Author: Dirty Girl Anne

The Sum Of All Kisses by Julia Quinn

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

The Sum of All Kisses (Smythe-Smith Quartet, #3)
Grade-B
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-Smythe-Smith Quartet #3
Genre-Historical Regency Romance
Reviewed by Kay
384 pages

Julia Quinn, Julia Quinn! Why do I always push your books to the bottom of my to be read pile, only to be put in my place time and time again by your wit, writing and story telling? I don’t know.
Hugh Prentice made a terrible decision in his younger days and has paid the price ever since. He challenged his friend to a duel and it left both men changed mentally and physically. Hugh has a lame leg and he shot his friend in the shoulder. His friend was exiled by Hugh’s evil father until Hugh could figure out a way to bring him home. Hugh is very clever and quite obsessed with figures and sums.

Lady Sarah Pleinsworth wants to marry, not only to love but to escape having to play in the family quartet. She’s a Smythe-Smith and that’s what the unmarried females in her family do. The only way to escape it long term is to marry or die. She can’t stand Hugh Prentice because of all that she and her family have lost due to him.

These two polar opposites made me laugh so hard. I mean laugh out loud laugh. Belly laugh! It was such a delight to watch them to fall in love. Despite their families’ problems these two realized that sometimes the best things in life are right in front of you. If you haven’t read Julia Quinn, you really should.

Issy’s Infatuation by Shelley Munro

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Issy's Infatuation

Grade: C-
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary, Novella
Published: 3/10/2007
Reviewed by Anne
47 pages
 
Issy is a rugby player hoping to move up from her small team to a more competitive one.  She’s surprised when her new coach is her long time crush Tyler.  He proposes a month of hot sex between them and she takes him up on it, hoping he’ll be hooked on her and want to stick around until the month is over. 
 
This one just didn’t work for me.  The writing was hot, but the pacing of the relationship felt rushed. (I know, I know, it’s a novella, but still!)  I think the sex was well written, but the plot was weak and Tyler was kind of a douche.

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.