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Surrendering Charlotte Chronicles #1
Legal Action
Bright, beautiful Attorney, Charlotte Christiansen has never lost a court case. She’s built a reputation as a cool, on the rise lawyer while trying to escape the ‘naughty cheerleader’ pictorial in American Jock magazine that she posed for to pay her way through law school.
She shares the top floor of a historic San Diego building with her best friends from college who happen to be two very male, very sexy Special Forces operatives. Her ex is a celebrity NFL quarterback who could pass for a Viking God. She’s surrounded by hot men but her life revolves around work and she doesn’t have time for love or sex.
Until Alexander Bly, the stop-the-clock gorgeous, billionaire publishing magnate becomes her newest client at the law firm. He’s the man responsible for the magazine cover that turned Charlotte into everyman’s sex fantasy. Bly has had women and the world at his beck and call, but no woman has ever rocked his world. Charlotte is about to. When they come together the desire and sex are white-hot and all-consuming, but falling in love takes them completely by surprise.
As Charlotte handles Bly’s lawsuit against Huang Worldwide Corporation, scary, smooth and sexy Jamey Huang kidnaps her. But, Huang doesn’t want Bly’s billions, he wants Charlotte’s secret, former lover. Legal Action is a sexy romance filled with burn-up-the-pages sex, tender love and witty, sharp-tongued characters with a little espionage thrown in for even more spicy fun.
The novella is part one of the Surrendering Charlotte Chronicles.
She shares the top floor of a historic San Diego building with her best friends from college who happen to be two very male, very sexy Special Forces operatives. Her ex is a celebrity NFL quarterback who could pass for a Viking God. She’s surrounded by hot men but her life revolves around work and she doesn’t have time for love or sex.
Until Alexander Bly, the stop-the-clock gorgeous, billionaire publishing magnate becomes her newest client at the law firm. He’s the man responsible for the magazine cover that turned Charlotte into everyman’s sex fantasy. Bly has had women and the world at his beck and call, but no woman has ever rocked his world. Charlotte is about to. When they come together the desire and sex are white-hot and all-consuming, but falling in love takes them completely by surprise.
As Charlotte handles Bly’s lawsuit against Huang Worldwide Corporation, scary, smooth and sexy Jamey Huang kidnaps her. But, Huang doesn’t want Bly’s billions, he wants Charlotte’s secret, former lover. Legal Action is a sexy romance filled with burn-up-the-pages sex, tender love and witty, sharp-tongued characters with a little espionage thrown in for even more spicy fun.
The novella is part one of the Surrendering Charlotte Chronicles.
95 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 28, 2013
581 people are currently reading
1479 people want to read
About the author
Kimball Lee
37 books138 followersHi, I'm Kimball Lee and I'd like to welcome you to the many worlds of my imagination! The topics of my novels and novella-series will vary, but my style of writing remains the same. I don't write 700 page books padded with useless words that take three pages to describe a doorknob! I do write funny, interesting, happy, sad, romantic, often titillating, and always thought provoking books that pack a lot good reading into just the right number of pages.
My first novella, Legal Action, changed my life over night with more than 250,000 downloads in the first months. I write twelve to fifteen hours a day and love ALMOST every minute of it! My social life has completely disappeared, but interaction with my readers through email, Facebook, and Twitter makes me very happy... (As well as the occasional Diet Coke and chocolate cupcake!) I am represented by Joyce Holland at D4EO Literary Agency. Happy reading! Kimball
My first novella, Legal Action, changed my life over night with more than 250,000 downloads in the first months. I write twelve to fifteen hours a day and love ALMOST every minute of it! My social life has completely disappeared, but interaction with my readers through email, Facebook, and Twitter makes me very happy... (As well as the occasional Diet Coke and chocolate cupcake!) I am represented by Joyce Holland at D4EO Literary Agency. Happy reading! Kimball
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April 7, 2015
FREE on Amazon US today (3/16/2015)
COVERGASM!
BLURB:
Bright, beautiful Attorney, Charlotte Christiansen has never lost a court case. She’s built a reputation as a cool, on the rise lawyer while trying to escape the ‘naughty cheerleader’ pictorial in American Jock magazine that she posed for to pay her way through law school.
She shares the top floor of a historic San Diego building with her best friends from college who happen to be two very male, very sexy Special Forces operatives. Her ex is a celebrity NFL quarterback who could pass for a Viking God. She’s surrounded by hot men but her life revolves around work and she doesn’t have time for love or sex.
Until Alexander Bly, the stop-the-clock gorgeous, billionaire publishing magnate becomes her newest client at the law firm. He’s the man responsible for the magazine cover that turned Charlotte into everyman’s sex fantasy. Bly has had women and the world at his beck and call, but no woman has ever rocked his world. Charlotte is about to. When they come together the desire and sex are white-hot and all-consuming, but falling in love takes them completely by surprise.
As Charlotte handles Bly’s lawsuit against Huang Worldwide Corporation, scary, smooth and sexy Jamey Huang kidnaps her. But, Huang doesn’t want Bly’s billions, he wants Charlotte’s secret, former lover. Legal Action is a sexy romance filled with burn-up-the-pages sex, tender love and witty, sharp-tongued characters with a little espionage thrown in for even more spicy fun.
The novella is part one of the Surrendering Charlotte Chronicles.
http://www.amazon.com/Romance-Action-...
FREEBIES are often good for MORE than one day, I have gathered all my FREEBIES on a special shelf: Kindle-freebies (currently over 370 books)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
April 25, 2017
I am impressed that for a short book you really got the feel for the characters. Well done. Did not expect the cliff hanger ending. Definitely pick up for a good read.
August 5, 2013
Enjoyable hot action, bit rushed in places would have liked more indepth details. Will read next one and hopefully wont be as rushed . Good read overall :-)
August 5, 2013
4 - 4.5 cups of tea. A truly enjoyable read. Only wish it was longer!
August 24, 2013
The first part of the book was quite good but unfortunately the second half seemed to morph into an over eager explanation of their sexual acts and effusive love declarations sealed with more sex. The writing tone, dialogue and description really started to get my goat too, "bad-ass SEAL..." really? It definitely needs to be revised for adult reading levels, as it is it makes it sounds more like a YA novel. The introduction of the love triangle is another facet that I think could have been done better or done without. I know there was a hint of it throughout the book but there wasn't much so I honestly think that it has just been slotted in there to justify a sequel.
September 1, 2013
The second of two books I couldn't finish while on vacation. The characters were undeveloped, and the editing was seriously lacking--stray commas thrown in all over. I couldn't find anything about either main character likable enough or interesting enough to keep me reading.
Sorry, not my thing at all.
Sorry, not my thing at all.
November 29, 2013
Read like an outline, with a strange, flat tone. The plot was compelling, in a cracky kind of way. I get tired of the gorgeous, brilliant 20-something heroine and the billionaire, gorgeous hero who falls madly in love with her. The brand-name dropping too, geesh. I'm not impressed that her dress is Dior and her ring is Tiffany, etc.
This was a kindle freebie.
This was a kindle freebie.
August 8, 2013
WOW!!! Not my usual type of read but I loved it!!! Great writing, the dialogue totally pulled me in to the characters. IT's a MUST READ super sexy romance, cool cliffhanger ending, please tell me she chooses Finn!!!! Reading Craving Caroline now and already in to it.
October 28, 2014
Is a one-star rating harsh for Yet Another Second-Rate FIFTY SHADES Clone, Hold the (semi)Consensual D/s? Possibly, except I that I was
this
close to DNF'ing this book - as is, I skimmed furiously (in more ways than one) through the entire "Charlotte Grabs The Idiot Ball and Runs With It, and Gets Her Dumb Ass Kidnapped By Evil Asian Supervillain!" section!
This story is, to be polite, all over the map: Charlotte is a Cheerleader Turned Centerfold (for a magazine that sort of seems like a cross between SPORTS ILLUSTRATED and PLAYBOY) turned (briefly) Football Star's Wife turned High-Powered Attorney from dirt-poor circumstances, who shares a building with two Ex-Special Forces Types turned "Diplomatic Attorneys" who behave like a cross between The Older Brothers She Never Had and The Sassy Gay Best Friend. (It's as if Stonebridge & Scott from Cinemax's STRIKE BACK had ended up in a THREE'S COMPANY-like sitcom!) Actually, for most of this book these last two guys, Finn and JP, are my favorite characters, because they're the kind of male non-boyfriend friend every woman wants - goofy, fiercely protective of Charlotte, just annoying enough so you know you love them, and totally badass when they're not hitting on every woman in San Diego (where the story's set - nice!) who isn't Charlotte!
Really, If the Book Had Just Been About Finn & JP Having Adventures, I'd Have Been Fine With It!
Anyway, one day Charlotte is informed by the law firm she's working for that she has a new client - the Arrogantly Studly (and naturally hung like a Little Italy salami!) Early Thirties Publishing Mogul who owns that SI Meets PLAYBOY Magazine Charlotte posed for, Alexander Bly. Turns out Bly had been carrying araging woody for "desire to totally possess" Charlotte ever since he sat in on the photospread (done with her then-fiancé, Football Star) - he'd drunk-dialed her a few times right after the shoot to try and convince her to ditch Football Star and come over and ride his stick, but she demurred since she was, you know, engaged. Years later, he arranges matters so that she can come to work for him - and to his mind, finally become his Wuh-Man!
"This Wuh-Man Iz Fer Me, and Mah Blood Sez, Take Her!"
One of the many, Many, MANY things that bothers me about this book is how Charlotte's relationship with Bly goes from "I Never Wanted To See You Again, Get Out of My Life" to "I Can Barely Stand to Be in the Same Room With You" to "I Still Can't Stand You, But I Want To Fuck You" to "OMFG I LOVE YOU Let's Get Married and Pop Out Babies!" - in the course of a week. I've ruminated in other reviews (mostly Sindra van Yssel's and Kitty French's) about something my fellow GR reviewers call "Insta-Love!", where two characters connect truly madly deeply after the acquaintance of a day or so - I've also said when it's done properly (as both Ms. van Yssel and Ms. French generally do it!) the two characters' near-instant connection feels somehow Just Right. (A lot of Bollywood romantic movies, like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge , Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Hum Tum , embrace the notion that two people are fated to be together, and nothing - not familial disapproval, not disaster, not even marriage to someone else - can keep them apart.)
DDLJ, a Bollywood Classic, Throws Everything From Disapproving Parents to an Asshole Fiancé To Her Dad's (Amrish Puri - you know, Mola Ram from INDIANA JONES AND TEMPLE OF DOOM?) Literally Last-Minute Acceptance Into the Mix!
The issue here is that I don't believe for a second the connection these two have. I mean, sure - I've been attracted to guys I didn't like and knew were bad for me, but I sure didn't let myself get into situations with them where I didn't have an out in case my gonads took over my thought processes! Charlotte here is behaving like she doesn't have a choice but to sexually surrender to Bly - if nothing else, meeting him with Finn and JP nearby might be wise...unless you're so Gods-Damned Determined to pretend you have no will of your own that you may as well have "DEPOSIT IN DUMPSTER WHEN FINISHED" tattoo'd across your forehead!
Honestly, Compared To The Images I WAS Looking At, This Is Classy!
Meanwhile,Stonebridge & Scott Finn & JP have, though some of their "Diplomatic Attorney" work, aroused the ire of EVIL! ASIAN! CRIMINAL! BUSINESSMAN! Jamey Huang. It will come as a surprise to absolutely nobody (including Charlotte, in a rare moment of good sense!), that her dear, dear roomies are, in fact, Black Ops Specialists of the most deadly variety
"Diplomatic Attorneys" - Like Reese and Shaw!
and Jamey Huang is mixed up in terrorist activities in addition to running some of the slimier aspects of his father's businesses - because he's Asian, and therefore...EVIL!!! Honestly, the book gives no other motivation to Jamey Huang, the son of a (presumably crooked) Chinese businessman and a porn star - he's described as cruelly handsome, with icy cheekbones, who kidnaps, abuses and drugs Charlotte in order to trade her to Bly , because despite the fact that Charlotte is stunningly gorgeous she has only had sex with three men in her life: Her football player ex, Bly, and the guy she calls in earlier scenes "My Best Mistake"....
I Swear, I Don't Think I'm Strong Enough For This...!
::Okay - Calm. Breathe. Find your center, Dee.... ::
So, heroically agrees to sacrifice himself for Charlotte, the exchange is made so , Bly proposes to Charlotte and she, benumbed by events, agrees - But!
I'm DEFINITELY Not Strong Enough For This....
::Okay, Dee - Find Your Happy Place Before Going On....::
The story ends on a cliffhanger, with Charlotte getting . Because of course he is....
Given this rating, I'm clearly not going to read the rest of the series. But if I for some insane reason were to, I suspect I would find out in the next book or the book after that Alexander Bly and Jamey Huang were business partners in terrorism all along, and in the climactic book in the series (whenever that is), that Bly, now married to Charlotte, is killed by , so Charlotte inherits all his vast fortune and can live Happily Ever After....
::Okay - Clearly I Have Anger Management Issues Regarding Stupid Book Series Involving Alpha Males and the Hit-By-The-Idiot-Ball Women Who Love Them....::
This story is, to be polite, all over the map: Charlotte is a Cheerleader Turned Centerfold (for a magazine that sort of seems like a cross between SPORTS ILLUSTRATED and PLAYBOY) turned (briefly) Football Star's Wife turned High-Powered Attorney from dirt-poor circumstances, who shares a building with two Ex-Special Forces Types turned "Diplomatic Attorneys" who behave like a cross between The Older Brothers She Never Had and The Sassy Gay Best Friend. (It's as if Stonebridge & Scott from Cinemax's STRIKE BACK had ended up in a THREE'S COMPANY-like sitcom!) Actually, for most of this book these last two guys, Finn and JP, are my favorite characters, because they're the kind of male non-boyfriend friend every woman wants - goofy, fiercely protective of Charlotte, just annoying enough so you know you love them, and totally badass when they're not hitting on every woman in San Diego (where the story's set - nice!) who isn't Charlotte!
Really, If the Book Had Just Been About Finn & JP Having Adventures, I'd Have Been Fine With It!
Anyway, one day Charlotte is informed by the law firm she's working for that she has a new client - the Arrogantly Studly (and naturally hung like a Little Italy salami!) Early Thirties Publishing Mogul who owns that SI Meets PLAYBOY Magazine Charlotte posed for, Alexander Bly. Turns out Bly had been carrying a
"This Wuh-Man Iz Fer Me, and Mah Blood Sez, Take Her!"
One of the many, Many, MANY things that bothers me about this book is how Charlotte's relationship with Bly goes from "I Never Wanted To See You Again, Get Out of My Life" to "I Can Barely Stand to Be in the Same Room With You" to "I Still Can't Stand You, But I Want To Fuck You" to "OMFG I LOVE YOU Let's Get Married and Pop Out Babies!" - in the course of a week. I've ruminated in other reviews (mostly Sindra van Yssel's and Kitty French's) about something my fellow GR reviewers call "Insta-Love!", where two characters connect truly madly deeply after the acquaintance of a day or so - I've also said when it's done properly (as both Ms. van Yssel and Ms. French generally do it!) the two characters' near-instant connection feels somehow Just Right. (A lot of Bollywood romantic movies, like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge , Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Hum Tum , embrace the notion that two people are fated to be together, and nothing - not familial disapproval, not disaster, not even marriage to someone else - can keep them apart.)
DDLJ, a Bollywood Classic, Throws Everything From Disapproving Parents to an Asshole Fiancé To Her Dad's (Amrish Puri - you know, Mola Ram from INDIANA JONES AND TEMPLE OF DOOM?) Literally Last-Minute Acceptance Into the Mix!
The issue here is that I don't believe for a second the connection these two have. I mean, sure - I've been attracted to guys I didn't like and knew were bad for me, but I sure didn't let myself get into situations with them where I didn't have an out in case my gonads took over my thought processes! Charlotte here is behaving like she doesn't have a choice but to sexually surrender to Bly - if nothing else, meeting him with Finn and JP nearby might be wise...unless you're so Gods-Damned Determined to pretend you have no will of your own that you may as well have "DEPOSIT IN DUMPSTER WHEN FINISHED" tattoo'd across your forehead!
Honestly, Compared To The Images I WAS Looking At, This Is Classy!
Meanwhile,
"Diplomatic Attorneys" - Like Reese and Shaw!
and Jamey Huang is mixed up in terrorist activities in addition to running some of the slimier aspects of his father's businesses - because he's Asian, and therefore...EVIL!!! Honestly, the book gives no other motivation to Jamey Huang, the son of a (presumably crooked) Chinese businessman and a porn star - he's described as cruelly handsome, with icy cheekbones, who kidnaps, abuses and drugs Charlotte in order to trade her to Bly , because despite the fact that Charlotte is stunningly gorgeous she has only had sex with three men in her life: Her football player ex, Bly, and the guy she calls in earlier scenes "My Best Mistake"....
I Swear, I Don't Think I'm Strong Enough For This...!
::Okay - Calm. Breathe. Find your center, Dee.... ::
So, heroically agrees to sacrifice himself for Charlotte, the exchange is made so , Bly proposes to Charlotte and she, benumbed by events, agrees - But!
I'm DEFINITELY Not Strong Enough For This....
::Okay, Dee - Find Your Happy Place Before Going On....::
The story ends on a cliffhanger, with Charlotte getting . Because of course he is....
Given this rating, I'm clearly not going to read the rest of the series. But if I for some insane reason were to, I suspect I would find out in the next book or the book after that Alexander Bly and Jamey Huang were business partners in terrorism all along, and in the climactic book in the series (whenever that is), that Bly, now married to Charlotte, is killed by , so Charlotte inherits all his vast fortune and can live Happily Ever After....
::Okay - Clearly I Have Anger Management Issues Regarding Stupid Book Series Involving Alpha Males and the Hit-By-The-Idiot-Ball Women Who Love Them....::
February 25, 2016
Charlotte is one lucky girl, she lives with two yes two sexy as sin men! But she's been married and divorced and loves living her life as a ball busting lawyer! But the two men she has shared a house with for years are special in the way of force and government! One of which has always been in love with her! Before she was a lawyer she modeled with her now ex husband and the man she done the shoot for Alexander Bly wants her for his self!
As years pass and her divorce is bahind her Bly comes back into her life! But danger is just around the corner and what the danger wants isn't what you think!
A great read that keeps you guessing and gives you great hot sexy men an more!
As years pass and her divorce is bahind her Bly comes back into her life! But danger is just around the corner and what the danger wants isn't what you think!
A great read that keeps you guessing and gives you great hot sexy men an more!
August 23, 2013
At first I wasn't sure about this book. I was sucked in immediately, but the way Bly was already loving her and seemed to want to give himself solely to her seemed too easy. I needed a fight, some drama...but this book definitely had a way of having me on the edge. Who loves who and what's going to happen!?! Yes, I cannot wait for the next book. Panty melting, sexy men, and a whole lotta testosterone...what more could you ask for. All for Charlotte? I'm so jealous. =)
Kimball, when is book 2 coming out? I can't wait!
Kimball, when is book 2 coming out? I can't wait!
September 6, 2013
This was pretty steamy for a short story. Characters seemed to lack depth for me, but that's the whole short story thing. I'm pretty sure the author switched her telling style at the end while she was doing a fast wrap up. I just didn't have time to back and check that for sure. I enjoyed the read and it was worthwhile until the end. Then a major lane change happens. I'm like, really?! Sigh...I might read the second book if it's free like this one, but I won't go looking for it(;
April 30, 2016
Fast paced hot read
I liked the characters. Loved the guy friends. The heroine fell in love with a man she secretly yearned for six years then suddenly the story shifts to an unexpected twist where she loves a friend. That threw me. So now I have to decide if I'm interested enough to buy 3 more books, set of 4 , to find out who she chooses. I thought heroine's love for Bly was real.
I liked the characters. Loved the guy friends. The heroine fell in love with a man she secretly yearned for six years then suddenly the story shifts to an unexpected twist where she loves a friend. That threw me. So now I have to decide if I'm interested enough to buy 3 more books, set of 4 , to find out who she chooses. I thought heroine's love for Bly was real.
August 13, 2013
Packs a serious punch, really a fun read!!! Didn't see the cool plot twist or knockout ending coming but totally counting the minutes until part two is available! Love this author, great, hot book with heart and fantastic characters. Now who will she pick???
January 10, 2014
I thought that this book was going to be one of those. Just short straight to the point and for me saying IS THAT ALL. But no it actually surprised me. It's actually a good read and I was pretty amazed at how it turned out. Just leaves you wanting more.
Looking forward to reading the rest!!
Looking forward to reading the rest!!
March 21, 2015
What the hell was this? I was so confused by the cliffy that I had to go read the spoilers for every book in the 11 part series. It's basically an accumulation of every single soap opera plot ever written... in one series. What a joke.
August 3, 2013
3.75 stars. Some parts seemed a little rushed, but overall an original, intriguing story.
August 22, 2013
Very hot book. can't say enough about it. just can't wait to read #2 and find out who she ends up with. hmmm?
August 30, 2013
Loved it, loved it!!! Starting book 2 now!!
August 13, 2013
Loved it, book two SOON PLEASE!!!
November 24, 2018
It is not often that I run into a book that truly has no direction, no character development, and no rhyme nor reason to the narrative. But this one was that book.
It was billed as an erotic romance, and offered free (because if I'd paid for this, I would have been asking for my money back). This book only made it to position 1900 on my Kindle, and at my (very rusty) calculations, that's about 25K words. And this is only Part I. While it isn't a cliffhanger, it certainly is shaving it very close. I don't DO cliffhangers and really want to be told that's how it will end.
If you are an indie author writing a book, it means you pull out the stops and you write the best you've ever written, then you get a damn good editor to tear it apart and put it back together for you, and then you send it to a proofer. Good examples of why you do this are: "she lied down on her bed. I have no idea why she lied to her bed, but since I don't talk to mine, I can't relate. It was at that point in the book that I realized it hadn't been edited, and the author really wasn't all that into her craft, since she seemed to have no care at all about the words she was putting to paper. I'm disappointed any time I read an Indie author who doesn't put 110% of themselves into every book. That means you slave over ever single comma, you debate word usage with yourself, and your editor, until you get it right. Because you know what? You're selling your SKILL and your CRAFT when you publish that book. And craft comes with experience, and sweat, and tears, and a lot (and I mean a LOT) of deleted pages.
The plot. The story line of this booked jumped around like a cat on a hot tin roof (and we all know to whom I should send apologies). I had done a "Cliff Notes" version of the first 25 pages here, but I realized it sounded like I was doing stand-up, so I deleted it.
The continuity. I would have been satisfied if the characters knew what they were doing. I would have been ecstatic if the plot knew what IT was doing. But neither did.
The characters. Even erotica needs to have the basics of a plot, character development, continuity, and EMOTION. And if you want to write romance, the emotion needs to be in big letters, just like I wrote them. This book had very little character development. Maybe if we'd known more of Charlotte, and more of Bly, both characters would have been palatable.
The dialogue. Both characters were juvenile in their dialogue. These should have been mature individuals, but instead they just weren't mature at all.
The erotica. Yes, this book is filled to the brim with sex...upright, vertical, horizontal, in the back of a taxi, shower, bed, corner, sofa, chair, you name it. But sex can be dumbed down too much, and that it was. Erotica is a pleasant mix of sex, emotions, and story so that the reader can enjoy all aspects of the words on the page. Porn is sex. Funnily enough the sex scene that WASN'T with the two main characters was the hottest. Finn gets extra points in my book for acting like a man in love. Bly? Blah.
My advice to the author. Find a good editor and up your game. In more than one place, I was going to mark this a DNF and move on, but I kept up since it was so very short.
It was billed as an erotic romance, and offered free (because if I'd paid for this, I would have been asking for my money back). This book only made it to position 1900 on my Kindle, and at my (very rusty) calculations, that's about 25K words. And this is only Part I. While it isn't a cliffhanger, it certainly is shaving it very close. I don't DO cliffhangers and really want to be told that's how it will end.
If you are an indie author writing a book, it means you pull out the stops and you write the best you've ever written, then you get a damn good editor to tear it apart and put it back together for you, and then you send it to a proofer. Good examples of why you do this are: "she lied down on her bed. I have no idea why she lied to her bed, but since I don't talk to mine, I can't relate. It was at that point in the book that I realized it hadn't been edited, and the author really wasn't all that into her craft, since she seemed to have no care at all about the words she was putting to paper. I'm disappointed any time I read an Indie author who doesn't put 110% of themselves into every book. That means you slave over ever single comma, you debate word usage with yourself, and your editor, until you get it right. Because you know what? You're selling your SKILL and your CRAFT when you publish that book. And craft comes with experience, and sweat, and tears, and a lot (and I mean a LOT) of deleted pages.
The plot. The story line of this booked jumped around like a cat on a hot tin roof (and we all know to whom I should send apologies). I had done a "Cliff Notes" version of the first 25 pages here, but I realized it sounded like I was doing stand-up, so I deleted it.
The continuity. I would have been satisfied if the characters knew what they were doing. I would have been ecstatic if the plot knew what IT was doing. But neither did.
The characters. Even erotica needs to have the basics of a plot, character development, continuity, and EMOTION. And if you want to write romance, the emotion needs to be in big letters, just like I wrote them. This book had very little character development. Maybe if we'd known more of Charlotte, and more of Bly, both characters would have been palatable.
The dialogue. Both characters were juvenile in their dialogue. These should have been mature individuals, but instead they just weren't mature at all.
The erotica. Yes, this book is filled to the brim with sex...upright, vertical, horizontal, in the back of a taxi, shower, bed, corner, sofa, chair, you name it. But sex can be dumbed down too much, and that it was. Erotica is a pleasant mix of sex, emotions, and story so that the reader can enjoy all aspects of the words on the page. Porn is sex. Funnily enough the sex scene that WASN'T with the two main characters was the hottest. Finn gets extra points in my book for acting like a man in love. Bly? Blah.
My advice to the author. Find a good editor and up your game. In more than one place, I was going to mark this a DNF and move on, but I kept up since it was so very short.
July 10, 2019
Great book! I like the characters. Charlotte holds her ground quite well against Alexander's alpha personality. She makes for a great lawyer representing him. I'm always jealous when the female lead has a close relationship with male friends. Charlotte's relationship with JP and Finn can sometime be just as entertaining as her relationship with Alexander. The sex was super good, and there was plenty of it! I hope this continues throughout the remainder of the series! I'm looking forward to jumping into the next book of the series. Honestly, I think I'm team Finn!
What I didn't really care for, was the third person point of view, though. I would have enjoyed being in their heads more.
What I didn't really care for, was the third person point of view, though. I would have enjoyed being in their heads more.
November 6, 2018
Just felt like the whole story was somewhat all over the place. There was a storyline but the characters were inconsistence. the end part of the book was lots of telling instead of showing and felt kinda rushed. Idk what it is with adult romance and the guys are always super jealous when the girl talks to other men. Serious jealously & territorial issues. I liked Finn as a side character. Probably not gonna continue with the series tbh.
January 29, 2016
Um.... I'm sorry.
****Contains some spoilers***
I've seen a lot of mixed review with this book... Anything from one to five stars. Here's my problem...
When I stumbled across this free e-book I was so beyond excited, because the description alone was just SO good. Unfortunately it was all just so short lived within the first few chapters.
Starting with our main character Charlotte, who in a nutshell is a ex-cheerleading, modeling, lawyer barbie doll (oh it gets better) who has a viking quarterback for an ex husband, 2 smoking hot totally friend zoned best friends/roomies, and an Adonis like stalker borderline psychopathic billionaire (who is the hero? I think? I don't know it goes a lot of different ways) anywho his name is Bly and six years prior he had her posing for a spread in his magazine almost completely naked. All of this to put herself through law school.
Oh and side note.. OF COURSE he wanted her the one day they met at the photoshoot and hadn't gotten over her in those six years and OF COURSE Bly was never able to connect with other women because of her in the back of his mind haunting him.
This isn't even the bad part, I actually really liked the set up of the book. Lots of angst, defiantly some love triangles, things of that nature that just gave it the backbone to be an amazing book. But it just... Went south so fast! I successfully made it halfway before skimming the rest. But bottom line... It just got SO FREAKING RIDICULOUS!!
Fast forward to the present six years later, Charlotte meets with her new client (who happens to be Bly) and she's like "this has to be professional he's my client blah blah blah" and on the way to meet him and her bosses for lunch that very next fucking day after a trial she gets so fucking wet and uncontrollably horny she has to (get this) PULL THE CAR OVER TAKE OFF HER PANTIES AND MAKE HERSELF CUM!!
My god woman control your vagina!!! On top of her crazy overactive libido she's like... a total bitch. Especially to her best friends. Who she treats like mutts on her damn furniture. Her emotions go from like 0 to insane in seconds. The woman literally yells at the boys to go away because they annoy her so much, tells them how tired she is of them coming into her part of the house, and then cries that she has nothing to wear to some party for the Mayor that will impress Bly even though she doesn't want to cross business lines with with him!! Which of course goes right out the window the second she meets him at the party and grabs his cock in front of god and everyone... I wish I could make this up people...
And don't get me wrong. I'm all for erotic novels. I LOVE them, but when everything is so rushed it comes out as more crude instead of melt-your-panties-omg-I-can't breathe.. does that make sense?
Char is so all over the damn place with the I want you, I don't want you, I'm hot, I'm cold, keep it professional, just kidding fuck my brains out.
When you don't allow characters time to build chemistry and build sexual tension you have a bunch of horny sluts all trying to throw morals around like diarrhea from the mouth and screwing each other regardless.
Another thing that had me slamming my face down on my desk a few dozen times was literally the night after the Mayor's gala (so 3 days after kinda reconnecting with Bly) he shows up at her house and is like "come with me we're gonna go out on my boat in the middle of fucking no where, and by the way you need to get on birth control I already filled your prescription. I imagine you don't want to get pregnant because you're not ready for that."
UMMMM... and you are?!?!?!! After 3 days?? Bitch I'm the reader and I'm not even ready for that! Maybe it's my personal commitment issues but come on, outside of being a billionaire and smoking hot the man is a straight criminal minds episode. It's okay to be dominating like that, everyone knows Christian Grey was the same way, but given they had only met once before those 3 days I just.... It's not there for me. I'm sorry guys... I really hate giving bad reviews. And this novella is free on Amazon, so its not like I wasted money or anything. I just think that Kimball Lee has so much potential. A part of me wanted to read the next novella because I wanted to see what would happen, but it just isn't worth the headache. If she would just slow down and really write a piece of art I think she could be a best selling author easily. Come on girl!!:)
****Contains some spoilers***
I've seen a lot of mixed review with this book... Anything from one to five stars. Here's my problem...
When I stumbled across this free e-book I was so beyond excited, because the description alone was just SO good. Unfortunately it was all just so short lived within the first few chapters.
Starting with our main character Charlotte, who in a nutshell is a ex-cheerleading, modeling, lawyer barbie doll (oh it gets better) who has a viking quarterback for an ex husband, 2 smoking hot totally friend zoned best friends/roomies, and an Adonis like stalker borderline psychopathic billionaire (who is the hero? I think? I don't know it goes a lot of different ways) anywho his name is Bly and six years prior he had her posing for a spread in his magazine almost completely naked. All of this to put herself through law school.
Oh and side note.. OF COURSE he wanted her the one day they met at the photoshoot and hadn't gotten over her in those six years and OF COURSE Bly was never able to connect with other women because of her in the back of his mind haunting him.
This isn't even the bad part, I actually really liked the set up of the book. Lots of angst, defiantly some love triangles, things of that nature that just gave it the backbone to be an amazing book. But it just... Went south so fast! I successfully made it halfway before skimming the rest. But bottom line... It just got SO FREAKING RIDICULOUS!!
Fast forward to the present six years later, Charlotte meets with her new client (who happens to be Bly) and she's like "this has to be professional he's my client blah blah blah" and on the way to meet him and her bosses for lunch that very next fucking day after a trial she gets so fucking wet and uncontrollably horny she has to (get this) PULL THE CAR OVER TAKE OFF HER PANTIES AND MAKE HERSELF CUM!!
My god woman control your vagina!!! On top of her crazy overactive libido she's like... a total bitch. Especially to her best friends. Who she treats like mutts on her damn furniture. Her emotions go from like 0 to insane in seconds. The woman literally yells at the boys to go away because they annoy her so much, tells them how tired she is of them coming into her part of the house, and then cries that she has nothing to wear to some party for the Mayor that will impress Bly even though she doesn't want to cross business lines with with him!! Which of course goes right out the window the second she meets him at the party and grabs his cock in front of god and everyone... I wish I could make this up people...
And don't get me wrong. I'm all for erotic novels. I LOVE them, but when everything is so rushed it comes out as more crude instead of melt-your-panties-omg-I-can't breathe.. does that make sense?
Char is so all over the damn place with the I want you, I don't want you, I'm hot, I'm cold, keep it professional, just kidding fuck my brains out.
When you don't allow characters time to build chemistry and build sexual tension you have a bunch of horny sluts all trying to throw morals around like diarrhea from the mouth and screwing each other regardless.
Another thing that had me slamming my face down on my desk a few dozen times was literally the night after the Mayor's gala (so 3 days after kinda reconnecting with Bly) he shows up at her house and is like "come with me we're gonna go out on my boat in the middle of fucking no where, and by the way you need to get on birth control I already filled your prescription. I imagine you don't want to get pregnant because you're not ready for that."
UMMMM... and you are?!?!?!! After 3 days?? Bitch I'm the reader and I'm not even ready for that! Maybe it's my personal commitment issues but come on, outside of being a billionaire and smoking hot the man is a straight criminal minds episode. It's okay to be dominating like that, everyone knows Christian Grey was the same way, but given they had only met once before those 3 days I just.... It's not there for me. I'm sorry guys... I really hate giving bad reviews. And this novella is free on Amazon, so its not like I wasted money or anything. I just think that Kimball Lee has so much potential. A part of me wanted to read the next novella because I wanted to see what would happen, but it just isn't worth the headache. If she would just slow down and really write a piece of art I think she could be a best selling author easily. Come on girl!!:)
August 7, 2017
Super hot scenes. Good character development but the story seems choppy.
Charlotte is determined to keep her career her priority and Bly at a distance. Without much story to back it up, she takes a leave of absence and is living with Bly. Then she gets engaged to Bly but the next day runs away to find Finn? Confusing story line scattered with great sex.
Charlotte is determined to keep her career her priority and Bly at a distance. Without much story to back it up, she takes a leave of absence and is living with Bly. Then she gets engaged to Bly but the next day runs away to find Finn? Confusing story line scattered with great sex.
June 17, 2018
This made me rather angry.
Put aside the ridiculousness of the premise, an irresistible lawyer with irresistible men around her, and what you're left with is some terrible writing that glorifies an abusive relationship with an unsexy megalomaniac.
I'm sick of stories glorifying these relationships and labelling them as love. It's not. It's messed up.
Put aside the ridiculousness of the premise, an irresistible lawyer with irresistible men around her, and what you're left with is some terrible writing that glorifies an abusive relationship with an unsexy megalomaniac.
I'm sick of stories glorifying these relationships and labelling them as love. It's not. It's messed up.
September 11, 2018
This just got worse and worse and ended up being completely ridiculous. In the beginning I did consider buying the rest of the series as the box-sets are cheap, but no. I didn't at any point like the main characters. Bly in particular is just crepy and not attractive to me at all. I don't care how rich and goodlooking he is.
September 1, 2020
Who is the love of her heart
Charlotte is a big powerful lawyer that has come a ling ways from when she was a kid. Now that she finally won her case she is introduced to her next case but she already knows him from modeling for him when she was in college. She quickly falls in love or lust and then something happens and she is truly confused on what to do.
Charlotte is a big powerful lawyer that has come a ling ways from when she was a kid. Now that she finally won her case she is introduced to her next case but she already knows him from modeling for him when she was in college. She quickly falls in love or lust and then something happens and she is truly confused on what to do.
February 25, 2018
Great read lits of heat
Great romance with lots of heated scenes. Also great start to the series. Leaves you craving more heat and story of the lead characters.. Who will she end with? Need to read on to find out.
Great romance with lots of heated scenes. Also great start to the series. Leaves you craving more heat and story of the lead characters.. Who will she end with? Need to read on to find out.
May 11, 2018
Fantastic story
This is a new to me author. Her story is full of everything you could want. Romance, intrigue, secrets, sex, and a great plot. Can't wait to read the rest of this series.
This is a new to me author. Her story is full of everything you could want. Romance, intrigue, secrets, sex, and a great plot. Can't wait to read the rest of this series.
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