She Did A Bad, Bad Thing

Million Dollar Secrets #1

by Stephanie Bond

Just once, mild-mannered Jane Kurtz wished she had thenerve to go for what she wants. And she really wants herneighbor, bad boy Perry Brewer. But he’s totally out of herleague—.until she wins the lottery and decides, once and forall, to change her life. So she heads out to Vegas for theultimate bad-girl makeover! Poor sexy Perry won’t knowwhat hit him—.

The woman’s driving him crazy! Perry’sbeen trying to get Jane’s attention for days,with no luck. Now she’s all alone in Vegasand, well, somebody’s got to look after her.What’s a decent guy to do? But after hesees Jane in all her new naughtiness,there’s no way he’s going to be able tostop at just looking….

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Harlequin Blaze, Contemporary Romance, Audiobook, Harlequin, Fiction

235 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2007

About the author

USA TODAY bestselling author Stephanie Bond was seven years deep into a systems engineering career and pursuing an MBA at night when an instructor remarked that she had a flair for writing and suggested that she submit to academic journals. But Stephanie, a voracious reader, was only interested in writing fiction–more specifically, romantic fiction.

Upon completing her master’s degree and with no formal training in writing (her undergraduate degree is in computer programming), she started writing a romance novel in her spare time. Two years later in 1995 she sold her first manuscript, a romantic comedy, to Harlequin Books.

In 1997, with ten sales under her belt to two publishers, Stephanie left her corporate job to write women’s romantic fiction full-time. In 2011,

Stephanie launched a self-publishing business. Since that time, she has sold more than 1 million copies of her own books. To-date, Stephanie has published over 70 novels and has over 6 million copies of her work in worldwide distribution in numerous languages and formats.

Reviews

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

She Did a Bad, Bad Thing
4 Stars

Sweet and mild-mannered Jane Kurtz is a makeup artist who skillfully ensures that others have a perfect appearance, but when it comes to herself she is gun-shy. After a hurtful putdown by her sexy new neighbor, Jane is determined to find her inner wild child. So when she wins the lottery, she flies to Las Vegas for a weekend of sin. Worried about the trouble Jane could get into, Perry Brewer follows his neighbor to Vegas and shenanigans ensue.... will their relationship revert back after the weekend is over?

Perry does not make a good first impression on the reader, but he more than makes up for it as the story progresses. It is obvious that he cares about Jane even before her make-over so it is easy to accept that he falls in love with her once he gets to know her even better.

Jane is a sweet and appealing heroine, but not a complete Mary Sue. She stands up for herself when Perry is out of line and comes to realize that she is worthy of love and affection.

The lottery plot is intriguing but remains unresolved as the subsequent books in the mini-series all focus on a different winner. It will obviously take time for all of the issues to develop.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fate must be telling her something, Jane Kurtz aka Plain Jane, is feeling unsettled in her life. With a gorgeous new neighbor, who she overhears making a not so flattering comment about her, and winning the lottery she is ready for a change. Heading for Las Vegas for a makeover and a weekend full of sin, is just what she needs to unleash the wild child within her.

Ladies man Perry Brewer regrets the comment he made about Jane when he met her, wanting to make it up to her he finds himself becoming quickly intertwined in her life and becoming more curious about the shy woman next door. When he realizes she is heading to Vegas for a no holds bar weekend, he decides it is his responsibility to make sure she stays safe and offers his services in return, but he may just lose his heart in the process.

Had a lot of potential, one incredibly funny chapter, and of course a great ugly duckling moment. The problems I had with it though were the abrupt ending, the way that one of Jane's friends talks to her really really bugged me. Plus there is drama surrounding the lottery win, that is never resolved. 3.5.

[Karla · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 Stars Much better than I expected. Cute story about a "plain jane", named Jane…how cliché…and her jerky neighbor Perry…who turns out to be a pretty decent guy. It was fun, very steamy and the story evolved nicely.

The plot was a little over the top, but still in all, very well narrated, reasonably priced and a enjoyable way to spend a few hours!

[Terra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was not as sweet and kind as I usually read with Harlequin books. I was frustrated for Jane, and how people couldn't see beyond her plain Jane appearance. I was eventually entertained, and started to slowly like Perry. Perry was hard to like in the beginning, bc of the harsh words he said about Jane. I was happy in the end with how the book flowed. Also, loved seeing Jane's transformation.

[Netanella · Rating 3 out of 5]

First paragraph: “Listen…I’m sorry—what was your name again?”
Jane Kurtz turned off the handheld airbrush machine that was depositing a perfect layer of makeup over the zits of celebutante Casey Campella, today’s guest on Just Between Us. “It’s Jane.”

"She Did A Bad, Bad Thing" is the first in a Harlequin Blaze series, "Million Dollar Secrets", about a group of friends working at an Atlanta TV station who win the lotto in the office pool.

"Plain Jane" is the set's make up artist, lonely and average and acting like other people's stepping stone. Pretty Perry Brewer is her new neighbor, making his presence known like a hurricane. His girlfriend takes her parking spot, causing her a flat tire and a dented door when she has to park in the guest lot. His sexual antics are heard all night through the wafer-thin walls. And she inadvertently overhears his conversation that insults her looks and her sexual prowess.

Wow. So this is a third of the way into the book and Poor Ol' Perry has a lot to make up for. I'm not sure that I liked him much after the set up of the book. And Gullible Ol' Jane - just won the lotto, now getting pursued by Playboy Perry, who also happens to be a cad and penniless - well, what can I say? In true Vegas style, Insta-Lust turns into Insta-Love and misunderstandings and past insults are quickly forgotten.

I gave this a 3 star rating because the sex was hot and I truly enjoyed the ugly duckling remake portion of the story.

[Shaebay · Rating 1 out of 5]

Normally I love books from the Harlequin Blaze line, they are funny, sexy, and worth the time to read. Unfortunately, this book did not have any of those traits. From the very beginning, I did not like Perry. Obviously, getting over the first impression of him should have been a major plot point, but it wasn't. At every turn the guy was making himself look like slime. First he is getting it on with some random woman, then says really awful things about the heroine, causes her car to have damage done to it, and then freaking follows her to Las Vegas (not to mention the fact that he cannot actually afford everything he's buying and there is an embarrassing scene where he couldn't afford to pay for their meal).

The entire first half of it reads like chick-lit and then the last half is just half-assed romance. The ending was especially obnoxious, where the two decided that they did have feelings for each other, and that maybe they should continue to jump into each others beds. I could go on and on about how much I hated this book, but honestly, it is not worth the time.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the free books from Harlequin's 60th anniversary celebration.
Like most of Stephanie Bond's books, this book was lacking a litte something.
This is a strange, short tale about a homely woman who wins the lottery and decideds to shake things up by taking a trip to Vegas. There, she hooks up with her neighbor and goes on a shopping spree that doesn't seem like such a great idea considering she hasn't recieved any money yet.
I personally just did not like the ending. it was a bit too abrupt for me and left a lot of unresolved issues.
I wanted to know what was gonna happen with the whole Liza showing up demanding her piece of the lottery win.
The whole Jane not being able to pay off her credit card thing was left up in the air..... & i always wondered where she got all the credit to buy all those expensive things since she was pretty much poor before the whole lottery thing.

[Bookwormliz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jane Kurtz is a homely little geek who works as a makeup artist for her best friend Eve¿s daytime talk show. Perry Brewer is a beer-drinking, Kayla-screwing, collector-ducking attorney who's recently moved in next door. When Perry's sexcapades interrupt Jane's favorite nighttime soap, she pays him a visit to give him a piece of her mind. He retaliates by calling her names even a fourth-grader would scoff at, but for some reason Jane spends the next fifty pages crying and being woe. Then she wins the lottery, flies to Vegas, bleaches her hair, and--since Perry, feeling equally woe about having hurt Jane's feelings, has followed her to keep her away from loan sharks and Celine Dion--takes part in a fourway.

Oooookay.

[Jim son of Jim (formerly PhotoJim) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hi. My name is Jane and I'm a makeup artist who never knew that makeup could make a person look better.

Hello, Perry is my name. Sexin' women is my game. I've being going through a seemingly endless supply of interchangeable women. But when my geeky repressed neighbor knocks on my door to ask me to have sex a little quieter, I think I might have to get me some of that.

Hi, Jane again. I won the lottery! Maybe I'll go to Vegas and have sex with random men.

Did I just hear my neighbor say she's going to Vegas? I think I should chase her down and teach her about sex. That's just the kind of guy I am.

Blech. Didn't like the characters. Didn't like the plot. (The sex is the only reason the book got two stars)

[ReadKnitHoard · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the story fine for what it was (except that it felt short, without enough time for me to connect with the h/h), but to my taste, the relationship felt light, superficial, undeveloped. (I believe this has more to do with the fact that Blazes are not my chosen category than the author and her story.)

(Also, I'm somewhat bothered by the ridiculous, off-putting title. OTOH, it's nice to see that it's not only HPs that suffer from bad titles.)

[Jo Reads Romance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sexy, light romance
4 stars

Plain Jane Kurtz has always been the mild-mannered 'good girl' and she's tired of it. When she overhears her sexy bad-boy neighbour, Perry Brewer, make a remark about her, she is distraught. So when she wins the lottery, she decides that it's time she made some changes in her life so she flies off to Vegas for a bad girl makeover.

The woman is driving Perry crazy. He feels so responsible for her need to change that he follows her out to Vegas to make sure she doesn't get up to anything too dangerous. But when he sees what naughty things Jane has planned - what's a decent guy to do but offer to be her plaything for the weekend?!

This was a fun, sexy and enjoyable romance that was well written and easy to read. Jane was a relatable character and I'm sure that everybody would want a sexy bad boy like Perry. The pair had delicious chemistry that at times scorched the pages. The plot was believable and interesting even if I did think the story was wrapped up quite suddenly.

The story itself is the first in the Million Dollar Secrets mini series and there is an underlying plot that runs through all the books. Despite that, if you don't want to read the other books in the series, Perry and Jane's romance is nicely wrapped up in this one, so you won't have to.

Overall if you're looking for a sexy, fun and light read then this could be perfect for you. 4 stars.

[Jennifer Feltz Milkowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

While it wasnt bad it wasnt great either. There are a lot of loose ends that do not get tied up. It just kindof ends.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very quick read by a good author. Liked the premise

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book reminded me why I adore Stephanie Bond's writing. There's a gorgeous hero who has a heart, a shy heroine who has dreams and fantasies but is afraid to go for it, and a fun plot that keeps you turning the pages.

This book is the launch for a six book Blaze mini-series, Million Dollar Secrets, about friends and coworkers who pool their funds and pick numbers for the Lotto and their adventures begin when the group wins big. In this book, Jane surprisingly does wonders for other people as a makeup artist for a tv show, but fails to see her own beauty. And her feelings get hurt when her sexy new condo neighbour makes a remark that she's not meant to hear. Perry's mortified when he realizes Jane overheard his comment and equaly mortified at his own behaviour. When Jane wins the Lotto and decides to live it up a bit with a trip to Vegas, Perry follows as he's afraid that what he said may spur Jane on to do something really foolish. Once in Vegas, the convinces Jane that he should be the one to show her an exciting time, including in the bedroom. When their passionate fling sweeps them both out of control things really get interesting.

[Dr. Bronwyn Ph.D of Smutology · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a solid 3.5 star read for me. It was simple....plain girl hears jerk hero say mean things about her, wins lotto, has a make over, jerk realizes she's the woman of his dreams after making pact for their torrid affair to be nothing more than that...an affair.

To be fair to the jerk of a hero feels bad about the things he's said pretty much straight away and does try in a minimalist kinda way to make it up to Jane but there was something still utterly jerky about his determination to seduce her while keeping it care free even after he knew he cared more than that.

Anyway, we are left in what is supposed to be a cliffhanger and a lead up to what I'm guessing will be follow up books but I don't think I'll read them since neither of her friends were all that interesting or NICE. I liked this one for the wallflower story line and I got what I wanted from it.

[Nicola · Rating 2 out of 5]

A slightly unbelievable ugly duckling story. Plain Jane does nothing to play up her looks and as a result no one recognizes that she is attractive? A makeup artist with a flair for fashion who doesn't do anything but put her hair in a ponytail is a little hard to swallow. I would believe she doesn't go all out with her own appearance, but someone with such a fabulous sense of style would do more without even thinking. Someone as timid as Jane is supposed to be would not go nocking on doors upon overhearing the "activities" of her neighbor. And - bad boy Perry seemed rather overprotective of the "mousy" girl next door. The characters and their defined traits did not seem to match their actions, leaving this a book that did not flow well for me. There were many enjoyable moments in the stories. I did like the characters and the events, they just did not seem to go well together.

[Megan Riverina Romantics · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4
Heat Rating: 3.5

Preliminary review:
This is the first Harlequin Blaze book that I've ever read and I have to admit that it was hotter than I thought it would be. Though the storyline wasn't truly unique I still found it thoroughly enjoyable. I truly felt for Jane. I could totally understand her utter lack of self-confidence. When I read the different things that had or had not happened to her within her sexual experience, I was totally shocked. To be so late into her 20's yet to have never have felt a man's mouth on another regions? NOT COOL!

P.S. When I say read I mean heard as this was an audio book. :D

Full review to come

[Shwetika]

First off this is NOT my type of book , I read it as challenge and In all honesty I only have my self to blame. For the first time I was only happy when I was done, I could get it out of the way fast enough and read my type of books. But then I guess it was a good way to test my limited :P

[Roub · Rating 2 out of 5]

i did not buy Perry's sudden attraction to Jane ! he wanted to play the good guy and it turned out he fell for her!? someone he actually took pity on and wanted to help !? i dunt think they fell in love but rather in lust. it was just good sex! how the author wants us to believe it was more is astounding !

[Elisa Vangelisti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Non è certo un capolavoro, ma è simpatico e mi ha fatta divertire. Brevemente, è la storia del brutto anatroccolo che incontra il bad boy di turno. Il problema però è che il primo si trasforma in cigno e il secondo non è poi così cattivo come sembra… equivoci a Las Vegas, insomma. Con una vincita alla lotteria di mezzo.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dorky makeup artist wins lottery and goes to Vegas for a makeover and some wild livin'. Her manslut neighbor decides to follow her to "protect" her, but ends up sexin' her up instead. Nothing much else to see here; a quick read without much depth if you're in the mood for an erotic romance.

[RedBecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading some pretty negative reviews here my expectations were pretty low but I actually thought this story was cute. However, I'm assuming it's part of a series because it was left sort of open-ended.

[Jane Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

What would a plain girl who's been following the rules her whole life do after she won the lottery?
Go to Vegas and reinvent herself ,that's what.

But when her neighbor with a bad case of guilty conscience follows her ,there might be reason enough to light up the sheets

[☽ Rhiannon ✭ Mistwalker ☾ · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one was alright. I liked the premise and how it started out, with the hero insulting the heroine and her being insecure about her appearance, but would up just striking me as off. I think I'm just not one for the Harlequinn shorts. (2.5 stars)

[Ladiibbug · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sexy, frothy fun - see cover *g*!

Read a year ago.

[Roberta (Always Behind)]

I love Stephanie Bond!! I know most people turn up their noses at hrlequin romances, but there are many jewels to be found such as this yummy, cute story.

[Juliana · Rating 2 out of 5]

First Stephanie Bond book I wish I had skipped. Still love the cover :)

[Ginerva612 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book I think in about a day and a half! Stephanie Bond is a great writer! Her books are always tasteful with a lot of good smut thrown in!

[Fairyposs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reworked ugly duckling theme. Quick, easy read. Rather abrupt end.

[Christine Strowbridge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute but super cheesy, or is it super cheesy but cute?