Christina Lauren writes potato chip books for me. Or maybe a better analogy is pint of ice cream books because I’m neutral on chips but strongly in favor of ice cream. Regardless, once I start, I’m not putting the damn thing down till it’s done.
Wicked Sexy Liar is no exception. It wasn’t my favorite in the Wild Seasons series or even my favorite Christina Lauren book, but I read it in one glorious sitting.
One thing I really like about Christina Lauren is their voice. The chapters of their books alternate between the hero and the heroine in first person POV. That normally doesn’t work at all for me, but they nail the voices of their characters, which really draws me into the story. Here’s London, the heroine from Wicked Sexy Liar:
There are a number of things that happen when you haven’t had sex in awhile: you inadvertently emit a sound during the kissing scenes in romantic movies–a noise that falls somewhere between a snort and an audible eye roll which almost always elicits a pillow being lobbed at you from the other end of the couch. You can name at least three online adult toy stores from memory, accurately quoting their shipping rates, reliability, and speed. At least two of these stores auto-fill after only a single letter is typed into the URL bar, and you are always the roommate expected to replace the batteries on the remote control, hand vacuum, and flashlights.
Which is ridiculous when you think about it because everyone knows the best sex toys are corded or rechargeable. Amateurs.
So London hasn’t had sex in awhile. She works nights at a bar where she has plenty of opportunity to meet guys, but she’s not super interested in bringing home one night stands from her place of employment. Then one night she meets Luke, a guy she thinks is cute but probably a player, and decides it’s time to break the dry spell.
The rest of the book is pretty much London remaining guarded while Luke realizes he wants more than a one-night stand and tries to win her over.
I really loved London’s character. She’s fresh out of college with a degree in graphic design but she’s not sure of her path yet. She surfs all day and tends bar at night and has no time for Luke’s shit. She kicks his ass at Titanfall and mocks him for eating one Pop Tart and leaving the other in the package (seriously, who does that?). She calls her vagina her ladybird. This is a woman I would be friends with.
London isn’t sure of Luke because he seems like a player (he is, a bit) and she was cheated on before. Her dad is still cheating on her mom. It’s caused her to build up some defenses.
Luke is sweet and eminently likable. He’s got some good reasons for shirking commitment too, but he realizes almost immediately that he wants more with London. He’s just not sure how to convince her to give him a shot.
The thing I didn’t love about this book was the conflict regarding Luke’s previous sexcapades. London assumes that because Luke has been playing the field he will be unfaithful or unable to commit. She makes a snap judgment about his character and a lot of the conflict stems from that. I don’t necessarily think that having frequent sex means anything about a person’s willingness to commit. There’s nothing wrong with going through a phase where you want sex but not a relationship.
In some ways Luke hasn’t been great to the women in his past–he has sex, then leaves, but I got the impression that both parties signed up for that so… I guess it troubled me a lot less than it did London.
If you’re a fan of the Wild Seasons books, you’ll be happy to note that Mia, Lola and Harlow play supporting roles, as do their heroes. If you haven’t read the rest of the series it can feel a little off since you haven’t had time with those characters. There’s some conflict about Mia having dated Luke in high school, but it’s not the primary issue driving the novel.
Overall this book is sweet and fun and sexy. It’s about people who are just entering post-college adulthood and aren’t sure about their lives yet. The characters are nuanced and original (Luke’s relationship with his grandma and mother and knowledge of Chicos and Coldwater Creek are adorable). The sexytimes are hot and the emotion feels genuine. I wouldn’t start here in the Wild Seasons books, but if you’ve read the others, totally pick this one up.
If you want more information on what’s in store for Christina Lauren following the end of their Wild Seasons series, check out Amanda’s interview!
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“She calls her vagina her ladybird.”
I thought the dick is the bird and the vagina is the nest.
I love Christina Lauren’s books, but you’ve hit the nail on the head… it often feels like every single conflict in every single romance they’ve written comes down to a lack of communication and misunderstandings, and that really frustrates me because it makes me annoyed with the characters… and I don’t want to be! They’re always very fun and likable (the only one I didn’t care for was the hero in Harlow’s book and sadly both main characters in Beautiful Bastard). I just wish they had more to overcome than assumptions and awkwardness. I kind of wish Christina Lauren would write, like, a fun, sexy, crazy spy thriller novel, because I feel like they would be great at it, and I’d love to read something with an over the top plot and lots of explosions and stuff with their great characters and dialogue.
I loved this book, all their books really.
And honestly, eating BOTH pop tarts is just good manners because it’s like you’re tidying up. 😉 Thanks for the review.
I just finished this book on Friday. I thought it was a wonderful story and perked up the series considerably. I thought the Harlow angst about Luke and London (Logan!) a little over the top. But Harlow is Harlow. Enough said.