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Out of Uniform #8
Getting Hotter
A good bad boy is hard to find.
Seth Masterson has been lusting over Miranda Breslin since the moment he saw her on a Vegas stage. Now that he’s been asked to watch out for her as she opens a dance studio in San Diego, he’s all over it, figuring it’s his chance to get her in his bed. Except the stubborn single mom seems determined to deny their crazy-sizzling sexual chemistry. In typical SEAL fashion, Seth makes it his personal mission to prove her wrong.
Miranda got over her attraction to bad boys about the time one of them knocked her up at the age of eighteen. Seth’s mocking gray eyes and military-buff bod, though, are pure and utter temptation. And when a flooded apartment forces her and her twins to move in with him, she can no longer resist the urge to set off some serious fireworks between the sheets.
But give him her heart? No, thank you. Any involvement with Seth will be strictly physical—and temporary. So when Seth decides permanent is what he wants, Miranda must steel her defenses before she does something incredibly foolish…like fall in love.
Warning: This book contains a bad boy SEAL who knows what he wants and will go to any lengths to get it. Expect some graphic language, hot sex, seduction, hot sex, dirty talk, hot sex, a little man-on-man action, hot sex. Oh, and hot sex.
Seth Masterson has been lusting over Miranda Breslin since the moment he saw her on a Vegas stage. Now that he’s been asked to watch out for her as she opens a dance studio in San Diego, he’s all over it, figuring it’s his chance to get her in his bed. Except the stubborn single mom seems determined to deny their crazy-sizzling sexual chemistry. In typical SEAL fashion, Seth makes it his personal mission to prove her wrong.
Miranda got over her attraction to bad boys about the time one of them knocked her up at the age of eighteen. Seth’s mocking gray eyes and military-buff bod, though, are pure and utter temptation. And when a flooded apartment forces her and her twins to move in with him, she can no longer resist the urge to set off some serious fireworks between the sheets.
But give him her heart? No, thank you. Any involvement with Seth will be strictly physical—and temporary. So when Seth decides permanent is what he wants, Miranda must steel her defenses before she does something incredibly foolish…like fall in love.
Warning: This book contains a bad boy SEAL who knows what he wants and will go to any lengths to get it. Expect some graphic language, hot sex, seduction, hot sex, dirty talk, hot sex, a little man-on-man action, hot sex. Oh, and hot sex.
262 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 28, 2018
681 people are currently reading
5521 people want to read
About the author
Elle Kennedy
181 books87k followersA New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Elle Kennedy grew up in the suburbs of Toronto, Ontario, and holds a B.A. in English from York University. From an early age, she knew she wanted to be a writer, and actively began pursuing that dream when she was a teenager.
Elle currently writes for various publishers. She loves strong heroines and sexy alpha heroes, and just enough heat and danger to keep things interesting!
Elle currently writes for various publishers. She loves strong heroines and sexy alpha heroes, and just enough heat and danger to keep things interesting!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 298 reviews
March 26, 2019
Navy Seal Seth Masterson and Miranda Breslin
Seth wants Miranda, but apparently Miranda is a single mother of two adorable children. And this scares him, because he does not know how to treat children and he does not want complications.
On the other hand Miranda adores her children and soon Seth will realise that if he wants to win Miranda he needs to win her children first. Not an easy task.
Miranda is not sure whether she would give Seth a chance. The father of her children was a dangerous, badboy also and he left her alone as soon as she was pregnant. Seth's behaviour is not reassuring, but she doesn't know that Seth is deep down a big softy and that he has a huge secret that torments him since he was a child.
I honestly tried very hard to like Seth and be sympathetic to his fears, but for the majority of the book he was getting in my nerves. I simply could not stand his behaviour.
Miranda is a strong likable girl, but still I didn’t like that she gives in to Seth although she knows that he cannot stand her kids -at least for a while.
The twins are the stars of this book obviously.
I mainly adored Dylan in this book! He is great to the kids. And there is so much chemistry between him and Aidan!
Seth wants Miranda, but apparently Miranda is a single mother of two adorable children. And this scares him, because he does not know how to treat children and he does not want complications.
On the other hand Miranda adores her children and soon Seth will realise that if he wants to win Miranda he needs to win her children first. Not an easy task.
Miranda is not sure whether she would give Seth a chance. The father of her children was a dangerous, badboy also and he left her alone as soon as she was pregnant. Seth's behaviour is not reassuring, but she doesn't know that Seth is deep down a big softy and that he has a huge secret that torments him since he was a child.
I honestly tried very hard to like Seth and be sympathetic to his fears, but for the majority of the book he was getting in my nerves. I simply could not stand his behaviour.
Miranda is a strong likable girl, but still I didn’t like that she gives in to Seth although she knows that he cannot stand her kids -at least for a while.
The twins are the stars of this book obviously.
I mainly adored Dylan in this book! He is great to the kids. And there is so much chemistry between him and Aidan!
January 2, 2020
Getting Hotter is the 8th book of the Out of Uniform series, the story of Miranda and Seth.
Characters
Unrealistic, unlikeable, and often irritating.
Yes, I know that it is fiction, but still it has to be believable. That’s the point of reading fiction: to escape reality and to be absorbed in a made-up world, and in the lives of the imaginary characters, laugh with them, cry with them, feel with them. I didn’t get it in this story, as I was constantly fretting about that how unrealistic this and that was.
Seth is a clichéd bad boy with perpetual stubble, and hot body, who never wants to settle down, and has a secret past tragedy.
And he is not really a nice guy...
Miranda is a superhot dancer, with an extra job, to top it all, an extra tiring job, to make you feel sympathy for her. She is also a supermom. Bah. Fictitious supermoms irritate me almost as much as the hypocrite real ones.
Anyway, Miranda, both as a mother and as a young woman is totally improbable. Let alone her children!
Plot
Lame and pretty boring. The revelation of Seth’s drama is staggering, but shallowly delineated.
Erotica
Not as steamy as in the previous installments of the series. Miranda’s approach to her sex life is not consistent. She hadn’t had sex in the last 7 years because she felt that a potential boyfriend would hurt her children, but now she is comfortable with a fling because what the children don’t know doesn’t hurt them. Logical, really.
Ending
Cheesy.
Secondary characters
Dylan and Aidan’s storyline actually saved the book. They were amazing, passionate, and their two kisses were much more sensual than all of the sex scenes of Seth and Miranda.
All in all
2 stars, but only because of Dylan and Aidan’s appearances.
Characters
Unrealistic, unlikeable, and often irritating.
Yes, I know that it is fiction, but still it has to be believable. That’s the point of reading fiction: to escape reality and to be absorbed in a made-up world, and in the lives of the imaginary characters, laugh with them, cry with them, feel with them. I didn’t get it in this story, as I was constantly fretting about that how unrealistic this and that was.
Seth is a clichéd bad boy with perpetual stubble, and hot body, who never wants to settle down, and has a secret past tragedy.
And he is not really a nice guy...
Grow a pair, buddy. If you wanna fuck the mom, you’ve gotta be nice to the kiddies.
Miranda is a superhot dancer, with an extra job, to top it all, an extra tiring job, to make you feel sympathy for her. She is also a supermom. Bah. Fictitious supermoms irritate me almost as much as the hypocrite real ones.
Anyway, Miranda, both as a mother and as a young woman is totally improbable. Let alone her children!
Plot
Lame and pretty boring. The revelation of Seth’s drama is staggering, but shallowly delineated.
Erotica
Not as steamy as in the previous installments of the series. Miranda’s approach to her sex life is not consistent. She hadn’t had sex in the last 7 years because she felt that a potential boyfriend would hurt her children, but now she is comfortable with a fling because what the children don’t know doesn’t hurt them. Logical, really.
Ending
Cheesy.
Secondary characters
Dylan and Aidan’s storyline actually saved the book. They were amazing, passionate, and their two kisses were much more sensual than all of the sex scenes of Seth and Miranda.
“Dylan.”
He took another step to the door.
“Dylan.” A commanding note entered Aidan’s voice.
Drawing a deep breath, he slowly turned around. “What?”
“I want the same damn thing.”
All in all
2 stars, but only because of Dylan and Aidan’s appearances.
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June 17, 2025
RATING: 2.5/3 stars to Trouble Maker ★ ★ ★
I did not have the best of beginnings with Elle Kennedy. And since subsequent reads echoed the same, some might even say I lack the staying power. Finding one Kennedy romance that I can say I enjoyed in its entirety has not yet come to pass. The Chase is the best it got for me, and even then I remember emerging with various states of ambivalence. I do enjoy elements of her romance books but the stories themselves often lack satisfaction in different ways. I'm thrilled by the idea of her stories more than I am the stories themselves, and this is swiftly becoming my relationship style with the author. I do credit her for the readability of her books and the pull of her written character chemistries, but I often feel discouraged by her content and characteristically come away with more character qualms, disappointments and shortcomings. Her characters, generally speaking, don't seem to impress upon me a great deal of connection or relatability. The romantic relationships she explores fail to sport a connectible emotional current in favour of being prolifically libidinous. They often fit into that illustrative archetype without fail, and her heroes follow suit and form the mould. In that regard I wouldn't call her books an exploration of romantic relationships as much as I would call them eroticised contemporary romance novels with a focus for character relationships. At least, this particular series embodies the style. Troublemaker was further attempt at trying my hand with the best expectations, and to redeem my earlier Kennedy ventures. What I might be beginning to realise, and what is becoming clear to me, is that I might just not be the best audience for her style of romance. I did feel the need to discontinue reading but I pressed forward for the sake of the experience and decided to give it a chance nonetheless. I think Elle Kennedy's brand of 'hero' doesn't equate to the quality of mine. She does seem to offer something of great interest for the romance reading crowd, but I keep coming to the same conclusion that I'm not partial to her romances. In tandem with the Off Campus series, I don't think I'll be reading more from her Out of Uniform series either. But to elaborate with my Trouble Maker experience, here are some thoughts, takeaways and general insights...
➜ I have indeed just plunged myself semi-unwittingly into the middle of another series, but in my defense, I hadn't quite realised that Trouble Maker was #8 in the Out of Uniform series. There are a plethora of original side characters, a lot of names and faces in this collective of navy SEALs. So just a polite caution for readers to make a more informed decision by reading earlier books in the series. That being said, this does and can read as a standalone, but as mentioned, you'll be graced with numerous supporting members who've already been paired up in life and romance, and you'll likely want to retreat to series traditionalism and start at the inception.
➜ Seth is indeed another permutation of what I'm beginning to understand is Kennedy's consistently preferred hero profile; the monogamy-phobic, virile, highly-sexed, non-commitment bachelor who does not quite know how to entertain more than the evanescence of a sexual tryst. The author does seem to thrive in her element in this particular sweet spot of hers, and she certainly enjoys writing to this depiction, so I do always encourage others to take the initiative and decide if a story is right for you. I do have a history of finding her male love interests to be disappointing, somewhere juvenile, uninspiring and emotionally unexplored. Not quite in the realm of my wheelhouse and not characterised well enough beyond their bed-mating excellence, so that's not to say my opinion should be pronounced as truth, only that I've tried, and as much as I want to love her romances, they fail to fulfill me and my romance reading ways. I'm not a patron nor partisan to the promiscuous male trope as it has (in my experience) additionally failed to offer more than the oversexed personalities that don't offer very much in return. Although I'm more than partial to the lustful chase and the erotic proclivities, I can't say her heroes impart very much upon me. Voracious sexual appetites typically usurp the intrigues of relationship building and an interesting relationship dynamic. I don't find her male protagonists to be particularly interesting in any memorable way, and all they seem to find interest in are the stakes to which they hold and boast their sexual prowess. As much as I do love this genre for its carnal appeal, I am the type of reader who requires more than that. This being said, Seth was not as intolerable as one might expect. But he also wasn't the most root-worthy romantic interest
➜ Generally, a hero in pursuit of a heroine is a great draw for me, and one of my favourite things in romance. I did appreciate Seth as someone who was insistent without relegating himself to the toxic chase. I found his pursuit to be adamant without being distasteful. I did have to contemplate his unwavering decision to pursue a resistant, over-busied single mother who'd rebuffed his advances on numerous occasions when he doesn't do commitment in any shape or form. I equally do have to question his wisdom in selecting a woman who possess the very thing he owns a lifelong aversion to in addition: children. To desire someone with the intent to bypass the importance of said person's children is a poorly judged way of operating. Although some might argue that a lifelong bachelor and a young committed mother should likely not, in full awareness of his 'relationship' style, be paired together, I suppose it's also fair to say that romances get to play with the possibilities of different people in different life situations. It is indeed what makes them interesting .That again being said, I really didn't hold as much qualm against this plot particular. I'm aware that numerous readers took up issue with Seth's chronic aversion to children, especially Miranda's, which is understandable. I didn't love it, but I wasn't as overtly disturbed by it because the resistance was pivotal to his character growth, and therein lies something to follow in the space of his personal growth and the confrontation of a wound that's also long been suppressed. The point of that particular character conflict was to have Seth eventually show himself to be a figure in her life, capable of reliability, not just to her, but to her children. It was an essential part of Seth's arc; even pivotal for him to face his seeming dislike and intolerance to Miranda's children. He does try and the author allows us to see that. His heart was in the right place. It's only natural that he'd have some difficulties and setbacks, and I preferred the final 30% because we actually received some emotional resonance. We get to understand the underbelly of that part of his history, and since he was profiled that way, it was required that this book challenge him where it hurts and prod at the old wounds that are quite obviously keeping him from sharing his heart. His pathological resistance to small human beings considered, i did see the necessity in pairing him with someone like Miranda. I think it was a well-judged choice, all things considered. The effort of trying makes all the difference.
➜ I wasn't too taken by Seth at all to begin with, and he didn't endear himself to me in any particular way. Initially, he was quite typicalised to the stereotype of bypassing all else of Miranda and her very real life responsibilities just to indulge the challenge of nothing else but his own sexual longing. My expectations for a 'good bad boy' were admittedly buzzing, but Seth did not achieve this to any great effect. Let it be known that I am still on my search for that good bad boy. Seth didn't give me very much to root for to begin with, and I didn't feel confident in him as the love interest Miranda needed at this point in her life, but I suppose he does make some improvement. What I would have liked to see was some dedication from him in more meaningful ways. By the end, I liked him enough without having any significant attachment to him. After the halfway point, he really does try to redeem himself. Seeing him bond with the twins showed him in good form. His lack of any form of commitment did have some deeper roots but he's someone a reader has to summon some patience with. And as such, I think the romance could have done more to cater to relationship building overall. I did enjoy some of Seth and Miranda's conversations that dug into the more personal aspects of them as people. I can both see and appreciate why readers had a hard time with him and his behaviour, though I did actually like the idea of them as a pair. I even enjoyed some parts of the story. Additionally, other than the apparent sexual magnetism he possess, I wasn't fascinated by him. But, and as surprising as this may sound, I'm going to request that readers stay the course without giving up because latter-story Seth is more likeable once he begins desiring more than just a sexual relationship with Miranda. Seth is by no means a memorable favourite, but I didn't dislike him to any extreme.
➜ Miranda is an independent business owner, former showgirl and a mother of twins. I liked how she handled every interaction with Seth, including the ensuing entanglement she shared with him. When he erred, she didn't shy away from letting him know how she felt, she was honest with what she required and also possessed reasonable expectations. And when Seth inevitably does err, she backs away and redoubles her efforts to uphold boundaries by renegotiating their arrangement. Which again, really well-judged, though if I had been her I likely would have broken off even that arrangement altogether. Though she's visibly attracted to Seth and their chemistry is rather palpable, Miranda wasn't the desperately longing heroine who saw any great future with Seth. Knowing who he is and what he's after, she held very reasonable expectations, and I found myself appreciating the way she operated. she didn't particularly want or demand much more from him, which I liked. Although I did appreciate Miranda, I have to say that I didn't feel as if I knew her enough beyond her role as a supermom, a committed mother and a busy person maneuvering various responsibilities. Overall, I came away feeling as if I didn't know very much of Miranda herself. Her characterisation wasn't particularly graspable or accessible, though I did think she was well-represented. Miranda had many admirable qualities, including the way she dealt with Seth, but I wasn't suffused with the sensation of knowing her as a woman. Her twins, however, were frankly rather adorable. As an Elle Kennedy crop, the chemistry between Miranda and Seth is well-written and easy, enjoyable prose makes for a smooth reading experience.
➜ Dylan's POV: I understand that the author chose to include the additional (and unexpected) perspective of a certain pivotal side character to prime readers for what is ostensibly the most anticipated book of the series. I understand that Dylan's storyline was desired enough to demand some form of integration for OG fans of the series. And to introduce what's to be expected in what looks to be a polygamous relationship, this book sports Dylan's perspective. But that being said, this felt part Miranda/Seth romance and part prequel to Dylan's book, and since I wasn't expecting the additional POV, I wasn't particularly thrilled by it. As such, I wasn't the biggest fan of the dual sub-story storyline involving as it overshadows the current romance, and although I enjoy dual perspectives in romance, I don't enjoy the perspective of someone who will indeed get their own story in a forthcoming Instalment. I did enjoy Dylan as a central character though; he was fun, charismatic and had a very hospitable personality. He's of course another variation that meets Kennedy's criteria of the overtly-carnal hero and clearly has a much more sexually adventurous intimate life. Still, It can be said that I preferred him to Seth.
➜ Admittedly, I haven't read any of the previous books in the series but I've come to realise that many of them contain multiple person sex scenes and ménages, a theme I only enjoy if I'm forewarned and In full awareness of what I'm heading into. I have to say that I'm glad Seth and Miranda's romance is a twosome sort of romance. According to all the shared sexual experiences between this group of characters, I'm assuming some of the couples have participated in the exploits of each other's sex lives in some form or another, and perhaps on numerous occasions. I didn't go into the series looking for ménage-related trysts, so I'm happy to share that there aren't any 'sharing is caring' multiple partner situations between Seth and Miranda in Trouble Maker. Sexual adventurousness is a mood-based preference for me. Seth has apparently partnered in threesomes before with Dylan, and it's alluded to that Seth and Dylan have shared women before, but I can't say whether Seth has participated in the kind of sexual ventures that his friend frequently enjoys, but he is of course as sexually experienced as his friendship group.
Additional Thoughts:
- 'The best thing about her, though? She loved sex. Absolutely loved it. Maybe it was the seven-year lull, but he’d never been with a more passionate woman. She gave 110 percent in the bedroom— eager, shameless, quick to laugh, open to experiment.' - I'm in no way averse to sexually explorative pairings, but If the highest quality you 'love' about a woman is her partiality to an active sex drive - only because it parallels your own - I'm not maintaining any level of faith that she'd sustain your interest should the sexual voracity die down, which is a natural experience for any relationship. It's just not sustainable nor is it realistic, but every male character in this book seems to follow the archetype quite successfully.
- The most meaningful thing, for example , that Cash can say about his girlfriend is that 'the sex won't wear out like an old T-shirt'. If this is indeed the best these male characters can come close to in the realm of human relationships, I'm really not going to come away feeling adequately fuzzied up and reassured.
- 'he hadn't gotten laid in eons that, thanks to one very stubborn showgirl' - in case one might be wondering, eons is 2 months for Seth, not quite the four months he's spent pursuing Miranda since she moved to the city he lives in. And not even the one 1+ he's apparently been lusting over her.
Content Warning: The death of a mother via drink driving. Mentions the death of a grandmother through stroke. Neglectful upbringing. Swearing, drinking, smoking, some violence. On page sex scenes between (Miranda and Seth), and Dylan has three separate sexual encounters with two different women and a male character that will feature in his book). Mentions a past crime and a teenage pregnancy. Grief and guilt of a deceased sibling. Mentions and details a past child abduction and subsequent death.
I did not have the best of beginnings with Elle Kennedy. And since subsequent reads echoed the same, some might even say I lack the staying power. Finding one Kennedy romance that I can say I enjoyed in its entirety has not yet come to pass. The Chase is the best it got for me, and even then I remember emerging with various states of ambivalence. I do enjoy elements of her romance books but the stories themselves often lack satisfaction in different ways. I'm thrilled by the idea of her stories more than I am the stories themselves, and this is swiftly becoming my relationship style with the author. I do credit her for the readability of her books and the pull of her written character chemistries, but I often feel discouraged by her content and characteristically come away with more character qualms, disappointments and shortcomings. Her characters, generally speaking, don't seem to impress upon me a great deal of connection or relatability. The romantic relationships she explores fail to sport a connectible emotional current in favour of being prolifically libidinous. They often fit into that illustrative archetype without fail, and her heroes follow suit and form the mould. In that regard I wouldn't call her books an exploration of romantic relationships as much as I would call them eroticised contemporary romance novels with a focus for character relationships. At least, this particular series embodies the style. Troublemaker was further attempt at trying my hand with the best expectations, and to redeem my earlier Kennedy ventures. What I might be beginning to realise, and what is becoming clear to me, is that I might just not be the best audience for her style of romance. I did feel the need to discontinue reading but I pressed forward for the sake of the experience and decided to give it a chance nonetheless. I think Elle Kennedy's brand of 'hero' doesn't equate to the quality of mine. She does seem to offer something of great interest for the romance reading crowd, but I keep coming to the same conclusion that I'm not partial to her romances. In tandem with the Off Campus series, I don't think I'll be reading more from her Out of Uniform series either. But to elaborate with my Trouble Maker experience, here are some thoughts, takeaways and general insights...
➜ I have indeed just plunged myself semi-unwittingly into the middle of another series, but in my defense, I hadn't quite realised that Trouble Maker was #8 in the Out of Uniform series. There are a plethora of original side characters, a lot of names and faces in this collective of navy SEALs. So just a polite caution for readers to make a more informed decision by reading earlier books in the series. That being said, this does and can read as a standalone, but as mentioned, you'll be graced with numerous supporting members who've already been paired up in life and romance, and you'll likely want to retreat to series traditionalism and start at the inception.
➜ Seth is indeed another permutation of what I'm beginning to understand is Kennedy's consistently preferred hero profile; the monogamy-phobic, virile, highly-sexed, non-commitment bachelor who does not quite know how to entertain more than the evanescence of a sexual tryst. The author does seem to thrive in her element in this particular sweet spot of hers, and she certainly enjoys writing to this depiction, so I do always encourage others to take the initiative and decide if a story is right for you. I do have a history of finding her male love interests to be disappointing, somewhere juvenile, uninspiring and emotionally unexplored. Not quite in the realm of my wheelhouse and not characterised well enough beyond their bed-mating excellence, so that's not to say my opinion should be pronounced as truth, only that I've tried, and as much as I want to love her romances, they fail to fulfill me and my romance reading ways. I'm not a patron nor partisan to the promiscuous male trope as it has (in my experience) additionally failed to offer more than the oversexed personalities that don't offer very much in return. Although I'm more than partial to the lustful chase and the erotic proclivities, I can't say her heroes impart very much upon me. Voracious sexual appetites typically usurp the intrigues of relationship building and an interesting relationship dynamic. I don't find her male protagonists to be particularly interesting in any memorable way, and all they seem to find interest in are the stakes to which they hold and boast their sexual prowess. As much as I do love this genre for its carnal appeal, I am the type of reader who requires more than that. This being said, Seth was not as intolerable as one might expect. But he also wasn't the most root-worthy romantic interest
➜ Generally, a hero in pursuit of a heroine is a great draw for me, and one of my favourite things in romance. I did appreciate Seth as someone who was insistent without relegating himself to the toxic chase. I found his pursuit to be adamant without being distasteful. I did have to contemplate his unwavering decision to pursue a resistant, over-busied single mother who'd rebuffed his advances on numerous occasions when he doesn't do commitment in any shape or form. I equally do have to question his wisdom in selecting a woman who possess the very thing he owns a lifelong aversion to in addition: children. To desire someone with the intent to bypass the importance of said person's children is a poorly judged way of operating. Although some might argue that a lifelong bachelor and a young committed mother should likely not, in full awareness of his 'relationship' style, be paired together, I suppose it's also fair to say that romances get to play with the possibilities of different people in different life situations. It is indeed what makes them interesting .That again being said, I really didn't hold as much qualm against this plot particular. I'm aware that numerous readers took up issue with Seth's chronic aversion to children, especially Miranda's, which is understandable. I didn't love it, but I wasn't as overtly disturbed by it because the resistance was pivotal to his character growth, and therein lies something to follow in the space of his personal growth and the confrontation of a wound that's also long been suppressed. The point of that particular character conflict was to have Seth eventually show himself to be a figure in her life, capable of reliability, not just to her, but to her children. It was an essential part of Seth's arc; even pivotal for him to face his seeming dislike and intolerance to Miranda's children. He does try and the author allows us to see that. His heart was in the right place. It's only natural that he'd have some difficulties and setbacks, and I preferred the final 30% because we actually received some emotional resonance. We get to understand the underbelly of that part of his history, and since he was profiled that way, it was required that this book challenge him where it hurts and prod at the old wounds that are quite obviously keeping him from sharing his heart. His pathological resistance to small human beings considered, i did see the necessity in pairing him with someone like Miranda. I think it was a well-judged choice, all things considered. The effort of trying makes all the difference.
➜ I wasn't too taken by Seth at all to begin with, and he didn't endear himself to me in any particular way. Initially, he was quite typicalised to the stereotype of bypassing all else of Miranda and her very real life responsibilities just to indulge the challenge of nothing else but his own sexual longing. My expectations for a 'good bad boy' were admittedly buzzing, but Seth did not achieve this to any great effect. Let it be known that I am still on my search for that good bad boy. Seth didn't give me very much to root for to begin with, and I didn't feel confident in him as the love interest Miranda needed at this point in her life, but I suppose he does make some improvement. What I would have liked to see was some dedication from him in more meaningful ways. By the end, I liked him enough without having any significant attachment to him. After the halfway point, he really does try to redeem himself. Seeing him bond with the twins showed him in good form. His lack of any form of commitment did have some deeper roots but he's someone a reader has to summon some patience with. And as such, I think the romance could have done more to cater to relationship building overall. I did enjoy some of Seth and Miranda's conversations that dug into the more personal aspects of them as people. I can both see and appreciate why readers had a hard time with him and his behaviour, though I did actually like the idea of them as a pair. I even enjoyed some parts of the story. Additionally, other than the apparent sexual magnetism he possess, I wasn't fascinated by him. But, and as surprising as this may sound, I'm going to request that readers stay the course without giving up because latter-story Seth is more likeable once he begins desiring more than just a sexual relationship with Miranda. Seth is by no means a memorable favourite, but I didn't dislike him to any extreme.
➜ Miranda is an independent business owner, former showgirl and a mother of twins. I liked how she handled every interaction with Seth, including the ensuing entanglement she shared with him. When he erred, she didn't shy away from letting him know how she felt, she was honest with what she required and also possessed reasonable expectations. And when Seth inevitably does err, she backs away and redoubles her efforts to uphold boundaries by renegotiating their arrangement. Which again, really well-judged, though if I had been her I likely would have broken off even that arrangement altogether. Though she's visibly attracted to Seth and their chemistry is rather palpable, Miranda wasn't the desperately longing heroine who saw any great future with Seth. Knowing who he is and what he's after, she held very reasonable expectations, and I found myself appreciating the way she operated. she didn't particularly want or demand much more from him, which I liked. Although I did appreciate Miranda, I have to say that I didn't feel as if I knew her enough beyond her role as a supermom, a committed mother and a busy person maneuvering various responsibilities. Overall, I came away feeling as if I didn't know very much of Miranda herself. Her characterisation wasn't particularly graspable or accessible, though I did think she was well-represented. Miranda had many admirable qualities, including the way she dealt with Seth, but I wasn't suffused with the sensation of knowing her as a woman. Her twins, however, were frankly rather adorable. As an Elle Kennedy crop, the chemistry between Miranda and Seth is well-written and easy, enjoyable prose makes for a smooth reading experience.
➜ Dylan's POV: I understand that the author chose to include the additional (and unexpected) perspective of a certain pivotal side character to prime readers for what is ostensibly the most anticipated book of the series. I understand that Dylan's storyline was desired enough to demand some form of integration for OG fans of the series. And to introduce what's to be expected in what looks to be a polygamous relationship, this book sports Dylan's perspective. But that being said, this felt part Miranda/Seth romance and part prequel to Dylan's book, and since I wasn't expecting the additional POV, I wasn't particularly thrilled by it. As such, I wasn't the biggest fan of the dual sub-story storyline involving as it overshadows the current romance, and although I enjoy dual perspectives in romance, I don't enjoy the perspective of someone who will indeed get their own story in a forthcoming Instalment. I did enjoy Dylan as a central character though; he was fun, charismatic and had a very hospitable personality. He's of course another variation that meets Kennedy's criteria of the overtly-carnal hero and clearly has a much more sexually adventurous intimate life. Still, It can be said that I preferred him to Seth.
➜ Admittedly, I haven't read any of the previous books in the series but I've come to realise that many of them contain multiple person sex scenes and ménages, a theme I only enjoy if I'm forewarned and In full awareness of what I'm heading into. I have to say that I'm glad Seth and Miranda's romance is a twosome sort of romance. According to all the shared sexual experiences between this group of characters, I'm assuming some of the couples have participated in the exploits of each other's sex lives in some form or another, and perhaps on numerous occasions. I didn't go into the series looking for ménage-related trysts, so I'm happy to share that there aren't any 'sharing is caring' multiple partner situations between Seth and Miranda in Trouble Maker. Sexual adventurousness is a mood-based preference for me. Seth has apparently partnered in threesomes before with Dylan, and it's alluded to that Seth and Dylan have shared women before, but I can't say whether Seth has participated in the kind of sexual ventures that his friend frequently enjoys, but he is of course as sexually experienced as his friendship group.
Additional Thoughts:
- 'The best thing about her, though? She loved sex. Absolutely loved it. Maybe it was the seven-year lull, but he’d never been with a more passionate woman. She gave 110 percent in the bedroom— eager, shameless, quick to laugh, open to experiment.' - I'm in no way averse to sexually explorative pairings, but If the highest quality you 'love' about a woman is her partiality to an active sex drive - only because it parallels your own - I'm not maintaining any level of faith that she'd sustain your interest should the sexual voracity die down, which is a natural experience for any relationship. It's just not sustainable nor is it realistic, but every male character in this book seems to follow the archetype quite successfully.
- The most meaningful thing, for example , that Cash can say about his girlfriend is that 'the sex won't wear out like an old T-shirt'. If this is indeed the best these male characters can come close to in the realm of human relationships, I'm really not going to come away feeling adequately fuzzied up and reassured.
- 'he hadn't gotten laid in eons that, thanks to one very stubborn showgirl' - in case one might be wondering, eons is 2 months for Seth, not quite the four months he's spent pursuing Miranda since she moved to the city he lives in. And not even the one 1+ he's apparently been lusting over her.
Content Warning: The death of a mother via drink driving. Mentions the death of a grandmother through stroke. Neglectful upbringing. Swearing, drinking, smoking, some violence. On page sex scenes between (Miranda and Seth), and Dylan has three separate sexual encounters with two different women and a male character that will feature in his book). Mentions a past crime and a teenage pregnancy. Grief and guilt of a deceased sibling. Mentions and details a past child abduction and subsequent death.
October 11, 2012
...And this series keeps rolling along. Another winner, another scorcher, good story, believable dialogue, nice flow, everything works. While the hero in this book, Navy SEAL Seth Masterson wasn't my favorite in the series (he started out as a super-jerk...although he was a sexy, bad-boy jerk), the heroine, former Las Vegas showgirl Miranda Breslin was one of my favorites of the whole series, and her six year old twins were adorable. But the character who almost stole the show was Seth's roommate, Navy SEAL Dylan Wade. He is super-charismatic, sexy, funny, a sweetheart to Miranda's kids, and the chemistry he has with ?...whew...I cannot wait for his book! 4 1/2 stars
Full review coming closer to release date.
Seth...
Full review coming closer to release date.
Seth...
June 17, 2018
2 Getting Hotter Stars
Ahhh I hate writing reviews on authors I love but when the book disappoints you it is even harder, but I gotta be me and be honest.
I picked this book because it was under the “Hero” category in the Romance Package and because I have not had a book by this author that I have not liked/loved.
Only I guess because he is a Seal he gets the honor of being under the “Hero” category. I thought it meant some action was going to happen and we were going to get a heroic act in the book... Nope. First disappointment.
PS - That is not to say I don't believe Seals are not Hero's I do, I just thought the category meant there would be a Heroic Act would happen.
Seth seemed like a cool fellow until he pretty much stalks Miranda and only wants in her pant. Second disappointment.
Miranda is a mother of 6-year-old twins, and she is a commitment kind of girl. Seth doesn’t care for kids, he has strong feelings about this and you KNOW it... Third disappointment.
And of course, she gives in and has the all the sexy times with him, even knowing he hates kids. Fourth disappointment.
Of course, there was a tragic reason he doesn’t like/want kids. Predictable… Fifth disappointment.
Overall I just kept speeding up the narration to get through the book faster and I love Joe Arden so that was the Sixth disappointment.
It isn’t a terrible book it just wasn’t for me and that’s is ok… Maybe the next will be better.
*You don't have to like my review but its 100% my opinion, and I am allowed to have it.*
Ahhh I hate writing reviews on authors I love but when the book disappoints you it is even harder, but I gotta be me and be honest.
I picked this book because it was under the “Hero” category in the Romance Package and because I have not had a book by this author that I have not liked/loved.
Only I guess because he is a Seal he gets the honor of being under the “Hero” category. I thought it meant some action was going to happen and we were going to get a heroic act in the book... Nope. First disappointment.
PS - That is not to say I don't believe Seals are not Hero's I do, I just thought the category meant there would be a Heroic Act would happen.
Seth seemed like a cool fellow until he pretty much stalks Miranda and only wants in her pant. Second disappointment.
Miranda is a mother of 6-year-old twins, and she is a commitment kind of girl. Seth doesn’t care for kids, he has strong feelings about this and you KNOW it... Third disappointment.
And of course, she gives in and has the all the sexy times with him, even knowing he hates kids. Fourth disappointment.
Of course, there was a tragic reason he doesn’t like/want kids. Predictable… Fifth disappointment.
Overall I just kept speeding up the narration to get through the book faster and I love Joe Arden so that was the Sixth disappointment.
It isn’t a terrible book it just wasn’t for me and that’s is ok… Maybe the next will be better.
*You don't have to like my review but its 100% my opinion, and I am allowed to have it.*
October 10, 2012
To be honest, I had mixed emotions about Seth. I kept a mental tally of what I liked about him and didn't. For the first half of the book, the things I didn't like about him were adding up. He seemed to be a little too forward and while I can appreciate determination in a man, there were a couple other things that bothered me about his personality. He simply did not care about Miranda's obligations to her family. She has two kids to care for and all Seth cared about was how to get into her pants. This made me yearn for something more. Later on in the book, Kennedy redeems Seth a bit though I don't think he fully won me over.
Nevertheless, Kennedy brings forth sexiness in spades. The sexual tension is palpable and there is a good variety of sex. I enjoyed the way Kennedy was able to bring life to her characters. With her clear and distinctive voice, Elle Kennedy is definitely becoming an author I will watch out for!
Read this review in its entirety at Fresh Fiction
Nevertheless, Kennedy brings forth sexiness in spades. The sexual tension is palpable and there is a good variety of sex. I enjoyed the way Kennedy was able to bring life to her characters. With her clear and distinctive voice, Elle Kennedy is definitely becoming an author I will watch out for!
Read this review in its entirety at Fresh Fiction
July 10, 2018
Getting Hotter kept all the hotness growing, and I loved it!
January 5, 2013
You beauty! Another winner installment in this series that I've grown to really like. Loved Seth and his bad boy ways and Miranda for her strong will and her two beautiful little children.
Enjoyed seeing the other members of the group in this too and the development in each of their respective relationships. And Dylan, can't wait for his story which will really takes things to a whole new level.
A thanks goes out to my friend BamaGal for loaning me this book. Thank you!
Enjoyed seeing the other members of the group in this too and the development in each of their respective relationships. And Dylan, can't wait for his story which will really takes things to a whole new level.
A thanks goes out to my friend BamaGal for loaning me this book. Thank you!
March 13, 2018
*4 Stars*
Copy kindly provided in exchange for an honest review.
This was my first book by Elle and I quite enjoyed it. Even though it’s not the first in the series it can be read as a stand-alone, so I wasn’t left feeling confused by anything.
I liked the two main characters, however I liked Miranda more than I liked Seth. Once we got to know Seth and the revelation we were waiting for was revealed, I did like him more.
Miranda is a really strong character that was easy to like and admire. She’s a fierce Mumma Bear.
I also was intrigued with how the story had a third narrator, being Dylan, Seth’s roommate. His story sure will be interesting and wasn’t something that I was expecting to want to know how it would play out.
There are a lot of dimensions to this story and it was great to get to know them all. Sometimes the story seemed a little long to me, but at the same time, I think it needed to be told the way it did.
I think I will end up reading more of this series.
Review also on my blog - Getting Hotter - Elle Kennedy
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Copy kindly provided in exchange for an honest review.
This was my first book by Elle and I quite enjoyed it. Even though it’s not the first in the series it can be read as a stand-alone, so I wasn’t left feeling confused by anything.
I liked the two main characters, however I liked Miranda more than I liked Seth. Once we got to know Seth and the revelation we were waiting for was revealed, I did like him more.
Miranda is a really strong character that was easy to like and admire. She’s a fierce Mumma Bear.
I also was intrigued with how the story had a third narrator, being Dylan, Seth’s roommate. His story sure will be interesting and wasn’t something that I was expecting to want to know how it would play out.
There are a lot of dimensions to this story and it was great to get to know them all. Sometimes the story seemed a little long to me, but at the same time, I think it needed to be told the way it did.
I think I will end up reading more of this series.
Review also on my blog - Getting Hotter - Elle Kennedy
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July 29, 2020
3.9 stelle!
Anche questo libro mi è piaciuto molto e Seth e Miranda sono una delle coppie più dolci della serie. Inoltre adoro quando nelle storie d'amore ci sono anche dei bambini (se vengono gesti in modo corretto, come in questo caso).
Non ha preso le quattro stelline piene per due motivi: il primo è il fatto che avevo appena finito Feeling Hot che è il libro che mi è piaciuto di più della serie e questo mi ha convinto un pelino di meno, inoltre viene introdotta la storia per il libro successivo e questo ha portato a togliere un po' la luce dalla coppia principale.
Comunque è davvero un libro dolce con quel tocco hot perfetto per l'estate.
Anche questo libro mi è piaciuto molto e Seth e Miranda sono una delle coppie più dolci della serie. Inoltre adoro quando nelle storie d'amore ci sono anche dei bambini (se vengono gesti in modo corretto, come in questo caso).
Non ha preso le quattro stelline piene per due motivi: il primo è il fatto che avevo appena finito Feeling Hot che è il libro che mi è piaciuto di più della serie e questo mi ha convinto un pelino di meno, inoltre viene introdotta la storia per il libro successivo e questo ha portato a togliere un po' la luce dalla coppia principale.
Comunque è davvero un libro dolce con quel tocco hot perfetto per l'estate.
November 21, 2012
Earlier this year, I read my first Elle Kennedy book, Feeling Hot and immediately purchased her back list and read all of her Out of Uniform series. I adore this author’s voice. She writes such sexy, sexy heroes who are all Navy SEALs. Hello!. Very alpha and cocky, but she pairs them up with women that know how to handle them. They also have great friendships with their fellow SEALs, something I always like. (and by friendships I mean, they are so friendly they have ménages all the time. Total win. Although this one is ménage free.) I really think this series is written just for me *wink*
Getting Hotter is my favorite one yet. Our hero Seth Masterson is a bad boy SEAL.
“What’s he like?”
“He’s…” she sighed. “…the consummate bad boy. Smokes, hardly ever shaves, says what’s on his mind, rough around the edges,”
And I gobbled him up. No really. I couldn’t get enough of him. He has a hard edge to him. He takes no bull shit. He has been lusting after part-time dance instructor and part-time bartender Miranda for months. He wants in her pants and he has no problem telling her that. The problem is, she says no, which is new for him. Miranda dated a bad boy in the past, which left her with twin newborns and the father nowhere to be found. Now the twins are six, and she has to put them first. There is also the fact that Seth doesn’t like kids, including hers.
But circumstances change when her apartment floods and she ends up crashing at his apartment with her kids for a few days. Being in close quarters with Seth makes it hard to resist him.
This book is just plain hot. Great sexual tension, great sex scenes. Seth’s hard edges stick, but he gets romantic towards the end too. One of the big things in this book is that Seth doesn’t get along well with kids. I can see how some readers might not like this aspect about him but to me it came across really realistic. A single guy, living with another SEAL, sleeping with women on a regular basis might not be into kids. What I really like is that Miranda gets in his face about it. It’s all out in the open. She knows he just tolerates them so he can get in her pants. As I read however, I needed Seth to actually get closer to the kids to make it a believable HEA and I really didn’t know how that was going to happen. But we learn some dark things about Seth’s past which puts things more into perspective. It all works out, and Seth’s evolution into coming to care for her kids is very realistic and cute scenes ensue:
“Fine. I wanna play with my dolls and make their hair pretty so they can dance at the recital.”
God help him.
From the little smirk she gave him, he knew Sophie expected him to recoil in horror. Maybe revert back to the Seth she’d called mean and tell her to get lost.
When he didn’t answer right away, she crossed her skinny arms over her chest and said, “I knew you wouldn’t wanna.” She scowled. “You wouldna be good at it anyway.”
Seth raised a defiant brow, then squatted down so they were at eye level. “Sophie, I’m a United States Navy SEAL. Know what that means?”
She shifted uneasily, then shook her head.
“It means I can do whatever I set my mind on, and if you think I can’t give your dolls some awesome hairstyles, then I’m ready to prove you wrong.”
We also get a nice supporting story line with Dylan (Seth’s roommate) and another person he is interested in. I’m not going to say who, I’ll let you find out on your own. But I’m dying for their book. Dying.
If you are looking for a very sexy, contemporary read, Getting Hotter is the book for you. I also recommend this entire series. The first few are very short novella length, but the past two have been novel size and really well done. This has become one of my most anticipated erotic series.
Rating: B+
Getting Hotter is my favorite one yet. Our hero Seth Masterson is a bad boy SEAL.
“What’s he like?”
“He’s…” she sighed. “…the consummate bad boy. Smokes, hardly ever shaves, says what’s on his mind, rough around the edges,”
And I gobbled him up. No really. I couldn’t get enough of him. He has a hard edge to him. He takes no bull shit. He has been lusting after part-time dance instructor and part-time bartender Miranda for months. He wants in her pants and he has no problem telling her that. The problem is, she says no, which is new for him. Miranda dated a bad boy in the past, which left her with twin newborns and the father nowhere to be found. Now the twins are six, and she has to put them first. There is also the fact that Seth doesn’t like kids, including hers.
But circumstances change when her apartment floods and she ends up crashing at his apartment with her kids for a few days. Being in close quarters with Seth makes it hard to resist him.
This book is just plain hot. Great sexual tension, great sex scenes. Seth’s hard edges stick, but he gets romantic towards the end too. One of the big things in this book is that Seth doesn’t get along well with kids. I can see how some readers might not like this aspect about him but to me it came across really realistic. A single guy, living with another SEAL, sleeping with women on a regular basis might not be into kids. What I really like is that Miranda gets in his face about it. It’s all out in the open. She knows he just tolerates them so he can get in her pants. As I read however, I needed Seth to actually get closer to the kids to make it a believable HEA and I really didn’t know how that was going to happen. But we learn some dark things about Seth’s past which puts things more into perspective. It all works out, and Seth’s evolution into coming to care for her kids is very realistic and cute scenes ensue:
“Fine. I wanna play with my dolls and make their hair pretty so they can dance at the recital.”
God help him.
From the little smirk she gave him, he knew Sophie expected him to recoil in horror. Maybe revert back to the Seth she’d called mean and tell her to get lost.
When he didn’t answer right away, she crossed her skinny arms over her chest and said, “I knew you wouldn’t wanna.” She scowled. “You wouldna be good at it anyway.”
Seth raised a defiant brow, then squatted down so they were at eye level. “Sophie, I’m a United States Navy SEAL. Know what that means?”
She shifted uneasily, then shook her head.
“It means I can do whatever I set my mind on, and if you think I can’t give your dolls some awesome hairstyles, then I’m ready to prove you wrong.”
We also get a nice supporting story line with Dylan (Seth’s roommate) and another person he is interested in. I’m not going to say who, I’ll let you find out on your own. But I’m dying for their book. Dying.
If you are looking for a very sexy, contemporary read, Getting Hotter is the book for you. I also recommend this entire series. The first few are very short novella length, but the past two have been novel size and really well done. This has become one of my most anticipated erotic series.
Rating: B+
March 3, 2014
I enjoyed this. Steamy sex scenes were good.
Seth is such a bad guy, totally smitten with Miranda. He stalks her but in a good way. He hangs out at the bar where she works so he can scare off threatening customers. If he starts to do something and she says no, he immediately stops. So he’s not threatening her, other than she’s having a hard time resisting him because he is soooo sexy. She is raising two children and has no time for sex or dating. Another problem is Seth doesn’t like kids. Seth smokes a lot - part of his bad guyness.
A secondary story has Dylan meeting Aidan with two very hot kissing scenes (two guys). Their story continues in book #9.
THE OUT OF UNIFORM SERIES:
I’ve read 5 books in this series. All of them are about sexy guys, steamy sex, and each guy is totally devoted to one woman (with the exception of #9 - two guys one woman). I am so pleased that the author is not using undesirable plot devices that are used by too many romance authors. What she does NOT use:
1. stupidity
2. the big misunderstanding
3. one person falls in love and decides to break up with the other, because it will hurt too much if they break up in the future.
Yay!!! Thank you Ms. Kennedy for not using these. I can enjoy these stories.
I don’t want to read novellas, and there are six of them in this series. But I did read one novella and all the close-to-full-length-novels. My ratings are:
3 ½ stars #2 Heat of Passion (novella)
3 stars #7 Feeling Hot
4 stars #8 Getting Hotter (main story Seth) (secondary story Dylan meets his lovers)
4 stars #9 Hotter Than Ever (Dylan’s story)
4 stars #10 As Hot As It Gets
I suggest reading 8 and 9 in order. They are ok as stand alones, but they are better in order.
DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Kindle count length: 5,080 (262 - 296 pages). Swearing language: strong including religious swear words. Sexual language: strong erotic. Number of sex scenes: about 10. Setting: current day San Diego, California. Copyright: 2012. Genre: erotic contemporary romance.
Seth is such a bad guy, totally smitten with Miranda. He stalks her but in a good way. He hangs out at the bar where she works so he can scare off threatening customers. If he starts to do something and she says no, he immediately stops. So he’s not threatening her, other than she’s having a hard time resisting him because he is soooo sexy. She is raising two children and has no time for sex or dating. Another problem is Seth doesn’t like kids. Seth smokes a lot - part of his bad guyness.
A secondary story has Dylan meeting Aidan with two very hot kissing scenes (two guys). Their story continues in book #9.
THE OUT OF UNIFORM SERIES:
I’ve read 5 books in this series. All of them are about sexy guys, steamy sex, and each guy is totally devoted to one woman (with the exception of #9 - two guys one woman). I am so pleased that the author is not using undesirable plot devices that are used by too many romance authors. What she does NOT use:
1. stupidity
2. the big misunderstanding
3. one person falls in love and decides to break up with the other, because it will hurt too much if they break up in the future.
Yay!!! Thank you Ms. Kennedy for not using these. I can enjoy these stories.
I don’t want to read novellas, and there are six of them in this series. But I did read one novella and all the close-to-full-length-novels. My ratings are:
3 ½ stars #2 Heat of Passion (novella)
3 stars #7 Feeling Hot
4 stars #8 Getting Hotter (main story Seth) (secondary story Dylan meets his lovers)
4 stars #9 Hotter Than Ever (Dylan’s story)
4 stars #10 As Hot As It Gets
I suggest reading 8 and 9 in order. They are ok as stand alones, but they are better in order.
DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Kindle count length: 5,080 (262 - 296 pages). Swearing language: strong including religious swear words. Sexual language: strong erotic. Number of sex scenes: about 10. Setting: current day San Diego, California. Copyright: 2012. Genre: erotic contemporary romance.
Read
November 16, 2023Seth is lusting after her body and that's about it. He wants nothing to do with her kids and when they come to his house because their place flooded, he was paralyzed and didn't know how to talk to her kids and wanted nothing to do with them 😳😳🙄 his roommate or whoever stepped in and talked to them .
Me no likey. I want the H to love her kids because.....who doesnt? Don't you want him to be protective and loving to kids who are a big part of the woman's life?
Anyway, dnf. I usually like her books but this is already a big fat no thanks 😂
Me no likey. I want the H to love her kids because.....who doesnt? Don't you want him to be protective and loving to kids who are a big part of the woman's life?
Anyway, dnf. I usually like her books but this is already a big fat no thanks 😂
January 7, 2024
3-Star Rugrats
✔️ Triple POVs (Seth x Miranda x Dylan)
✔️ Set in present-day San Diego
✔️ Open-door contemporary romance (4/5 🌶️)
✔️ Tropes: Forced proximity; Single mom
Seth and Miranda’s story is a little overwhelmed by the start of Dylan and Aiden’s story, which sets the stage for the next book in the series, Ladies Men. That’s arguably the strongest book in this series so it unintentionally takes over the whole plot.
✔️ Triple POVs (Seth x Miranda x Dylan)
✔️ Set in present-day San Diego
✔️ Open-door contemporary romance (4/5 🌶️)
✔️ Tropes: Forced proximity; Single mom
Seth and Miranda’s story is a little overwhelmed by the start of Dylan and Aiden’s story, which sets the stage for the next book in the series, Ladies Men. That’s arguably the strongest book in this series so it unintentionally takes over the whole plot.
August 2, 2018
Üzülerek söylüyorum bu seriden artık zevk alamıyorum. Sürekli seks odaklı tekrarlardan ibaret gibi geliyor. Son iki kitap kaldığı için devam edeceğim ama o kadar.
Bu kadındaki gelişimde ayrı tebrik edilesi, bunlardan Off-Campus serisine kadar bâyâ yol kat etmiş bence.
Bu kadındaki gelişimde ayrı tebrik edilesi, bunlardan Off-Campus serisine kadar bâyâ yol kat etmiş bence.
April 6, 2018
OK, fine. Antes le había puesto un 3 pero se lo subo a un 4 porque me he quedado pensando en un par de cosas.
Puntos para Miranda, que es lo más. Puntos para Dylan, que es lo más también (y una excelente incursión y evolución de un personaje masculino LGBT+ en una side-story dentro de la propia novela, algo para remarcar en este tipo de romances que por lo general saben ser demasiado hetero). Puntos para los críos que son geniales. Puntos para la escritura, que es amena dentro de todo. EDIT: Puntos también para la lógica de esta mamá soltera que se permite disfrutar abiertamente del sexo con un tío que la enloquece, sin esperar nada más a cambio. Al principio lo llevan bien, muy bien. Nos encontramos con una historia en la que ella es verdaderamente una persona independiente (y no, todos necesitamos ayuda en cosas y esa ayuda se la pedimos a personas en quien confiamos, en este caso a pesar de no tener sentimientos profundos ella tenía confianza en Seth y entiendo que de vez en cuando le pidiera ayuda). Miranda no está buscando un papá para sus hijos porque sabe que no lo necesita. Eso me gustó. Inevitablemente las cosas se tuercen para ese lado, más tarde, porque es obvio que ese iba a ser el punto, pero hay que saber interpretar la forma en que la autora construyó a los personajes.
Ahora, puntos menos para Seth que es un TREMENDO PESADO INSOPORTABLE. No me importa que esté como un tren, que sea un SEAL, que sea un machazo y exude testosterona (no plata, por lo menos no es un multicahillonario, es un tipo que labura aunque parece que se rasca mucho porque está siempre pelotudeando alrededor de Miranda), es un imbancable. Insistencia de la que se puede traducir en acoso constante en el lugar de trabajo y acoso psicológico rayano en la manipulación. Después medio lo quisieron disfrazar con que el tipo estuvo enamorado de ella desde hacía más de un año y pico pero no me calma los nervios para nada. Ugh.
Y puntos menos para la cosa MÁS RARA que he visto en una novela donde supuestamente hay Navy SEALS involucrados: después del 70% de la historia, NO HAY MÁS ARGUMENTO. Lo juro, NO PASA NADA. Absolutamente nada. Los días se nos van en ellos conviviendo y encamándose y poco más. Tampoco es que tuviera EL argumento, pero es que llegar a un final anticlimático a este grado, no lo había visto nunca.
Lo que salva todo este desastre es la evolución de la relación de Dylan con Aiden, porque me pareció bien elaborada. Anyway, no creo que siga leyendo nada de esta serie.
Puntos para Miranda, que es lo más. Puntos para Dylan, que es lo más también (y una excelente incursión y evolución de un personaje masculino LGBT+ en una side-story dentro de la propia novela, algo para remarcar en este tipo de romances que por lo general saben ser demasiado hetero). Puntos para los críos que son geniales. Puntos para la escritura, que es amena dentro de todo. EDIT: Puntos también para la lógica de esta mamá soltera que se permite disfrutar abiertamente del sexo con un tío que la enloquece, sin esperar nada más a cambio. Al principio lo llevan bien, muy bien. Nos encontramos con una historia en la que ella es verdaderamente una persona independiente (y no, todos necesitamos ayuda en cosas y esa ayuda se la pedimos a personas en quien confiamos, en este caso a pesar de no tener sentimientos profundos ella tenía confianza en Seth y entiendo que de vez en cuando le pidiera ayuda). Miranda no está buscando un papá para sus hijos porque sabe que no lo necesita. Eso me gustó. Inevitablemente las cosas se tuercen para ese lado, más tarde, porque es obvio que ese iba a ser el punto, pero hay que saber interpretar la forma en que la autora construyó a los personajes.
Ahora, puntos menos para Seth que es un TREMENDO PESADO INSOPORTABLE. No me importa que esté como un tren, que sea un SEAL, que sea un machazo y exude testosterona (no plata, por lo menos no es un multicahillonario, es un tipo que labura aunque parece que se rasca mucho porque está siempre pelotudeando alrededor de Miranda), es un imbancable. Insistencia de la que se puede traducir en acoso constante en el lugar de trabajo y acoso psicológico rayano en la manipulación. Después medio lo quisieron disfrazar con que el tipo estuvo enamorado de ella desde hacía más de un año y pico pero no me calma los nervios para nada. Ugh.
Y puntos menos para la cosa MÁS RARA que he visto en una novela donde supuestamente hay Navy SEALS involucrados: después del 70% de la historia, NO HAY MÁS ARGUMENTO. Lo juro, NO PASA NADA. Absolutamente nada. Los días se nos van en ellos conviviendo y encamándose y poco más. Tampoco es que tuviera EL argumento, pero es que llegar a un final anticlimático a este grado, no lo había visto nunca.
Lo que salva todo este desastre es la evolución de la relación de Dylan con Aiden, porque me pareció bien elaborada. Anyway, no creo que siga leyendo nada de esta serie.
January 28, 2018
Elle Kennedy usually knocks it out the park for me but this one just didn’t get there unfortunately.
The blurb totally sucked me in and I was excited to start. The first chapter was good and I was like like yep, this is gonna be good. Let’s watch this bad boy with a kid aversion Love these kids and watch this mumma swoon over it.
However, we didn’t get that, well we did but not till like 3/4’s of the way through. I really wasn’t too big of a fan of Seth’s, he treated/avoided m the kids like they were the plague and whilst we got to the main reason to why he was like that towards them he had already portrayed himself in a bad light that couldn’t be erased.
I loved Miranda, which I know is a shock to most people as I am a fussy cow when it comes to my heroines Hahah but I just loved how she was so protective of her babies and had to really think through everything before making that first big step.
I loved how Seth got his act together near the end, but was disappointed with how it ended. I would of loved some more of the good times as “four” instead of the make up and then boom over? But maybe that’s just me looking for that stupid goofy happily ever after.
The blurb totally sucked me in and I was excited to start. The first chapter was good and I was like like yep, this is gonna be good. Let’s watch this bad boy with a kid aversion Love these kids and watch this mumma swoon over it.
However, we didn’t get that, well we did but not till like 3/4’s of the way through. I really wasn’t too big of a fan of Seth’s, he treated/avoided m the kids like they were the plague and whilst we got to the main reason to why he was like that towards them he had already portrayed himself in a bad light that couldn’t be erased.
I loved Miranda, which I know is a shock to most people as I am a fussy cow when it comes to my heroines Hahah but I just loved how she was so protective of her babies and had to really think through everything before making that first big step.
I loved how Seth got his act together near the end, but was disappointed with how it ended. I would of loved some more of the good times as “four” instead of the make up and then boom over? But maybe that’s just me looking for that stupid goofy happily ever after.
January 26, 2018
Seth could be over-dramatic, “you’re presenting your *** to me like a mare in heat. For the love of God , put on some clothes before I eff you again.” Seth is always surprising his woman, “Miranda, I grew up in a Las Vegas dressing room. I know my way around sewing machines. And a needle and thread— I’ll definitely have to stitch those sequins back on by hand. I’m hanging up the phone now. You’re distracting me.” I loved this book, I loved Seth the man was so set in his ways and with Miranda thoaer ways went out the window.
September 26, 2020
This wasn't as good as the books before it. I just wasn't a fan of Seth's aversion to Miranda's kids. And once this was explained, I was just too invested in Dylan and Aidan's relationship to care much about the 'main characters' anymore. To say I'm excited for the next book is a bit of an understatement. If I have to guess, it's going to be my favorite of the entire series!
March 5, 2023
Al principio, Seth parece que sólo piensa en el sexo, pero luego entiendes el porqué de su comportamiento, especialmente con los hijos de Miranda, y la verdad es que lo entiendes y lo achucharías mucho.
Le pongo un pero: están intercalados varios episodios de la historia de Dylan y Aidan y queda sin final; una cosa es que se presenten pinceladas del próximo libro de la serie pero aquí ha sido demasiado...
Le pongo un pero: están intercalados varios episodios de la historia de Dylan y Aidan y queda sin final; una cosa es que se presenten pinceladas del próximo libro de la serie pero aquí ha sido demasiado...
September 29, 2021
Actually cried. But not sure of that was PMS or real emotions
November 2, 2022
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
I have read this book after the author changed the book. It is called Troublemaker, now.
Seth is a SEAL who has been attracted to Miranda for a while. But she doesn't want to do anything with him. She has got two kids and a life full of responsibilities.
And now she has another problem because Seth is not going to give up.
I liked the book although I expected it to be something more. I have read more books by this author and I really enjoyed them. But something was missing in this one.
I have read this book after the author changed the book. It is called Troublemaker, now.
Seth is a SEAL who has been attracted to Miranda for a while. But she doesn't want to do anything with him. She has got two kids and a life full of responsibilities.
And now she has another problem because Seth is not going to give up.
I liked the book although I expected it to be something more. I have read more books by this author and I really enjoyed them. But something was missing in this one.
April 2, 2014
I have really liked this series but I just could not get into this one.
Could not engage with the mc's and the only thing I liked was getting a bit of the guys and gals from the previous books.
Could not engage with the mc's and the only thing I liked was getting a bit of the guys and gals from the previous books.
January 15, 2025
✎― 3 Star Rating
❛ tbh I couldn't care less about seth and this book ❜
❛ tbh I couldn't care less about seth and this book ❜
January 28, 2018
3.75 prickly stars
Copy received for an honest review - for re-release
This is the first of the Out of Uniform series that I have read, however I have read and enjoyed Ms Kennedy's Off Campus series.
I was drawn in by the blurb for this one, and was really drawn in by the first couple of chapters.
However then Seth's prickly nature started to grate on me. I wanted to really love him, but his misdemeaours really started to clock up for the first half of the book. I get him being all keen for Miranda, but then the way he acts around her and her kids was like "really Seth, really?". He did get better the second half of the book though
The kidlets are little scene stealers and you just never knew what was going to come out of their mouths.
I could understand Miranda's hesitance to start anything, and loved that when she made a decision to take charge, she went balls to the wall.
Not going to lie, most of the time I was more interested in Dylan and what was happening/hoping to happen/happening with Aidan. Now that had my anxious for me.
I will now be going back and reading more of this series.
Copy received for an honest review - for re-release
This is the first of the Out of Uniform series that I have read, however I have read and enjoyed Ms Kennedy's Off Campus series.
I was drawn in by the blurb for this one, and was really drawn in by the first couple of chapters.
However then Seth's prickly nature started to grate on me. I wanted to really love him, but his misdemeaours really started to clock up for the first half of the book. I get him being all keen for Miranda, but then the way he acts around her and her kids was like "really Seth, really?". He did get better the second half of the book though
The kidlets are little scene stealers and you just never knew what was going to come out of their mouths.
I could understand Miranda's hesitance to start anything, and loved that when she made a decision to take charge, she went balls to the wall.
Not going to lie, most of the time I was more interested in Dylan and what was happening/hoping to happen/happening with Aidan. Now that had my anxious for me.
I will now be going back and reading more of this series.
February 22, 2018
Bad boy Seth has been lusting after Miranda for a long time, but she's not interested...mostly. Her first priority is her children, and Seth is anything but kid friendly. She won't entertain anything with him because she knows it won't be long term, and she doesn't want to put her kids in the situation of being hurt as well.
The attraction between Seth and Miranda hits epic proportions, and so he decides he will let her have the control if she'll just have sex with him. She agrees (she's been in a very long dry spell when it comes to men) and their time in the bedroom is explosive for both of them. They manage their "no strings" relationship around their schedules, but when Seth is around Sophie and Jason, it's clear that he doesn't want anything to do with them. When it becomes clear that nothing is going to change that, Miranda takes decides to cut back on their sleep overs and cuddling and other intimate behaviors both Seth and Miranda have begun to enjoy.
Seth really can't take it because he's falling for Miranda, much to his dismay. He misses their time together and wants more than just sex, so he makes another deal with Miranda to try to get along with her children. His first experience babysitting them is a disaster, but it is revealing as to why he's so averse to children and it's a very sad story.
It's fairly clear throughout the story that Seth is falling hard for Miranda and vice versa. I really enjoyed the progress of their relationship from pure lust to really having deep feelings for each other. They were great together!
I also enjoyed the parallel story of Seth's roommate Dylan and his struggles with his sexuality. Dylan was so different from Seth when it came to the children that I had to love him for how he treated Sophie and Jason. I definitely want his story now!
There's a lot to like about this series. The men are hot and the women are strong willed and their love story sucks you in from the start and keeps you until the end of the book.
The attraction between Seth and Miranda hits epic proportions, and so he decides he will let her have the control if she'll just have sex with him. She agrees (she's been in a very long dry spell when it comes to men) and their time in the bedroom is explosive for both of them. They manage their "no strings" relationship around their schedules, but when Seth is around Sophie and Jason, it's clear that he doesn't want anything to do with them. When it becomes clear that nothing is going to change that, Miranda takes decides to cut back on their sleep overs and cuddling and other intimate behaviors both Seth and Miranda have begun to enjoy.
Seth really can't take it because he's falling for Miranda, much to his dismay. He misses their time together and wants more than just sex, so he makes another deal with Miranda to try to get along with her children. His first experience babysitting them is a disaster, but it is revealing as to why he's so averse to children and it's a very sad story.
It's fairly clear throughout the story that Seth is falling hard for Miranda and vice versa. I really enjoyed the progress of their relationship from pure lust to really having deep feelings for each other. They were great together!
I also enjoyed the parallel story of Seth's roommate Dylan and his struggles with his sexuality. Dylan was so different from Seth when it came to the children that I had to love him for how he treated Sophie and Jason. I definitely want his story now!
There's a lot to like about this series. The men are hot and the women are strong willed and their love story sucks you in from the start and keeps you until the end of the book.
November 4, 2024
This book was a roller coaster on emotion and I really didn't expect that. It was such an easy read Seth grew on me so quickly and I almost cried when I learned his backstory. It was nice to see Miranda evolve and learn to trust again.
Their chemistry is over the roof and I loved every second of it, I loved how Seth blantly tells her what he wants from the get go. I really don't like it when there are misunderstanding in the book. I love her writing style so much, She has a way with words that transport you into the book.
Their chemistry is over the roof and I loved every second of it, I loved how Seth blantly tells her what he wants from the get go. I really don't like it when there are misunderstanding in the book. I love her writing style so much, She has a way with words that transport you into the book.
March 25, 2023
I read this book under the new name of Troublemaker and really enjoyed it. It follows the story of Seth and Miranda as Miranda navigates letting a man into her children’s lives and Seth comes to terms with an event of his past.
Miranda is a dance teacher and a single mum to two adorable six year old kids. She also works as a bartender at night to pay the bills. She knows Seth’s mum, who instructed her son to look after Miranda when she moved to the city.
They’re both attracted to each other and Seth has been chasing Miranda for a while but she never gives in. But one day, a storm causes Miranda’s apartment to be flooded, forcing her to move into Seth’s apartment.
Eventually over time, the two grow closer and Seth battles with his mind about getting close to Miranda’s kids. Throughout the book you see the struggles each character faces and how they accept their flaws and embrace them.
It’s a spicy, sweet romance!
Miranda is a dance teacher and a single mum to two adorable six year old kids. She also works as a bartender at night to pay the bills. She knows Seth’s mum, who instructed her son to look after Miranda when she moved to the city.
They’re both attracted to each other and Seth has been chasing Miranda for a while but she never gives in. But one day, a storm causes Miranda’s apartment to be flooded, forcing her to move into Seth’s apartment.
Eventually over time, the two grow closer and Seth battles with his mind about getting close to Miranda’s kids. Throughout the book you see the struggles each character faces and how they accept their flaws and embrace them.
It’s a spicy, sweet romance!
September 15, 2024
the male love interest??? yeah he can rot in prison!! he can enter purgatory and stay there until he repents for his sins. he was just soooo annoyingly male? like ugh we get you’re a man that can’t view women as actual people. also his backstory was crazy, such a heavy side plot
to throw in for no reason? and absolutely no groveling at the end?? i’m sorry but girl STAND UP and make him beg at least a little!! i like my men pathetically obsessed and he just wasn’t enough for me
to throw in for no reason? and absolutely no groveling at the end?? i’m sorry but girl STAND UP and make him beg at least a little!! i like my men pathetically obsessed and he just wasn’t enough for me
April 3, 2022
I think I dropped into a book that is part of a series and I was supposed to know the characters. It turns out I did. I downloaded this for free, so I got what I deserved. It was a sweet story, but nothing new. Lots of sex.
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