Category / Romantic Comedy

by mvbookreviewer

Review: All Jacked Up by Penny McCall

Format: E-book
Read with: Amazon Kindle & Microsoft Reader
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Penguin Group
Hero:  Jack Mitchel
Heroine: Aubrey Sullivan
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: April 3, 2007
Started On: March 13, 2010
Finished On: March 17, 2010

Its being a busy couple of days since I started work after a stretch of staying at home and hence the delay in finishing up this book. This is also a first read for me by the author and I as a reader would have to say that there is nothing more a gal could ask for in a romance once  you have read this one.

There is a hotter than sin hero in Jack and a feisty as they come heroine in Aubrey Sullivan who just has a mind of her own which lands both of them in the most darning of situations. This book is packed full of  humor and you can’t help but smile at the impatience in Jack when Aubrey keeps talking a mile a minute and land them both in a hefty load of trouble when they are barely out of the latest stint of trouble Aubrey has landed them both in. And yeah, I have noticed that I seem to be the one who seem to be “All Jacked Up” these days since all my heroes are ending up with the name Jack these days.

Aubrey works in the state congressman’s library in Washington D.C. With an eidetic memory, Aubrey has always been sort of a loner and thus her preference to be with books which do not tend to have minds of their own. She is just having another one of those quiet days at the library when Jack literally crashes into her life, holds her at gunpoint until all hell breaks loose and Aubrey is running for her life with bullets chasing her and one very suspicious looking character as her rescuer.

With her eidetic memory and tons of books in her memory, Aubrey is hardly the typical demure librarian that Jack expected. Rather her incessant chatter about next to nothing grates on his nerves and without Jack even realizing it, he is lusting after the not-so perfect curves of Aubrey. Danger tends to bring these two into close proximity, though both of them try to deny the simmering attraction between them.

Meanwhile a bounty hunter, all cops across the state and a team of two very mismatched thugs are after these two and they are on the ride and adventure of their life trying to dodge all parties after them and get to the bottom of what it is exactly that Aubrey knows that has landed her in this shit load of trouble. Ms MacCall has done a tremendous job in creating two characters who are so different in nature, but in the end complement one another perfectly. The sex is steamy, the adventure is action packed and fun and you would never have a boring moment when reading through this book.

Great read, recommended for those who love romantic comedies, thrillers and hell just anyone who loves a good bout of romance.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | BooksOnBoard | Kobo

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Practice Makes Perfect by Julie James

Format: E-book
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Sensuality: 2.9
Publisher: Penguin Group
Hero:  J. D. Jameson
Heroine: Payton Kendall
Date of Publication: March 3, 2009
Started On: March 9, 2010
Finished On: March 10, 2010

Finishing this book means that I have read through the list of available books by Ms. James and I would have to say that she is one helluva of a writer, one that I would definitely be on the look out for in the future. It’s too bad that she has published just only 3 novels. Now if there were like 15 more so titles to go through, I would indeed be a very happy bookworm for a couple of weeks.

Anyhow, I have identified that Ms. James likes to write romances that feature lawyers, that factor into the story their busy lives, how they juggle their careers, how stressful their lives actually are trying to become a partner of their firm and of course scenes of the courtroom drama makes it all a more worthwhile read. This book is in no way an exception to this rule.

Payton and Jameson have been working for the same law firm for the past 8 years, during which they have both worked their asses off foregoing everything just so that they would be able to make partner after the 8 year term is up. Never having a cordial relationship between them has boded well for them since they have never had to work together on anything as their branch of law took them in different directions most of the time.

However, fate works towards bringing these two together when a 20 million dollar legal case jumps into their firm’s lap and Payton and Jameson are both assigned to woo this client into hiring their firm for the job. Once this becomes a done deal, however Payton and Jameson both realize that somewhere along the way, the rules of making partner in their firm has been changed and that only one of them would come out as the winner.

All the bets are off when slight misconceptions of actions by both Payton and Jameson to one another brings out moments filled with hilarity that I couldn’t stop myself from laughing out loud several moments during the novel. Especially the part where Payton has her naked butt in the air in front of everyone at the court house and the hilarity that ensued is something any romantic comedy lover would definitely love to read.

As much antagonistic and distrustful these two are of one another, they both slowly come to realize that the facade of anger and animosity that they have put up around one another is just a defense mechanism against letting themselves recognize what they actually feel for one another.

Its a journey fraught with misunderstandings, hilarity, passion and sweet moments that definitely makes this book a worthwhile read.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | BooksOnBoard | Kobo

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Just the Sexiest Man Alive by Julie James

Format: E-book
Read with: Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Sensuality: 2.9
Publisher: Penguin Group
Hero:  Jason Andrews
Heroine: Taylor Donovan
Date of Publication: October 7,  2008
Started On: March 8, 2010
Finished On: March 9, 2010

After reading the latest novel by Ms. James, I decided to give her other two novels a try cos I liked her writing style and character development a lot. Although the romance factor in this novel is pretty much less compared to her latest novel, the game that springs up between Jason and Taylor right from the start is exhilarating enough to keep the reader avidly interested till the very end.

Taylor moves to a branch of her law firm in Los Angeles from Chicago for the case that’s going to make her career. Someone who has always been career oriented, Taylor has no time for fun and games, especially after what she found her fiance doing with his secretary at his work desk, just months prior to their marriage. One thing that Taylor had learnt early in her age, being the only girl in a household of rambunctious  boys was that no matter what happened, Donovan’s never admitted defeat and never did cry. So holding her head high, although she is hurt, Taylor throws herself into the invigorating case of sexual harassment as the defender knowing full well she is going to win the case no matter what.

Quite unexpectedly Taylor gets dumped with the job of teaching Jason the ropes of courtroom drama for his new movie in production. Jason is everything Taylor is not. Standing her up for the two appointments that were supposed to start off their little project, Taylor is ready to brush off her hands off Jason, though he just might be the sexiest man alive on whom Taylor had laid her eyes on.

Jason is not accustomed to having things go any other way than his. He finds himself intrigued when Taylor doesn’t really care about how famous he is and how he is coveted by the rest of the female population surrounding him. And when Taylor gives as good as she gets during their verbal sparring matches, Jason is hopelessly hooked line and sinker though he refuses to admit his feelings to himself, but rather tries to make Taylor jealous by using other means which eventually in the end backfires on him.

Interesting plot with two likable characters. As I said before though there is not much of a romance till the very end of the novel, it is highly entertaining and one can never go wrong in picking this novel up for a bunch of laughs.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | BooksOnBoard | Kobo

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: The Cinderella Deal by Jennifer Crusie

Format: E-book
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Sensuality: 3
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Hero: Dr. Linc Blaise
Heroine:  Daisy Flattery
Date of Publication: January 26, 2010
Started On: February 23, 2010
Finished On: February 24, 2010

Jennifer Crusie is an author famous for writing romances with loads of humor put into the mix that you can’t help but laugh aloud or smile throughout the novel. I think this is the 3rd book that I tried from this author and the story was a wonderful mix of humor, married life, passion and the quirks of living in a small town where every single person knows the other.

Daisy and Linc couldn’t be any more different from one another even if they tried. Where Daisy is an artist struggling to make ends meet whilst trying to get her career as an artist on track, Linc is a university professor specialized in historical studies. Though they both live in the same housing complex, Daisy has always considered Linc to be a bit stuffy and of course the time he kicked Liz her cat has totally painted Linc to be the bad guy in Daisy’s eye. Linc considers Daisy to be a bit of a nut case who wears clothes in bright and mismatched colors that hurts one’s eyes to look at her.

Daisy hits a rough patch when her savings all but dry up leaving her destitute. And Linc covets a position in a small town college as a professor so that he can devote more time to write his second book. However, Linc realizes that without a wife on his arm he wouldn’t land this job that he so desires and so strikes up a bargain with the weirdly homely looking Daisy to pose as his fiance for a day so that he could convince the college to offer him the job.

Linc never thought that he would end up utterly fascinated with Daisy’s vibrant and colorful nature. Although Linc and Daisy do go their separate ways once their Cinderella deal is up, Linc is forced to come back and make the offer of marriage to Daisy, though Linc refuses to acknowledge the fact that he yearns for Daisy in a way that he never thought possible.

Daisy tries so hard to mold herself to be the perfect, respectable college professor wife and in turn nearly loses what essentially makes her who she is. Though these two agree to keep their relationship on a platonic level till the 10 month period of their marriage is over, it doesn’t make the heat that flares between the two any easier to ignore.

This story is wonderful in the way Daisy and Linc both grew in their marriage without the physical hocus pocus that clouds everything from the beginning. Linc learns to loosen up, to appreciate Daisy for what and who she is and in turn Daisy learns that she is worthy of being loved and wanted for who she is.

The side characters in the novel and all the antics and hilarity of Daisy being landed with three mothers to look after her gives the  book the edge of humor which makes this book an unforgettable romance. Loved the book from the beginning.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | BooksOnBoard | Kobo

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: This Heart of Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Format: E-book
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Chicago Stars, Book 5
Sensuality: 3
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Hero: Kevin Tucker
Heroine:  Molly Somerville
Date of Publication: March 17, 2009
Started On: January 30, 2010
Finished On: January 31, 2010

First of all, I just have got to say, what a great read! This book has everything that makes a great romance. Susan Elizabeth’s charm never fails to evoke all the right emotions from the reader.

I haven’t really been reading the Chicago Stars series in order, a fact which I am thinking of remedying by starting from Book 1 of the series, the story of Molly’s sister which I am really interested in reading after seeing quick sneaks into her life with Dan Calebo.

Molly and Kevin’s story is a fascinating one, not just the story of how they find one another and quickly fall in love, but rather a journey these two take in finding the love they could both have with one another if given half the chance. At first glance, Molly and Kevin couldn’t be further apart from one another if they tried. A children’s books author, her characters you find are closely linked with Kevin’s escapades over the years, Molly has had a huge crush on Kevin as long as she can remember. Not that football jock Kevin even knows she exists. With the continuous string of the doll faced women with no brains of their own that parade through his life, Kevin seems to be at the top of his game playing for the football team managed by Molly’s sister Phoebe.

Though Molly doesn’t seem to realize it, she has got this streak of restlessness inside of her which lands her in trouble from time to time. This is what ends her up in Kevin’s bed, seducing him in his sleep and an outraged Kevin who gets rightfully pissed off about being  taken advantage of. Kevin makes Molly promise to him that if there ever were consequences of their coming together she would let him know, which of course Molly doesn’t when she finds herself pregnant.

Molly’s well meaning family, Phoebe and Dan are both shocked when they find out Molly is pregnant and jump to all the wrong conclusions about who took advantage of whom when they find out that Kevin is the father. Kevin slams back into Molly’s life and makes her marry him, though Kevin can barely be civil to the woman who has turned everything in his life upside down.

In the end, mere hours after getting married, tragedy strikes which quickly spins Molly’s world out of control. Once again, its Kevin who shakes her out of depression, takes her off on a trip to Wind Lake, and finds herself running the quaint bed and breakfast that Kevin inherits from his aunt which Kevin wants nothing to do with. Here Kevin faces his demons from his childhood face on, with Molly finally finding peace within herself in this beautiful place.

Tentatively, Kevin and Molly find in one another friendship, and finally red hot desire for one another, that makes Kevin sweat profusely at the idea of getting all his emotions involved in finally inevitably falling for Molly.

This is truly great story with a lovable cast of side characters and of course who wouldn’t love Molly’s fictional characters Daphne and Bunny with their witty and adorable insights into the beginnings of each chapter of the book. Highly recommended for those who love a good romance with a witty cast of characters that could make you smile, make your heart ache just a little and finally end you up with a bunch of happy tears at the truly deserving happy ending!

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Just Friends by Robyn Sisman

Format: E-bookjustfriends.jpg
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Hero: Jack Madison
Heroine: Freya Penrose
Sensuality: 2
Date of Publication:  July 30, 2002
Started On: January 12, 2010
Finished On: January 16, 2010

This is the type of book that should be made into a movie. I bet that all those who love a good romantic comedy would adore the story of Jack and Freya.

Freya is a British woman who works in New York at a trendy art dealer shop scouting new talent now and then. Jack Madison is an author who has hit the writer’s block ever since the release of his debut novel which hit the bestselling list. Its been 5 years since he has started on his second novel and he doesn’t seem to  be getting any constructive work done on the novel. Coming from a rich family from Texas, Jack lives on a monthly allowance set aside by his father together with the money he earns from teaching creative writing classes as well as writing reviews of books for newspapers.

Freya and Jack first met each other around the time that they both ventured into living in New York. Each had their own dreams to fulfill and Freya being older than Jack had stuck to being friends given the flambouyant and playboy lifestyle that Jack seems to prefer.

Now in her mid-thirties, Freya seems to be going on the right path with her career on the right course and her live-in boyfriend of five months about to propose to her. Life couldn’t get any better. That is until, instead of the proposal that Freya was both dreading and kind of hoping for with an inevitability, Freya’s boyfriend Micheal, a lawyer who is as serious as Freya is a ball of energy, breaks off their relationship.

Now with no place to live, Freya ends up crashing at Jack’s place regardless of the warnings Cat, her best friend who is a divorce lawyer who has sworn off men seems to dish out. Contrary to the warnings of Cat, proximity doesn’t make Jack and Freya tumble head over heels in love with each other or make Jack pounce on her as a cat would do for a good slab of meat but rather create a situation of animosity between the two friends.

Meanwhile, Cat meets Micheal and these two click from the moment they lay eyes on each other, a situation that Freya is totally unaware of. Freya is busy trying to find someone who would accompany her as her better half to the wedding of her step sister Tash, someone with whom Freya had always had a turbulent relationship with.

In the end, Jack is the one who saves the day and these two head off to Europe, to a place so different from the busy and heady life of New York, and find themselves confronting feelings that they have long since buried before. However, the age factor together with Jack’s betrayal with Tash breaks these two apart till Jack and Freya both do a lot of growing up on their own and finally accept the love they have for each other.

This book is a highly enjoyable chic flick that all those who love a good romantic comedy would no doubt fall in love with.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | AbeBooks | Half.com

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Nobody’s Baby But Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Format: E-book
Read with: Adobe Reader
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Chicago Stars, Book 3
Publisher: Avon
Hero: Cal Bonner
Heroine: Dr. Jane Darlington
Date of Publication:February 1, 1997
Started On: December 22, 2009
Finished On: December 25, 2009

Dr. Jane Darlington may be a brilliant physics scientist but she doesn’t really have a clue about what life is all about. Growing up alone with a father, who didn’t know what to do with such a brilliant child with no love lost between father and daughter, all Dr. Jane yearns for is a child of her own, whom she would protect with every fiber of her being, so that mockery & isolation from fellow peers is not the only thing her child would know in life. The only problem for Dr. Jane is finding a suitable candidate to father her child, someone who is dumb enough to compensate for her brilliance so that their child would not be labelled a ‘freak’. By a twist of fate, Dr. Jane meets with Jodie, one of the groupies that were forever after the Chicago Stars, who had been assigned the task of finding a high class prostitute as a birthday present for Cal Bonner.

Someone whose career in football is about to end, Cal Bonner doesn’t do commitment well. Afraid of acknowledging the fact that his high profile career is about to end, Cal doesn’t want or need anyone tying him down. Jodie finds the suitable candidate to pose as Cal’s birthday present from the team members when she meets Dr. Jane and quite by chance finds Dr. Jane fascinated with Cal Bonner thinking him to be a dumb jock, a highly suitable candidate to father her child.

Thus begins the highly entertaining story of how Cal finds himself with a woman who is able to give as good as she gets, someone who has an uncanny understanding of himself, and someone who could really get under his skin if he ain’t careful about it. Finding out that Dr. Jane tricked him into getting herself pregnant with his child, when he wasn’t ready at all for such a thing, pushes Cal over the edge and demands Dr. Jane to marry him and vows he would destroy Jane for tricking him and cheating him out of what he wants in life.

Throw in the highly unusual members of Cal’s family and you have got on your hands one hell of an enjoyable romance. I loved every bit of Cal’s and Jane’s encounters filled with moments of laughter, uncertainty, scorching passion and unbeatable romance with a great happy ending at the end. Highly recommended!

Purchase Links: BooksOnBoard | Amazon | Barnes&Noble

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Kiss an Angel by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Format: E-book
Read with: Google Chrome
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Hero: Alex Markov
Heroine: Daisy Devreaux
Date of Publication: February 1, 1996
Started On: December 19, 2009
Finished On: December 19, 2009

This is the third time I have read this book, and I would have to say that the story of Alex and Daisy never gets old. Its a beautiful love story with a strong cast of characters, each playing a vital role to make this story a worthwhile read.

Alex Markov was rescued by Daisy’s father Max when he was twelve years old from the constant physical abuse he was facing under his uncle Sergey. Max had bought Alex from his uncle and seen to his education. Alex had shaped into a cold, aloof man who has a strong sense of honor and pride which he holds onto with his life.

Daisy is the direct opposite of Alex. An illegitimate child, the only mistake her diplomat father had made in his entire life, Daisy had lived her whole life trying to gain the approval of a father who has never really seen what a remarkable woman Daisy had turned into, regardless of the promiscuous lifestyle  Daisy’s beautiful mother had subjected her to. Vulnerable, kind and easy going to a fault, Daisy’s father considers her to be a fluffy scatterbrained individual whom he arranges to be married to Alex for a period of six months. Broke without a dollar to her name, Daisy has no choice but to go ahead with the marriage or face prison for maxing out her credit cards and finding all the creditors after her, the result of shopping extravagantly to make up for the profound sense of loneliness she has been feeling since her mother died.

Alex thinks no better of Daisy than her father and vows to give her a fair chance to work through the temporary arrangement which Alex has agreed to with Max. Alex introduces Daisy to the life of living and working in a circus, and for someone like Daisy who has a perpetual fear of animals this doesn’t prove to be an easy feat. With a husband who doesn’t want to have to do anything with her except grudgingly acknowledge the intense feelings of passion that Daisy is able to arouse in him, Daisy finds herself unprepared for what is about to hit her.

Alex doesn’t trust his wife one bit and when she is framed as a thief, Alex serves her with the sentence of cleaning up the muck of the animal stalls at the circus. Daisy proves she has a backbone of steel when with determination she surpasses everyone’s expectations of her by sticking to her punishment regardless of the fact she is innocent of the crime.

Regardless of the cold layer of indifference Alex tries to put up with, he soon finds himself intrigued with his new wife, whilst Daisy slowly teaches Alex how to care, love and share with his better half.

Things get interesting when Daisy gets pregnant, something which Alex had made Daisy swear she would take all the necessary precautions against. In a moment of anger, Alex loses the woman he only realizes too late that he has fallen for, and the lengths Alex has to go through to win Daisy’s love back would touch any romantics heart.

The author is known for her talent in weaving a romantic tale filled with laugh aloud moments together with moments of intense passion that makes this book one worth re-reading from time to time. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good romance. Am sure that you wouldn’t be disappointed!

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | AbeBooks | BooksOnBoard

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Divorced, Desperate and Dating by Christie Craig

Format: E-bookdivorceddesperateanddating.jpg
Read with: Adobe Reader
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Series: Divorced & Desperate, Book 2
Publisher: Love Spell
Hero: Detective Jason Dodd
Heroine: Mystery writer Sue Finley
Date of Publication: November 25, 2008
Started On: December 4, 2009
Finished On: December 5, 2009

Christie Craig is a new author, whose books I have never come across before. With a total of 5 novels out so far, 3 of them belonging to the Divorced & Desperate series, this author writes with the sort of dry humor that only few can pull off and entertain the reader as much as this book has kept me entertained.

This book can be read as a standalone although it is the second book in the Divorced & Desperate series, though after reading this, my interest has been piqued enough to consider reading the first book in the series Divorced, Desperate and Delicious and the third book which is to come out this month has definitely found a place in my never ending pile of to-be-read books.

The Divorced & Desperate series is centered around three women each with a bad divorce up her sleeve who vow to uphold a period of celibacy. They get together weekly to rant and rave about men, sex and everything to do with relationships and marriage in general.

Sue’s story starts when Lacy and Chase’s story ends in the first book of the series. Jason Dodd is Chase’s detective partner, Lacey being the first one to break the vow of celibacy of the Divorced & Desperate club and tie the knot with Chase.

The story kicks off when Sue, receives a dead rat via post, and the profile of a stalker who is copying the gruesome scenes from Sue’s own books starts to emerge, landing Sue in the awkward position of having Jason as her self proclaimed protector till whoever is playing havoc with Sue’s life is apprehended, whose earth moving kiss and a promise to call which was never fulfilled after a three month period had passed had prompted Sue to try and break her self proclaimed vow of celibacy and start dating.

The ensuing tale is hilarious with a quirky family on Sue’s side to make things more interesting. Commitment phobic Jason, a result of living in too many foster homes, each rejection making him vow never to let anyone close enough to hurt him, finds himself in a constant battle to tamp down the feelings of intense passion, tenderness and protectiveness that Sue effortlessly unleashes within him.

If dry humor, a good plot line with a little mystery thrown in to perk things up in between is your piece of cake then this book is for you. I guarantee you that this author definitely doesn’t disappoint in any of these departments.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Half.com | AbeBooks

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: The Year of Living Shamelessly by Susanna Carr

Format: E-bookThe Year of Living Shamelessly
Read with: Stanza
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: NAL Trade
Hero: Ryder Scott
Heroine: Katie
Date of Publication: October 6, 2009
Started On: November 7, 2009
Finished On: November 7, 2009

Being the first book that I tried of this author and I would have to say I absolutely loved every bit of this book.

Katie has been in love with Ryder ever since like in forever. Ryder is best friends with Katie’s brother and has always been an integral part of Katie’s family. Being abandoned by his mother when he was quite young, Ryder feels that he is unlovable and although he desires for Katie, Ryder believes that once Katie really gets to know him, she too wouldn’t want anything to do with him.

Katie tries on many unsuccessful attempts to make Ryder notice her as a woman so that they could both embark on the journey of their lives together. However, Ryder proves a tough nut to crack. Embarking upon this journey together with Katie are her two likable best friends Melissa and Hailie and their many attempts together makes for a laughable rendezvous.

Ultimately, Ryder makes plans to move to Dubai and leave everyone of his hometown behind, because Katie seems to grow more desirable every day and Ryder doesn’t want to ever break the promise he made to himself in that he would never take what Katie is offering ever.

So in comes Katie with all the kinky stuff that she can find, persuaded by Ryder’s ex-lovers that that’s what he is into. And I  had so much fun finding out that Katie goes through all those painstaking hours of research for nothing, when it turns out, Ryder just wants Katie as she is.

This book is a great romance with hot and steamy interludes between Katie and Ryder with a lot of laugh aloud moments which I am sure any reader of romance books would appreciate.

This book does open up the possibility of a good romance novel between Hailie and Katie’s brother and I really do hope that Susanna Carr writes up as good a romance for those two as she had done for Katie and Ryder.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble

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