Anne

Beyond Addiction by Kit Rocha

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

18392414

Grade: A
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: Moderate Kink
Genre: Dystopian
Series: Beyond #5
Published: 8/11/14
Reviewed by Anne
229 ebook pages

For starters, you really have to read this series in order.  You officially start with Beyond Shame, book #1, but if you want a smaller taste, you can read Beyond Solitude, which is #4.5, but stands alone really, really well.  And I think you should read this series, because it’s dark and gritty and really, really good.  Oh, and it’s really, really hot, too.

Trix has long been a background character in the O’Kane gang.  She’s a bartender and a dancer at their bar.  At the end of book #4, Beyond Jealously, Trix gets kidnapped and taken to Sector 5, and we learn that’s where she escaped from her life as a prostitute addicted to drugs.

Finn is an enforcer for Mac, the evil overlord of Sector 5.  He actually lives just to undermine Mac, and has since Mac facilitated the overdose of Finn’s favorite girl, Tracy.  He doesn’t care much about living or dying, but he knows Mac is horrible and he’s working on a one man mission to ruin his rule over Sector 5.

That all changes when Finn is called into Mac’s office and sees the newly kidnapped Trix.  Trix is Tracy.  She never really died, she escaped to Sector 4 and changed her name.  Seeing Trix/Tracy spurs Finn to action like nothing else has, and Trix and Finn end up on the run.  They’ve got a twisted history, since their prior relationship took place when Trix was hooked on drugs and Finn was her supplier – giving her the drugs in exchange for sex.  They both had deeper feelings, but the addiction between them blurred everything.

So the question is never really whether Trix and Finn love each other, but it’s how can they work through their history and issues together.  This is complicated somewhat by Trix now being a member of the O’Kanes.  That means Finn will have to find his way to a place in the gang.

The relationship between Trix and Finn was a strong point for me.  I really enjoyed watching them find their way to each other with nothing between them.  The sex scenes are scorching hot, as expected in this series.

Also as expected in this series there’s a menage scene.  That was a bit of a let down for me in this book.  It seemed a bit out of place and it didn’t quite work for me.  I was also surprised at how easily Finn was accepted as an O’Kane, especially given his history of working for Mac Fleming.  Those were the only two week points in the book for me.

Besides Trix and Finn, I really enjoyed checking in with everyone else in the O’Kane gang.  So awesome seeing Dallas and Lex truly sharing power.  I’m also getting curious-er and curious-er about Doc (whose name is Dylan!).  And what’s up with him and Maddox?  I want to go back and re-read the entire series, taking notes this time.  I thought Maddox was paired up with someone.  And then there’s Lili from Sector 5.  That’s one messed up lady, so you know she’s going to end up in Sector 4, hopefully getting some control over her life.  She’s right up Lex’s alley.

So, if you’re reading the series, who is your favorite character?  I’m a huge Noah/Emma fan, but Maddox is probably the one I’m most curious about right now!

When I Fall by Tamara Morgan

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

22393209

Grade: B
Hotness Level: Blaze
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary
Series: Montgomery Manor #2
Published: 8/11/14
Reviewed by Anne
262 pages

When I read the blurb for this book, I was really intrigued.  I wondered if I could enjoy a story about a character who seemed to have no redeeming qualities.  Becca is a socialite in all the tabloids described in the book blurb as getting through life one vodka tonic at a time.  When all cameras are on her at a night club she finds an unexpected savior in Jake, her older sister’s step son.  (That’s right, Becca is Jake’s aunt, if you’re keeping track!)  So, I dove into the book wondering how I’d feel and if the author could make me sympathetic to Becca.  I’ve really liked other books I’ve read by Tamara Morgan, so I was hopeful.

Then I started reading, and it got worse!  Not only does Becca try to drink herself into a stupor in order to try to sleep through the night, but Jake turns out to be a total wastrel.  That’s right, I’m using a historical term in contemporary romance, but it totally applies!  Jake drifts through life.  His family is loaded and he’s always had more money than he knows what to do with.  He’s never held a job and he’s involved in one scandal after another.  It got so bad that his father cut him off and he’s been couch surfing with friends who are willing to pay his way at clubs.

When he sees drunken Becca at the club, he does step in to minimize the damage.  At the same time, he’s thinking to himself that taking Becca home will probably give him a place to sleep for the night, as he’s getting tired of the friend he’s staying with.

So these characters are not very likable to me.  At all.  But that’s when the magic starts to happen.  The more I learned about Becca, the more I understood her and felt for her.  I never had quite as much sympathy for Jake as I did for Becca, but he turns out to have a huge protective streak for Becca.  So by page 85 I knew pretty much all their dirty laundry, and I was totally rooting for them.  It wasn’t just my sympathy for Becca and Jake that turned me around, it was that they were incredibly honest with each other.  Becca knew Jake needed a place to stay and he didn’t try to hide it.  They were very open with each other, and it was wonderful!

Even though I’ve said the characters aren’t very likable, there was a lot I liked about them.  I didn’t like how they’d chosen to live their lives – basically not doing any productive work and just creating scandal and partying.  I did like who they were.  Jake was very loyal to his family and very protective of Becca.

Becca was very honest about who she was.  She was sexually active and not ashamed about that.  I know there may be some romance readers who will have a problem with that, but I really enjoyed it.  Becca also turns out to be a lot stronger than she appears.  I would have had problems with this story if Jake had been the magical thing to make Becca better.  By the end of the story I was confident that Becca would have taken care of herself just fine without Jake.  Her life was better with him in it, but he didn’t save her, and I liked that!

The sex in this story is really hot and really well written.  There’s a lot more anticipation than there is sex, but when you get it, it’s worth the wait!

This story is also filled with humor, and a lot of it is pretty raunchy.  I loved that!  Becca has quite a potty mouth, and that seemed totally in character.  For example, here’s Becca’s reaction to seeing a crotch shot picture of her taken at the club the previous night printed in the paper:

“I like how they blacked my twat out with a star, “ she mused, tilting the picture so that her legs were vertical to her line of vision.  “It’s so much more exciting that way.  Like the force of my vulva cannot be contained.”

The worst part of this story for me was how sad Becca’s life was.  She was grieving a friend and depressed.  It was so horrible it was making me sad reading it, and I wondered how she could possibly be in a place to start a relationship – even a fake one!

I was also pulled out of the story at times by the many point of view changes.  It happened a lot and was hard to keep up with.

This is the second book in the Montgomery Manor series.  I didn’t read the first one, and I had no problem keeping up.  Tamara Morgan continues to write wonderful and witty contemporary romance!  She’s pushing herself up my favorite authors list!

So, I mentioned that it doesn’t bother me that Becca is sexually active and not ashamed of it.  That doesn’t bother me at all.  How about you?  Are you ok with a promiscuous female character?  Is it any different for you than it is if it’s a male character?

Fanning the Flames by Victoria Dahl

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

21966886
Grade: A
Hotness Level: Blaze
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary
Series: Jackson: Girls’ Night Out #0.5
Published: 7/1/14
Reviewed by Anne
84 pages

Jake is a widower and a fire chief.  Lauren, a librarian, is divorced from a close friend of Jake’s.  The fire station and the library are in the same building.  Lauren and Jake know each other, and each is attracted to the other, but neither has been ready to move on from their first marriages.  But it’s been years, and their mutual attraction and some observant friends are pushing them to do something about it.

Go read this book.  Now.  Seriously.  This is one of the best short stories I’ve ever read.  Darn near perfect.  Lauren and Jake both have grown children.  They’re both doing fine on their own, though they’d love a little companionship.  Watching them circle each other, and then finally move on each other?  So much fun!

It’s got an awesome “caught in the act” scene.  Reading about Lauren and Jake figuring things out was really just perfect from beginning to end.

I’ll leave you with a quote:

“Is that all it takes to make you happy?  Mid-priced Scotch?”

She laughed, but as her laughter died away, her eyes snapped with heat.  “No, actually.  It takes more than that to make me happy.”

Her voice had gone low and warm, and regardless of worry or guilt, Jake was damn sure not going to miss that hint.  “Lauren,” he said, setting down his drink. “Are you drunk?”

“I’m a little buzzed.”

“How buzzed.?”

Her gaze slipped own to his chest.  “Buzzed enough to tell you that I love watching you run without a shirt on.”

“Oh.”  That blasted all thought from his brain and left him blank for a moment.

“You’re really sexy.  I shouldn’t tell you that, but I’m buzzed and I really want to tell you.”

“Lauren—“

“Because you walk around without a shirt like it’s no big deal.  Like you don’t even know.  And Jake?  It’s really, really…” She reached out her hand slowly, fingers brushing over the fabric of his shirt.  “Distracting.”  p.44