Reviewed by April
Book provided by the publisher for review
Review originally posted at Romancing the Book

Danger, heat, obsession and unexplored desires come together to form a combustive and sizzling tale, not soon forgotten, in The Pleasures of Winter by Evie Hunter.

Take two headstrong characters both who are attractive, intelligent, stubborn and not just a little ambitious; one who despises reporters and one who is a reporter and watch the fireworks disengage! Abbie is a reporter who has put her life on the line for many stories – stories which have held danger and where there are many who would love nothing more than to quiet her for the final time. Though she has put her life in danger more than once, nothing compares to the danger that she finds herself in when she takes a sudden leap into a plane with a playboy Irishman well known to the world for his accent and acting roles that leave women (and some men) drooling. She escapes a life-threatening scenario in Honduras, only to find herself in a completely different sort of life-threatening scenario when desires that she has never known come to surface in a rainforest after a plane crash. With the possibility of death looming so close, Abbie may just give in to her body and all of the temptation that the sultry Irishman has to offer.

Jack Winter has a deep dark secret that would ruin him in Hollywood, in the blink of an eye, if it were to ever come to surface. Though known as a playboy who uses and tosses women aside routinely, there is a depth, yearning and dark side to him that slight few know about. Commitment of relationships has never been an option for him because of this darkness, and never has he been tempted – that is before he meets the feisty and stubborn, not to mention sinfully beautiful Abbie.

It doesn’t take long for all bets to be off as passion, heat and an undeniable chemistry blaze between Jack and Abbie. Abbie learns of Jack’s darker desires and his darker side and must look within herself to decide if what she feels for him is enough to take her from her comfort zone into an area that she never knew her body even craved.

Though compared to Fifty Shades of Gray, (The Pleasures of Winter does have a few similarities such as the BDSM theme as well as the innocence of the female character), I found The Pleasures of Winter to be more endearing and believable. I loved both Jack and Abbie, their personalities, intelligence, insecurities and their development throughout the story. Though they are rather different and have dangers in their lives, they make the perfect couple to play off of one another. Did I mention the chemistry that they share?! You will definitely not need a blanket to keep yourself warm as you read this one!

To be honest, I have only read a few books with the BDSM theme, so am in no way an expert on how these stories should go or what makes one better than the other. However, with that being said, I can say that The Pleasures of Winter was sizzling, hot, and full of sensuality and lust. These aspects were written in a very tasteful way that was incredibly appealing and not done for shock value, but rather leant a depth to the story and to these characters and their lives and emotions. There is a great storyline and plot as well, throw in a bit of suspense and The Pleasures of Winter is a knockout story that will grip readers and have them flying through the pages at a heart-stopping rate. There were times, while I was reading that I found myself so emotionally engrossed within the story and the characters that I found my heart skipping and tears welling up. This was a very quick read for me and one that I greatly enjoyed. The only complaint that I have is that throughout I did find some mechanical/grammatical errors that can easily be taken care of with a good editing. There are British spellings, and that did not bother me in any way, and those are not the errors for which I speak of. Also, please note that these errors did not affect my overall enjoyment of the story.

The Pleasures of Winter is an excellent story with excellent characters, vivid scenes, real emotion and plenty of heat to steam up the coldest of nights. I highly recommend this one to anyone looking for a great read – but be warned, you may need a cold shower (or a warm body) after reading The Pleasures of Winter!

Favorite Quote: For what seemed like an eternity, she shook in his arms, her curves pressed against him, her scent teasing his nostrils. He wrestled his demons, the part of him that wanted to drag her underneath him and unleash a different kind of adrenaline high on her unprepared body.

Then she tipped him over the edge. Abbie put her arms around his neck and pulled him down to kiss her. It was a light, fleeting kiss that even he recognized as thanks, but his inner beast didn’t care.

At the first brush of her lips against his, he took over, pulled her harder against him, and plundered her mouth. This wasn’t a gentle getting-to-know-you first kiss, it was possessive and raw. She had offered and, by god, he was going to take. He kissed her ravenously, unable to get enough of the taste of her.

She moaned, a tiny sound at the back of her throat, and it was like a flame to tinder. His control exploded.