Lori Love has yearned to get out of tiny Tumble Creek, Colorado, her entire life. But now Lori Love is in lust--with her best friend's brother. Ori...
read full description
reviews
May 23, 2010
Shawna
rated it: 
4 ½ stars – Contemporary Romance
Top Ten Things I Loved About Start Me Up:
1. A deliciously sexy beta hero – Nerdy architect (and ultimate fantasy giver with a wild bedside manner) Quinn Jennings
2. A sassy, feisty heroine – Girl mechanic Lori Love
3. Heroine’s obsession with erotic books and hero’s willingness to please and serve in the bedroom that leads to lots of hot sex, steamy role play, and wickedly fun fantasy reenactments
4. Quinn’s sultry Spanish be More...
Top Ten Things I Loved About Start Me Up:
1. A deliciously sexy beta hero – Nerdy architect (and ultimate fantasy giver with a wild bedside manner) Quinn Jennings
2. A sassy, feisty heroine – Girl mechanic Lori Love
3. Heroine’s obsession with erotic books and hero’s willingness to please and serve in the bedroom that leads to lots of hot sex, steamy role play, and wickedly fun fantasy reenactments
4. Quinn’s sultry Spanish be More...
4 comments
like
(15 people liked it)
Sep 08, 2009
Miss Kim
rated it: 
No I love you? *grrr*. What the heck is going on here? I read these books for my “I love yous” and HEAs. This one had a ‘nice’ ending, but there was no professing of love and marriage.
We met Lori in Talk Me Down, the first in the Tumble Creek Series. She’s ran her father’s mechanic shop and tow truck business for the past ten years. He received a closed head injury after a bar fight and has been in need of constant care until his death a few months back She had to give up college More...
We met Lori in Talk Me Down, the first in the Tumble Creek Series. She’s ran her father’s mechanic shop and tow truck business for the past ten years. He received a closed head injury after a bar fight and has been in need of constant care until his death a few months back She had to give up college More...
12 comments
like
(6 people liked it)
Jan 25, 2010
Amanda
rated it:
This is book two in the Tumble Creek Series, and even thought it didn't outshine the first book it was still amazing, I loved the real raw emotion you got from the characters and I LOVED that it was tied up in a pretty bow at the end. Yes you did get the happy ending but not the unrealistic happy ending you usually do. Lori was an amazing character and Quinn was a perfect fit for her. They just rocked and god were they steamy and HOTT... I also loved how the the Jane who is the Heroine of book 3
More...
0 comments
like
(3 people liked it)
Jun 09, 2010
LethalLovely~I'm Superman & It's My Show
rated it:
My Thoughts:
I've only read one other book by Dahl,Lead Me On, & I must say that Lori is not nearly as much of a biatch as Jane was. Although she does have sometimes overwhelming insecurities. She refuses to see that Quinn wants her for herself & is not simply "slumming" with the town mechanic. The sex scenes were hot, the h/h were hot & I enjoyed the chemistry between them. I never thought geeks were something to drool over until I met Quinn & he has definitely changed my s More...
I've only read one other book by Dahl,Lead Me On, & I must say that Lori is not nearly as much of a biatch as Jane was. Although she does have sometimes overwhelming insecurities. She refuses to see that Quinn wants her for herself & is not simply "slumming" with the town mechanic. The sex scenes were hot, the h/h were hot & I enjoyed the chemistry between them. I never thought geeks were something to drool over until I met Quinn & he has definitely changed my s More...
4 comments
like
(4 people liked it)
Sep 10, 2010
Alisha
rated it:
In a nutshell:Oh, this was a breeze to read. Finished it with a smile in my heart. Again, the characters were great.
Ms. Dahl, you're two-for-two. :o) This book was a delight to read from beginning to end. The two characters highlighted in this book are supporting/minor characters from Talk Me Down: Vivacious mechanic Lori Love, and the very work-focused architect Quinn Jennings. Lori catches up with her best friend's brother when she is hired to repair some equipment for an upcoming More...
Ms. Dahl, you're two-for-two. :o) This book was a delight to read from beginning to end. The two characters highlighted in this book are supporting/minor characters from Talk Me Down: Vivacious mechanic Lori Love, and the very work-focused architect Quinn Jennings. Lori catches up with her best friend's brother when she is hired to repair some equipment for an upcoming More...
3 comments
like
(8 people liked it)
Apr 13, 2011
Catherine
rated it:
Joint review with Sophia originally posted on Fiction Vixen.
Catherine and I are talking about Start Me Up by Victoria Dahl today. Since this is a book chat the following may be considered slightly spoilery. We’ve tried not to reveal anything key that would ruin the book for anybody, but everyone has a different opinion about what a spoiler is so keep that in mind if you decide to read any further.
Lori had always planned to get out of tiny Tumble Creek, Colorado, but More...
Catherine and I are talking about Start Me Up by Victoria Dahl today. Since this is a book chat the following may be considered slightly spoilery. We’ve tried not to reveal anything key that would ruin the book for anybody, but everyone has a different opinion about what a spoiler is so keep that in mind if you decide to read any further.
Lori had always planned to get out of tiny Tumble Creek, Colorado, but More...
4 comments
like
(4 people liked it)
Jul 14, 2009
Isis FG
rated it: 
Rating: 3.5 / 5
A fun, sexy, easy to read book. It's got some interesting characters and situations. But I had the same problem with this book that I did with the first in the series: that the heroine isn't entirely likable. Which takes away some of the enjoyability of the book.
Start Me Up is the second book in Victoria Dahl's Tumble Creek series, which borders between contemporary and erotic romance. Though this book can pretty much stand on its own, I'd personally re More...
A fun, sexy, easy to read book. It's got some interesting characters and situations. But I had the same problem with this book that I did with the first in the series: that the heroine isn't entirely likable. Which takes away some of the enjoyability of the book.
Start Me Up is the second book in Victoria Dahl's Tumble Creek series, which borders between contemporary and erotic romance. Though this book can pretty much stand on its own, I'd personally re More...
4 comments
like
(10 people liked it)
Jan 28, 2010
Nikki
rated it:
Lori Love had to return to Tumble Creek to take care of her father, leaving her dreams in the dust. Now, ten years still working at her father's trucking company, she decides she is missing something in her life. Sex. And when she accidentally outs her secret plans to a Mr. Quinn Jennings, the table turns and now the secret fantasies are about to come to life.
This book was hot, I mean wow, I am speechless. The role-playing of the scenes from erotic books was just hot. But, again ev More...
This book was hot, I mean wow, I am speechless. The role-playing of the scenes from erotic books was just hot. But, again ev More...
Sep 26, 2010
Jane
rated it:
2 ½ stars. Some good sex scenes, but the story could have been better. Heroine’s actions were not reasonable.
STORY BRIEF:
Lori’s father died after a head injury. Lori left college to care for him and run his towing and auto repair business. She’s a good auto mechanic, but her dream was to travel the world. She can’t follow her dream since she is working his business to pay off his medical bills. She can’t afford to sell the garage due to costly EPA clean up issues concerni More...
STORY BRIEF:
Lori’s father died after a head injury. Lori left college to care for him and run his towing and auto repair business. She’s a good auto mechanic, but her dream was to travel the world. She can’t follow her dream since she is working his business to pay off his medical bills. She can’t afford to sell the garage due to costly EPA clean up issues concerni More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jul 05, 2010
Liz B
rated it:
4.5 stars
This one was terrific. I love s sexy nerd hero, and Quinn certainly was one. I also really, really liked Lori Love, the auto mechanic heroine.
Make no mistake--this is a steamy one. Lori and Quinn do some role-playing. What I liked was that their sexual relationship, including the role-playing, functions as a way to help them develop their relationship.
Dahl is one of the best I've read recently at switching the third-person viewpoints from the hero to the h More...
This one was terrific. I love s sexy nerd hero, and Quinn certainly was one. I also really, really liked Lori Love, the auto mechanic heroine.
Make no mistake--this is a steamy one. Lori and Quinn do some role-playing. What I liked was that their sexual relationship, including the role-playing, functions as a way to help them develop their relationship.
Dahl is one of the best I've read recently at switching the third-person viewpoints from the hero to the h More...
Mar 13, 2010
Casse
rated it:
I usually hate bondage books, I can't stand anyone (male or female) being submissive. Now, that said, I looooooved Start Me Up. I love that it was completely different sex than Talk Me Down. I love the fantasy and role play. I love how the heroine and hero went about it. How realistic they were doing it. Okay dirties not *doing IT* but making Lori's fantasies come true and the way they were shit nervous about it. Yall are so nasty, pervs.
I also adored Quinn. Like to the point we coul More...
I also adored Quinn. Like to the point we coul More...
Nov 11, 2009
Sabrina
rated it:
Ok, here's my review in a nutshell: BUY THIS BOOK! Then, buy Victoria's entire backlist and be first in line for every new release.
I'm beyond excited to have read my first book by Victoria! She's a fantastic writer who combines quick whit, strong female characters, sexy as hell love scenes, and an overall interesting plot into a fantastic read. Authors like Victoria are why I love to read and why I created Cheeky Reads in the first place. She gets readers like me and what we want. It More...
I'm beyond excited to have read my first book by Victoria! She's a fantastic writer who combines quick whit, strong female characters, sexy as hell love scenes, and an overall interesting plot into a fantastic read. Authors like Victoria are why I love to read and why I created Cheeky Reads in the first place. She gets readers like me and what we want. It More...
Nov 08, 2009
Kath
rated it:
A great follow up to "Talk Me Down" and I actually liked it better than the first one in this series. Loved the characters in this series as a whole and loved that Ben and Molly from book 1 were part of this one as well. You really get to start to know the characters. You really do have to read "Talk Me Down" first as Aidan and Lori are both in that story and it add to their background. I don't think you'd get as much reading this one on it's own.
Really liked More...
Really liked More...
Aug 10, 2009
Robin
rated it:
After reading "Talk me Down" I wasn't sure how any other contemporary romance could win my heart. But, after reading Start Me Up, I've learned that my heart can be an incredibly fickle bitch! Start Me Up is more funny, more sexy, and more romantic than Talk Me Down. Of course, I'm a sucker for the "old friends" vehicle so I was already pre-disposed to like this book. (I'm also a sucker for exes getting back together if anyone is keeping score!)
Because I didn't More...
Because I didn't More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jul 26, 2009
Kate
rated it:
I really wish I could give this four and a half stars. I loved it, just as much as I loved Talk Me Down, but for different reasons.
TMD had more suspense and I was genuinely afraid for our heroine. In SMU, I never had the same fear, but I loved the heroine more. So they balanced out. :)
Lori Love is a girl mechanic. And every guy in Tumble Creek thinks she bats for the other team. She encourages this view because it keeps away the creeps, but she's a very lonely girl w More...
TMD had more suspense and I was genuinely afraid for our heroine. In SMU, I never had the same fear, but I loved the heroine more. So they balanced out. :)
Lori Love is a girl mechanic. And every guy in Tumble Creek thinks she bats for the other team. She encourages this view because it keeps away the creeps, but she's a very lonely girl w More...
Jul 30, 2010
Jessi
rated it:
Summary: "Lori had always planned to get out of tiny Tumble Creek, Colorado, but when her late dad left her his beloved auto body shop, she'd stayed. Now, according to her crazy best friend, Molly, what Lori needs is some excitement, in the form of hot, no-strings-attached sex...and lots of it. Quinn Jennings has buildings on the brain--not love and romance. A serious architect, he's delighted to discover that Lori is willing to skip dating protocols and head straight for the sheets. And ai
More...
Jan 03, 2010
Alana
rated it:
Lori Love always dreamed of leaving her tiny hometown of Tumble Creek. But when a nasty accident left her father in desperate need of medical care, Lori put her plans of European travel on hold and became tiny Tumble Creek's new auto mechanic. Lately, though, with debts piling up and a new investigation into her father's death, Lori needs an escape from Tumble Creek and an adventurous new lover. And that's where absent-minded but talented architect Quinn Jennings comes in - he's terrible at rela
More...
Dec 29, 2009
Tina
rated it:
This was an audio read:
I really enjoyed the first of the Tumble Creek series by Ms. Dahl, Talk Me Down so I had high hopes for Start Me Up. However, the more into the book I read (or listened) the more annoyed I became with the heroine, Molly. I found it hard to relate to her, she was so self deprecating. She found no redeeming qualities in her self for so long in the book that I began to feel the same way. Quinn, the hero, of course felt differently, but here again was a too strong More...
I really enjoyed the first of the Tumble Creek series by Ms. Dahl, Talk Me Down so I had high hopes for Start Me Up. However, the more into the book I read (or listened) the more annoyed I became with the heroine, Molly. I found it hard to relate to her, she was so self deprecating. She found no redeeming qualities in her self for so long in the book that I began to feel the same way. Quinn, the hero, of course felt differently, but here again was a too strong More...
Dec 07, 2009
Erin
rated it:
"You read romance novels all the time. What are the most obvious signs of true love? Drama! Arguments! Tension!"
"Those are also the most obvious signs of domestic abuse."
With this brief exchange between protagonist Lori and her best friend Molly, Victoria Dahl sums up a problem many contemporary readers have with romance novels. They're fantasy: the white knight rescues the princess, true love conquers all, one good lay solves all your problems. More...
Aug 26, 2011
Samantha
rated it:
Victoria Dahl's contemporary Tumble Creek series is kinda of like SEP if she took more risks with her characters, especially in the boudoir. Lori moved back home years ago while attending college after her father sustained a serious injury that left him a basically incapacitated state. She's taken over his garage and given up her dream of traveling the world to be there for her father and even after he passes away she can't seem to leave. When an interesting opportunity to get some action com
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Feb 15, 2010
Marquetta (LoveToReadForFun)
rated it: 
I would give this book 2.5 stars.
This is the second book in the Tumbler Creek series. We were briefly introduced to Lori Love, local mechanic, in the first book Talk Me Down. Lori's love (ha!) is non-existent. So non-existent that the folks of Tumbler Creek thinks that she's a lesbian. Lori inherited her father's car shop after he passed away. Being a mechanic and a tomboy doesn't have the men of Tumbler Creek knocking down her door. I loved Lori, at first. I can totally relate to t More...
This is the second book in the Tumbler Creek series. We were briefly introduced to Lori Love, local mechanic, in the first book Talk Me Down. Lori's love (ha!) is non-existent. So non-existent that the folks of Tumbler Creek thinks that she's a lesbian. Lori inherited her father's car shop after he passed away. Being a mechanic and a tomboy doesn't have the men of Tumbler Creek knocking down her door. I loved Lori, at first. I can totally relate to t More...
Nov 08, 2010
Rva
rated it:
Quinn is the ultimate hot nerd living his dream, while Lori is trapped in a life she did not want. When her father is injured, she gives up her dreams of traveling and pursuing a career in international business, and ends up back in Tumble Creek, running her father's garage. Her love life is so non-existent that the town thinks she is a lesbian. She and her best friend, Molly(Talk Me Down)decides a summer fling is just the way to perk Lori up. Quinn, Molly's brother, just so happens to be the ob
More...
Jan 22, 2012
Nico
rated it:
Finally! A contemporary romance with a smart, funny woman who doesn't need to be cradled like a trembling child and who finds a smart, funny man who treats her with love and respect. I adored this book! I was on the hunt for "beta" heroes, as they've been labeled, but which I would categorize as Normal Guys. I like contemporary romance: I like the realism. And I don't know about most women, but I don't see any dudes walking around like they stepped out of an underwear model shoot wh
More...
Jul 15, 2011
Quinn
rated it:
Start Me Up was another fun entry in the Tumble Creek series. I'll admit, I really liked the premise in this one. Lori and Quinn (Molly from Talk Me Down's brother) decide to embark on a no-strings-attached sexual relationship, where they enact some of Lori's fantasies from her favourite erotic romance novels. Fun, fun, fun!
I'm sure in other hands this could have come across as cheesy or tawdry, but Victoria Dahl handled it perfectly. The book never lost its sense of humour and we g More...
I'm sure in other hands this could have come across as cheesy or tawdry, but Victoria Dahl handled it perfectly. The book never lost its sense of humour and we g More...
Feb 07, 2010
Alea
rated it:
Start Me Up is a step up from Talk Me Down, the first of the Tumble Creek series from Victoria Dahl. While I didn't dislike Talk Me Down, Start Me Up really started going in a direction I was hoping for character and plotwise.
Lori was a realistic and spunky character, I just liked her. Her problems seemed real and she took her life serious but was able to realize she needed more fun in her life and went out and found it. Quinn was so sweet and nerdy *swoon*. Together they had a wonde More...
Lori was a realistic and spunky character, I just liked her. Her problems seemed real and she took her life serious but was able to realize she needed more fun in her life and went out and found it. Quinn was so sweet and nerdy *swoon*. Together they had a wonde More...
Apr 22, 2011
Michelle
rated it:
I really liked the story and I like the way Dahl writes, but Lori's character just ruined it for me. She was so full of contradictions it wasn't funny. She lived in the town she grew up in yet she wants to see the world. She is a mechanic and loves her job yet she feels like her life is at a dead end. She reads erotic romance novels and believes in a happy ever after and yet she ignores her feelings for Quinn because it's only supposed to "be about the sex". She griped about every
More...
Dec 16, 2010
Darcy
rated it:
This book had me laughing right from the first page. Molly and Lori together are a handful and I feel sorry for anyone that is around them because they will run roughshod over everyone, but it is fun to watch.
But sadly, Molly and Lori weren't together all that much in the book. Lori and Quinn come a close second. Both of their social awkwardness and fighting was both fun and hot. But I did get really tired of Lori and all her issues. It was ok at the beginning of the book to exp More...
But sadly, Molly and Lori weren't together all that much in the book. Lori and Quinn come a close second. Both of their social awkwardness and fighting was both fun and hot. But I did get really tired of Lori and all her issues. It was ok at the beginning of the book to exp More...
Apr 08, 2011
Lady Allison St. Vincent
rated it:
4.5 stars
What a FANTASTIC series, I'm lovin' it!
Lori is Molly's (from Talk Me Down) best friend. She had plans growing up. International business major in Boston, travel all over the world & take it by storm...but life had a different idea for her. When her father got injured while she was in college, she quit everything to come home & take care of him. Then when he passed, she took over his business, his house, his life. At the cost of everything she ever wanted for hers More...
What a FANTASTIC series, I'm lovin' it!
Lori is Molly's (from Talk Me Down) best friend. She had plans growing up. International business major in Boston, travel all over the world & take it by storm...but life had a different idea for her. When her father got injured while she was in college, she quit everything to come home & take care of him. Then when he passed, she took over his business, his house, his life. At the cost of everything she ever wanted for hers More...
0 comments
like
(3 people liked it)
Nov 03, 2009
Wicked Incognito Now
rated it:
Another winner from Victoria Dahl!
So far, Victoria Dahl can do no wrong for me. She's excellent at historical romance, but I really love her contemporaries. She gets it just right. What so many other authors in this genre try to do, create a light, funny, heartwarming, and engaging romance....Dahl does perfectly.
Other contemporary romance authors end up creating stories that I find forced and silly. Not Dahl. Her characters consistently feel real and like people I' More...
So far, Victoria Dahl can do no wrong for me. She's excellent at historical romance, but I really love her contemporaries. She gets it just right. What so many other authors in this genre try to do, create a light, funny, heartwarming, and engaging romance....Dahl does perfectly.
Other contemporary romance authors end up creating stories that I find forced and silly. Not Dahl. Her characters consistently feel real and like people I' More...
Feb 21, 2010
Bhetti
rated it:
Before you can enter any relationship on a permanent basis, you need to decide who you are. Nobody can do that for you. Change is something we all are scared of but refusing to grow does not simply harm ourselves but those around us: you need to build a person and life you are satisfied with. You need to find a way to acknowledge what you want rather than allow yourself to be trapped in limbo, leaving your relationships in that state as well.
The first step our heroine takes is in allow More...
The first step our heroine takes is in allow More...
