C Reviews

Dusk With A Dangerous Duke by Alexandra Hawkins

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Dusk with a Dangerous Duke (Lords of Vice, #6)
Grade-C-
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level-None
Series-Lords Of Vice #6
Reviewed by Kay

This is the latest installment of the Lords Of Vice series by Alexandra Hawkins. This novel features Hunter and Lady Grace. They have been betrothed since childhood. Grace was in fact a two year old. This arrangement was made up between Hunter’s grandmother and Grace’s grandfather.

Hunter is a Lord of Vice and the Duke of Huntsley.  Grace is a titled lady in her own right. Hunter left her in the country for nineteen years so they both could grow up. She was kept under his protection after her grandfather’s death. She grew up with her governess and not much of anyone else.
Hunter grew up in mischief and lived the lifestyle of a rake. Grace held a love of sorts toward Hunter, By that I mean she was in love with the idea of him and their upcoming marriage. Hunter abandoned Grace in the country with resentment toward her. He didn’t want a wife and basically blamed her for their situation. For years, she wrote to him and waited for him to acknowledge her in some way, which he never did.

Grace takes years of slights from Hunter and finally decides she’s had enough and comes to London. She calls off the betrothal and starts looking for another husband. Hunter goes absolutely ballistic at the news. See, they will both lose their fortunes if the betrothal doesn’t go through. Hunter goes on a mission to court the woman he should never have had to court.

I enjoyed watching Hunter scramble because his treatment of an orphaned girl was abhorrent. He resented a girl who was given to him to protect and he ignored her. I found him as a character to be selfish and repugnant. I love the Lords of Vice series and it is an auto read and buy for me. I was so looking forward to this book. I was disappointed a little and I felt it could’ve been better. It also didn’t get hot until 60% into the book. Even then, you only got an interrupted scene and one full sex scene. I need more and expect more from Alexandra Hawkins. I hope we get it with Frost’s book and the series goes out with bang.

Take It Off! by Taylor Cole and Justin Whitfield

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Take It Off! (The Naked Truth About Male Strippers)

Grade: C-
Hotness Level: Blaze
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Non-Fiction
Reviewed by Anne
 
I saw this book and was interested in reading it.  It’s a behind the scenes tell all by two former strippers and current romance novel cover models, and who doesn’t want to know more about male strippers.  (Well, I don’t anymore.)  I really don’t know how to review it.  It is what it proclaims to be, but I think I was much more offended by it than I’d imagined.  Well, really, I didn’t imagine I’d be offended.  I guess I didn’t give it enough thought.  
 
See, I figured there would be stories of sex, and of mishaps, and of risque and funny things that happened to strippers.  And there were.  But I was caught off guard by how much manipulation went on and by what they do to get more tips.  See, the secret to getting tips is having regulars who come to see you and tip you when you’re dancing.  (I’m so naive!  I had no idea there were regulars at strip clubs!)  And if you are nice to them and pretend to like them, and even build up a little sexual tension… well, then they’ll keep coming back and they’ll keep tipping you.  It’s best not to have sex with the regulars, since they’re your source of money.  If they really push for more, you can let them take you out to lunch and try to make them your “friend.”  In that case, they are more likely to keep coming to see you, and keep tipping you.
 
After reading this book I feel like I know lots of tips and tricks of how a stripper picks up a woman for the night.  And if you ever want a quickie with a stripper, here’s what you do:  Look really hot.  Or at least hotter than the other women at the show that night. 
The writing in the book was just ok.  There were a couple times where what they were saying was just unclear to me.  I don’t know if it was a typo or what.  I also felt like it got increasingly less edited as I moved toward the end of the book.  In the beginning the chapters flowed a bit while covering the material.  By the end it was a just lists of different kinds of information and hook ups.

Going in, I thought I’d come away respecting the hard work that strippers do.  After reading the book I’m having a hard time not being disgusted by men in general.  So what grade to give?  It does give the information it promises.  The writing is ok.  I just didn’t enjoy it.  The book came in at 78 pages on my ereader, and I was really glad it wasn’t any longer.  So, I’m going with a C-.

Bad Company by K.A. Mitchell

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Bad Company (Bad in Baltimore, #1)
Grade: C
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary, M/M
Series: Bad in Baltimore #1
Reviewed by Kate

Rich boy Kellan was kicked out and cut off when his dad discovered he broke off his third engagement in a very public way. What better way to get back at his dad than pretending to be very publicly gay? Nate was Kellan’s best friend growing up until Nate admitted he was gay and Kellan quit talking to him. Then Kellan’s dad sunk Nate’s dad financially. Nate agrees to give Kellan a place to stay and help him “come out” in exchange for ruining Kellan’s dad’s company. Now what is Kellan supposed to do with these very real feelings he’s beginning to have for Nate?

This one left me grasping at understanding the characters. Nate came off as uncompromising and judgemental. And while very hot, I just didn’t enjoy Kellan’s transition from straight to gay. I am looking forward to reading the next book though, as I have enjoyed everything else I have read by this author.