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Kate & Leah #1
Taking Care of Business
After leaving the wrong man, Leah Griffin's not ready to look for the right one. All she wants is to survive the conference she's planning and spend some time with her best friend Kate Edwards. She was not expecting the conference services manager to be so tall, dark, and handsome—or so eager to please. It's Brandon Long's job to make Leah happy, but after a scorching interlude in her hotel room, neither can deny business has become pleasure. Smart, driven, and successful attorney Kate Edwards has spent her life making the right choices. But in contrast to those right choices, she's involved in a long distance, secret love affair with a coworker. Charles Dixon is a bad choice she can't help but make—over and over. A conference and a promotion bring Kate back to Pennsylvania, and suddenly, Dix wants far more than a few nights in random hotel rooms. He wants something permanent, and Kate has to figure out if sometimes a wrong choice isn't exactly what a woman needs.
304 pages, Paperback
First published December 2, 2008
60 people are currently reading
2351 people want to read
About the author
Megan Hart
265 books4,055 followersMegan Hart has written in almost every genre of romantic fiction, including historical, contemporary, romantic suspense, romantic comedy, futuristic, fantasy and perhaps most notably, erotic. She also writes non-erotic fantasy and science fiction, as well as continuing to occasionally dabble in horror.
--from the author's website
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
For Megan Hart, the nutritionist, click here
--from the author's website
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
For Megan Hart, the nutritionist, click here
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
December 2, 2013
OK I liked this story well enough to give 5 stars and heres why....
It's hot,hot,hot infact it's scorchio hot!!
The story revolves around Dix (high fly lawyer) with Kate (high flying consultant lawyer) , and Brandon (newly promoted events manager) with Leah (HR head at the same firm as Dix and best friends with Kate). Who are all together for a corporate Event at the same hotel.
Kate and Dix meet up on a regular basis for a romp between the (hotel) sheets, Kate never wants to mix work with pleasure but over the course of a few days whilst working with Dix on a corporate seminar finds her ideas turned upside down and has to completely rethink her preconceived ideas of how a relationship with Dix would work out and finally admit that she loves him.
Leah has just dumped her Dominate live in boyfriend (Mike), she hooks with Brandon after it becomes clear to her that her time spent as a sub with Mike should clearly have been the other way round,and Brandon is without doubt the ideal candidate to test out her new found urge. Brandon is sweet and a perfect gentleman he seems to know without question exactly what Leah needs without being too wimpy.. She has mixed feelings about her new found role as she really doesn't want to turn into Mike who quite frankly made her feel not so much a slave but a serf and also what she has with Brandon is just for fun? Right?...Brandon and Leah have a great time together and I mean great!!but things go wrong when Mike shows up, however all is not lost and there is a HEA.
Besides the story going on between the two couples there is a small story of corporate espionage, which keeps things moving at a nice pace.
I enjoyed this, it was easy to read and there were some great little laugh out loud scenes. Fun if you're looking for something sweet and hot!
It's hot,hot,hot infact it's scorchio hot!!
The story revolves around Dix (high fly lawyer) with Kate (high flying consultant lawyer) , and Brandon (newly promoted events manager) with Leah (HR head at the same firm as Dix and best friends with Kate). Who are all together for a corporate Event at the same hotel.
Kate and Dix meet up on a regular basis for a romp between the (hotel) sheets, Kate never wants to mix work with pleasure but over the course of a few days whilst working with Dix on a corporate seminar finds her ideas turned upside down and has to completely rethink her preconceived ideas of how a relationship with Dix would work out and finally admit that she loves him.
Leah has just dumped her Dominate live in boyfriend (Mike), she hooks with Brandon after it becomes clear to her that her time spent as a sub with Mike should clearly have been the other way round,and Brandon is without doubt the ideal candidate to test out her new found urge. Brandon is sweet and a perfect gentleman he seems to know without question exactly what Leah needs without being too wimpy.. She has mixed feelings about her new found role as she really doesn't want to turn into Mike who quite frankly made her feel not so much a slave but a serf and also what she has with Brandon is just for fun? Right?...Brandon and Leah have a great time together and I mean great!!but things go wrong when Mike shows up, however all is not lost and there is a HEA.
Besides the story going on between the two couples there is a small story of corporate espionage, which keeps things moving at a nice pace.
I enjoyed this, it was easy to read and there were some great little laugh out loud scenes. Fun if you're looking for something sweet and hot!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 30, 2016
This is my third Megan Hart read and my first Lauren Dane read and happily it not only met, but EXCEEDED all of my expectations.
Leah and Kate have been best friends since middle school. Leah helps Kate get a job with a law firm that works very closely with the company that she's the head of HR for. Together, they're meeting at a conference in Harrisburg, PA for four days. Eventhough Leah lives in Harrisburg, she decides to stay at the hotel the conference is at due to a break-up with her dominant boyfriend Mike. Knowing Kate is going to be staying at the hotel too, Leah is thrilled to finally get the chance to introduce Kate to Charles "Dix" Dixon who is on her companies legal team who will be working close with Kate. Unbeknownst to Leah, Kate is VERY well acquainted with Dix, being that she's been having a sexy relationship with him for several months now.
When the girls finally meet at the hotel, Leah confides in her bff about the type of relationship she was in with Mike, that he had been the dominant and she had been the servant. In revealing this to Kate, Leah realizes that maybe what she REALLY wants is to be the dominant one herself. Right about this time, she notices a tall drink of water Brandon leaning over the bar and lets just say, she doesn't waste much time getting his attention.
This book is so deliciously steamy and hot, that I borrowed it from the library about 11:00 a.m. and had finished it by 10:00 p.m. that night! Granted it's only about three hundred pages, but none the less, I couldn't get enough!
I loved Kate's character in this book. She was smart, independent, successful, spunky, sexy, and knew exactly what she wanted. At times her independence did get in the way of her truly revealing her real feelings for Dix, but in the long run, it's definitely a HEA!
Leah is a woman that demands attention as soon as she comes into a room. Brandon is just the type of guy who wants to give it to her. At 6'4, tall, dark, and delicious, he's no pansy, but knows how to turn on a woman who wants to be in charge. When she finally gets her way with him, he is so patient and willing that you better have a glass of water beside you when it gets down to it!!!! (Belt scene, WOW)
Hands down, my favorite person in this book is Dix. I can't even type his name without grininng because this man is so fine. YUM! He's powerful, arrogant, cocky, and sexy as hell! He also knows how to bring a woman to her knees, even reading about him! He is ALL about Kate and leaves no mystery to that by how he simply devours her in more ways than one, and boy does the man have a dirty mouth, HOT!
This book is full of lots of sexy steamy content and has a really fantastic plot with some company backstabbing going on in between all the hot stuff. I wish I could give this story more stars because I totally would. FIVE BIG BIG STARS!!
Leah and Kate have been best friends since middle school. Leah helps Kate get a job with a law firm that works very closely with the company that she's the head of HR for. Together, they're meeting at a conference in Harrisburg, PA for four days. Eventhough Leah lives in Harrisburg, she decides to stay at the hotel the conference is at due to a break-up with her dominant boyfriend Mike. Knowing Kate is going to be staying at the hotel too, Leah is thrilled to finally get the chance to introduce Kate to Charles "Dix" Dixon who is on her companies legal team who will be working close with Kate. Unbeknownst to Leah, Kate is VERY well acquainted with Dix, being that she's been having a sexy relationship with him for several months now.
When the girls finally meet at the hotel, Leah confides in her bff about the type of relationship she was in with Mike, that he had been the dominant and she had been the servant. In revealing this to Kate, Leah realizes that maybe what she REALLY wants is to be the dominant one herself. Right about this time, she notices a tall drink of water Brandon leaning over the bar and lets just say, she doesn't waste much time getting his attention.
This book is so deliciously steamy and hot, that I borrowed it from the library about 11:00 a.m. and had finished it by 10:00 p.m. that night! Granted it's only about three hundred pages, but none the less, I couldn't get enough!
I loved Kate's character in this book. She was smart, independent, successful, spunky, sexy, and knew exactly what she wanted. At times her independence did get in the way of her truly revealing her real feelings for Dix, but in the long run, it's definitely a HEA!
Leah is a woman that demands attention as soon as she comes into a room. Brandon is just the type of guy who wants to give it to her. At 6'4, tall, dark, and delicious, he's no pansy, but knows how to turn on a woman who wants to be in charge. When she finally gets her way with him, he is so patient and willing that you better have a glass of water beside you when it gets down to it!!!! (Belt scene, WOW)
Hands down, my favorite person in this book is Dix. I can't even type his name without grininng because this man is so fine. YUM! He's powerful, arrogant, cocky, and sexy as hell! He also knows how to bring a woman to her knees, even reading about him! He is ALL about Kate and leaves no mystery to that by how he simply devours her in more ways than one, and boy does the man have a dirty mouth, HOT!
This book is full of lots of sexy steamy content and has a really fantastic plot with some company backstabbing going on in between all the hot stuff. I wish I could give this story more stars because I totally would. FIVE BIG BIG STARS!!
September 16, 2010
Pretty good for erotic. The best part was watching a woman gently dominate a younger man in the bedroom.
STORY BRIEF:
Leah and Kate are best friends. Leah works in Human Resources for Allied Packaging. Kate is an outside lawyer who was hired to do some work for Allied. Leah and Kate are staying at a hotel where Allied is having meetings for four days. On the day Leah left for the hotel she kicked Mike out of her home. They had been playing dom/sub games with Mike as the dom, but he was selfish and arrogant about it, which was unsatisfying for Leah. Leah meets Brandon at the hotel who is in charge of conference services. She instructs Brandon how to set up the rooms and what food and beverages to supply. She tells him if he does a good job she may reward him. This is the beginning of their relationship in which Leah dominates Brandon in the bedroom. He has never been submissive before, but he enjoys letting her dominate. Leah is surprised by how much she enjoys it.
Kate the outside legal counsel is having an affair with Dix, the in-house legal counsel for Allied. Dix has an ex-wife with two teenage girls. He is a devoted father. He is still linked with his ex-wife Eve, because when she wants a jar opened or something fixed, he goes to do it. Kate likes his time with his daughters but will not accept that he continues helping Eve when she should get someone else to do those things.
REVIEWER’S OPINION:
It was pretty good. The characters were good. It was a traditional romantic formula of couples getting together, having fights to break up, and then getting back together again. I wasn’t thrilled with the reasons for the separations, but they were acceptable since the purpose of the book is for erotic scenes rather than story depth. The stories were a little different from normal which was good. I liked seeing Leah “gently” dominate Brandon, which was different from most male dominants that I’ve read about. I enjoyed watching Brandon honestly enjoy doing whatever she asked.
DATA:
Story length: 284 pages. Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: strong (including self pleasuring). Number of sex scenes: 14. Total number of sex scene pages: 66. Setting: current day Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Copyright: 2008. Genre: erotic contemporary romance.
STORY BRIEF:
Leah and Kate are best friends. Leah works in Human Resources for Allied Packaging. Kate is an outside lawyer who was hired to do some work for Allied. Leah and Kate are staying at a hotel where Allied is having meetings for four days. On the day Leah left for the hotel she kicked Mike out of her home. They had been playing dom/sub games with Mike as the dom, but he was selfish and arrogant about it, which was unsatisfying for Leah. Leah meets Brandon at the hotel who is in charge of conference services. She instructs Brandon how to set up the rooms and what food and beverages to supply. She tells him if he does a good job she may reward him. This is the beginning of their relationship in which Leah dominates Brandon in the bedroom. He has never been submissive before, but he enjoys letting her dominate. Leah is surprised by how much she enjoys it.
Kate the outside legal counsel is having an affair with Dix, the in-house legal counsel for Allied. Dix has an ex-wife with two teenage girls. He is a devoted father. He is still linked with his ex-wife Eve, because when she wants a jar opened or something fixed, he goes to do it. Kate likes his time with his daughters but will not accept that he continues helping Eve when she should get someone else to do those things.
REVIEWER’S OPINION:
It was pretty good. The characters were good. It was a traditional romantic formula of couples getting together, having fights to break up, and then getting back together again. I wasn’t thrilled with the reasons for the separations, but they were acceptable since the purpose of the book is for erotic scenes rather than story depth. The stories were a little different from normal which was good. I liked seeing Leah “gently” dominate Brandon, which was different from most male dominants that I’ve read about. I enjoyed watching Brandon honestly enjoy doing whatever she asked.
DATA:
Story length: 284 pages. Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: strong (including self pleasuring). Number of sex scenes: 14. Total number of sex scene pages: 66. Setting: current day Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Copyright: 2008. Genre: erotic contemporary romance.
June 9, 2010
Taking Care of Business is one story with two heroines. Leah and Kathrine are two women who have been friends since they were young girls. Over the years they have gone their separate ways but have managed to maintain their friendship. They are attending a business conference. Leah has just broken up with her boyfriend and finds herself drawn to the hotel manager, who happens to be younger than her. She begins to explore new facets of her sexuality by dominating him. Katherine is a lawyer who has been having a secret affair with Dix who works at the company which she is providing legal advice. She has recently moved from the West coast to the East coast bringing her much closer to Dix. She is worried by moving closer she might push him farther away.
Both relationships get equal time on the page and blend together seamlessly. I found myself more interested in Katherine and Dix's relationship. Dix is an appealing hero in that whenever Katherine would push him, instead of withdrawing he would push back. I love it when couples work through their problems and don't run away.
I am not a big fan of women playing the dominant role in the sexual relationship, nor do I tend to like older women with younger men. It's my own personal bias. However, Leah and Brandon's relationship was a pleasant surprise. At first it was slow moving, but in the middle it heated up quite nicely.
I was hoping for more relationship building between the two women. According to the back story they had been friends forever. But they didn't have a lot of bonding going on during the story between them. Nothing really stood out about their friendship. I guess I was expecting more girl time with laughs and fun conversation, but it was notably lacking. I don't know if it was more evident because I read this right after I read Vision in White by Nora Roberts which had it in spades. Who knows? I try not to be biased, but this is my review site and I can do what I want!
Both relationships get equal time on the page and blend together seamlessly. I found myself more interested in Katherine and Dix's relationship. Dix is an appealing hero in that whenever Katherine would push him, instead of withdrawing he would push back. I love it when couples work through their problems and don't run away.
I am not a big fan of women playing the dominant role in the sexual relationship, nor do I tend to like older women with younger men. It's my own personal bias. However, Leah and Brandon's relationship was a pleasant surprise. At first it was slow moving, but in the middle it heated up quite nicely.
I was hoping for more relationship building between the two women. According to the back story they had been friends forever. But they didn't have a lot of bonding going on during the story between them. Nothing really stood out about their friendship. I guess I was expecting more girl time with laughs and fun conversation, but it was notably lacking. I don't know if it was more evident because I read this right after I read Vision in White by Nora Roberts which had it in spades. Who knows? I try not to be biased, but this is my review site and I can do what I want!
July 4, 2017
Well written. I enjoyed the adultness of this book. It's refreshing not having virgins and man whores come together as the only type of relationship to work.
The sexy times were hot, slowly and sensually crafted. The conversations were smart and insightful, and let the reader fall into the relationships.
Looking forward to the conclusion although this could end and I would respect it.
The sexy times were hot, slowly and sensually crafted. The conversations were smart and insightful, and let the reader fall into the relationships.
Looking forward to the conclusion although this could end and I would respect it.
February 4, 2010
tl;dr version - a hero who mansplains is no hero of mine, but toppy!ladies with willing boys are always a good thing.
We're averaging out three stars, because one of the main plotlines is a total, total four, and the other one barely clings to a two. Hart is consistently good about giving really good structure and meat (not like that...welll, sort of) to her books that are, let's be honest, All About The Sexytimes. We have the Secret Fuckbuddies Becoming More plotline and the Recently Broken-Up Burgeoning Top plotline, all revolving around - wait for the excitement - a three-day conference for a packaging company, involving thrilling! employment law! action! and nondisclosure! severance! agreements! (I am not making this up.) (On the other hand, it's very nice to see resolutely Normal People have the exciting Sexytimes in books, as well as spies/werewolves/hookers on a mission from god/etc.)
My problem with this book, though, is with the hero of the SFBM plotline. For the first quarter to third of the book, where it was mostly just sexual tension between him and the SFBM heroine (and the resolution thereof), I was a-okay with him and them. My problem arose when they found one of my DO NOT WANT buttons and jumped up and down on it. Hard. Repeatedly. And for the rest of the book. I'm sorry, a guy in a professional position of power who's bonking the new girl in town does not get to casually dismiss the new girl's worries about how their relationship might affect her professional reputation as "no big deal." Especially not when they've already gotten caught engaging in a little handjobbery in a public parking lot, and even more especially when getting caught has led to new girl's bosses being told of her "inappropriate relationship." Especially especially especially when the new girl has previously had her professional reptuation ruined because of a completely aboveboard relationship. THAT'S WHY THEY CALL IT A DOUBLE STANDARD, and the dude who is not subjected to it doesn't get to call the shots and have me still interested in reading about his Sexytimes.
Hart actually does a good job of having the SFBM heroine raise all these issues with the SFBM hero, but she still has him brush those aside (with some Sexytimes), with no indication that he's acknowledged the risks she's considering/taking on by being with him, other than an apology he offers that seems sincere but is immediately undercut by his shutting down of anything else she says by initiating Sexytimes. Just...not okay.
And this doesn't even get me started on SFBM hero's total defensiveness about still being emotionally involved with his ex-wife even while trying to hook up with SFBM heroine. He left Sexytimes to go open a pickle jar for the ex-wife and he pulls the "c'mon, baby, we only got caught once and you didn't get fired; I don't understand why you're being such a hysterical woman" bullshit?
DTMFA.
However, the story about the lady discovering she's a dom, not a sub, and getting to play with the Jared Padalecki-alike hotel manager is hot like burning and totally worth skipping around the really unfortunate other storyline. Hot. Burning. Etc. Yes. Read that.
We're averaging out three stars, because one of the main plotlines is a total, total four, and the other one barely clings to a two. Hart is consistently good about giving really good structure and meat (not like that...welll, sort of) to her books that are, let's be honest, All About The Sexytimes. We have the Secret Fuckbuddies Becoming More plotline and the Recently Broken-Up Burgeoning Top plotline, all revolving around - wait for the excitement - a three-day conference for a packaging company, involving thrilling! employment law! action! and nondisclosure! severance! agreements! (I am not making this up.) (On the other hand, it's very nice to see resolutely Normal People have the exciting Sexytimes in books, as well as spies/werewolves/hookers on a mission from god/etc.)
My problem with this book, though, is with the hero of the SFBM plotline. For the first quarter to third of the book, where it was mostly just sexual tension between him and the SFBM heroine (and the resolution thereof), I was a-okay with him and them. My problem arose when they found one of my DO NOT WANT buttons and jumped up and down on it. Hard. Repeatedly. And for the rest of the book. I'm sorry, a guy in a professional position of power who's bonking the new girl in town does not get to casually dismiss the new girl's worries about how their relationship might affect her professional reputation as "no big deal." Especially not when they've already gotten caught engaging in a little handjobbery in a public parking lot, and even more especially when getting caught has led to new girl's bosses being told of her "inappropriate relationship." Especially especially especially when the new girl has previously had her professional reptuation ruined because of a completely aboveboard relationship. THAT'S WHY THEY CALL IT A DOUBLE STANDARD, and the dude who is not subjected to it doesn't get to call the shots and have me still interested in reading about his Sexytimes.
Hart actually does a good job of having the SFBM heroine raise all these issues with the SFBM hero, but she still has him brush those aside (with some Sexytimes), with no indication that he's acknowledged the risks she's considering/taking on by being with him, other than an apology he offers that seems sincere but is immediately undercut by his shutting down of anything else she says by initiating Sexytimes. Just...not okay.
And this doesn't even get me started on SFBM hero's total defensiveness about still being emotionally involved with his ex-wife even while trying to hook up with SFBM heroine. He left Sexytimes to go open a pickle jar for the ex-wife and he pulls the "c'mon, baby, we only got caught once and you didn't get fired; I don't understand why you're being such a hysterical woman" bullshit?
DTMFA.
However, the story about the lady discovering she's a dom, not a sub, and getting to play with the Jared Padalecki-alike hotel manager is hot like burning and totally worth skipping around the really unfortunate other storyline. Hot. Burning. Etc. Yes. Read that.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 1, 2013
This book is a clear example why I love Megan Hart's novels. Not only is she able to write sex scenes beautifully but ALL her characters have the feel of real people, with flaws, qualities and difficulties: they all have depth not normaly seen in contemporary adult novels.
In this book, she brings us the story of two long-time friends, each going through a turning point in their lives. Katherine Edwards is a successful lawyer who has been recently promoted and is involved with a colleague who would like to see their sexual fling become a relationship. Leah, Head of HR department of the Company that employs Charles Dixon and soon her friend, has just broken up with her partner. At work, she meets Brandon, Event Manager of the Hotel where she is holding a conference and is forced to acknowledge something about herself.
I can not talk about this book without spoiling the end, so if you don't want to hear it, please stop reading now.
What I found most surprising and original in this novel is how the author created a dominant woman and a submisse man. I am so tired of the same post-Christian Gray males, all dominants and sex-gods, that we forget the other way round is also possible - if not more common in real life.
And what is most original and gripping is that Leah is not a dominant...yet. She's been the submisive in her recent broken-up-relationship and we are witness to her discovery that she might just actually be a dominant and decides to act on it with Bradon.
It is exciting to see the changes and discoveries of the characters rather than just have a formed, round character we are to accept. In this book we are able to see the characters develop into someone else. Nothing could be more gripping!
In this book, she brings us the story of two long-time friends, each going through a turning point in their lives. Katherine Edwards is a successful lawyer who has been recently promoted and is involved with a colleague who would like to see their sexual fling become a relationship. Leah, Head of HR department of the Company that employs Charles Dixon and soon her friend, has just broken up with her partner. At work, she meets Brandon, Event Manager of the Hotel where she is holding a conference and is forced to acknowledge something about herself.
I can not talk about this book without spoiling the end, so if you don't want to hear it, please stop reading now.
What I found most surprising and original in this novel is how the author created a dominant woman and a submisse man. I am so tired of the same post-Christian Gray males, all dominants and sex-gods, that we forget the other way round is also possible - if not more common in real life.
And what is most original and gripping is that Leah is not a dominant...yet. She's been the submisive in her recent broken-up-relationship and we are witness to her discovery that she might just actually be a dominant and decides to act on it with Bradon.
It is exciting to see the changes and discoveries of the characters rather than just have a formed, round character we are to accept. In this book we are able to see the characters develop into someone else. Nothing could be more gripping!
May 7, 2009
I am a huge fan of Megan Hart! I have not read anything else by Lauren Dane, although I do have three of her books in my TBR pile. With that being said I have to say that this book was just okay for me.
If I were to give stars based on sex, this baby would get 6 or 7. As far as the story goes, a 3 was all I could give. Even though there is a HEA, it seems a bit too rushed and somewhat not believable.
If I were to give stars based on sex, this baby would get 6 or 7. As far as the story goes, a 3 was all I could give. Even though there is a HEA, it seems a bit too rushed and somewhat not believable.
July 5, 2013
Ok... so this was hot and intense the whole way through. It was written well, but the authors lost me on the ending. They spent multiple pages on the relationship between Kate and Dix, but only a couple pages on the relationship between Brandon and Leah. I was more interested in their relationship and was completely disappointed that their relationship wasn't given a better ending. Otherwise it was a really good book.
November 26, 2012
As smut books go, I think the characters were really quite well developed in this book and none were just flat and perfect as they often are. The characters and relationships with quite involved and the characters quite sympathetic...I was in the mood for some light smutty romance and this one was really quite good, IMO.
January 12, 2013
I liked this book .. I like Brandon and Leah more than Kate and Dix.. and it annoyed me that there were more scenes of Kate and Dix than Brandon and Leah .. and their ending was soo inconclusive.. But I still enjoyed it .. .. 3.5 stars :)
April 16, 2014
2.5, maybe. Felt disjointed and muddled throughout. I think that's a risk with co-authors. There were little sparks here and there that saved it from a dnf. I liked the friendship between the two leads. But overall, not great for me.
December 16, 2015
GR lost my very detailed review! Ugh!!
Short version: yuppie lameness, no story, bad and redundant sex, wrongful use of the word "cunt".
DNF at 77%.
These authors are bad singularly and worse together.
Narrator is fair - not bad, not great.
Short version: yuppie lameness, no story, bad and redundant sex, wrongful use of the word "cunt".
DNF at 77%.
These authors are bad singularly and worse together.
Narrator is fair - not bad, not great.
May 1, 2012
Wow. That was a lot of sex. From two different couples, too. Not sure what else to say about this book. Just... sex. Lots of sex.
May 24, 2013
Okay, so I really enjoyed this book. 3 1/2 stars. My only gripe is that I much preferred the Leah and Brandon portion and wished that they took up more of the book than Kate and Dix seemed to have...
September 2, 2012
Didn't finish
August 15, 2014
I couldn't even read the whole thing. I'm usually a fan of Laura Dane, but this was just a complete disappointment. I can't give anything less then 1-star unfortunately.
January 27, 2013
wow!something pretty heavy and intense.having two bad ass heroine that were both little naughty,sexy and kinky was really something.enjoyed reading this story.
February 26, 2013
about 3.5 stars. really loved the Leah/Brandon parts. wish there was even more of them. but the other couple was just ok for me
August 6, 2016
It had much more potential in the description than actually came through in the novel itself.
March 12, 2014
stopped at chapter 4, skip chapters, moving onto other books, few months later, still unable to read it through. finally gave up after 6 months
January 16, 2021
I happened to see one of my favorite erotic romance authors mention this was one of her favorite erotic romances. I’m going to guess she read it around when it came out and there’s a heavy nostalgia factor. I can see why someone would list it as their favorite, had they not come to it now. While it was extremely hot, it was also extremely dated with a host of problems, as one might expect with a book came out in 2008. It was riddled with ableist language, gender essentialism, male pejoratives (even used by the heroines!), and I found one of the heroes to be quite sexist. The heroines are frequently catty about other women, especially Dix’s ex-wife who did not deserve to be villainized because of his poor boundaries. Dix’s assistant is referred to as “a dumb blond,” “bimbo,” “psycho blond,” and “insane assistant”—now yes, she did some not great things but their treatment of her was over the top, especially when it came to the ableist language.
Because this is about two best friends and the men they wind up with, we don’t get much by way of character growth so while I enjoyed both Kate and Leah, I wanted so much more for them both. Personally, I would have been fine with Kate leaving Dix behind. He started out as a sexy devil but I did not care for his sexism or the way he dismissed Kate’s concerns or how he kept grabbing her when she would try to leave. Leah’s storyline was superior for me because she realized she has always been a Dominant and got to explore that side of her with Brandon. I did not like that Kate gave Leah’s home address and phone number to Brandon without her knowledge, after Leah and Brandon had a falling out—never ever give out someone’s information without their consent, even if you’re best friends and think you know best. Anyway, a mixed bag overall but if you can overlook the aspects that did not age well, it is a hot story.
Character notes: Kate is a white attorney. Charles “Dix” is a 42 year old white attorney and single father of two teen girls. Leah is a white HR manager and Domme. Brandon is a white conference services manager and “young” by which I guessed he was in his early to mid 20s. No ages given for Kate and Leah but they’ve been best friends since middle school. This is set in Harrisburg, PA.
CW: ableist language, gender essentialism, gender stereotypes, diet culture, divorce, past infidelity (Brandon’s ex), anxiety, toxic parents (seriously why does Kate have any relationship with them?!), some lines that might be ace-phobic (largely around shock/horror that someone might not be interested in sex or would take a break from having sex for a while), anti-Semitism (from phone call with Kate’s parents), male pejoratives, stalker-y ex (Leah breaks up with someone and he repeatedly shows up at the hotel, pays off a maid to find her room, and threatens Brandon—he finally accepts that they’re done but he’s big mad about it), workplace sexism, homophobia (largely by off-page characters but Brandon’s neighbor asks him if he’s queer when he says he’s not interested in sleeping with her), teen daughter gets concussion off-page, alcohol, mentions of master/slave dynamic in BDSM
Because this is about two best friends and the men they wind up with, we don’t get much by way of character growth so while I enjoyed both Kate and Leah, I wanted so much more for them both. Personally, I would have been fine with Kate leaving Dix behind. He started out as a sexy devil but I did not care for his sexism or the way he dismissed Kate’s concerns or how he kept grabbing her when she would try to leave. Leah’s storyline was superior for me because she realized she has always been a Dominant and got to explore that side of her with Brandon. I did not like that Kate gave Leah’s home address and phone number to Brandon without her knowledge, after Leah and Brandon had a falling out—never ever give out someone’s information without their consent, even if you’re best friends and think you know best. Anyway, a mixed bag overall but if you can overlook the aspects that did not age well, it is a hot story.
Character notes: Kate is a white attorney. Charles “Dix” is a 42 year old white attorney and single father of two teen girls. Leah is a white HR manager and Domme. Brandon is a white conference services manager and “young” by which I guessed he was in his early to mid 20s. No ages given for Kate and Leah but they’ve been best friends since middle school. This is set in Harrisburg, PA.
CW: ableist language, gender essentialism, gender stereotypes, diet culture, divorce, past infidelity (Brandon’s ex), anxiety, toxic parents (seriously why does Kate have any relationship with them?!), some lines that might be ace-phobic (largely around shock/horror that someone might not be interested in sex or would take a break from having sex for a while), anti-Semitism (from phone call with Kate’s parents), male pejoratives, stalker-y ex (Leah breaks up with someone and he repeatedly shows up at the hotel, pays off a maid to find her room, and threatens Brandon—he finally accepts that they’re done but he’s big mad about it), workplace sexism, homophobia (largely by off-page characters but Brandon’s neighbor asks him if he’s queer when he says he’s not interested in sleeping with her), teen daughter gets concussion off-page, alcohol, mentions of master/slave dynamic in BDSM
March 17, 2017
3.5
An RNFF reader recommended this book as an interesting example of a submissive male in a BDSM relationship. The erotic romance actually focuses on two different romances. The first is between Leah, a thirty-something human resources professional who is just coming out of a BDSM relationship in which she played the sub role, and Brandon, a twenty-something hotel assistant manager who is eager to please Leah when her company attends a conference at his hotel. The second is between two lawyers, Kate and Dix, whose professional relationship via telephone (they live in separate cities) has gradually shifted into phone sex and then occasional sex in person. Kate just got a job transfer, though and is moving only two hours way from Dix, and isn't quite sure how her booty call guy will respond.
I enjoyed reading about the very different dynamics between each couple, which come through not just in their extra-bedroom interactions, but in their sexual encounters, too. Leah is coming to realize that her interest in BDSM lies in playing the dominant, rather than the submissive role; Brandon has already recognized his sexual preferences, but has had a hard time finding a partner who both enjoys meeting them and who will not denigrate him for his people-pleasing ways outside of the bedroom. Leah and Brandon's kinks align well: "The bottom line was, she wanted Brandon on his knees in front of her, feasting on her pussy, because he wanted to be there and not because he wasn't man enough to say no" (1023). But Leah is wary of pursuing anything more permanent with Brandon, not only because she's only just gotten out of an unsatisfying relationship, but also because he's younger than she is.
In contrast, Dix and Kate are both strong-willed people who want to control every situation, and who spark off each other precisely because of the very challenge they present to each other. Kate has no trouble with Dix putting his two children from his previous marriage before her, but she's not at all happy that his passive ex-wife can still call him at any hour, to ask for his help with any task, no matter how trivial. The two are both so intense, they really duke it out over this issue, no holds barred, as well as over what their relationship will look like now that they'll be living within visiting distance.
I did not care for the way that Dix's ex-wife and Leah's ex-boyfriend were characterized, and used as "evil others" or foils to prove how "good" Kate and Brandon were by comparison. There's an cruel edge to their depictions that made me really uncomfortable. Especially Dix's ex, whose depiction struck me as unpleasantly misogynistic.
An RNFF reader recommended this book as an interesting example of a submissive male in a BDSM relationship. The erotic romance actually focuses on two different romances. The first is between Leah, a thirty-something human resources professional who is just coming out of a BDSM relationship in which she played the sub role, and Brandon, a twenty-something hotel assistant manager who is eager to please Leah when her company attends a conference at his hotel. The second is between two lawyers, Kate and Dix, whose professional relationship via telephone (they live in separate cities) has gradually shifted into phone sex and then occasional sex in person. Kate just got a job transfer, though and is moving only two hours way from Dix, and isn't quite sure how her booty call guy will respond.
I enjoyed reading about the very different dynamics between each couple, which come through not just in their extra-bedroom interactions, but in their sexual encounters, too. Leah is coming to realize that her interest in BDSM lies in playing the dominant, rather than the submissive role; Brandon has already recognized his sexual preferences, but has had a hard time finding a partner who both enjoys meeting them and who will not denigrate him for his people-pleasing ways outside of the bedroom. Leah and Brandon's kinks align well: "The bottom line was, she wanted Brandon on his knees in front of her, feasting on her pussy, because he wanted to be there and not because he wasn't man enough to say no" (1023). But Leah is wary of pursuing anything more permanent with Brandon, not only because she's only just gotten out of an unsatisfying relationship, but also because he's younger than she is.
In contrast, Dix and Kate are both strong-willed people who want to control every situation, and who spark off each other precisely because of the very challenge they present to each other. Kate has no trouble with Dix putting his two children from his previous marriage before her, but she's not at all happy that his passive ex-wife can still call him at any hour, to ask for his help with any task, no matter how trivial. The two are both so intense, they really duke it out over this issue, no holds barred, as well as over what their relationship will look like now that they'll be living within visiting distance.
I did not care for the way that Dix's ex-wife and Leah's ex-boyfriend were characterized, and used as "evil others" or foils to prove how "good" Kate and Brandon were by comparison. There's an cruel edge to their depictions that made me really uncomfortable. Especially Dix's ex, whose depiction struck me as unpleasantly misogynistic.
July 7, 2015
3 stars for two good stories while just one of them would've been perfect.
I've read books by Megan Hart and Lauren Dane, before and liked both their works. So I was curious to see what a joint work of them turned out to be. This book has been sitting on my Ipad for round about 2 years and yesterday I thought...okay...you better read it now or you'll never do it with all the other newer books already in the pipeline...
And so I did.
What I found was a book whose writing style was as good as was to be expected by both, Hart and Dane but what lacked, at least for me, in comparison to their solo works was a well built story with characters whose chemistry was off the charts.
The major problem this book had was the overachieving experiment to put two stories into one book.
The idea itself was not bad but the execution lacked what I usually love about Hart and/or Dane books.
To me the story of Kate and Dix did nothing. I even found myself skipping pages just to get to what was the heart of this book for me:the story of Leah and Brandon.
THIS is the story I wanted to read: two great characters whose portrayal was flawless. The chemistry was right there. The slow burn, the eyefucking, the explosion that happened when they finally gave into their desire that was evident from page one. Sadly Kate and Dix tried to steal the show, stealing precious space in this book. Sometimes it felt like for pages in pages there was only Dix and Kate, while Leah and Brandon only got a chapter here and there. Even the end was uneven. 2 or 3 boring KatDix chapters vs only 10 pages of Leah and Brendon. Not fair!
So yeah, I guess you see my point...
3 stars that would have been 5 without the DixKat stuff, that did nothing to me, other than dragging on....
I've read books by Megan Hart and Lauren Dane, before and liked both their works. So I was curious to see what a joint work of them turned out to be. This book has been sitting on my Ipad for round about 2 years and yesterday I thought...okay...you better read it now or you'll never do it with all the other newer books already in the pipeline...
And so I did.
What I found was a book whose writing style was as good as was to be expected by both, Hart and Dane but what lacked, at least for me, in comparison to their solo works was a well built story with characters whose chemistry was off the charts.
The major problem this book had was the overachieving experiment to put two stories into one book.
The idea itself was not bad but the execution lacked what I usually love about Hart and/or Dane books.
To me the story of Kate and Dix did nothing. I even found myself skipping pages just to get to what was the heart of this book for me:the story of Leah and Brandon.
THIS is the story I wanted to read: two great characters whose portrayal was flawless. The chemistry was right there. The slow burn, the eyefucking, the explosion that happened when they finally gave into their desire that was evident from page one. Sadly Kate and Dix tried to steal the show, stealing precious space in this book. Sometimes it felt like for pages in pages there was only Dix and Kate, while Leah and Brandon only got a chapter here and there. Even the end was uneven. 2 or 3 boring KatDix chapters vs only 10 pages of Leah and Brendon. Not fair!
So yeah, I guess you see my point...
3 stars that would have been 5 without the DixKat stuff, that did nothing to me, other than dragging on....
October 16, 2016
I don't even know what to say about this book or how to rate it.
1.5 stars.
I basically skipped half of this book. I could not stand... two of the characters... whose names escape me at the moment. Uhhhh Kate maybe? And her love interest... Dix? UGH. Their chapters were annoying and I did not like them at all, I felt no connection to them or any interest in where their relationship was heading, if anywhere. I'm pretty sure I was rooting for them to break up half of the time. They were a solid 1 star for me.
But that brings me to Leah and Brandon. Brandon, I liked. Brandon was interesting, and not a terrible character. ALSO he was not an alpha male and THANK GOODNESS FOR SMALL MIRACLES. Leah was fine. Clearly she had some issues, and issues I can deal with. So they were maybe a 2 star type of story.
Combining two sets of romances in one book was kind of a terrible idea. Like I said, I skimmed or straight-up skipped half of it because I just did not like some of the characters at all. I will not be reading the next in this series (Seriously??? It's a series???? WHY???????). Also, mild spoilers about my thoughts and feelings on the ending ahead, so click at your own risk:
That's pretty much all I've got. This clearly has a very specific target audience, and I am apparently not it.
1.5 stars.
I basically skipped half of this book. I could not stand... two of the characters... whose names escape me at the moment. Uhhhh Kate maybe? And her love interest... Dix? UGH. Their chapters were annoying and I did not like them at all, I felt no connection to them or any interest in where their relationship was heading, if anywhere. I'm pretty sure I was rooting for them to break up half of the time. They were a solid 1 star for me.
But that brings me to Leah and Brandon. Brandon, I liked. Brandon was interesting, and not a terrible character. ALSO he was not an alpha male and THANK GOODNESS FOR SMALL MIRACLES. Leah was fine. Clearly she had some issues, and issues I can deal with. So they were maybe a 2 star type of story.
Combining two sets of romances in one book was kind of a terrible idea. Like I said, I skimmed or straight-up skipped half of it because I just did not like some of the characters at all. I will not be reading the next in this series (Seriously??? It's a series???? WHY???????). Also, mild spoilers about my thoughts and feelings on the ending ahead, so click at your own risk:
That's pretty much all I've got. This clearly has a very specific target audience, and I am apparently not it.
September 29, 2011
This book was ok. I definitely liked Dix and Kate's story more than Leah and Brandon. Maybe Brandon was ok with Leah's treatment of him, but I thought she was a bitch, and it really annoyed me at the end after she just let him walk away only to see him at the grocery store with some other chick a few weeks, and she was all pleased with herself and lured him away. She was all mad at Mike for being a self-absorbed a-hole, but she was the same way. Granted Brandon could have walked away, and he didn't have to show up at her house at the end, but she really just irked me more than him. I totally get Dix and Kate's story because I live it myself. My boyfriend wasn't married to his baby mama, but he did for a long time used to run off to help her which made me angry. I get the needing to do things for your kid, but it isn't his responsibility that his ex can't do a damn thing for herself! I definitely felt bad for Kate because Dix just didn't seem to be getting it, and even once he did after speaking with his ex-wife, he didn't seem like he was actually going to do anything to change it. I think he just brushed it all off and changed the subject by talking about meeting up since they now live closer, and introducing her to his daughters, so she'd let the ex thing go.
September 21, 2014
First off I must say that I really enjoyed this book, its not a type of book that I usually review on here, but this year I want to review some different types of books. So this is the first one I'm starting with. I really enjoyed this book and thought it was really well written.
Sometimes these types of books have no plot to them and its just like reading junk, but this one has a great plot and great characters. I couldn't get enough of the characters and the way the author's write this story helped me connect to the main character immensely.
I loved how the book had two different stories of two very different female characters and their lifes and in the end it wound the two stories together in a way that I didn't see coming. These two used to be best friends but they grew apart, through this story they end up getting closer.
The only thing I didn't like about this story is that I really would have liked to see more character building when it came to the two women, I would have liked to know more about their life's before they grew apart.
All in all this is a great book for adults!
Sometimes these types of books have no plot to them and its just like reading junk, but this one has a great plot and great characters. I couldn't get enough of the characters and the way the author's write this story helped me connect to the main character immensely.
I loved how the book had two different stories of two very different female characters and their lifes and in the end it wound the two stories together in a way that I didn't see coming. These two used to be best friends but they grew apart, through this story they end up getting closer.
The only thing I didn't like about this story is that I really would have liked to see more character building when it came to the two women, I would have liked to know more about their life's before they grew apart.
All in all this is a great book for adults!
January 6, 2011
This is an erotic romance collaboration by two authors. It is about two women, who happen to be friends and attend the same weekend conference in a Pennsylvania hotel. The one has just broken up with a live-in boyfriend and is looking forward to the weekend in the hotel to regroup and refocus on a new future. She meets a man who works for the hotel and they have a fling. Only the fling turns into a little something more....
The other woman is having a long distance affair with a client and will be working together at the conference over the weekend. Their relationship goes to a new level during this time as well, once she breaks it to her lover that she's accepted a job transfer to a company within 2 hours of his home.
What started out as what I thought was a straightforward, predictable erotic romance ... turned out to be a really fantastic story of growth and change, and opportunity. Where taking care of business can get really romantic with the right person. Wonderfully written, sexy, and very romantic. I loved it!
The other woman is having a long distance affair with a client and will be working together at the conference over the weekend. Their relationship goes to a new level during this time as well, once she breaks it to her lover that she's accepted a job transfer to a company within 2 hours of his home.
What started out as what I thought was a straightforward, predictable erotic romance ... turned out to be a really fantastic story of growth and change, and opportunity. Where taking care of business can get really romantic with the right person. Wonderfully written, sexy, and very romantic. I loved it!
April 11, 2010
I have never read a book by Megan Hart or Lauren Dane yet, will make a point to start reading more now!!!
Will not be able to really do a review exactly because if I did it would be way too long and way too full of spoilers for those who have not read the book.
I will tell you that if you do not like Dominatrix type females do not read this book. However if you can keep an open mind and either borrow from a friend or the library the book actually explores a couple of sensitive topics very tastefully. This particular Erotic Romance was a treat for me to read because for the last week stress has been high so it was a very nice escape for me and also an interesting viewpoint for 2 female characters well deserved HEA's. It is always nice to try out something a little outside my "comfort zone" and this racy book fits that description as it is way "outside"!!!!
Will not be able to really do a review exactly because if I did it would be way too long and way too full of spoilers for those who have not read the book.
I will tell you that if you do not like Dominatrix type females do not read this book. However if you can keep an open mind and either borrow from a friend or the library the book actually explores a couple of sensitive topics very tastefully. This particular Erotic Romance was a treat for me to read because for the last week stress has been high so it was a very nice escape for me and also an interesting viewpoint for 2 female characters well deserved HEA's. It is always nice to try out something a little outside my "comfort zone" and this racy book fits that description as it is way "outside"!!!!
November 27, 2010
This was a fun book to read, both Leah and Kate are strong women and know just what they want and make no apologies for that.
Leah, has a need for non-vanilla sex, she has played around with things for a long time. She was in a Master/Slave relationship that she realized just wasn't working for her any more, that maybe she wasn't meant to be the slave portion of the dynamic. Enter Brandon, a sweet guy who is up for the challenge of Leah.
Kate, is a buttoned up woman, who has been burned in the past when she let her desire get the better of her. With Dix she let it happen again, and it really throws a wrench in their fledgling relationship.
The common thread of best friends getting together and talking about what is wrong in these quick few days is what really pulls the book together. The ladies are funny and bawdy with each other making you wish you were their friend too.
Leah, has a need for non-vanilla sex, she has played around with things for a long time. She was in a Master/Slave relationship that she realized just wasn't working for her any more, that maybe she wasn't meant to be the slave portion of the dynamic. Enter Brandon, a sweet guy who is up for the challenge of Leah.
Kate, is a buttoned up woman, who has been burned in the past when she let her desire get the better of her. With Dix she let it happen again, and it really throws a wrench in their fledgling relationship.
The common thread of best friends getting together and talking about what is wrong in these quick few days is what really pulls the book together. The ladies are funny and bawdy with each other making you wish you were their friend too.
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