Blog Tour: Boyfriend Maintenance (425 Madison #5) by Lauren Helms

Emmy King became a disgraced high-socitey princess when she walked away from her family’s money. Jake Harper is the sexy yet uninterested apartment building’s maintenance man. When the two agree to help each other out, they quickly realize the more time they spend together the more the lines get blurred. The fifth book in the #mustread series, 425 Madison Avenue, is now live. Read Boyfriend Maintenance by Lauren Helms today!

Book Blurb:

Emmy

My bad reputation is coming back to haunt me. Now, I need a date for my brother’s wedding just to keep the vultures at bay. I’ve noticed Jake around the building and he’s the perfect man for the job.

The thing is, I don’t actually have what I promised in return for his help, but I don’t want this to end.

Jake

I’ve seen Emmy and she’s out of my league, but that doesn’t stop me from taking her up on her offer and upping the ante. I have rules, however, the more time we spend together the more the lines get blurred.

Her lie made her more like me than I ever thought possible. Too bad liars don’t do it for me.

A little boyfriend maintenance goes a long way…

After all, 425 Madison Ave is the perfect place to fall in love!

Each story is completely standalone, but you’ll want to read them all.

For more information on the 425 Madison series and all the amazing stories, check out https://www.425madisonseries.com/

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“Oh, well … hello there, hot stuff.” Mrs. Jenkins stands in the open doorway of her apartment.

Her arm slides up the doorframe slightly awkwardly as she leans into the frame. She’s attempting to look sexy in a Japanese silk kimono robe. It’s a red floral print that hangs nearly to her ankles. She has surprisingly good posture for a seventy-year-old woman.

Her husky voice is seductive as she gestures for me to come in. I have to mentally prepare myself every time I have a work order for unit 2007. Which is normally once a week.

Mrs. Jenkins is a retired Broadway actress. She hit her stride when she starred in the hit musical Chicago in the mid-seventies. Dorthy Jenkins is a dramatic, wealthy retiree who just happens to hit on me every time I’m here. She may be a tad lonely, so I deal with it.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Jenkins. My work order says that you’ve got faulty smoke detectors.” Honestly, that seems a bit suspicious since we worked through the entire building updating the detectors less than six months ago.

“Dorthy, darling. Please, stop calling me Mrs. Jenkins. You make me feel like a cougar.”

I raise my eyebrow at that. More like a puma since she’s got to be at least forty years older than me. I set down my toolbox and scan the living room for the unit’s central detector.

“All right, Dorthy. You’re having issues with the smoke detectors? Let’s just take a look. I’ll get these fixed up in no time.” Really, I just want to get out of here. The longer I’m in this apartment, the more cheek pinches I get. And I’m not just talking about pinches to my face. She gets a little bolder with each visit. Not looking forward to the day she takes it too far. Her flirting seems harmless though. She just really appreciates those “hot young thangs.” Her words, not mine.

“Well, no rush. I’ll just pour us a little nightcap.” I don't mention it's only four in the afternoon. “Will two fingers do, Jake? I’ve always preferred two.” She waggles her eyebrows.

I divert my eyes. The sexual reference catches me off guard and I feel my face heat.

Clearing my throat, I shake my head. “I’m sorry, Dorthy, but no drinking on the job.” I pull out my step ladder so I can reach the smoke detector.

“You’re such a good boy, darling. I admire that. I’ll just have a nip and enjoy the show.”

Just like she normally does. Unfortunately, she isn’t the only 425 Madison resident to watch me while I do my job. I’ve worked in this building for nearly three years now. Growing up, I never had dreams of becoming a maintenance man, but I’ve always been good with my hands.

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My Review:

4 Out Of 5 Stars

Genre: Romance--

Emmy has given up her wealth and family name and privileged to try and find her own way in life. Which is usually really rewarding for her- except when it comes to obligatory family engagements like her older brother's wedding events. To make matters worse, her step- mother is trying to hook her up with her loathed ex, so she needs a stand-in boyfriend fast. Enter Jake, the very attractive maintenance man who needs extra money to make his dreams of buying a house a reality. The two make a shaky deal, never expecting real feelings might show up.

Boyfriend Maintenance made it onto two different favorite lists for me- favorite book in the 425 Madison series and favorite book by Lauren (make sure to check out her Gamer Boy Series- fun romances with just enough angst). I love the series concept, where each author writes a standalone story with their own characters, but set in the same world- in this case, an upscale hotel in New York that caterers to the wealthy. I have tried a few other books in the series, and they were hit or miss for me, but this one was a winner! I loved how quick a read this was since Lauren made the story engaging and the plot fast, making this the perfect book to read over a lazy weekend (or in a single evening like I did).

The story was dual narrated by Emmy and Jake, switching at chapters, and you know how I love a good multi-perspective romance where I never have to miss out on internalization. Emmy was fun and spunky, trying to distance herself from the expectations of her family since she never fit their mold. Jake was more the strong silent type, too busy with work and planning his future to be able to relax. I loved how there was humor thrown in the story, which will always win me over as it did in this case. Jake's hook-up attempt at the beginning of the book was hysterical and the random over the top antics of all the side characters (yes, I am looking at you Mrs. Jenkins!) made me look forward to whatever unexpected (potentially inappropriate) encounter would come next.

Boyfriend Maintenance was my kind of happily ever after, conveniently wrapped in a single fun book package. I would love to have another book by Lauren with potential love matches for Bex, Kevin or Levi to come (hint hint). I enjoyed this fast read and recommend it for fans of cute romance with a dash of heat and for fans of the 425 Madison series in general.

I reviewed a complimentary copy of this title.

Author Bio:

Lauren Helms has forever been an avid reader from the beginning. After starting a book review website, that catapulted her fully into the book world, she knew that something was missing. Lauren decided to take the plunge and write her first novel. While working for a video game strategy guide publisher, she decided to mix what she knew best--video games and romance. She decided to take the plunge and joined NaNoWrimo and a month later, she had her first draft.

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