The F-Word written by Sandra Marton
The F-word by Sandra Marton - Add it on Goodreads!
Synopsis from Goodreads -
"So let’s get this straight. This is a story about romance.
Well, it’s not a story. I mean, it’s not something somebody made up. It’s about me. And yeah, in case you’re wondering, I’m a guy.
Surprised? Sure you are. You figure those words just don’t go together. Romance, with a capital R. Guy, with a capital G. You’re probably sitting there and smirking. What could a dude possibly know about romance? You figure we’re big on sex. But romance?
You’re right.
Romance is not a male thing.
And that’s exactly my problem.
The bottom line is that whatever you think you know about men and romance is pretty much correct. You figure we’re big on the F-word as long as it stands for F*ck and not Forever."
This is my first time reading a book written by Sandra Marton.
This is also actually my first time reading a new book written in ONLY the males perspective. I have read books before that are in addition to a previous book that was written in the guys eyes but usually the story is all the same, just a few added scenes or new facts. I tend to not read those, or skim through the book.
Short review with very little spoilers - Check out my review on Goodreads
The book starts off explaining how Matthew O’Malley does not believe in forever, he does however believe in the other F-word, F*ck. He runs a construction company for the last 6 years with his Personal Assistant Bailey. Bailey was a perfect fit, since she was unattractive in her professional non-form fitting outfits.
One day on the way home from a job site, Bailey takes a personal call in front of Matt. Her cousin Violet is getting married that weekend and Bailey does not want to go dateless. She lies to her mother saying she and her boyfriend won't be able to attend because they have pre-planned weekend away to have all the sex. This of course is a lie, and Bailey for sure has to go to the wedding. So Matthew decides to be the nice guy he is and be her pretend date.
Over the next 4 days, they hang out every night outside of work for Matthew to get to know Bailey more. During this time he starts to realize what a gorgeous and wonderful women, Bailey really is. He finds it hard to keep his hands and lips off of her. When the wedding finally comes Matthew trying to be the fake boyfriend, doesn't seem so hard anymore. Which leads to something more to the both of them, where they spend a wonderful weekend together. Up until Monday morning comes and it's back to work and Bailey realizes she can't pretend anymore. I liked the book, I do wish we could have seen more of Bailey's side of the story and how she felt about everything and how her feelings were. The ending to me was more fairy tale than normal books, but its Fiction so there's nothing wrong with that. I would recommend this book!
Long review with all the spoilers so SPOILER ALERT!
The book starts off explaining who exactly Matthew O’Malley is. He spent his life experiences on his favorite F-word. Fucking. He describes himself as a very attractive man, that is well hung and great in bed. I mean come on almost every lead male character is always those things. But Matt also owns a great business in construction, that is doing well. The first chapter goes on about how all those things make him great with women and in bed. Then he goes on saying that this story isn't about his favorite F-word. It has turned into another F-word. FOREVER. That this story is about how he turned from being fuckable to find the right one. To how he landed in a serious problem, because he is a nice guy and everything was fine... Well up until a few weeks ago.
Bailey, Matthew's assistant for the last 6 years is explained as bland, not sexy in any way possible.
"Why was Bailey exactly what I needed? Because she’s a levelheaded, work-oriented person. We have an excellent relationship. She’s a nice girl, she’s bright and quick, and—let me get this out of the way even if it’s gonna tick off some of you—she’s not any kind of distraction for me. How could she be? She’s not tall and stacked; she’s petite and, well, let’s just say she’s not at all sexy—and I mean that in the best possible way.She’s definitely not my type of woman, but she’s definitely my type of PA."
Bailey is put together and knows when to take charge in Matthew's work schedule. Not once calling him by his first name and always being professional. So when she takes a personal phone call while they're on their way home from a job site, it throws Matt off a little bit. Matt overhears her talking to her mother about how she is not going to her cousin Violet's wedding because apparently her mother is not talking well since Bailey then says "It is not because I’m embarrassed to show up without a date! In fact, I have a date! That’s right. A date. A man. A gorgeous, successful, fantastic man. He’s taking me away for a weekend of hot sex, not for a weekend at Cousin Violet’s fucking wedding."
Once Bailey gets off the phone she apologizes to her boss and ends up having a major break down in his arms. This is where Matthew starts to notice she actually is a women and not just a bland suit-wearing assistant. During Bailey's cry fest she explains that her cousin Violet and her are the same age and Violet got everything. They always had to share stuff and do things Bailey never wanted or liked. She was the favorite of the family. That she can not show up to Violet's wedding without a date. So Matthew being the nice guy he is, offers to be her date. It takes a few minutes for Bailey to agree, but she finally does because she does have to go to the wedding and now she has to bring a date because she told her mother she has one. Plus who would be better? She already knows basically everything about Matthew O'Malley, the challenge is him learning everything about her to convince her family.
They have a week to know as much as they can about each other before the weekend wedding. So they decided to see each other every night after work too become comfortable with each other. During that time Matthew is becoming more and more turned on by Bailey and even can't stop himself from wanting to kiss her often and plays it off when he does do it as "practice". He really starts to enjoy how she looks outside of work, well kinda. She doesn't have the best style, and really doesn't have any clue what to wear around people outside of work, but Matthew helps with that on the second "date". He cuts her dress shorter, takes her out shopping and spends $4,000 on shoes and a new purse. Since this is written in his perspective, we don't really get to see how Bailey feels about it, but you can definitely tell she is not a happy camper with how much money she is spending on him.
On the second night they head back to his place to get to know his giant dog, Walter. After hours of walking Walter, Matthew goes to take Bailey home. Which leads them into a small space in his kitchen and Bailey accidentally in his arms. Soon they start making out and moaning into each other mouths. Matthew - "The earth shifts.There’s never been a kiss like this before. I’m certain of it. It’s a kiss that starts off honeyed and then goes hot, but the honeyed taste is still there, still amazing, and I want more." But of course Matthew plays it off that he was only kissing her as apart of the charade. Part of the plan to make people believe they really are together.
As the days go on, it definitely gets harder and harder for Matthew to keep his hands off of Bailey. They go shopping with his sister for clothes for the weekend and decide to not tell his sister Casey about them going together. That fails when Bailey mentions something, and fails even more when Bailey comes out in a form fitting dress and he goes up to her and kisses her instead of using his words and telling her the dress looks good.
Matt is so wrapped up in wanting Bailey that he calls his best friend, Coop and makes him meet up with him. This is where I can tell even though the book is about a guy, that it is written by a female. Matt basically rambles on to Coop about what has been going on so far and how he has feelings for his Personal Assistant. Coop tells him to man up and to not mess with her. I feel like most guys would not be having this conversation. Guys barely show their emotions, let alone have a girl talk moment with the best friend. They drink. Chat sports and talk about their most recent conquest in bed. Not who they're possible feeling forever feels with and want to take that girls virginity.
Friday the weekend of the wedding comes quick and they're on their way to Bailey's cousin's wedding. It starts off rough with them not being able to get their stories straight of how long they've been dating but after a while Bailey gets her confidence, which makes Matthew realize he is more turned on then ever. He decides that tonight, Bailey is not just his fake date or assistant but his women. The couple is dancing when out of no where the sexual tension heats up and Bailey whispers take me to bed. This part, even if they actually don't have sex is my favorite part of the book. I love when the whole story leads up to this moment. Whether something happens or not, the fact that the shy quiet women spreads her wings and becomes confident enough to tell the man she wants, what she well wants is amazing. Also more brownie points to the author for making it happen when we don't expect it! Thankfully Matt and Bailey have sex, after she admits that she's wanted this for a long time. Even after she admits she's a virgin, things are not awkward. Especially after they have sex quite a few times that night and into the morning. Matt even calls it love making! Super cute! Sex apparently does even more wonders to Bailey's confidence. She becomes a tiger towards her cousin and basically rubs Matt and his business in her and her soon to be husbands face. It's wonderful actually, although at first I thought Matt was going to be mad at her, but honestly it was nice to see Bailey finally have a spine and a mouth of her own. Her cousin, Vi was going on and on about her fiance Chester rented a Yacht and how great their honeymoon is going to be. Bailey chimes in with how great Matt is and the sex is great for her skin and body image. It was bitchy, but not too much, in my eyes.
During the wedding, one of Matt's mother's best friend spots them and runs over. Making a scene, that neither Bailey or Matt want. Matt knows she is going to tell his mom about this, and who she is with. At first it was okay, they could control this. But as soon as his mother's friend mentions that Bailey's cousin said they were engaged, Bailey starts to freak out. After the mothers friend leaves, she gets in a hissy fit with Matt. Running away from him, because this whole thing is fake and she believes her cousin see's that as well. Which ends up being true as Matt finds out when he is searching for Bailey outside in the pouring rain. When he finds her, Bailey has turned back to the shy PA is he used to, and even though it is midnight and storming, she asks him to take her home which is 3 hours away. When they get there, she doesn't let him come in with her, which saddens and confuses Matt.
Matt's Mom and Sister call, calling him an idiot, because they both know that Bailey has had feelings for Matt for a very long time. This is when I wish we could read Bailey's side of the story, as great as this book was, I feel like it would have been even better if written in a females perspective. Hell better yet, in both perspectives! Oh well.
When Matt makes it to the office on Monday morning, Bailey is no where to be found. He finds a letter on his desk from her stating that she forgot that she had another job offer that she wanted to take and apologizes for such short notice, that it slipped her mind. Yep Bailey the coward is definitely back. Sadface. So Matt rushes over to Bailey's apartment, where of course she is being stubborn and won't let him in. When she finally does, Matt convinces her to go on a drive with him. At this point Matthew is still not sure what he wants from Bailey, he keeps saying friendship but he is throwing in tidbits of arousal and interest. They end up driving to a piece of land that he finds perfect, but felt it wasn't for him since he never wanted to settle down. That's where Bailey admits, that she has always wanted Matthew, that she can't work for him any longer because it would be too hard. Then out of NO WHERE Matthew tells her he loves her! That he has for years. In some aspects I can believe that, that he just didn't realize it for so long, but honestly this guy was going back and forth between wanting her and not, and bam he loves her even though for 6 years he found her nothing but an assistant and not attractive? So what does a man do out of no where he loves a women. He asks her to marry him, which she agrees! Some time later they have their wedding, while they're building a house on the land that he proposed on. Bailey tells her new husband that the weekend they went to the wedding she knew they were going to have sex, that she purposely went on birth control for that weekend so they could be together. This shy, quiet and reserved women was brave all along. She just needed Matthew to notice it as well.
I really enjoyed this book. Even though Matt loved to fuck and would sleep with a countless number of women, he was never a douchebag. The whole time he was always nice to his assistant, his employees, family and customers. The whole time while he was falling for Bailey, I was becoming more and more amazed at how he already didn't love her. At one point he did admit that he should have known all along. Yes she may of been an ugly ducking in her clothes and then turned beautiful swan, but honestly she was everything he could ask for and more. He could not run his company without her, he could not live his life without her. Yes she was as an assistant at first, but now he realizes how much Bailey impacted him everyday and now he has that as his lover. I do feel like the ending was rushed. That it took that moment of seeing Bailey breakdown that he realized he did truely love her and then asks her to marry him. It was cute, and I did enjoy the book. Just seemed to fairy tale like to be honest.