Showing posts with label Lauren Dane. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lauren Dane. Show all posts

Friday, August 22, 2014

Review: The Best Kind of Trouble (The Hurley Boys #1) by Lauren Dane

The Best Kind of Trouble (The Hurley Boys, #1)
Series: The Hurley Boys #1
Series: The Hurley Boys #1
Series: The Hurley Boys #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Harlequin
Publication Date: 8/26/14
Format: eARC
Pages: 384
Source: Publisher
Rating: 3 stars



She has complete control… and he's determined to take it away 

 A librarian in the small town of Hood River, Natalie Clayton's world is very nearly perfect. After a turbulent childhood and her once-wild ways, life is now under control. But trouble has a way of turning up unexpectedly—especially in the tall, charismatically sexy form of Paddy Hurley…. 

And Paddy is the kind of trouble that Natalie has a taste for. 

Even after years of the rock and roll lifestyle, Paddy never forgot the two wickedly hot weeks he once shared with Natalie. Now he wants more… even if it means tempting Natalie and her iron-grip control. But there's a fine line between well-behaved and misbehaved—and the only compromise is between the sheets!

My Thoughts


Friday, January 17, 2014

SEXY SATURDAYS: LAID BARE by LAUREN DANE









Sexy Saturdays with Andrea and Autumn is a weekly meme created to spread the word about spicy reads. 
 

Participating blogs:
Way Too Hot Books


**If you would like to participate, let us know and we will happily add you on.**



Laid Bare (Brown Siblings, #1)Series: Brown Siblings #1
Genre: Erotic Romance
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Publication Date: 8/4/09
Format: Kindle
Pages: 336
Source: Purchase
Rating: 4.5 stars



Unexpected Desire...

It's been ten years since clean-cut, sexy-as-hell police officer Todd Keenan had a white-hot fling with Erin Brown, the provocative, wild rocker chick next door. Their power exchange in the bedroom got under his skin. But love wasn't in the cards just yet...

Now, life has thrown the pair back together. But picking up where they left off is tough, in light of a painful event from Erin's past. As Todd struggles to earn her trust, their relationship takes an unexpected and exciting turn when Todd's best friend, Ben, ends up in their bed--and all three are quite satisfied in this relationship without a name. As the passion they share transforms Erin, will it be enough to help her face the evil she thought she had left behind?

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6100797-laid-bare?from_search=true
 
 

Laid Bare is an intensely thoughtful and sexy story. Lauren Dane has taken the naughty and "forbidden" ménage and created a story that was full of love and acceptance. It made me think and it made me feel.


A few months ago I took a chance on jumping into the Brown Siblings series. Honestly, I didn't know much about the series, but I follow Dane on social media, and love how she challenges outdated thoughts on gender and sexuality. Plus, she's very witty. Taking that chance paid off, because I adored Drawn Together. The hero Jonah was very Alpha, and very loving; completely dedicated to making his lady happy and whole. Raven was a tough and loving heroine who also possessed a hard exterior. I love that Raven made no apology for who she was, and even when she submitted to Jonah in the bedroom, she was never portrayed as weak. It was an excellent book, and looking back on it, I wish I'd given it five stars instead of four (which I am changing).

It would seem that Dane is consistent with her strong heroines, because we have another in Laid Bare's Erin Brown. Another consistency I found was the dominant and loving hero in Todd Keenan. These were characters who I found myself drawn to for many reasons. They were sexy and strong, loving and gentle when needed. Their story begins ten years prior, with Erin completely self-possessed and Todd struggling with his wants and desires. This leads them to drift apart, only to run into one another ten years later. Erin's world was destroyed, with her struggling every day to heal. Todd is now ready for Erin, but must prove himself worthy of her love and submission.

As the relationship progresses and strengthens, the two form a strong bond with Todd's best friend, Ben. This relationship spins into a unique new formation, with Erin falling in love with Ben and Todd equally, and them both loving her. Ben also loves Todd, and as time passes, Todd finds himself learning that his love for Ben has formed in new ways as well. On the outside, this relationship is unconventional, but for these three strong and loving partners, it's beautiful and it works.

Personally, I feel that I would have a most difficult time of sharing with a third person. I am selfish that way. Laid Bare made me think a lot about the dynamics-good and bad- of a triad relationship. I love books that challenge me in that way. In the end, it's not for me to put myself in the situation, but to enjoy the experience of reading. And I did, so much. Dane's writing is gorgeous, the prose makes my brain happy and drunk on her words.

Laid Bare solidified what I suspected, I am a sure fan of Lauren Dane. I look forward to continuing the Brown Sibling series with Coming Undone.



 
Favorite Quotes:
 
   She opened her eyes and looked up at him, her lips swollen and wet. "Tell me. What do you want, Todd?"
  He panted as the words threatened to break through. He wanted to say them, but the darkness in them wasn't something he was used to letting free.
 
 
  "Don't run from me. I'll come for you. I want you and you want me. Let yourself have it."
 
 
  To Erin, D/s wasn't about one person being worthy of a capital letter and the other not. It wasn't about unequal worth; it was about two equals sharing power, sharing sex and emotion. She didn't submit to him because she wanted to be debased or harmed, because she needed to be lesser than anyone. She was aware that some people got off on that, and hey, whatever floats your boat. But when he dominated her, she felt cherished and adored, cosseted in those perfect moments between them--in a way she never achieved with anyone else.

 
 
 
The Brown Siblings Series
 
Laid Bare (Brown Siblings, #1) Coming Undone (Brown Siblings, #2) Inside Out (Brown Siblings, #3) Never Enough (Brown Siblings, #4) Laid Open (Brown Siblings, #5) Drawn Together (Brown Siblings, #6)
(covers lead to GoodReads page)
 
 
Purchase Laid Bare
 
Purchase Coming Undone
 
 
 
 
 
Lauren DaneLauren Dane has been writing stories since she was able to use a pencil, and before that she used to tell them to people. Of course, she still talks nonstop, and through wonderful fate and good fortune, she’s now able to share what she writes with others. It’s a wonderful life!

The basics: Lauren is a mom, a partner, a best friend and a daughter. Living in the rainy but beautiful Pacific Northwest, she spends her late evenings writing like a fiend when she finally wrestles all of her kids to bed.
  

Website  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  GoodReads
 
 
 
 
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Friday, October 25, 2013

FRISKY FALL SATURDAYS: DRAWN TOGETHER by LAUREN DANE





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 a weekly post dedicated to steamy 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 Autumn Review
Globug and Hootie Need a Book
Insightful Minds Reviews


**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. **


Drawn Together (Brown Siblings, #6)Series: Brown Siblings #6
Genre: Erotic Romance
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: 10/1/13
Format: eARC
Pages: 304
Source: Received from publisher for review
Rating: 4 stars

Beauty is more than skin-deep…

Tattoo artist Raven Smith is blunt and hard, broken and jaded, dark and beautiful. While she doesn’t hide her painful past, she does keep a wall around her heart. She’s free sexually—but no one gets to the real Raven beneath the prickly exterior.

With a voice like smoke, Jonah Warner is a smooth-talking, highly successful attorney, with a body that should never be hidden by a suit. He’s the kind of man who never takes no for an answer and always gets what he wants. And what he wants is Raven. She’s a survivor, and he finds that incredibly alluring.

Jonah gets under her skin in a way Raven has never experienced. He makes her break all her rules—including her no-monogamy rule.

But when a figure from Raven’s past shows up at the tattoo parlor and drops a bomb into her life, their relationship will face the ultimate challenge...
 

Drawn Together is my first Lauren Dane read, and I enjoyed it A LOT. When I accepted the invite to review this book, I didn't realize it was the sixth book in a series, Brown Siblings. I was hoping I could read it as a standalone, and happy when I opened it up and realized I could. That's not to say that I wouldn't recommend reading the other books first, because  a) The entire series looks good and has hot covers, and b) even though I was able to keep up with all the relationships, I did sometimes feel a bit lost as to who everyone was and how they were related. Something I did quickly figure out is there are some interesting relationships in the Brown Siblings series, and I want to explore!

Raven and Jonah were wickedly hot. And just FYI, I'm going to be using that word a ton in this review, because guys, I was not prepared for the level of delicious sexy times I encountered in Drawn Together. Believe me, it's a nice problem to have, just don't make my mistake of trying to read it at soccer practice. Or do. That shit can get boring sometimes, and reading something wicked helps to tune out annoying conversation.

Drawn Together was a fairly straightforward, but really nicely done romance. Raven and Jonah are two sexy, single people who've crossed paths due to family and friends, and finally make a connection. Jonah is determined to have Raven (but he's not a dick about it!) and Raven, despite her protestations, is willing to be had by Jonah. I was surprised by the low amount of angst between these two in regards to their developing relationship. The bulk of the turmoil comes from Raven's troubled past, and meddling family members. Not to mention a witch of an ex-wife.

Like I mentioned earlier, okay several times now, Drawn Together is sexy. Like reaaaalllly seeeexy.  And I loved it. I love that Jonah and Raven were very self-aware and confident, and there is a nice D/s aspect to their relationship that I found to be refreshing and different from a lot of these relationships I find in romance. It seems that Jonah is into being bossy in the bedroom. Not a bad thing, right? But he wants to take it a little further, and Raven is willing to go along for the ride. This wasn't full-blown BDSM, just two people recognizing what they enjoy, and having fun with it. What I really respect about how Dane portrayed this relationship was, Raven wasn't weak in any aspect of her life/personality. Even when she is submitting to Jonah, she is strong. Something to think about...

Drawn Together was an intense and fun story, with a lot of steamy moments that had me giving My Guy the side eye more than once. If this is any indication of just how good the rest of Dane's books are, I am without a doubt going to get acquainted with Brown Siblings ASAP.



Favorite Quote:

  Jonah Warner was beyond hot. He was on-fire sexy. Like panties on fire. Raven looked him over, imagining him naked. Imagining him over her, under her, whatever. Just naked and doing something sexy with her would do just fine.    ~eARC, 2%


   "Jonah?"
  He pulled back and looked up into her face. "Yes, baby?"
  She smiled. "I love it when you use endearments. If you tell anyone, I'll only deny it. I love you too. I don't know that you're getting as good a deal as I am. But there it is. I'm so weary. You make me less so."   ~eARC, 81%


 
The Brown Siblings Series
 
Laid Bare (Brown Siblings, #1) Coming Undone (Brown Siblings, #2) Inside Out (Brown Siblings, #3) Never Enough (Brown Siblings, #4) Laid Open (Brown Siblings, #5) Drawn Together (Brown Siblings, #6)
(covers lead to GoodReads page)
 
 
Purchase Drawn Together


About the author:
Lauren Dane has been writing stories since she was able to use a pencil, and before that she used to tell them to people. Of course, she still talks nonstop, and through wonderful fate and good fortune, she’s now able to share what she writes with others. It’s a wonderful life!

The basics: Lauren is a mom, a partner, a best friend and a daughter. Living in the rainy but beautiful Pacific Northwest, she spends her late evenings writing like a fiend when she finally wrestles all of her kids to bed.
  

Website  |  Twitter  |  Facebook

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