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Wilde #1
Wilde Thing
SHE CAN'T STOP THINKING OF HIM
Serious bad boy. That's what Liz Adams thinks when she catches sight of dark, gorgeous Steve Wilde sitting at a table in her coffee house, giving her a look of bold, satisfying appraisal that has nothing to do with her espresso skills. Still, the man is the best P.I. in town, and the only person who might be able to help Liz track down her irresponsible, free-spirited cousin...if she can manage to spend more than two minutes in his company without surrendering to the wild fantasies dancing in her head...
HE CAN'T STOP WANTING HER
Oh, baby. That's what Steve Wilde thinks every time he comes into Liz's cafe and catches sight of her sexy figure behind the counter. But a man can only pretend to be interested in the pastries for so long. Now that Liz has opened the door to him, Steve intends to storm right through it, along with her defenses, and show the aloof beauty what she's been missing...and what he intends to do about it, slowly, deliberately, deliciously...
NOW, THERE'S NO STOPPING EITHER OF THEM
Now, in a cat-and-mouse game where the thrill of the forbidden is never quite enough, a business arrangement is about to yield to pleasure...and the temptations that can only be found when hearts run wild...
Serious bad boy. That's what Liz Adams thinks when she catches sight of dark, gorgeous Steve Wilde sitting at a table in her coffee house, giving her a look of bold, satisfying appraisal that has nothing to do with her espresso skills. Still, the man is the best P.I. in town, and the only person who might be able to help Liz track down her irresponsible, free-spirited cousin...if she can manage to spend more than two minutes in his company without surrendering to the wild fantasies dancing in her head...
HE CAN'T STOP WANTING HER
Oh, baby. That's what Steve Wilde thinks every time he comes into Liz's cafe and catches sight of her sexy figure behind the counter. But a man can only pretend to be interested in the pastries for so long. Now that Liz has opened the door to him, Steve intends to storm right through it, along with her defenses, and show the aloof beauty what she's been missing...and what he intends to do about it, slowly, deliberately, deliciously...
NOW, THERE'S NO STOPPING EITHER OF THEM
Now, in a cat-and-mouse game where the thrill of the forbidden is never quite enough, a business arrangement is about to yield to pleasure...and the temptations that can only be found when hearts run wild...
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
41 people are currently reading
1207 people want to read
About the author
Janelle Denison
159 books558 followersIt’s hard for me to imagine that I’ve been writing romances for over twenty years now! I started at the young age of 21, just after I got married. Reading romances, and then writing them, came about as a result of having too much time on my hands. When I first married my husband Don, I was working a regular nine to five job and he worked swing shift, from four in the afternoon until midnight. It wasn’t an ideal schedule for newlyweds, and in order to pass those hours when I was alone I started reading romances, and eventually tried my hand at writing them.
The road to publication wasn’t an easy one. It took me five years and dozens of rejections to make my first sale, which was to Harlequin for their “Stolen Moments” line. THE FAMILY MAN, written under the pseudonym Danielle Kelly, was one of the twelve novellas published in 1993 for this promotional line.
It took me another two and a half years (and more rejections!) to sell my second book. HEAVEN’S GIFT (written under my own name) was published in October 1995 by Leisure Love Spell for their “An Angel’s Touch” series. Another two years passed of collecting even more rejections before I finally sold to Harlequin Romance and Harlequin Temptation. At the time, writing for both Temptation and Harlequin Romance provided me with a wonderful creative outlet for both my modern, ultra-sexy stories, and my warmer, traditional romances. But as the years passed, I realized how much I enjoyed writing the sexier stories and streamlined my career accordingly so that I was no longer writing the sweet traditional romances, and instead focused on the hotter, sexier stories for Temptation and Blaze.
After writing over two dozen books for Harlequin, I decided to branch out. I wanted to write anthologies and single titles, and came up with an idea about three sexy brothers with the last name of “Wilde”. Little did I know that those Wilde brothers would become such a sensation with readers. In the second Wilde book, WILDE THING, four Wilde cousins were introduced, and readers started writing in for their stories, too. It’s been a joy and pleasure to write each of the Wilde stories, and I want to thank everyone for purchasing those books and putting them on the USA Today Bestseller list!
I’ve been a full-time writer for years, which consists of being deep in deadlines, writing proposals (growling at the husband to fix a glitch in the computer so I can get back to work!), perusing contracts, line-edits (stressing over a scene that won’t work or characters that just won’t talk or cooperate with my plans for them!), galleys, art-fact sheets, promotion, and other publishing paperwork. Admittedly, I wouldn’t trade all the craziness in for pantyhose, rush hour traffic, and a nine-to-five job again. Writing is hard work, but I find the rewards are well worth the effort. Fan letters are one of those priceless rewards, and can keep me on a high for days! I’ve met the most wonderful people through my books, some of which I now consider good friends.
The road to publication wasn’t an easy one. It took me five years and dozens of rejections to make my first sale, which was to Harlequin for their “Stolen Moments” line. THE FAMILY MAN, written under the pseudonym Danielle Kelly, was one of the twelve novellas published in 1993 for this promotional line.
It took me another two and a half years (and more rejections!) to sell my second book. HEAVEN’S GIFT (written under my own name) was published in October 1995 by Leisure Love Spell for their “An Angel’s Touch” series. Another two years passed of collecting even more rejections before I finally sold to Harlequin Romance and Harlequin Temptation. At the time, writing for both Temptation and Harlequin Romance provided me with a wonderful creative outlet for both my modern, ultra-sexy stories, and my warmer, traditional romances. But as the years passed, I realized how much I enjoyed writing the sexier stories and streamlined my career accordingly so that I was no longer writing the sweet traditional romances, and instead focused on the hotter, sexier stories for Temptation and Blaze.
After writing over two dozen books for Harlequin, I decided to branch out. I wanted to write anthologies and single titles, and came up with an idea about three sexy brothers with the last name of “Wilde”. Little did I know that those Wilde brothers would become such a sensation with readers. In the second Wilde book, WILDE THING, four Wilde cousins were introduced, and readers started writing in for their stories, too. It’s been a joy and pleasure to write each of the Wilde stories, and I want to thank everyone for purchasing those books and putting them on the USA Today Bestseller list!
I’ve been a full-time writer for years, which consists of being deep in deadlines, writing proposals (growling at the husband to fix a glitch in the computer so I can get back to work!), perusing contracts, line-edits (stressing over a scene that won’t work or characters that just won’t talk or cooperate with my plans for them!), galleys, art-fact sheets, promotion, and other publishing paperwork. Admittedly, I wouldn’t trade all the craziness in for pantyhose, rush hour traffic, and a nine-to-five job again. Writing is hard work, but I find the rewards are well worth the effort. Fan letters are one of those priceless rewards, and can keep me on a high for days! I’ve met the most wonderful people through my books, some of which I now consider good friends.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
December 30, 2010
Reviewed for THC Reviews
Wilde Thing is a super-hot contemporary romance that definitely touches on the erotic with a little mystery on the side. The book, without a doubt, focuses in on the steamy love scenes with the mini-mystery and relationship development taking a back seat, but all things considered, it was still a pretty good read. With the heroine working undercover as a phone sex operator in an attempt to find her missing cousin, she and the hero (a private investigator) tend to go through a circular cycle of having phone sex and then living out those fantasies in person each night. In between, they manage a few getting-to-know-you moments during the day. Then it starts all over again, until they finally get the information they need to locate the errant cousin. The love scenes and the story in general were well-written, but I have to admit that I could have done with a little less sex and a little more character, relationship and plot development. Overall though, Wilde Thing was fairly enjoyable.
Steve is an ex-cop who was sidelined by a bullet and decided to become a PI instead. He's a successful businessman with strong family connections. One failed marriage has left him none too interested in a serious relationship, but that all changes in a heartbeat when he gets to know Liz. He frequents Liz's cafe and has been admiring her from afar for over a month before she approaches him with her case. Out of the three Wilde brothers I met in the first story of the Wilde series, Steve had appealed to me the most. In the beginning of his own book, he initially seemed pretty arrogant, and I thought he might hit that borderline of being a little too alpha for me. However, he quickly proved otherwise. It was kind of fun to have Steve being the one to fall for Liz and then pursuing her, and I have to say he had a lot going for him. He was intuitive of her needs and feelings, charming, protective, a skilled lover, and best of all he respected her as his equal in every way while trying to help her understand that the things which happened in the past weren't her fault. I certainly can't deny that Steve was a pretty appealing hero.
I liked Liz for her sense of responsibility, her loyalty to family, and her determination to pull herself up by her bootstraps when life handed her a raw deal. However, I totally agreed with Steve that she took all those things too far, allowing what other people thought to essentially run her life and keep her from accepting happiness when it was within her grasp. I couldn't help but be rather frustrated with her when she was about to let a great guy like Steve get away, just because of her over-inflated sense of responsibility. I also didn't think the author explained her relationship with her first husband sufficiently for me to really understand her cautiousness with Steve. Liz's first husband was essentially described as a deadbeat womanizing jerk who liked to run up huge bills he couldn't pay, leaving Liz in the lurch for his debts when he died in a car accident. Steve had a classic bad boy image, riding his Harley and living on the edge a bit. He also initially told Liz he wasn't looking for a complicated, long-term attachment, but otherwise, he never gave her any reason to think that he was at all like her ex. If anything, it was pretty obvious (at least to me anyway) that Steve was a very stable guy who exhibited the same deep sense of loyalty and responsibility that Liz had, and he also treated her unselfishly with kindness and respect. This being the case, I couldn't quite grasp why she kept thinking of him as a “bad boy,” and ultimately, her arguments on that count rang rather hollow.
Other than the overabundance of sex that I mentioned earlier, there were two other things that kept this book from earning keeper status from me. The first is that the romance is one of those typical “insta-love” plots that seem so common in contemporaries these days. Although Steve and Liz had been admiring one another from afar for a month, they didn't really know each other until he took on her case. Of course, they fell into bed their first night on the job, and fell in love within a week, a scenario which I can never quite seem to find believable. In fact, there were a few other instances where the timing of various events seemed a little off. The second problematic thing for me was that once Steve and Liz gained entry to the Ultimate Fantasy sex party, and located the woman they'd been looking for, he went off alone with her to get information, leaving Liz by herself. I could see the trouble coming as a result of that folly from a mile away. It was quite simply a TSTL move on his part (he could have just as easily pretended he wanted a threesome, taken Liz with him and gotten the same result) and in my opinion, extremely out of character for this protective alpha. To me, this plot point seemed like a flimsy excuse to create a little trouble and lead into yet another steamy sex scene which to my way of thinking was unnecessary and didn't really add much to the overall story.
Other than those two main issues, Wilde Thing was a generally fun and sexy read. Readers get another glimpse of Steve's brother Adrian who becomes the hero of the fourth Wilde story, The Wilde One (Bad Boys to Go anthology), as well as an introduction to Steve's partner, Cameron, and cousin, Mia, who become the hero and heroine of book #7, Too Wilde to Tame. There is also a passing mention of Mia's three brothers, Alex, Joel, and Scott, who become future Wilde heroes too, as well as a visit with Steve's brother, Eric and his lady love, Jill, from the first story of the series, Something Wilde (I Brake for Bad Boys anthology). For the most part, I've enjoyed Janelle Denison's writing style so far and look forward to continuing with the Wilde series soon.
Note: This book contains some fairly erotic content including phone sex, “edible” sex, and light bondage. The hero and heroine also visit a sex party (as part of their investigation) where just about anything goes. While there, they become “accidental” voyeurs and engage in sex themselves in a semi-secluded public area. In my opinion, everything was tastefully written, but all this could definitely make some readers uncomfortable.
Wilde Thing is a super-hot contemporary romance that definitely touches on the erotic with a little mystery on the side. The book, without a doubt, focuses in on the steamy love scenes with the mini-mystery and relationship development taking a back seat, but all things considered, it was still a pretty good read. With the heroine working undercover as a phone sex operator in an attempt to find her missing cousin, she and the hero (a private investigator) tend to go through a circular cycle of having phone sex and then living out those fantasies in person each night. In between, they manage a few getting-to-know-you moments during the day. Then it starts all over again, until they finally get the information they need to locate the errant cousin. The love scenes and the story in general were well-written, but I have to admit that I could have done with a little less sex and a little more character, relationship and plot development. Overall though, Wilde Thing was fairly enjoyable.
Steve is an ex-cop who was sidelined by a bullet and decided to become a PI instead. He's a successful businessman with strong family connections. One failed marriage has left him none too interested in a serious relationship, but that all changes in a heartbeat when he gets to know Liz. He frequents Liz's cafe and has been admiring her from afar for over a month before she approaches him with her case. Out of the three Wilde brothers I met in the first story of the Wilde series, Steve had appealed to me the most. In the beginning of his own book, he initially seemed pretty arrogant, and I thought he might hit that borderline of being a little too alpha for me. However, he quickly proved otherwise. It was kind of fun to have Steve being the one to fall for Liz and then pursuing her, and I have to say he had a lot going for him. He was intuitive of her needs and feelings, charming, protective, a skilled lover, and best of all he respected her as his equal in every way while trying to help her understand that the things which happened in the past weren't her fault. I certainly can't deny that Steve was a pretty appealing hero.
I liked Liz for her sense of responsibility, her loyalty to family, and her determination to pull herself up by her bootstraps when life handed her a raw deal. However, I totally agreed with Steve that she took all those things too far, allowing what other people thought to essentially run her life and keep her from accepting happiness when it was within her grasp. I couldn't help but be rather frustrated with her when she was about to let a great guy like Steve get away, just because of her over-inflated sense of responsibility. I also didn't think the author explained her relationship with her first husband sufficiently for me to really understand her cautiousness with Steve. Liz's first husband was essentially described as a deadbeat womanizing jerk who liked to run up huge bills he couldn't pay, leaving Liz in the lurch for his debts when he died in a car accident. Steve had a classic bad boy image, riding his Harley and living on the edge a bit. He also initially told Liz he wasn't looking for a complicated, long-term attachment, but otherwise, he never gave her any reason to think that he was at all like her ex. If anything, it was pretty obvious (at least to me anyway) that Steve was a very stable guy who exhibited the same deep sense of loyalty and responsibility that Liz had, and he also treated her unselfishly with kindness and respect. This being the case, I couldn't quite grasp why she kept thinking of him as a “bad boy,” and ultimately, her arguments on that count rang rather hollow.
Other than the overabundance of sex that I mentioned earlier, there were two other things that kept this book from earning keeper status from me. The first is that the romance is one of those typical “insta-love” plots that seem so common in contemporaries these days. Although Steve and Liz had been admiring one another from afar for a month, they didn't really know each other until he took on her case. Of course, they fell into bed their first night on the job, and fell in love within a week, a scenario which I can never quite seem to find believable. In fact, there were a few other instances where the timing of various events seemed a little off. The second problematic thing for me was that once Steve and Liz gained entry to the Ultimate Fantasy sex party, and located the woman they'd been looking for, he went off alone with her to get information, leaving Liz by herself. I could see the trouble coming as a result of that folly from a mile away. It was quite simply a TSTL move on his part (he could have just as easily pretended he wanted a threesome, taken Liz with him and gotten the same result) and in my opinion, extremely out of character for this protective alpha. To me, this plot point seemed like a flimsy excuse to create a little trouble and lead into yet another steamy sex scene which to my way of thinking was unnecessary and didn't really add much to the overall story.
Other than those two main issues, Wilde Thing was a generally fun and sexy read. Readers get another glimpse of Steve's brother Adrian who becomes the hero of the fourth Wilde story, The Wilde One (Bad Boys to Go anthology), as well as an introduction to Steve's partner, Cameron, and cousin, Mia, who become the hero and heroine of book #7, Too Wilde to Tame. There is also a passing mention of Mia's three brothers, Alex, Joel, and Scott, who become future Wilde heroes too, as well as a visit with Steve's brother, Eric and his lady love, Jill, from the first story of the series, Something Wilde (I Brake for Bad Boys anthology). For the most part, I've enjoyed Janelle Denison's writing style so far and look forward to continuing with the Wilde series soon.
Note: This book contains some fairly erotic content including phone sex, “edible” sex, and light bondage. The hero and heroine also visit a sex party (as part of their investigation) where just about anything goes. While there, they become “accidental” voyeurs and engage in sex themselves in a semi-secluded public area. In my opinion, everything was tastefully written, but all this could definitely make some readers uncomfortable.
May 10, 2013
Oh, my Steve, "he lifted his head from the latest best-seller he was reading, and from across the room their eyes met briefly and she caught a glimpse of the to-die-for grin." I like a man who reads in public or who just reads something other than magazines. I mean Oh, my word, "yeah, you do, before you end up sprawled on my desk with your skirt up around your waist and me between your thighs." Steve is territorial when it comes to his woman, "she's a client, and someone I'm seeing, so I'd advise you to keep your eyes, hands, and thoughts to yourself." He has a great way with words, "but just in case you have any doubts in that pretty head of yours, I'm here to eff you." Liz does have a jealousy streak in her and I liked it, "oh, really? So old-fashioned that you'd slip off with the redhead upstairs and leave your date behind."
March 27, 2009
If you overlook the complete absence of a plot it's not a bad little book. Sort of chewing gum for the mind. Something to help me unwind after a stressful day at the bank.
March 21, 2019
Liz Adams is worried because her cousin has disappeared and she suspects it has something to do with her cousin's new profession as a phone sex operator / part-time escort. So Liz decides to apply for a job at her cousin's company and try to track down what happened to her, but someone also suggests she hire smoking hot private investigator Sam Wilde, who frequently comes into her cafe. Liz does so and finds that Sam returns her attraction and has, just like her, been fantasizing about sex with her. So not only do they work out an arrangement where Sam helps Liz with her cousin and supports her as she goes undercover as a phone sex operator, but they also arrange to have a steaming hot affair. Of course, this is a no strings affair, but Sam and Liz soon realize that the feelings are there for each other whether they want them or not. But Liz is reluctant to get too involved with a notorious bad guy like Sam Wilde.
This was a pretty decent story. These two jump into sex super fast and the expected thing happens - Liz think she can keep her feelings out of it, but she quickly realizes she can't do casual sex. Sam can, but finds himself really wanting to get to know Liz. So even though it starts out with him leaving after sex, before long, he's trying to show her (rather than tell her) that he's interested in more...like taking her to his place, or talking about his past, or asking her to stay the whole night. I like that he showed his feelings in certain ways, understanding that Liz wasn't ready to hear his feelings, but he also succeeded in confusing the crap out of her and giving her loads of mixed messages. It bothered me that she didn't make that clear to him and that he never knew he was doing it. But as a romance, this worked nicely. As a suspense...meh. There isn't really a criminal here or anything and the mystery isn't much. It's established pretty early on that the cousin is selfish and flighty and may very well have taken off without telling anyone...so it boggled my mind why Liz would go to such lengths to find out what happened to her. The phone sex stuff doesn't do much for me and it didn't really create a sexy, mysterious vibe (as I suspect it was supposed to). For me, it's too cheesy and cliche to be mysteriously sexy. And of course the follow up invitation to the party so quickly after being hired was a bit too pat. But the romance makes this worth a read.
This was a pretty decent story. These two jump into sex super fast and the expected thing happens - Liz think she can keep her feelings out of it, but she quickly realizes she can't do casual sex. Sam can, but finds himself really wanting to get to know Liz. So even though it starts out with him leaving after sex, before long, he's trying to show her (rather than tell her) that he's interested in more...like taking her to his place, or talking about his past, or asking her to stay the whole night. I like that he showed his feelings in certain ways, understanding that Liz wasn't ready to hear his feelings, but he also succeeded in confusing the crap out of her and giving her loads of mixed messages. It bothered me that she didn't make that clear to him and that he never knew he was doing it. But as a romance, this worked nicely. As a suspense...meh. There isn't really a criminal here or anything and the mystery isn't much. It's established pretty early on that the cousin is selfish and flighty and may very well have taken off without telling anyone...so it boggled my mind why Liz would go to such lengths to find out what happened to her. The phone sex stuff doesn't do much for me and it didn't really create a sexy, mysterious vibe (as I suspect it was supposed to). For me, it's too cheesy and cliche to be mysteriously sexy. And of course the follow up invitation to the party so quickly after being hired was a bit too pat. But the romance makes this worth a read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 22, 2020
For me the story was literally floating so easy. It was nice, sweet, sexy and everything that I needed from a light romance.
October 5, 2008
Barely two starts. If you take the sex parts out of the story there's not a lot left. Both characters (Steve and Liz) have very little depth. Nothing beyond fulfilling each other fantasy.
The whole finding her cousin who is off with a rich client from the sex phone/escort company she works with is the excuse to go into the sexual fantasy game for both characters.
Disappointing.
The whole finding her cousin who is off with a rich client from the sex phone/escort company she works with is the excuse to go into the sexual fantasy game for both characters.
Disappointing.
June 14, 2013
The ista-love was annoying and Liz seriously needed to get a grip. That girl had more issues that was entirely necessary. I need therapy just from reading them all. I wanted to tell Steve to run like hell.
September 21, 2020
Well, this is my own fault. After The House of the Seven Gables, I wanted something mindless and frothy. Why not a romance? Except, I rarely like that genre. Worse, this is “Contemporary Romance” - smut. Now, smut can be great! In moderation. But reading a lot of smut in one sitting... not great. The smart thing would have been to ration this book out over a few nights... giving myself something steamy to fall asleep to, but did I do that? No.
And there’s nothing to this book but the smut. The plot is barely there - soapy stuff just there to hang the sex scenes on. I know, I know... no one is reading this for plot...but it would have been nice to have some development. Ultimately this got boring because the characters are so hastily sketched - there’s nothing to care about. There’s nothing to them but heaving chests and ripped abs.
As smut, this was fine but as a story, not so much.
And there’s nothing to this book but the smut. The plot is barely there - soapy stuff just there to hang the sex scenes on. I know, I know... no one is reading this for plot...but it would have been nice to have some development. Ultimately this got boring because the characters are so hastily sketched - there’s nothing to care about. There’s nothing to them but heaving chests and ripped abs.
As smut, this was fine but as a story, not so much.
November 25, 2019
Absolutely loved it! It was fun, entertaining and totally captivating! I would have liked it to be a little bit more in depth - it could have been longer and there was more places for the story to go... however! The story was fun, I loved the characters! If you are looking for something light, sexy, steamy and fun this is totally it!
February 12, 2019
Love Janelles books
September 10, 2019
Oh my this book is hot and what a wilde thing can do.
March 5, 2020
3+ stars
February 25, 2021
Well all I can say is WOW. I think I love this series. Hope the next one is as good.
January 22, 2012
I really liked this book. I have recently discovered this author from the Brava Bad Boys book series. I enjoy her stories because so many of them are from the male characters' and this book follows in this same line. It was the male who helped the female back to her emotional wellbeing. This book is a play on the-all-a-bad-boy-needs-is-the-love-of-good-woman. In this book, its the good woman who needs the love of a bad boy.
Our main characters are Liz Adams and Steve Wilde, older brother of Eric Wilde. Liz was introduced in Eric's story. She owns a coffee shop-not the resturant type. Steve, the private investigator, buys coffee drinks from her business often during the week. There is an attraction, but he doesn't persue her due her wearing a gold ring on third finger of the left hand. Liz finds herself in need of help with locating her missing cousin and goes to Steve for help. In order to find the cousin, Liz goes to work part time as a phone sex operator, the job held by her cousin. The long and short is that Liz and Steve share some hot phone sex, have even hotter sex, Liz quits the phone sex job,cousin returns, and Liz and Steve have a HEA.
In this book, there is another episode of adult hide and seek as was in the first story. Since there was more room in this story, the hide and seek is in much more detail. Steve also buys Liz an outfit as was done in Eric's story. Jewerly was also bought with both outfits.
In this story, Eric asks Jill to marry him. The reader is introduced to the other Wildes, especailly Mia and Steve's business partner Cam. Adrian is also featured.
The sex was very hot. I would have to give the sex scenes 4.5 chili peppers. I was a little surprised that Liz was willing to climb on Steve's lap in his office after about 30 minutes. The sex scene with the carmel was very hot. I also liked how the mansion was used to turn on Steve and Liz.
I liked Jill in the previous story. I had a more difficult time liking Liz. She was not strong enough through the majority of this book. She seemed to keep up with Steve, but she could and would not stand up to her family and her bratty, selfish cousin. When she does, it was almost too much too late.
I could not place when Steve went to college. In listening to his story about his daughter and divorce, he did not state when he went to college, yet Cam is an old college friend.
I would recommend this book, especially if reading the series. My mild dislike of Liz was not enough to make me put the book down, I just expected more of her character. If reading more for sex, then is a great book.
Our main characters are Liz Adams and Steve Wilde, older brother of Eric Wilde. Liz was introduced in Eric's story. She owns a coffee shop-not the resturant type. Steve, the private investigator, buys coffee drinks from her business often during the week. There is an attraction, but he doesn't persue her due her wearing a gold ring on third finger of the left hand. Liz finds herself in need of help with locating her missing cousin and goes to Steve for help. In order to find the cousin, Liz goes to work part time as a phone sex operator, the job held by her cousin. The long and short is that Liz and Steve share some hot phone sex, have even hotter sex, Liz quits the phone sex job,cousin returns, and Liz and Steve have a HEA.
In this book, there is another episode of adult hide and seek as was in the first story. Since there was more room in this story, the hide and seek is in much more detail. Steve also buys Liz an outfit as was done in Eric's story. Jewerly was also bought with both outfits.
In this story, Eric asks Jill to marry him. The reader is introduced to the other Wildes, especailly Mia and Steve's business partner Cam. Adrian is also featured.
The sex was very hot. I would have to give the sex scenes 4.5 chili peppers. I was a little surprised that Liz was willing to climb on Steve's lap in his office after about 30 minutes. The sex scene with the carmel was very hot. I also liked how the mansion was used to turn on Steve and Liz.
I liked Jill in the previous story. I had a more difficult time liking Liz. She was not strong enough through the majority of this book. She seemed to keep up with Steve, but she could and would not stand up to her family and her bratty, selfish cousin. When she does, it was almost too much too late.
I could not place when Steve went to college. In listening to his story about his daughter and divorce, he did not state when he went to college, yet Cam is an old college friend.
I would recommend this book, especially if reading the series. My mild dislike of Liz was not enough to make me put the book down, I just expected more of her character. If reading more for sex, then is a great book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 30, 2013
3+ stars
With the new release of Lover At Last and being in the middle of both Suzanne Brockman's Troubleshooter series and Elizabeth Hunter's Elemental Mysteries series, I did a lot of start-and-stop reading this book.
It's a decent book, with plenty of steamy scenes and chemistry between the 2 principals, Steve and Liz. Problem is, all the action takes place within 1 week's time. And the two are in love somewhere in the middle of all of that. Now, I get falling in love hard and fast when you're no longer in your 20s; I'm not saying it can't happen, but it was really fast, especially for 2 people who've been guarding their hearts for so long.
Besides which, there's kind of the problem of Steve being a PI (private investigator). He pretty much puts all his time and resources (supposedly) into Liz's case, trying to locate her missing, vapid, vain cousin Valerie. But see, there are much easier ways of getting the full name of the guy, Rob, that Valerie supposedly went away with. It doesn't take Liz having to join the fantasy phone-sex company that Valerie worked for AND manage to score a trip as a fantasy girl at a real party with Steve (supposedly a phone sex customer willing to ante up $1K for the night) within that one week's time. Again... all too much too fast. It never happens this way anywhere except Hollywood and in books. Why? Because it's too thin to prevent the stretch of credulity from finally breaking through the reader's/viewer's suspension of disbelief. WHY can't Steve or Liz manage to get hold of Valerie's employee file inside The Ultimate Fantasy company and just find out what phone number Rob has been calling in on? THEN they can track him.
And, as it turns out, the mystery isn't much of a mystery. Valerie is just what she appeared to be, and there's no real reason for Liz to have worried herself into spending a fortune trying to track Valerie down. But at least Liz learns a lot about herself and is able to rid herself of unnecessary guilt over their childhood.
But no... and I suppose that would take away the fun and sexiness of this book. Because Steve and Liz are fun and sexy together. Their love for caramel might not be unique or new, but it's sure HOT!!!
With the new release of Lover At Last and being in the middle of both Suzanne Brockman's Troubleshooter series and Elizabeth Hunter's Elemental Mysteries series, I did a lot of start-and-stop reading this book.
It's a decent book, with plenty of steamy scenes and chemistry between the 2 principals, Steve and Liz. Problem is, all the action takes place within 1 week's time. And the two are in love somewhere in the middle of all of that. Now, I get falling in love hard and fast when you're no longer in your 20s; I'm not saying it can't happen, but it was really fast, especially for 2 people who've been guarding their hearts for so long.
Besides which, there's kind of the problem of Steve being a PI (private investigator). He pretty much puts all his time and resources (supposedly) into Liz's case, trying to locate her missing, vapid, vain cousin Valerie. But see, there are much easier ways of getting the full name of the guy, Rob, that Valerie supposedly went away with. It doesn't take Liz having to join the fantasy phone-sex company that Valerie worked for AND manage to score a trip as a fantasy girl at a real party with Steve (supposedly a phone sex customer willing to ante up $1K for the night) within that one week's time. Again... all too much too fast. It never happens this way anywhere except Hollywood and in books. Why? Because it's too thin to prevent the stretch of credulity from finally breaking through the reader's/viewer's suspension of disbelief. WHY can't Steve or Liz manage to get hold of Valerie's employee file inside The Ultimate Fantasy company and just find out what phone number Rob has been calling in on? THEN they can track him.
And, as it turns out, the mystery isn't much of a mystery. Valerie is just what she appeared to be, and there's no real reason for Liz to have worried herself into spending a fortune trying to track Valerie down. But at least Liz learns a lot about herself and is able to rid herself of unnecessary guilt over their childhood.
But no... and I suppose that would take away the fun and sexiness of this book. Because Steve and Liz are fun and sexy together. Their love for caramel might not be unique or new, but it's sure HOT!!!
July 9, 2016
Liz’s feckless cousin, a phone sex worker has gone missing. Worried, she hires Steve Wilde the hunky PI who has become a regular at her coffee shop to help her track her cousin down. There is instant chemistry between them and they decide to have a no strings attached steamy affair for the duration of the case. Liz has to take a job at her cousin’s office to try and get some leads and Steve is more than willing to listen to and act out her wildest fantasies.
The positives: This is pretty sexy and there is indeed great chemistry between our two leads – the scene where he acts out a pirate for her and chases her throughout the house is hot indeed. I also like the set up – missing cousin/PI works and so does the masquerading at a phone sex company.
The negatives. My biggest issue with this one is the time-frame. The case only lasts a week. And yes Steve proposes and she accepts at the end. The romance is whirlwind to say the least. I need more depth than simply hot sex to life-long commitment. Heck she hasn’t even been introduced to his daughter yet. Also we know that Liz had a whirlwind romance with her badboy ex-husband. I can’t believe she’d be so quick to repeat the experience. Steve is far too good to be true as a hero, there doesn’t seem to be nearly enough depth to him. And as for Liz... I found her rather uninteresting. The characters aren’t necessarily bad or even annoying, they just don’t seem to have much to make them stick in my memory. My other issue with this one is the plot. While the story starts out well, the resolution made me go, oh is that it? Not nearly enough action.
Over all this was a nice light, sexy read to while away a couple of hours but never pulled at my heartstrings and certainly didn’t change my life. A solid 2.5 stars.
The positives: This is pretty sexy and there is indeed great chemistry between our two leads – the scene where he acts out a pirate for her and chases her throughout the house is hot indeed. I also like the set up – missing cousin/PI works and so does the masquerading at a phone sex company.
The negatives. My biggest issue with this one is the time-frame. The case only lasts a week. And yes Steve proposes and she accepts at the end. The romance is whirlwind to say the least. I need more depth than simply hot sex to life-long commitment. Heck she hasn’t even been introduced to his daughter yet. Also we know that Liz had a whirlwind romance with her badboy ex-husband. I can’t believe she’d be so quick to repeat the experience. Steve is far too good to be true as a hero, there doesn’t seem to be nearly enough depth to him. And as for Liz... I found her rather uninteresting. The characters aren’t necessarily bad or even annoying, they just don’t seem to have much to make them stick in my memory. My other issue with this one is the plot. While the story starts out well, the resolution made me go, oh is that it? Not nearly enough action.
Over all this was a nice light, sexy read to while away a couple of hours but never pulled at my heartstrings and certainly didn’t change my life. A solid 2.5 stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 2, 2009
Somewhere between 2 1/2 and 3 stars
The second in Denison's Wilde Series introduces Steve Wilde, the oldest Wilde brother. He's a PI with a healthy sexual appetite. Six years divorced and not looking to get involved with any woman. Liz Adams is his current desire and he is her fantasy as well.
She hires him to help find her "missing" cousin. They get involved in the world of phone sex and ultimate sexual fantasies.
This book is all about sex. When the characters aren't involved in sex, they are thinking about it or talking about it. A little too much for my liking. Although Denison brings up the emotional aspect of the relationship, Steve and Liz base their relationship on sex and there is very little romance. I would have preferred to see a little more interaction between the characters outside of the bedroom. Although, the premise of the book was fulfilling sexual fantasies, so I see why it focused on so much sex.
Honestly, this could have been a much shorter book without all the sex. It probably could have fit into an anthology like the first in the series with only a few sexual encounters instead of about 20. I got to the point where I skimmed over some of the sex scenes because they were just like previous ones--same words, etc. Who knew that sex scenes could get boring?
I still rate this around 3 stars because I like the development of the storyline--a little weak at the end, but not a bad story overall.
The second in Denison's Wilde Series introduces Steve Wilde, the oldest Wilde brother. He's a PI with a healthy sexual appetite. Six years divorced and not looking to get involved with any woman. Liz Adams is his current desire and he is her fantasy as well.
She hires him to help find her "missing" cousin. They get involved in the world of phone sex and ultimate sexual fantasies.
This book is all about sex. When the characters aren't involved in sex, they are thinking about it or talking about it. A little too much for my liking. Although Denison brings up the emotional aspect of the relationship, Steve and Liz base their relationship on sex and there is very little romance. I would have preferred to see a little more interaction between the characters outside of the bedroom. Although, the premise of the book was fulfilling sexual fantasies, so I see why it focused on so much sex.
Honestly, this could have been a much shorter book without all the sex. It probably could have fit into an anthology like the first in the series with only a few sexual encounters instead of about 20. I got to the point where I skimmed over some of the sex scenes because they were just like previous ones--same words, etc. Who knew that sex scenes could get boring?
I still rate this around 3 stars because I like the development of the storyline--a little weak at the end, but not a bad story overall.
December 30, 2015
Pretty decent contemporary romance. I felt that the main guy was pretty standard hunky bachelor Gary Stu who of course falls in love with the sweet and sexy Mary Sue. A couple of good things about this Mary Sue was that she was no innocent virgin, and was managing her own coffee shop, and was willing to work to help try to find her cousin.
The sex was fairly steamy. I thought that Steve was a smidgen dominating/aggressive, though he mellowed out as the book progressed.
My number one problem was actually a structural/editor miss, where as the book progresses, in some spots the timeline was mentioned to be just a couple days and in other spots it was up to a month had passed. I was under the impression it had been about a month until post-party, when suddenly it was like 'well, their week of passion was over'. So this could have been relatively easily fixed but was annoying.
The sex was fairly steamy. I thought that Steve was a smidgen dominating/aggressive, though he mellowed out as the book progressed.
My number one problem was actually a structural/editor miss, where as the book progresses, in some spots the timeline was mentioned to be just a couple days and in other spots it was up to a month had passed. I was under the impression it had been about a month until post-party, when suddenly it was like 'well, their week of passion was over'. So this could have been relatively easily fixed but was annoying.
August 24, 2014
Spoilers below*************
First off, this is a fantasy. The action takes place over one week where on day one they agree to sex-only-for-the-duration-of-their-working-together to love and a proposal of marriage by the end of the week.
Liz owns a Starbucks-like coffee house and Steve is a patron. They've noticed each other but each have had their reasons for not making a move.
Liz finds herself in need of Steve's P.I. services to find her missing cousin. Liz takes a nighttime job as a phone sex operator where her cousin works to try to get information and Steve will become her favorite client in hopes they will be invited to attend parties the company throws for high-paying customers who want to meet their telephonic dream girls.
In between they have smoking hot sex and it is fabulous :) The characters are likable and I just really enjoyed the story. Fairy tale ending and all, I liked it.
First off, this is a fantasy. The action takes place over one week where on day one they agree to sex-only-for-the-duration-of-their-working-together to love and a proposal of marriage by the end of the week.
Liz owns a Starbucks-like coffee house and Steve is a patron. They've noticed each other but each have had their reasons for not making a move.
Liz finds herself in need of Steve's P.I. services to find her missing cousin. Liz takes a nighttime job as a phone sex operator where her cousin works to try to get information and Steve will become her favorite client in hopes they will be invited to attend parties the company throws for high-paying customers who want to meet their telephonic dream girls.
In between they have smoking hot sex and it is fabulous :) The characters are likable and I just really enjoyed the story. Fairy tale ending and all, I liked it.
November 9, 2015
This book is great but don't get it if you can't handle explicit sex scenes. Liz Adams has a coffee shop and a cousin that goes missing. One of her customers is a gorgeous bad Harley driving man named Steve Wilde, and boy is he. He also a P.I. Liz hires him to find her cousin and the chemistry is there between them from the start. They get very involved in a sexual relationship but neither of them wants anything more serious. Liz was married to a bad boy that really hurt her and put her in debt. Steve was also married and has a 16 yr old daughter. They both start feeling more for each other than just the great sex, but Steve has to find a way to break through the barriers Liz has put up and get her to start thinking about her own happiness instead of everyone else's.
January 29, 2012
Per essere un romanzo prettamente erotico, devo ammettere che la parte sentimentale è abbastanza presente e non campata in aria.
Certo, è affrettato il loro primo approccio sessuale, in cui dal parlare del caso della cugina scomparsa, in un batter d'occhio passiamo a lei che gli salta addosso; altrettanto repentino è l'innamoramento di lui che, in tre giorni, da scapolo impenitente si trasforma in uomo pronto all'amore eterno.
La storia è però ben scritta e sviluppata in maniera semplice, ma non banale. La parte hot è davvero coinvolgente ed esplicita, ma non passa mai il limite della volgarità.
Promossa con la sufficienza.
Certo, è affrettato il loro primo approccio sessuale, in cui dal parlare del caso della cugina scomparsa, in un batter d'occhio passiamo a lei che gli salta addosso; altrettanto repentino è l'innamoramento di lui che, in tre giorni, da scapolo impenitente si trasforma in uomo pronto all'amore eterno.
La storia è però ben scritta e sviluppata in maniera semplice, ma non banale. La parte hot è davvero coinvolgente ed esplicita, ma non passa mai il limite della volgarità.
Promossa con la sufficienza.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 24, 2013
I almost stopped reading this one in the beginning but forced myself to stick with it. It was barely an ok read for me, but nothing very exciting really happened in the story. I think this could have been a really good series if the PI guys had been more interesting (maybe like Kristen Ashley's Hot Guys), but there just wasn't all that much to this book other than sex scenes that I found myself skimming through after the first couple.
In all fairness it is an older book, and was an Amazon cheapie.
I have the next book also, but I think I will read it later, maybe I will be in a better mood for this series then.
In all fairness it is an older book, and was an Amazon cheapie.
I have the next book also, but I think I will read it later, maybe I will be in a better mood for this series then.
August 28, 2016
“Sort of chewing gum for the mind. Something to help me unwind after a stressful day.” When I read this in one of the reviews I thought, “Huh. Sounds like just what I need right now. A stress reliever type of read.”
OK, so there really isn’t much of a plot to this one. It’s there, but it’s buried amidst the erotic scenes. Much of the book is “skimmable.” The entire story happens over a week’s period of time, but there is a lot that happens within that time frame. It’s OK. Steve and Liz are likable characters and the storyline is actually good. It just takes a backseat to the intimate interaction between Steve and Liz. But, “chewing gum for the mind” is an apt description!
OK, so there really isn’t much of a plot to this one. It’s there, but it’s buried amidst the erotic scenes. Much of the book is “skimmable.” The entire story happens over a week’s period of time, but there is a lot that happens within that time frame. It’s OK. Steve and Liz are likable characters and the storyline is actually good. It just takes a backseat to the intimate interaction between Steve and Liz. But, “chewing gum for the mind” is an apt description!
May 6, 2014
This was a 3.75 star book for me. I loved the concept of the book. It was a well told story with characters that were real, with real problems and real baggage. I did have some issues with Liz being weak willed, but she turned that around for me. Steve was a nice alpha male type, but with that soft underbelly I like to see in the alphas.
The sex was hot, but got slightly repetitive in spots. But there was a lot of sex, so it can't be easy to say it that many different ways!
I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
The sex was hot, but got slightly repetitive in spots. But there was a lot of sex, so it can't be easy to say it that many different ways!
I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
January 30, 2009
This is the first I've read by Janelle Denison, and it was pretty good. (I'd actually give it 3.5 stars, if I could.) The characters were likable and the quantity/quality of sex was enjoyable. My biggest problem with the book is that the story was on the line between not fantastic enough, and not realistic enough. I think I would've preferred if she'd gone one more step in either direction.
June 24, 2011
This was a steamy read with Steve Wilde, a hot biker private investigator who has no problem telling a girl just what he wants. Liz is a expresso shop owner who has had the hots for Steve even before she needed his help. Her niece has gone missing and Steve is right there ready to help. I enjoyed the story.
April 25, 2013
3 stars
This was just an okay read for me. Nothing special doubt I work remember it in a Couple of days. It was filled with a lot of sex some of it was very HOT some of it was very bland and boring. The story was okay but not exceptional.I read this in less than a day so it was not very long.there you have out my opinion which it was better I had high hopes for this one.
This was just an okay read for me. Nothing special doubt I work remember it in a Couple of days. It was filled with a lot of sex some of it was very HOT some of it was very bland and boring. The story was okay but not exceptional.I read this in less than a day so it was not very long.there you have out my opinion which it was better I had high hopes for this one.
February 6, 2014
It was hot and a good book, but I keep thinking the book could have been amazing if it were just a bit more direct. There were inconsistencies, like him leading the phone sex and her boss not catching and similar items, but maybe this is just my perception. It need just one more read-through, in my opinion.
December 13, 2015
Liz Adams is looking for her missing cousin. Enter sexy PI Steve Wilde, and wild he is. There is A LOT of sex in this book, very descriptive and damn hot sex. The storyline is good and the writing is great but I would have liked a little more action from the duo's investigation. A good read and I will be checking out other titles from the author.
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