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Caught! by J.L Merrow

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

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Grade: B+
Hotness Level: Blaze
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary, m/m
Series: The Shamwood Tales #1
Published: 8/19/14
Reviewed by Anne
257 pages

Robert Emeny (Mr. Enemy to his students) is the new teacher in a small town English primary school.  He’s happy to have left his past behind him and settle into this new, less fancy life.  He’s upper crust, wears a bow tie every day, is a bit of a nerd, and is the kind of man that people just seem to figure out is gay.  Sean is the local pest control guy, and uncle to two of Robert’s students.  They each find the other attractive, but there’s some misunderstandings and baggage to work through before they can settle into a relationship.

First off, let me warn you that this book is told from the first person point of view, and that Robert, our narrator has an ADHD style of thought that almost made me dizzy as I read.  That said, it’s hilarious.  So, just go into it knowing what you’re in for.  It works for me, but I don’t think I could read a bunch of J.L. Merrow stories back to back.  Here’s a quick example as Robert looks around, marching his class into an assembly:

 

“Thirty pairs of eyes (actually, twenty-nine and a half; Jodie was wearing a patch for her lazy eye) searched eagerly for the sight of parents and grannies.  I gazed out on the sea of female and/or wrinkly faces in the pews and wondered idly if there was any job in the world, anywhere, that was worse for meeting men than the average primary-school teaching post.  Father confessor in a nunnery, maybe?  Avon cosmetics rep?  Or one of those poor sods who went round emptying the sanitary bins they put in ladies’ loos?” p. 5

Robert is a bit of a geek; math jokes and Doctor Who references abound, and that made the story even more enjoyable for me.  Robert has a couple friends who round out the story and add to the hilarity.  Rosie is a fellow teacher working her way through a recent break up with her boyfriend.  She takes Robert on as a friend and project and works to hook him up with Sean.  Hanne is Robert’s grandmotherly neighbor who enjoys popping into his house and baking him things.  The exploits of Robert’s class round out the hilarity.

In a sweet twist, there’s a side story with one of Robert’s students and his father.  It made for one of those moments where you just sigh and think maybe the world is an ok place.

There are some more serious threads weaving through all the comedy.  Robert is dealing with some baggage from his previous job.  He also worries about coming out to Hanne and being gay in the small town he’s living in now.  I thought it was all really well handled.

The only thing that frustrated me in the story was that Robert sometimes seemed too oblivious or stupid.  I think that’s a risk you face when you have this kind of narrator.  The biggest obstacles to Robert and Sean’s relationship were all in Robert’s head.  Still, it worked for me overall.

If you enjoy m/m, or are wondering if you might, I’d recommend this book.  It’s hilarious and sweet – a story that will keep you laughing and smiling as you read!

It’s In Hiss Kiss by Jill Shalvis

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

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Grade: A-
Hotness Level: Blaze
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary
Series: Lucky Harbor #10
Published: 8/26/14
Reviewed by Kate
368 pages

Becca has arrived in Lucky Harbor, escaping the drama and negativity that was consuming her life when she was living closer to her family.  She’s trying to get her life back on track.  She’s not looking for anything romantic, but she can’t ignore SGS-Sexy Grumpy Surfer.  Sam (SGS) enjoys the life of being a loner, with the exception of his two business partners.  He’s happy with his boats and his close friends.  But for some reason, he just can’t stay away from Becca.

In typical Shalvis fashion I was drawn to the characters and laughing out loud by page 4!  Shalvis has gotten written dialogue and thoughts down to funny perfection.  But Sam and Becca’s story isn’t all smiles and chuckles.  Their histories have left them both scarred and leery of giving their hearts to anyone.  The emotion that comes from this pair is staggering at times.  Yet Shalvis manages to weave humor in with the emotion without cheapening the feelings that Sam and Becca are experiencing.

Jill Shalvis is the queen of small town contemporary romance.  Managing to mix emotion and humor with ease, she has made Lucky Harbor a place where I want to live and a cast of characters I wish I could call friends.  This one is going on my “best of 2014” list.

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?