Review: These combustible scenes are even MORE intense...
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 9, 2013
Hard up for a FIFTY SHADES fix? Can't wait until production finally starts on the movie? Well, look no further to satisfy your desire. Lauren Blakely has you covered. She imagines what it would be like for a hungry young actor to vie for such a life-changing role. And it doesn't hurt that he's as hot as hell either.Enter Reeve a struggling bike messenger slash thespian who yearns for something more substantial than filming toothpaste commercials. He's willing to do whatever it takes to advance his career. Consequently, so is Sutton. She's a British casting director who is "the best appraiser of male flesh" in the industry. She's fresh off the success of a MAGIC MIKE-like stripper movie and she's dying to work on the film version of the most popular erotic novel in modern history. And Reeve is her ticket in the door. All he has to do is pretend to be her fiance.But things get a lot more complicated than that. Reeve does too good of a job convincing Sutton that he can't get enough of her. She knows men like Reeve and she doesn't trust her heart around any actor. They're all just playing a role. None of them are really interested in her, they're just trying to land their next gig. But he can't resist her sexy librarian vibe and despite her better judgement she starts to buy his act. They can't keep their hands off each other - in a department store dressing room, in a private box at a Broadway play and behind the stacks at the New York Public Library.But there are smaller, more significant moments that round out the passionate scenes giving them extra depth and dimension. Like maybe this unlikely relationship could work. I love tiny morsels like: "Then Sutton felt Reeve's warm hand and glanced down to see him loop his long, strong fingers through hers and squeeze. It was tender and comforting, and it was exactly what she needed." These little gems help spark the foundation of their romance so that it's built on more than just physical attraction. And yet at the same time, it makes the combustible scenes even more intense because they really do like and care about each other.Sutton is a control freak who doesn't even realize that she needs saving. Her life is pretty empty until she meets Reeve. All she has is her beloved pooch, The Artful Dodger, and her high profile job. That's it. She plays hot and cold and thinks she can train Reeve like he's her dog. She has a lot to learn when it comes to  lowering her defense mechanisms and letting people in. Yet she chooses Reeve, responding to his willingness to put it all on the line. She likes how he goes after what he wants. And he wants her. Oh, does he want her.