
Book five in the Brookelyn Mosley's Vices & Virtues series released today, and if you haven't started, I highly recommend you do. The title of the book is Gluttony, and I was interested to see how Brookelyn would spin this, and let's just say she did us well. In this installment we're introduced to Everett and Apryl. Their introductions in the story are nothing short of entertaining and I knew from the very first chapter this book would get five stars from me. When you think of Gluttony, you think of overeating, which does in fact happen in this book, but I feel like there were several spins on the title in this book, which I'll explain in my review. "Food has always been my escape. A mood lifter. I got excited at the thought of eating something good. Eating was an amplifier at every moment. I coped with it, celebrated with it, sometimes included it when making love."
Everett is a newly retired boxer. Focused on his life after retirement, he envisions settling down with his girlfriend, Brielle. The universe will always show you signs when things aren't for you, and let's just say the universe pulled no punches with Everett's sign. To cope with his sudden life change, he did what he always did: eat and work out. Everett was not only gluttonous with his food intake, but with his workouts as well. When depression hits him hard, he lays off on the working out and only eats, a lot. So much so, that he needs to hire a trainer to get him back in shape. When his original trainer, Meki, has to take a leave of absence from the gym, he gets bounced to Apryl. There's no denying her beauty or her booty, but Everett isn't sure she's the right woman for the job. "I'm not all that confident you can train me in a way I need to be trained." Her feistiness and unwillingness to back down has him intrigued, forcing him to see where this actually goes. "I see Ashley Banks from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air when I look at you. You two are like twins. Same sweet, innocent face. Not intimidating at all. If she got mad on the show, it was adorable, sometimes laughable."
Apryl is a celebrity trainer that's on the hunt to find a new love. The dating app she's using is letting her down miserably. Not only is her personal life not going well, but her work life isn't doing so well either. Her brand is attached to her former celebrity best friend, and now she has to train one of the biggest dickheads she's ever encountered. "'The media have tied my career to a woman who has become the bane of my existence, and I can't go another day being linked to her.' I shook my head. 'Not a career I worked hard as hell to build from the ground up when the people closest to me thought it would be the biggest mistake in my life to do it.'" When her and Everett agree on a plan that helps him along with her, they realize that their irritation towards each other isn't really irritation, but attraction. "Yup, and the fact she hasn't cussed your ass out for being a stubborn brute yet proves you're not the only one who has a little crush."
There's no denying Brookelyn's knack to pen an impeccable love story. As time goes on, and I read more of her work, I fall deeper in love with her pen game and her stories. This book wasn't any different. This story started off with a bang and held a steady pace of drama throughout the entire book. Everett was a glutton with food, exercise, and a slight glutton for punishment. Apryl was a boss chick that wasn't willing to tone down her accolades to make any man feel comfortable, earning her a spot on my book bestie list. This was a five star read for me and I can't wait to read the rest of this series!