Kate

Baiting the Boss by Coleen Kwan

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Baiting the Boss
Grade-C
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-No Kink
Genre-Contemporary
Reviewed by Kate
184 pages

Company owner and CEO Lachlan sends his assistant Grace to find his grandson, and heir-apparent, Jack and bring him back to Sydney and the family business.  Grace finally tracks him down on a tropical island and all sorts of romance ensues.

I really liked the story. A lot.  It was a fun and easy and comfortable read, lacking any sort of external conflict (which I appreciate).  Like I said, I liked it a lot.  Until we get to the 96% mark.    So what would have been an outstanding story (a B+ rating) quickly became only okay.

I do want to also note that while the sex scenes were steamy and hot, earning an inferno rating, there were only a few. I would have like to had more in the story.

I wouldn’t hesitate to read more from Coleen Kwan, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this one anyone who loves low-conflict romances with a touch of the tropics.  I just wish it had a different ending.

Everything Bared by Kristine Cayne

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Everything Bared (Six-Alarm Sexy #2)
Grade-C+
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-Moderate Kink
Series-Six-Alarm Sexy #2
Genre-Contemporary
Reviewed by Kate
268 pages

Dani Harris, a firefighter and search and rescue team member, has been part of the Caldwell family since the earthquake.  When she needs a place to stay, she ends up staying with straight-laced William Caldwell, CFO of the family business.  Dani knows she’s William’s opposite in almost every way, but she can’t help but be attracted to him.  Can she trust him with her exhibitionism secret?

Kristine Cayne exceeds at writing strong characters. Dani is a feisty spitfire and William had layers to him that were slowly exposed. I loved both characters and enjoyed watching their story unfold. Many of Dani’s initial conversations with William kept me in stitches.

There was a pony play scene in the book that left me a bit squicked out. I’m not a big suspense reader and there was a small component of suspense in this one that I didn’t enjoy. But it’s not a huge part of the story and not something so suspenseful that it kept me up at night.

The biggest downside for me was that I enjoyed the first book in this series so much that I probably went in with my expectations a bit high. And while this book is a very solid entry in the series, I still liked the first book better. I will be anxiously awaiting the next book in the series because I’ve falllen in love with the way Kristine Cayne writes her characters.

M/M Monday-Apple Polisher by Heidi Belleau

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

       
Grade-B-
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-Rear Entrance Video #1
Genre-Contemporary M/M
Reviewed by Kate
194 pages

Christian has been accepted into a teaching school that has strict requirements for their students’ dress and behavior, both in school and out. Christian is walking on egg shells because he’s pretty sure if anyone finds out he’s gay, he’ll get kicked out of the program. Max is one of Christian’s new housemates. Despite the fact that Max didn’t want Christian as a housemate, Christian finds himself drawn to Max. But Max is a mystery. No one knows what he does for a living or even what his last name is. When Christian’s aunt gets too sick to work at the porn store she owns, Christian finds himself offering to help out. But working at a porn store could definitely get him kicked out of the teaching program if anyone found out. Can Christian manage to keep so many secrets without losing Max in the process?

It always amazes me when an author can hold my attention when their characters are being such idiots. Christian has his head so far up his ass that he doesn’t see that he’s losing himself in order to become a picture perfect teacher. Luckily, Max is there and not afraid to tell Christian what’s what.. But even through all of Christian’s obliviousness, I kept turning the pages. Even when Christian pushes Max away because he doesn’t fit the perfect teacher mold, I kept turning pages. I’m not a huge fan of “I’ve got a secret or ten” plots. I prefer that the characters actually talk to one another. But despite all the secrets, this one worked for me. I got the need for the secrets in this case. Thankfully, the ending pulled everything to a happy conclusion, all wrapped up with a bow.

I look forward to reading more of Heidi Belleau’s strong characters, emotional plots, and page scorching love scenes in the next book in this series. Now if I only had more time to catch up on her backlist.