Review: Crazy for Love by Victoria Dahl

Crazy For Love 

by Victoria Dahl

Victoria Dahl is usually one of my go-to authors for a light and sweet with a touch of hot contemporary romance.  I've had this book on my TBR for a while now so I put my foot down and loaded it on my ipod so I could finally read it.  And then it took me forever to get through it.

Runaway groom, crazy bridezilla, paparazzis galore, and a hero with a sense of responsibility for everyone he meets?  There were just too many crazies in this story for my taste.  In a nutshell, Chloe Turner's fiance fakes his own death to supposedly avoid marrying her.  He is then caught and now faces charges while the media is portraying Chloe Turner as the biggest bridezilla there ever was, which is the reason they say he would've rather fake his own death then marrying her.  So Chloe is trying to run away from the media attention and paparazzis and goes away with her friend Jen to a little island getaway.  Where she meets Max.  Sexy diver, I think things are going great until his issues start surfacing.  This man has a problem I had never even heard of.  He feels the need to protect everyone he meets as if they are all his responsibility.  His need for people to "be safe" can get on people's nerves, even though at the same time is cute.

Even though I felt bad for Chloe and what she was going through, I just couldn't connect with her at all.  The part about her I like the best was her actual interactions with Max and how they did manage to be perfect for each other.  Each with their own set of crazy problems.

Then there's Max, whom I actually liked well enough, even with his annoying issues.  Until we get close to the end and he does something that really ticked me off.  Won't tell you what so you read it yourself, but I just thought that Chloe managed to forgive that pretty easily.

The side romance of Max's brother, Elliott, and Chloe's best friend, Jen, didn't really get to flourish much.  I was happy to see that at the end things are left with a "they're dating and happy" instead of a "let's plan a double wedding" scenario.  That was very believable considering they didn't really get to know each other well.

So crazy? Yes.  A bit out there?  Absolutely!  A must read?  I wouldn't say so.  If you want to try Victoria Dahl I'd recommend her Tumble Creek series or her Donovan Brothers series. 

PS: Old cover....way better for the story than the new cover!

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ARC Review: Close Enough to Touch by Victoria Dahl

Close Enough to Touch

by Victoria Dahl

(Jackson # 1)

Dayumm, Ms. Dahl can write a good Cowboy story!!!

Cole Rawlins is our mentally and physically broken but oh so sexy hero. In his late thirties, this cowboy is done with his partying, has experienced heartaches, realizes his mistakes and is now ready to get his life straightened out. However, with his recent leg injury, it will take time before his plans take place. But as they say, “things happen for a reason” and he would not have met the city girl next door if he had not moved in at the Stud Farm.

Twenty-eight year old, starving make-up artist, Grace Barret recently had her heart broken. Starting anew, she moved out of Los Angeles to “passing through” Wyomingm, stays with her aunt then plans to head to Vancouver hoping for a job. Grace is jaded due to hardships and betrayals in her past. She has learned to harden her shell to ward off any friendships or relationships to avoid any heartbreaks. But Wyoming has a way to soften any heart, in this case in the form of a hot cowboy!

This city-girl-meet-the-cowboy story is one I could not put down. Grace was super funny and it was easy to relate to her, being a city girl myself. Like her, I don’t know what the difference between an elk and a deer is or what a pronghorn is. Grace’s reactions to her new surroundings, her attraction to the cowboy next door, and how she dealt with life in general were all believable and justifiable. She's a survivor! The same goes for Cole, how many of us do things and later regret them? Most of the time that very mistake is what straightens us out. Cole is super hot with his cowboy self and a man more than willing to take care of his woman. I LOVE the fact that he knew what he wanted and went for it.

Cole and Grace’s sexual tension was strong and when they finally got together…super hot! I don’t care what anyone says, if Cole where to come to me and “slap me like he dismounts a horse”, I would not care.

What I like about Ms. Dahl is that she can always deliver a steamy story but not forget the romance, the laugh-out-loud realistic moments and the endings always leaves me light hearted. She is consistent in delivering a great contemporary love story. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a feel-good, sigh inducing, gush-bucket-filling and laugh-out-loud story.

Per Goodreads, there will be an anthology called BE MINE: Jennifer Crusie, Victoria Dahl Shannon Stacey. Looks like Dahl's novella will be about Jenny(Grace’s friend) and will be released Jan.22, 2013. Yay me!!!

*ARC provided by publisher

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Review: The Wicked West by Victoria Dahl

The Wicked West

by Victoria Dahl

(writing as Holly Summers)

Erotica



I am so excited that I found this! Victoria Dahl writes this story as Holly Summers. Holly is Molly Jennings alter ego. Molly is the heroine of Talk Me Down. She is a closet erotica writer, and here we get a short novella of Holly's erotic work.

I felt a bit like to nosy neighbors of Tumble Creek having to run out and read about the hot scenes inside Molly's head. And I can't help but wonder if this is the cowboy story Molly was working on while we read Talk Me Down.

But enough of that, let me tell you about this story. It was a hot short read with a touch of kink. You do not have to read Tumble Creek to enjoy it as it has nothing really to do with the series.

Tom Hale is the town Sheriff and neighbor of Mrs. Lily Anders. She's just moved into town from England after he brother left her the house and her husband died a year ago.

And I said kink before. Tom Hale's wife left him years ago because she knew he had a dark side to him he wasn't showing and she wasn't ready to deal with. He likes to dominate, to spank, to tie up and to give a rough and hard ride. But he is so scared of that side of himself he's always hidden it.

Lily on the other hand has only known pleasure with punishment as that is what her husband showed her. She sees that in Hale and is determined to be his, and to please him.

In short, if you are looking for a quick short read that will steam up your ereader then pick this up, you won't regret it. And I really wish Ms. Dahl would put more of these erotic shorts by Ms. Summers. ;)

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ARC Review: Real Men Will by Victoria Dahl

Real Men Will

by Victoria Dahl

(Donovan Brothers Brewery # 3)

Contemporary Romance

I have been waiting to read Eric's story since I read the prequel to this series in The Guy Next Door. I loved Eric and Beth in that, I thought they were really hot together and I couldn't wait to read more.

Well, they didn't disappoint. AT ALL! This was the hottest book of the series. When I say hot, I mean I want my own preppy Eric. How can she make khakis and a polo shirt all of a sudden seem hot??? It's all that Eric is hiding in that perfectly put together package! The boy has skills.

We learn a lot more about Beth's background and why she is the way she is. I have to say I felt terrible for what happened to her when she was younger, but the worst part about it was how her own family treated her. She has been hiding what she does for a living from her father, and basically living a double life with her friends. She feels she has to act a certain way, date a certain type of guy, and there's always an expectation of how she should be.

But with Eric she can just let go, be herself, no matter what he thinks, and enjoy herself. And enjoy herself she does. These two were at it whenever they had a flat surface nearby. Steaming!

I was also in for a shocker about Eric and his own past. I won't give it away, but I definitely understood more his attitude and behavior throughout the series. I was a bit annoyed at how he treated his siblings before, all the fighting, but seeing it now from his perspective I get it.

Is there still fighting going on? Of course! What's a good family series without some family drama. The Donovan Brewery is now working on the remodel to put into place all of Jamie's ideas and heads start butting, and tempers flaring. Kinda hard to avoid when you have two alphas trying to have their way.

What started out as a one night stand with misconception on identities blows up in Eric's face when Beth discovers his true identity. And from there it only develops further as they are perfect for each other.

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ARC Review: Bad Boys Do by Victoria Dahl

Bad Boys Do

by Victoria Dahl

(Donovan Brothers Brewery)

Contemporary Romance

There aren't many things sexier than a hot young man, with blondish hair, a wicked grin, a sexy mouth, a beer at the ready.... and a kilt! Jamie Donovan is sex on a stick, or as I said before, sex on a kilt with construction boots. He is the bad boy, the black sheep of the family, the "irresponsible" Donovan brother, who works at the brewery as the bartender and public face of the brewery, flirts with anything female, and has a reputation for sleeping around (and being damn good at it!)

But there's a whole other side to him and it was so sweet to see that he is actually looking for recognition, looking to belong and feel comfortable. He loves his family and wants to prove to them that he is not the fuck-up they see him as. But he has a hard time of proving this to his brother! They had a lot of family conflict in this book, which at times was almost too much to read and maybe one of the reasons why this wasn't a 5 star read for me.

Now onto the romance. I'm sooooo happy I was confused and wrong about who was Jamie's HEA. I actually thought he would end up with Monica (from book 1) and I really couldn't see how that would work out, being that she had betrayed his family. But I'm happy to report it's not her! We meet Olivia Bishop when she first goes into the brewery with her book club friends and they are all drooling over Jamie, especially when he bends over with his kilt *sigh* where was I? Oh yeah! So she's divorced, her ex is totally crazy and stalkerish in a way, and she hasn't been able to get back in the dating game.

So when Jamie ends up as her student on one of her college classes about restaurant development and has a proposition for her, she can't refuse. She will help him with his plans for the Brewery and she will get some no strings attached fun!

And let me tell you, Jamie knows how to show a girl a good time! He can melt the panties off ANY girl! I have one complaint though... after all the drooling we get to do over his kilt, the one time they have sex with him wearing it, it's a "fade to black" moment. I feel cheated!!!! LOL

This book was scorching hot, yes more than book one. A LOT of family drama, the investigation into the brewery break-in continues. Jamie has a lot to prove to himself, to his family and to Olivia. But he definetely got to my heart!!!

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ARC Review: Good Girls Don't by Victoria Dahl

4.5 Feathers
Good Girls Don't

(Donovan Brothers Brewery # 1)

by Victoria Dahl

(Contemporary Romance)

First of all... I'm so excited that I got an ARC of this book! I've had it on my list since I heard about the new series coming out. So of course before I started reading this book, I loved Victoria Dahl's writing. Now after reading the book, I LOVE VICTORIA DAHL'S WRITING! Yeah, excuse the fan girl moment. But I'll explain to you why. Ms. Dahl manages to create interesting worlds where the storylines are believable and fun, the characters are likeable and you are actually glued to the pages because you care about what happens to them! At least, that's my opinion. I haven't read a book by her that I don't feel like that.

Good Girls Don't is the first book in the Donovan Brewery series. If you read the prequel in The Guy Next Door (and I think you should because it does give you a little bit of background info into the storyline) you'll notice that the characters featured in book 1 are NOT the characters in the prequel. Some people are a bit upset about that. I personally didn't mind at all because this book is about the only sister in the Donovan Brewery, Tessa Donovan, and she is the coolest chick around. I loved her! Yes, she has a few immature moments, but she's young and only wants her family to be together and live happily ever after.

Tessa was just a lot of fun! She even tweets just to torment her brother Jamie, which I thought was hilarious. She is kind of put in a place where she has to save a very big contract for the brewery and she tries to do this all by herself. But a girl needs to have some fun in the meantime right? So lets bring in sexy small town cop Luke Asher. Hold on, let me wipe the drool off the keyboard. He is HAWT! Tortured hero, not good at relationships, thinks he's too damaged to be dating material, especially for such a sweet girl. But Tessa knows just how to tease him and he just melts in her hands!

The romance was really cute, you can feel the chemistry and see the sparks flying from the first moment. And I do like that Luke doesn't try to act all tough and fight it, he actually goes to her against his better judgement. I think she's just the type of girl he needed.

There still a bit of drama with solving a crime (someone broke into the brewery) which is where Luke comes in, and how this affects the business-deal-about-to-go-bad (all thanks to Jamie's playboy ways) which gives this book the perfect backdrop to the story. We do get a good view as to what happens in the day to day lives of a lot of the characters in the story. And I love how Beth's character from the prequel is weaved in at a few points. I do think those two need the time she's giving their story to develop.

Now onto Jamie... His book is next and I'M WORRIED. Especially not knowing exactly what already went down in this book between him and Olivia. But I'm definitely curious to see it all play out. And of course to see more of sexy Jamie in his kilt. 

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Review: The Guy Next Door by Lori Foster, Susan Donovan and Victoria Dahl

The Guy Next Door

by Lori Foster, Susan Donovan and Victoria Dahl

(Men Who Walk The Edge of Honor # 0.5)

(Donovan Brothers Brewery # 0.5)

Contemporary Romance

Ready, Set, Jett by Lori Foster
3 Feathers

This story is the prequel of a new series by Lori Foster called Men Who Walk The Edge of Honor. First of all, the whole concept of the series is very appealing to me, so I was very excited to start it by reading this story. AND this is my first time EVER reading Lori Foster. I have heard such great things about her writing and that just made my expectations higher.

And, quite frankly, I was disappointed! So disappointed with this short story. First of all I think the heroine, Natalie, is just a tad stupid. I mean, she's had issues because she comes from a wealthy family, where there was no concept of family at all, no values, and no love. And on top of that every man that has ever wanted anything to do with her was to get her money. So, ok I get it. She has to be very careful. But in this case, she just doesn't want anybody to know who she really is, and she feels that she can't EVER have a real relationship, no matter how much she likes the guy. Thaaaaaaat was a bit extreme for me.

So she's living in an apartment complex, and out of the blue, kind of, one thing leads to another and she ends up having a "booty call" affair with her hunky neighbor, Jett. And when I say booty call, that is strictly all she ever does. They don't have conversations other than dirty talk, they are never seen in public together, she leads her life as if nothing was happening between them. Supposedly, this is to protect herself.

But Jett really likes her, and he wants more from her. Since he was injured in the line of duty, he is now a PI of sorts and he does some background checks on her and discovers her past. He then decides that he will push his way into her life and into a relationship.

So, I'm not going to tell you how the story ends, but it just felt that she all of a sudden has a change of heart, on issues that I thought were a little stupid to begin with, and all of a sudden they're going to get married. Hmmmmm

One other thing that I didn't enjoy as much as I thought was the actual writing. I felt it was choppy at times, either something would drag and then all of a sudden it was done. It didn't flow for me as I was expecting. I have seen from other reviews that this is not Ms. Fosters usual style and I'm still very hopeful to read a full book by her. Novellas and short stories can be very difficult to write and still convey the same connection as a full book.

I am interested on how the first book of the series was set up and I can't wait to read it.

Gail's Gone Wild by Susan Donovan
3 Feathers

This story was actually cute, it flowed nicely, it was entertaining at times, but it was one of those stories where you just want to beat the hero with a stick over the head.

Gail is 36, with a 17 year old daughter who's dying to go to the Florida Keys on spring break. Gail is recently divorced, her husband was actually embellishing money from a lot of people and just a lying con artist, so she's been hurt and has been alone for some time. So when her daughter brings up spring break vacation, she decides to go with her to chaperone and at the same time give herself a little much needed fun time.

What she wasn't expecting is the hot cuban who lives next door to her rental, with the salt and pepper hair and earring. She is smitten with Jesse's charm. But Jesse has also been burned before. At 38, he's a very successful author, and he recently had a woman who rented that house whom he became involved with only to find out she wanted to make money off of him, and she had sued him for abuse, accused him of getting her pregnant, in the end a media disaster.

So what does Jesse decide to do? NOT tell her who he really is. She thinks he's a tour guide. She is very straightforward with him, and tells him all about her past and how important honesty is for her. And he keeps going with his lie.

Of course, these two have really good chemistry, and during the course of her vacation they develop feelings for each other, that is until the time he decides to come clean.

This story was cute, it was sweet, but it certainly wasn't compelling me to not put the book down. There wasn't anything that special about it. But as short stories go, I think it's pretty good!

Just One Taste by Victoria Dahl
4.5 Feathers

And this is the reason why I wanted to read this book. I love Victoria Dahl and I can't wait to start on her new series about the Donovan brothers and their brewery. Set in Colorado, the Donovan brothers, and sister, have a pretty successful business and in this prequel, Eric Donovan, the oldest, gets stuck at manning the booth at the local business expo. He is the behind the scenes guy. His youngest brother should be the one doing this, you know serving beer to prospective clients wearing his kilt. But he can't make it and it's up to Eric to take his place, along with trying to make new business contacts to get their beer out to more people.

Except, he almost can't concentrate because all he can do is stare at the hottie in the booth across from him, and its a booth for the sex shop in town nonetheless. She is the last person he should try to get involved with. He's the serious guy. But he can't hide his attraction, and when she comes up to him thinking he is Jamie, he decides "Why not? Jamie would do it."

Beth has a thing for preppy guys. If her friends from work would know she'd be the talk of the town and ridiculed, but that's her ultimate fantasy. But that guy in the Donovan Brewery booth is a preppy God! When she passes the booth she looks at the name tag on the table: Jamie Donovan. She's heard of him, kind of a player reputation. Maybe she could have a fling with him and no one would have to know.

This story was sexy, hot, cute, everything. I loved it. And it has a very open ending which makes me want to rush and read book 1!!!!

Another great story by Ms. Dahl!

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Review: Lead Me On by Victoria Dahl

 

I want William Chase! OMG he's amazing, sweet, hot, sexy, tattooed, did I mention hot? *had to get that off my chest*

I was not expecting the turn of events with prime and proper Jane, whom we meet in Start Me Up. I originally thought she didn't have much of a personality, but I kept hearing this was the best book in the series.  Well, as it turns out, she's just a repressed WILD girl!  Jane is not really Jane, she's Dynasty! She comes from a really messed up childhood, that turned her into a very messed up teenager, and one really bad moment made her turn her life around. Except in turning her life around, she distanced herself from her family completely, changed her name, and wanted nothing to do with her past life, as if they didn't exist. She wanted to mold herself the way she thought she "should" be.

And then along comes William Chase.  He did not fit the mold of what she wanted in her life now. Nope. But he took that mold, threw it, stumped on it, and broke it. And boooyyyyy am I in love? LOL  He actually belongs in her past, their paths had crossed then, and once he realizes it, he's determined to figure out what happened to her.

He is such a sweet guy, and she actually stereotypes him by his looks, not thinking that he has way more to offer than his HAWT body, lickable tattooes, and amazing sex!  But I honestly think he took too much crap for her. She didn't realize all that he was doing for her, and the way he was letting her use him and abuse him. And I think he let her off the hook pretty easy in the end.

The side story of her brother being in jail was pretty well thought out, I actually enjoyed it better than the stalker situations we read in the previous books of this series.

I enjoyed reading this series and I could keep reading it! There's an opening for her brothers book that would be interesting... But I guess all good things must come to end.

Review: Start Me Up by Victoria Dahl

In times like this I wish we were doing half feathers!  I loved this book.  It was closer to a 5 than a 4!  In my opinion, it was so much better than the first one (Talk Me Down). We hadmet Lori Love as Molly's best friend, stuck in their small town, taking over her father's mechanic business, and putting her dreams on hold indefinetely. Lori still sees herself as just the town's mechanic, who can't get a date because everyone thinks she's gay, and she'll never get out of Tumble Creek and realize her dreams.  She was stuck in this position many years ago, and just hasn't found a way out of it!  But now that Molly got her dream man, she wants to at least turn all her sexual fantasies into reality by having a hot summer fling.  The problem is with whom?

It just so happens that her best friends' brother, Quinn, wants to volunteer for the job. Quinn, successful architect, gorgeous, caring, almost the perfect guy... well, except his head is usually not into relationships,  or remembering pretty much anything except designing, which is why he's still single.  But Lori sparks his interest and he not only volunteers to give her the best fling, but puts in a good hard effort in making sure she is completely satisfied, even if it involves reading the erotica books she likes to figure out what she wants.

Their connection is amazing, their sexual chemistry is HOTTTT. However, Lori has a lot of confidence issues which in a way he helps her work through. And Quinn has his own issues with women, but Lori understands him, and not only that, he wants to be better with her.

Fun, drama, intrigue, and a lot of hot sex, including a very hot but maybe a bit unexpected scene in the alley behind a restaurant. The issues seem that were easily fixed, and I was not expecting the solution to her fathers murder to end up the way it did. However I think the ending between Quinn and Holly could've been a bit better which is why I'm not giving this 5 stars.

This is an excellent series, if you haven't read it, don't be like me and get to it right away!