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Temptation in the City #1
Bringing Down Sam
High school teacher Eve Barret has a secret--she was once a child modeling superstar. She's left that life far behind, and has no intention of returning to it. At least not until her best friends talk her into a crazy scheme to "bring down" Public Enemy Number 1: Sam Kenneman.
Sam Kenneman has every woman in the country up in arms about his new bestseller, 101 Ways To Avoid Commitment. The book's supposed to be a joke--but women aren't getting it. Now he just wants the frenzy to die down so life can go back to normal.
Her goal? Teach him a lesson.
His goal? Don't fall for the sexy blonde.
The problem? They can't resist each other!
Sam Kenneman has every woman in the country up in arms about his new bestseller, 101 Ways To Avoid Commitment. The book's supposed to be a joke--but women aren't getting it. Now he just wants the frenzy to die down so life can go back to normal.
Her goal? Teach him a lesson.
His goal? Don't fall for the sexy blonde.
The problem? They can't resist each other!
210 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 28, 2012
125 people are currently reading
781 people want to read
About the author
Leslie Kelly
278 books406 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
New York Times Bestselling author, Leslie Kelly writes sexy romances and dark romantic thrillers. A four-time RWA RITA Award nominee, eleven-time Romantic Times Award nominee and 2006 RT Award winner, Leslie has become known for her delightful characters, sparkling dialogue, and outrageous humor in her romances, and for the dark grittiness of her thrillers. Since the publication of her first book in 1999, Leslie has gone on to pen more than forty sassy, sexy romances for Harlequin Temptation, Blaze, and HQN.
In 2009, Leslie began tapping into her love for dark suspense by penning several books under the pseudonym Leslie Parrish. The Black CATs and Extrasensory Agents series quickly put Leslie on the must-read list of romantic-suspense fans.
Tired of writing under various names, Leslie decided to go into her next genre--futuristic thrillers with a suspense element--under her real name. She released her dark, gritty Veronica Sloan books, and reissued the Black CATs series, as Leslie A. Kelly.
Leslie lives in Denver with her husband Bruce--her real-life romance hero. Visit her online at lesliekelly.com (for her sexy romances) or at leslieAkelly.com (for her romantic suspense.)
New York Times Bestselling author, Leslie Kelly writes sexy romances and dark romantic thrillers. A four-time RWA RITA Award nominee, eleven-time Romantic Times Award nominee and 2006 RT Award winner, Leslie has become known for her delightful characters, sparkling dialogue, and outrageous humor in her romances, and for the dark grittiness of her thrillers. Since the publication of her first book in 1999, Leslie has gone on to pen more than forty sassy, sexy romances for Harlequin Temptation, Blaze, and HQN.
In 2009, Leslie began tapping into her love for dark suspense by penning several books under the pseudonym Leslie Parrish. The Black CATs and Extrasensory Agents series quickly put Leslie on the must-read list of romantic-suspense fans.
Tired of writing under various names, Leslie decided to go into her next genre--futuristic thrillers with a suspense element--under her real name. She released her dark, gritty Veronica Sloan books, and reissued the Black CATs series, as Leslie A. Kelly.
Leslie lives in Denver with her husband Bruce--her real-life romance hero. Visit her online at lesliekelly.com (for her sexy romances) or at leslieAkelly.com (for her romantic suspense.)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
March 17, 2013
3 Stars! Just average, but Sam was splendid!
It's been a while since I've read a book by Leslie Kelly and when I saw this one offered for .99, I bought it right away. I've enjoyed her books in the past, particularly She Drives Me Crazy, which was a funny, sexy story that had two great main characters, who sizzled together. I can’t say that for this book, it was just an ordinary read, with one character I loved, barely there chemistry, and a few fun moments that were far and few between.
Eve, and her best friends, Leanne, Diana and Ruthie, plot to bring down the notorious Sam Kenneman, author of 101 Ways to Avoid Commitment, a book that has woman in a frenzy over his sexist comments. What they don't realize is that the book was written as a joke, and Sam is a gentleman, and would love to have a special someone in his life. They set Eve out to lure him in, and then shatter his heart. Sam doesn't take the bait and the plot in the story played itself out within the first few chapters of the book. I was okay with that, and the fact that Eve and Sam were truly attracted to each other, but it was done with endless narrative, instead of letting the characters express their feelings for each other. More dialogue please! There were some fun moments, and it was pretty steamy read, but not much else. There was a last ditch effort at the end to bring in some extra drama, but it read like a last ditch effort to bring in some drama! Sam's half-brother, Jake, made an intense appearance, and his relationship with Sam was something I would have like to have seen explored, but then he was gone, as were Eve's friends, we barely heard from them again. They had a huge part in the initial plot, they schemed together, because they were all disgusted about the book, but then they just fell off the pages. So much missed opportunity.
Eve was a cute, but not a memorable character, however Sam was a charmer. He had a great sense of humor, a forgiving heart; and he was funny, and incredibly hot! One of the things I did enjoy in the book was each chapter began with a quote from Sam’s book which gave you an idea of what was in store.
I found a few spelling errors, not many, but they were there. I know in the past Leslie Kelly published quite a few books under Harlequin, and this one was self-published, so I’ll give her some room for error. I know that she hopes to continue this series with Jake’s book, and I am looking forward to it, what little I read about him, intrigued me. I just hope that the author can bring more life to the characters in the next book and keep the story on track. I know she can do it, because I’ve read so many of her books that I enjoyed.
June 10, 2012
Rating 3.5 stars
I like Leslie Kelly as a writer and have read a lot of her Temptations and her darker suspense books under the name Leslie Parrish.
Bringing Down Sam is a contemporary offering from the author and a very good read. It starts of as four friends meeting for drinks and getting angry on behalf of woman-kind for a book authored by the hero Sam called 101 Ways to Avoid Commitment, somehow our former child model and current high school teacher heroine Eve finds herself the bait in a scheme to bring down Sam. The plan give him what he seems to want, a bimbo and then break his heart. Against her better judgement Eve finds herself agreeing to the plan since she can't say no to her friends, she found them after she was lost, after her father went to jail for cheating people out of thousands on her behalf. She draws the line at physical contact though.
The plan starts off with Eve in a provocative shoot at the magazine her friend Diana and the hero Sam works but things don't go as planned since Sam does seem attracted to her at first but the moment she puts on her airy act withdraws.
Sam isn't a bad guy, he just wrote a book that worked, it wasn't meant to harm just intended as a joke and the people close to him get that but he has two camps among women now, one with women who want to use a pitchfork on him the other who want to reform him and what he wants is the right woman, who isn't a airy head.
He likes Eve's assets but finds himself disappointed when he thinks she is an air-head but then are contradictions to her behaviour which he notices and he catches on to her act at a party he escorts her too.
Sam also has a thing against deception this is something we are made aware of and so is Eve at the party when they run into Sam's dad. Sam used to work for his father but five years ago his world crashed, on his 26th birthday he and his family learnt he had a half-brother, 2 days younger than him, a product of his father's affair in the early days of his marriage, this caused Sam to walk away and his mother to divorce his father.
By that time Eve has come to see that Sam isn't a bad guy and that revenge was a bad idea. I did like how this wasn't treated as some big drama point, she does tell Sam the truth and it is handled fairly well and they become a couple. Amongst all this is Sam's father who is depicted as a man desperate to make amends and reach out to his son.
This book made for a short, sweet and sexy read and introduced a great bunch of friends and an interesting half-brother I won't mind reading about.
I like Leslie Kelly as a writer and have read a lot of her Temptations and her darker suspense books under the name Leslie Parrish.
Bringing Down Sam is a contemporary offering from the author and a very good read. It starts of as four friends meeting for drinks and getting angry on behalf of woman-kind for a book authored by the hero Sam called 101 Ways to Avoid Commitment, somehow our former child model and current high school teacher heroine Eve finds herself the bait in a scheme to bring down Sam. The plan give him what he seems to want, a bimbo and then break his heart. Against her better judgement Eve finds herself agreeing to the plan since she can't say no to her friends, she found them after she was lost, after her father went to jail for cheating people out of thousands on her behalf. She draws the line at physical contact though.
The plan starts off with Eve in a provocative shoot at the magazine her friend Diana and the hero Sam works but things don't go as planned since Sam does seem attracted to her at first but the moment she puts on her airy act withdraws.
Sam isn't a bad guy, he just wrote a book that worked, it wasn't meant to harm just intended as a joke and the people close to him get that but he has two camps among women now, one with women who want to use a pitchfork on him the other who want to reform him and what he wants is the right woman, who isn't a airy head.
He likes Eve's assets but finds himself disappointed when he thinks she is an air-head but then are contradictions to her behaviour which he notices and he catches on to her act at a party he escorts her too.
Sam also has a thing against deception this is something we are made aware of and so is Eve at the party when they run into Sam's dad. Sam used to work for his father but five years ago his world crashed, on his 26th birthday he and his family learnt he had a half-brother, 2 days younger than him, a product of his father's affair in the early days of his marriage, this caused Sam to walk away and his mother to divorce his father.
By that time Eve has come to see that Sam isn't a bad guy and that revenge was a bad idea. I did like how this wasn't treated as some big drama point, she does tell Sam the truth and it is handled fairly well and they become a couple. Amongst all this is Sam's father who is depicted as a man desperate to make amends and reach out to his son.
This book made for a short, sweet and sexy read and introduced a great bunch of friends and an interesting half-brother I won't mind reading about.
May 4, 2015
My preference in general, is the deeper, more emotional read. But sometimes a lighter, ‘make me smile’ read is just what the doctor ordered. Such is the case with Bringing Down Sam by Leslie Kelly. I’ve read more than a few of her books that were published through Harlequin and quite enjoyed them. So when this book popped up somewhere, either for free or a greatly reduced price, I snapped it up. It was the first contemporary book I read after a slew of Westerns and was a delicious cleansing to my pallet – not that I didn’t enjoy the Western run, but a change was a nice change of pace.
Sam Kenneman writes for a column for a men’s type magazine and has also written a few self-help books for men dealing with women. His latest book was written very tongue in cheek, 101 Ways to Avoid Commitment. But the problem with writing something tongue in cheek is that sometimes people take you seriously. I’ve had this happen to me on occasion. Just about everything I write is in that vein and there has been a few times I’ve had to go back and say I wasn’t serious. So I ‘got’ the whole thing.
Unfortunately, a friend of Eve Barret, our heroine, was dumped by her boyfriend ‘cause he thought the book was serious. Eve and her friends decide to get back at Sam for what he’s caused. Eve is a former child model and gorgeous so she is the ‘bait’. She’s a high school teacher now, but the plan is she pretends to be a ditzy model, that’s the kind of girlfriend Sam’s book recommends. She will make Sam fall in love with her and then dump him to teach him a lesson. They are in luck as one of her group of friends works at the very same magazine as an editor.
But the plan is destined to fail as ‘ditzy’ is the least kind of girl he’s interested in and things get a bit complicated when he sees glimpses of an intelligent woman behind the mask Eve shows to Sam.
This could have been a book of frustrating misunderstandings that can make the reader grit their teeth, but most gratefully it isn’t. We see Sam right away as a great hero with deep seated issues dealing with a controlling father. Eve sees past the ‘public’ Sam and it doesn’t take her long at all to figure out that the book he wrote was done tongue in cheek and she begins to fall for the real Sam, just as he is falling for the real Eve. But she feels guilty because of the ‘plan’. She also has deep buried issues going back to her years as a child model with a con man for a father.
There are excerpts at the start of every chapter taken from his book and I really did get a hoot out of his ‘recommendations’ in avoiding commitment. I really, really like both Sam and Eve. They are perfect for each other and have similar issues stemming from their childhoods. They are both good people who care a lot about others close to them. They are both the kind of people I’d love as friends. There is no Big M thank goodness. I read much of the book with a smile on my face thinking “I like this book, I really do.”
There is another book in the series that just came out May 1 and deals with Sam’s half-brother who has a cameo in this one and one of the group of Eve’s friends. Of course I had to get it.
If you are a fan of light-hearted, fun contemporaries, then no question, this is a book you should enjoy.
Sam Kenneman writes for a column for a men’s type magazine and has also written a few self-help books for men dealing with women. His latest book was written very tongue in cheek, 101 Ways to Avoid Commitment. But the problem with writing something tongue in cheek is that sometimes people take you seriously. I’ve had this happen to me on occasion. Just about everything I write is in that vein and there has been a few times I’ve had to go back and say I wasn’t serious. So I ‘got’ the whole thing.
Unfortunately, a friend of Eve Barret, our heroine, was dumped by her boyfriend ‘cause he thought the book was serious. Eve and her friends decide to get back at Sam for what he’s caused. Eve is a former child model and gorgeous so she is the ‘bait’. She’s a high school teacher now, but the plan is she pretends to be a ditzy model, that’s the kind of girlfriend Sam’s book recommends. She will make Sam fall in love with her and then dump him to teach him a lesson. They are in luck as one of her group of friends works at the very same magazine as an editor.
But the plan is destined to fail as ‘ditzy’ is the least kind of girl he’s interested in and things get a bit complicated when he sees glimpses of an intelligent woman behind the mask Eve shows to Sam.
This could have been a book of frustrating misunderstandings that can make the reader grit their teeth, but most gratefully it isn’t. We see Sam right away as a great hero with deep seated issues dealing with a controlling father. Eve sees past the ‘public’ Sam and it doesn’t take her long at all to figure out that the book he wrote was done tongue in cheek and she begins to fall for the real Sam, just as he is falling for the real Eve. But she feels guilty because of the ‘plan’. She also has deep buried issues going back to her years as a child model with a con man for a father.
There are excerpts at the start of every chapter taken from his book and I really did get a hoot out of his ‘recommendations’ in avoiding commitment. I really, really like both Sam and Eve. They are perfect for each other and have similar issues stemming from their childhoods. They are both good people who care a lot about others close to them. They are both the kind of people I’d love as friends. There is no Big M thank goodness. I read much of the book with a smile on my face thinking “I like this book, I really do.”
There is another book in the series that just came out May 1 and deals with Sam’s half-brother who has a cameo in this one and one of the group of Eve’s friends. Of course I had to get it.
If you are a fan of light-hearted, fun contemporaries, then no question, this is a book you should enjoy.
June 11, 2012
I’m a huge fan of Leslie Kelly, and was very excited when she posted at Plotmonkeys she was self-pubbing Bringing Down Sam. She is one of my auto-buy authors and I know I’ll love her story even before I open the cover or turn on my kindle.
I really loved Bringing Down Sam so much. The friendship between Eve and her friends was perfectly written. Best friends will do anything for each other, and Eve helping her friends out with their latest scheme was spot on. I honestly didn’t expect to really like Sam after reading about his book, but I think I fell for him almost as quickly as Eve.
I felt the chemistry between Eve and Sam from the first time they met. Granted it was mostly lust in the beginning, but I couldn’t wait for them to give in to that attraction. There was so much more to both Eve and Sam and as they spent more time together, I could see them growing so much closer. Eve is still keeping the secret of the scheme she is helping her friends with, yet can’t seem to keep away from Sam. Eve and Sam have some of the sexiest love scenes, which I’ve come to expect from all Leslie Kelly books. There was also a sweetness about them together, which I really loved.
Bringing Down Sam is currently available from Amazon, but will be available from other online retailers later this summer.
I really loved Bringing Down Sam so much. The friendship between Eve and her friends was perfectly written. Best friends will do anything for each other, and Eve helping her friends out with their latest scheme was spot on. I honestly didn’t expect to really like Sam after reading about his book, but I think I fell for him almost as quickly as Eve.
I felt the chemistry between Eve and Sam from the first time they met. Granted it was mostly lust in the beginning, but I couldn’t wait for them to give in to that attraction. There was so much more to both Eve and Sam and as they spent more time together, I could see them growing so much closer. Eve is still keeping the secret of the scheme she is helping her friends with, yet can’t seem to keep away from Sam. Eve and Sam have some of the sexiest love scenes, which I’ve come to expect from all Leslie Kelly books. There was also a sweetness about them together, which I really loved.
Bringing Down Sam is currently available from Amazon, but will be available from other online retailers later this summer.
August 31, 2013
Eve Barret, a High school teacher,was once a child modeling superstar. But she's left that life. Yet, her best friends talk her into a crazy scheme to "bring down" Public Enemy Number 1: Sam Kenneman.
The man has every woman in the country up in arms about his new bestseller, 101 Ways To Avoid Commitment. The book's supposed to be a joke--but women aren't getting it, and men are taking it to heart. Her goal? Teach him a lesson. His goal? Don't fall for the sexy blonde. The problem? They are really attracted to each other!
In this fast pace book, you find humor, love, awe, chemistry, deceit, lies, and thats just the beginning. You gotta love the four friends. And right from the start, you gotta love Sam. 5 stars.
The man has every woman in the country up in arms about his new bestseller, 101 Ways To Avoid Commitment. The book's supposed to be a joke--but women aren't getting it, and men are taking it to heart. Her goal? Teach him a lesson. His goal? Don't fall for the sexy blonde. The problem? They are really attracted to each other!
In this fast pace book, you find humor, love, awe, chemistry, deceit, lies, and thats just the beginning. You gotta love the four friends. And right from the start, you gotta love Sam. 5 stars.
June 12, 2012
4.5 stars. Sweet and sexy. Sam is a great hero, and Eve is a good heroine. I liked the way they each saw through the other right away, and that they were honest with each other. I felt relaxed and comfortable reading this. It would be the perfect book to curl up on the couch with for a lazy afternoon read.
Leslie Kelly has a warm, witty voice that I've always loved. That carries through in this book really well. It made me completely miss the Temptation line from Harlequin, where Kelly got her start and which was sooo good.
Leslie Kelly has a warm, witty voice that I've always loved. That carries through in this book really well. It made me completely miss the Temptation line from Harlequin, where Kelly got her start and which was sooo good.
January 11, 2016
*yawn*
October 18, 2017
This was a great book. Loved it.
October 20, 2015
SNS Rating: 5.0
~~~~~~~~~~Dee's ★★★★★ Review~~~~~~~~~~
Well, I have another name to add to my list of favorite authors! Loved this story of Eve and Sam. Sam writes a book that has all the ladies up in arms. Eve and her girlfriends hatch a plan to set him up, to publicly humiliate him. To do this Eve must pretend to be a ditsy blond in order to sucker him in. It was absolutely hilarious some of the situations that emerged. Add to this a strong attraction to each other, secrets and lies, family jealousies and manipulation and you have all the exciting ingredients to a sexy, fascinating drama that is so sweet to the heart to the last page. I am looking forward to more stories from this author.
~~~~~~~~~~Lillian's ★★★★★ Review~~~~~~~~~~
This is the two book that I have read in the series I read book 2 first but that is okay. There is this new book out and it has all the women worked up but not in a good way. Diana & Eve have decided that it is time to teach the author Sam a big lesson. Eve isn't too sure about this plan but she can't let her bestie Diana down. She has to get Sam to like her and she needs to break his heart can she really do this?
Eve is no longer a high profile model but she still looks after herself and people still recognize her and she has too come across as a real bimbo that needs a man to do everything for her. Sam likes what he sees but once she opens her mouth he can't run away fast enough.
How long can Eve carry on with this as she finds that she really likes Sam and she wants him to see the real her but she can't tell him the truth yet. Will he forgive her or will it destroy them? Sam has no idea that Eve is hiding her true self until he does some digging and he knows that she couldn't have had anything to do with what happened.
Will Sam feel the same after he finds out about Eve & her plan or will he let her go. Can Eve survive the hurt and pain that she is about to cause.
Can they both just work through it and be happy as they both deserve it.
A great interesting read with LOL moments and just a fun story for a lazy day. I am glad that we can all get a second chance and that our parents don't get to make our choices for us.
~~~~~~~~~~Dee's ★★★★★ Review~~~~~~~~~~
Well, I have another name to add to my list of favorite authors! Loved this story of Eve and Sam. Sam writes a book that has all the ladies up in arms. Eve and her girlfriends hatch a plan to set him up, to publicly humiliate him. To do this Eve must pretend to be a ditsy blond in order to sucker him in. It was absolutely hilarious some of the situations that emerged. Add to this a strong attraction to each other, secrets and lies, family jealousies and manipulation and you have all the exciting ingredients to a sexy, fascinating drama that is so sweet to the heart to the last page. I am looking forward to more stories from this author.
~~~~~~~~~~Lillian's ★★★★★ Review~~~~~~~~~~
This is the two book that I have read in the series I read book 2 first but that is okay. There is this new book out and it has all the women worked up but not in a good way. Diana & Eve have decided that it is time to teach the author Sam a big lesson. Eve isn't too sure about this plan but she can't let her bestie Diana down. She has to get Sam to like her and she needs to break his heart can she really do this?
Eve is no longer a high profile model but she still looks after herself and people still recognize her and she has too come across as a real bimbo that needs a man to do everything for her. Sam likes what he sees but once she opens her mouth he can't run away fast enough.
How long can Eve carry on with this as she finds that she really likes Sam and she wants him to see the real her but she can't tell him the truth yet. Will he forgive her or will it destroy them? Sam has no idea that Eve is hiding her true self until he does some digging and he knows that she couldn't have had anything to do with what happened.
Will Sam feel the same after he finds out about Eve & her plan or will he let her go. Can Eve survive the hurt and pain that she is about to cause.
Can they both just work through it and be happy as they both deserve it.
A great interesting read with LOL moments and just a fun story for a lazy day. I am glad that we can all get a second chance and that our parents don't get to make our choices for us.
November 26, 2015
At age eighteen, Eve Barret walked away from her childhood modeling days, and she’s happy to have left that life behind her. Now she has a few close friends and a job as a high school teacher. Sam Kenneman would be every woman’s dream—had he not written the bestselling book 101 Ways to Avoid Commitment. The book is supposed to be a joke, but with men using it as their dating bible, most women hate Sam, including two of Eve’s friends who have been dumped because of the so-called advice in the book.
Eve’s friends have cooked up a scheme to bring Sam to his knees, and it all falls to Eve. She pretends to be a ditzy model in order to make him fall in love with her, and then the plan is for her to break up with him and embarrass him publicly. But Sam sees through her vapid behavior and actually begins to enjoy the company of the real Eve. And Eve realizes the man behind the book may not be who she originally thought.
Bringing Down Sam was an enjoyable read, although it felt like it could have ended a lot sooner than it did. I liked the author’s writing style and the romance was believable. Eve tried to play the dumb model, but every time Sam got her riled up she would lose the façade in order to snap back at him, contributing to Sam’s confusion and his desire to find out who she really was. Bit by bit, Eve got to know the real Sam and realized he wasn’t the swine everyone thought. I was impressed that Eve came clean about the scheme in a timely manner, instead of drawing it out for the sake of lengthening the story. At the same time, once Sam accepted her apology and they moved on, it felt like the story could have been over.
But there was more. Sam’s father had been trying to get Sam back to work with him, and someone blackmailed Eve to get her away from Sam. There were bits of the familial drama sewn throughout the beginning of the book, but it felt like two separate story lines: the romance and the blackmail. It wasn’t one hundred percent cohesive.
Overall, I did like the book and would likely read more by this author.
For more of my reviews, please visit https://rachlawrencebooks.wordpress.com/.
Eve’s friends have cooked up a scheme to bring Sam to his knees, and it all falls to Eve. She pretends to be a ditzy model in order to make him fall in love with her, and then the plan is for her to break up with him and embarrass him publicly. But Sam sees through her vapid behavior and actually begins to enjoy the company of the real Eve. And Eve realizes the man behind the book may not be who she originally thought.
Bringing Down Sam was an enjoyable read, although it felt like it could have ended a lot sooner than it did. I liked the author’s writing style and the romance was believable. Eve tried to play the dumb model, but every time Sam got her riled up she would lose the façade in order to snap back at him, contributing to Sam’s confusion and his desire to find out who she really was. Bit by bit, Eve got to know the real Sam and realized he wasn’t the swine everyone thought. I was impressed that Eve came clean about the scheme in a timely manner, instead of drawing it out for the sake of lengthening the story. At the same time, once Sam accepted her apology and they moved on, it felt like the story could have been over.
But there was more. Sam’s father had been trying to get Sam back to work with him, and someone blackmailed Eve to get her away from Sam. There were bits of the familial drama sewn throughout the beginning of the book, but it felt like two separate story lines: the romance and the blackmail. It wasn’t one hundred percent cohesive.
Overall, I did like the book and would likely read more by this author.
For more of my reviews, please visit https://rachlawrencebooks.wordpress.com/.
June 19, 2013
i thought this book was okay. it wasn't the best book I've ever read but it was alright. there wasn't any heartbreak and i was really expecting it. at first i had my doubts about this book because even though i read books like this before, the blurb didn't really draw me in. but after a few weeks of thinking about it, i finally decided to read because normally i end up liked the book to some degree anyways. i wasn't highly disappointed, i just hoped there was an argument somewhere in the book because there were loads of opportunity.
I'm happy that Sam and his dad finally sorted there problems and became close again. The Robbie storyline was really obvious. as soon as Robbie turned up at Sam house to talk to Eve and then told her to tell same about the article i knew it was him. i even knew his reasons why and that he was going to be watching Eve from outside Sam' house, all before Sam and Eve figured it out.
i hoped the Robbie storyline would be ore explosive. because nothing bad really happened. there wasn't even an argument.
i don't think i would recommend this book because my friends are very picky in there book choices. I'm the Guinea pig that reads the books so they don't have to read it if its bad. (its saves me getting an earful from them!)
I'm happy that Sam and his dad finally sorted there problems and became close again. The Robbie storyline was really obvious. as soon as Robbie turned up at Sam house to talk to Eve and then told her to tell same about the article i knew it was him. i even knew his reasons why and that he was going to be watching Eve from outside Sam' house, all before Sam and Eve figured it out.
i hoped the Robbie storyline would be ore explosive. because nothing bad really happened. there wasn't even an argument.
i don't think i would recommend this book because my friends are very picky in there book choices. I'm the Guinea pig that reads the books so they don't have to read it if its bad. (its saves me getting an earful from them!)
July 23, 2013
Taking a break from historical romance, I found this delightful story by Leslie Kelly. I've read a couple other of her stories even though I'm not a contemporary romance fan. She's helping to convert me.
The plot is simple but creative. I'm in need of a laugh these days and Kelly proveded me with numerous, unexpected chuckles.
The hero (Sam) wrote a book, which was meant to be satire. The title: 101 Ways to Avoid Commitment. There's a humorous excerpt from the book at the beginning of each chapter (Where is the rest of the book? I could use the 101 barks of laughter). Though the hero meant for the book to be taken as a joke, the male population has taken to the work seriously, using it as a dataing bible. Men love him; women hate him.
The heroine and her girlfriends have a few too many drinks one night and come up with a plan to revenge women everywhere - Bring Sam Down. The heroine, a school teacher (stunningly beautiful), with a troubled past she'd prefer stay forgotten, is voted as the one of the four of them most likely to succeed.
She must make Sam fall for her and then break up with him in the most public way possible.
Funny how a few too many drinks makes any plan seem possible.
Excellent read.
The plot is simple but creative. I'm in need of a laugh these days and Kelly proveded me with numerous, unexpected chuckles.
The hero (Sam) wrote a book, which was meant to be satire. The title: 101 Ways to Avoid Commitment. There's a humorous excerpt from the book at the beginning of each chapter (Where is the rest of the book? I could use the 101 barks of laughter). Though the hero meant for the book to be taken as a joke, the male population has taken to the work seriously, using it as a dataing bible. Men love him; women hate him.
The heroine and her girlfriends have a few too many drinks one night and come up with a plan to revenge women everywhere - Bring Sam Down. The heroine, a school teacher (stunningly beautiful), with a troubled past she'd prefer stay forgotten, is voted as the one of the four of them most likely to succeed.
She must make Sam fall for her and then break up with him in the most public way possible.
Funny how a few too many drinks makes any plan seem possible.
Excellent read.
June 4, 2015
Eve Barret is a high school teacher. While on summer break she goes to spend time with her three friends in Philadelphia. Leanne, Ruthie, and Diana were her good friends. Leanne had been broken up with because of a book written by Sam Kennerman about staying single. He quoted his book as he broke up with Leanne and she was heart broken. Diana and Ruthie thought it would be good to bring Sam down a peg or too and they wanted Eve to help with the plan. She hated seeing Leanne so broken up so she agreed to help. Eve use to be a model and Diana was the editor of a magazine. They had Eve play a model and got her introduced to Sam. They figured Sam would like Eve and she could get him to fall for her and them embarass him in public when she dumped him. However, when Eve met Sam she started seeing a good side to him and she liked it. After a while seeing Sam she knew she couldn't go through with her plan. Now she has to figure out how to tell Sam and will he still want to see her. This book does contain sex scenes so it isn't for everyone. It is a good story
April 29, 2013
I saw this was Free on Amazon, so I decided I would check it out. And for a "free" book it was okay, just something with an interesting story, and humor to pass the time away.
Sam Kenneman wrote a book that is supposed to be a "joke" but many men are taking it seriously and women are starting to hate Sam. Eve an ex model, and her three friends scheme to bring Sam down. They all believe Eve is able to teach him a lesson about falling for a women, then getting his heart stomped on. But things start to go wrong when they one can't resist each other, and two Eve thinks maybe there is more to Sam than what everyone believes there is.
I enjoyed both characters in this book, along with all of the side characters. It was very well written, but I felt it could have been a lot better, at times I felt just a little bit bored and wishing the book would be over with. Other than that I can say for a unique love story with lots of drama then this is the one for you.
Sam Kenneman wrote a book that is supposed to be a "joke" but many men are taking it seriously and women are starting to hate Sam. Eve an ex model, and her three friends scheme to bring Sam down. They all believe Eve is able to teach him a lesson about falling for a women, then getting his heart stomped on. But things start to go wrong when they one can't resist each other, and two Eve thinks maybe there is more to Sam than what everyone believes there is.
I enjoyed both characters in this book, along with all of the side characters. It was very well written, but I felt it could have been a lot better, at times I felt just a little bit bored and wishing the book would be over with. Other than that I can say for a unique love story with lots of drama then this is the one for you.
July 22, 2015
I absolutely loved it! I loved the smart, funny, sexy Sam who wrote 101 Ways to Avoid Commitment. It was a tongue-in-cheek how-to book he wrote as a joke but he was being raked over the coals because people thought he was serious. I loved Eve the gorgeous model turned teacher who made a bet with her friends to teach this cocky chauvinistic author a lesson he will never forget. Instead of finding a prick ready to play into her hands, Sam turns and runs far away from what thought was a ditzy blond model with all the classic stereotypes. They both played chicken until everything was finally out in the open and they each saw the other under the masks and really loved what they saw. The romance progressed beautifully and quickly without so many convoluted tropes. The steam was rising off the pages! They both also had some serious backstories to give their characters some depth and emotion. Well Done, Leslie Kelly!
June 18, 2015
A tongue in cheek look at relationship 'self-help' books and the people who take them totally seriously.
Sam is hated by women and loved by men for his best-selling relationship guide. Eve's friends hatch a plan after being on the receiving end of his advice, to bring down Sam. Eve is the bait but will the former-model turned teacher be enough to get him to bite?
It was a little predictable as to where this story was going but it was still an enjoyable read. The relationship tension between Sam and his father and Eve's back story kept it interesting and the story moving. It was a fun way to spend a couple of hours.
***Reviewed for LBM Book Blog***
Sam is hated by women and loved by men for his best-selling relationship guide. Eve's friends hatch a plan after being on the receiving end of his advice, to bring down Sam. Eve is the bait but will the former-model turned teacher be enough to get him to bite?
It was a little predictable as to where this story was going but it was still an enjoyable read. The relationship tension between Sam and his father and Eve's back story kept it interesting and the story moving. It was a fun way to spend a couple of hours.
***Reviewed for LBM Book Blog***
October 1, 2016
A revenge book that didn't follow through. Heroine and her girlfriends are mad at the hero for writing a sexist book on "how to avoid commitment" so they decide to bring him down. The beautiful heroine as the bait intends to lure him to his doom. In all fairness, the hero is quite intelligent and doesn't actually get fooled by the the heroine. Though he is attracted to her, he neatly side-steps her traps. That got my respect. The hero soon after admits that the book was written as a joke. The heroine is also attracted to him so she confesses and they embark on an actual relationship. So lots of sexy times and an attempted blackmail but they still pull through to their HEA.
October 31, 2012
I am a fan of Leslie Kelly I will say that this was not my favorite book but it was worth the read. I liked Sam and Eve they had good chemistry but it just was kind of anticlimactic. When I started reading it I was reminded of "How To Lose A Guy In Ten Day". The storyline was good and the supporting character were interesting and made me search for more books about them. I will say that Kelly know how to write a love scene and she doesn't disappoint. I will continue to buy Kelly's book because she is a great author that always gives you a happily ever after.
September 23, 2013
Any man tall enough to still be taller then a 5'10" model in heels is my kind of guy. Sam sounds like he would be the perfect for any one with a sweet tooth. His dad Jacob is a d**khead for so many reasons, but throwing her screwed up childhood back in Eve's face is just evil. For someone with a hideous past himself he should be cautious. I'm glad Sam isn't as easy to read as everyone thinks. And glad Eve is a knockout with a brain who isn't interested in what everyone thinks of her based on her looks.
November 8, 2016
I liked the set up, but the follow through wasn't there. Instead of focusing on the building of their relationship, a half assed scheme was put in place that didn't do anything but take up space. Eve was sure almost from the get go that Sam wasn't the sexist pig author, and Sam spent most of his time convincing himself that Eve wasn't the ditzy model she pretended. Now, they were either more way smarter and more observant than they seemed, or the author just hated the plot and couldn't go through with it.
January 3, 2013
I absolutely love Leslie Kelly's voice. Her characters have spunk and have such witty quips, I often find myself laughing out loud. Sam and Eve's story is everything I expected. I wanted more. I loved how Kelly dealt with Eve's backstory and the huge external conflict she had to deal with. Sam was a very likeable character and, I think, the perfect foil for Eve. I hope she writes stories for the other characters. I have read Ruthie's book; another great read. Happy reading!
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May 6, 2013Kindle cheapie or freebie I forget which.
These are the kinds of books I can read really quickly in between other books and not get too caught up in or invested. It reads like a Harlequin book for the most part. I was a little more drawn in than I normally would be though I can't really say why since it hits on a lot of the standard tropes. But it was an easy, quick, low commitment read with a guaranteed happy ending.
These are the kinds of books I can read really quickly in between other books and not get too caught up in or invested. It reads like a Harlequin book for the most part. I was a little more drawn in than I normally would be though I can't really say why since it hits on a lot of the standard tropes. But it was an easy, quick, low commitment read with a guaranteed happy ending.
May 12, 2013
Evie, is a high school teacher and former child model. She and her friends set up a scheme to bring down Sam. Sam has written a book that has annoyed them big time. This is a rather "silly" story. The plot is ridiculous, seemed appropriate for junior high girls to plan. The
bedroom scenes are numerou and descriptive.
This a was a free kindle and maybe over priced. Perhaps I am just to old to read this.
bedroom scenes are numerou and descriptive.
This a was a free kindle and maybe over priced. Perhaps I am just to old to read this.
September 10, 2016
3.5. I almost gave up on this one, because it didn't excite me at first. Or maybe I didn't like the female lead. Could be that I thought she was going to be really shallow. But I stuck with it and after I sunk into the groove, I enjoyed it. There were some very steamy moments and overall, it was a good read. I'll explore more of this group of characters, for sure. Man, am I behind on my reviews! I think I finished this just after Christmas.
March 25, 2015
I really enjoyed this book. :) It is very well written. The dialogue between characters is realistic and believable. The story line is cute and fun. Both main characters are easy to love and Sam is SO HOT! I almost wish there was a bit more drama, but at the same time, I've read too many heart-wrenching books and it was refreshing to read one that was mostly up-beat and left me feeling good. I'd absolutely recommend this book to my friends. Great job, Leslie Kelly!
May 4, 2015
Cute, but almost too unrealistic 3.5 stars
It was cute, but the relationship developed basically over two conversations to each other. Not at all realistic and kind of ridiculous. The book had real potential to be great, but it fell flat for me. I almost gave up reading about 30% in, but I decided to hang on. It got a little better towards the end, but still not a home run for me.
It was cute, but the relationship developed basically over two conversations to each other. Not at all realistic and kind of ridiculous. The book had real potential to be great, but it fell flat for me. I almost gave up reading about 30% in, but I decided to hang on. It got a little better towards the end, but still not a home run for me.
June 12, 2015
*I received this book free in exchange for an honest review*
This was a fun romance! I love stories like this, watching two people who can stand each other fall in love! The story line was a fun take on the whole prank romance. I enjoyed the characters, the wit, the fun. Sam and Eve are such a great couple, I enjoyed watching them fall in love! If you want a feel good romance that will leave you smiling at the end of it, and that's a great romance!
This was a fun romance! I love stories like this, watching two people who can stand each other fall in love! The story line was a fun take on the whole prank romance. I enjoyed the characters, the wit, the fun. Sam and Eve are such a great couple, I enjoyed watching them fall in love! If you want a feel good romance that will leave you smiling at the end of it, and that's a great romance!
April 27, 2013
This left me a little cold. It had promise and I would've liked the characters but it just didn't go in depth enough. It tried to twist and turn through a storyline but wasn't very effective. It's an easy short read and not awful but just had more potential than it realised. (Some spelling and word errors too which are always a little annoying.)
May 7, 2015
There were some good parts but I found myself just skimming this book and skipping over a lot, and I'm not one to usually do that. I basically read the conversation parts and skipped the description parts and half of the sexual parts as I thought there was more than needed to be and the book would have been better without.
December 6, 2015
Playing Hard To Get
Leanne, Diana and Ruthie talked their friend, Eve into a prank to take Philadelphia’s most eligible bachelor down. Sam was not only a handsome guy, but wealthy too.
What none or them knew, Sam was a tremendous, caring person, so their plan backfired, leaving 2 people who got tossed into a romance, to struggle with a relationship for all the wrong reasons.
Leanne, Diana and Ruthie talked their friend, Eve into a prank to take Philadelphia’s most eligible bachelor down. Sam was not only a handsome guy, but wealthy too.
What none or them knew, Sam was a tremendous, caring person, so their plan backfired, leaving 2 people who got tossed into a romance, to struggle with a relationship for all the wrong reasons.
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