FRISKY FALL SATURDAYS, #17 {DIARY OF A ONE NIGHT STAND by ALEXANDREA WEIS}

Summer is over, but just because the temperature is dropping, doesn't mean we have to stop reading scorching hot books! Frisky Fall Saturdays is our new weekly post created by The Autumn Review, The Bookish Babe, Hackaroo's Reviews, and Sim-Sational-Books. Feel free to join in. (let us know so we can add a link to your post) As those leaves start piling up in the yard, ignore them and pick up a sexy book!

**The books featured on FRISKY FALL SATURDAYS are for adults. If you are under 18 years of age, or do not like smexy books, please stop here. **


Series: Stand-alone
Publisher: World Castle Publishing
Publication Date: Aug. 1, 2012
Format: ebook (Kindle)
Pages: 266
Source: Received from author for review.

Resilient and practical, Kara Barton has continually strived to live a respectable life. She went to college, embarked on a promising career as an attorney, married a great guy, and always appeared to be the perfect wife and mother. But all is not what it seems, and the troubling past Kara has been running from her entire life is about to catch up with her. Urged on by her insecurities about growing older, and desperately wanting to feel one more night of passion, Kara agrees to share a tryst in a hotel room with a sexy business associate, Scott Ellsworth. But Scott wants more than one night together, and Kara quickly discovers it is impossible to resist him. Soon Kara finds herself transformed into the kind of woman she vowed never to become, and the secure world she has struggled all her life to build begins to fall apart. Kara Barton is about to find out how a one-night stand can change everything.

 

I've had a really hard time pinning down my feelings for Diary of a One Night Stand. On one hand, I can appreciate the story for what it is: a compelling look at one woman's journey through the breakdown of her marriage. On the other, the story at times felt like it was glorifying infidelity.

I think one of the reasons I struggled with Diary is because the story begins with the one night stand. Not the build-up of the relationship. Not the years of marital strife. This made it hard for me to even like Kara because I didn't get to know her, her husband or their struggles before she's hopping into bed with another man. A man who is very seductive and hard to resist, but just came off like such a sleaze that I didn't honestly see the appeal. And there lies another struggle for me because it forced me to remember: Sometimes a person can become so unhappy that they don't make great decisions. But honestly, I did feel as if a lot of the story was spent trying to make the husband look bad so it would be okay to continue the affair. I will say, though, the author doesn't give Kara an easy out, but I did worry that she would. There are consequences to the choices she makes. For much of the relationship, Kara makes ridiculously selfish decisions. She basically lets Scott buy her and her daughter's affection. Eventually, Kara learns that Scott isn't the man he portrays himself to be, and maybe the grass isn't always greener in your lover's yard. (Was that cheesy or what?)

Diary of a One Night Stand was nicely written. Despite the rough start I had with it, I did end up liking it. There were some very steamy moments that definitely left me with a kind of understanding as to why Kara was tempted. The plot went in a way that I did not expect, and it tied up in a nice way. Let's just say, I don't ever want to follow in Kara's footsteps.


Favorite Quote:

  "He slowly moved toward her, letting his eyes wander over every inch of her body. He took another gulp of champagne. When he pulled the bottle away, Kara watched as the liquid glistened against his lips. She leaned forward and tasted the champagne on him." (ebook, 3%)



You can purchase Diary of a One Night Stand at:
Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Book Depository
.