Best of 2013

One Good Earl Deserves A Lover by Sarah Maclean

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

One Good Earl Deserves a Lover (The Rules of Scoundrels, #2)
Grade-A-
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level-None
Series-The Rules Of Scoundrels #2
Reviewed by Kay

Pippa Marbury is smart. Really, really smart. She knows something about almost everything. What she doesn’t know, she wants to learn. She’s to get married at the onset of this novel and she wants to know more about sex. How to seduce her betrothed who seems oblivious to anything of a sexual nature.

Cross, no name but Cross for most of the book is part owner of The Fallen Angel gaming hell. He is close friends with Pippa’s brother-in-law. Cross is a consummate rake by reputation. He was the spare that became the heir. He has a truckload of guilt and a few secrets to go with his rakishness. Is that a word?

Pippa goes to the hell to see if Cross can answer her questions on seduction and the physical aspect of marriage. Cross is dumbfounded but intrigued. He is tempted beyond measure but refuses her request for a number of reasons. Pippa misunderstand his refusal. See, Pippa is the smart girl but plain in her eyes and most others also. Listening to her description of why Cross refuses her is tear inducing.

This novel was almost a total hit for me. It was so close to perfection. I have been reading a lot of books that have been just okay. Not bad but not like this one. What kept it from a perfect rating for me was 1) they were both betrothed to other people at certain times in the book and 2) he was a redhead. I know it’s petty but red headed men just don’t do it for and it’s hard for me to but into it.  Still, it’s on my Best of 2013 list.

Restraint by Charlotte Stein

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Restraint
Grade – A
Hotness Level – Inferno
Kink Level – no kink
Genre – Contemporary, short
Reviewed by Anne

Mallory is pissed of at her friend.  He invited *Artie* along on their holiday.  Artie who hates her and thinks she’s stupid.  But while they are sharing a vacation house, Mallory quickly realizes Artie doesn’t dislike her, he just doesn’t know what to do with the attraction he feels for her.  He’s so uptight, conservative, restrained… he just doesn’t know what to do with the physical reaction he has to her blunt words.

I’ll stop there because it’s a short story (51 pages on my reader) and I don’t want to give it away, but it’s incredibly good.  I love Charlotte Stein’s voice.  Her first person story telling works for me, even though I’m not a first person fan, in general.  Early on in the story, before she understands why Artie seems to dislike her, Mallory decides she’s never going to have Artie’s approval and she doesn’t care.  In fact, she’s going to say more of the things that make him uncomfortable.


I can almost make out the pressure of his immense gaze on the side of my face, as I make a comment I know I shouldn’t be making.

I know it, the second it comes out – but somehow I just can’t help it.  I’m not even trying to employ this new “Artie can go fuck himself” attitude.  The words simply come out all on their own, like a reflex.

A rude, rude reflex, in response to Lucy’s suggestion that she’d be happy just to have some movie star hunk of the week read the phone book to her.

‘He could read the phone book to me, too, ‘ I say, and then the Doc hit my knee with the little hammer, and my leg kicks up. ‘As long as he does so directly into my vagina.’

This story is very hot.  It’s also got a dirty feel to it, which I really enjoyed.  The dirty comes from knowing how Artie feels about the things they are doing, not so much what they are doing.  I really enjoyed the writing!  Artie and Mallory also develop a sweet and believable love for each other.  I highly recommend this book.  It’s going on my Best of 2013 list.


Star Crossed by Kele Moon

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Star Crossed (Battered Hearts, #2)

Grade – A
Hotness Level – Inferno
Kink Level – None
Genre – Contemporary
Series – Battered Hearts #2
Reviewed by Anne
 


 
After reading Defying the Odds I went pretty much straight to Star Crossed.  I was a bit nervous.  I really liked the first story, so I wondered if the second would live up to it.  Well, no worries there – Star Crossed was awesome!  I liked it even better than Defying the Odds, and that’s saying a lot.
 
OK, character roll call.  We’ve got Jules (aka Juliet) who is a smart and confident small town lawyer in her 30s.  She’s very close to her twin brother, the Sherriff, Wyatt.  Jules also works part time at the dispatch center.  Together with their best friend and UFC Heavyweight champion, Clay, they own a large gym and training center in town. 
 
Clay just defended his title by defeating Romeo Wellings.  (Yes, Romeo and Juliet!)  Clay has come to like Romeo after the events that happened at the end of Defying the Odds.  However, Wyatt still sees Romeo as the enemy. (See!  Romeo and Juliet!)  Romeo is New York City slick, rumored to have mob connections, and no one that Wyatt wants around his sister.  He’s every bit as confident as Jules, to the point of being cocky.
 
Unbeknownst to everyone in Jules’ circle of friends, Jules and Romeo had a one night stand after the UFC fight.  That leads to a string of increasingly hot phone calls, text messages, and video chats between the two of them.  When Clay retires and offers to train Romeo, he accepts, knowing Clay will be a good trainer, he’ll be getting some space from his mob connections, and – most of all – he’ll be close to Jules.
 
Star Crossed picks up in time right where Defying the Odds left off.  An extremely hot phone sex call between Romeo and Jules makes their attraction very clear.  A lengthy flashback to their Vegas hookup fills in some blanks and we final jump to present day.  This is one extremely hot and dirty book. 
There are so many things I liked about it, it’s hard to pick one to start with.  I like to mark notes while I read on my ereader.  At the end of this reading I had 30 notes, and 25 of them are pretty much just me remarking how hot a scene is, how funny a comment was, or how much I love these characters.

Jules and Romeo work so well together.  Jules is so comfortable in her own skin and sexuality.  This is a trait that’s put other men off, but Romeo loves it.  Their chemistry is off the charts, even when they aren’t in the same room. 

Jules and Romeo are both very close to their brothers.  I thought those relationships were really realistic, and these characters were fun to hang out with.  The book is full of moments like this one:

“I’m sexy and I know it.”

Romeo looked to Tino, who was currently enjoying the benefits of satellite radio, and arched an eyebrow at his youngest brother.  “You’re officially banned from energy drinks and convenience-store doughnuts.”

Tino bounced his head, giving Romeo a wide smile, showing off even white teeth as he sang off-key.  “I work out.”

These funny moments come between the hot and dirty and raw ones.  Here are a few lines from one of Jules’ and Romeo’s over the phone meetings:

“Don’t encourage me…’cause it feels really good when it happens like this.  I like it.”

 “Yeah?”

 Jules panted. “Um, yeah, I do it like this when I got extra time and the house to myself…like tonight.”

“I’m gonna come,” Romeo admitted with a pained groan.  “I’m so fucking turned on I’m going blind from it.”

“Oh, do it.” Jules couldn’t keep the whimper of longing out of her voice.  “I wanna hear it.  Lemme hear you come thinking about me and listening to me finger fuck myself.”

“Shit!” Romeo shouted.  His breathing was harsh, making it obvious he’d given in and come.  “Fuck, Juliet!”

There were a few things I didn’t like in the book.  Wyatt was portrayed as this very responsible and mature man, but he made some really, really foolish choices that had big repercussions for Jules and Romeo.  It wasn’t totally out of character, though.  I’m not a huge fan of secret relationships, so Jules and Romeo’s down low status went on a bit too long for me.  I really don’t know much about the mafia, so I can’t speak to how realistic that part was.    

Overall, though, these were just small blips on an otherwise incredibly good book.  This one is certainly going on my best reads of the year list, and I’ll be looking at Kele Moon’s other books, too!