Old Enough to Know Better

by Vicki Lewis Thompson

When twenty-year-old PR exec Kasey Braddock accepts her coworkers' dare to hit on the gorgeous new landscaper, she's excited. Finally here's her chance to prove to her friends -- and herself -- that she's woman enough to entice a man and leave him drooling. After all, she's old enough to know what she wants -- and she wants Sam Ashton...badly.

And Sam is more than willing to be wanted. The chemistry between them is powerful, explosive. Still, there's something vaguely familiar about Kasey, something Sam can't put his finger on -- although he's dying to get his hands all over her.... But he's not worried. He fully intends to enjoy uncovering all Kasey's secrets, one by one. But will the truth be too hot for him to handle?

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Harlequin, Fiction, Adult, Category Romance

217 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 1, 2004

About the author

New York Times and USA Today bestseller Vicki Lewis Thompson believes love makes the world go around and laughter makes the trip worth taking. The recipient of RWA’s Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award and the author of more than ninety books, Vicki pioneered a new kind of romance hero with Nerd in Shining Armor. Following the success of her nerd stories, Vicki launched a boisterous paranormal series featuring a matchmaking witch and wizard, an ADD dragon named George, and a black cat inspired by her own precocious feline, Eve.

Reviews

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok, this book didn’t really work for me. The heroine is 20 years old and trying to be a PR business lady. The hero is 30 and wants to settle down. She lies to him about her age, even though he knew her as a child. Very little resolution is reached. The sex is hot (tho she is going to get a yeast infection). I generally liked parts of it but the biggest part is I just didn’t believe the happy ending.

[Amber · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to enjoy this more than I did. I didn't have a problem with the age difference. This is literally the exact limit that I'm okay with in real life. I'm weird. If you're over 18 and under the age of twenty I'm uncomfortable if the age gap is more than 5 years. From 20 to oh...about 24 I'm totally cool with an age gap of no more than 10 years. Once a person hits 25 the age gap widens to 15 years, and once a person hits ...about 28-30 I have no problem with any age gap. There are reasons I have discovered this. Also, sexually aggressive 15 year olds are REALLY FUCKING HARD TO DEAL WITH.
But I digress.
I liked the story, but...I can understand a precocious and intelligent young woman going into marketing. Being intelligent does not mean you have to be a mathematician or scientist. I can understand a man liking intelligent women. I can understand and be fine with almost any plot point. But THREE FUCKING DAYS for her to decide that she doesn't want a fling, he's the love of her life, and she wants to marry him?!? No, the dude was right, her behaviour says she is way too fucking young/immature to be making a permanent decision like that. He'd be right to be concerned about her what her opinion might be in a WEEK.
I would have really enjoyed the story if it hadn't been for the ridiculous time frame. Stretch it out to a month even, and I would have been like "DUDE, don't throw her away!!". But in this instance it was just like "Oh, sweetie, way to prove the constancy of youth by changing your mind so quickly. That's REALLY gonna convince him you're serious."

[vra · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sex is hot, but the problem is too oversimplified for my taste.

[Connie N. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable Harlequin Temptation romance. Kasey is a 20-year-old phenom who graduated from college early and is now working for a PR agency. Not wanting anyone to know her true young age and anxious to overcome her previous nerdy persona, she's a glamorous hot shot. When she draws the long straw (isn't it usually the short straw?) to approach a sexy landscaper, she goes for it, only to realize that it's her brother's friend from high school, the older guy she always had a crush on. Sam, however, has no idea who she is, and he's immediately attracted, thinking she's closer in age to his 31 and wanting to settle down. Their chemistry is explosive, culminating in some very creative and sexy scenes. Their personalities mesh nicely, although there's always the age-difference tension, at least on Kasey's part. She goes ahead with the relationship despite herself, afraid to tell Sam the truth. Some fun moments, especially with Sam's musician brother Colin. A very pleasant romance. I liked the characters and was rooting for their success. Expected and satisfying HEA.

[Nicole Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is more of a 2 star book but it's an old favorite. 20 year old Niki would have given 4 stars, at least. I think the problem is I don't believe they are ready for marriage by the end of the book. If they would have a real conversation, at the end, just another two or three pages maybe it could work better.

[Jan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hyper-intelligent twenty-something Kasey goes through life pretending she's older than she actually is, because that's how she got through college as a teenager.

When she meets thirty-something Sam, the tension is sizzling and the sex is crazy hot. But Sam wants to settle, and Kasey is too young for that is she?

There's already so much conflict here (the age-difference, the lies about her age, and the whole difference in intelligence level), that I found it ridiculous that Thompson added another conflict in the form of a shared history and a teenage crush. Just more lies really.

With all these conflicts none really got enough attention, and the whole thing became a bit unbelievable. I mean, if you're hyper-intelligent, would you choose a career in marketing? She never felt all that intelligent to me to begin with.

In the end, I didn't believe in them to make it through, no matter how hot the sex.

[Diah Didi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sukaaaaa ... she's a genius, and he's a hunk.
Love this reformed nerd theme.
And I loved the way Sam tried to approach Kasey. I also loved the story where the guy was so ready to settle and so sure that she's the one, and all he should do was to convince her that they were meant together.

[Paulette · Rating 4 out of 5]

It had points that made me laugh. I liked how the book was not see through. It had points that were cliché but it was in humor. All in all I would say a good read but have a back-up. Sex was hot, was the only selling point.

[Crystal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good.

[Bungluna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though the story was well written, funny and sexy, I couldn't get over the ick factor of a 30 y/o hero with a 20 y/o heroine. How times have changed.

[Rukhsar (rukhsandbooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

i read this because i love vicki's nerd series. it was good but nothing beats the nerd series.

[Andrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Γενικά είμαι επιεικής με τα άρλεκιν, αλλά αυτό παρόλο ότι είχε πραγματικά κάποιες πρωτότυπες ιδέες, είχε τόσα λάθη στην πλοκή που ακόμα και οι τελευταίες υπέροχες σελίδες του, δεν το έσωζαν...