Hi there!
Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.
Today, we're exploring a Contemporary Romance title that may sound familiar to you from the start. How so? Well, it's the TITLE to be honest. Whether or not it originates from the film soundtrack it brings to mind is the mystery, but it decidedly does not stray far from that fateful phrase, for indeed they certainly love like they do. Did this read end up on my NAUGHTY or NICE list? You're about to find out! Ready or not, here comes today's ebook of choice...
NYC Singles series, Book 3
by
Sasha Clinton
About the book...
A single, overweight college professor.
A TV producer looking for a replacement actress.
A chance meeting that changes both their lives.
Dr. Bella Hopkins is looking for love. The forever kind. But instead, she gets a role in a new sitcom, when she runs into Hollywood-screenwriter-turned-producer Jamie Star at the supermarket.
Jamie wants his first show to succeed. He didn’t count on the lead actress injuring herself and pulling out last minute. When he meets Bella, who looks exactly like the actress he just lost, Jamie is convinced that the solution to his problem is simple—convince the college professor to act in his show.
But a misplaced sext, almost kiss, and crazy co-actress later, what started out as a simple solution turns into a problem of its own...
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First things first...
ADULT READERS ONLY.
Period. End of sentence.
Now, let's dig a little more into things...
PROS
The dual story line...
Often times when an author vigorously pursues multiple story lines, something falls flat. Such is not the case in this story. Bella and Jaime, Grant and Eve....two potential couples that, according to the text and some dating history, were never meant to be. Here, they have that potential, that spark in spades, and while the effects of it igniting are hard to determine, the journey, the dance of watching them interact, react, and regroup was quite interesting on all fronts. I do believe I preferred B and J to G and E, but that might have more to do with my feelings towards the male counterparts. To be explained later....
The final message...
Every story has a message, something to walk away with for better or worse. Here, it came down to this...if one was to change for anything or anyone, what better reason, what better motivation is there than love. Grant it, changing someone had it's consequences and in real life is generally frowned upon, but for the story, it makes sense.
CONS
The "naughtiness" of the novel...
Can we say TMI? In this case, it's more of a TMD....too much description, for this reader at least. When I think Contemporary Romance, I think potential happily-ever-after with some adult scenes; this one was more heavy handed (and filled with heavy breathing...and then some) with the number of scenes and the intensity (to put it lightly) of them.
The women...
At times I wanted to hug Bella and Eve....and then others, I wanted to strangle them both. Bella isn't a stick figure blonde actress type, and she knows it, but her constant wishy washy mental turmoil of owning her body and allowing it's imperfections to consume her was dizzying. I so wanted her to just own it and go with it, surprisingly something Jaime actually does (*GASP!*), but she still had confidence issues to nail down before she would be ready to let her individuality shine. Eve, on the other hand, owned her body, mind, and age...much to Grant's chagrin. My dip in fan affection for her though came when she broke her own rule...it seemed out of character for her but I suppose it spoke more to the overall lesson of the novel.
The men...
OMG. A more butt-backwards, a**hat donning, foul mouthed, dirty minded, self absorbed set could not possibly be found...and while most of that describes the father (Grant) who was most definitely the worst of the two, the son (Jaime) didn't fall far from the commitment phobe tree. Every once in a very long while, we'd catch a glimpse of Grant's humanity, but then he would bury it under so much malarchy and utter poo that there was little left to even possibly care about saving. Good thing he has (or possibly had...because I'm NOT spoiling it for you!) the love of a good woman, because honestly, if I saw the guy, I'd probably knee him where it counts. As for Jaime, I liked him more than dear old dad despite his initial meet-cute faux pa featuring "fluffy" as a term used to describe a woman's weight (UGH!), but his constant determination to remain single despite what was obviously unfolding was head-bangingly annoying.
In the end, we were friends but could never be more. I enjoyed the overall story basics and getting to know the characters on the surface, but their inner depths were something I was prepared for...at least in regards to a few of them. The author did do a wonderful job of bringing the characters to life...I just wouldn't necessarily choose this for your next book club meeting. Also, while it is the third release in this particular series, it read rather well as standalone. Recommended for adult readers only due to the many shades of the sexual rainbow it pursues, and naughty language.
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About the author...
Sasha Clinton discovered romance novels at the age of thirteen and has been addicted to the genre ever since. After getting a degree in Chemical Engineering and realizing that there was no way she could ever be an engineer, she decided to follow her passion and write romance novels. Sasha has lived in New Delhi, Melbourne, Manchester and Boston and continues to move frequently. She currently lives in New York.
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Special thanks to author Sasha Clinton for the ebook for review. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, the series, or her future works, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title just celebrated its book birthday last month, so be on the lookout for it at a virtual retailer of your choosing.
Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!
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