Review originally posted at Ramblings From This Chick 
 Scandal Never Sleeps is the first book in the Perfect Gentleman series by authors Shayla Black and Lexi Blake. Though this book is considered by some to be erotica, I would actually classify this more as a contemporary or romantic suspense novel with a higher level of heat. Gabe and Everly definitely had some really sexy times, but to me this wasn't straight up erotica. I will say that I enjoyed this story a lot, and I thought that it was really well written. With a co-authored book, you can sometimes get a book where it definitely feels like more than one person wrote it. But I didn't get that feeling here, and both Black and Blake's styles came together perfectly and felt very cohesive. 
 When Gabriel Bond's best friend Maddox dies suddenly he finds himself not only grieving the loss of his friend, but also cleaning up his messes yet again. Looking to escape, Gabe hooks up with the sexy redhead Eve and what starts out as a night together turns into a weekend neither of them want to be over. Gabe knows that he has no time for dating with everything going on in his life, so they both go their separate ways. But when Gabe is announced as the new CEO for his best friend's company, he never expects his sexy fling to be his new employee. Things become more complicated than ever when they discover that Mad was murdered. Soon they are setting out to find the truth behind what got Mad killed and the secrets he had been keeping from them. But will Gabe and Everly be able to figure things out and explore the connection between them without becoming the next targets? 
 I really liked Everly and Gabe. I thought that they had great chemistry and a clear connection right from the start. I thought that they were great together, and I didn't feel as though their connection was any less real even though it happened pretty quickly. I do think that there were times that each of them acted less than ideally, but I do understand that they were both in a really tough situation. They were both struggling with losing a close friend that they found out had many secrets they hadn't been aware of, and they were also trying to figure out what had happened to him. Not knowing all the details would make it very hard to instantly trust each other, but I was glad to see that they at least were on the same page when it came to discovering the truth. Gabe had so many reasons to have abandoned his friendship with Mad, yet despite it all it was so easy to see how much he cared for him. He never gave up on him, and I loved the loyalty and friendship he showed those he cared about. Everly was smart and unique, and it was refreshing to see a heroine that was able to hold her own. She wasn't like anyone I had read before, and I was glad to see that Gabe realized how special and different she was even when he was wary of her intentions. 
 Overall, this was a great story. Scandal Never Sleeps kept me guessing the entire way through, and I couldn't put it down until I had read every last word. I never knew what exactly was happening, yet I couldn't wait to find out was going on with each new clue revealed. I was really happy to see that the suspense didn't take over the romance here, and I felt like there was a great balance between the two. Gabe and Everly were great together and their banter was so interesting to me. I loved the sexy and steamy stuff with them, but I also really enjoyed seeing their connection grow as the book progressed. I loved all of Gabe's friends here and I honestly can't wait to get each of their books as well. I am fascinated by these guys and I love their life long friendships and the camaraderie between them. I highly recommend this one if you are looking for something hot and filled with suspense that will keep you guessing. Shayla Black and Lexi Blake delivered a captivating read with Scandal Never Sleeps and I can't wait to read the next installment in this series. 
 **ARC Provided by Publisher**