Touching Lace

Vaughn #1

by Anne Rainey

Taking friendship to a whole new level

Lacey Vaughn is tired of being dumped on by men. It s clear she needs help in the ways of seduction. Over cappuccinos, Lacey shares her worries with pal Nick Stone. Being the good friend that he is, Nick offers to give Lacey a few pointers in the ways of sexual pleasure. From his first touch, Lacey forgets all about lessons. Now all she wants is more of his luscious body and skillful touches.

Nick s craved Lacey for months. He s done watching her waste herself on losers. It s time she saw him as more than the dreaded good friend. He ll do nearly anything to have the little spitfire all for himself.

But in order to get Lacey past her insecurities, Nick will have to put it all on the line including his heart and pray he doesn t lose her forever."

Genres: Romance, Erotica, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Friends To Lovers, Erotic Romance, Ebooks

107 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 25, 2008

About the author

“Rainey is an erotic storytelling virtuoso!” — Romantic Times Magazine

Anne Rainey creates steamy romance stories with just the right amount of heat. Her books frequent best seller and top pick review lists. Anne is an accomplished author of over thirty titles. Her books can be found in Target stores and other popular online retailers. Canada’s largest newspaper, The Toronto Star, recommends Anne’s books as an alternative read to Fifty Shades of Grey. Anne actively markets her work and sells an average of 133,000+ print and digital copies per year.

Anne grew up in a small town in central Ohio the only girl with three rowdy, older brothers. When she wasn’t playing tackle football with them she could be found tucked away in her mother’s book room getting lost in mysterious worlds created by authors such as Martha Grimes and Andrew M. Greeley. She’s had a variety of odd jobs including Chiropractic Assistant, Frame Stylist, Restaurant Hostess, and Nail Technician. Anne now lives with her fabulous husband, two gorgeous teenage daughters, two ornery dogs and three snooty cats.

Reviews

[Dina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This friends-to-lovers short story was an OK read, even though the premise was a bit silly.

Lacey Vaughn has just caught her latest boyfriend Evan cheating on her, and considering this is the 3rd failed relationship she's had in the space of just one year, she wonders what is wrong with her. After some (little) consideration, she concludes she must be bad in bed. Why else dickhead Evan would feel the need to bang another woman, right?

Nick Stone has been in love with Lacey for years but has never acted on it because he thought she wasn't ready for him. But he feels it's time to end the waiting game when she tells him about her brilliant conclusion about her lack of skills in the bedroom. So he comes up with the perfect "solution": he'll give her sex lessons and, in the process, he'll make her realize she belongs with him. Okaaaay...

Nick and Lacey were nice characters, but I didn't really connect with them. I couldn't understand why he stayed away from her for so long before finally making his move, and I didn't buy how quickly she realized she was "in love" with him. The sex wasn't that good, was it? If it was, it didn't come off the pages.

Overall, this wasn't a bad read, and it got me interested in reading the next book, Tasting Candy, which sounds more promising.

[Mouse · Rating 1 out of 5]

This whole review is going to have a lot of spoilers and bad language. There's your warning.



This book is so incredibly ridiculous. It was written well, but slow. And weird. There was slang like "tell him to suck an egg." REALLY?! Who the fuck says that? Seriously?

I had no hope of connecting with the characters. Especially when they started doing insane shit. I kept notes in the text that said: Is she an idiot?! Because, yeah, she was. If I waste my time writing it, SHE'S A HUGE IDIOT.

I'll admit. I started skipping. I couldn't handle the inane conversations. They'd decide things and they were "getting used to the idea" and then she'd re-decide several pages later. WTF? What were those ten pages for, then? The plot made zero sense.

But what they did was EVEN WORSE. For instance: they start making out at her work (a gym) in the middle of a workout. He finger fucks her IN PUBLIC. AT HER WORK. And she's okay with it. WTF?!

THEN. he kisses her in front of her house but keeps it tame because he "must be careful because they're in public." DOUBLE WTF?!

Then! THEN!!!! He's spent 30% of the book trying to work his way into her pants. Pressuring her. And bullies his way into her apartment. She agrees to have sex with him and then.... THEY DON'T HAVE SEX.

THE. FUCK.

WHAT?!

Then the next day he eats her out and wonders when her last orgasm was. Well, I could tell you. At the gym, HER PLACE OF BUSINESS, THE DAY BEFORE. HOW COULD YOU FORGET?

Oh, yes, of course by this point she loves him. *big fucking eye roll*

And now we are 40% through the book. Good luck with this one, people. My the force be with you.

[Lady Raven RAVE! · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://www.romancenoveljunkies.com


Taking friendship to a whole new level-Lacey Vaughn is tired of being dumped on by men. It-s clear she needs help in the ways of seduction. Over cappuccinos, Lacey shares her worries with pal Nick Stone. Being the good friend that he is, Nick offers to give Lacey a few pointers in the ways of sexual pleasure. From his first touch, Lacey forgets all about lessons. Now all she wants is more of his luscious body and skillful touches.Nick-s craved Lacey for months. He-s done watching her waste herself on losers. It-s time she saw him as more than the dreaded good friend. He-ll do nearly anything to have the little spitfire all for himself. But in order to get Lacey past her insecurities, Nick will have to put it all on the line-including his heart-and pray he doesn-t lose her forever.

THOUGHTS

It wasn't a bad read for me and I still enjoyed it. However, I love Blade's story more within the series 'Tasting Candy' that man was so sexy within that book. But, this story held its own. Its good to read best friend to lovers story.. I also enjoy their family with all 3 books. I would recommend the series, but I'm stuck on Blade so I might not be the best person to recommend right now.

Steamy & sweet, that would best sum up this book.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the eve of another disastrous breakup, Lacey Vaughn finds her best friend Nick Stone on her door step telling her to get ready they are going out. Throughout the evening Lacey senses something has shifted between her and Nick and when she complains about what she thinks is the reason she can't keep a man, Nick is all too ready to dispel the notion and offers lessons she can't refuse.

Nick is not one to let opportunity pass him by, he wants Lacey and is not willing to wait anymore. Now his plans are set in motion and his number one goal is to win her heart, body, and soul when all is said and done.

Really enjoyed this book. Nick is an instant favorite, the way he draws out Lacey and his patience as she begins to realize that Nick is a lot more than a friend is pure seduction.

[Mojca · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty good story about a male friend deciding he doesn't want to see his female friend wasting her life on losers. Short, sweet, sexy, and hot.

[Heather in FL · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this was cute. Maybe a bit rushed in the love declaration department, but they have known each other for quite a while. So this is a friends to lovers which is one of my favorite genres. They were pretty darn hot together. I can't believe she'd really think he would give her "lessons", but I suppose she was having self-esteem issues after finding her boyfriend and supposed friend in the shower together. So this was a fun read, on the short side of the spectrum.

[Mlleelizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book.

For a full review, please go to:
http://mlleelizabeth.booklikes.com/

GoodReads's policies no longer comply with my review policy. Therefore my reviews will be posted at BookLikes going forward. Thank you for following my reviews here. I hope to continue discussing books with you on BookLikes.

[Carrie (Badass, Alpha-male, Cowboy Connoisseur ) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the promise of this story and was just getting into it when WHAM,...it was over! I really wanted more of their relationship, it seemed quite a rush to the finish. With that said, it is a hot, quick read, I just wanted it to be longer.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finished this book a few days ago, I dont really remember much. I was an okay story. There are three more after this one. I think they need to be read back to back because they are very short.

[Mitzi]

Free kindle book 11/1/11

[Terra Oenning · Rating 4 out of 5]

i really like this book alot.cant wait to read more of Anne's work.

[Vivian · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF. Just wasn't for me.

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh what would an author do without the word, "turgid" and the phrase, "Glistening wet orb"?
Lacey has horrible taste in men; her MO is to date guys who end up breaking up with her after a lengthy relationship...for what seems to be no apparent reason. Enter common denominator, Lacey.
Nick is her BFF. He works with her brother, has watched her train-wreck of relationships whip through her life. He is the guy that is always there, never revealing his true feelings.
My flags:
1. The gym scene. I’m a gym-(would love to say bunny)goer. If someone, I was hot for, was my workout partner and he/she managed to get me on the floor only to allow his/her hand to roam…and KABOOM me, well I need to join THAT gym, quick like a bunny.
2. The brothers, Merrick and Blade. My initial confusion was when Lacy mentioned that Merrick is dating Chloe, and then I see book 3 is about Merrick and Chloe so now I’m confuzzeld on the time line.
3. Turgid.
4. Glistening wet orbs.
5. The dramatic, “What do you want from this…where is this going?” to pissed off in 0.0072 seconds, ladies and gents, Miss Lacey is a hothead.
6. Nick blurting out his love for her on the sidewalk, well how’about that.

Overall this was a decent book. Hot, steamy, fizzy, funny, totally laughable, a dabble of wtf, then it ends with a kick to the junk!

[Lynsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

You know what, I really wanted to like this better than I did. I'm being very generous with 2 stars.

I'm desperate to read some friends-to-lovers stories that don't have a TOTALLY WEAK reason as to why they didn't get together before.

I had a lot of trouble fixing in my head the personalities of both these characters, they were all over the place. I liked them and wanted for them to get their happy ending, but they each said and thought things that seemed contradictory to their characters. Not to mention yo-yo-ing from 'oh my god, I'm in love with this person' to 'oh my god, I can't do commitment'. I was dumbfounded when this happened almost within the same paragraph.

Puuurlease can somebody explain to me this huge group of male characters in LOADS of stories that don't go after a woman they want because 'they can't handle my needs'? And then these so called 'dark needs' turn out to be petty standard stuff. Stuff, dare I say, that I would insist upon!!Either I am waaaaay dirtier than any other women or I don't know what!

[Charity · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love the best friends turned lovers scenario! This quick little Erotic Romance was cliché, funny, hot, and an all-over great starter for the series. We get a glimpse of the Vaughn brothers to intrigue us to wanting to find out how their story will play out.

After reading some of the reviews I was a little put off by some of the comments. The gym scene, yes while it was at her place of employment she was not working at the time and they were in her private workout room, but in the public area with everyone, and no one got naked. Nick sets out to seduce her into loving him, not a wham-bam-thank-you-man one time deal. The seduction was nice and him revealing tid bits of information to her makes her open her eyes to the possibilities. I think it was well written, although a little cliché as some points, but overall a good little read.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a nice story with hot scenes and interesting characters. It was short, and thus not incredibly complex, but I enjoyed reading it a lot. After reading the other reviews, I think I may have liked this book more because it wasn't the first in the series that I read. Some reviewers found the characters silly or inconsistent; I didn't. While I did think they were predictable, I also found them believable and cute. I totally understand h0ow an otherwise confident and type A woman might doubt her sexual competence after being cheated on and dumped several times. I also understand how it's possible to think someone's hot but not really see them as a potential sexual partner for a while, especially when you've not been single. Like I said, it was predictable and the characters not particularly complicated, but it was an enjoyable leisure read with good sex scenes.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fast, fun read with plenty of steam. Lacey gets dumped, Nick steps in to comfort her, they dance around their attraction, they get naked. It worked. It worked nicely. I mean, everyone likes the best friend turned lover route, right? Well, I do. The best friend angle is always nice because you don't have to go through the awkward getting to know each other phase. They already know each other! Brilliant, right? They can get right to the sexing. I approve of that.

I did enjoy this book. It had some very sweet moments and some very steamy ones. Lacey and Nick were a good couple together and they got their freak on in a most satisfactory manner.

-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal

[Ann has a dirty mouth · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, I got this one from Samhain's "books to read if you liked 50 Shades" list. And honestly, I have no idea how this book got on there. 50 Shades is long, this book is short. 50 Shades is first person, this book is third person. 50 Shades is about a virgin, Lacey has had hundreds of loser boyfriends before she finds Mr. Right.

Honestly, this book was both very hot and a sweet friends to lovers story, but the only thing that it had in common with 50 Shades is that Lacey was complete moron who I wanted to slap. I am still considering whether or not to read the other books in the series. The book was a very short, fun read though.

[Robyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring. This was silly, especally at the end. The dialogue was dumb. I hate it when men call the women "Baby", it drives me insane and that's all this guy called her. He was an alpha male wanna be. He tottered between being a strong take charge kind of guy and a controlling dink. She was supposed to be stong and confident, but didn't really act like it. I'm glad it was free, or I would be irritated.

[Lori Whitwam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very well-written and enjoyable. I think my issue came in that I didn't really bond with the hero character. I found the premise of his "seduction" less than plausible, though the results were certainly worth it. I did buy the second in the series, though, suspecting I might like the next Vaughn better. :-)

[Tonileg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Friendship to lovers plot with wonderfully sweet and funny dialogue. I really believed that Nick hid his attraction to Lacey because he was scared. I think everyone has been in that situation at least once in your life because it is scary to risk a strong friendship in a relationship. I wish there was a rewind button on life.
2 stars

[Melissa Maxwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was quick and sweet. I loved the romance between Lacey and Nick. The love was there from the beginning Lacey just had to see it. Can't wait to read about the other siblings.

I love music and when I heard this song it made me this of this book perfectly. JT Hodges - Goodbyes Made You Mine

[Luna ❤Thing 5❤ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought it was erotic, believable and sweet. I thought the happy ending may have been a bit disney but it fit but I also think that the explicit section was a bit to unbelievable when its always 'Amazing'or 'Mindblowing' but the fact Lacey had a bad love life before and was unfulfilled made up as compensation :D

Awesome read.

[MsChris1161 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sensual and steamy friends to lovers story! Lacey's good friend Nick has had a thing for her for years so when she gets dumped once again and asks for his help in learning to be more sensual woman he jumps at the chance to finally show her how he really feels about her. Very well written short sexy read!

[Shay · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dumb book. I wouldn't even call it a romance... I'd be more likely to call it a "quicky". It was less about a story with characters and more about just sex. Blah! And the language was foul. Just didn't really like this one at all. Huh, I guess this one could have been judged by it's cover.

[Voirey Linger · Rating 3 out of 5]

While it was an enjoyable read overall, I was put off by being told character traits that were at odds with the actual characters. Minor point, but irritating when character description and behavior didn't mesh.

Still, a decent read.

[Hadley Raydeen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this one. It was too short. He said he was going to teach her something and then he just goes in and pretty much says we are having sex and she was like okay! it needed more character development. I will stick with the series to see if it picks up but this was not a good start.

[Stephanie Bolen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not much of a story and the sex scenes were bland

I liked the fact that he loved her, but the conflict was half hearted at best. The sex scenes were more dirty words than actual dirty deeds. He talked a pretty good game, but his delivery was common and over quick.

[Zena · Rating 2 out of 5]

it was kinda cheesy.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. It was just ok. Short but not too exciting.