A Little Bit Sinful by Adrienne Basso

Engaging but unremarkable

3 stars

Eleanor Collins knows that it will be her sweet and beautiful younger sister that takes the ton by storm. So when confirmed rake Sebastian Dodd, Viscount Benton, starts to pay Eleanor attention rather than her prettier sister, she’s a little taken aback.

Sebastian’s plans for revenge include the seduction of Eleanor – a task that he’s not reluctant to take on. But as he becomes consumed with Eleanor and the passion that surrounds them he begins to wonder whether he’s got his priorities right or whether love is more important than revenge.

This is a stand alone book but it appears that it is linked in with many other of Adrienne Basso’s books. I would imagine that Sebastian appeared in the book that featured his best friend which is the one before this one (How to Seduce a Sinner). I haven’t read that book and although this one seemed to stand alone I think I would have had a better grip on the characters, especially the secondary characters, if I had read the previous one first.

The book itself was a good read. I was interested and at no time did I get bored or not want to continue with the story. Both Eleanor and Sebastian were likeable characters and I liked their story and interactions. However, neither they nor the story were particularly memorable and they also didn’t have much depth which left the whole story seriously lacking in emotion. This really made it difficult to invest in the characters and I didn’t fall in love with them or really believe that they fell in love with each other.

This book did hold my interest so it’s a little disappointing that I feel I can only give it 3 stars. I’ll give Adrienne Basso another read because I liked her writing style but this book did little for me, I’m afraid.

Another Wild Wedding Night by Leslie Kelly

Three perfect, sexy stories

5 stars

Following on from Kelly’s Play with Me, we once again meet up with Amanda and Reese – this time at their wedding – where we get three stories about people attending their wedding and finding their own happily ever afters.

First Kiss

Bonnie Campbell is sick fed up with always being a good girl and even more so now that she realises everyone thinks of her as practically a virgin. So she’s determined to make the most of the wedding reception and all the hot men. But first she has to tell off hot movie superstar, Drew Erikson, who has managed to snag the honeymoon suite.

This was a sweet and surprisingly believable story that I really enjoyed. Both Bonnie and Drew were likeable and non-stereotypical characters and I liked their happy ending.

Halfway There

Jocelyn “Jazz” Wilkes had never been shy and had left a string of broken hearts in her wake. But her colleague, Blake Marshall, didn’t seem to be the same type as her normal guy. So why is he always in her thoughts? And why does he make her want to give up her single life and settle down. With him.

This was another great story that just oozed with chemistry between the main characters. I liked the fact that the characters had been dancing around each other for weeks and the wedding was the culmination of their feelings – even if they don’t want to admit them to each other!

Last Call

All Abby Bauer wants is a man who she can have a passionate relationship with. Unfortunately for her, despite how much she loves him, it seems that that man is not Keith Manning – her fiancé. Keith is astounded when Abby dumps him but he’s determined not to let her get away and is determined to prove he’s man enough for her.

I adored this story. It was a mixture of sweet and sexy with enough emotion packed in to make it really enjoyable. For me, I could have read this story over and over and never got bored.

Kelly did a similar thing with Overexposed and One Wild Wedding Night and it works just as well second time round. If you’re looking for short, sexy snippets then I would recommend this as the perfect example of Blaze romance and one I really enjoyed. 5 stars.

The Naughty List by Donna Kauffman, Cynthia Eden & Susan Fox

Mixed bag Christmas romance

3 Stars

This is Brava’s annual Christmas story anthology featuring three authors and three different stories all focussing on romance, heat and Christmas time.

Naughty But Nice – Donna Kauffman

Irishman, Griff, is in small town Hamilton to head up a corporate town-wide makeover. Baker Melody has given up her high flying career and now simply wants a quiet life so the pair are bound to cause sparks when they meet up.

This must be part of a series by Kauffman and I remember having similar problems with another of her stories in a previous anthology. It was so bogged down in detail about other people and back story that I got very bored very quickly. And Griff’s “Irish” accent was cringe-worthy in the extreme. Not good.

All I Want for Christmas – Cynthia Eden

Christie Tate is fed up with always being the good girl. So at the office Christmas party she decides to ask Santa for what she really wants – a really good time. But that’s before she realises that Santa is Jonas, her brother’s best friend and the guy she’s had a crush on since childhood.

This was a sweet, enjoyable and romantic story that’s perfect for this kind of anthology. It’s light and frothy with enough heat to keep you warm on a winter night. I liked both Jonas and Christie and it had a sweet happy ending.

Charlotte “Charlie” Coltrane is back in Whistler after promising herself she would never return. She’s immediately captivated by hot contractor, L.J. and is surprised to discover he’s the geeky kid she remembers from high school.

This was a sweet and slow paced story about a couple of misfits that find love. It wasn’t earth shattering but I enjoyed it and was happy at the outcome.

This book had, for me, one great story, one good and one bad. It’s a good read for a cold winter night or just for taking a break from things but nothing extraordinarily special or romantic. Only the middle story was the light, fluffy romance that I was expecting but the last story was still enjoyable while the first was just bad. Still, worth a look if you like Christmas romance despite the festive content being at a minimum. 3 stars.