SEXY SUMMER SATURDAYS, #8

Sexy Summer Saturdays is a weekly post that Hackaroos Reviews, Sims-Sational Books, The Autumn Review, Attack the Stacks and The Bookish Babe created for fun, to challenge one other to add a little spice to our reading and to spread the word about sizzling summer reads.


**The books featured on SEXY SUMMER SATURDAYS are for adults. If you are under 18 years of age, or do not like smexy books, please do not read farther. **

It's been five years since Lily and Travis fell in love in TAKE ME....now it's finally time for Janica and Luke to get their very own happy ending.

If there's one thing that Janica Ellis is absolutely certain of, it's that she and Luke Carson are totally wrong for each other. She's a wild, artistic and outspoken fashion designer. He's a type A, workaholic trauma surgeon (who just happens to be sizzling hot and her brother-in-law!). But Janica is about to be proven wrong when opposites attract...in the sexiest possible way.

After a life-changing night in the ER, Luke is desperate for escape - and relief from his personal demons. For five years he has fought his attraction to his sister-in-law, but when he's pushed too far, he can't fight it another second. He needs her. Desperately. He's spent his whole life doing the right thing. For one night, he's going to follow desire instead. Straight into Janica's arms.

Janica can't believe Luke is finally at her front door...and that he's kissing her like he's been waiting his whole life for her. But even as their sensual connection deepens with every touch of skin on skin - and the man she always thought was such a good boy turns out to be sinfully, toe-curlingly bad between the sheets - Janica soon realizes she wants more than Luke's body. She wants his heart too. But what will Luke do when one night of extreme passion turns into an all or nothing proposition? ~From GoodReads

Lucas and Janica have known one another since childhood. Janica's sister Lily is Lucas' best friend, and is even married to his twin, Travis. Such a tangled web, and the baggage that goes along with it means Janica is off limits. She's not even his type. Her dominant personality and wild ways is not what he typically looks for in a girlfriend. But Lucas isn't looking for a relationship, he wants one night with Janica. Pleasure to numb the pain. But Lucas doesn't realize that Janica will become an addiction. And she has long unresolved feelings for him. That her body is willing...but she also wants love.

I really, really enjoyed LOVE ME. When I got it, I didn't realize that it was the second book in a series. I do think that I missed out a bit on the backstory, the underlying dynamic between Lucas and Janica, but it didn't actually hamper my enjoyment of the story.

I liked Janica from the beginning. She's wild one, but it becomes quickly apparent that she's ready to change her ways. Her openness, the ability to so quickly let Lucas know how she feels, her unwillingness to back down from his aggression and indifference...it all made me admire her big heart and tenacity.

 Lucas was a bit harder to read. The fact that he's in a bad place emotionally is quickly obvious. With the way he was written, I could almost see the tension in his jaw, the thin thread that was holding him together. If  I hadn't known this about him, I probably would have really disliked Lucas. As it was, I wanted to slap some sense into him. I wanted to scream at Lucas every time he pushed Janica away, or treated her as if she meant nothing to him. To see him come through his darkness, with Janica's help, was a tough journey.

Now...the steam. LOVE ME had plenty of it. I do admit, I don't like the author to waste too much time bringing on the smexy. Author Bella Andre certainly accomodated, but it truly made sense for these characters to hook up quickly. And it appears that Lucas is blessed. Like, really blessed. His...ahem, "girth" is mentioned often. Let's just say, one hand doesn't do the job. And while I did find most of the scenes to be hot, so hot I had to get in the ocean, the steam factor does go down as the story progresses. Maybe it's because the author wanted to focus more on the relationship than the sex, but I have to say, it was a little bit of a letdown.

I did have a great time reading LOVE ME. The plot was an emotional journey, the characters were likeable and engaging, the sexy times were pretty great. I can definitely recommend it for fans of the genre, and I plan to read more from this author.


Favorite Quote:

" 'You can do anything to me. You know that, don't you?'
She saw him try to fight a grin and lose the battle.
'Where the hell did you come from?'
Holding her hands out at her sides as if she were trying to fly, perfectly comfortable with her nudity, she said, 'I'm one-of-a-kind.' " (ebook, 50%)

"Fourteen sunrises. Fourteen sunsets. Three meals a day. A handful of hours of sleep every night.
Every minute, every second, he'd missed her." (ebook, 72%)

Published June 28th 2010

You can purchase LOVE ME at:
Amazon (FREE!)  |  Barnes & Noble


Source: Personal Purchase