Oh! This one is hot and steamy and oh, so dirty!
Rating: 4/5
Julia
When my best friend Eve invited me to visit her and my dad back home in North Carolina, I hesitated. My wedding with Robbie was only a week away, and our rocky relationship was already on edge. Even though it was a bad time to go back, I couldn’t resist the chance to visit my best friend—both to sort out my own feelings and escape from Robbie’s increasingly controlling behavior.
Never could I have imagined how this quick trip and an innocent night of freedom could have spiraled out of control. Meeting Nathan wasn’t supposed to happen, and I definitely wasn’t supposed to kiss him. But he was so kind and sexy, and it was so nice to feel wanted for once. But, as soon as I came to my senses and ran from our kiss, I bumped into the one person I never expected. My trip away is now a harbor of secrets, created by those close to me, and my new found taste for freedom.
Nathan
When I saw Julia watching me at the bar, I felt something I hadn’t felt in years. When I kissed her, I knew she was meant to be mine. But this Robbie guy she was with, he seemed to have some pull over her, something I couldn’t understand. I hated how he treated her, and I knew she deserved better.
So, when she offered me the time she had left, I decided to take it, showing her the side of freedom she only dreamed of. Our connection, our chemistry—it was undeniable. I wanted her to leave Robbie; I wanted her to be with me. But, when it came down to it, what I really wanted was for her to be happy. But could I keep her close while keeping my demons at bay? The things I’ve done, the person I once was, and all my little secrets. I’ll fight to keep her home, to make her mine, even if it takes a little naughty convincing.
Content warning: There is some domestic abuse that could be triggering for some readers.
I received a free ARC copy in return for my honest review! Thank you so much!
Oh! This one is hot and steamy and oh, so dirty! Besides Fifty Shades, I don’t think I’ve read such a steamy book quite like this. (Not in a kinky way, though this one is definitely hot hot hot!)
Oh! This one is hot and steamy and oh, so dirty!
Now I’ll admit besides all the steam, I was a little torn about the storyline. In terms of plot, it reminded me a little of One Day in December. That one gave me a similar torn feeling. When our two main characters meet, there’s an instant connection. However, Julia is engaged. It was a bit hard for me to accept. Though I was able to go with it as Julia’s fiance is a major douche with a capital D. Actually I could think of several ways to describe and call him, but I will not go there. There was definitely a case of domestic abuse in their relationship. So given the circumstances, I was able to see why Julia was afraid of the idea of leaving him. Julia’s fiance was just way too controlling.
So when Julia’s best friend gives her the opportunity to come home to visit, she jumps on it. Eve convinces Julia to go out to the club and let loose, pushing her to have fun with a stranger. Basically saying “It’s fine! You can totally have fun and cheat on your fiance.” I was happy to see that Julia did set a limit for herself to do nothing more than a little flirting. Though, she didn’t expect to meet Nathan. Neither did she expect to kiss him either.
So this book is filled with some toxic relationships that can be hard to take. Besides the fiance, I even thought Julia’s relationship with her best friend is also a toxic one in its own way. I didn’t like Eve and I wasn’t surprised when secrets of Eve’s came to light either.
But other than the toxic relationships and the domestic abuse, I really enjoyed following this story. I’ll admit though, there was nothing truly surprising with this one except the steamy scenes. I did not expect those to get so hot!
I’ll admit though, there was nothing truly surprising with this one except the steamy scenes.
This flows so well! I read it in a day, I just didn’t want to stop. I was captivated by our two main characters. I was rooting for Julia to leave her asshole of a fiance and to get with Nathan. And Nathan just sounded amazing especially when he thought this about Julia, “I would never want to own her, I merely wanted to exist in her story forever.” Though Nathan had his own secrets and problems, it made him feel more real that way. I fell hard for him. I want a Nathan.
I think this is a great quickie! Definitely pun intended… And a dirty one at that! I highly recommend picking this one up if you’re into steamy romances. This was truly a great debut novel for Vivian Mae. I’ll be looking out for more of her books!
I think this is a great quickie! Definitely pun intended… And a dirty one at that!
Just as I mentioned there are some toxic relationships and domestic abuse, so please keep that in mind if this is a trigger for you.