Novel Review: Just the Sexiest Man Alive by Julie James

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Berkley Sensation (Penguin)

Release Date: 2008

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Goodreads Synopsis:

No woman could resist him—except the one he wanted most...

Cool, Calm, Collected...

Nothing fazes Taylor Donovan. In the courtroom she never lets the opposition see her sweat. In her personal life, she never lets any man rattle her—not even her cheating ex-fiancé. So when she's assigned to coach People's "Sexiest Man Alive" for his role in his next big legal thriller, she refuses to fall for the Hollywood heartthrob's charms. Even if he is the Jason Andrews.

Confident, Famous, Irresistible...

Jason Andrews is used to having women fall at his feet. When Taylor Donovan gives him the cold shoulder, he's thrown for a loop. She's unlike any other woman he's ever met: uninterested in the limelight, seemingly immune to his advances, and shockingly capable of saying no to him. She's the perfect challenge. And the more she rejects him, the more he begins to realize she may just be his perfect match.

The Cover:

I find this cover rather adorable, and do think it works pretty well for the book. It gives the adorable, light-hearted feel of the book and the couple. It's a bit embarrassing, but still very cute.

Quotes:

• "'Life isn’t always about logic and reason—sometimes you just have to close your eyes and jump. Particularly when it comes to relationships.’” (Mass Market Paperback, pg. 138)
• "'...you should follow your instincts. I just hope you’re willing to listen to those instincts no matter what they tell you.’” (Pg. 205)

Review:

I’ve had this book on my shelf for a while, have started it before, and have skimmed it before. I finally decided that I needed to just finish it.

It was good, but by the end I was getting tired of it, and I’m not sure if that was the book, because I’d been reading it too long, or because I’d skimmed it and knew what was going to happen (mostly).

I did like the chemistry between Taylor and Jason. Taylor was fun, hard-to-get, and smart. Jason was a lot of fun to follow, arrogant but sweet. They got along really well, and I liked them together. The ending was really sweet, and a bit adorable.

This was very much a chick-lit-y romantic book, cute and adorable, not-too-serious. I really enjoyed it, and have another of James’ books that I will be getting to at some point.

Novel Review: Flat-Out Sexy (Fast Track, #1) by Erin McCarthy

Rating (Out of 5): ~2-2.5

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Berkley Sensation (Penguin)

Release Date: 2008

Spoilers?: Not really.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Independent single mother Tamara Briggs wanted to find a new, sexy, no-strings-attached man--just not one as young as NASCAR driver Elec Monroe. But he sure does get her heart racing. And after she’s tricked into a blind date with him, Tamara gives in to her passion. Things screech to a halt, though, when he asks to meet her children. Whatever happened to wham-bam-thank-you ma’am? Suddenly Tamara has to decide how much risk she’s willing to take to experience the power of true love.

The Cover:

I don't particularly like this cover. The position is a little off, it doesn't really stand out or look any better than most other adult romance covers. I guess the font and the fact he's leaning on a car (he is, right?) fits the book. I don't know, I'm just not a big fan of it.

Quotes:

• "...he had never seen any point in yelling about something that could just as easily be fixed by talking about it.” (Mass Market Paperback, pg. 82)
• "It had been something she’d taken for granted in her marriage, the soft and random brushes, the right to invade someone else’s personal space, and the ease of having a man’s strong hand on her waist.” (Pg. 112-113)

Review:

I was really hoping to like this, and all of the other McCarthy books I’ve read so far have been really good, but this one had one somewhat big problem with it.

I liked Tamara, and I liked Elec. They were both hot and sweet together, and I liked their chemistry. They were fun together, and I liked seeing them get closer. I also really liked seeing Elec get to know Tamara’s kids, those scenes were just plain heartwarming. I liked Elec’s family, and Tamara’s parents-in-law. It started out really good, and the ending was nice. It was a little slow at points, but overall not too bad. I would have liked some more conclusion for the mess with the girl blackmailing Elec, and his [omitted cause spoilers] problem, but oh well. I did really like, too, that Elec had a problem like that, if only for the fact that that’s barely ever mentioned in books.

But I did have one problem with it. There was a really bad amount of slut-shaming. At first I didn’t think it was going to be a thing, but then it kept showing up. And it flat-out made me uncomfortable. There was one scene in particular where a friend of theirs brought a ‘bimbo’ to a group dinner, and the girl was portrayed as extremely dumb and like she was simply there for her good looks and that she was a gold digger. And she was supposed to be an example of the driver’s groupies. It was uncomfortable to read, it wasn't needed, and it really pissed me off.

And not only that, but Elec and Tamara slut shamed other groupie girls, the girls who Elec used to be with and who wanted him now. While at the same time, they acknowledged that if Tamara did those things for Elec (like send nude photos), it would be totally fine. Like that isn’t hypocritical. It just pissed me off, it really wasn’t needed, and they didn’t learn anything from it. It made me knock off a bit from the rating.

I was hoping this would be better, but the slut-shaming really hit me the wrong way. I hope that whatever I pick up of McCarthy’s next is better.

Novel Review: Reflected in You (Crossfire, #2) by Sylvia Day

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Genre: Erotica/Adult Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Berkley (Penguin)

Release Date: 2012

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Gideon Cross. As beautiful and flawless on the outside as he was damaged and tormented on the inside. He was a bright, scorching flame that singed me with the darkest of pleasures. I couldn't stay away. I didn't want to. He was my addiction... my every desire... mine.

My past was as violent as his, and I was just as broken. We’d never work. It was too hard, too painful... except when it was perfect. Those moments when the driving hunger and desperate love were the most exquisite insanity.

We were bound by our need. And our passion would take us beyond our limits to the sweetest, sharpest edge of obsession...

The Cover:

I rather like this cover. It's simple, sleek, not embarrassing at all. The feel it gives fits the book. And I particularly enjoy that the object on the cover actually has meaning to the book, and isn't just some random object or fruit.

Review:

I’ve rather enjoyed this series so far. Eva and Gideon are starting to get a little on my nerves with their drama, but it’s all right so far.

I do like the attraction between Eva and Gideon. They’re very intense, and very hot, together, and that is nice. Their sex is really hot and fun to read. They get along pretty well most of the time. My only problem is that they’re also very possessive and jealous, and that they realize this and act like they’re getting better, when they’re really not. Near the end they were acting less upset, but it wasn’t really believable to me. But I do still like them, and hope that they are better in the next book. If not it’s just going to get really repetitive, and I don’t want that.

I also like Eva’s relationship with Cary, and hope that we get to know him more in the next book. Her relationship with her parents is interesting, and sometimes nice. I love her boss. I hope Gideon gets closer with his sister in the next book. Also, he and Eva talked in depth in this book, including about his past, and that was really nice, and very much needed. 

I am still rather enjoying this series. I hope to get the next one sometime soon, or even something else by Day, like give one of her stand-alones a shot.