I am enjoying the Lake State University series and looked forward to reading Wicked Little Promise. Each book in the series features a different couple, making it possible to read them as standalones. Despite it not living up to my expectations based on prior experience, I still had a good time with this story. Read on and learn my reasons for recommending Wicked Little Promise.
Title: Wicked Little Promise
Author(s): Rachael Brownell
Series: Lake State University #4
Also in this series: Dirty Little Secret , Tempting Little Tease, Risky Little Affair , Scandalous Little Obsession , Torrid Little Passion , Tangled Little Truths, Twisted Little Lies, Defiant Little Love
Published by Rachael Brownell Books on March 10, 2022
Pages: 224
Genre(s): Contemporary Romance, New Adult
Source: Author
Format: eArc 
Purchase: Amazon
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Series Rating:
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He’s my new boss.
So what if I’ve secretly been crushing on him for years? Or that he’s sexy, tempting, smells like heaven, and makes my girly parts twitch? He’s also sweet, caring, and everything I’d want in a man… if I wanted one.
Which I don’t.
Falling in love is the last thing I want right now. I’m not even sure I believe in love anymore. It leads to heartbreak and that’s an emotional rollercoaster I’m not interested in riding.
All my friends might be coupled up and deliriously happy, but that doesn’t mean I want what they have. Happily ever after is not in the cards for me.
No, I’m not jealous.
I keep telling myself that, not that I believe my own lies.
Which makes the next few months the biggest challenge of my life. Spending hours alone with him, working side-by-side late into the night, keeping my hormones in check when I get a whiff of his intoxicating scent…
I can handle this. I’ll just repress my feelings the same way I have been since the moment we met. Masked by a fake smile and practiced deep breathing.
How hard can it be?
When he starts making promises, it becomes harder than I could have ever imagined. Because I want him to keep those promises even though I know he won’t be able to. I won’t let him.
It’s the only way to keep myself from falling in love with him. Because if I do, I may never recover.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.
Wicked Little Promise is a story of a friendship that builds into something deeper between college students, Julian Chambers and Piper Hoffman. Julian plays baseball, enjoys cooking for his circle of friends and works at his parents’ restaurant during his spare time. He spent the past few months watching his friends falling and dream of having what they have one day. Two years ago, Piper and Julian crossed paths and since then they have shared a mutual attraction. However, neither acted on their attraction. Piper thought Julian was out of her league, while Julian feared Piper didn’t share his feelings.
Piper is a firm believer in love and happily ever after. However, her parents pending divorce puts her beliefs to the test. She no longer believes in love. But then, amid her emotional turmoil, circumstances led to her and Julian spending more time together. A situation which forced them to confront their feelings for each other.
Wicked Little Promise was such a cute read. Having met Julian and Piper in the previous books, I looked forward to their story. I had fun getting to know both. One would expect as an athlete who had females throwing themselves at him, Julian would be an egotist. However, this was not the case. Instead, he was the epitome of kindness and selflessness. Both he and Piper made a great couple. They had a lot in common, which made them perfect for each other.
The romance that builds between Julian and Piper was sweet in so many ways. Initially, Piper tried to avoid getting involved by drawing a line in the sand. But eventually she couldn’t resist crossing the line. I enjoyed seeing their connection grow throughout the story. They hit a snag in their relationship, but it worked out in the end after Julian came to his senses, with a little push from his parents.
The secondary characters added depth to the story. It was great to reconnect with the characters from the previous book. The banter, dialogue and the activities are what one would expect from a college atmosphere.
Overall, I found Wicked Little Promise to be an entertaining and sweet romance. It’s a romance which will leave you smiling and eager to pick up the next book in the series. It should prove interesting to see how the next couple’s story will unfold.
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About Rachael Brownell
Rachael Brownell is an award-winning author of young adult and new adult romance.
Rachael lives in Michigan with her husband, son, snuggly dog, and hateful cat. She moonlights as a bartender a few days a week (her excuse to get out of the house and socialize) and writes almost full time. Her first book was published way back in 2013 and since she’s released 30 additional titles. She writes all kinds of romance – dark, sexy, sweet. When she’s not writing her next novel, you can find her hanging out with her family, watching her son play baseball, or running on the treadmill at the gym (though she skips more days than she goes). She also enjoys golfing but is still learning, so if you see her on the course… stand back.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
Thanks Nadene I’m not really into NA but it sounds good
That’s fine Debbie. Yea it was good.
I always enjoy a friends-to-lovers book. Terrific review!
Thanks Wendy.
A shame this didn’t fully live up to your expectations. I guess its a rare series in which EVERY book is a winner.
It may not have been what I expected, but I still had a good time with it.
That sounds great. I like the premise.
Yes, it has a great premise.
Glad you enjoyed the read and that it was entertaining. Great review.
Thanks for sharing Nadene. I shared with my youngest as I think she’ll enjoy it!
Great. I hope she enjoys it.
Good that he’s down to earth and not a big ego. I’ll have to check out the earlier stories since you loved them.
That does sound like a sweet read. Thanks for the great review.
I really like the sound of this. I like sports romances but it seems that most of them involve hockey so it is nice that this features a baseball player.