One mind-blowing kiss. That was all Ellie Weston shared with her neighbor and crush one summer, before he angrily discovered she'd approached him on a dare. Ten years later, Ellie is back at her great-aunt's lake house, and so is Uriel Lassiter still wildly sexy, single and happy to stay that way. When Ellie finds her great-aunt's never-completed romance novel, she decides to finish the manuscript but first she needs some real-life inspiration: a sultry summer fling.
Uriel hasn't forgotten Ellie, and their sizzling chemistry is starting to make him reconsider his tried-and-true bachelor status. But when the truth about her motive emerges, can Ellie convince him that make-believe has turned into sweet reality?
In 1994, Brenda Jackson’s first novel, Tonight and Forever, was released. Since then she has had more than 100 novels and novellas published (the first African-American author to accomplish such a feat) and has over 3 million books in print.
A native of Jacksonville, Florida, Brenda is the first African-American author to have a book published by Harlequin Desire and the first African-American romance author to make the New York Times and USA TODAY bestseller lists within the series romance genre.
In 2012, Brenda received the Romance Writers of America’s Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award—one of the highest literary awards a romance author can receive. In 2013, she was recognized by the mayor and the city of Jacksonville as being a Trailblazer in the literary field.
In 2010, she collaborated with Five Alive Films to turn her Truly Everlasting title into a feature film. Brenda’s 2011 novel A Silken Thread is scheduled to be filmed with Debbie Allen attached as director in 2015.
Email Brenda at authorbrendajackson@gmail.com or visit her on her website at brendajackson.net.
Uriel the sanctimonious ass and Ellie the doormat. Well two stars because I really didn't find this story at all romantic. When Ellie was 16 she was in love with the neighbour boy who was 21. She wanted him to be her first kiss so she accepts a dare from her friend to go kiss him. Then her friend spills the beans (did I mention that her friend is an ass too?), and Uriel gets his nose so out of joint that he makes sure he doesn't run into her again for the next EIGHT YEARS... Yep, he sure can hold a grudge that guy! Over something so silly! So anyhoo, 8 yrs later and he meets Ellie again unexpectedly, and is in insta lust. Him and his buddies have a 'Forever Bachelor' club, so he propositions Ellie to a fling for a month, no strings. She thinks about it for a week but ultimately can't resist. They have their fling, and then there is (of course) another misunderstanding, and Uriel goes off in a self righteous huff. Now the ending could make or break the story for me as I am not too impressed by Uriel and his overly sensitive pride. I would like to say the ending was a good grovel, but NOPE. So even though the author tries to convince me he is devoted in the epilogue, it felt like he wasn't the same person from the rest of the story. Wish Ellie had told him where to stick his honour. The reader, Sean Crisdon was just OK. I really don't like the voices he chooses for women. They sound kind of whiny cloying.
Awesome book now on to the next one have three more to read before July 19th that's when the Bachelor on Demand comes out...Wish me luck!!!! I love me some Brenda Jackson
Loved it Uriel and Ellie love the whole plot of them, they knew each other growing up and here they are ten years later chemistry so strong. If you are a fan of Ms. Jackson's work then this book will not disappoint you. Can I just say the part where they were eating the fired fish and Cole saw had my mouth watering yum yum hehehehe. Also can't wait to read her best friend story Darcy and the other god brothers. Ms. Jackson have a way of tease you with the other characters that makes you want to read their story's nowwwww.
Join my book group on Facebook (Romance Novel Junkies) and fan page (Romance Novel Junkies Book Reviews). We have over 500 members, which includes well known and indie authors and avid readers as members, who are apart of this group. We would love to hear about new books and thoughts. Also check out our kindle and ebook lending library.Twitter@romanceJUNKIES.
WELL...Mrs. Jackson delivers another SATISFYING treat with the first installment to her Bachelors in Demand series...upon reading her first erotic romance Ellie realizes how sheltered and/or lacking her own love life has been...and that Uriel is quite possibly the ONLY man that can INSPIRE and fulfill her secret fantasies...despite the fact Ellie and Uriel haven't spoken in ten years the SPARKS of desire that were SECRETLY smoldering when she was 16 and he was 21 are NOW a full blown BLAZE that will NOT be contained...so while at the Lake they agree to a "NO-REGRETS" affair...BUT will Ellie be able survive the heartbreak, when the only man she's EVER loved walks away once AGAIN..or will Uriel FINALLY realize that Ellie is not his mother and that he can put ALL his love and trust in her and NOT worry about being betrayed...it's ALWAYS fun to see a confirmed bachelor FALL...and I DEFINITELY look forward to seeing which Bachelor will be next to lose his membership to the Guarded Heart Club!
I love Brenda but I wish she could move away from the young virgins or the inexperience. Otherwise, I love this story. Short and sweet. Finished in one day.
One more thing that I didn't like was that the main character was 16 and her love interest was 21 when they first decided to explore. Um, (in a mocking voice) he could go to jail. (Didn't I see this on SNAPPED the other day).
Okay I admit it...I like the two Brenda Jackson's books I've read. Light reading but still entertaining. I'm looking forward to reading the others in this series. Sssssshhhhh don't tell anyone! LOL
I have just one word. STEAMY. The sex scenes were very well written. The book was short so I figured going into it everything would be rushed, but it wasn't as bad as I expected. It was a pleasant read, and the author clearly has a knack for writing because this was super easy to get through. Over all a decent job.
Good book. The story opens when Ellie is sixteen, and Uriel is twenty-one. Their families own neighboring lake houses, and they have known each other for years. Ellie has a huge crush on Uriel, who is about to graduate from college. Afraid she'll never see him again after this summer, Ellie accepts her friend Darcy's dare to walk up and kiss him for at least a minute. Uriel has just started noticing that Ellie is growing up, and when she plants one on him, he can't help but respond. But when Darcy interrupts, yelling about the dare, he gets mad and stalks off.
Fast forward ten years. Ellie's beloved Aunt Mabel, the lake house owner, has died and left it all to Ellie. She arrives at the lake house to settle her aunt's affairs and clean out her aunt's things. She is shocked when she finds a partially written romance novel and is fascinated by what she read. While still processing that information, she sees Uriel arrive at his parents' place. Ten years on, he has grown into a handsome man.
Uriel arrives at the lake, looking for some peace and quiet while also doing a little work. He knows Mabel has died, but not that Ellie is staying in the house. Otherwise, he would never have started his morning with a skinny-dip in the lake. Feeling a bit guilty about that, Uriel went to apologize to her and was floored by what a beautiful woman she'd grown up to be.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Ellie and Uriel. The sparks between them are intense from the moment they saw each other again. Uriel proposes a month-long fling between them, making it clear that's all it could be. He has been burned on the idea of marriage by the disintegration of his parents' marriage and has no intention of taking that risk himself. Ellie is wary of the proposal. She remembers her crush very well and sees the potential for heartbreak. But she also needs inspiration if she is going to finish her aunt's book, and knows that he would provide it. Once again, her friend Darcy pushes her into it, telling her Uriel need never know.
It was fun to see Ellie and Uriel together. There are some great scenes of them together, sharing everything from fish frys to movie nights. Uriel is the one who continually insists that it is just a fling, but he sure does get bent out of shape when his godbrothers show up and take notice of her. I had to laugh because they all knew her from when they were kids and look on her as a sister. They all get a little protective of her and give Uriel a hard time. Uriel refuses to admit that what he's feeling is more than a fling.
Meanwhile, Ellie knows her instincts were right and that she is falling for him all over again. She also feels guilty about not telling him about the book. When he overhears part of Ellie and Darcy's conversation, history repeats itself, and he goes away mad. I thought he deserved his misery for not letting Ellie explain. I hurt for Ellie because she was right about the heartbreak. I loved the ending, though, as Ellie took matters into her own hands and forced a confrontation with him. I loved watching her get his attention and keep it while she made him listen to her explanation.
I'm reviewing this book separately. This book was part of the 2 and 1 with Stern Westmoreland.
This was the first installment to her Bachelors in Demand series. I read one of the other books in the series first (Bachelor Unclaimed). Uriel and Ellie met when they both use to go out to their Family's Lake House. But one summer when he was twenty one and she was sixteen. Ellie's friend Darcy dared her to kiss Uriel because she know how much Ellie like him. Ellie decides to take her friend up on the dare because Uriel was going about to graduate and she didn't know if she would see him again. As for Uriel he was sitting on the pier fishing and Ellie comes up and sits next to him. He know he started seening a little differently because she was filling out. But when she sat down next to him and she started getting close and kissed him. He responded to her kiss. When the kiss lasted pass the minute she was dared her best friend Darcy came out yelling and screaming. Saying she won the bet, when Uriel hears this he looks at Ellie and asked her if that the kiss was a dare. She said yes and tried to explain but he got up he was extremely angry and basically told her he never wanted to see her again.
Fast forward its 10 years later and Ellie is at the Lake House her Aunt died and left the house and everything to her. Well at the same time not knowing Uriel arrives at his Lake House next door. Thinking he is alone he goes skinny dipping in the lake and when he comes out of the water he later notices that he is being watched. That's when he sees Ellie and the memories of that kiss they had all those years ago come back. They see each other and she finally explains what happen that day and the attraction just starts to burn hotter. To the point. They both lose control. Uriel suggest that he and Ellie have a summer fling. Even though Ellie stills has a secret that could destroy what they start to build can love conquer all in the end. Can Ellie tame the Bachelor Uriel for herself. Read and Find Out!!!
One mind-blowing kiss. That was all Ellie Weston shared with her neighbor Uriel one summer, before he angrily discovered she'd approached him on a dare. Ten years later, Ellie is back at her great-aunt's lake house, and so is Uriel Lassiter--still wildly sexy, single and happy to stay that way. When Ellie finds her great-aunt's never-completed romance novel, she decides to finish the manuscript--but first she needs some real-life inspiration: a sultry summer fling.
Uriel hasn't forgotten Ellie, and their sizzling chemistry is starting to make him reconsider his tried-and-true bachelor status. But when the truth about her motive emerges, can Ellie convince him that make-believe has turned into sweet reality?
Uriel is a womanizer. But i believe Ellie had a lot to do with making him that way. That first kiss they shared was a dare for her, but she only took the dare because it gave her an excuse to kiss the man she had been dreaming about since she met him. But he doesn't no that... yet. Now its D'eja' vu all over again. Ellie won't get a third chance to break his heart. Unless she can do some quick talking and quick thinking. Can Ellie win him over? Will he give up his total commitment to bachelorhood? Another 5 star novel. Brenda Jackson is awesome.
This is the first book in a new series by Jackson called Bachelors in Demand. It revolves around a group of friends whose fathers were best friends, so they all grew up together. At some point they made a pact to remain bachelors forever. Of course in the upcoming books, they will be picked off one by one! In this one Ellie Weston is a teenage girl with a crush on her neighbor Uriel Lassiter who is several years older. Their families both spend summers at the same lake community. One summer, aware that Uriel is going away to college and she may never get another chance, Ellie's best friend convinces her to kiss him. Uriel finds out that it was a dare and is livid. He manages to avoid her for the next ten years until circumstances find them both at the lake for the summer.
Uriel Lassiter held a grudge for tooo damn long. He took things too far, but thankfully there is a woman (Ellie Weston) strong enough to make him see the light. 1st of the series provides for an opening to the remaining four.
Uriel and Ellie had a history that was not the best. She a young lady. He the man she wanted. Young and foolish on a dare did something she shouldn't have. When things go just a little overboard, the dare is exposed and a friendship broken. Years later Uriel and Ellie are back at the scene of the dare. Together they work past the pain and hurt only to encounter another obstacle to their possible forever happiness.
Good read and good work from Brenda Jackson again.
Did not like it, I found the hero to be a big baby that he held a grudge for 10 years (because heroine a 16 year old was dared to kiss him, like WTAF he got a kiss from a pretty girl, she didn't do anything in front of a crowd and say mean things to him, she only Kissed him). Then he was a big baby again at end of book when found out heroine slept with him to write a book and left and never wanted to see her again, it kind of seemed like too big of a reaction to what she did. Also really disliked heroines friend. Np
This was the first book I ever read by Brenda Jackson. A friend of mine had a Brenda Jackson book in her car and read the synopsis. I decided to check this author out so I checked out this book from a local library and fell in love with her writing. This was the one that started me on many days of enjoyable romance reading. The book took place in the summer and I read it during the summer so it was a nice summer read!
Ok so I definitely plan to read the other books if they're in Hoopla. Maybe digital if not. (So obviously this was an audiobook read.)
I didn't love the narrator so that was one thing - but not a huge issue.
So Uriel and Ellie ... didn't really know each other, but they kissed and ten years later are neighbors again. I'm not sure how I feel about Uriel being mad for 10 years. On the one hand, it was 10 years ago and y'all were kids/close to being kids. But then again - 10 years isn't that long for hurts. She was 16 I think He was 21. Which ... hm. Like ... hm. [Don't love that...]
Then also Ellie's STUPID FREAKING FRIEND. ARGH. I do not not not not not not not not not like her friend. (Donna? Whatever. Don't care.) omfg her best friend ruined everything always!
Ellie and Uriel as adults DEFINITELY click - Uriel is the one who is mercurial here, insisting it's just sex, but acting possessive/as if she owes him. What he overhears IS damning though - I'm low key mad he doesn't let Ellie talk/listen to her ... but again I get it. I liked that Ellie took matters into her own hands.
The whole publishing thing - I knew - KNEW IT - as soon as Ellie started reading her aunt wrote it. (Low key I think her aunt took up with the lawyer but ... whatever - not a big issue.) LOL tiny bit lowest key I'm most surprised Ellie was able to pick it up /the writing seamlessly with the same voice...
>.> and/but she's just writing Grant as Uriel or whatever vice versa.
I liked Uriel's friends of course - can't decide if I liked this book more than Stern or not.
Ellie had a crush on Uriel since she was a teen. She kissed him on a date when she was 16 and he was 21. He found out about the date and was pissed. He vowed to stay away from her from that point on. They didn't see each other for ten years. When they see each other again there are sparks. He wants to have a fling with her. She wants inspiration so she can finish her aunt's book. What could go wrong? This book was really good. I enjoyed it. Uriel was so sensitive while trying not to fall for her. I enjoyed watching them fall in love.
The writing was great. The storyline made sense. However. Some of the plot was extremely misogynistic and offensive. A man telling a woman to change clothes because his friends are around? The woman changing clothes without making a statement about the demand?
His fury that she was not only sleeping with him to satisfy his primal urges?
Uriel is a very underdeveloped male and that tainted my enjoyment of the book.
Brendan never seems to fail to build a nice story between a man and a woman. I always enjoy her character development, layers of challenge and joy and the happy ever after.
Elle loved Uriel. Ariel didn't believe in love because of his agent's failed marriage. Iris declared no!self an untamed bachelor. Ellie set out to tame him! Did she succeed? Read the book to find out!!
Because I have the whole series but I didn't have this one now I do and I like everything about this book and I would recommend this book to all the women in my family
The author has done it again. If this book is any indication of what the next five books in the series will be, then I say, Whew! Loved continued after a kiss and acknowledgement ten years ago.
Liked Uriel and Sean Crisden's narration. I'd rather have had a book about Aunt Mabel. Everything else was disappointing. And holy damn, Darcy was irritating. She needed to get bashed with a pool noodle.
Good read part of the westmoreland's series. Urial or ( U) as he was referred to in the book Bachelor unforgiven. He's the second to break the men's woman haters club. Great plot that unfolded in the end.