no kink

Her Kind of Trouble by Sarah Mayberry

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne
18668405
Grade: A
Hotness Level: Blaze
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: ContemporaryPublished: 4/1/14 
Reviewed by Anne
210 pages

What if the two right people met, but it was the wrong time?  Vivian and Seth meet at their siblings’ wedding.  The attraction is instant.  Neither is looking for commitment, and that works out just fine for them.  A quickie in a limo at the wedding turns into a happy memory for both of them as Seth keeps trying to make it big with his rock band and Vivian moves to the US to work on her career as a designer.

Ten years later Vivian moves back to Australia and suddenly she and Seth are seeing each other all the time.  The attraction is still there, and the timing is still awful.  Seth has grown up a lot.  He gave up on the rock star dream and settled down and bought a bar.  But he still managed to knock up his twenty-something girlfriend before they split up. So now he’s looking at fatherhood with a girl who seems more interested in shopping than the baby due in weeks.   Vivian, who is known in her family as the flighty one, has also grown up and settled down.  She’s co-owner of a new photography/stylist business.  But they keep getting thrown together.  And even though the timing couldn’t be worse and their families don’t really approve, they’re starting to find they don’t just have horny pants for each other, but they actually like each other, too!

This book is going on my best of the year list!  I think Vivian is one of my all time favorite heroines.  She knows who she is and she’s fine with herself, flaws and all.  She likes sex and she’s not ashamed that she does.  But she’s mature enough that her life is not all one night stands and she understands that there are repercussions when you decide to sleep with someone.  She will not put up with slut shaming and doesn’t hesitate to call Seth out on it when he starts down that path.

Vivian’s acceptance of herself and her imperfections helps her appreciate the same in Seth.  And if Seth is a little late to see all that is wonderful about Vivian, we’ll give him a pass because his life is a pretty big mess during most of the story.  It’s an awful time to start a relationship.  It’s messy and probably not smart, but it’s their story, and that’s how Mayberry writes it.  So awesome!

There were a couple small things about the book that bothered me.  I would have been happier with a HFN ending instead of the all out HEA.   It’s also not as hot as some of the books I enjoy, but with the strong plot and characters, I didn’t miss the extra couple sex scenes at all.  And the scenes that were in the book were great!

I’ll just say it right here.  I think Sarah Mayberry is one of the most under appreciated romance authors out there right now.  In my book she’s right up there with Jill Shalvis, Jaci Burton, Shannon Stacey, Ruthie Knox, and Cara Mckenna.  I’d even say she writes stronger storylines than any of these authors.  If you haven’t tried her yet, go pick up one of her stories and try her now!

Once Upon A Billionaire by Jessica Clare

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne


Once upon a Billionaire (Billionaire Boys Club, #4)
Grade-C-
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-Billionaire Boys Club #4
Genre-Contemporary
Reviewed by Kay
261 pages

I had such high hopes for this book when I first started it. I love Jessica Clare books. It had a billionaire, a down on her luck but strong heroine, great sexual tension and a decent, if not far fetched premise. These are great things in a romance story but at sixty percent in it all fell apart for me.

Griffin, the hero, is a billionaire who belongs to a secret society of friends and a Viscount in his native country. He has to go home to his homeland for a family wedding. A royal family wedding. He would rather do anything other than that but family is family. His assistant comes down with the chicken pox and can’t go with him. One of his friends’ wives, who he doesn’t get along with, offers him her husband’s assistant for the trip. He’s desperate, so he agrees.

Maylee is from Arkansas and the first person in her family to go to college and get a degree. She sends part of her paychecks back home to her family to give them a somewhat better life. She lives in an unsecured building in a hovel of an apartment. She doesn’t have much but she’s content with her life. When she gets the chance not only to earn doubletime but to travel, she’s so very excited.

When these two meet, Griffin is a total asshat. He insults her at every turn even knowing that he desperately needs her help. To make matters even worse, he becomes attracted to her and still continues to belittle her. This happens through most of the book. At about sixty percent, I’d made my mind up that there would be no redemption for him in my eyes. Not even Jessica Clare’s writing could make him likeable. Maylee was a precious heroine and I cried for her several times while reading this book. She was the one bright spot in this story. If you can stand a constantly cruel hero, give it a try.

Love In Straight Sets by Rebecca Crowley

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Love in Straight Sets          

           

Grade-A-
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level-No Kink
Genre-Contemporary
Reviewed by Kate
159 pages

Regan is the resident diva of the tennis world.  She’s gone through coaches faster than Augustus Gloop ate his way through the Wonka factory.  She’s planning on retiring soon, but wants one last win.  A big one.  At the Baron’s Open.  Enter Ben, a one-hit wonder who won the Baron’s Open years ago and then disappeared from the tennis courts.  He’s agreed to coach Regan and she’s agreed not to fire him.  Both Regan and Ben are drawn to each other, but his job hinges on his ability to keep his hands off Regan, and his sister’s safety depends on him keeping his job.

The world of sports romance is dominated by MMA, football, baseball, and hockey men.  And while I enjoy a good sports romance every once in a while, I’m kind of tired of the same-old, same-old.  How many big, buff guys running around the football field or sparring in the ring can you really read about?  The fact that this one is about a tennis playing female was such a refreshing change of pace.

These are characters that I quickly fell in love with.  Regan wasn’t just an outright bitch.  You get to see what’s under the surface that makes her a character you root for. I loved that Ben saw right through Regan’s diva act.  He didn’t put up with her crap at all and saw through to the vulnerability underneath.  They both have their moments of stupidity that made me just want to yell at them, especially Ben.  But if those moments hadn’t been there I would probably be complaining that they were too perfect.

My only complaint…I would have appreciated more sex in this one.  There’s no sex until 84% into the story and then we only get one scene.  Honestly though, the story was so engaging that I didn’t realize that I was already that far into the story.

I absolutely loved this one.  It’s the first book that I’ve read by Rebecca Crowley, but I’ve already added some of her back list to my TBR pile.  This one is definitely worth reading.