Loved, loved, loved this book! Parker's story is a great addition to the Boys of the South series. Parker is ready to get out of Forrestville as soon as he can, until Brooklyn Reeve's shows up. She's a grieving widow and he knows he should stay far far away from her but he can't. The pull is too strong but is it enough to overcome her grief and his sordid past? A fantastic story that I recommend to everyone! ( )

Need You Tonight by Marquita Valentine
Book #7: Boys of the South Series
Source: Purchase
My Rating: 5/5 stars
My Review:

Yes, dear reader, this is the book we have all been waiting for! PARKER!!! For six long reads we have been teased and taunted with little snippets of Parker Morgan. He has been the boy to love his sister unconditionally, come to his brother’s side without fail and without question, work like a dog to help his family and, sneak off time and again to who knows where with little to no explanation. For six long reads we have wondered, hypothesized and, speculated about Parker and now we know the truth!!

At 15 years old, Parker Morgan knew his family was in trouble. His mother, Crystal was a train wreck waiting to happen (again and again) who had little to no desire to actually be a mother to her children. After all of the moves, the past due bills they simply couldn’t pay, the collection agencies coming to his door and, going hungry on more than one occasion, Parker decided to take matters into his own hands. Even at 15, Parker knew he was pretty and he certainly never lacked for female attention so when an opportunity to make a lot of money cropped up, Parker took the deal. Over the course of the next several years, Parker used his looks and his body to please his very wealthy clients. As an extremely high-end escort, Parker made loads of cash and ensured that his family had a roof over their, their bills were paid and, they had food on the table each and every day. Given the circumstances they were used to, Parker’s family asked very few questions about where the money was coming from and as the years wore on, Parker was happy to keep his dirty little secret.

Brooklyn Reeves never imagined her life would have something other than a happy ending. The day the men arrived on her front porch to tell her that her husband of three short years wouldn’t be coming home alive, all her illusions were shattered and her world was turned upside down. For two years, Brooklyn has lived with the ghost of her husband and the memories of what they once shared. Her grief has crippled her at times but she is finally feeling strong enough to begin taking baby steps toward reclaiming her life. Her first baby steps? A move to Forestville, find a job, make some new friends and, with any luck somewhere waaaaay down the road, a man to share her life with. No longer a naïve young girl, Brooklyn knows the move is going to be a very hard but very necessary step toward her eventual happiness and she is finally willing to take the risk. Within hours of moving to town, Brooklyn encounters what is very likely the most stunning man she has ever seen, Parker Morgan. By coincidence, Brooklyn has moved into the house once occupied by his brother’s grandmother-in-law – that a thing, right? – and Parker has been enlisted by his brother to look after the new tenant and serve as the property handyman.

From the moment he meets Brooklyn, Parker is certain of a few things: she is desperately sad, she is desperately lonely, she is the most strikingly beautiful woman he has ever encountered and, he is in no way good enough for her especially given his past. With each encounter, Parker becomes more attached to Brooklyn and convinced that she is the woman God made just for him. His feelings for Brooklyn are strong and if he can just drum up enough courage to tell her about his past, then maybe, just maybe she will accept him. For Brooklyn, Parker is a confounding man who, on the one hand runs very hot and other seems to be pushing her away. Her feelings toward Parker grow very, very quickly and this, of course, causes Brooklyn a great deal of guilt and confusion. Though she understands she can’t remain alone forever, Brooklyn also has a hard time accepting that after only two years, she has met a man she can love as much as she loved her first husband. In many ways, Parker and Brooklyn’s road to an HEA is one of the hardest yet to be experienced by one of the Boys of the South.

The Bottom Line: SO. WORTH. THE. WAIT. Parker has intrigued me from the very beginning and Valentine has done an excellent job of keeping Parker’s dirty little secret under wraps the entire time. With all the teasing and the taunting over so many reads, I expected something huge for Parker and that is exactly what I got. I devoured this story and truly had no idea how much I adored Parker until I dove into this read. Though Parker certainly doesn’t think so, he is an honorable and good man who is more than deserving of Brooklyn and her love. Parker has a controlled aggression that I really liked and it played well with Brooklyn, a character who wants to move forward with her life but is almost terrified to do so. Brooklyn is a beautiful balance to Parker and once all the cards are on the table, there is no stopping those two. Additionally, Parker and Brooklyn are likely the hottest couple to date in the Boys of the South series. Parker has a wonderfully dirty mouth that he very much enjoys using on Brooklyn. Seriously, I bookmarked a few of those passages  In all, I am still completely thrilled with the Boys of the South series and have no difficulty recommending it to all NA+ readers. ( )