Accidentally in Love: St. James Family

Against All Odds, Book 6

By: Claudia Burgoa

Narrated by: Jason Clarke, Vivienne LaRue

Length: 5 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

From USA Today best-selling author Claudia Burgoa comes a new best friend’s sister, forbidden romance filled with humor and angsty at times.

It all started on a dating app and a fake name.

Instead of a hot hook-up, I end up face-to-face with Kingston St. James.

He’s one of the most striking and wealthy men in Seattle—as well as my brother’s best friend.

Logic dictates I walk away, but curiosity wins and we follow Myka’s Easy Rules for Healthy Hookups:

Rule #1: Don’t expect anything.

Rule #2: Never wish for more.

Rule #3: Don’t swoon.

Rule #4: Don’t give endearing nicknames to your hookup.

Rule #5: Don’t be possessive, your hookup doesn't belong to you.

Confession time: I’m making up the rules as we go.

And surprise, surprise, this casual fling rapidly evolves into a friend-with-pretty-weird-benefits (and not the sexy kind).

Kingston is suddenly breaking the hookup rules. He’s all charm and affection, turning possessive and…probably hoping for more than just a fling.

We accidentally find ourselves tangled in something more than just a fling. It’s something dangerously close to love.

We might be heading into a collision where the most beautiful accident or the most disastrous end might happen.

©2023 Claudia Burgoa (P)2023 Claudia Burgoa

Great story with amazing narration

Another fantastic read/listen from Claudia.

Kingston and his family have experience some trauma and he’s looking for a release…literally. He gets more than he bargained for with a quick fix.

Myka is full of sass and is a tough girl…it’s all a facade covering for her past experiences that have left her damaged.

There is so much going on in this story, not only the relationship between Kingston and Myka, but a lot of family drama. What starts out as a quick fix, turns into a wonderful romance. As usual, Claudia takes your heart through the wringer but then makes it all better.

Kingston and Myka’s banter, text messages and overall interactions are so funny and entertaining. The cameos from other characters/series was great.

Jason Clarke could read a phone book to me and I’d be happy!! His voice is so smooth, smexy and perfection for Kingston. Vivian LaRue is a new to me narrator and I really loved her voice - she gave depth, character and the perfect emotion to Myka. Both Vivian and Jason’s performances were amazing!

Well, I didn't see this pairing coming!

Myka Cantu and Kingston St. James have known one another for a long time; Kingston is friends with Myka's older brother since they were in the third grade. There have never been any side glances or anything to give away their feelings, so yeah, this one totally blew my mind...in a good way. This is one of the reasons I love Claudia's books so much; sometimes, she lets the anticipation of a couple build up, and sometimes she gives us a couple that we wouldn't necessarily consider, but boy does it work.

Imagine setting up a profile on a dating app (or a hookup app) using a fake name and then meeting the person you're matched with, who also used a phony name, and you know them. Well, that's just the beginning of this funny scenario. Kingston is ready to call it off, but Myka being the independent, confident woman she is becoming, convinced Kingston to have just one night of fun. Little did they know one night wouldn't be enough for either of them.

A lot is going on in this story; if you have read past Luna Harbor or St. James Family books, you'll get some answers you may have had about Myka's past and Kingston's POV during events that unfolded with Teddy and with Finnegan.

Jason Clarke and Vivienne LaRue did an excellent job of bringing Kingston and Myka to life. I loved the fun and playfulness they showed in some of the texts that were sent, as well as the heat they evoked in the sexy, sensual texts as well.

I highly recommend this book to those that enjoy Steamy Contemporary Romances, Large Family Romances, Brothers Best Friend Romances, Billionaire Romances or One Night to More Romances.

Kingston and Myka!

Kingston and Myka! I thoroughly enjoyed their story, and it's surprisingly light on angst for Claudia Burgoa. Don't get me wrong, there's still some angst, but this one is a totally entertaining and engaging romance that is perfect for a lazy weekend read. King and Myka are so good together, and I loved their banter. I can always count on Claudia Burgoa to include some wit and humor, and I found that in this one too. This "just a fling" romance was a great pick me up when I needed it, and it's the kind of romance I could read over and over. There are a lot of characters from Claudia's world of romance, with some crossing over for a quick visit and some being important parts of this one. If you're familiar with this author's books, you'll recognize at least a few of these characters. I enjoyed getting to catch up with some past favorites, and now, I have King and Myka to hopefully see again in future books.
Jason Clarke and Vivienne LaRue give voice to the characters in Accidentally in Love, and they do a terrific job with both the emotion and the banter between the characters. This is my first time listening to Vivienne LaRue, and she does not disappoint. Myka's snark comes through loud and clear, as well as her hesitance when it comes to relationships. Jason Clarke is not new to me at all, and the more I listen to that voice, the more I like what I hear. He captures the nuance of the story, and his voice is as swoony as Kingston!

I Loved It

I love Myka and Kingston's story. She overcame great tragedy to be strong and independent. She had a girl crush on Kingston St. James, her brother's friend. He was happy to stay in the friend zone. He put up barriers to love. Their friends with benefits became so much more. I listened to the audiobook narrated by the brillant talents of Jason Clarke and Vivian LaRue.
Thank you Ms. Burgoa for the bonus epilogue. I loved it.

St James & Cantu love match? yes please!!

🅰🆄🅳🅸🅾🅱🅾🅾🅺 🆁🅴🆅🅸🅴🆆

Claudia knows how to pull my heart strings!
A St James and Cantu love match, yes please!!!
Kingston and Myka are both emotionally closed off, yet somehow find eachother on a dating app and agree to a no strings arrangement.

You'll have to read this one to find out how it ends. There are intertwined stories from previous books that are hinted throughout this book. You definitely won't need to read them all to keep up, but you may just find yourself downloading her backlog and binging!

I was not a fan of the audio for this book even though I really enjoy both narrators. I wanted Myka to be more authentic so I was missing that.

If you're a fan, grab the audio or the e-book if you like to imagine your own voices!

Just for fun turns into love

What a great accidental love story. Kingston St. James isn't looking for love, and neither is Myka, but their arrangement turns into so much more. This book intertwines with Archer and Piper's story so we get all the great characters mixed in. I loved that past hurts are healed and love wins. This book kept me wrapped up in their story from beginning to end.

Jason Clarke and Vivian LaRuse were terrific to listen to. Jason's voice was perfect for Kingston and Vivian was a first for me but I loved her voice and will seek out more of her work. Great listen.

I loved this book and highly recommend it. It is part of a series but is a standalone.

Amazing and Heartfelt!!!

Accidentally In Love is an amazing heartfelt story that takes you on an emotional journey! The narrators did an amazing job. They brought this story to life and made you feel all the emotions. Claudia Burgoa truly made this storyline come across as more than just two people having a casual fling but as two people finding each other, leaning on each other and going on a journey of self discovery. I highly recommend either reading or listening to this book because I absolutely loved it and I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did!!

Beautiful, breathtaking, steamy romance!

There is so much to love about this forbidden/friends-with-benefits/to lovers romance! It is hilarious, heartfelt, hot & steamy, and a swoony hero that you can't help but fall in love with. Kingston and Myka's story is beautiful, complex, and irresistible. Kinsgston and his family are staying in Luna Harbor for protection. Kingston is not used to being so isolated, and tries a new hookup dating app. What he didn't expect, was to be matched up with his best friends sister, Myka. Myka surprises him with a carefree attitude towards relationships and he begins to see her in a whole new way. They have a night of clandestine, explosive passion, not expecting to repeat it. But one night turns into two, turns into three, turns into.... You get the picture. Myka has a heartbreaking past that made her build strong walls to protect her heart. Kingston comes from parents with a bitter marriage, and was the one who took care of and protected his siblings. He has enough on his plate with them, and doesn't want a relationship. But as he spends time with Myka, he sees someone who is perfect for him, and begins to want things he never imagined before. But now he needs to convince Myka that she can trust him, and they can build a beautiful life together. I loved Kingston and Myka together! Their banter and texts were clever, fun & flirty, their chemistry was explosive, and I loved Myka's rules for hooking up. But they also understood each other, helping each other heal, and learn they are worthy of love. Both of their families love to meddle, give each other a hard time, but also are protective, and love unconditionally, making this story even more fun and heartwarming. I love that this story takes place during the timeline of past stories, allowing us to see events from a different point of view, while still being a standalone story. My heart broke for Myka, and Kingston's sister, Teddy, who each survived something horrific, and I appreciated how Burgoa wrote about it with honesty and empathy. It was so much fun having crossover characters from different series, with a story that intertwines.
Jason Clarke and Vivienne LaRue were wonderful bringing these characters and story to life. They magnified the doubt, fear, heartache, joy, and passion of this story and I was totally lost in this world. This is a beautiful, breathtaking, steamy, and totally addicting story with irresistible characters who will steal your heart.

Family Ties

Jason Clare and Vivienne LaRue provided dual narration for this audiiobook. Jason brought out Kingston's grouchy, irritable personality, while slowly bringing out his more sensitive and protective side. Vivienne's voice was perfect for Myka, with all her mixed emotions, from flirty to insecure, to struggling with her past and her desire for a child. Together they helped guide me through the changes in Kingston and Myka's feelings for each other.

When Kingston St. James is forced to hide out on Luna Bay for security reasons, he decides he needs a hookup and fills out a dating app using a fake name. When he is matched they set up a meeting and is surprised when Myka Cantu shows up. Seems she used the same app with a fake name. Myka is his best friend's baby sister and off limits, but they agree to a one night stand with rules, which they immediately break. Myka keeps making rules that they keep breaking. I was rooting for them to realize they were perfect for each other, even though they seemed to be opposites.

I liked the slow burn, as they got to know each other while hiding the relationship from everyone else. I received an advanced audio copy and this is my honest review.

Accidentally in Love

I have to admit, this book did not quite meet my expectation.
The cover might fool you into thinking it’s a romcom, but it isn’t. It’s contemporary and has a few “dark” themes.
While I like the way that the characters fell in love when they didn’t, really “mean to” this book, felt more like a filler for a lot of Claudia Burgoa‘s other books in this series. It did not 100% focus on the characters and more about finding out about other stuff that has happened in previous books.
While you were able to keep track of this story it seems you need to read the other books in the series to get a better picture of everything going on since it does get a little confusing.
Overall, the narration was amazing as always and can’t wait to hear more from Claudia’s books, even if this one was not a top listen for me.