Review: Naked by Megan Hart

From the author's website:

No strings. No regrets. And no going back.

I didn’t think he wanted me. And I wasn’t about to get involved with him, not after what I’d heard. Alex Kennedy was tall, dark and unbearably hot, but I’ve been burned before. Maybe it was stupid of me to offer but he needed a place to crash and I needed to pay the rent, but now he’s my tenant…with benefits. And now that we’ve crossed that line, I can’t seem to find my way back.

But I can’t give my heart to a man who’s so…unconventional. His last sexual relationship was with a married couple. It’s enough that my ex-fiancé preferred men, I won’t take that chance again no matter how much my body thrives on Alex’s touch. I can’t risk it, but I can’t resist it, either.

Alex can be very convincing when he wants something.

And he wants me.

_____________________________

First off, let me say I'm totally in love with this cover - they really nailed it! I hate it when a cover doesn't have anything to do with the story inside; this cover is perfect!

Some authors you're comfortable with because you know what to expect. Megan Hart is not one of those authors - she always surprises me. I never know where she's going to take me with each book she writes. The thing is, I'm not sure where she took me with Naked.


I liked it, don't get me wrong. It's just that I felt like I didn't get a lot of the unsaid portions of the story.

Olivia is a black woman who was raised by a white family. Her father is Catholic, her mother Jewish. As a child, neither parent was particularly religious, but once they divorced, each parent became devout in their respective religion, each encouraging Olivia to "choose" their side.

Olivia is single, having been engaged once when she was in college to Patrick, who she learned was gay two weeks before the wedding. She is still in love with Patrick, even all these years later. She's at one of Patrick's parties when she meets Alex, one of his many gay friends. Olivia is immediately attracted to Alex, although she knows he's gay. She ends up renting him her downstairs apartment, and a relationship ensues. Here's the thing, she spends a lot of time questioning internally - his past, his lovers, his intentions. But she never really voices those questions. She learns things about him almost by accident, but still doesn't say anything. They get engaged, but by the end of the book there's still no date set or discussion of date to be set. How come she couldn't find a Comex account for him online even though his best friend's wife said they talk on Comex all the time? I think that for me, this is the most open-ended book by Ms. Hart I've read to date (Full disclosure, there are a few books on her backlist I own but haven't read yet.). The way the book ended gave the reader the impression there was a HEA; I felt like there were still too many unanswered questions, but I WANT to believe.

I have to address Olivia's camera: It was almost it's own character - a subconscious shield, if you will, to separate her from real life when she needed to disconnect, but also to remember and create. It was her livelihood and her hobby, and a trusted friend. And Olivia needed a trusted friend - her mother was judgemental towards a choice Olivia had made earlier in life; her ex-fiance was not as good a friend as she thought; and Alex's past had unpleasant surprises for her to accept or not.

This book is very sensual, the sexytime is plentiful and beautifully written. The characters are complex and the storyline was interesting, if a bit frustrating to this reader. Ms. Hart always digs deep underneath the surface of her story and this book was no exception.

My rating:

E-book received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Friday 56: Naked by Megan Hart

The Friday 56 is hosted by Storytime with Tanya:

Rules:
* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog.
*Post a link along with your post back to this blog.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

I'm currently reading Naked by Megan Hart. The 5th sentence is short so I'm doing the whole paragraph:


I shifted the plastic bags in my two fists and led the way up the stairs to my own door, unlocked it and pushed it open. "Thanks. You can put the box over there on the dresser at the foot of the steps."

An Embarassing Moment, a Non-Apology, and a Random Giveaway

Okay - First up, the Non-Apology: I haven't done many reviews of late. I usually like to keep a few in the can, and at this point I think I have two. No es bueno. I don't know, I just haven't felt like reviewing. I've been tearing through books (I am going to do a "Slacker" review of the Morganville Vamps soon) but have wanted to just read, not review, so that's what I've been doing. I was going to feel bad about it and apologize, but I've noticed quite a few bloggers in the same slump, if you will, of non-blogging. I'm choosing to think of it like catching a cold. Everyone gets it and it will be over soon. In the meantime, I'm just rollin' with it.

Next up - the embarassing moment. You may or may not have noticed on my left sidebar that I'm listening to JR Ward's Dark Lover on audiobook (thanks Hannah!). I was listening to it when I picked up my 16-year-old son from work, I'm at the part where Butch and Wrath go at it over Beth and then Beth leaves with Wrath (near the beginning). So I start the car and the book comes on and it's okay for a minute, then comes this line: "He reached for her before she even sensed he'd moved. She was walking along and then she was in his arms. One of his hands clamped onto the base of her neck. The other pulled her hips tight against him. His erection was a thick rope on her belly." As I hurry and hit the Off button, he looks at me and I look at him, we're both blushing, and he says "Really Mom? Really?" and we burst out laughing. March seems to be full of Parenting Fail for me this year.

And lastly - a random Giveaway. I happen to have a like-new copy of Megan Hart and Lauren Dane's Taking Care of Business. Just leave me a comment telling me you want the book (you must be a follower) by Friday midnight and I'll announce the winner over the weekend. If you don't mention you want the book in your comment you won't be entered. And yes, it's open to everyone.

In Which My Nerdiness Shows Again....

Remember when you were a teenager and you'd have "a song"? That song that just totally got how you are as a couple?

Well, I'm way past teenager (although hubs and I do have a song) so now I listen to songs and think "that song is perfect for -insert character names here-". Yes, lame, I know. Keeping in mind I don't really watch TV and definitely don't watch music videos (cuts into my reading time!!), so I don't know if the videos are weirdly inappropriate for my couples.

Here's a few:

Cat and Bones (Jeaniene Frost's Night Huntress Series):






Richard from Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series (in her later books):







Charlaine Harris' Eric and Sookie (after the blood bond):






Jace from Rachel Vincent's Shifter series:






Moira Rogers' Derek and Nick (Crossroads - right before Nick goes to NY):






Megan Hart's Dan and Emme from Dirty:






And Ilona Andrews' Kate and Curran (in this song I see Kate talking and Curran imagining Kate dancing around his Bimbo Room to the music):



So anyway, that's my short list; hope you liked it!

Review: Dirty by Megan Hart, aka I've Got A New Book Boyfriend!

I picked up this book thinking it sounded like a good story and it fell under my Erotic Romance Challenge. Little did I know I not only would I love this book, but I would also find my new fictional boyfriend here!


Dirty is the story of Elle and Dan. They met in a candy shop, went to a bar and had a few drinks, and that was that. But Elle couldn't stop thinking about him. When she went out for drinks and dancing with her friend from work a few weeks later, Dan was there. It was hot and steamy right there on the dance floor!

Elle has a lot of issues that you don't see right at the beginning of the story. She's got a dysfunctional relationship with her parents, and her gay brother won't come home to visit. Elle is a counter, she counts everything. Counting is one of three ways she can forget her past - the other two are sex and drinking. Her father is a full-fledged alcoholic, so she doesn't drink much, which leaves counting and sex. She doesn't date, but she does pick up men for sex. She thinks this is what will happen with Dan; but acknowledges to herself she's strangely drawn to him.

Although he's described as average in height and stature, Dan is definitely a dominant male. He knows better than Elle what she wants for herself. The thing about Dan is he's also patient and sensitive to her needs. He knows there's something under the surface that he doesn't know or understand yet. He knows he wants her and puts up with a lot of things a less secure man would walk away from. And yet he was not a "super" hero - he had flaws. He got mad. He had insecurities (shown especially, I thought, in the class reunion scenes).

These two are amazing together, and not just sexually. Dan is in her life but she won't let him be a part of it; I think I would describe Dan as the catalyst that causes Elle to be ready to really look at herself and her life when the time comes.

This book is beautifully written. Her descriptions of Elle's thoughts and reactions and sensory perceptions made me feel like I was in the story, watching while the scenes played out. Ms. Hart layered this story perfectly; Elle's relationship with her next door neighbors is hopeful yet sad and is another symptom of Elle's primary issues, her relationship with her brother and mother, her books, and her counting are all beautifully woven together to leave us wanting more of her story, and when we get The Whole Picture - wow. Just...wow.

When I wasn't reading this book I was thinking about it. I give this story 5/5 stars. Thank you Ms. Hart, for sharing it with your readers.

Stranger by Megan Hart

A couple of people recommended Megan Hart, and Mandi suggested I start with Stranger. This book was an emotional roller coaster; I liked it.

The story opens with Grace, a funeral director, walking into a hotel bar to pick up a "stranger". She'd arranged through a service for someone to meet her and have sex, but she'd not met them before. Sam walks up and they banter back and forth and go upstairs to "conduct business". The next day when she checks her voice mail she realizes Sam was not the professional and she really did have sex with a stranger. Even so, she can't get him out of her mind.

She goes on with her day to day life, and a few days/weeks later a Jewish family wants to bury their father, so someone must sit with him all night. Grace lives on the third floor of the funeral home, and while she's watching a scary movie, forgets that someone is downstairs with the deceased. She hears noise, and goes down to investigate. To her utter surprise, it's Sam, sitting with his dead father. Thus begins an interesting relationship. Grace is attracted to Sam but she doesn't want a relationship - that's why she hires men to fulfill her needs. Sam is attracted to Grace and is persistent in trying to date her. His actions are almost like that of a boxer - getting in close to get her attention, then backing off so she loses some of her reluctance and thinks about dating him.

While this is going on, she does end up rescheduling with the professional, Jack. Jack is new at this job and Grace ends up giving him tips when they meet for appointments. Her times with Jack throughout the book are interesting - she likes to roleplay and it's different every time. I think she really does like Jack. It was interesting to watch Jack grow into himself and gain confidence with himself and his work. I really liked Jack's character. Her relationship with Sam as opposed to her "relationship" with Jack was eye-opening; you really got a good look into Grace's mindset - how she used these "rentboys" not only to de-stress but to hold up her protective emotional wall.

Ms. Hart really rounds out all her secondary characters well. As the mother of small children, I identified Grace's sister quite a bit; Grace's relationship with her father was difficult - he was retired but wanted to be involved with the business. One of the most surreal spots in the book was what happened after her father took her computer to check the funeral home's books and got more than he expected. Even Grace's employees' characters grew and changed as the story moved along.

It was intersting to read the different people who came into the funeral home. Their reactions to death were varied and Grace handled them all like a pro. There was one scene that had me almost in tears it was so moving. I wanted to hug Grace and tell her it would be okay. Even with that I really liked this book. The ending was sweet but not saccharine and you had to put your trustin Ms. Hart's writing that she would bring you to a satisfying ending, which she did. I absolutely recommend this book.