Book 1 in the Always Satisfied Series
🎧 Reviewed by LD | Rating: 2.3/5 | Steam: 🔥🔥🔥
⚠️ This is a full spoiler review. If you haven’t read Satisfaction Guaranteed yet — go read it first. We’ll be here when you’re done.
The Opening
The prologue hooked me completely. Sloane and Malone meet at a networking event, he’s singing, there’s immediate chemistry, they leave together — and what follows is exactly the kind of slow burn I love. Walks. Real conversations. A genuine getting-to-know-you that feels like it’s building toward something lasting rather than just killing time before they fall into bed. You can feel exactly what this book wants to be. And then they don’t get together because of her dad. And seven years go by. And I spent the rest of the book chasing that feeling from the first few pages and never quite catching it.
The Full Story — Spoilers Included
The Beginning That Should Have Been
Sloane and Malone meet at a networking event. He’s singing — that’s how he catches her attention — and the chemistry between them is immediate and easy. They leave together, but they don’t sleep together. Instead they go on walks, have real conversations, take the time to actually get to know each other. It’s flirty and fun and it feels like something real being built carefully.
And then Malone finds out he got the job he wanted. His new boss is Sloane’s dad.
They go on three dates. On the fourth, he tells her they can’t see each other anymore. The dad doesn’t know, but the professional relationship makes everything too complicated. So they stop. And then seven years pass.
Seven Years Later
Malone has been at Sloane’s father’s practice long enough to become a partner. He’s heard a lot about Sloane over the years — her dad talks about her constantly. When the dad calls a business meeting, Malone assumes it’s about retirement. Instead, the dad announces he has another year left in him, and that Sloane will be running her animal rescue out of their building. That Sloane. The woman Malone walked away from seven years ago is now there every day.
They’ve run into each other occasionally over the years and never let it go further, out of respect for the business relationship. Now they’re in the same building, side by side, and that’s significantly harder to manage.
Going Viral
Sloane brings in an animal she rescued to be looked at, and Malone sings to it. An employee posts it on social media and it goes viral. Sloane swoons. They catch up properly for the first time in years, share a kiss, and then make a plan: tonight only, get it out of their systems. They call it going to Tahiti.
They sleep together. Malone, being Malone, pays attention — and he can tell Sloane faked her orgasm. He calls her out on it directly. She admits she can’t orgasm during sex. He decides, with complete sincerity, that his new goal is to fix that. Which means, naturally, that they need to keep sleeping together until he does.
The Dad
Sloane’s dad calls them both in to tell them his wife wants them to spend three months in Europe together. He’s agreed. They’ll essentially be running things while he’s gone — in close proximity for months, no buffer.
Before he leaves, Malone goes to Sloane’s dad directly and tells him he’s in love with her. The dad takes it surprisingly well. He says that seven years ago he wouldn’t have wanted Malone going after his daughter, but he knows him properly now and thinks he’s a good man. As it turns out, Sloane had just been at her dad’s place and told him essentially the same thing about Malone.
They tell each other they’re in love. She finally has an orgasm during sex. They move in together. He proposes.
Best Part of This Book
The prologue and everything it promised — the walks, the slow build, the flirty getting-to-know-you energy that felt like it was actually going somewhere. That version of this book was exactly what I wanted.
Worst Part of This Book
The seven-year gap that swallowed all of that early energy, the singing that never stopped feeling like a plot device — they actually sing in the book for real — and the slow fade of that prologue promise into something that felt more like a checklist than a love story.
The Steam Rating Breakdown
🔥🔥🔥 — Present throughout, particularly the orgasm storyline which drives a decent chunk of the middle section. Not especially spicy, just consistent.
The Ending — Satisfied or Disappointed?
Mildly satisfied. The ending is fine. The dad taking it well was a relief. The proposal lands where it’s supposed to. But fine is exactly the problem when the opening promised so much more.
Would I Reread It?
No. Nope! Heck no. Did I convince myself that I started this series, so now I have to finish the whole series…? Yes…
The Hot Take
A prologue so good it sets up expectations the rest of the book spends three days not meeting is almost more frustrating than a bad book from page one. At least then you know what you’re getting.
Who Is This For
Readers who enjoy slow burn office romance with a side of music and don’t mind a significant time jump between the meet and the reunion. If the singing element appeals to you more than it did to me, you’ll probably enjoy this more than I did.
Where to Get This Book
📖 Physical Book
Amazon.ca | Amazon.com
📱 Ebook
Kindle .ca | Kindle .com
🎧 Audiobook
Audible Canada | Audible US
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🎁 New to Libro.fm? Get 2 free audiobooks
📚 More from the Always Satisfied Series
Book 1 — Satisfaction Guaranteed | Reviewed by LD | ⭐ 2.3/5 | Steam: 🔥🔥🔥 — Read the Review
Book 2 — Never Have I Ever | Coming Soon
Book 3 — Instant Gratification | Coming Soon
Ready for more from LD? Find them here
Plot Twisted. 🔥