contemporary

Lush by Lauren Dane

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Lush
Grade: B+
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: None
Genre: Contemporary
Series: Delicious #3
Reviewed by Anne

Mary is a caterer and phenomenal cook.  Her good friend is marrying a famous rock star, and through their wedding preparations and celebrations, Mary meets, Damien, rock star drummer.  Their attraction is immediate, and they have a one night fling.  Neither expects more than a night.  They are both very busy and successful in their own ways.  However, they start texting each other and really look forward to meeting again at a concert Mary and her friends were invited to.  

That’s really all there is to the plot.  Once they see each again, they start making ways to see each other.  The story is about how they realize their feelings for each other and how they work out their physical distance and busy schedules.  I really liked it.  I’m certainly love a low conflict romance, and this series by Lauren Dane fits the bill perfectly.  This was another solid entry.  I also enjoyed seeing the friends and couples from the books that came before this one, both in the Delicious Series and the Brown Siblings series before this one.  The characters from these previous books make cameos, but some have pivotal best friend roles, and I think you’d enjoy the book more for having read at least the Delicious series.

From the previous books, I knew I liked Mary and her friends.  Damien and his brothers were a delightful surprise in these books.  I especially liked Damien’s confidence.  He knows he’s lived a pretty wild life.  He’s cut back lately and is making more changes after meeting Mary, but he’s not ashamed about the life he lived before.  Mary is also confident in herself and comfortable with how much she likes sex.  I enjoy reading confident characters, especially confident women.  Yet neither Damien nor Mary is perfect, and watching them make mistakes and recover makes for an even better story.  I really want to pick it up and read it again!

Going For It by Liz Matis

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Going For It
Grade-B
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-None
Genre-Contemporary
Reviewed by Kay

Jake Miller is a running back in the NFL. He’s a player on and off the field. He is considered a veteran football player due to his age (32), so he has been giving a little thought to life after football. Watching his friend and teammate, Ryan fall in love and get married has influenced him some also.

Hannah Hahn is an aging supermodel with a big secret. She is best friends with Samantha who is married to Ryan, Jake’s friend. She has “family issues”. She is also thinking about what life will be like after the modeling is over.

Jake and Hannah hooked up for a while in the not so distant past but broke up due to differing opinions. Their attraction never went away though and they hook up again at their friends’ wedding.

I really enjoyed this story. It was short and hot. And also apparently just what I needed to read now. I liked it on every level. The characters seemed like real, honest people. I could see their points of view and understand them. This was the first thing I’ve read by Liz Matis but it won’t be my last.

The Things I Do For You by Minx Malone

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

The Things I Do for You (The Alexanders, #2)
Grade-D-
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level-None
Series-The Alexanders #2
Reviewed by Kay

Nick Alexander is a financial whiz kid and a bit of a reputed playboy. He owns the reputation with no problem at all but it is more of who he used to be. He had a blistering one night stand with his future sister-in-law awhile back and that has him rethinking his ways.

Raina Winters is a model whose biggest hope is to be a mother. She has endometriosis and has a timetable to get pregnant. She also has a fiancee who seems to be on the same page with a marriage of convenience. She will never forget the night of passion she shared with Nick, her future brother-in-law.

I loved the premise of the book and that’s what drew me in. What the book became was tedious and infuriating. Raina was a horribly selfish and annoying heroine. She constantly fought against her feelings for Nick. I won’t tell you how they end up as a couple just in case you want to read it for yourself. Nick does everything he can to prove himself and I thought it was a bit ridiculous. I have read Minx Malone before and enjoyed it but not this offering, not at all.