Author: Dirty Girl Anne

When Strangers Marry by Lisa Kleypas

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

When Strangers Marry (Vallerands, #1)
Grade-C
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level-No Kink
Genre-Historical
Reviewed by Kay
390 pages

Lysette needs to break a betrothal to a horrible man and escape her even worse step-father. After a severe beating from her step-father she runs away into Bayou country. She is found trying to steal a small boat and is brought back to the house of Max Vallerand. She is almost transfixed by him but thinks he would never find a red haired, freckle faced girl of eighteen attractive.
Max is blown away by the flame haired beauty his sons have accused of steal. After he finds out who she is betrothed to, he plans to ruin her where she’ll have to marry him instead. Then he would get his revenge against the man he believes seduced and murdered his former wife.
I really enjoyed this book in the beginning but it started to lag in the middle. It did pick up in the end, so it’s probably a three and half star book for me. I am a big Lisa Kleypas fan but I wanted more from this book than I got. I’m in a historical funk and not at all happy about it. I did find out that this book was originally another book and Kleypas rewrote it. What I mean is that it was her book but she rewrote the story because the first book didn’t do well. I don’t know if I’d recommend this book but I’m not sorry that I read it either.

Louder Than Love by Jessica Topper

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Louder Than Love
Grade: B
Hotness Level: Blaze
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary, rock star
Published: 9/17/13

Reviewed by Kate
 

Katrina “Tree” is a librarian who has been floating in a haze since her husband died.  She and her 4 year old daughter have moved back to her home town and have surrounded themselves with friends.  When looking for a musician for the library’s childrens’ program, she runs across Adrian Graves.  Adrian used to be famous and is now living a shadow of a life.  Tree and Adrian set out on a journey of self discovery and healing, falling in love along the way.

 

Tree and Adrian have so much hurt in their past that at times their struggles to return to life are hard to witness.  But their support for each other is sweet and charming.  I quickly fell for each of them.

 

I can admit to not being a huge fan of the rockers that are flooding the pool of romance heroes lately, but the way that the author wrote Adrian really worked for me.  I was pulled into the mystery that is Adrian so completely that I was almost halfway through the story before I realized that it was being told completely from Tree’s point of view.

 

My only complaint is that there is a small secondary story running through the middle of the book involving an ex-boyfriend of Tree’s.  It added a small element of suspense, but ended without a true sense of closure.  It just seemed really out of place in the story.

 

In this debut novel, Jessica Hopper has shown her strength in creating strong characters in an emotional story.  I look forward to seeing what she comes up with next.

 

I’m curious though.  Have you fallen on the rocker hero bandwagon?  Which is your favorite rocker hero?

Menage Monday – Bodyguards of Pleasure by Melody Snow Monroe

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Bodyguards of Pleasure (Pleasure, Montana #8)
Grade: B+
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: High Kink
Genre: Contemporary, menage
Series: Pleasure, Montana #8
Published:7/1/13

Reviewed by Kate
183 pages


When computer store owner Brooke witnesses a murder, she barely escapes with her life.  And the killer is still after her.  The sheriff pairs her up with Gavin and Riley.  Gavin and Riley are part of a detective agency and will act as Brooke’s bodyguards.  Gavin, Riley, and Brooke go to Brooke’s house and discover that someone has already broken in.  The only option is to take Brooke home with them.  Brooke has spent her life concentrating on her academics and her business but after her close brush with death, she decides it’s time to start living life.  And the fact that she’s alone with her two bodyguards and there’s bondage equipment and toys in the basement…

 

So here’s the thing.  I really, really liked this book.  Probably more than I should.  Like I know that a soap opera is probably not the greatest acting on earth, but I still just love it.  The slightly overweight heroine.  The masculine and assertive heroes.  The killer on the loose.  And all that follows.  I loved it all.

 

Gavin and Riley were hot by themselves, and hotter together.  And Brooke.  For once a heroine that is smart and actually acts like she’s smart.  She reacts to things logically instead of emotionally-which appears to be a big help when you’re on the run from a killer.  And I loved that she stayed true to her character.  It wasn’t “I’m really smart and logical” one minute “and now I’m screaming like a girl” the next. 

 

This is the first book that I read in the Pleasure, Montana book (and I had no problem following along), and now I want to go back and read the rest of them.  I think I’m a closet addict of Siren Publishing.  Especially their Menage Everlasting line.  I smile my way through each of them that I read.

 

How about you?  Do you have a book or series that you just love, but know that you probably shouldn’t?  Time to come clean and confess.