Review: Angel by Victoria Dahl

I love just about anything written by Victoria Dahl, including this.

It's a short story - that might be my only complaint, I would have liked to have read more about these characters.

Melisande Angelle is a prostitute in New Orleans. She's been doing this work for a while and views sex as nothing more than a job. But then Bill meets her on Christmas day outside the brothel with a gift. This is when Melisande realizes being with Bill isn't work. Bill wants to take her away from New Orleans, away from her current profession. Melisande has never had anyone want to take care of her before.

Very sweet, sexy story.  I love that Dahl always sticks to her feminist principles. Melisande isn't ashamed of her work. She isn't searching for a man to rescue her. But she's also not going to deny herself a chance at love, a chance to be something other than a prostitute.

Perfect if you are in need of a quick read. And even better, when I got this it was free on amazon, So do yourself a favor and get a copy.

Review: Harlot by Victoria Dahl

A new book by Victoria Dahl is always cause for excitement as far as I'm concerned. This one being labeled as an erotic historical western, I was a little bit apprehensive. I do like historicals, but am not usually a fan of westerns, though I did enjoy the cowboys in her contemporary novels. And sometimes I find myself a little put off by books labeled erotica - I need a good story and some real romance in order to enjoy the steamy sex. But my worries were absolutely and completely unnecessary.

This book is so good. The story, the romance, the tough heroine who refuses to be a victim. Very good stuff.

The title and the description of the book are a little misleading. I mention this only because it almost scared me off. I was picturing some sassy, tough as nails whore, a Miss Kitty sort of character who was now an expert in all things sex-related. I'm not saying that would be a bad thing, but maybe not the type of story I would want to read.

Jessica isn't running a whore house nor is she a working whore. She had to do something in order to survive - but it isn't like she took it on as a profession. I don't think I'm giving anything away by mentioning that. While Jessica's former boyfriend thinks this is the case, it's pretty clear from the beginning that it isn't.

But nonetheless, Jessica feels guilty about what she did. She feels like nothing more than a whore. She can't show her face in town and everyone talks about her. And when Caleb, the only man she's ever loved returns, he's disgusted by the stories about her and furious that she didn't wait for him. He shows up at her home, angry with her, and in an attempt to punish her, offers her money in exchange for sex.

Because she's desperate and in need of money, and knows that she at least doesn't have to be afraid of Caleb, she takes him up on the offer. Also, there's part of her that wants to know what it would be like to be with him. She spent so much of her life imagining that someday she'd share a bed with him as his wife, but now she believes that chance is gone, so she may as well take what she can get.

What makes this story stand out as something much more than erotica, and makes it something I love, is the way Dahl handles the emotions and thoughts facing Jessica. She's conflicted because in a way she enjoys the sex she's having with Caleb, even if he did pay for it. On the other hand, she's furious with him for treating her as a whore when all she did was survive when placed in a position in which she felt she had no alternative.

Even better than the dirty/hot sex happening in this book is Jessica confronting Caleb about his opinions of her. While, sure, this is erotica and the sex is wow, for me, this is more importantly a story about a woman who is tired of people - especially people she thought she could trust - treating her like she's worthless and finally having the courage to demand that she get the respect she deserves.

Really good story. Liked it a lot. Highly recommend.

I received a copy of this via NetGalley.

Review: Taking the Heat by Victoria Dahl

Dear friends, fellow readers, and/or anyone who thinks they may enjoy a fun, sexy, summer romance, do yourself a favor and get a copy of Victoria Dahl’s Taking the Heat. Pour yourself a drink, locate a spot by the pool – or a comfy chair in the air conditioning – whatever works, and block out a few hours for yourself and enjoy.

 

The title is appropriate because this book is so hot. So very hot. Perfect summer escape. 

This is the third book in Dahl’s Girls’ Night Out

series, but no worries if you’ve not read the others.  (Though I guarantee you’ll want to read them all after you read this, and while you’re at it, go ahead and read her first three books connected to this town of Jackson Hole.)

Veronica has returned to her hometown after having to admit to herself that New York City wasn’t working for her.  (On a side note, reading about Veronica and her decision to leave New York City is maybe the first time I felt okay with my own decision to not stick it out in New York City. That’s always been this big disappointment of mine, that I didn’t try harder when I was younger, but I read this and thought, hey, NYC isn’t for everyone and it’s okay to admit that.)  She’s also the judge’s daughter and she doesn’t have the best relationship with her dad so returning home wasn’t the easiest of decisions. But she’s doing what’s best for her. She has a job writing an advice column at the local paper, but she feels like something of a fake because truth is, she isn’t nearly as experienced as she seems to be.  She’s not the typical virgin heroine. This wasn't really intentional on her part. She was just sort of busy with life, focused on school and work, and by the time she got around to dating, well, guys get a little freaked out when they learn someone has reached adult age without well, you know.

Enter Gabe. Hot new librarian in town. Hot guy who reads. Enough said. Like sighting a unicorn. He’s kind of perfect. (Okay, not entirely perfect, he’s got his issues, as you’ll find out later, but completely manageable issues.)  He’s from New York City and he’s escaped the city to enjoy the outdoors offered by Wyoming. At first, when learning Veronica once lived in New York City, he thinks he wants to avoid her, because he had enough of New York women. But he gets over that quick enough. And when he finds out about Veronica’s little “secret” – he’s not freaked out. Not at all. 

This book is so hot. So damn hot. I don’t know how else to describe it. You’ll just have to read it for yourself to understand.

Unlike several of Dahl’s other books, this one didn’t break my heart before putting it back together, and there was no sobbing. There weren't any devastating betrayals or anything like that. This is a fun book. This was a case of even if the relationship didn’t work out, Veronica would be just fine.

Veronica isn’t simply learning about what she wants in the bedroom. We see her become more involved in her career, taking her advice column to another level as well as working on her relationship with her father.

My favorite thing about Dahl’s book are her heroines.  They’re real. They’re people to which I can relate, I understand why they do and say the things they do. They’re a little quirky, a bit nerdy, flawed and confused, and yet, they still manage to find love, as well as some sort of purpose to their life – if they don’t already have one.  I read these books and think, oh wow, people like that really can find someone who will want them. And then I remember it’s fiction, but whatever. I love these books. They make me happy. When I can’t deal with work or people or I’m overwhelmed with oh-my-god-what-am-I- going-to-do-with-the-rest-of-my-life – I escape to my room, I clear my calendar, I tell everyone I’m much too busy for ______ whatever it is I’ve been asked to do – and I dive into these books.  There is no happiness quite like knowing there’s a brand new, unread Victoria Dahl book waiting for me on my kindle.

So I repeat, do yourself a favor, and get a copy of this book.

I received a review copy via NetGalley.

Review: So Tough to Tame by Victoria Dahl

This is the last Victoria Dahl book I have on my kindle, and after spending the last two weekends with the first and second book in her Jackson Hole series, I wasn't sure I wanted to read this yet.  Because after I read it, I'd be done, and then what?  Her new one isn't coming out until this summer.  Could I really go that long without another of her books?  And here is where I tell you I have a long, horrible history of saving things I want until later.  I was the child who put aside my favorite Halloween candy for later, only to discover it had all gone bad by the time I found it again. I never learned my lesson.  I did this every year.  I still do this - not that I still go trick or treating, but you get the idea.  This is a problem.  A problem I need to stop.  So what the hell, I decided I'd read it now and not save it for later because why am I always putting off the things I want in life?  Okay, well, that got a little too intense for the beginning of a book review.  Anyway.

No surprise, I very much enjoyed this book.  Read a few chapters last night, and began my day with it, doing absolutely nothing other than make coffee until I'd finished it.  Perfect way to spend a Sunday - or any day for that matter.

While I didn't love this book as much as I liked the other two books, it's important to keep in mind that I loved those books just about more than I've ever loved any romance novel.  With the other books, I felt as though I could relate very well to both Grace and Merry.  Not the case with this story.  So while this book didn't turn me into a sobbing mess as the other two had, I still thought it was a very good book.

Charlie (short for Charlotte) has returned to her hometown after an embarrassing embezzlement scandal.  She's taken a job at a ski resort owned by the husband of an old high school friend because it's pretty much the only place that will hire her.  But things aren't going so well at the job.  Her old friend is behaving strangely.  Charlie decides to move out of the apartment provided at the resort and get a place in town.   That's when she runs into another friend from her past - Walker.  She'd crushed on him in high school, but she was never anything more than his friend and more importantly his tutor.  Walker was a flirt, everyone loved him and he didn't waste his time on "good" girls.

But Charlie's all grown up now, and she wants to make sure Walker knows that a lot of things have changed since high school.  Along the way, she also discovers that Walker is a lot more than the carefree, good old boy cowboy she imagined him to be.  They both have their secrets, which are revealed gradually, causing the expected disagreements and heartbreaks.  Part of the fun is seeing them get through all of this.

After reading this series, I guess I have to stop saying I don't like cowboy romances.  But maybe that's because Dahl's cowboys have a bit more depth than the cowboys with which I'm familiar.  Walker is such a funny, nice guy.  Like Charlie, he's also left his last job after a bit of a scandal.  He's trying to find work and feels like he doesn't have many options.  Charlie sees more in him than he sees in his self.  Sometimes that's the main thing a person needs - someone who believes in him - even though at first Charlie's attempts at helping him are met with anger.

Besides the very steamy scenes - and she writes some of if not the best - I think what makes Dahl's books so strong is the real way her characters behave.  They're real people.  They have real jobs.  They have real flaws and they're scared to death to fall in love.  I suppose the part where they divert from reality is that they are willing to face their flaws and try to overcome them because someone in their life has convinced them it's okay to want a better life.  But it's books like this that provide hope that even real people can move past their mistakes and have a good life.  You don't have to be a princess or a billionaire to deserve love and a satisfying job.  That's another thing I appreciate about these books - it's never a simply "love solves all" but rather a process showing that accepting love also means correcting the other things that are messing up their lives - things like screwed up family relationships and bad jobs.  These are not stories of heroes sweeping in to rescue someone in trouble, but rather the characters learning to rescue themselves.

I loved this series, and if I was a really, really nice person, someone like Walker, I'd buy multiple copies of these books, and I would give them to my friends any time they were having a bad day.  Seriously, I think they're more enjoyable and way more healthy than chocolate or cupcakes.  But instead, I will just strongly recommend that you get yourself a copy of these books.  Start with Close Enough to Touch and work your way to this one, and then move on to the Girls Night Out series.  (I actually read those books before these, now I may need to re-read them because I know some characters from these books appeared in those.)

I received a review copy via NetGalley.

Review: Too Hot to Handle by Victoria Dahl

I loved this book so much.  I liked it as much as the first book in this series, which I didn't think was possible because I loved that more than just about any other book I've ever read.  But this one was pretty great.  I was in my room sobbing at one point, and that doesn't usually happen.  Oh, sure I say, a book made me cry, but rarely does a book reduce me to the ugly cry like this one did.

In the first book of this series, I felt I could relate to Grace, in that she kept people at a distance.  I couldn't relate to Merry's happiness and need to always be positive.  But the awkwardness felt so familiar.  And yesterday, when I started reading this book, I was wearing my Keep Calm and Remember You're Wonder Woman sweatshirt, and today, as I finished up the book, I was wearing an "Are You My Mummy" Doctor Who shirt.  You'll have to read the book to understand why that's relevant.

I really enjoyed this story, and seeing how Merry and Shane got to know each other, and were gradually able to overcome the issues in their life that had been holding them back.  Such a well-written story that felt real.  And the thing is, I always claim I have no interest in reading about reality - that I read romance for the fantasy.  But these stories give the illusion that people in real situations - people who are drifting through life, trying to figure out what they want to do, struggling in their careers, bitter about their childhoods and still dealing with family issues well into adulthood - can also find some very real happiness.  Not perfect, fairy tale, happy ever afters, but rather some very satisfying, "hey, maybe I don't have to be alone forever and be really happy with someone" sort of stories.

I'm going to recommend this series to anyone who will listen to me, because seriously, you need this book in your life.

I received a review copy via NetGalley.  Have no idea why it took me so long to get around to reading it. So glad I finally did.

Review: Close Enough to Touch by Victoria Dahl

I loved this book so much. Last night, or rather in the early morning hours, when I went to bed, I told myself I'd just read a chapter or two.  I didn't stop reading until I'd finished - and then I went to sleep after the sun was up and the birds were singing.  Worth it.

This is such a great book, and normally I avoid cowboy stories.  I don't like cowboys.  I grew up in rural west Texas, surrounded by cowboys, and I don't think there is anything sexy about them.  But I didn't even bother reading the description of this book, decided to read it based on the author.  So I was hesitant for a moment when I realized this story involved a cowboy, but I got over it quickly.  Alas, Dahl is a magician for creating a cowboy character that even I find to be appealing.  So very appealing.

What I love most about this book is Grace.  She's the sort of character to which I can relate.  She has big dreams, but has trouble putting those dreams into action.  She's supposed to be a grown up, but can't quite get her act together.  She's spent so much of her life simply trying to survive and stay safe and not get hurt that she's not had much chance to really live her life, much less enjoy it. Now she's reached a point in which she wants to change but isn't quite sure how.  I know this is supposed to be a "fun" romance, but there were scenes in this book that brought tears to my eyes when Grace starts thinking about her life and how it feels to be so tired you just want it to end, and the fear of growing older and realizing you've alone because you worked so hard at keeping a safe distance from anyone who might hurt you.  Maybe those scenes hit a little close to home, which is why I loved the book because stories like this make a hard, jaded person like me believe, if only for a moment, that things won't always be this way.

Also, Grace is not the sort of person who would ever fall for a cowboy, so again, I can relate. She's a city person.  She's just passing through.  But the cowboy across the hall is very tempting.  And he's got secrets of his own.  He's not quite the simple, easy-going cowboy Grace first imagined him to be.

This couple despite, or maybe, because of their differences, have amazing chemistry.  The sex scenes are so damn hot.  Add the actual romance and emotion to that, makes for easily one of my favorite romance novels.