Kissing Drake by Jenna Dales

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Grade: C-
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: Mild Kink
Genre: Contemporary
Series: Butterfly Girls #1
Published: 4/17/14
Reviewed by Kate
123 pages


Paige owns a small bookshop on an island.  She’s happy and content with her life, has no desire for things to change…except for maybe adding a man to spice things up.  Enter Drake, dressed in a business suit and stranded by a storm.


Unfortunately I was never able to get to the point where I actually liked Paige.  From page one she comes across as a horny book store owner who is so hard up for sex that she will basically go after anything male.  Her calculation in her approach with Drake left me with an icky feeling.  It’s definitely meant to be a one time only kind of deal, but we all know it very rarely works out that way (in romances anyway), but it still just felt a little gross for me.


In the second part of the book, Paige is a different person.  A completely different person.  One I found I could like much more, but it just felt like such a sudden change from horny and contented Paige to wistful and wanting-to-wander Paige.  One of the Paiges felt out of character, I’m just not sure which one.


Drake didn’t impress me much, one way or the other.  I can’t decide if I wanted him to be more upfront and honest with his supposed-to-be-a-one-night-stand or if I just wanted him to be more sure of himself in general.


This one is probably worth checking out if you like small town romance with people working on their issues (alone, not really together). It just didn’t work for me.


What Wendy Wants by Nikki Sex

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Grade: B
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: Mild Kink
Genre: Contemporary, Novella
Published: 6/23/13
Reviewed by Kate
93 pages


After 3 kids, Wendy and Frank’s marriage has turned stale.  Wendy wants to try some of the things that she’s been reading about in her romance books, but how can she even approach the subject with “vanilla” Frank? When Frank accidentally takes her Kindle to work with him one day, the choice is taken out of her hands.

 

I love romances that feature husbands and wives finding their way to deeper relationships. And this one fit the bill perfectly.  It is obvious that Frank and Wendy love each other-he knows exactly what her Kindle password is, even after all these years *happy sigh*.  It’s even more obvious that they want this relationship to work, and to work better than it has been.

 

A quick hot and spicy read.  If you enjoy reading a romance between a husband and wife and like a little BDSM thrown into the mix, this is the one for you.

 

I think husband and wife romances are fast becoming a favorite for me.  Do you have any others to recommend?

Loving Ellie by Lindsey Brookes

Grade: B-
Hotness Level: Spark
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary
Published: 2/10/14
Reviewed by Kate
251 ebook pages


Lucas rushes back to a home he left 3 years ago when he finds out that his younger brother has died.  The last thing he expects to find is his brother’s fiancé, Ellie, who is very pregnant.  Lucas lost his own wife and unborn child 3 years ago.  How can he help Ellie when doing so brings up so much from his past?

Okay.  I admit it.  I like pregnancy romances.  And this one worked on so many levels for me.  Lucas has been running from his past for years now, but being around Ellie is forcing him to face that head on.  Ellie grew up without any love and is unwilling to see that anybody might love her or that she may be able to love someone herself.  Two tortured souls who just might be able to complete each other.  Emotionally gripping, I could not put this one down.  I finished the book in under a day.

However, please be aware that this is a romance, not an erotic romance.  I prefer my romances to be ones that I would never, never recommend that my grandmother read.  And while this one is definitely a romance, there is no sex, on page or otherwise.  That being said, it was a beautiful story.

If you like emotional stories of two people helping each other move beyond their pasts while digging their heels in the whole way, and don’t mind a lack of sex-this one’s for you.