Review: Hot!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 8, 2012
Jordan never imagined jumping back into the dating scene would lead to not one, but two men vying for her attention!Secret lustful fantasies about her hot landlord have gotten Jordan exactly nowhere except sexually frustrated. Well, that and ganged up on by her well meaning girlfriends. A hasty promise, an A/C on the blitz and a really handy, handyman soon force Jordan and Gabriel to admit to their feelings and take the plunge that pushes them straight out of the friends arena forever.The second book of the Cocktail series shines its spotlight on the insecure, introverted bookkeeper for Books & Brews, Jordan Lance. Let me tell you, this girl knows how to create a daytime fantasy! If only she had the courage to act on those desires. It was fun to watch her "pull up her big girl panties" and decide to give Casey a chance. I had no trouble buying into the premise of best friends (Jordan and Gabe) without the benefits scenario. Casey is the perfect catalyst to force Gabe to see what he would lose by not taking a chance with Jordon. But what if Casey isn't just playing at being interested in Jordon? If two's company, threes a guaranteed everybody gets naked party! (Insert Party Rock Anthem here.)Ms. Carr does a fine job of packing plenty of detail and tension into this novella to give me time to get to know all three protagonists. If you read Party Naked, Stephanie and Jared's story, you met them all briefly but it was merely a tease to see how and when they would get together.There are glimpses into both the past and the present for all three characters to give them a solid foundation. In fact, Gabriel's "past" manages to throw a minor ripple into their otherwise comfortable, if not unconventional, threesome. I liked how Ms. Carr handles a situation that could have been blown completely out sorts. Communication is an amazing solution to all sorts of problems.The relationship between Casey and Gabe goes back quite a few years and is completely platonic. It was easy to see they care about one anothers happiness. Though almost complete opposites they totally compliment each other.The writing is smooth and flawless without a lot of crazy timeline jumps I often see in short stories. When I pick up an erotic short I know that the sexual attraction is going to be pretty much instant and the action is going to be fast and furious. I expect it. Ms. Carr still manages to build the anticipation and tension before rewarding her readers with a chemical explosion hot enough to scorch your e-reader. The use of daytime fantasies kept the heat building steadily without overwhelming the real action.There are two more single ladies at Books & Brews (what a clever concept, BTW) who are ripe for their own spicy HEA. I'll be keeping an eye out for the Sophie and Jayne to meet their matches, hopefully, in the near future.For now, pick up the second book in Mari Carr's new Cocktail series. A little bit of vodka, a splash of OJ and a whole lot fun.Originally posted at LAS Erotic Reviews