Review: The well developed characterisations make Just Gotta Say a wonderful erotica novella, one you shouldn't miss!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 6, 2011
When I read the premise of Just Gotta Say I knew that I wanted to read it. I mean: ménage - friends to lovers - three gorgeous and kind heroes, what's not to like? And Just Gotta Say was definitely a sweet and delicious guilty pleasure story.Callie lives the fantasy of many girls: she lives with three of her best guy friends, she is one of the boys, cherished and loved by all three of them, protected as their girl pal. Though Callie was a nice heroine, I think you will understand that with three such heroes she wasn't the one who stood out most to me.Just Gotta Say has three wonderful heroes who couldn't be more different from each other: first there is Jack, the easygoing, charming joker, whose playful flirting and easy smiles made everyone feel relaxed and comfortable; then there is Noah, shy, blushing and quiet Noah. I have to confess that he is the character I feel I got to know the less as he tended to blend in the background mostly and cede the action and center stage to the two more dominant males. And then there is Lucas *sigh* Lucas is the perfect tortured and intense hero: he came back from war a changed man and due to the horrors he experienced there he cannot take life as easily as Jack."Lucas, God, Lucas. The quintessential rugged man. Tall, athletic, with a few small scars around his left eye that always cut an edge into his expression. A study in contrasts--tough and vulnerable, hard-ass and gentle."Laura Kaye does not spend superfluous pages on introduction, she dives into the story right at the start: On one night when her room mates go out Callie thinks it's time for her to live out her secret fantasy of having sex with several partners (or just to imagine it). She installs herself in the living room but just when she is in the middle of it, the guys arrive home and are stunned to discover their sweet little Callie in the living room watching porn with the coffee table covered in sex toys. Callie is of course mortified until Jack puts her at ease and arouses her with their proposition of making her fantasy come true."What do you want, Callie? Whatever you want, we want. Always."As they are all her friends and she trusts and loves them she says yes as she cannot refuse the possibility of finally getting close to Lucas.Just Gotta Say has plenty of criss-crossed secrets you will discover soon after the beginning: Callie is crushing on Lucas, Lucas is in love with Callie, Noah has feelings for Jack and Jack, well he enjoys all of it :-DBesides being a verrry hot and steamy novella what made Just Gotta Say outstanding for me was the layered and detailed characterisation despite the usual length limitations of a novella. Laura Kaye developed all three heroes, making them fully fleshed characters able to stand on their own. Their personalities were well developed, each having their own quirks and personality traits.Just Gotta Say is not simply an erotic ménage story, it is so much more than that: here the sex is based on friendship and trust and there is a strong romantic storyline as well. I very much enjoyed how after all the hotness and sensual scenes Laura Kaye ended the story with such a sweet ending. Left me smiling and feeling good :-)Verdict: The humour, the sizzling chemistry and the layered and exceptionally well developed characterisations make Just Gotta Say a wonderful erotica novella, one you shouldn't miss!Plot: 8/10Characters: 9/10Writing: 8/10Ending: 8/10Cover: 7/10