#Review: Make Me Up by Avery Flynn - 3.5 Wine Glasses

Title: Make Me Up 
Series: Killer Style #3
Author: Avery Flynn 
Format: ebook, 260 pages
Expected publication: February 16th 2015 by Entangled: Ignite
ISBN: 1633751988 
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Source: Netgalley
Reviewer: Kimberly
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Wine Glasses

Former special ops-turned private-investigator Cam Hardy leaves a trail of broken hearts wherever he goes. He's all charm and sex appeal, and who can blame him for putting it to good use? Besides, it works damn well on the stunning and tough-as-nails makeup artist Drea Sanford. Only this time, Cam may be in over his head... Drea is trying to keep her naughty affair with Cam a secret. After all, he's Harbor City's version of a Casanova...if Casanova had a motorcycle. When Cam makes their hot little liaison known to the public, however, Drea vows never to have sex with him again. Then one of her clients turns up dead. Now Drea is suspect number one—and she needs Cam's help. But sleeping with him is one thing...trusting him is quite another.

Kimberly’s Thoughts:
Drea and Cam have been enjoying a secret between-the-sheets relationship for the last few months but when Cam wants to bring things out into the open, Drea ends things quickly. Drea's past has taught her that loved ones can disappear in a blink of an eye and that having your personal business out in the open is embarrassing and damaging. However, when Drea gets caught up in a murder mystery its Cam who comes to her rescue and proves over and over he has her back. Cam has personal demons of his own and as he spends more time with Drea he begins to question if he is good enough for her. They're not only playing a deadly cat and mouse game with their lives but with their hearts.

Make Me Up starts off strong with action and boiling heat between our couple. Drea hits the pages running with her take no shit and meet any challenge attitude. It isn't until we get to the middle of the story that the reader starts to see some chinks in her armor. With the reveal of her past and how it has affected her, Drea became a more accessible character; it gave Drea more facets leading her to become more interesting. Cam had his own sob story but it wasn't quite as delved into (didn't tie into the overall suspense arc) and as a consequence his lasting impression was more of Alpha Stud #1. He's a mover and a shaker in the story but I hesitate to say three dimensional. Drea and Cam really shine when they are together, luckily for 90% of it they're stuck like glue to one another. Each obstacle they face is figured out by Cam with Drea rising up to the challenge for whatever he needs her to do. These two have a wicked playfulness between each other that make them pretty fun to read about. 

The murder mystery/suspense arc that gives our couple a reason to be together keeps things moving at a swift pace. Drea is accused of murdering one of her clients, so with the cops and a mob boss on her tail Cam swoops in and uses his security contractor skills and resources to help her stay alive and unravel the murder mystery. The whole thing is a little unrealistic but nevertheless an entertaining ride to hop along with; the author also doesn't allow the story to stretch out, keeping it on the shorter side and more streamlined. This is the third in a series and while it appears Drea and Cam meet in a previous book I never felt lost or confused. If you've read the previous books in the series then you definitely don't want to miss the payoff you've probably been waiting for with this couple. Secondary characters involve past and future heroes and heroines, Cam's mentor, Cam's cop friend, a potentially devious friend of Drea, and a toadie of the mob boss. None of them have significant screen time but work well as a supporting cast and the future heroes have some potential. 

There were a couple times when the "ice in Cam's veins" with his "I can't be with you because I'm bad news baby" and Drea's "I can't be with you because everyone dies around me" got a bit repetitive but overall, this was a lively read. If you have a couple hours to kill, Make Me Up is a wham bam thank you ma'am action romance read that would be an enjoyable way to pass the time.