Elizabeth Coldwell

Finished Reading 10/20/15

[b:Take the Heat|22876325|Take the Heat A Criminal Romance Anthology|Skye Warren|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1408388295l/22876325._SX50_.jpg|42440797] by [a:Skye Warren|5339130|Skye Warren|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1580833030p2/5339130.jpg]
Genres: Adult, Romance


I absolutely loved most of the stories in this book.
There were only 2 I didn't like and one that I just didn't like the way it ended.

The writing flows easy. The stories are quick with detail were you want it for the most part.
I highly recommend this book.

You will find a lot of extremely erotic romances & some great writers to add to your favorites list!

Purchased from Amazon June 22, 2015… (más)

Super promising premise - sexy hero insults the plus-size heroine's figure publicly, and now they're forced to work together. I was ready for some angst and groveling. Instead, the very short story is mostly the character's detailed sexual fantasies, which is really not my thing at all - I've found I don't want to read what a character think about during masturbation sessions, I want to read about them actually doing it. Also, I just couldn't buy the total 180 the hero pulls. He derides the heroine for being fat, then suddenly gets a boner whenever he's in her presence? Maybe if the book had spent more time showing them get to know eachother while doing promotion in the weeks leading up to the show, that might have felt more plausible. He never apologizes for what he said, never takes it back or says or does anything to indicate that he actually finds her attractive, and then she just jumps him for some perfunctory sex at a party? I dunno, just feels weird to me. Oh and girl, showing up at his restaurant after he bones you and then tells you he doesn't want any kind of repeat or relationship looks... a little sad. My preference in stories like this is for the hero to grovel and work to help the heroine overcome her insecurities. In this story, somehow it is the gorgeous, talented, wealthy hero that is insecure, whereas the plus-size heroine is blase about the whole thing? Leaving aside the implausibility, this is just not my kinda thing.

Oh, and the friend, Carrie? She says,“You’ve made this ridiculous pact that you’re not going to mix business with pleasure, but trust me, becoming a couple doesn’t have to change anything about the way you work together.”One, that is completely, demonstrably untrue! Terrible advice! And two, what is it with Carrie and Morgan searching for proof of their belief that Scott has feelings for her? The dude has given NO indication of that, and explicitly told her he does not want a relationship with her! Women have got to stop reading into men's actions and chasing the belief that he secretly DOES want a relationship with her when he says he does not. I mean, I know this is a romance so obviously they are going to end up together, but in the real world, we all know how this would actually play out. And when she confronts him and tells him she "knows" he has feelings for her??? What the hell are you thinking, girl??? If she had just been trying to convince him they could do friends with benefits or be booty calls or something, that would be one thing, but she insists that they clearly both want a Relationship and expects him to admit he secretly does? Absurd. And then they just fuck again and say they're falling in love. This story is the exact fantasy that women tell themselves and then are so bewildered when men dump them.

Dang, this book made me hungry and wishing I could eat all the delicious food described in it!… (más)

One star because I was so bored and irritated throughout.
Fantasy retellings and magical realism are tricky. I couldn't make it through the first thirty pages of the only Holly Black faery book I (tried to) read. This, though, I was determined to finish. It's boring, hideously cliche, exposition-heavy and and clearly a wish fulfillment fantasy. Devon, the main character, whines about not being able to find a job a week after being laid off. Where I'm from, it takes people months to find another, especially if they're in IT. Johnny O'Donnell is his new neighbor after Devon moves out from his cheating ex. Common Irish last names the author could have used to step away from stereotypes: Conway, Moran, Kelly, Cullen and Mackey are all examples. Irish first names can be a little trickier, but the author didn't even -try-. The stereotypes and my boredom steadily increased. Devon wonders if he imagined a kiss. He answers the door in a towel. I rolled my eyes at both. Insta-love is present here, although Devon insists it's because he doesn't have friends. I actually believed and appreciated that the author slipped that in there. Devon's ex-boyfriend and the ex's boss, turned sex partner, are one-dimensional antagonists who act like they're in middle school. Their dialogue is so exposition-heavy and clunky that I almost felt bad for the author, but was more annoyed. Devon is shown throughout the book to not have a lot of self-esteem, and has trouble navigating social situations and cues. Second-hand embarrassment was a common experience for me, when I wasn't annoyed with the author's writing.

Devon sang and played "Molly Malone" by the Dubliners on his guitar for Johnny, which was cute. I forgave the author for cheap copyright-ing her way out of the song so she wouldn't have to pay money. I get that. I was glad I recognized the song. Today, it might be considered a Sea Shanty Tik Tok song. On the note (ha ha) of Sea Shanty Tik Tok: the final song, "Drunk Scotsman" by Donal O'Shaughnessy, had over half the song cut out because the whole thing was so inappropriate. I laughed when the song played, and was disappointed that the short version was sung. The guy had a great voice and terrific sense of rhythm. Onward.

Johnny takes Devon to an indie coffee shop as their friendship develops. Johnny refers to himself as Devon's pal, which I thought was cute. He also refers to himself playfully as Devon's uncle, and I have a feeling I am missing some kind of pop culture reference. At no point do they ever have any sexual chemistry, so when they do have sex, I am guessing it's--I have no idea. Anyway, by this time, Johnny has told Devon he's a leprechaun, and I as the reader have to accept it. Matt Haig's book "The Radleys" did an -excellent- job of showing, not telling, the audience that the family was all vampires. Here, Johnny just tells Devon he's a leprechaun like it's no big deal. This book needed to have been written from Johnny's perspective. Especially since it would have answered a question I had: why wouldn't he start out asking Devon what he knew and thought of Irish folk tales? Why just tell him, and somehow think he'll believe you? Most likely, he will think you are unhinged. But this is supposed to be a cutesy romance so stuff like that is skated over. One of Devon's wishes that Johnny says he'll grant is getting Devon a job. After Devon has only been unemployed for a week, and has stated he has enough money to last him for a few months.

They set foot in the coffee shop and it instantly turns into a working interview. He serves food and coffee without a food handler's permit and with no stated knowledge of food safety. He gets the job on the spot. See Devon. See Devon run. Run, Devon, run. "I can teach you to make coffee on the spot," says the owner. HAH. Verily and yea, this is wish fulfillment -bullshit-. Maybe it's because I live in Seattle proper, but getting barista work is -hard- when you have no experience, and practically impossible when you come from a white collar field. The store owner draws a shamrock in foam on Johnny's coffee. I have a good idea of what the author thinks of Irish people, especially in folklore, and it's not a compliment. The owner could have impressed me by drawing a harp, but no. Leprechauns are different depending on whether they're Northern or Southern, and Johnny is hinted to have a Northern Irish accent. He quips about how it makes him sexy to everyone. Had he said "to Americans," I wouldn't have brought it up in this review: I would have laughed. But no, so this is continuing with the author implying she thinks stereotypes. He had a huge family back in Ireland, golden eyes that at first seemed green, red hair but no freckles. Leprechauns are solitary, rude, and territorial. Johnny is none of these. The leprechaun's prankster nature is briefly alluded to in this book, but Johnny does none of that. The book has whispers of him trying to seem somewhat sinister (unintentional triple alliteration, woo!), but they're just that--whispers. How disappointing. Johnny was a sidekick the whole time in this book, rather than a legitimate romantic interest, and it ticked me off.… (más)