Month: October 2013

M/M Monday-Apple Polisher by Heidi Belleau

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

       
Grade-B-
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-Rear Entrance Video #1
Genre-Contemporary M/M
Reviewed by Kate
194 pages

Christian has been accepted into a teaching school that has strict requirements for their students’ dress and behavior, both in school and out. Christian is walking on egg shells because he’s pretty sure if anyone finds out he’s gay, he’ll get kicked out of the program. Max is one of Christian’s new housemates. Despite the fact that Max didn’t want Christian as a housemate, Christian finds himself drawn to Max. But Max is a mystery. No one knows what he does for a living or even what his last name is. When Christian’s aunt gets too sick to work at the porn store she owns, Christian finds himself offering to help out. But working at a porn store could definitely get him kicked out of the teaching program if anyone found out. Can Christian manage to keep so many secrets without losing Max in the process?

It always amazes me when an author can hold my attention when their characters are being such idiots. Christian has his head so far up his ass that he doesn’t see that he’s losing himself in order to become a picture perfect teacher. Luckily, Max is there and not afraid to tell Christian what’s what.. But even through all of Christian’s obliviousness, I kept turning the pages. Even when Christian pushes Max away because he doesn’t fit the perfect teacher mold, I kept turning pages. I’m not a huge fan of “I’ve got a secret or ten” plots. I prefer that the characters actually talk to one another. But despite all the secrets, this one worked for me. I got the need for the secrets in this case. Thankfully, the ending pulled everything to a happy conclusion, all wrapped up with a bow.

I look forward to reading more of Heidi Belleau’s strong characters, emotional plots, and page scorching love scenes in the next book in this series. Now if I only had more time to catch up on her backlist.

The Accidental Call Girl by Portia Da Costa

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

The Accidental Call Girl (Accidental #1)

Grade: B
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: Moderate Kink
Genre: Contemporary
Series: Accidental #1
Reviewed by Anne
239 pages
 
When Lizzie steps out of a friend’s wedding reception and into a hotel bar, she realizes the handsome older man at the bar thinks she’s a “high class call girl.”  It’s an exciting prospect to consider and she decides to play along.  It’s even more exciting when she realizes it will give her a chance to try out some BDSM play.
 
John is so fascinated by the strangely innocent prostitute he picked up in the bar that he makes her offer – be with him every night during his business trip and he’ll pay her handsomely for her exclusive services.  Neither of them expects to fall for the other.
 
This was a solid, well written book that was also really hot!  I enjoyed it and was totally drawn in, wondering what would happen next.  Though the story is told from both points of view, we know Lizzie’s secrets from the beginning but know nothing of John’s other than that he has secrets.  The main conflict in the story is what will happen when they are open with each other?
 
I was fascinated at how this played out.  It made me think about what it means to be a prostitute.  Lizzie doesn’t think she is one, because she doesn’t intend to keep John’s money and because she’d willingly do what he wants without it.  She’s quite swept away by him, even though she’s trying not to fall in love.  Even though not every secret is spelled out in great detail, I felt like The Accidental Call Girl had a very satisfying HFN ending with confidence that an HEA would follow.  
 
I was surprised when writing up this review to realize that this book is the first in a same couple trilogy.  I generally shy away from those, but I have to say this book stands on it’s own very well.  It has that wonderful fine balance of leaving you interested to know what happens next, while leaving you full of hope for the couple.  I very much appreciate the NON-CLIFFHANGER ending!
 
I’ve read short stories by Portia Da Costa before and enjoyed them.  How delightful to find out she’s an author who can write well in short and long form!!  
 
So, I’ve read stories where the male character is a prostitute, but this is my first with the female in that role.  I think it was highly romanticized (a la Pretty Woman) but it was good.  How about you?  Have you found a romance with a prostitute as a main character that you enjoyed?  Or does that not work for you?

So Tough to Tame by Victoria Dahl

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

So Tough to Tame (Jackson, #3)

 
Grade: B
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: Mild Kink
Genre: Contemporary, cowboy
Series: Jackson #3
Published: 9/24/13
Reviewed by Anne
376 pages
 
Charlie and Walker were friends in high school when geeky Charlie tutored the very popular Walker.  They went their separate ways, but now they have apartments across the hall from each other and they are both recovering from awful on the job experiences that ended with being fired.  Neither has troubles starting a new job, and neither is admitting to anyone that anything bad happened.  It’s like a high school reunion.  I’m great!  I’m so happy!  I just moved on to a wonderful job!
 
The attraction that had simmered between them in high school flares up again and now they are adults free to act on that attraction.  Neither is looking for anything long term, so it all should be great, right?
 
This was a good story.  I thought the characters were unique and more flawed than I’m used to reading.  They were each hiding the truth of themselves from the other, which bordered on annoying.  However, this set up worked for me.  They were both so embarrassed about their pasts because they were responsible for the poor choices they’d made.  This made for more angst than I usually like to read, but, again, it really worked in this story.
 
Walker is a really refreshing hero in a genre that seems full of billionaire CEOs and over achievers.  His life is simple, in part because he doesn’t think he can achieve more, and in part because that’s how he likes it.  Walker does make some changes over the course of the book, but the changes are motivated by his own happiness, not out of a desire to impress someone else.
 
Charlie was interesting, too.  A security expert who wasn’t a strong physical force.  She specializes in out-thinking criminals and setting up monitoring systems.  The situation she finds herself in on her new job – feeling like she’s being watched every moment of the day – was really creepy!  (Although I should point out that I’m not a huge suspense fan, so even a little bit of it is creepy to me!)
 
I think one of my favorite parts of the book was that their personal growth was in parallel, and not caused by the other person being in their life.  Even when Charlie tries to interfere with Walker, he’s not going to move on things until he’s ready.  I enjoyed that as opposed to magic sex that heals all wounds!
I thought the ending was a little too hearts and sunshine with respect to their careers, but I REALLY appreciated that the wedding in the epilogue wasn’t theirs.  They still have issues to work through, in my opinion, but you leave the story sure that they will work things out.  This was an enjoyable and funny contemporary romance!