Kate

Catch Me if You Can by Stacey Espino

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Catch Me If You Can

Grade: C
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: No Kink (other than menage)
Genre: Contemporary, Menage
Reviewed by Kate
 
When Christina’s grandmother died, she left Christina a two-month vacation in her will.  So, dull bank worker Christina heads off to Golden Acres.  But Golden Acres isn’t the luxury spa she was expecting, it’s a farm run by Noah, Jake, and James (dear old gran’s hot cowboy neighbors).
 
Noah, Jake (brothers), and James (an orphan) were raised by a womanizing drunk who was hardly ever around.  As a result, none of the three have learned to love.  In fact, all of them have a reputation as womanizers themselves.  They know Christina is a commitment kind of girl yet none can resist.
 
Years ago, when Christina was used by her seventeen year old crush, she decided she was unlovable.  She went on to become the most boring and sexless person possible.  Why does she now find herself attracted to not only one, but 3 hot cowboys?  And can she find the courage to do something about it?  Just how many days in the country does it take to get to the smutty center of the dull bank worker?  One…Two…Three…
 
I would have enjoyed this story more except little things kept pulling me out of the fantasy.  Little things like:
 
1.  On the way to Golden Acres, the highway is closed down, forcing Christina to leave her friend (who was driving her) and walk a mile down said closed road to where Noah could pick her up.  What-no detour?  Oh wait, there’s one mentioned on the next page.  Why didn’t she just use that?
 
2.  When she finally arrives at Golden Acres the first thing she does is take a shower, where she uses a razor she finds in the shower to shave.  Seems a little ballsy to me, right?  Besides, who doesn’t shave before leaving for a stay at what she thinks is a luxury spa?
 
3.  Jake, Noah, and James don’t even really like each other in the beginning, so how is sharing a woman going to work for them?
 
Anyway, the list goes on for a while.  Despite all that, the book was definitely hot, hot, hot.

The Daddy Pact by Kristy K. James

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

The Daddy Pact
Grade: C
Hotness Level: No Sex
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary
Reviewed by Kate

Dan’s drug addicted brother has done the unthinkable-he’s killed a man just home from his honeymoon.  Dan decides he needs to do whatever he can to try to make things easier for the victim’s widow, Jess.  The news that she is pregnant wakes Jess from the haze of depression she’s been living in since her husband dies over 3 months ago.  When her ex-father-in-law threatens to take the baby from her, Dan offers to marry Jess (in name only, of course) and adopt the baby.

Once the pair are married, the ex-father-in-law ceases to be a threat.  Then the story becomes about dealing with the guilt.  Dan feels responsible because he had seen his brother shortly before the murder.  Jess feels disloyal to her dead husband because she begins having feelings for Dan.  Can Jess and Dan get past the guilt to build a real marriage?

I am an avid reader of the marriage of convenience plot line, but this one fell a little short of my hopes. Perhaps just a bit too much realism for my escape reading.  Well, that and the lack of sex didn’t help either.

Double Down by Katie Porter

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Double Down (Vegas Top Guns, #1)
Grade: C+
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: Mild Kink (role playing, spanking)
Genre: Contemporary
Series: Vegas Top Guns #1
Reviewed by Kate

When Major Ryan Haverty sees the waitress wearing seamed stockings, he’s a goner. Cassandra Whitman is tired of having to put up with crap from the restaurant manager, who is also her ex-boyfriend. So when Ryan starts flirting, Cass decides to get back at the ex-boyfriend by making a dramatic exit on Ryan’s arm. The exit leads to a steamy weekend of role playing. Both Cass and Ryan are enjoying the fun, but Ryan is ashamed of his desires at the same time. Ryan’s fiance left him years ago because he asked her to wear a costume for him. But when one weekend leads to more, will they be able to work through their internal sludge to get to a happily ever after?

I really liked Cass’s character. Once she manages her dramtic exit, she goes on a journey turning herself from mousy to bold and daring. I wish I could say I enjoyed Ryan’s character as much. His internal dialogues were filled with mini pity parties that drove me absolutely nuts. I found myself wanting to give him a big smack upside the head. But, whether maid and employer, call girl and john, or student and professor…hot, hot, hot!