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24 Hours: Blackout #1
Night Moves
If there hadn't been a 24-hour blackout...
Ella never would have shared a candlelit dinner in her apartment with her friend Shane. Or noticed how truly hot he was. After all, they were best buddies who'd always confided in each other--including their most intimate desires. But suddenly Ella didn't want to talk to Shane as much as she wanted to kiss him....
Shane never would have been so certain he should seduce Ella. But he'd wanted her for years--it was time Ella found out he could fulfill all her sensual fantasies. So he suggested they pass the time playing games--sex games....
They never would have indulged in the most incredible sex they'd ever had. They connected, body and soul. But can their relationship--and their friendship--survive in the clear light of day?
248 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 1, 2005
4 people are currently reading
208 people want to read
About the author
Julie Kenner
161 books1,242 followersJ. Kenner (aka Julie Kenner) is the New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, Wall Street Journal and International bestselling author of over seventy novels, novellas and short stories in a variety of genres.
Though known primarily for her award-winning and international bestselling erotic romances (including the Stark and Most Wanted series) that have reached as high as #2 on the New York Times bestseller list, JK has been writing full time for over a decade in a variety of genres including paranormal and contemporary romance, “chicklit” suspense, urban fantasy, Victorian-era thrillers (coming soon), and paranormal mommy lit.
Her foray into the latter, Carpe Demon: Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom by Julie Kenner, has been consistently in development in Hollywood since prior to publication. Most recently, it has been optioned by Warner Brothers Television for development as series on the CW Network with Alloy Entertainment producing.
JK has been praised by Publishers Weekly as an author with a “flair for dialogue and eccentric characterizations” and by RT Bookclub for having “cornered the market on sinfully attractive, dominant antiheroes and the women who swopn for him.” A three time finalist for Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA award, JK took home the first RITA trophy awarded in the category of erotic romance in 2014 for her novel, Claim Me (book 2 of her Stark Trilogy).
Her books have sold well over a million copies and are published in over over twenty countries.
In her previous career as an attorney, JK worked as a clerk on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and practiced primarily civil, entertainment and First Amendment litigation in Los Angeles and Irvine, California, as well as in Austin, Texas. She currently lives in Central Texas, with her husband, two daughters, and two rather spastic cats.
Though known primarily for her award-winning and international bestselling erotic romances (including the Stark and Most Wanted series) that have reached as high as #2 on the New York Times bestseller list, JK has been writing full time for over a decade in a variety of genres including paranormal and contemporary romance, “chicklit” suspense, urban fantasy, Victorian-era thrillers (coming soon), and paranormal mommy lit.
Her foray into the latter, Carpe Demon: Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom by Julie Kenner, has been consistently in development in Hollywood since prior to publication. Most recently, it has been optioned by Warner Brothers Television for development as series on the CW Network with Alloy Entertainment producing.
JK has been praised by Publishers Weekly as an author with a “flair for dialogue and eccentric characterizations” and by RT Bookclub for having “cornered the market on sinfully attractive, dominant antiheroes and the women who swopn for him.” A three time finalist for Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA award, JK took home the first RITA trophy awarded in the category of erotic romance in 2014 for her novel, Claim Me (book 2 of her Stark Trilogy).
Her books have sold well over a million copies and are published in over over twenty countries.
In her previous career as an attorney, JK worked as a clerk on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and practiced primarily civil, entertainment and First Amendment litigation in Los Angeles and Irvine, California, as well as in Austin, Texas. She currently lives in Central Texas, with her husband, two daughters, and two rather spastic cats.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
June 10, 2009
Reviewed for THC Reviews
Night Moves has one of my favorite romance themes, best friends who become lovers. Shane and Ella have been friends since 2nd grade, so their relationship has a very sweet quality to it. For a short book, I thought the author did a good job with the character development by showing bits and pieces of their past together through introspective flashbacks. Both of them had rather sordid and difficult childhoods in which they relied on each other a lot for support. They've done nearly everything together including moving from their home state of Texas to New York to attend college. They also have no secrets from each other and share everything right down to their deepest desires and fondest fantasies, so it's not too surprising that Shane came to the realization that he's in love with Ella and wants to convince her that they should be more than just friends.
For the most part, I liked both Shane and Ella. In spite of their less-than-stellar upbringings, they are both strong career-oriented individuals (he is an attorney and she is hoping to become a museum curator) who have, in many ways, helped each other to become successful in life when their families failed them. Their long-term friendship laced their overall relationship with incredible chemistry and gave their sexual intimacies a beautiful level of trust that neither of them had experienced with previous partners and which was a joy to read. Shane is a yummy hero who went to great lengths to woo Ella including planning a romantic dinner by candlelight with food from her favorite restaurant, and secretly writing his own erotic stories to get her blood boiling. I loved how intuitive he was, always seeming to know exactly what his sweet El needed even when she didn't realize it herself. The only thing about Shane that gave me pause was his willingness to seduce El while she was in a serious relationship with another man, which I'll address momentarily. I liked Ella's passionate, adventurous spirit, and the only man who seems to be able to match her zest for life is Shane. The problem is she's rather blind to that fact, and instead has given in to thinking that the only thing in her life that matters is finding a man who can give her a stable close-knit family that she can be a part of, which is something she's always wanted but never had. Unfortunately, that's the one thing Shane can't give her, and so in that respect, I thought she was a little too stubborn and protested too much. Otherwise, she was a fairly likable heroine except for her willingness to have sex with Shane while she was involved with another man.
That brings me to my chief complaint with this story, which was that Shane and Ella technically cheated on Ella's boyfriend, Tony. I'm not a fan of love triangles and especially ones that involve cheating, so this somewhat diminished my enjoyment of the book. I was waiting for some kind of twist in which Tony was secretly an ogre, had been cheating on El first, realized he was gay, or something else to make their actions more palatable, but nothing ever materialized except that Tony was merely a boring vanilla kind of guy both in personality and bedroom skills. It was also rather annoying to have Tony's name frequently coming up in both discussion and introspection, which made him seem like a ghostly third wheel. Readers who have a strong aversion to any cheating whatsoever may not care for this book, but there were a couple of things that somewhat saved this part of the story for me. One was that Tony and Ella weren't married, though admittedly they were serious enough to make Ella think that they would be soon. The other thing was simply that Shane and El had such an amazing connection, it was sometimes hard for me to remember that Tony was even in the picture. It was pretty obvious that El had latched onto a boyfriend who was a poor fit for her personality merely for his close-knit and entertaining family. It was equally obvious to just about everyone except El that she and Shane belonged together, and if she had realized this a little sooner, she might not have even gotten involved with Tony in the first place. So ultimately, a couple of extenuating circumstances kept this part from being thoroughly distasteful, but it still bothered me enough to knock off a few points for it.
On the other hand, I had to give Night Moves a few extra points for Julie Kenner's creativity particularly in the love play. I thought it was very unique to have the heroine taking a graduate class on Victorian erotic literature. The author actually included citations of and at least one excerpt from real historical erotica, as well as having the hero and heroine read some passages together. While the denouement of the the love scenes was a little rushed and less descriptive than I would have expected from a Blaze novel, all the stuff that led up to them were smokin' hot. Readers who are turned on by the idea of a steamy boudoir-style photo shoot, and a scorching game of Truth or Dare that leads to a sexy striptease by the hero and culminates with a bit of exhibitionist love-making will probably enjoy this book. Those scenes certainly gave me need of a fan and an ice-cold drink. Not to mention, having the blackout as the background provided the perfect ambiance for all of this to happen.
Even though I would have preferred that the conflict not involve a third person, Night Moves had a high enough likability factor for me to mostly enjoy it. After a string of low or no heat reads, I had been looking for something steamier and this book definitely did not disappoint me there. Anyone looking for a quick, hot, sexy read may want to check this one out. Night Moves was my first read by Julie Kenner, but I really liked her writing style and will be looking to read more book by her in the future. This is also the first book in the multi-author Blaze series 24 Hours: Blackout, but from what I can tell there are no carry-over characters between the books in the series, just the common thread of the blackout. There is however, one secondary character in Night Moves, Veronica Archer, El's friend and the professor teaching the erotic literature class, who was the heroine in a previous stand-alone novel by Julie Kenner titled Silent Confessions. This is a pretty minimal connection though, and they can easily be read separately. I'm normally a stickler for reading books in order, and even though I had not read Silent Confessions, I did not feel like I was missing anything.
Note: Night Moves reads very much like an extra-steamy, traditional, contemporary romance, but the inclusion of some light bondage and a couple of instances of exhibitionism give it a borderline erotic feel.
Night Moves has one of my favorite romance themes, best friends who become lovers. Shane and Ella have been friends since 2nd grade, so their relationship has a very sweet quality to it. For a short book, I thought the author did a good job with the character development by showing bits and pieces of their past together through introspective flashbacks. Both of them had rather sordid and difficult childhoods in which they relied on each other a lot for support. They've done nearly everything together including moving from their home state of Texas to New York to attend college. They also have no secrets from each other and share everything right down to their deepest desires and fondest fantasies, so it's not too surprising that Shane came to the realization that he's in love with Ella and wants to convince her that they should be more than just friends.
For the most part, I liked both Shane and Ella. In spite of their less-than-stellar upbringings, they are both strong career-oriented individuals (he is an attorney and she is hoping to become a museum curator) who have, in many ways, helped each other to become successful in life when their families failed them. Their long-term friendship laced their overall relationship with incredible chemistry and gave their sexual intimacies a beautiful level of trust that neither of them had experienced with previous partners and which was a joy to read. Shane is a yummy hero who went to great lengths to woo Ella including planning a romantic dinner by candlelight with food from her favorite restaurant, and secretly writing his own erotic stories to get her blood boiling. I loved how intuitive he was, always seeming to know exactly what his sweet El needed even when she didn't realize it herself. The only thing about Shane that gave me pause was his willingness to seduce El while she was in a serious relationship with another man, which I'll address momentarily. I liked Ella's passionate, adventurous spirit, and the only man who seems to be able to match her zest for life is Shane. The problem is she's rather blind to that fact, and instead has given in to thinking that the only thing in her life that matters is finding a man who can give her a stable close-knit family that she can be a part of, which is something she's always wanted but never had. Unfortunately, that's the one thing Shane can't give her, and so in that respect, I thought she was a little too stubborn and protested too much. Otherwise, she was a fairly likable heroine except for her willingness to have sex with Shane while she was involved with another man.
That brings me to my chief complaint with this story, which was that Shane and Ella technically cheated on Ella's boyfriend, Tony. I'm not a fan of love triangles and especially ones that involve cheating, so this somewhat diminished my enjoyment of the book. I was waiting for some kind of twist in which Tony was secretly an ogre, had been cheating on El first, realized he was gay, or something else to make their actions more palatable, but nothing ever materialized except that Tony was merely a boring vanilla kind of guy both in personality and bedroom skills. It was also rather annoying to have Tony's name frequently coming up in both discussion and introspection, which made him seem like a ghostly third wheel. Readers who have a strong aversion to any cheating whatsoever may not care for this book, but there were a couple of things that somewhat saved this part of the story for me. One was that Tony and Ella weren't married, though admittedly they were serious enough to make Ella think that they would be soon. The other thing was simply that Shane and El had such an amazing connection, it was sometimes hard for me to remember that Tony was even in the picture. It was pretty obvious that El had latched onto a boyfriend who was a poor fit for her personality merely for his close-knit and entertaining family. It was equally obvious to just about everyone except El that she and Shane belonged together, and if she had realized this a little sooner, she might not have even gotten involved with Tony in the first place. So ultimately, a couple of extenuating circumstances kept this part from being thoroughly distasteful, but it still bothered me enough to knock off a few points for it.
On the other hand, I had to give Night Moves a few extra points for Julie Kenner's creativity particularly in the love play. I thought it was very unique to have the heroine taking a graduate class on Victorian erotic literature. The author actually included citations of and at least one excerpt from real historical erotica, as well as having the hero and heroine read some passages together. While the denouement of the the love scenes was a little rushed and less descriptive than I would have expected from a Blaze novel, all the stuff that led up to them were smokin' hot. Readers who are turned on by the idea of a steamy boudoir-style photo shoot, and a scorching game of Truth or Dare that leads to a sexy striptease by the hero and culminates with a bit of exhibitionist love-making will probably enjoy this book. Those scenes certainly gave me need of a fan and an ice-cold drink. Not to mention, having the blackout as the background provided the perfect ambiance for all of this to happen.
Even though I would have preferred that the conflict not involve a third person, Night Moves had a high enough likability factor for me to mostly enjoy it. After a string of low or no heat reads, I had been looking for something steamier and this book definitely did not disappoint me there. Anyone looking for a quick, hot, sexy read may want to check this one out. Night Moves was my first read by Julie Kenner, but I really liked her writing style and will be looking to read more book by her in the future. This is also the first book in the multi-author Blaze series 24 Hours: Blackout, but from what I can tell there are no carry-over characters between the books in the series, just the common thread of the blackout. There is however, one secondary character in Night Moves, Veronica Archer, El's friend and the professor teaching the erotic literature class, who was the heroine in a previous stand-alone novel by Julie Kenner titled Silent Confessions. This is a pretty minimal connection though, and they can easily be read separately. I'm normally a stickler for reading books in order, and even though I had not read Silent Confessions, I did not feel like I was missing anything.
Note: Night Moves reads very much like an extra-steamy, traditional, contemporary romance, but the inclusion of some light bondage and a couple of instances of exhibitionism give it a borderline erotic feel.
December 19, 2012
I really like best friends to lovers stories. I think it gives the characters more to lose because there is a potential to lose a life long friend if the relationship fails.
This story sets up the premise well. Ella and Shane share damaged childhoods and so form an emotional family with each other. They've known each other from 2nd grade and share everything. They know each other's deepest secrets and fantasies.
Six months before the story begins Shane has realized that after all these years Ella is the woman for him but he has to figure out how to convince her that he's the man for her without scaring her away. He knows her fears and he knows she's searching for somebody who doesn't carry all the baggage they do.
His seduction during a blackout, although manipulative, is hot and sexy. I think this book shows how exploring erotic fantasy with somebody you trust can be both romantic and satisfying. There is a very sweet moment after Shane does a stip tease in front of the window and a drunk women sees it and cat calls. Both Ella and Shane collapse together laughing. This showed how comfortable they are with each other and their deeper bond forged over the 20 years. You could imagine them in high school playing a prank and laughing in the same way.
So, why the two stars? I believe at the core of these category romance is the fantasy of happy ever after. It's escapism. It's important to be able to root for the hero & heroine without feeling guilty. Their past lives may have been imperfect and they both might have made many mistakes but when they meet and get together it's full of promise of wonderful discovery and a happy future. I expect both characters to be ethical and honorable people at their core.
Unfortunately the slate isn't clean when this book begins because of Ella's almost fiance Tony. We hear a lot about Tony. Shane talks about Tony a lot and keeps asking Ella about her sex life with Tony. I felt very uncomfortable. We don't spend too much time with Tony, just a phone call during the blackout/seduction scenes which threw cold water on the whole situation for both characters and me.
However we know Tony is a nice guy except isn't sexually adventurous and doesn't satisfy Ella. That's not a crime. For all we know Tony doesn't feel sure of Ella or safe enough with Ella to engage in erotic games. She spends most of the time not feeling right with Tony and hiding part of herself from him.
She loves his wild sisters and she loves his parents. She keeps saying she loves Tony while Shane keeps saying she doesn't love him in the way she should if she's thinking of marrying him.
While Ella and Shane are discovering each other and playing out sexual fantasies, Tony looms as the injured party in the background. Ella is cheating on Tony. There is no ifs and or buts about it.
There is a scene at the end where a friend tells her that she won't lose Tony's sisters whom she loves even though she ends up with Shane. Actually, yes she will. Ella is about to destroy Tony. She's going to leave him for Shane *knowing* he loves her and is about to propose. Anybody who expects the sisters or his parents to forgive and forget doesn't understand the power of family. Why would you trust anybody who could do this to a beloved brother/son?
A very sensual and sweet book was lost here. It would have been easy to write Tony as a prospective boyfriend, the brother of two friends Ella loves who is interested in Ella, instead of putting them together in a committed (emphasis on committed)relationship. Ella could have easily loved Tony as a friend and was ready to try to let it be more but hadn't yet crossed that line.
The urgency for Shane would still be there because he's relocating back to Texas for awhile. So he has to make sure he stakes his claim. Why not have it that he wants to convince her before she looks to Tony?
The constant talk of Ella's sex life with Tony and her protestations she loved him ruined the book for me. Both she and Shane are taking their happiness at the expense of Tony.
At the very least before she became involved with Shane she should've broken up with Tony.
I found myself more concerned about Tony and his well being than I did Ella and Shane.
Ethics matter. Honor matters. Unfortunately the author didn't seem to understand these fundamental points.
This story sets up the premise well. Ella and Shane share damaged childhoods and so form an emotional family with each other. They've known each other from 2nd grade and share everything. They know each other's deepest secrets and fantasies.
Six months before the story begins Shane has realized that after all these years Ella is the woman for him but he has to figure out how to convince her that he's the man for her without scaring her away. He knows her fears and he knows she's searching for somebody who doesn't carry all the baggage they do.
His seduction during a blackout, although manipulative, is hot and sexy. I think this book shows how exploring erotic fantasy with somebody you trust can be both romantic and satisfying. There is a very sweet moment after Shane does a stip tease in front of the window and a drunk women sees it and cat calls. Both Ella and Shane collapse together laughing. This showed how comfortable they are with each other and their deeper bond forged over the 20 years. You could imagine them in high school playing a prank and laughing in the same way.
So, why the two stars? I believe at the core of these category romance is the fantasy of happy ever after. It's escapism. It's important to be able to root for the hero & heroine without feeling guilty. Their past lives may have been imperfect and they both might have made many mistakes but when they meet and get together it's full of promise of wonderful discovery and a happy future. I expect both characters to be ethical and honorable people at their core.
Unfortunately the slate isn't clean when this book begins because of Ella's almost fiance Tony. We hear a lot about Tony. Shane talks about Tony a lot and keeps asking Ella about her sex life with Tony. I felt very uncomfortable. We don't spend too much time with Tony, just a phone call during the blackout/seduction scenes which threw cold water on the whole situation for both characters and me.
However we know Tony is a nice guy except isn't sexually adventurous and doesn't satisfy Ella. That's not a crime. For all we know Tony doesn't feel sure of Ella or safe enough with Ella to engage in erotic games. She spends most of the time not feeling right with Tony and hiding part of herself from him.
She loves his wild sisters and she loves his parents. She keeps saying she loves Tony while Shane keeps saying she doesn't love him in the way she should if she's thinking of marrying him.
While Ella and Shane are discovering each other and playing out sexual fantasies, Tony looms as the injured party in the background. Ella is cheating on Tony. There is no ifs and or buts about it.
There is a scene at the end where a friend tells her that she won't lose Tony's sisters whom she loves even though she ends up with Shane. Actually, yes she will. Ella is about to destroy Tony. She's going to leave him for Shane *knowing* he loves her and is about to propose. Anybody who expects the sisters or his parents to forgive and forget doesn't understand the power of family. Why would you trust anybody who could do this to a beloved brother/son?
A very sensual and sweet book was lost here. It would have been easy to write Tony as a prospective boyfriend, the brother of two friends Ella loves who is interested in Ella, instead of putting them together in a committed (emphasis on committed)relationship. Ella could have easily loved Tony as a friend and was ready to try to let it be more but hadn't yet crossed that line.
The urgency for Shane would still be there because he's relocating back to Texas for awhile. So he has to make sure he stakes his claim. Why not have it that he wants to convince her before she looks to Tony?
The constant talk of Ella's sex life with Tony and her protestations she loved him ruined the book for me. Both she and Shane are taking their happiness at the expense of Tony.
At the very least before she became involved with Shane she should've broken up with Tony.
I found myself more concerned about Tony and his well being than I did Ella and Shane.
Ethics matter. Honor matters. Unfortunately the author didn't seem to understand these fundamental points.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 22, 2017
It's hard to get really involved in the ROMANCE when you're irritated, annoyed, and disgusted by the characters.
Heroine - you cheated. You know you did. You even realized it after the fact. You're also dumber than a box of hammers to have ever let your best buddy talk you into posing nude for him in the first place, let alone masturbating for him.
Hero - you are a first class jackass. You set out to seduce her and hopefully break her and her boyfriend up because YOU didn't want to be a third wheel.
Authors in general - stop making the poor cuckolded bastard to be dull, boring, and apparently oblivious to the h's neighbor, best heterosexual friend, etc. Just once I'd like to see the ass the h cheated with come away with a black eye and a few broken ribs.
Also, the idea of studying erotica as a college course seems sketchy at best.
Heroine - you cheated. You know you did. You even realized it after the fact. You're also dumber than a box of hammers to have ever let your best buddy talk you into posing nude for him in the first place, let alone masturbating for him.
Hero - you are a first class jackass. You set out to seduce her and hopefully break her and her boyfriend up because YOU didn't want to be a third wheel.
Authors in general - stop making the poor cuckolded bastard to be dull, boring, and apparently oblivious to the h's neighbor, best heterosexual friend, etc. Just once I'd like to see the ass the h cheated with come away with a black eye and a few broken ribs.
Also, the idea of studying erotica as a college course seems sketchy at best.
March 20, 2014
My review for this book will be posted on Romancing the Book Blog shortly
September 21, 2023
Cheater story masquerading as a best-friends-to-lovers romance. It is friends to lovers, but it’s also an explicit cheater fantasy. An I-couldn’t-cheat-if-this-weren’t-true-love fantasy. Heroine’s almost-fiancé isn’t even a bad guy; there’s just no zing. She hides part of herself from him, cheats with the one she told him not to worry about while he’s out of town for work, then makes plans to marry and have kids with the “best friend” all without ever breaking up with him. Poor guy will have trust issues forever. Irredeemable main characters.
Read
May 2, 2021Geez, she's a cheater... 🤢 But she "loves" her "boyfriend"... Yeah, aha! 😒 THIS will never ever have excuses to justify it... NEVER! ✋🏿✋✋🏾✋🏻 Yes, it doesn't matter who was, male... Woman... Don't make excuses for them!! ✋✋🏾✋🏻✋🏿They just deserve to be alone, cause would you trust on any!? 🤔🤷🏻♀️
Next! 👉🏾
Next! 👉🏾
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 16, 2022
Historia corta que tira más a relato erótico, con el típico pero muy disfrutable cliché de los amigos que se convierten en amantes.
Realmente se nota que la autora maneja a la perfección el erotismo, la magia entre las palabras y los personajes, todo llevaba un ritmo tan cadencioso y atrapante que no te das cuenta, hasta el final, que, llamado como sea, es infidelidad.
Realmente se nota que la autora maneja a la perfección el erotismo, la magia entre las palabras y los personajes, todo llevaba un ritmo tan cadencioso y atrapante que no te das cuenta, hasta el final, que, llamado como sea, es infidelidad.
November 11, 2024
A spicy story about a man who realizes he's in love with his best friend and tries to convince her she feels the same, during a blackout in the city.
November 17, 2024
Pufff que horror de libro, contenido 0.
June 27, 2015
Reviewed by Julie
Book provided by the author for review
Review originally posted at Romancing the Book
Ella is committed to her boyfriend, Tony. While he is dependable, he is just a little boring, just a little too plain vanilla for the active and outgoing Ella. Ella thinks Tony is about to pop the question and she has convinced herself this is what she wants. But, when she takes a college course in erotica, Tony is not the guy she is fantasizing about… it’s her very best friend since elementary school- Shane. Little does Ella know that Shane has loved her since second grade. Now time is ticking away for both of them. Shane is about to take a job that requires a relocation and Ella is about to accept a marriage proposal from Tony. So, with time running out, Shane devises a clever plan to seduce Ella.
Shane invited Ella over for dinner and they became trapped by a blackout. Shane waste no time in using this to his advantage. With Ella’s college textbooks and Shane’s vivid imagination, the couple gives into sensual experimentation. Tony would never have agreed to try the things Shane was suggesting. It was just for her research, a part of her college course, right? Well, maybe not. How will Ella feel when she finds out Shane has set out to seduce her all along?
This is a hot steamy romance that explored the “When Harry Met Sally” theme of can friends become lovers without ruining their friendship. Ella’s feelings for Shane were buried deep inside of her because she never let herself consider him as a possibility. Maybe the stable relationship with Tony opened the door for Shane a little because Ella was working hard to convince herself she could be happy with Tony. Shane showed Ella that romance and love didn’t have to be boring. They played sex games together under the guise of experimentation, but what was really happening was an awakening for both of them, although Shane was way ahead of Ella for awhile.
While this is story is erotic in nature, it is a very light erotica. It’s playful and sensual with nothing hardcore. I guess it depends on your comfort zone in such matters, but with today’s Christian Grey type novels being the norm, this one is very, very tame. I am not all that into today’s erotica, so this one was just my speed. I loved Shane and his seductive style. He obviously loves Ella and was willing to risk everything for a chance to be with her romantically. I was profoundly relieved that Ella didn’t wind up with Tony, who will be perfect for someone, just not Ella. Shane and Ella are the perfect couple and there’s no doubt they will remain best friends and lovers.
I would recommend this one for contemporary romance lovers that like a little extra spice with their romance. This book is available on Amazon in paperback and kindle format.
Book provided by the author for review
Review originally posted at Romancing the Book
Ella is committed to her boyfriend, Tony. While he is dependable, he is just a little boring, just a little too plain vanilla for the active and outgoing Ella. Ella thinks Tony is about to pop the question and she has convinced herself this is what she wants. But, when she takes a college course in erotica, Tony is not the guy she is fantasizing about… it’s her very best friend since elementary school- Shane. Little does Ella know that Shane has loved her since second grade. Now time is ticking away for both of them. Shane is about to take a job that requires a relocation and Ella is about to accept a marriage proposal from Tony. So, with time running out, Shane devises a clever plan to seduce Ella.
Shane invited Ella over for dinner and they became trapped by a blackout. Shane waste no time in using this to his advantage. With Ella’s college textbooks and Shane’s vivid imagination, the couple gives into sensual experimentation. Tony would never have agreed to try the things Shane was suggesting. It was just for her research, a part of her college course, right? Well, maybe not. How will Ella feel when she finds out Shane has set out to seduce her all along?
This is a hot steamy romance that explored the “When Harry Met Sally” theme of can friends become lovers without ruining their friendship. Ella’s feelings for Shane were buried deep inside of her because she never let herself consider him as a possibility. Maybe the stable relationship with Tony opened the door for Shane a little because Ella was working hard to convince herself she could be happy with Tony. Shane showed Ella that romance and love didn’t have to be boring. They played sex games together under the guise of experimentation, but what was really happening was an awakening for both of them, although Shane was way ahead of Ella for awhile.
While this is story is erotic in nature, it is a very light erotica. It’s playful and sensual with nothing hardcore. I guess it depends on your comfort zone in such matters, but with today’s Christian Grey type novels being the norm, this one is very, very tame. I am not all that into today’s erotica, so this one was just my speed. I loved Shane and his seductive style. He obviously loves Ella and was willing to risk everything for a chance to be with her romantically. I was profoundly relieved that Ella didn’t wind up with Tony, who will be perfect for someone, just not Ella. Shane and Ella are the perfect couple and there’s no doubt they will remain best friends and lovers.
I would recommend this one for contemporary romance lovers that like a little extra spice with their romance. This book is available on Amazon in paperback and kindle format.
September 20, 2010
Ella is a grad student with a hot best friend who is moving away in a few days. Shane is an attorney moving to Dallas and leaving his best friend in NYC. But before he goes, he wants to 'explore' his feelings for his best friend. So he sets out to seduce her. He doesn't care that she is about to be engaged to another man.
So they get together to 'say goodbye'. And due to a power outage they are together for the night. They explore more than their feelings for each other. I just don't get it. I'm all for friends who become lovers themes but not cheaters. Otherwise, decent.
So they get together to 'say goodbye'. And due to a power outage they are together for the night. They explore more than their feelings for each other. I just don't get it. I'm all for friends who become lovers themes but not cheaters. Otherwise, decent.
March 26, 2011
I would give this 3.5 stars. Good story but a little slow at times. I would definitely read her other books.
June 5, 2012
I wanted to like this so much more than I did.
February 5, 2023
Thunderstorms and photoshoot between friends.
September 24, 2015
Despite the fact that there is cheating in the book I liked this story.
April 8, 2021
This was ridiculous. I have read this years ago, but now I do not know why I liked it.
May 2, 2017
leído el 19/06/2011
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