Hot for Him by Sarah Mayberry

Slightly depressing romance

2 stars

Daytime soap producer, Claudia Dostis, is always in control. So she feels like her world is rocked on its axis when she has to deal with rival producer, - the sexy and infuriating Leandro Mandalor.

Leandro is looking for a wife but he can’t help but be distracted by feisty Claudia. He knows she’s not the marriage and family type but he’s determined to change her mind.

This is the third in Mayberry’s Secret Lives of Daytime Divas trilogy (after Take On Me and All Over You) but stands completely alone if you haven’t read the first two books in the series.

Both Claudia and Leandro are nice enough characters but neither inspired much feeling in me – good or bad. While I completely understood the conflict in the story and even sympathised with the characters, on the whole the subject of alcoholism was really quite depressing as I’m sure it was written with a great deal of authenticity. This probably wouldn’t normally be a problem but when you’re looking for a light, sexy read then it’s not really what you’re looking for.

Plus, I’ll admit that I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t more of Grace and Sadie’s romances from the first two books in the trilogy. I always think it’s nice to wrap up a series with a little reunion and ‘where are they now’.

Overall, the book is very readable and I like Sarah Mayberry’s writing style. But this story was too focussed on the conflict and not enough on the romance for me to enjoy overly much. Only 2 stars.

All Over You by Sarah Mayberry

Enjoyable, easy read romance

4 stars

Millions of women drool over hunky soap star, Mac Harrison. And scriptwriter Grace Wellington is no different as Mac has a starring role in every single one of her fantasies. But she’s got no room in her life for a man and especially someone she works with.

When Grace and Mac are thrown together on a project, the lines between fantasy and reality become blissfully blurred. Grace is determined to enjoy her fling with Mac but has Mac got something more permanent on his mind?

This is the second in the Secret Lives of Daytime Divas trilogy (after Take on Me and before Hot for Him) but it stands on its own just fine so reading the other two or in order isn’t necessary to understand and enjoy this book.

Both Grace and Mac are likeable characters that have good chemistry together starting off antagonistic and moving onto romance and love. Grace’s problems were slightly out of proportion to her strong, sassy character but probably realistic none-the-less.

The plot is fairly light but fun at the same time. In the end, the focus on the romance left some of Grace’s family issues left as loose ends. But that wasn’t too much of a problem for me as I always like to focus on the romance.

This is essentially a fun, enjoyable and romantic read that I would recommend to those who enjoy a Blaze romance or are just looking for a book to take them away for a couple of hours. 4 stars.

Take on Me by Sarah Mayberry

Fun romance with plenty of spark

5 Stars

On prom night, bad boy Dylan Anderson caused the biggest humiliation of Sadie Post’s life. Getting over her crush on him took a few years, but now she’s grown up, moved on and is now a successful writer for an award winning soap. She’s forgotten all about him. Until he gets a job in her workplace and it’s like high school all over again – complete with lustful thoughts.

But she’s his boss now and naughty thoughts are off limits especially since she’s determined to have the upper hand. Too bad that the electricity between the pair is sparking so much that the pair are bound to end up hitting the nearest desk pretty soon. Dylan is better than she ever imagined and she’s determined to have him begging for more. But the best laid plans…

I’ve had this book on my shelf for ages and now that I’ve read it I can’t believe I didn’t read it sooner. This is the first in a trilogy of books about the goings on behind the scenes of daytime tv soaps. After this story are xx and xx, both also written by Sarah Mayberry,

This particular story gripped me from the start as I always like a couple who mask sexual tension behind a mask of dislike coupled with a good dose of banter. Sadie and Dylan rubbed each other the wrong way which leads to some excellent chemistry between the lead characters and a story that I didn’t want to put down.

The conflict works well because it isn’t drawn out and has many layers making it a book that keeps you guessing on the way to the happily ever after. The writing is fresh and witty and the sex scenes scorch the page with their heat.

If you’re looking for a fun romance with plenty of spark then I would definitely recommend this to you.