BEST FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS is Book one in Candy Sloane's Most Likely To series. Valerie Barkin and Alec Rogers were best friends in high school. Although they've kept in touch over the years, Alec's rock star success and their uncertainty about their true feelings have kept them from taking their friendship to the next level. Now, at their ten-year reunion, Valerie and Alec finally unleash their hidden desires.

Since both characters give each other mixed signals at times, it's helpful for the reader to have BEST FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS told from alternating perspectives. Alec always wanted Valerie but because of the dysfunctional relationship his mom and dad had, he could never offer her the kind of commitment she wanted. I like how complex Sloane makes these characters. Alec is a man with fame and wealth but his childhood left him with bouts of insecurity. Sloane does a super job of providing snippets of Alec and Valerie's high school years to show where they came far and how they've grown.

From the moment Alec teases Valerie and lures her into his erotic web, the heat between them is intense. It's not always clear to Valerie what Alec wants out of their naughty escapades, and as you read along you get the sense that Alec is unsure of exactly where he wants things to lead. The dance between trust and doubt make for fantastic sexual tension. I like that Alec and Valerie have such a deep connection and friendship as a basis for the sizzling sexual relationship that takes them by surprise.

BEST FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS is a sensual feast and lots of fun. The epilogue is full of hope and gives the story a little bit of a resolution. I like that Sloane doesn't try to wrap the situation with Alec and his parents up too neatly and give it a fake saccharine coating. As a reader, I appreciate the way Sloane had his family relationship imperfect and a little truer to life. The glimpses of other characters, like Valerie's friend Cynthia, and their reunion experiences make me eager to read about them in upcoming stories. This series has made me a Sloane fan and I look forward to her next book.