Tart (Delicious, #2)

Nov 06, 2012 Anna (Bobs Her Hair) rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Contemporary Erotic Readers

Shelves: erotic, polyamory-menage, contemporary-romance, arc, edelweiss

4 stars… A couple of bumps on the way to a very sexy and unconventional romance!

“I have . . . so much going on. Speaking of that, since I’m being honest and all, I’m in a relationship. It’s not conventional, but I’m happy and it’s good.”

“You’re a lesbian?”
-Juliet and her mother

Bainbridge Island, Washington

Juliet Lamprey owns a thriving bakery business in a building she shares with her close artistic friends. Jules is beautiful, confident, and smart. Her main heartaches are caused by the choices...more

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Nov 15, 2012 Jess rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: for_review, contemporary

Review posted: Happily Ever After - Reads
Blog rating: B

…Mary grinned to Jules and then noticed Gideon. “Gideon Carter, I’d recognize you anywhere.”…“What brings you here to Tart today?”

Gideon looked to Jules and then back at Mary. “Jules here does. Man’d have to be a fool to resist something sweet with some coffee and that face to look at.”

His gaze moved back to Jules and once he’d caught her attention, his mouth slowly curved up into a smile so naughty her nipples got hard.

By the time Jules...more

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Dec 12, 2012 Kellie G. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Super steamy ménage story with likable characters. I loved the parts with the characters from the Brown Siblings books. The ending was a bit abrupt & unsatisfying. Looking forward to the next book.

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Nov 15, 2012 Bookie | The BookChick rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: cr, erotic-or-erotic-romance, lauren-dane, mm, menage, mmf, 4-star-read

My Rating: ★★★★

Lauren Dane hits this one out of the park. It was an amazing read that kept my attention the whole way through.

I won't bore you with a thorough review because it's something that you'd have to read for yourself to appreciate. Lauren Dane's witty and straight forward humor is on point in this romantic tale of three hearts coming together and finding a lasting love.

Some of my favorite quotes from the book:

When Cal tells his mother about the unconventional triad relationship she repl

...more

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Apr 22, 2013 Lise rated it 5 of 5 stars

Dane's Brown sibling series continues with another wonderfully rich and emotional love story. In Tart she gives us her second "triad" - polyamorous M/M/F threesome that is just smoking hot on top of layers of emotion, and the continuing saga of the family and friends. Dane does emotional like nobody's business. Interpersonal relationships, lovers' relationships, friend and family relationships and how they all impact the lovers at the heart of the story. I, for one, love meeting the same cast of...more

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Apr 05, 2013 Kristen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, culture, dating, ebooks, family-ties, humour, north-american, romance-love

This book was okay. It definitely made me care about the characters, especially Juliet and all her issues with her family. I felt so badly for her when everything went down at the end with her father, stepmother and her brother. Gideon was sweet and lovely and Cal was sort of a jerk most of the time but he had his moments too (and his sarcasm was incredibly funny). That being said, I never really bought the triad relationship here. I definitely believed that both men loved Juliet but the relatio...more

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Mar 30, 2013 Larena rated it 5 of 5 stars

Contemporary

Bainbridge Island, Washington

Juliet “Jules” Lamprey is enjoying her life running her successful bakery and her friends. What she never expected was a childhood friend to come back into her life and set sparks to flying. Now Jules is having even more fun than she expected and wondering just where this is headed.

Gideon Carter has come back home to help with the family farm. What starts as playing catch up with Jules turns into playing catch up in bed and heating up their lives in a w...more

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Mar 17, 2013 Laura rated it 2 of 5 stars

Usually I am a huge Lauren Dane fan, but the first two books in her Delicious series have not been my favorite's.

One of my favorite things about Lauren's writing is her character development. She has such a strong emphasis on the characters, and really builds the relationships within her stories, making it impossible not to connect with them and develop your own (the reader) relationship with them. in Tart, I didn't feel a connection with any of the characters. Not only did I not connect with th...more

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Feb 20, 2013 D rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: folks determined to read sub par romances set in the PNW

silly. formulaic. instances of reallllllly bad writing (pretty painful similes abused throughout).

PROS: set on bainbridge island. atypical romance construct, which the author really fought to treat honorably and not superficially. lots of mentions of baked goods.

CONS: that stuff i mentioned at the top of the review. plus:
(1) though i feel she really, really tried, ultimately i think the author failed to convincingly present a balanced triad. that is, i totally didn't believe that gideon and cal...more silly. formulaic. instances of reallllllly bad writing (pretty painful similes abused throughout).

PROS: set on bainbridge island. atypical romance construct, which the author really fought to treat honorably and not superficially. lots of mentions of baked goods.

CONS: that stuff i mentioned at the top of the review. plus:
(1) though i feel she really, really tried, ultimately i think the author failed to convincingly present a balanced triad. that is, i totally didn't believe that gideon and cal's relationship was anywhere near as strong or believable as gideon's with julet or cal's with juliet. in fact, when gideon and cal started kissing and murmuring sweet nothings into each others' ears, it sort of came out of left field and was jarring. transition fail.
(2) every single character had pretty much the same psychology with only the most superficial of differences: they all cracked the same meh jokes, they all had the same mostly sunny outlook on life. they were pretty much interchangeable -- awesomely mellowly artistic, maaaaaan.
(3) as an extension of #2 above, though ostensibly juliet's best friend was . . . a character whose name eludes me, about four other women just effortlessly, inexplicably, stepped into that BFF role whenever the author needed someone, sometimes after they'd only superficially interacted with juliet previously. lazy characterization resulting in mary-sue-ification of one of the nation's most amazing island communities.
(4) dude, if juliet ate that much butter in real life, her body wouldn't be the perfect eleven everyone insists it is. just sayin'. 'cuz, i mean, they ain't NO mention of free weights anywhere up in her house, y'know? #AuthorPersonalFantasyInterferingWithPlausibility
(5) the many secondary characters were really unnecessary to relating juliet's story. the worst series shoehorn too many characters into one tiny scene, for the sake of nostalgia, i'm guessing, or a failed attempt at multi-dimensional community, maybe?, but end up merely confusing the reader with long litanies of forgettable names and too few meaningful interactions to engage our sympathy.

AUTHORS OF ROMANCE SERIES EVERYWHERE: please stop trying to treat your sequels as postlogues to previous stories. or please stop treating book 2 as a long prologue for book 3. this waters down the goodness of ALLS of the books in your series, and i have no patience, then, to go and buy the rest. and please stop thinking that because Dude A was critical to book 1 that he must even cameo in book 2. book 2 isn't book 1. otherwise it'd be titled and marketed as book 1. see?

what could have been a cute, sweet tale of carefully, lovingly explored polyamory comes out sloppy and bland -- half-baked (<-- see what i did there??). too bad.(less)

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Feb 16, 2013 Ellie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-romance

ARC received through twitter contest

I really enjoyed the relationship between our Heroine and two Heroes but the rest of the story was almost too bittersweet for me.

Juliet (or Jules to her friends) runs Tart, a pastry shop in her hometown. When she goes to visit Patrick, a local farmer, about using locally sourced produce in her shop, she meets Patrick's grandson, Gideon and they share an immediate spark. Complicating this is Calvin (Cal), whom Jules has had a crush on since she was in high s...more

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Dec 15, 2012 CoffeeTimeRomance andMore rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-erotic-romance

Juliet Lamprey knows exactly what it takes to achieve sweet success. Her bakery, Tart, is an area favorite for savory treats. If only her private life could follow suit. The man she has loved all her life seems immune to her charms, and she might just have to give up on him altogether when an old friend moves back to town with some promising results.

Cal Whaley considers himself pretty open when it comes to relationships. Male or female, he chooses his lovers for their personality and not their g...more

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Nov 28, 2012 Dione Sage rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adult, contemporary, romance

This is not my kind of book but that is not the reason I gave it only one star. First let me say that a part of the blame is mine for reading a book that I had only briefly scanned the description and thought it was a cute romance book. Funny part is I thought it would be about a girl having to choose between two guys that liked her. That part is funny because the book is about two guys that like the same woman but the unconventional relationship between all three was not what I had expected. Ag...more This is not my kind of book but that is not the reason I gave it only one star. First let me say that a part of the blame is mine for reading a book that I had only briefly scanned the description and thought it was a cute romance book. Funny part is I thought it would be about a girl having to choose between two guys that liked her. That part is funny because the book is about two guys that like the same woman but the unconventional relationship between all three was not what I had expected. Again that is probably because I had no idea what the book was about and if I did know the genre and gist of the book I honestly would have grabbed a different book. But I like to think I am open minded so I read the entire book. That is the where the blame ends with me though.
The second reason for me not liking the book was because of the writing itself. The story takes place in Washington and two of the characters (one of the male leads and the main female character) have grown up their entire lives in this small island community across from Seattle. Both are successful. The third main character is from (if I remember right) California but had spent all his summers and breaks as a child with his grandparents in the small town in Washington (He is also kind of a rugged rancher type). The small community where everyone knows everyone is how all three of them "kind of" grew up together. However as I read some of the speech parts in the story I couldn't help but think that some of the language sounded almost as if the characters were European or that the author may perhaps be a fan of historical English romance novels, because none of the people I know from Washington (also a small community across from Seattle) speak like the way her characters did. There was even a part where one of the characters ran his hand through his "rakish" hair. I had to make sure though that I wasn't just being overly judgmental so I called one of my best friends (who happens to be a gay man) for his opinion on the characters reactions and after a long and quite humorous conversation, one in which had him wondering why I was reading a M-M-W romance novel, I came to the conclusion that even when situations arise like the one in this novel the two men would have spoke a little differently. Reacted a bit differently as well. But that was only part of what had me a little irritated with the book because after reading the entire story I thought this could have been a potentially great book. The idea of the story line has great potential. But then I was also annoyed with the regular cliches that happened to drench this book. Every character in this book seems to be successful and absolutely gorgeous, there isn't the realistic qualities in the characters to make them lovable. Sure there is personal family struggle for the female character but that doesn't even seem to come across as heartbreaking as it should have. I understand that it is a erotic romance novel but that doesn't mean it didn't have to be delivered in the best possible way. I was more horrified at the writing than I was at anything else about the book.
This should be a lesson to me, however I know myself and I know I will pick up a book that really doesn't appeal to my personal taste or books that I have really no idea what they are about but half the fun in reading books sometimes is being surprised. This book just wasn't for me at all.(less)

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Nov 24, 2012 Hannah (The Irish Banana Review) rated it 2 of 5 stars

I adore Lauren Dane. The Brown Sibling series is one of my favorite adult series' EVER. I got excited when I found it that it would linger on in the Delicious series as well, but this latest book had me wondering if Lauren Dane even wrote this herself.

First off, Juliet (Jules) is a self-professing bitch. And it shows. Oh, lord, does it show. This girl got on my nerves horribly. She was abrupt and rude and bossy. She got offended so easily that I got offended with her.

I know Lauren Dane can write...more

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Nov 19, 2012 Dark Faerie Tales rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed-by-kristie

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Scorching hot romance with emotional highs and lows.

Opening Sentence: In case anyone ever doubted it, getting up at four in the morning was all sorts of things.

The Review:

Juliet Lamprey is dedicated to her job, friends and family. She spends most of her time running her bakery so she doesn’t really think about her love life much at all, when she does she pines for the crush she has had on Cal Whaley since she was a teenager but Cal only want...more

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Nov 12, 2012 Sandy M rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, erotic

Okay, I can’t believe I’m going to say this. I have an issue with one of the sexy, gorgeous, built heroes in this book, one who loves sex any way and every way he can get it with our heroine – and the other hero. This very rarely happens to me, I’m usually okay with whatever a sexy, gorgeous, built hero does. However, because we’re dealing with two of these heroes, well, one just kinda irritated me a bit.

And because this is a ménage relationship, the two heroes are even into each other right off...more Okay, I can’t believe I’m going to say this. I have an issue with one of the sexy, gorgeous, built heroes in this book, one who loves sex any way and every way he can get it with our heroine – and the other hero. This very rarely happens to me, I’m usually okay with whatever a sexy, gorgeous, built hero does. However, because we’re dealing with two of these heroes, well, one just kinda irritated me a bit.

And because this is a ménage relationship, the two heroes are even into each other right off the bat, just so they can both be with Juliet. But I side with her when it comes to Cal and his very late decision to make a move on her, to finally proclaim he’d like to have her in his life. Of course, she forgives him, invites him into her new world – would have taken longer if it had been me, however – which already includes Gideon. Now, Gideon, he can do wrong in my eyes.

Juliet is one of those strong, independent women who’s been on her own a long time, has had relationships that fizzled out much sooner than she’d like. She’s had a thing for Cal since they were kids, even though he’s a few years older. He was her first kiss, but he also had the good sense to stay away because she was so young at that time. But then he stayed away forever. He doesn’t want to lose her friendship, in case a sexual relationship wouldn’t work out if they would ever go that far. So he’s dated others, men as well as women, all relationships that fizzled just as Juliet’s has.

So when Juliet meets up with Gideon again – he also grew up with Juliet and Cal – and he’s nearly perfection in everything a woman could want, she decides he’s her future. She has to move on, away from Cal, despite what friends tell her. Gideon is back in town, taking over the ranch from his granddad, putting new ideas to work, ideas which he never got to try on his own ranch before selling. He was still in partnership with his ex-brother-in-law, so it was an awkward situation. He’s happier now, a place of his own, with family, and now Juliet has become his center. That is until she hits him with a bomb that could blow everything to smithereens.

See, that’s when Cal decides he’s not going to let another man have Juliet, one who’s serious about her this time around. So he ambushes her behind Tart, her bakery, and lays one on her, which she reciprocates. You can’t blame her. She has wanted him for a very long time. But then her sense return and she lets Cal have it. He had his chance, it’s gone, Gideon is who she’s with now. And she has to tell him what happened in that alley.

This is where each man’s attention is caught. They’re about to lose the one woman who means everything. So it’s either come to blows, a huge mess and hurt feelings resulting, or be amenable to a threesome so they don’t lose Juliet. It’s that quick. Literally. Cal and Gideon make it known they each like cock, so no problem, we have a menage, thank you very much. But this scares Juliet. What if they go for one another more than her? Will they eventually resent her? Those boys have to do some fast stepping to reassure her. I do enjoy their tenderness and loving nature with Juliet, despite the fact they’re both very dominant in the bedroom. It takes them a while, but they eventually learn to discuss things with her before making decisions.

I like the way each of the character’s family life is woven into the story. It’s Juliet who has a difficult time with her family, all treating her quite badly. Gideon’s granddad and Cal’s family are gems, thus giving them the tools necessary to make their relationship with Juliet work successfully, as well as being the family she needs. The same goes for all of their friends. They’re all supportive and loving, doing for one another just as friends should.

Of course, the sex scenes go from intense and fiery to tender, loving, and fun. I would have liked Gideon and Cal to have their scenes a little earlier. I started to question whether or not that would even be included in the story. Their easiness with one another is nice, contrasted with the fierceness of their love scenes. This is a learning process for all of them, how to live together, get along, balance their life in all aspects. There are mistakes along the way, but they talk things out, and by the end there’s no doubt these three are definitely meant for each other.

See my complete review at http://www.goodbadandunread.com (less)

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Apr 18, 2013 MaggieReadsRom rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, culinary, menage, erotic-romance

3.75 stars

This book drew me in from the very first page! I loved Jules and Gideon, I loved Jules and Cal, I loved Jules and her friends, I loved how Jules was the focal point of the book and the romance. I loved how Jules finally stood up for herself with her family. I loved Jules. Period.

I also really loved how Lauren Dane made the ménage story line unique from her other ménages and made it anything but cookie cutter. This being said I did have a little trouble accepting the ménage at first as...more

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Mar 08, 2013 Leah rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: erotica

I hate to say it but this book is so completely subpar it was difficult to enjoy. I know Lauren Dane is a better writer than this.

I've never read the Brown Siblings books. No big deal was assured these could stand on their own. (Sway in Cherished most certainly did.) But it didn't. This book felt like it was written to give everyone who loved Adrian and Gillian's story so much a chance at seeing their wedding. The story only had details when it concerned the wedding and the rare addition for so...more

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Jan 30, 2013 Jessica rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: erotica, owned, alamw13, autographed, romance, beach-read, family, pnw, washington

I feel like there were two different writers here: the one writing the main love story between Juliet, Gideon, and Cal, and the one writing the story of Juliet and her family. The love story is sweet, the sex is steamy, the relationship(s) are fun and engaging.

The writing about Juliet's family? Somehow they took a nosedive from "collection of somewhat selfish people" to "WORST EVER", and it seemed to be in service of the main storyline. I probably am more sensitive than some to stuff regarding k...more

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May 01, 2013 Amy Berry rated it 1 of 5 stars

Tart has to be one of the worst books I have ever read. I read first Laid Bare which was the first in the Brown siblings trilogy & Tart was an extension of the trilogy. Tart started off really strong for the first several chapters, lonely girl (Jules), handsome man (Gideon) they get together while she is trying to get over the man (Cal) she has really wanted for all of her adult life. However, when Cal sees that Jules is falling for Gideon, Cal kisses her in an alley & will not leave unt...more

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Nov 30, 2012 Brandi Salazar rated it 3 of 5 stars

2 1/2 stars

I have never read anything by Lauren Dane before, so when the author held a contest on Goodreads for twenty-something people to have a chance at winning Tart, I jumped on the opportunity. So, first and foremost, thank you to the author and her crew for gifting me this book.

Since the description is information enough, onto my review...

First thing I noticed was that this writer has the ability to infuse character into the story. She has a great talent for description and dialogue, both...more 2 1/2 stars

I have never read anything by Lauren Dane before, so when the author held a contest on Goodreads for twenty-something people to have a chance at winning Tart, I jumped on the opportunity. So, first and foremost, thank you to the author and her crew for gifting me this book.

Since the description is information enough, onto my review...

First thing I noticed was that this writer has the ability to infuse character into the story. She has a great talent for description and dialogue, both of which can be tricky sometimes. Also, I like strong female characters who are still vulnerable when needed, and Juliet Lamprey embodied that quality. Positioned between two men, who are both hotter than sin, and the author had her work cut out for her. Instead of making Juliet choose, she gave her both! Juliet is blessed with a hunky lawyer who has been her best friend since childhood, Cal, and his best friend since childhood, Gideon, who is a southern gentleman who has recently returned to town to run his grandfather's farm. And they both have eyes for her...and, well, each other too. But mostly her. Two guys to fawn over you day and night, love you unconditionally AND who want to talk out any problems that might arise? Um, yes, please!

I really appreciated the level of detail that went into this story. Clearly the author has done her homework on running a farm and a business. It's either that, or she has personal experience on the matter. I also appreciate how this trio's romance wasn't glorified. This is no easy path for a person to take, and the author didn't shy away from hurting them. There was plenty of judgment to make me cringe, but it also came with the message that sometimes blood isn't always thicker than water.

I did have some issues with this story, though they were minor when compared to the overall beauty of the book. I found it slow moving at times, and the dialogue could sometimes be awkward and confusing. I found that I had to stop and reread, going several paragraphs back at times, just to puzzle out who said what. Sometimes, I never figured it out, especially when Jillian was engaged in conversation with both men at once. Then there was one oopsie that I felt should have been caught and left me scratching my head. By far it was the biggest of convo related problems I came across:

"I'll walk you out," Gideon stood up and walked with Cal down the steps toward his car. "Are we doing anything tonight?"

"I stopped by Tart earlier, she's alright. But it's some sort of preschool event this week."

Like I said, there were times I had to stop and think it over during reading, which took me out of it. Even so, the story was pretty good overall. It was error free for the most part and the storyline was solid, the characters well-developed. Awkwardness aside, it's definitely something worth picking up, and I will be checking out other works by Lauren Dane in the future. (less)

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Nov 02, 2012 Nissanmama rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, twimom227-blog

Words to describe Tart: Passionate, erotic, playful, feisty, bitchy, happy, and delicious. “Delicious” is the name four best friends have given themselves as a group. The group consists of Juliet, Gillian, Daisy, and Mary. Tart is the second book in the Delicious Series and focuses on Juliet’s love triangle-turned-triad romance. While this is a new series, it really is the extension of Dane’s Brown Siblings Series. You don’t have to read it first, but I would recommend it. A large focus of Tart...more Words to describe Tart: Passionate, erotic, playful, feisty, bitchy, happy, and delicious. “Delicious” is the name four best friends have given themselves as a group. The group consists of Juliet, Gillian, Daisy, and Mary. Tart is the second book in the Delicious Series and focuses on Juliet’s love triangle-turned-triad romance. While this is a new series, it really is the extension of Dane’s Brown Siblings Series. You don’t have to read it first, but I would recommend it. A large focus of Tart is the wedding of Gillian to Adrian Brown (Never Enough).

Main character Juliet was happy with her life, her friends, her business, and her new relationship with an old friend, Gideon Carter. This spurs another old friend, Cal Whaley, into staking a prior claim and neither man will give her up even though they too are old friends. Juliet loves them both. Rather than forcing her into a situation where she must choose, one of the men proposes a three-way relationship. The matter-of-fact way in which he brings it up is startling to this female reader. They all agree and they are happy… and have a lot of steamy sex. In and around the abundance of foreplay, play, and oh my, there is a lot of talking, thinking, over-thinking, and a wedding. My biggest issue with the story was that nothing really happened.

The one situation in the story with the biggest potential for action was a confrontation between Juliet and her brother Ethan over her new ménage. Unfortunately it never happens on paper. We only find out about it a week after the fact during more of the thinking and over-thinking. It often felt like the characters were trying to convince the reader this was a good idea instead of it just being a good idea. The only real growth that takes place is when Juliet grows a back bone and stands up to her family that’s been mistreating her for years. It took so long to get there, however, that I wasn’t really emotionally invested in it.

I genuinely liked Gideon. For an alpha male attorney, Cal should have stepped up sooner and avoided the entire storyline. Juliet is often “bitchy” –her word. Unfortunately she tells us that over and over…ok, we got it. She also loves her friends who are her family in the face of a biological one which has abandoned her. The problem with a three-way is that you’re never really sure who’s speaking. The “voice” of the story seemed to shift without warning and was difficult to follow at times. I often had to reread to get my bearings. I also didn’t really buy the relationship between Gideon and Cal. Yes they were attracted to each other in a physical way, but they spent most of their time talking about how much they loved Juliet.

So, bottom-line, I had some issues, but it’s not a bad read. This is a book to read if you enjoy being hot and bothered, because you will be, but not because you need an outstanding story to go with it. Definitely a quick read—unless, of course, you’re taking notes.

http://www.twimom227.com/2012/11/revi...(less)

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Nov 07, 2012 Lynda rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-book, wlp-reviewed

Review originally posted at http://wickedlilpixie.com/2012/11/06/...

I have something to confess. I'm in love with the Browns. Oh, sure, this is a book about Jules, one of the Delicious women, but still, it's all the same crowd, and they're a great group of people. This book did nothing to change my mind about them.

One of the things I enjoy most about Ms. Dane's books is her characters are never perfect. Sure, they may seem so at first glance. Sexy, pretty, successful, happy, but they have their...more Review originally posted at http://wickedlilpixie.com/2012/11/06/...

I have something to confess. I'm in love with the Browns. Oh, sure, this is a book about Jules, one of the Delicious women, but still, it's all the same crowd, and they're a great group of people. This book did nothing to change my mind about them.

One of the things I enjoy most about Ms. Dane's books is her characters are never perfect. Sure, they may seem so at first glance. Sexy, pretty, successful, happy, but they have their moments. They have asshole relatives or bad days or get bitchy for no reason.

In this book we see Jules meet Gideon Carter. He's the grandson of one of Jules' most charming customers, and, as it turns out, an old friend from when they were young. They meet as adults and there is instant attraction. Jules and Gideon are clearly falling in love, but there's a problem. Jules is still half in love with Cal Whaley, Gideon's friend from high school, and one of Jules' best friends now. Once Cal sees Jules with Gideon he realizes he's losing her, and not just to someone unlikeable, but to someone who really loves her and cares about her and is absolutely perfect for her. So what does he do? Well, he makes kind of a jerk move, but he owns up to it. And more importantly, no one tries to hide it or dance around it or even feel obsessively guilty about it. They do what real people do, and act like grownups and deal with it immediately. It's a refreshing change from the "Oh, woe is me! I feel SOOO GUILTY! Whatever will I DO?!" hand-to-forehead whining that a lot of characters in menage books like to do.

From there we see the relationship between the three of them progress. It's not all smooth sailing. I mentioned the asshole relatives, right? Also, like in the first book of the Brown series with Ben and Todd and Erin, they WORK at their relationship. They have fights and miscommunications, but they talk it out when they need to and aren't afraid to let the others have their space when that's what is needed. Here is where Erin plays a larger role in the story, as she's a good source of advice for Jules.

There's a moment towards the end where Jules does something a little stupid. I understand why she did it, and it was true to her character, so it wasn't a jarring moment for me as a reader, but again it showed Ms. Dane's determination to let her characters act like adults in a committed, trusting relationship, and Ms. Dane doesn't let Cal or Gideon get nuts about it. These guys do what real men (heroes?) do…They help Jules, and they talk to her about how they felt about what she did in a way that wasn't burdening her further.

The only thing I wish is Jules could have had one of her epiphany moments with her brother instead of with her sister in law. The resolution with Jules' mom also felt a little rushed, but since we're not sure she meant what she said, maybe it wasn't. Wonder if we'll find out in the next book?

Between the original Brown Siblings series and this new spin-off, the Delicious series, there are a LOT of characters to keep track of, so it was nice how the characters who made actual appearances were there for real reasons, such as Aidan & Gillian finalizing wedding plans and Erin as a "Menage Mentor" and not just trotted out as a "hey, remember these books" refresher.

All in all this book was worth the wait. I enjoyed it immensely and read it in one sitting. The problem is now I have a long wait until the next book!

Lynda the Guppy
aka Fish With Sticks(less)

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Nov 24, 2012 Wanda rated it 5 of 5 stars

I am going to start this review by stating that I love the browns so having anything related to them is an excuse to read a book. I love Lauren style of writing and since I feel the connection she as an author has with her character, these are some of my favorite books to read.
This is the book that starts the story of Gillian's friends. Lauren has a way of connecting her readers with past characters you loved and tell you what is going on at the same time tell this new story that is about love,...more I am going to start this review by stating that I love the browns so having anything related to them is an excuse to read a book. I love Lauren style of writing and since I feel the connection she as an author has with her character, these are some of my favorite books to read.
This is the book that starts the story of Gillian's friends. Lauren has a way of connecting her readers with past characters you loved and tell you what is going on at the same time tell this new story that is about love, awareness, friendship and a different lifestyle. It gives us a different perspective on the menage relationship, because it adds another dimension to Erin own story from Laid Bare the first book of the Brown siblings story. It was the book that started it for me, I am glad that this book is so connected to Erin since she is the glue of all the stories. It also allows us as reader to see that her lifestyle choices in the book are not so unique. The fact Erin can share her experience with Jules and that makes it more the norm than an exception to be in a relationship like theirs. If you have any issues with alternative lifestyles this is not the book for you. This is a book for people who have left their prejudices at the beginning of the book or at the Door never to deal with them again. I love the way she interweaves there lives with Gideon's father, and how he is so accepting of their love. This is what writing is all about, it makes you cry, laugh and just plain feel. Lauren has the gift through her writing to bring us all these elements. This book is a must read, for any Brown family fans, If you havent read the books what are you waiting for these family will make you love them and cheer. I can't wait for the next books, I think Raven needs a story Lauren Hint, Hint.

My disclaimer when I read a book I don't read to write reviews. I write reviews when a book moves me so much I have to say something about the book. I have hundreds of reviews to write but my illness sometimes get in the way. Hugs Wanda (less)

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Nov 07, 2012 Amy Tait rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really like all the brown sibling novels and their offshoots. I like the characters and how they pop up in all the various books so you get a little peek at how they are doing. I love the hot alpha men and equally strong women that Lauren Dane is really good at writing.
That said one of the big problems for me is that the dialog is stunted. Almost too wordy and unrealistic. When Cal said to Jules "share with me" I rolled my eyes and started skipping long passages of convo between characters bec...more

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Nov 03, 2012 Becs - Sinfully Sexy Book Reviews rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: edelweiss, arc, review-copy, cover-lust-i-has-it, contemporary-romance, erotic-romance, menage, shower-smexin, small-town-romance, smuttastic, sugarkink

Hot and sexy Ménage à trois

Juliet Lamprey, owner of the Tart bakery, is getting her life back together when Gideon moves back to town to help his widowed grandfather run his farm. They share an instant zinging attraction which they find hard to resist and soon begin an intensely passionate relationship.

Cal Whaley has long since wanted to get his hands on Juliet but has never made a pass at her and Juliet has crushed on him from afar. As soon as Cal sees that she and Gideon have something seriou...more

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Oct 30, 2012 Cocktails and Books rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-reading-challenges, blog-tour, contemporary-romance, erotica, publisher-provided

Lauren Dane sure does know who to write a good menage story. Her couples are more about feelings and how they related to each other, rather than just a bunch of sex thrown in for sex sake. That formula was perfect for Jules, Cal and Gideon in Tart.

Jules has live on Bainbridge Island her entire life. While her parents marriage may have imploded and left her on the island by herself, she's surrounded herself with a group of friends that have become her family. If you read Never Enough (Brown Sibli...more Lauren Dane sure does know who to write a good menage story. Her couples are more about feelings and how they related to each other, rather than just a bunch of sex thrown in for sex sake. That formula was perfect for Jules, Cal and Gideon in Tart.

Jules has live on Bainbridge Island her entire life. While her parents marriage may have imploded and left her on the island by herself, she's surrounded herself with a group of friends that have become her family. If you read Never Enough (Brown Sibling #4 by Lauren Dane), you'll recognize many of the people she has surrounded herself with, including Adrian Brown and his family and friends. But what Jules longs for is a man to give her what she's missing in her life.

Gideon Carter moves back to Bainbridge Island to help his grandfather run his farm. When he runs into Jules, he's instantly attracted to her and reminded of all the times as kids he used to run around with her on his visit. Gideon may have been had bad luck when it came to his first marriage, but he sees something in Jules that he refused to ignore and plans on grabbing with both hands.

Cal Whaley has been in Jules' life for many, many years. As the oldest brother of her best friends, Mary, Cal's watched Jules grow from little girl to the beautiful woman he loves. Cal's denied his feelings for Jules for years, instead trying to lose himself in the men and women he dates. But when he discovers his good friend Gideon is back and he's staking a claim in his woman, Cal decides it's time to step up to the plate.

The relationship between Jules, Gideon and Cal was interesting. While I was expecting a lot of sex, what we got was the development of the emotional connection between the three of them. Jules and Cal has a lot of "stuff" to work through to get their end of the triad on solid ground, but that also spilled over into how Jules and Cal built their relationship with Gideon. While they did hot have some hot sex, as a threesome and separately as couples, I enjoyed 'watching' them build their triad (especially since the dynamics between them were so different from Erin, Todd and Ben's).

I really enjoyed this story. Not only having this new relationship grow, but to also see what was happening with some old friends. Adrian and Gillian's wedding was perfect and being able to visit with the Browns and Copelands is always a plus.

I can't wait for the next book to see what is going to happen with Mary.(less)

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May 20, 2013 Evaine rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: erotica, e-books, menage

I wanted to love this book to bits and I tried, but unfortunately it just wasn't happening for me. I will say that it was a fun romp with a bunch of steamy sex scenes.

The heroine, Jules, was all kinds of perfect. Supposedly she had flaws, but I never saw them. The two men were perfect as well. The smooth, handsome lawyer and the earthy, rugged man of the earth. Did they have flaws? Not really. The lawyer was a rotten housekeeper, but that's about it. All in all, they were characters designed fo...more

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Oct 31, 2012 ☼sunny☼ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: cont-home-town, erotica, three

This is the story of Jules, Juliet Lamprey. Jules is Gillian's best friend and we met Gillian in the Brown brother series by Dane. The circle of female friends that Gillian had as support while raising her sonas a single parent now have their own series. Dane and Banks call this series the Delicious series. The characters from both series appear in this book and it is meeting up with old friends.

Jules has finally given up waiting for her high school sweetheart Cal to notice her. He is too busy...more

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Apr 03, 2013 Brenna rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: booksfree, chef-baker-caterer, barristers-lawyers, g-erotica-contemporary-romance, m-m, m-m-f, mutiple-partners

Too much angst going on with her family. Too much of Gillian and Adrian's wedding. But the problem with this story is that its just slow nothing much going on it was really boring. Didn't like the end it left your hanging big time, guess we have to read the next one to find out anything. The sex was hot though so that's a plus.

***I would suggest reading part of the Brown Sibling series first - go by when they were published this series is tied in with that one. I was a bit confused with so many...more

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Nov 07, 2012 Mela Remington rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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title link	preview: Tart
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Tart (Delicious #2)

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