Bad Boys On Board

Watson Brothers #1

by Lori Foster, Donna Kauffman, Nancy Warren

"Bad Boys on Board" explores the forbidden and passionate world of the bad boys who elicit unbridled desire -- and the women who fall for their wild ways. Lori Foster, a shining star of Brava's contemporary program, is joined by two rising Kensington stars in these smart, sophisticated, and seductive tales of women who dare to fulfill their wildest fantasies.

"My House, My Rules" / Lori Foster
Tough, rugged cop Sam Watson has a reputation for being a hero on the job and delivering mind-blowing pleasure in the bedroom. But the only woman who drives him over the edge is the one who's completely wrong for him--the sweetly sexy and extremely determined Ariel. When Ariel's headstrong ways nearly wreck one of Sam's sting operations--ruining her alluring dress in the process--Sam offers her a ride to his place to clean up. But once there, Ariel seems to have her own agenda, and Sam decides it's time to show the lady that if she wants to play games of seduction, he'll be calling the shots, turning her every fantasy into a night of unimagined bliss...

"Going Down? / Donna Kauffman
Long hours and little pay. That's what Callie Montgomery's life is all about as the temporary secretary to a financial wizard. Late one night, Callie honors yet one more request from her boss--to escort the dark, dashing, and very British Dominic Colbourne into the company's private elevator and out of the building. Suddenly, the elevator comes to a halt. Plunged into darkness, with hours to go till morning, two people bare their souls and their uncontrollable hunger, sharing a heartfelt intimacy that takes them far beyond protocol into exquisite pleasure...

"A Fast Ride" / Nancy Warren
When an accident leaves a motorcycle gang member down for the count in her front yard, Nell Tennant has to perform mouth-to-mouth on the sexy, long-haired stranger. This arouses the semi-conscious hunk, and before he slides into sleep, he wakes just long enough to deliver a full-body kiss that is one step removed from getting them both arrested for indecency. Now, fully awake but with his memory gone, this bad boy's convinced that Nell is his girlfriend, and he's eager to take up their steamy, passionate affair right where he left off...in bed.

Genres: Romance, Anthologies, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Fiction, Adult, Chick Lit

293 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2003

About the author

Since first publishing in January 1996, Lori Foster has become a USA Today, Publisher’s Weekly and New York Times bestselling author. Lori has published through a variety of houses, including Kensington, St. Martin’s, Harlequin, Silhouette, Samhain, and Berkley/Jove. She is currently published with HQN.

Lori hosts a very special annual “Reader & Author” event in West Chester, Ohio. Proceeds from the event have benefited many worthy causes, including the Hamilton County YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter, the Animal Adoption Foundation, The Conductive Learning Center for children with spina bifida and cerebral palsy, and The One Way Farm, Children’s Home.

Each year Lori donates all proceeds from one book to charity. You can see the benefit romance books here: http://lorifoster.com/benefit-books/

Career Highlights
•In 2001, Lori received the prestigious Romantic Times “Career Achievement Award” for Series Romantic Fantasy.

•In 2002, Lori’s book Too Much Temptation was the top-selling romance title for Amazon books.

•In 2003, Say No To Joe was the second “Bestselling Original Contemporary” romance title for Waldenbooks.

•In 2004, Lori Foster was a clue in the New York Times crossword puzzle.

•In 2004, The Secret Life of Bryan was the “Bestselling Original Contemporary” romance title for the BGI group.

•In 2005, Lori received the prestigious Romantic Times “Career Achievement Award” for Contemporary Romance.

•In 2006, Jude’s Law was the “Bestselling Romantic Comedy” romance title for the BGI group.

•In 2007, Lori launched a new “urban fantasy” series under the name L.L. Foster. See more on her “dark side” at www.llfoster.com.

•In 2007, Causing Havoc was among Amazon’s Top Ten Editor’s picks in Romance.

•In 2008, Hard to Handle made #2 on The New York Times.

•In 2009, Servant: The Acceptance was Amazon’s #1 Editors’ Pick in Romance.

•In 2010, Lori was a clue in the USA Today Quick Cross puzzle.

Reviews

[Jane Stewart]

3, 2 ½, and 2 stars for three stories – motorcycle gang member, undercover cop, and a wealthy British corporate mogul.

3 stars for A FAST RIDE by Nancy Warren.

Story Brief:
Nell left her boyfriend and publicist job in LA to visit with her great aunt Gertie in Kansas. There is a biker gang in town that Gertie hates. When she hears a motorcycle coming, she pulls a tree limb onto the road which causes the biker Wes to be thrown into her yard. He is unconscious. Nell gives him CPR and mouth-to-mouth. He comes to temporarily and kisses her. Later when he regains consciousness, he has amnesia but he remembers her somehow and thinks she’s his girlfriend. The doctor tells Nell to play along for a while pretending to be his girlfriend which might help him recover (less stress in his mind). They soon have sex. Nell likes it so much that she wants to continue having sex, so she doesn’t tell him the truth. She likes him even though she normally would never date a biker gang member.

Reviewer’s Opinion With A Mild Spoiler:
This was pretty good. Slightly above average. My problem was the way they lied/withheld information from each other which caused their major conflict. I didn’t like Nell lying to Wes after the first day. Then after he learned she was lying, he kept up the pretense which was also a lie. They each withheld information, yet he was the one who got angry about it later. I was also disappointed with Wes’ somewhat illogical actions after that.

Data:
Story length: 78 pages. Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: 4. Total number of sex scene pages: around 12. Setting: current day Harleyville, Kansas. Copyright: 2003. Genre: contemporary romance.

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2 ½ stars for MY HOUSE, MY RULES by Lori Foster.

Story Brief:
Sam is an undercover cop, going to bars at night, pretending to be drunk, so muggers will target him. It’s a dangerous job, and he doesn’t want a woman to worry about him. Ariel is 24. She has always desired Sam who is 36. She has been platonic friends with Sam’s younger brother Pete. Sam thinks that Pete has romantic desires for Ariel, but that is not true. Ariel finally decides to goes after Sam. She tells him that she wants him and that she and Pete were just friends, never lovers. Sam thinks he’s too old for her. He tries to make her uncomfortable sexually in hopes of scaring her away. She doesn’t scare.

Reviewer’s Opinion:
I didn’t really like it. Sam is so overly bossy. He denies himself and assumes incorrect things about Ariel. Later Ariel also assumes something incorrect about Sam causing her to go away for awhile and be unreachable. There wasn’t any getting to know you or relationship development. It was mostly conflicts based on inaccurate assumptions (a pet peeve of mine). The conflicts eventually dissolved. It just didn’t do anything for me.

Data:
Story length: 89 pages. Swearing language: moderate, including religious words. Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: 2. Total sex scene pages: around 20. Setting: current day Duluth. Copyright: 2003. Genre: contemporary romance.

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2 stars for GOING DOWN? by Donna Kauffman.

Story Brief:
Dominic is a wealthy British corporate mogul. He just broke up with his fiancée. Something has been missing for him in relationships – almost like he doesn’t feel anymore. He’s in town meeting with Stephanie doing a corporate deal. Callie has been working for Stephanie as a temp worker. Stephanie has to leave, but asks Callie to stay until Dominic is finished with his phone call and then escort him out of the building and lock up. It’s after 11 pm. Callie and Dominic are in the elevator when the power goes out. They begin talking and then more.

Reviewer’s Opinion:
I just couldn’t buy the relationship. They have a conversation in the elevator in the dark. It was somewhat of a boring conversation. Yet it caused Dominic to see that Callie was unlike any woman he had ever met before and that she caused passion and romantic feelings in him that he never felt before. I didn’t buy it. There was nothing in that conversation to cause anyone to have such a dramatic reaction. That ruined the story for me. I would have preferred seeing how she was different from all the other women he had known. But it wasn’t shown. I also had trouble buying their actions at the end, especially Dominic’s. He did something totally out of character and something no rational business person would ever do.

Data:
Story length: 95 pages. Swearing language: moderate, including religious words. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 2, one was many pages long. Setting: current day Crystal City, Virginia. Copyright: 2003. Genre: contemporary romance.

[Julianne]

I ended up really liking Nancy Warren's story, which was the last one...Lori Foster's was good as well. All 3 are very steamy...the only problem with anthologies is that sometimes I end up liking the characters and want to read more!

[Maura]

My House, My Rules - Lori Foster – 3/5 – Ariel has been in love with Sam, a grouchy and gruff (but heroic) cop who is 12 years older than her for some time now. He treats her like a dumb blonde and a kid sister, but it’s really just his coping mechanism for his attraction to her. When she finally confronts him with her own desires, he accepts but forces her to accept it his way. He’s really kind of an ass and I felt really bad for her that her first time was about to be with someone she loved but who was acting detached and controlling. I didn’t care for him very much and it wasn’t obvious that he loved her. I questioned it for sure.

Going Down? - Donna Kauffman - 4/5 - After relationship failure, Callie tries her best to be successful in the workplace, putting love on the backburner. While she’s on a surefire climb to the top (as a PA), she gets stuck in an elevator with uber-rich and successful business magnate, Dominic Coulborne. Their conversation and the carnal pleasures that follow are eye-opening for the both of them. Domonic realizes that he can’t remember the last time he found pleasure in anything and that he’s been living his life numb. And Callie realizes that she’s more provocative than she ever thought and she really can be desirable. But can they make a future or is this a one-time thing? Cute story for sure. I liked how the characters reflected deeply on themselves and found some interesting insight...like how they both sought success in business rather than love because it was a place they could be successful without risking rejection of their very selves. Pretty nice. The scenes are pretty sexy, as is the fact that they spend most of their time together in the dark and Dominic hadn’t really noticed Callie beforehand. So everything he likes about her is personality-related. I do wish there’d been some more background on Domonic and that he’d maybe told Callie he’d been engaged right before meeting her. She spilled her guts but he didn’t tell much about his past. Definitely worth the read of this whole book if you can get it.

A Fast Ride - Nancy Warren - 2/5 - Wes crash lands his motorcycle in Nell’s aunt’s bean patch and wakes up with amnesia. Nell believes he’s a member of a local biker gang and Wes mistakenly believes that Nell is his girlfriend...and the doctor says to let him think it. And why not? The attraction is there. So Nell decides to take this “relationship” to the physical level as well, but she still has no idea who Wes really is. Turns out he’s DEA and he’s trying to take down the biker gang. But Nell has been lying to Wes and he’s not happy about it. So I couldn’t get past the heroine’s selfishness in this story. A man wakes up with amnesia and thinks she’s his girlfriend and all she can think about is how she’s gonna get some great nookie. And she does. But she never once thinks about whether Wes has a family or a wife or someone important to him that he’d be betraying by sleeping with her. She doesn’t think about the fact that she’s tricking him into loving her. She had a responsibility to tell him no when he initiated as he had no idea who he was and was simply believing her lies. And when Wes does find out is angry and accuses her of “scratching an itch,” she gets upset that he could possibly think so. And this is beyond ridiculous because that’s exactly what she was doing! She was using him. She didn’t want a relationship or to fall in love - she thought the was a criminal biker who would simply walk away when they were done. I pretty much despised the heroine’s actions and felt she deserved every crack the hero had at her. I kinda wish he’d been a bit more vicious about it. I also get it, he lied too once he’d realized she was lying, but his was a reaction and didn’t feel quite as selfish since he only went along with her initial lies.

[Lina]

I enjoyed all three novels in this book. They were nice, funny, sexy, romantic stories that are perfect for a rainy day at home or sunny beach read and my favourite - mountain escape!

[Jen]

I picked up this book at a recent library sale. I always like a good beach read and these types of multi-story books are one of my favs. The stories themselves were just okay, not spectacular, but I still enjoyed them.

"My House, My Rules" by Lori Foster - 3 stars
This was a sexy read, definitely not Lori Foster at her finest, but it was still a decent read. I found the sex to be hot, but Sam wasn't my favorite since he was pretty judgmental and not the nicest person to Ariel at times. Ariel was certainly headstrong and didn't give up on her pursuit of Sam.

"Going Down?" by Donna Kauffman - 3 stars
My biggest complaint with this was the dialogue between Callie & Dominic in the elevator. It was a bit boring after a while. But once things heated up, yeah, that was VERY hot! They do fall in love in like 24 hours, which seems unrealistic. But I mean they were in an elevator in the dark for 6 hours together and had plenty of time to get to know one another, so I guess it's possible. It was while reading this story that I was like 'why didn't they just use their cell phones to light up the elevator?' Then I turned to see what date this was written and realized that was probably why lol. Although, cell phones were around in 2003, just not really good ones.

"A Fast Ride" / Nancy Warren - 2 stars
This was another decent read. I'm pretty sure this was the first time I've read something from Nancy Warren. The whole plot was pretty unrealistic and left me scratching my head. Even if they were far away from a hospital, wouldn't a call to 911 with a guy who had head trauma warrant at least a helicopter ride to the nearest trauma center? Pretty sure having amnesia, even if temporary, is the result of a severe head trauma. And then the doc just letting an unexperienced woman take care of him for a few days before he checks on the patient again? Yeah, completely unrealistic. Throw on top of that a girl who falls into bed with said amnesia patient and convinces him she's his girlfriend after he assumes the pretty girl standing over her is someone he had a relationship with. Now, the sex was hot and I enjoyed the story after he starts getting his memory back, but up until that head I was just silently laughing at the absurdity.

[*Dawn]

Anthology containing:
"My House, My Rules" by Lori Foster
"Going Down?" by Donna Kauffman
"A Fast Ride" by Nancy Warren

1. Ariel Mathers falls for ex-boyfriend's older brother, Sam Watson. She runs into him in a bar and tries to protect him from a beating outside, not realizing he's working undercover and has backup ready to step in for the arrest. He's an alpha male and tries to scare her off and deny his own attraction to her but she's a determined virgin. lol

2. Callie Montgomery is recovering after divorcing her cheating spouse and is focused on her career and climbing the corporate ladder. Her boss asks her to stay late until an important client is finished with an international conference call. As she is guiding the client out of the building, the power goes out and they are trapped in the elevator until morning. It's pitch black, making it easier for them to talk openly and make a connection which makes them re-think what they want out of life.

3. Nell Tennant revives a member of a motorcycle gang after he crashes his bike in front of her house. When he comes to, he's suffering from amnesia but seems to think she's his girlfriend and draws comfort from that. She's recently been hurt by her ex and is inexplicably drawn to Wes Doman and thinks "since he's a guy" he probably won't care about the pretense. Unfortunately, she didn't plan on actually falling in love. That causes a bit of a problem when his memory returns and they learn who he really is.

These are all a bit of the alpha male instant lust-love stories so you can't think too hard about the actual probability of events like this occurring in real life, but they are fun to read, so just go with it.

[Angela Crockett]

This was a fun, take to the doctor's office book. Lovely short stories, not exactly what I was expecting but pleased when I found that I enjoyed them just the same

[Samantha Abesames]

Just the right kind of steaminess my soul needs. Bravo! Excellente! Muy Bien!

[Cindy]

The last book I own with "Bad Boys" written on the cover! This book has 3 totally implausible, but enjoyable, stories. Just turn off your brain & let yourself go!

Lori Foster - 3 stars. Protected sex. This is the oldest Watson brother, Sam's story. Apparently Ariel dated the youngest brother, Pete. She was attracted to Sam, though, so nothing ever really came of it. She decides to make sure there isn't anyone else she is potentially attracted to, so she's all over town meeting men. Sam finds her in a seedy bar with 2 of them. He's a cop undercover, so he can't do a whole lot, but when he's attacked outside the bar, she comes to "save" him. There's the usual nosy/intrusive brothers & elderly neighbors to spice up the story. Of course the marriage proposal comes soon after.

Donna Kauffman - 4 stars. I had to drop a star due to unprotected sex. Easily the best story in the bunch. Callie is an office temp for a driven career woman. She's just an average girl, who has been through a bad divorce. Dominic is a driven corporate type who is British, handsome & hot. He's in town on business with Callie's boss. After a really late night, Callie is charged with seeing Dominic down the boss's private elevator & out the door. Of course the elevator looses power & they're trapped in the dark. They then proceed to....talk. They talk a lot. They also finally have sex. Really hot sex. I liked that at the end they decide to try a relationship. No marriage yet. That seems more realistic.

Nancy Warren - 3 stars. Protected sex. I had to drop some stars, unfortunately. This is a very contrived story even for a "Bad Boys" book. See, the heroine's elderly aunt decides she's tired of the loud motorcycles going up & down her road. So she decides to make one "have an accident". She puts an obstacle in the curve of the road & sure enough a biker flies off his bike into her garden. Now, maybe it's just the nurse in me, but you supposedly have a man without a pulse lying there. You give him CPR. He comes to, but he has amnesia, so he doesn't know who he is. The "old country doc", who is a quack by the way, says you have to take care of him because he has no ID or insurance card. YOU are responsible for him. So, he probably has a severe concussion at LEAST, but he doesn't even rate a CT scan of the head to see if there's anything more serious going on. He just gets a dimwit girl with an aunt with murderous intentions to take care of him.
Of course he's not what he seems either. They of course have lots of sex & he proposes at the end...blah blah blah.

[Natasja]

My house, my rules by Lori Foster
When Sam Watson meets his younger brother’s friend Ariel, he is instantly drawn to her. But Sam knows he cannot act on those feelings because she’s twelve years younger than him and not to mention his brother’s girlfriend, at least that’s what he thinks. Then one night Ariel interferes in his undercover operation and he gets hurt. Ariel takes him to his home and is determined to finally show him her true feelings, but Sam has some house rules to follow.

Going down by Donna Kauffman
Callie Montgomery’s divorce hits her hard, but she is determined to get her life back. She is now working as a personal assistant and is doing well. Then one night she escorts bad boy Dominic Colbourne out of the building after a meeting with her boss. Then the elevator stops and they both are stuck in the dark for the rest of the night. Never in a million years could she imagine that this night would turn out to be the best she ever had, when Dominic shows her a new side of her sexuality.

A Fast Ride by Nancy Warren
Nell Tennant has left the big city behind to stay with her aunt for a time, so she can figure out what to do with her life. When her aunt hurts one of the bikers in their front yard, she cannot let him lie there. So she takes him inside and wait for the doctor. Now it appears she has some criminal in her home, who cannot remember who he is. The worst part of this situation is that Wes thinks she is his girlfriend. When Wes finally gets his memory back, nobody could have expected the outcome, but at the end he is determined to convince Nell they belong together.

Bad Boys on Board is a great and well written Anthology. These three authors Lori Foster, Donna Kauffman and Nancy Warren have written some fabulous short stories with some steamy scenes. I really enjoyed reading this anthology and the whole idea of the Bad Boys, who happens to be men with their heart in the right place when it comes to the women they love.

[Amanda]

**Some mild spoilers**
My House, My Rules - Lori Foster
Okay I enjoyed this one the characters knew each other for awhile and so had background. But still Sam came out as a crude mean ass overall jerk toward Ariel. Ariel is someone I would love to be friends with she's sweet, sassy, gutsy and caring. Okay yeah I know Sam was a hero and responsible and sexy as hell but still I got really turned off by him. Yes his brother had a thing for her but seriously you cant really blame her for his brothers need to create something that wasnt there, she was up front any ways AND so what shes 12 years younger that was just an excuse ahh. But I think he did made up for his behavior after he got over his hang-ups and when he wasnt busy trying to scare her away.
Going Down-Donna Kauffman
Wowsers!! H-O-T, HOT!!! Steamy sexy. I think what really struck me is that they didnt start professing eternal love after being cooped up together for 6 hours. Instead they felt a spark and decided to explore what was there it wasnt love at first encounter. But I do wish that after they got off the elevator Kauffman would have written what Dominic felt when he got to really see Callie in the light. Instead the story goes on with them obsessing over what to do and how to go on after baring themselves.
A Fast Ride- Nancy Warren.
Flawless, absolutely enjoyed it. It has a nice twist to the plot and Nell ultimately did what someone woud be afraid to do though it Was in poor taste. Still its a book and anything can happen. Wes was mmmm. only that yummers sound can describe this good bad boy. (lascivious smile)
--->Ultimately the whole book was good and worth reading, and I dont know if anybody really noticed but all the ex's are variations of Peter (i.e Pete) lol

[Selena Lang]

Pretty good for short stories. I am not really a fan of shorts...not enough time to develop a real romance in my opinion, but these writers did a pretty good job of it. I really enjoyed reading them, just wish they were a bit longer :)

[Lesli]

Contemporary romance. Perfect beach read. Quick read. Easy way to pick up a new author or catch up on existing characters.

[Renee]

I liked the first two ok, but the third one was really predictable.

[Quinn]

Review only for "My House, My Rules" by Lori Foster. Sam did start off kind of jerky, but I did warm up to him in the end. Big age difference, though, between the hero and heroine.

[Susan]

DK #1:grt fantasy; LF #2, NW #3