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.

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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.