you pass out candy to trick-or-treaters, then go here to get yourself a copy of this fun read.

*An ARC of this book was provided for an honest review*

Series: Holiday Café series, book 1. I can’t wait to read more from this series. I want as many holiday romances as I can get: Christmas, New Year’s, Valentine’s Day, hell I’ll even take a Columbus Day romance if it takes place at the Holiday Café!

Should you read it? Just do it already!

Smut Level: Don’t let the kindergarten teacher and perfect father bit throw you. There are some deliciously descriptive sex scenes in here, and one even employs the use of neck-ties.