Hi there! Welcome one and all to the Cephalopod Coffeehouse, a cozy gathering of book lovers, meeting to discuss their thoughts regarding the tomes they enjoyed most over the previous month. Pull up a chair, order your cappuccino and join in the fun.
I never know which book to choose! Just yesterday I posted about a FANTASTIC historical fiction novel–LISETTE’s LIST–about a French woman surviving the Nazi occupation and and endeavoring to keep her family’s art from plundering, and I would highly recommend that one.
I’ve read some fun YA (One Smart Cookie) and M/M Romance (BOUND FOR TROUBLE and Double Up), too. But, I think I’m going to focus on some spicy contemporary romance this month.
I suffered a bit of trepidation picking up Laurelin Paige’s FIXED ON YOU–because I’ve been let down in the wake of 50SOG. See, I read a lot of contemporary erotica. This whole “alpha male” thing gets taken to extremes, and often the Dom/sub stuff is overblown, and rushed. I can’t imagine a sensible woman “submitting” for spankings…etc with a man she’s only just met. Which makes THOSE sort of stories ring hollow and lacking.
Still, I helped with the pub for Paige’s newest release HUDSON, and won a copy of the book. Her Fixed trilogy was on sale, so I dove in. And, I really have enjoyed it. So much so, I’m behind on my reading for my blog, having progressed from book one through to book three in a day….
Here’s what drew me in:
Alayna is a newly graduated MBA working in an NYC nightclub. She has no plans to leave however, because she sees great things for this club, and the manager has promised her a promotion to co-manager. This way she can use her marketing savvy to raise the nightclub’s profile. Only thing? The club has recently been sold, and they have no idea what the new management will be like. Alayna also has a problem with men. Her parents died in a car wreck (caused by her own father’s intoxication) and she suffers severe abandonment issues. To the point that she ends up stalking men she has hooked up with, thinking they’re THE ONE. She has been through therapy since the last episode, three years ago, resulted in a restraining order.
Hudson Pierce is a young, sexy businessman who catches Alayna’a eye–and her job, sortof. He just bought her nightclub and he has some ideas about Alayna’s new role–as his “pretend” girlfriend. See, his parents are rich, manipulative and mean, and they are sure he should marry Celia Werner–a childhood friend and daughter of his mother’s BFF. Hudson has other ideas, and other problems. He’s not a very nice guy–or he wasn’t. He used to manipulate women, get them to fall for him, and then callously break their hearts. It was his fave pass time, in fact, until a couple of years ago. He’s sure he can’t fall in love, but he doesn’t want to marry Celia. He figures if he APPEARS to love Alayna, a smart, beautiful woman, his mom will back off on the Celia-front.
These two misguided, emotionally unstable people, Alayna and Hudson, are the most sexually charged beasts on the planet. Alayna is constantly on guard that she doesn’t FALL for Hudson, double and triple checking her “obsessive” tendencies, while Hudson is riding a very thin line between convincing his family of his “real” affection and convincing himself that he doesn’t love Alayna.
It was a very fun, sexy story, and I’ll admit I immediately opened the second book FOUND IN YOU. I had feared Hudson would get all “whips and chains” but he didn’t. This is a passionate “vanilla” romance. Alayna is a compassionate lead, with very real self-doubt and very approachable emotional frailty. Fun moments included Alayna’s backbone of steel when speaking to Hudson’s ruthless mother for the first time.
“Tell me, Alayna–were you attracted to my son because of his money or his name?”
Pissed didn’t even begin to describe how I felt. I was seething, but still in control. Without skipping a beat, I wrapped my arm around Hudson’s and answered. “Neither. I was attracted to him because he’s hot. Though, I stayed with him because he’s fucking awesome in bed.”
Yeah, I love me a sassy heroine. Anywho, that was my fave book of the month. You can pick up the series ($3.99), or the single book ($2.99), on Goodreads, Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Or maybe even at Target by now…the series is getting pretty popular.
Don’t forget to hop on over to the other blogs listed below. I always get great reading recommendations from these folks! Thanks for popping in and keep reading my friends!
V's Reads... 