B Reviews

Too Hot to Handle by Victoria Dahl

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Too Hot to Handle (Jackson, #2)
Grade – B
Hotness Level – Blaze
Kink Level – no kink
Genre – Contemporary
Series – Jackson #1
Reviewed by Anne

Merry has been a tumbleweed through life, but she’s finally putting down roots and showing her family and friends she can be a success.  She’s gotten a job as curator of a ghost town.  She’s going to develop it and turn it into a tourist attraction.  Shane lives across the hall from Merry.  He has ties to the ghost town that Merry doesn’t know about.  In fact, he is contesting a will that has direct effect on the ghost town.  Merry knows he does carpentry work and asks him to do some restoration work in the ghost town.  Shane accepts the job, thinking he can get a little inside information on the committee opposing him in the lawsuit about the will.  When he starts feeling attracted to Merry, his deception weighs on him, but not quiet enough for him to come clean.

I usually don’t like this kind of set up.  I’m not a fan of BIG SECRETS.  And I was initially annoyed at this one.  However, the farther I got into the story, the more believable it got.  Shane tells himself, just a little while longer.  With every passing day you know the revelation of the big secret will be even more painful, but I found myself rooting for them to stay in the lie just a little longer, because they were so good for each other and I knew the truth would rip them apart.  So I understood why Shane kept the secret.  In the end, I felt like his grovel and apology were fitting for the hurt he caused and I was ok with everything.
 
Other than the BIG SECRET, I really have nothing to complain about. I loved Shane and Merry’s chemistry.  Victoria Dahl is such a fun and funny writer!  There were so many stand out scenes in this book.  The shower scene, the hidden vibrator scene, all the moments between Merry and Grace were delightful, too.  I really enjoy a book where the characters have real friends.  Raylene at the bar was a hoot!  
 
This is the second book in the Jackson series.  I haven’t read the first book and I followed this one just fine.  I’m going to read the first one, though, because Grace was such a good friend to Merry and such a strong woman that I want to know more about her.  This is a wonderful book and I highly recommend it!  Dahl is back on my favorite writers list.

Geek Girl and the Scandalous Earl by Gina Lamm

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

The Geek Girl and the Scandalous Earl (Geek Girls, #1)
Grade: B
Hotness Level: Blaze
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary, time travel
Series: Geek Girl #1
Reviewed by Kate

When Jamie, a video game junkie and self-proclaimed geek, touches an antique bureau, she is transported to 1816 and lands in the bed chamber of Lord Micah of Axelby, Earl of Dunnington. The bureau (unbeknownst to Micah) had been enchanted to bring Micah’s one true love to him. Jamie is quickly taken under the wing of the housekeeper Mrs. Knightsbridge, who knew about the enchantment and helps teach Jamie how a proper lady should act in 1816. Micah quickly believes Jamie’s story of being from the future after she shows him her smart phone. (After all, who can argue with Angry Birds?) But, can modern girl Jamie really fit in back in Micah’s time?

I found Geek Girl filled with lots of snort and snicker moments. I appreciated that the not-so-nice parts of living in 1816 (chamber pots, no tooth brushes, etc.) were not glossed over as they were in some other time travel romances I’ve read. By the time I finish reading a book, it is typically filled with tons of highlights and notes. Geek Girl sucked me in quickly and kept me so into the story that when I finished I only had 2 notes written. My only complaint is that the ending wasn’t the ending I was expecting. Yes, it is a HEA ending, just not what I was expecting (and that’s more of a reflection on me than on the book).

Tucker’s Fall by Eliza Gayle

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Tucker's Fall (Purgatory Masters, #1)
Grade: B-
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: BDSM
Genre: Contemporary, BDSM
Series: Purgatory Masters #1
Reviewed by Kate

When Maggie is arrested in a raid of a sex club, she also ends up fired and divorced, all very publicly. So she retreats to her parents’ empty cabin to regroup. Tucker escaped his hometown as early as he could, only returning after his father died. Tucker has been denying his inner Dom ever since. He’s been waiting for Maggie to return. When Maggie and Tucker meet, sparks fly and they enter into an intense Dom/sub relationship.

I enjoyed meeting both Tucker and Maggie. Tucker seems to be a tortured soul with a tiny bit of stalker (he’s done extensive research about Maggie before they get together). A dominant who is actually looking for a commitment was a nice change of pace. Maggie is an extreme case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. She is left with a few issues involving public places that Tucker deals with very respectfully.

I knew going in that this was not an HEA. There is a mysterious sub-plot about the scandal surrounding Tucker’s father’s death that appears as if it will be continued through the rest of the series. However, if you ignore the epilogue, there can be a satisfying conclusion for Tucker and Maggie. I look forward to the next installment.