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Hot Ice #1
Hired
One hundred grand to babysit a hockey player on an island paradise—seriously, how bad could he be?
I'm not expected to talk to Logan “Phoenix” Taylor. I only have to hang out with him in a luxurious villa on a private beach while I study. Simple, right? The money would make my dreams of going to nursing school possible.
I haven’t counted on Logan being so deliciously bad—he is oh so good. When the temperature cranks to a boiling point, he knows just how to satisfy the deepest, darkest part of my soul and give my body exactly what it needs. We transport each other to an exquisite world of pleasure where only we exist among the sand and waves, only we matter.
But, the heady mix of emotions and lust can’t keep things from spiraling out of control and back to reality, where I have to keep the secret that I’ve been hired to entertain him…even if it shatters my delicate heart. Even if it costs me my destiny.
BUY HIRED FROM AMAZON FOR JUST 99C/99P AND GET BOOK #2 IN THE HOT ICE SERIES, CROSS-CHECKED, FOR FREE - DETAILS AT THE END OF HIRED.
I'm not expected to talk to Logan “Phoenix” Taylor. I only have to hang out with him in a luxurious villa on a private beach while I study. Simple, right? The money would make my dreams of going to nursing school possible.
I haven’t counted on Logan being so deliciously bad—he is oh so good. When the temperature cranks to a boiling point, he knows just how to satisfy the deepest, darkest part of my soul and give my body exactly what it needs. We transport each other to an exquisite world of pleasure where only we exist among the sand and waves, only we matter.
But, the heady mix of emotions and lust can’t keep things from spiraling out of control and back to reality, where I have to keep the secret that I’ve been hired to entertain him…even if it shatters my delicate heart. Even if it costs me my destiny.
BUY HIRED FROM AMAZON FOR JUST 99C/99P AND GET BOOK #2 IN THE HOT ICE SERIES, CROSS-CHECKED, FOR FREE - DETAILS AT THE END OF HIRED.
178 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 17, 2010
229 people are currently reading
2186 people want to read
About the author
Lily Harlem
252 books688 followersMeet your next sexy as f*ck book boyfriend!
You'll love my Alpha male heroes and the women who (try to) tame them, so dive into my vast selection of steamy romances and be prepared to stay up late into the night being seduced by kinky dukes, hot hockey players, masterful Vikings and badass bikers. (To name a few!)
And to get you started, and my way of saying 'welcome to my world', grab a FREE ebook of your choice from my website www.lilyharlem.com
You'll love my Alpha male heroes and the women who (try to) tame them, so dive into my vast selection of steamy romances and be prepared to stay up late into the night being seduced by kinky dukes, hot hockey players, masterful Vikings and badass bikers. (To name a few!)
And to get you started, and my way of saying 'welcome to my world', grab a FREE ebook of your choice from my website www.lilyharlem.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 120 reviews
May 25, 2011
I'm a sucker for a sports romance, an if it's an erotic romance, and the hero is a hunktastic hockey player, I'm going to be all over it! And I was pretty pleased with Hired, book one in Lily Harlem's Hot Ice series. Although it was written in the dreaded 1st person POV (which didn't bother me for the most part), and there were a few minor details describing hockey that led me to believe that the author is not really a fan of the NHL (games referred to as "matches", players wearing "cages" instead of "shields", players getting a week's vacation for R&R during the season(!)) I was able to overlook that stuff because, well, the book entertained me! The hero was hot and a bit vulnerable, a little insecure about being a "dumb jock" which made him plenty lovable, and the heroine was not bad either, although she had a few whacky moments (talking about bio-rhythms,fate, karma, and auras) and her keeping the truth from Logan bugged me.
The plot? Handsome, muscular jock Logan "Phoenix" Taylor is the NHL Orlando Vipers best forward. Logan's had a tough time on (and off) the ice lately getting his temper under control. He's spending way too much time in the penalty box and before his career is derailed something needs to be done. The owner of the team (Fergal) wants to send him to his private beach villa for a week for some R&R in order to get his head and body back in the game. But he's worried that Logan will just mope around, drinking and sulking and watching reruns of NHL games every night. So the owner asks his girlfriend (high-priced call girl Giselle) if she knows anyone who would be interested in sort of "babysitting" Logan--just being a companion, a distraction, and no sex (necessarily) involved. Giselle immediately thinks of her best friend and roommate, curvy-cutie, nice girl Brooke Ambrose. Brooke works as a waitress in a diner, is about to enter nursing school, and could certainly use the $100,000 that Fergal is willing to pay. Brooke's not looking for a relationship, and $100,000 just to hang out in the same villa as Logan...and she doesn't have to sleep with him...well that's an offer that's hard to refuse. Fergal cooks up a plan to tell Logan that Brooke is the daughter of an old friend who needs the villa to study for a nursing exam and he's sorry for the double-booking. The deed is done and both Logan and Brooke are off to the villa...
After a rocky start where Logan mostly ignores and is rude to Brooke, things heat up after Brooke emerges from a dip in the ocean (looking like Ursula Andress---or Halle Berry from a James Bond movie).
After some conversation, Logan is pleased to hear that Brooke is not the "rink bunny" that he thought she was--she knows nothing about hockey, and had never heard of him before. There's an attraction in the air--on both sides--but both are a little wary. When Brooke gets bitten by a sea anemone, and Logan takes care of her, they get to talking, the relationship starts to take off, and a friendship builds. But Brooke is not totally truthful with Logan--he has no idea about the deal with the team owner. When Brooke and Logan start to fall for each other, that deception hangs over the relationship like a dark cloud--you just wonder when Brooke is going to fess up and tell Logan the whole truth before it bites her in the butt. Now, Brooke--tell him now! Even though Brooke has no intention of taking the $100,000 after falling for Logan, you know that she had better tell Logan before he finds out from someone else...and misunderstands.
Logan...
Yes, a bit predictable. Why not just tell him up front when you start to develop feelings? Yes, predictable, but still entertaining.
The love/sex scenes..oh yeah, steamy, steamy, steamy hot, including a scene in the ocean, a time in the shower, as well as others...
"I'm going to give you a real good, real interesting lesson in anatomy." He swiped his tongue out the corner of his mouth and licked across his top lip. "You're gonna learn all about your body and exactly what it likes best."
Well, you get the gist of it. Lots of well-executed love scenes, with some plenty hot dialogue. This worked for me because of the likability of the characters, and the build up to their relationship. They didn't immediately hit the sheets, but developed a friendship first, which made these scenes more effective. Logan was a dominant, yet tender lover, and definitely saw to Brooke's pleasure (and Brooke was no slouch either!)
So, if you're looking for a sports romance that's definitely on the erotic side, and are not bothered by 1st person (there was enough dialogue from Logan that you knew what he was thinking and feeling, so it wasn't a problem for me) you might enjoy Hired. I liked it enough that I think I'll try book #2, Cross-Checked. 4 1/2 stars
**Note**: The price for this ebook is kind of high ($9.29 for Kindle at Amazon, $9.52 for Nook at B&N; I bought it for my Kindle directly at the Ellora's Cave website (http://www.jasminejade.com/p-8939-hir...) where it was considerably less ($5.95).
The plot? Handsome, muscular jock Logan "Phoenix" Taylor is the NHL Orlando Vipers best forward. Logan's had a tough time on (and off) the ice lately getting his temper under control. He's spending way too much time in the penalty box and before his career is derailed something needs to be done. The owner of the team (Fergal) wants to send him to his private beach villa for a week for some R&R in order to get his head and body back in the game. But he's worried that Logan will just mope around, drinking and sulking and watching reruns of NHL games every night. So the owner asks his girlfriend (high-priced call girl Giselle) if she knows anyone who would be interested in sort of "babysitting" Logan--just being a companion, a distraction, and no sex (necessarily) involved. Giselle immediately thinks of her best friend and roommate, curvy-cutie, nice girl Brooke Ambrose. Brooke works as a waitress in a diner, is about to enter nursing school, and could certainly use the $100,000 that Fergal is willing to pay. Brooke's not looking for a relationship, and $100,000 just to hang out in the same villa as Logan...and she doesn't have to sleep with him...well that's an offer that's hard to refuse. Fergal cooks up a plan to tell Logan that Brooke is the daughter of an old friend who needs the villa to study for a nursing exam and he's sorry for the double-booking. The deed is done and both Logan and Brooke are off to the villa...
After a rocky start where Logan mostly ignores and is rude to Brooke, things heat up after Brooke emerges from a dip in the ocean (looking like Ursula Andress---or Halle Berry from a James Bond movie).
After some conversation, Logan is pleased to hear that Brooke is not the "rink bunny" that he thought she was--she knows nothing about hockey, and had never heard of him before. There's an attraction in the air--on both sides--but both are a little wary. When Brooke gets bitten by a sea anemone, and Logan takes care of her, they get to talking, the relationship starts to take off, and a friendship builds. But Brooke is not totally truthful with Logan--he has no idea about the deal with the team owner. When Brooke and Logan start to fall for each other, that deception hangs over the relationship like a dark cloud--you just wonder when Brooke is going to fess up and tell Logan the whole truth before it bites her in the butt. Now, Brooke--tell him now! Even though Brooke has no intention of taking the $100,000 after falling for Logan, you know that she had better tell Logan before he finds out from someone else...and misunderstands.
Logan...
Yes, a bit predictable. Why not just tell him up front when you start to develop feelings? Yes, predictable, but still entertaining.
The love/sex scenes..oh yeah, steamy, steamy, steamy hot, including a scene in the ocean, a time in the shower, as well as others...
"I'm going to give you a real good, real interesting lesson in anatomy." He swiped his tongue out the corner of his mouth and licked across his top lip. "You're gonna learn all about your body and exactly what it likes best."
Well, you get the gist of it. Lots of well-executed love scenes, with some plenty hot dialogue. This worked for me because of the likability of the characters, and the build up to their relationship. They didn't immediately hit the sheets, but developed a friendship first, which made these scenes more effective. Logan was a dominant, yet tender lover, and definitely saw to Brooke's pleasure (and Brooke was no slouch either!)
So, if you're looking for a sports romance that's definitely on the erotic side, and are not bothered by 1st person (there was enough dialogue from Logan that you knew what he was thinking and feeling, so it wasn't a problem for me) you might enjoy Hired. I liked it enough that I think I'll try book #2, Cross-Checked. 4 1/2 stars
**Note**: The price for this ebook is kind of high ($9.29 for Kindle at Amazon, $9.52 for Nook at B&N; I bought it for my Kindle directly at the Ellora's Cave website (http://www.jasminejade.com/p-8939-hir...) where it was considerably less ($5.95).
March 6, 2013
03 MAR: The Avengers
Main characters:
Brooke
Logan Taylor
Why I added the book: It ended up in my TBR pile thanks to a review of a book further in the series that made it sound... good. Another factor was the theme: I love sports novels since I read SEP and Rachel Gibson and I keep hoping and finding others even half as good as theirs.
About the book: The story starts with our heroine lamenting about karma and other crap and presenting her life so far. She’s an orphan who lives with her BFF, an escort. That’s not a problem, what really got on my nerves was her holier than thou attitude: she had no problem leaving of her friend and putting money for collage but she got on judging the woman! I mean, how crappy can you be?
Her friend then precedes to make her an offer from a client: accompany one of the guy’s hokey players to a private retreat, get 100.000$ for it and keep the guy company. As you can guess she accepts and after 1 day of being there she goes from judging jocks as dumb and useless to liking the guy and wanting to bang him. Obviously she has conscience problems which are very rapidly resolved and they go and “have a relationship”. From all of this you can guess the problems arising so I don’t need to go and spoil everything.
The writing wasn’t particularly bad, but in my opinion, it wasn’t good either. The plot was bad. The characters even worse, the heroine at least was piece of work. She wouldn’t have had a problem with staying with the guy and being into a relationship, but she would have kept the lie of how and why she got there. She was judgmental and nutty, kept talking about karma and auras she “saw” and then got into the horoscope. The secondary characters aren't good either and I ended up disliking all of them.
Would I recommend the book:All in all I don’t think it’s a good read. It treated all the conflicts superficially and glossed over the important stuff, not even the sex scenes were good. There are a lot of novellas out there that really deserve to be read, but this isn’t one of them. I will not continue with this series…
Final rating: 2*-2.5*
Main characters:
Brooke
Logan Taylor
Why I added the book: It ended up in my TBR pile thanks to a review of a book further in the series that made it sound... good. Another factor was the theme: I love sports novels since I read SEP and Rachel Gibson and I keep hoping and finding others even half as good as theirs.
About the book: The story starts with our heroine lamenting about karma and other crap and presenting her life so far. She’s an orphan who lives with her BFF, an escort. That’s not a problem, what really got on my nerves was her holier than thou attitude: she had no problem leaving of her friend and putting money for collage but she got on judging the woman! I mean, how crappy can you be?
Her friend then precedes to make her an offer from a client: accompany one of the guy’s hokey players to a private retreat, get 100.000$ for it and keep the guy company. As you can guess she accepts and after 1 day of being there she goes from judging jocks as dumb and useless to liking the guy and wanting to bang him. Obviously she has conscience problems which are very rapidly resolved and they go and “have a relationship”. From all of this you can guess the problems arising so I don’t need to go and spoil everything.
The writing wasn’t particularly bad, but in my opinion, it wasn’t good either. The plot was bad. The characters even worse, the heroine at least was piece of work. She wouldn’t have had a problem with staying with the guy and being into a relationship, but she would have kept the lie of how and why she got there. She was judgmental and nutty, kept talking about karma and auras she “saw” and then got into the horoscope. The secondary characters aren't good either and I ended up disliking all of them.
Would I recommend the book:All in all I don’t think it’s a good read. It treated all the conflicts superficially and glossed over the important stuff, not even the sex scenes were good. There are a lot of novellas out there that really deserve to be read, but this isn’t one of them. I will not continue with this series…
Final rating: 2*-2.5*
July 2, 2015
My mother always told me that no lie is a "good" lie...not even a little white lie because they always come back to bite you on the butt!
Brooke wants nothing more than to follow in her mother's footsteps and become a nurse, but even without the added expense of nursing school, she is struggling just to pay her bills. When she is presented an opportunity that could make her dreams come true, how could she possibly pass that up? All she has to do is keep the bad boy of hockey company while she catches a few rays and studies for the nursing exam. That doesn't sound too bad, right? AND she gets paid a load of cash to do it...that's a no-brainer!
Brooke and "Bad Boy" Logan are just about as different as two people can be. She is luscious with soft curves and he is hard and cut angles. She is nurturing and he is destructive. She is unsure of herself and he is confident. She is eccentric and he operates in what most would consider a more "normal" fashion. Of course, wouldn't you know -- that is the perfect combination of ingredients for a passionate affair, IF the lie that Logan doesn't even know exists doesn't tear them apart.
I loved the chemistry between Brooke and Logan. His commanding presence and dominance was expected, but the kind and gentle side he shares with Brooke was very sexy and an oh-so pleasant surprise. It made my heart pound from passion and anxiety. Then it calmed me with the sweet tenderness and loving adoration between Brooke and Logan.
If you are looking for a book that's guaranteed to evoke a variety of emotions from start to finish, this would be a great choice!
**Reviewed on I ♥ Bookie Nookie Reviews and The Romance Reviews.
✳✳ Copy provided by the author/publisher for an honest review.
______________________________________________________________________
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Brooke wants nothing more than to follow in her mother's footsteps and become a nurse, but even without the added expense of nursing school, she is struggling just to pay her bills. When she is presented an opportunity that could make her dreams come true, how could she possibly pass that up? All she has to do is keep the bad boy of hockey company while she catches a few rays and studies for the nursing exam. That doesn't sound too bad, right? AND she gets paid a load of cash to do it...that's a no-brainer!
Brooke and "Bad Boy" Logan are just about as different as two people can be. She is luscious with soft curves and he is hard and cut angles. She is nurturing and he is destructive. She is unsure of herself and he is confident. She is eccentric and he operates in what most would consider a more "normal" fashion. Of course, wouldn't you know -- that is the perfect combination of ingredients for a passionate affair, IF the lie that Logan doesn't even know exists doesn't tear them apart.
I loved the chemistry between Brooke and Logan. His commanding presence and dominance was expected, but the kind and gentle side he shares with Brooke was very sexy and an oh-so pleasant surprise. It made my heart pound from passion and anxiety. Then it calmed me with the sweet tenderness and loving adoration between Brooke and Logan.
If you are looking for a book that's guaranteed to evoke a variety of emotions from start to finish, this would be a great choice!
**Reviewed on I ♥ Bookie Nookie Reviews and The Romance Reviews.
✳✳ Copy provided by the author/publisher for an honest review.
______________________________________________________________________
If you like this type of book, you might enjoy one of these groups. Check us out!
Menage Readers
Erotic Enchants
Bookie Nookie's Erotic eBook Exchange
December 3, 2013
The writing was decent but the characters and storyline weren't very developed. Also, the author was from the UK and some of the vernacular words or expressions from there was displayed in the lead characters speech. Twenty something American women don't usually use the term lovely to describe meals and situations and don't say rubbish so much. I didn't like all the talk about auras, karma, and astrology. At one point she described the man's voice as smooth as treacle - which is a molasses like syrup from the UK. I guess I'd say to the author stick with what you know. You could have made the female have deceased British parents and her speech wouldn't have come across as ill fitting to a twenty something girl from Orlando. Also, I didn't like her best friend. Maybe it was the fact that she was a gold digging, shallow, call girl/prostitute.
September 8, 2019
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
💋💋💋
What a brilliant read , can’t wait to read the rest of the series.
💋💋💋
What a brilliant read , can’t wait to read the rest of the series.
March 29, 2013
Well...gotta say the premise didn't do much for me. Thought Brooke really shouldn't have been surprised by Logan's reaction--categorized her behavior as "dumb as rocks". Liked the island setting, but had issues with the sea anemone "needles"--they don't have them. I have a whole spiel about that, but I'll spare you all the rant.
March 19, 2014
I absolutely loved this book. It was everything. It was romantic, adventurous....and insanely hot!
February 8, 2013
This review was originally posted at The Forbidden Bookshelf.
I was hooked the moment I read the promise of Hired. I mean the heroine gets to spend a week in a paradise island far from everything and her sole task is to keep an eye on a brooding hero and enjoy herself? That sounds like a fantasy to most of us. :-)
Brooke's best friend who is an elite call girl asks for Brooke's help in spending a week in a beautiful remote island villa with brooding hockey player Logan Taylor for which she would receive 100,000 dollars to pay for her nursing studies. However Brooke is no call girl, she only agrees to the vacation when it is garanteed sex is not part of the bargain and so she sets off to fly away to a paradise island with white sandy beach and turquoise water.
Hired was a great read. I loved how Lily Harlem did not jump head first into the sex scenes, but instead she strongly built the foundation of Brooke and Logan's relationship by developing their characters in detail. The very first love scene took place at 33% of the story! Until then we got a good feel of who Brooke and Logan were.
I enjoyed how real Lily Harlem made Brooke: she is an ordinary girl with curves, who isn't ashamed of her body but accepts it as part of herself, and it was great to see Logan appreciate her womanly figure and be attracted to her natural body type.
Logan is of course a wet dream come true: he is a professional athlete, so his droolworthy body is a given, as Brooke describes him shortly after meeting him:
"He may act like a Neanderthal but he had the body of a god."
I loved almost everything about this book: both characters were interesting and well developed, their interactions always kept me engaged be it a fight, a humourous banter, a sexy seduction or just ordinary chat. The writing was also fluent and kept things progressing naturally. My only complaint is that Brooke rather often had some internal syrupy gushing about how "they were destined to be together" which I felt too cheesy even with her eccentricities:
"But regardless of the method of our meeting the heavens had brought our souls together."
"Maybe, just maybe, Logan was the yang to my yin, my soul mate." This is said quite early in their relationship, about just after the first time they had sex.
"I was in love, there were no two ways about it. Without him at my side I felt empty."
I'm all for the H/H falling in love and not just having meaningless sex for the sake of it (though that can be fun too ;-p), but here I felt it was premature for Brooke to already feel with such certainty that Logan was her "soulmate" after only having spent such a short time with him (about 2 days).
With Lily Harlem gradually easing the story into sensuality and introducing the sex scenes well after having established the characters and their connection, I felt like this was more of an erotic romance than an erotica novel. Sure the sex scenes were hot, but I would say the emphasis was rather on Brooke and Logan's emotional and romantic relationship than their bedroom antics. I enjoyed Hired a lot and will definitely check out Lily Harlem's other books!
Heat Level: 3.5 out of 5
Story Rating: 4 out of 5
Plot: 9/10
Characters: 8/10
Writing: 8/10
Ending: 8/10
Cover: 7/10
I was hooked the moment I read the promise of Hired. I mean the heroine gets to spend a week in a paradise island far from everything and her sole task is to keep an eye on a brooding hero and enjoy herself? That sounds like a fantasy to most of us. :-)
Brooke's best friend who is an elite call girl asks for Brooke's help in spending a week in a beautiful remote island villa with brooding hockey player Logan Taylor for which she would receive 100,000 dollars to pay for her nursing studies. However Brooke is no call girl, she only agrees to the vacation when it is garanteed sex is not part of the bargain and so she sets off to fly away to a paradise island with white sandy beach and turquoise water.
Hired was a great read. I loved how Lily Harlem did not jump head first into the sex scenes, but instead she strongly built the foundation of Brooke and Logan's relationship by developing their characters in detail. The very first love scene took place at 33% of the story! Until then we got a good feel of who Brooke and Logan were.
I enjoyed how real Lily Harlem made Brooke: she is an ordinary girl with curves, who isn't ashamed of her body but accepts it as part of herself, and it was great to see Logan appreciate her womanly figure and be attracted to her natural body type.
Logan is of course a wet dream come true: he is a professional athlete, so his droolworthy body is a given, as Brooke describes him shortly after meeting him:
"He may act like a Neanderthal but he had the body of a god."
I loved almost everything about this book: both characters were interesting and well developed, their interactions always kept me engaged be it a fight, a humourous banter, a sexy seduction or just ordinary chat. The writing was also fluent and kept things progressing naturally. My only complaint is that Brooke rather often had some internal syrupy gushing about how "they were destined to be together" which I felt too cheesy even with her eccentricities:
"But regardless of the method of our meeting the heavens had brought our souls together."
"Maybe, just maybe, Logan was the yang to my yin, my soul mate." This is said quite early in their relationship, about just after the first time they had sex.
"I was in love, there were no two ways about it. Without him at my side I felt empty."
I'm all for the H/H falling in love and not just having meaningless sex for the sake of it (though that can be fun too ;-p), but here I felt it was premature for Brooke to already feel with such certainty that Logan was her "soulmate" after only having spent such a short time with him (about 2 days).
With Lily Harlem gradually easing the story into sensuality and introducing the sex scenes well after having established the characters and their connection, I felt like this was more of an erotic romance than an erotica novel. Sure the sex scenes were hot, but I would say the emphasis was rather on Brooke and Logan's emotional and romantic relationship than their bedroom antics. I enjoyed Hired a lot and will definitely check out Lily Harlem's other books!
Heat Level: 3.5 out of 5
Story Rating: 4 out of 5
Plot: 9/10
Characters: 8/10
Writing: 8/10
Ending: 8/10
Cover: 7/10
May 25, 2011
If a deal sounds too good to be true, it usually is, but what happens if the deal is just too good to pass up? Even karmic payback won't get in the way.
Brooke’s life has never been easy. Her parents died when she was young, which led to the uprooting of her entire life. Her friend since childhood, Giselle, is now the only person Brooke can depend on. After a long overdue break-up with a boyfriend, Brooke turns to Giselle for a place to stay while she picks up the pieces of her life. Giselle’s line of work has afforded her an extremely comfortable lifestyle, but Brooke longs for a more fulfilling career in nursing. Just one thing stands in the way of attaining her dream – money. So when the opportunity of a lifetime is presented, Brooke accepts under one condition – no sex.
Logan is the star bad boy hockey player in desperate need of anger management. His reputation has earned him many loyal followers in the form of “rink bunnies” and paparazzi, but this has also lead to one too many times in the penalty box and not enough team wins. Too many career and personal foul-up’s have forced the team’s owner to send Logan on a retreat to get his act together. The retreat was designed to get Logan’s head back in the game, yet it also gave him something completely unexpected.
Ms. Harlem has now given me a newfound appreciation for hockey. Reading this story leaves little doubt that Ms. Harlem is a fan of the sport and now I am too! Readers should expect to be immediately drawn into the story and not allowed to leave until the last page. The dialogue and scenes flowed effortlessly.
Having a major focus on Brooke and Logan allows the reader to really connect and experience everything with them. It made for some intense emotional reading. The intimacy scenes between Brooke and Logan are exquisitely erotic with a dominating edge that will leave the reader breathless after reading each one.
Looking for a fantastic story with sun, sand, surf, and sizzling sex? Look no further! This new series is sure to please.
originally posted at http://whippedcream2.blogspot.com/201...
Brooke’s life has never been easy. Her parents died when she was young, which led to the uprooting of her entire life. Her friend since childhood, Giselle, is now the only person Brooke can depend on. After a long overdue break-up with a boyfriend, Brooke turns to Giselle for a place to stay while she picks up the pieces of her life. Giselle’s line of work has afforded her an extremely comfortable lifestyle, but Brooke longs for a more fulfilling career in nursing. Just one thing stands in the way of attaining her dream – money. So when the opportunity of a lifetime is presented, Brooke accepts under one condition – no sex.
Logan is the star bad boy hockey player in desperate need of anger management. His reputation has earned him many loyal followers in the form of “rink bunnies” and paparazzi, but this has also lead to one too many times in the penalty box and not enough team wins. Too many career and personal foul-up’s have forced the team’s owner to send Logan on a retreat to get his act together. The retreat was designed to get Logan’s head back in the game, yet it also gave him something completely unexpected.
Ms. Harlem has now given me a newfound appreciation for hockey. Reading this story leaves little doubt that Ms. Harlem is a fan of the sport and now I am too! Readers should expect to be immediately drawn into the story and not allowed to leave until the last page. The dialogue and scenes flowed effortlessly.
Having a major focus on Brooke and Logan allows the reader to really connect and experience everything with them. It made for some intense emotional reading. The intimacy scenes between Brooke and Logan are exquisitely erotic with a dominating edge that will leave the reader breathless after reading each one.
Looking for a fantastic story with sun, sand, surf, and sizzling sex? Look no further! This new series is sure to please.
originally posted at http://whippedcream2.blogspot.com/201...
December 20, 2013
I loved Hired. Loved Brooke. Loved Logan. Loved the length of the book, their love story, the sex scenes, the way they cared about each other.
What I didn't love? It's my common issue with language. I have a hard time accepting American characters who use British English. If you can overlook that, you will love this book, as well.
Brooke is a single gal who could use some cash to put herself through nursing school. Logan is a pro hockey player who's been suspended for his over-violent ice play. Logan's boss hires Brooke as a companion--non-sexual--to pseudo-babysit Logan for a few days at a luxury retreat in the Caribbean. Logan doesn't know he's under surveillance, but he's enchanted by the unassuming nature of the girl sharing his boss' villa. They strike up a tentative friendship, which quickly turns into a fiery passion.
In her heart, Brooke knows she can't sleep with Logan, while taking money for being his companion, so she decides to refuse the cash. A hundred thousand dollars. Girl, she's crazy in lust/love.
The two of them are such a cute couple. And it looks like it will end HEA-style, until Logan learns of the money Brooke had been offered. He calls her a whore, and walks out of her life. Heartbroken and destitute again, Brooke soldiers on as a waitress, sans Logan. Good thing he comes to his senses!
I got this one b/c I loved Scored. I wasn't disappointed, though as I mentioned, the Brit-isms were a bit distracting.
What I didn't love? It's my common issue with language. I have a hard time accepting American characters who use British English. If you can overlook that, you will love this book, as well.
Brooke is a single gal who could use some cash to put herself through nursing school. Logan is a pro hockey player who's been suspended for his over-violent ice play. Logan's boss hires Brooke as a companion--non-sexual--to pseudo-babysit Logan for a few days at a luxury retreat in the Caribbean. Logan doesn't know he's under surveillance, but he's enchanted by the unassuming nature of the girl sharing his boss' villa. They strike up a tentative friendship, which quickly turns into a fiery passion.
In her heart, Brooke knows she can't sleep with Logan, while taking money for being his companion, so she decides to refuse the cash. A hundred thousand dollars. Girl, she's crazy in lust/love.
The two of them are such a cute couple. And it looks like it will end HEA-style, until Logan learns of the money Brooke had been offered. He calls her a whore, and walks out of her life. Heartbroken and destitute again, Brooke soldiers on as a waitress, sans Logan. Good thing he comes to his senses!
I got this one b/c I loved Scored. I wasn't disappointed, though as I mentioned, the Brit-isms were a bit distracting.
September 11, 2011
I knew I had to read this one. It's got hockey in it. I love hockey. It's the most exciting sport there is. So, when I saw this, I knew I had to get it. It was a little tricky to pay and download and I'd feel more secure if I was able to use Amazon for my Kindle but I couldn't pass this one up.
Hired is about Brooke who's been living with her best friend while she gets her life in order. She's trying to put herself through nursing school and working at The Grille is not cutting it. So when her friend, Giselle, offers her up to watch Logan "Phoenix" Taylor. For a small fee of one hundred thousand dollars of course. Not feeling great about it but realizing it's the best way to pay for school she agrees. It'll be easy too since getting on the plane Logan doesn't even look her way.
It was almost predictable in what was going to happen but even though it seemed like it was going one way it was scandalously delicious getting there. This was fairly emotional towards the end.
I liked this one. I'm glad I got it. I can always tell if I like a book when I stay up late to finish and I definitely was up late with this one.
Hired is about Brooke who's been living with her best friend while she gets her life in order. She's trying to put herself through nursing school and working at The Grille is not cutting it. So when her friend, Giselle, offers her up to watch Logan "Phoenix" Taylor. For a small fee of one hundred thousand dollars of course. Not feeling great about it but realizing it's the best way to pay for school she agrees. It'll be easy too since getting on the plane Logan doesn't even look her way.
It was almost predictable in what was going to happen but even though it seemed like it was going one way it was scandalously delicious getting there. This was fairly emotional towards the end.
I liked this one. I'm glad I got it. I can always tell if I like a book when I stay up late to finish and I definitely was up late with this one.
August 20, 2012
Came across this series as a recommendation from other books I had purchased on Amazon. read this book and was a little unsure as the price was a bit more then I typically pay for Kindle books.
Again as a hockey mom and loving the sport I am drawn to hockey themed love stories.
This was a really good story line. You had a young women who her life is just in chaos at the moment, living with a friend and not sure how she is going to acheive her goals in life. She is presented with an amazing oppurtunity even though a little on the risky side, she takes the risk and ends up meeting an angry, hockey player who has been placed on leave for a week from the game due to his anger, and told to go figure things out. The quirky twists and turns in this story line make you laugh and cry and leave you wanting more. At times I felt like I was sitting on the white sandy beach watching this cute intense story line unfold. (oh how I wish I was sitting on a white sandy beach) A really strong story line, easy read.
My only disappointment is my allowance does not allow for the whole series in one weekend... LOL
Would recommend this book!!
Again as a hockey mom and loving the sport I am drawn to hockey themed love stories.
This was a really good story line. You had a young women who her life is just in chaos at the moment, living with a friend and not sure how she is going to acheive her goals in life. She is presented with an amazing oppurtunity even though a little on the risky side, she takes the risk and ends up meeting an angry, hockey player who has been placed on leave for a week from the game due to his anger, and told to go figure things out. The quirky twists and turns in this story line make you laugh and cry and leave you wanting more. At times I felt like I was sitting on the white sandy beach watching this cute intense story line unfold. (oh how I wish I was sitting on a white sandy beach) A really strong story line, easy read.
My only disappointment is my allowance does not allow for the whole series in one weekend... LOL
Would recommend this book!!
May 19, 2014
Lily Harlem never disappoints!
I loved this story from page one and stayed up way too late so I could finish it. Whew was the sex hot and the relationship sweet and romantic. The location was a complete paradise and I couldn't help imagine myself in Brooke's position---what a dream that would be!
The character development was spot on, I connected with the characters from the get go. The relationship was a slow builder for the most part and I liked that they become friends before they just jump between the sheets.
I'm not a sports fan, but this book has me interested to check out the other players!
I loved this story from page one and stayed up way too late so I could finish it. Whew was the sex hot and the relationship sweet and romantic. The location was a complete paradise and I couldn't help imagine myself in Brooke's position---what a dream that would be!
The character development was spot on, I connected with the characters from the get go. The relationship was a slow builder for the most part and I liked that they become friends before they just jump between the sheets.
I'm not a sports fan, but this book has me interested to check out the other players!
July 24, 2013
“I received this book as a review copy in return for an honest review”
Hired is the first book in the Hot Ice Series by Lily Harlem.
This was a great start to the series. I love me some hot thick male athletes!
Logan “Phoenix” just thought he was getting away for some relaxation but he ended up getting more exercise that he had planned due to an unexpected guest at the villa.
Brooke just thought she was getting a free vacation but she never thought she would find
the man who made her complete. This was a great love story with some kinky sex thrown in. I just love these series books...
Hired is the first book in the Hot Ice Series by Lily Harlem.
This was a great start to the series. I love me some hot thick male athletes!
Logan “Phoenix” just thought he was getting away for some relaxation but he ended up getting more exercise that he had planned due to an unexpected guest at the villa.
Brooke just thought she was getting a free vacation but she never thought she would find
the man who made her complete. This was a great love story with some kinky sex thrown in. I just love these series books...
March 10, 2011
Hot read! First I was jealous of the heroine for being offered $100K for an easy one week job. Then I was jealous she got to hook up with a hot NHL player, LOL! I love living vicariously through books :)
Want to read
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December 2, 2017
This was ok for a erotic romance with no great surprises.
A quick easy read with no strain for the brain.
A quick easy read with no strain for the brain.
May 17, 2011
Hired is an awesome book. Brooke’s friend is an escort and needs help with a client who wants a woman to spend a week with a famous hockey player to take his mind off the fact he’s been put in the “sin bin” for his bad behaviour on the ice. Brooke is training to be a nurse, and she’s sharing her friend’s place until she can save enough money to find a place of her own. So the dangling carrot of knowing she can earn one hundred thousand pounds just spending the week with a guy is too much to ignore. She can continue her studies, move out, settle her debts and more with that amount of cash.
She’s collected by a driver and taken to the airplane that will transport her to a week that changes her life. Logan is on the plane too, and he thinks he has to share the holiday destination with her because of a double booking. He’s big, he’s manly, and he’s a bad boy—but a bad boy hiding hurt and insecurities. And I loved that about him. There’s something about the way he is so big and Brooke is smaller that brings to mind the feeling of being protected by strength and maleness—that appealed to me a great deal. We all want that special hug that can erase all our worries, and the descriptions of Logan’s stature bring that feeling of being safe right to the surface while reading.
Brooke and Logan grow close, and she has to wrestle with the fact he doesn’t know she was hired to be with him. She tells herself, when she knows she’s falling in love with him, that she’ll forego the money, and it is only then she succumbs and makes love to him.
He’s tender, caring and utterly wicked between the sheets, and the erotic scenes are some of the best I’ve read. The first person perspective got me right into the scene, and I have to say here that I know some people don’t like first person, but please, give Lily Harlem a try because she’s a master at it, in my opinion.
A beautiful love story with “real” nuances that made the tale utterly believable. The end chapters—again, I won’t reveal anything—were excellent in how they showed Brooke’s emotions, and waiting for that happy ever after to arrive had me on the edge of my seat—or, more precisely, the edge of my mattress, because I stayed up until the early hours to finish Hired. I couldn’t sleep until I knew the outcome.
She’s collected by a driver and taken to the airplane that will transport her to a week that changes her life. Logan is on the plane too, and he thinks he has to share the holiday destination with her because of a double booking. He’s big, he’s manly, and he’s a bad boy—but a bad boy hiding hurt and insecurities. And I loved that about him. There’s something about the way he is so big and Brooke is smaller that brings to mind the feeling of being protected by strength and maleness—that appealed to me a great deal. We all want that special hug that can erase all our worries, and the descriptions of Logan’s stature bring that feeling of being safe right to the surface while reading.
Brooke and Logan grow close, and she has to wrestle with the fact he doesn’t know she was hired to be with him. She tells herself, when she knows she’s falling in love with him, that she’ll forego the money, and it is only then she succumbs and makes love to him.
He’s tender, caring and utterly wicked between the sheets, and the erotic scenes are some of the best I’ve read. The first person perspective got me right into the scene, and I have to say here that I know some people don’t like first person, but please, give Lily Harlem a try because she’s a master at it, in my opinion.
A beautiful love story with “real” nuances that made the tale utterly believable. The end chapters—again, I won’t reveal anything—were excellent in how they showed Brooke’s emotions, and waiting for that happy ever after to arrive had me on the edge of my seat—or, more precisely, the edge of my mattress, because I stayed up until the early hours to finish Hired. I couldn’t sleep until I knew the outcome.
July 14, 2011
This was a fun story. Brooke is a girl who believes in metaphysical stuff. She's been sent to "babysit" Logan, who is a professional hockey player who has been suspended and send to an island hideaway to get his head on straight. She figures she can use the time to study for her upcoming nursing tests. Logan doesn't know the truth of why she's there. She never intended to have a relationship with him. She's not normally the type of girl he sees ("rink bunnies" throw themselves at any hockey player), plus she doesn't follow hockey and likes Logan for who he is. They get in way deep with each other, but then the truth of their meeting gets in the way.
This book is written in first-person POV, so if you don't like that, you might not like this. You don't hear Logan's thoughts at all, just how Brooke interprets his looks and his actions. I am not into metaphysical stuff, so I found myself rolling my eyes sometimes, but hey, it's part of her personality. I expected Logan to be more gruff, more demanding like Brick was, but he was incredibly sweet. I can see if she was truly a rink bunny, Logan probably would have just taken what he needed, but he recognized early on that she was different. I felt so bad for Brooke after Logan found out and misunderstood the arrangement. It all worked out in the end, and I love my HEAs. :-)
This book is written in first-person POV, so if you don't like that, you might not like this. You don't hear Logan's thoughts at all, just how Brooke interprets his looks and his actions. I am not into metaphysical stuff, so I found myself rolling my eyes sometimes, but hey, it's part of her personality. I expected Logan to be more gruff, more demanding like Brick was, but he was incredibly sweet. I can see if she was truly a rink bunny, Logan probably would have just taken what he needed, but he recognized early on that she was different. I felt so bad for Brooke after Logan found out and misunderstood the arrangement. It all worked out in the end, and I love my HEAs. :-)
September 21, 2014
Hired was a fun and sexy read that definitely made me want to go to the beach so badly. Although it was an enjoyable read, I did find a few inconsistencies that bugged me a bit. I know that another reviewer mentioned that a sea anemone doesn't have needles (that would actually be a sea urchin), but there were definitely a few others inconsistencies in there as well. So moving on, I think that both Brooke and Logan were great characters, and I loved that Brooke mentioned early on that she wouldn't be taking the money. Logan was a bit of an asshat at first, but he then developed into such sweet and wonderful guy. One could say that the plot was a bit on the predictable side, but I think it was still a fun and sexy read that made me want to read the next in the series for sure. :)
November 1, 2016
Hot, hockey romance!
I discovered this author a few years ago. Love her characters and the stories that they have to tell.
Logan aka Phoenix is a hockey player for the Orlando Vipers & he's being sent away to a tropical paradise for a little R&R. Unbeknownst to him, his manager is also sending Brooke to keep him from falling into a drunken stupor & watching hockey replays while he's away. She's sent to keep him company. Brooke isn't a puck bun, knows nothing about Logan nor anything hockey related.
Their chemistry is undeniable. They don't expect what begins to develop between them. And what will happen when Logan finds out why Brooke was really sent to that tropical paradise?
I cannot wait to read more of this series!
I discovered this author a few years ago. Love her characters and the stories that they have to tell.
Logan aka Phoenix is a hockey player for the Orlando Vipers & he's being sent away to a tropical paradise for a little R&R. Unbeknownst to him, his manager is also sending Brooke to keep him from falling into a drunken stupor & watching hockey replays while he's away. She's sent to keep him company. Brooke isn't a puck bun, knows nothing about Logan nor anything hockey related.
Their chemistry is undeniable. They don't expect what begins to develop between them. And what will happen when Logan finds out why Brooke was really sent to that tropical paradise?
I cannot wait to read more of this series!
March 14, 2017
I won't re-hash the the plot as others have already done so.
So on the plus side- this has a lot of steamy, hot and reasonably well written sex. A hot hunky and surprisingly open man, despite the bad start he and Brooke get off to, and a beautiful beach setting for the majority of the book.
On the minus side, a dishonest and self-centred female protagonist who we are supposed to sympathise with but no nurse can be this dishonest and shallow and then feel she's the one hard done by.
There were some really good parts to this story and some rather poorly written and boring bits.
I have read other stories by this author and liked them, but sadly this one didn't live up to what I know she can do.
Overall this was a 2 .5/5 star.
So on the plus side- this has a lot of steamy, hot and reasonably well written sex. A hot hunky and surprisingly open man, despite the bad start he and Brooke get off to, and a beautiful beach setting for the majority of the book.
On the minus side, a dishonest and self-centred female protagonist who we are supposed to sympathise with but no nurse can be this dishonest and shallow and then feel she's the one hard done by.
There were some really good parts to this story and some rather poorly written and boring bits.
I have read other stories by this author and liked them, but sadly this one didn't live up to what I know she can do.
Overall this was a 2 .5/5 star.
March 5, 2014
Hired is for people who...
...enjoy sexy hockey players.
...like some vacation-style hanky panky.
...don't mind when you can see how the secret is going to blow up in the heroine's face.
...like the camaraderie of the team.
Yeah, I could see how Logan was going to misunderstand Brooke's secret as soon as they made eyes at one another. Did this detract from the story? Not really. Mostly because Logan was so deliciously likable once he stopped brooding into his Cheerios. *thumbs up*
-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal
...enjoy sexy hockey players.
...like some vacation-style hanky panky.
...don't mind when you can see how the secret is going to blow up in the heroine's face.
...like the camaraderie of the team.
Yeah, I could see how Logan was going to misunderstand Brooke's secret as soon as they made eyes at one another. Did this detract from the story? Not really. Mostly because Logan was so deliciously likable once he stopped brooding into his Cheerios. *thumbs up*
-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal
March 12, 2015
I really enjoyed Brooke and Logan's story. It was a quick one sit read! If you are looking for some HOT chemistry and steamy scenes this book is for you. This book was all from Brook's point of view and I just wish we had some of Logan's point of view in there as well. I would have loved getting into his mind also, he was domineering but tender at the same time!!!!
October 29, 2013
I do love a sports romance and this one certainly ticked all the boxes for me. Hot hockey player with a few personal demons, a very likeable heroine, steamy sex scenes, a glimpse of future characters and of course sport. I have already bought book 2 in the Hot Ice series, Cross-Checked, and can't wait to start reading.
March 27, 2013
“I received this book as a review copy in return for an honest review” i was totally blown away with the way Lily Harlem writes , i really loved this book the way she describes everything is so clever and cant wait to get reading the next one, it was a pleasure to read :-) x
October 26, 2016
I really liked this story, the Broken hockey player and the broken/broke nurse student meet and find a connection almost right away, with some twists and turns along the way. I can't wait to read more!
Read
May 11, 2011Review posted @ Long and Short Reviews
December 7, 2012
um, maybe sometimes you should indeed judge a book by it's cover... ;)
October 16, 2014
There's really not much to it. Pretty predictable and often boring yet it's an enjoyable read.
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