I Only Have Eyes For You by Bella Andre

Sophie Sullivan, a librarian in San Francisco, was five years old when she fell head over heels in love with Jake McCann. Twenty years later, she's convinced the notorious bad boy still sees her as the "nice" Sullivan twin. That is, when he bothers to look at her at all. But when they both get caught up in the magic of the first Sullivan wedding, she knows it's long past time to do whatever it takes to make him see her for who she truly is...the woman who will love him forever.

 

Jake has always been a magnet for women, especially since his Irish pubs made him extremely wealthy. But the only woman he really wants is the one he can never have. Not only is Sophie his best friend's off-limits younger sister...he can't risk letting her get close enough to discover his deeply hidden secret.

 

Only, when Sophie appears on his doorstep as Jake's every fantasy come to life - smart, beautiful, and shockingly sexy - he doesn't have a prayer of taking his eyes, or his hands, off her. And he can't stop craving more of her sweet smiles and sinful kisses. Because even though Jake knows loving Sophie isn't the right thing to do...how can he possibly resist?

 

Series: The San Francisco Sullivans, Book 4 | Publisher: Oak Press, LLC | Narrator: Eva Kaminsky  | Length: 7 hrs and 25 mins | Genre: Contemporary Romance | Source: Publisher | Ratings: Performance-3.5  Plot-4 Cups

Jake and Sophie, totally my favorite characters from the Sullivan series. Seriously, they are amazing, and adorable, and totally bring out the best in each other.

 

Here’s what’s going on. Sophie has been in love with Jake since she was five, but she’s quiet, reserved , and has earned—much to her annoyance —the nickname of ‘Nice’ to her twin sister’s ‘Naughty’. Jake’s a bad boy who has had his fair share of women and, to get his attention, Sophie knows that she’s going to have to go all out. Although what Sophie doesn’t realize is that Jake has always wanted her but she’s the one person who is off limits to him, until one kiss leaves them craving more.

 

Okay, so I could talk about Jake and Sophie for months and never tire of their story but I’m going to keep this short and sweet and spoiler free.

 

Jake and Sophie are amazing but they’re not perfect and, while I loved them there were times that I wanted to throttle both of them yet I was rooting for them from the start. So, they’re flawed but realistically so and I could see them and their story actually existing in the real world.

 

I really clicked with Sophie. She’s a librarian and has a deep appreciation for the written word. She’s also the one Sullivan that sort of flies under the radar and she’s okay with that. What she’s not okay with is always being thought of as the ‘nice’girl and she wants to sort of break free of this mold and I have to applaud her for going out of her comfort zone.

 

What had me wanting to shake her was the fact that, even though Jake was trying to show her how much she meant to him, Sophie refused to believe him and questioned everything he did to prove how much she meant to him.

 

Jake McCann. *Le sigh* There’s just something about Jake that I absolutely loved. He had a horrible childhood but rather than wallowing in self-pity, he actually decided to do something to change his future and opened a successful chain of Irish pubs. He’s a bit of a bad boy but he has a heart of gold and would do anything for those he considers friends. He also keeps things close to the vest and rather than letting people in, he pushes them away to keep his secrets safe.

 

The fact that Jake kept his secrets bottled up sort of drove me up the wall. I understood why he kept them hidden and that he was afraid it would make Sophie think less of him but if he would have just sat down and told her it would have taken some of the tension and his fear away.

 

Jake and Sophie truly were amazing together. They had amazing chemistry and their relationship felt real and solid. They had a few hurdles to get past and Jake and Sophie both had some self-worth issues to work through but they totally had me rooting for them. They were so perfect for each other and I love when they help each other grow and figure out things.

 

I love the whole falling in love with your older brother’s best friend trope. It sort of makes the romance feel a bit forbidden and adds an extra bit of fun with all the secret keeping. Jake knew it wasn’t going to be easy on him yet he still went to her brother and let him know what was going on.

 

So, I did have a bit of a problem with the conflict. While it was a valid issue, it wasn’t actually something that should have been used for the ‘big black moment’. If Jake would have been open, the issue could have been revealed in a conversation rather than something thrown out during an argument.

 

This was the first time I’ve listened to an audiobook narrated by Eva Kaminsky. I enjoyed her take on the narration and her male voices weren’t grating on my nerves.

 

Overall, I love this series and it’s been awhile since I’ve read a Sullivans novel, so it was fun catching up on this close yet a bit crazy family. And Jake and Sophie were just great together. There was humor, love, and a few trying moments.  

The Sullivans of San Francisco

 

The Look of Love

From This Moment

Can’t Help Falling in Love

I Only Have Eyes for You

If You Were Mine

Let Me Be the One

Come A Bit Closer

Always On My Mind

Kissing Under the Mistletoe