Review: Brilliant
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 8, 2013
SANTA WORE LEATHERS starts with the best first line I've ever read in a romance novel:  My new neighbor is a man-whore.Vonnie Davis stories are always an absolute pleasure to read, but I struggle with writing a review because there is no way to actually make my words physically glow. It's a rough business when you know starting out that anything you say is going to fall short of being adequate praise.Sooo...SANTA WORE LEATHERS—I really really loved it a lot. The story is told in a smooth style with vibrant word usage that energizes the reader's imagination. The dialogue is snappy, especially the back and forth between the hero and heroine.  The sexual tension sizzles on the page and the romantic climax is emotionally wrenching.Reporter/blogger Becca Sinclair starts off a bit prickly but becomes a wholly sympathetic character once it becomes clear her cynicism is the result of a broken heart. Fireman Wolf is the essence of hunky hero, but also has his own scars. Following the death of his parents, he gave up his military career in order to raise his younger siblings and made any number of sacrifices for them. His experiences have left him suspicious of reporters. Conflict in the story is derived entirely from the hero and heroine's trust issues. As befits the holiday, the romantic scenes are over the top and wonderfully extravagant but there were times when I wanted fewer showy gifts from the hero and more integrity.Certain secondary characters simply stole the show. Becca's panty stealing dog, Einstein, provides one hilarious antic after another. You'll laugh until you cry. Einstein was far and away my favorite character, but neighbor Mrs. Minelli has some absolutely brilliant zingers. I absolutely adore a strong element of humor with my contemporary romance and the author just hits the ball out of the park.SANTA WORE LEATHERS is a definite page turner. Highly recommended.I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.