B-
Genre: Erotica/Erotic Romance, New Adult, Romance
This RITA® Reader Challenge 2015 review was written by Bodacious Bookworm. This story was nominated for the RITA® in the Erotic Romance category.
The summary:
Samantha Lilly is in a long-term relationship… with her vibrator. She can’t handle a serious commitment, but casual affairs don’t do it for her either. So she’s resigned herself to being alone.
Her call-girl roommate Jeanine has other ideas. She persuades Samantha to take her place for one night with Dylan Krause, an incredibly hot prospective client recovering from a messy divorce. She says it’ll be good for Samantha to be with someone without her usual expectations and complications.
It’s more than good. It’s intense, extraordinary, and emotionally devastating. During their long, intimate night together, they bare, not just their bodies, but their souls.
But after that one amazing night, Samantha flees. This feels too real for her. And yet she can’t forget Dylan, even though she tries.
Then one day, he walks into the architecture firm where she works. Seeing him threatens to destroy the careful walls she’s built around her heart—and this time she can’t run away.
Here is Bodacious Bookworm's review:
Goodreads has this book rated at a 3.82 of 5 stars and Amazon had it at 4.5 of 5 stars. Hmmm…maybe I have read too many Erotic Romance novels but this just didn’t flick my switch so I think those ratings are a bit high. I would go with 3.5 of 5 stars.
So what is wrong with this book? Nothing except it seems a bit mild to be classified as an Erotic novel. The only thing I can think of that would cause this classification is the prostitution angle. For the first sexual encounter, the lead female character, Sam/Saffron, is posing as a call-girl and having a paid one-night stand that develops into more. If this had been a girl meeting a guy in a bar and having the same one-night stand story, it would not have been in the Erotic category. If this had been marketed as a Contemporary romance, I probably would have rated it higher because I think my expectations would have been different.
So, what’s up with Saffron? Here’s a hint…it’s a fake name for a prostitute…I mean…call-girl. This particular call-girl is not even really a call-girl. Her name is Samantha “Sam” Lilly and she is a junior architect with serious abandonment and commitment issues. She wants sex but doesn’t want to deal with all the emotions and relationship stuff that goes with sex.
Now I admit, I relate a bit with Sam. Sometimes, you get horny. If you’re single and horny, this just bites because dating sucks and commitment is hard. More than a full-time job hard. But, if you have commitment issues and no studly friends-with-benefits prospects, well…bummer for you.
Sam’s roomie, Jeanie (the real call-girl), knows that Sam isn’t going to put herself out there so sets her up with a new client going through a divorce, Dylan. Her motives are to get a girl some lovin’ but seriously? What call-girl sets a friend up with a client? With friends like this, right?
Dylan Krause was married to a serial adulterer thus carrying his own baggage into this relationship. He thinks he just needs to get laid without the drama and steps into a steaming pile of Sam’s emotional chaos. He seems to like damaged women so maybe there is hope for them.
Anywho…Dylan and Sam have their one-night sex-capade. Sam, of course, runs away but cannot stop thinking about Dylan and wears out a few vibrators amidst the fantasies. Six months later, Dylan walks into the firm where Sam works. He is a prospective client who just happens to be looking for an architect to erect his structure (sorry, couldn’t resist). They go through the back and forth of their sort-of relationship, her running away any time things look like maybe they could be more but then…the grandfather who raised Sam dies.
Everything changes and…spoiler alert…
Side Note: I do appreciate that the author was true to the story and characters so Sam and Dylan end up living together at the end of the book and not married.
There was nothing unusual about the sex described though I did appreciate the level of detail included. The story is well formulated. The characters are developed well enough so I can relate and understand their reasoning. I wasn’t distracted by grammar or vocabulary. There were a couple of moments that seemed to drag a bit but otherwise it was a quick, easy read. This book was not bad at all. It was just too….sweet….for me.
Don’t get me wrong. I think erotic romance can be sweet but that undefinable quality that allows it to cross into a great erotic romance novel just wasn’t there.
This book is available from:
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as well. Thanks!
Seriously? She’s an architect and she has to have a roommate so she lives with a hooker, notwithstanding any concerns about the sort of unsavory business associates this ‘friend’ might have? I mean, let’s have your pimp over and we’ll grill out!
As for setting her up with a guy who…hires a hooker? NO THANK YOU NO WAY. This is just NOT my cup of tea for that single plot point alone. Ugh.
This is why I don’t trust Goodreads reviews. Most of them are written by fangirls that rave over anything their favorite author puts out regardless of quality, and it skews the ratings at least a full star too high.
Nice review, though. “He is a prospective client who just happens to be looking for an architect to erect his structure (sorry, couldn’t resist).” Ha! I LOL’d at that.
Emergency lady