Review: Scorcher!  Brat vs. Dom... loved it!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 4, 2014
Bella Cross is in a funk and being the rebel she is, that means acting out – just a little… ok, a lot!  Her acts of rebellion include not signing in on the online calendar for time at the beach house on Tryst Island, smoking (a secret vice), and drowning herself in whiskey.  Unlike her sister, Kristi, Bella’s had to work hard for every single little tiny thing and now her business is failing – it’s a bitter pill for any woman to swallow.  Throw in her biggest frustration, Holt, and Bella’s more than ready to completely lose it.Holt Lamm is no choir boy and he’s never pretended to be.  He’s a dominant through and through and he’s never made any secret of the fact that he likes to be the one in control in the bedroom.  Secretly he has an infatuation with Bella, however she’s made her distaste for his horn dog tendencies known.  They’ve never had the opportunity to clear the air between them – until he busts her during her more rebellious moment and the truth finally comes out.Bella owns a sex shoppe (yet another rebellious action so she should be well aware of the various nuances of the BDSM lifestyle but it quickly becomes apparent that her education is sadly lacking.  In the one quick off the cuff statement she lets it be known that she believes bullying women is what the lifestyle is all about, Holt is very quick to set her straight “It’s about two people exploring their sexuality from different angles.  Experimenting with different roles. Finding where they meet and match and merge.”  Bella isn’t about to buy into his honeyed words though and it’s going to take an up close and personal demonstration to prove that to her – and Holt has no problem with showing her over and over again just how satisfying letting someone else take the reins in the bedroom can be.SMOKING HOLT is the third title in Sabrina York’s TRYST ISLAND series and it’s definitely a scorcher.  There was a hint of Bella and Holt hooking up in the first book, REBOUND, but I had no clue just how much fun or breath catching their story was going to be until I started reading and really got into the dynamics of this couple.  Bella comes off as a brat but it’s also obvious that there’s a world of pain and self-doubt.  Holt might be a Dom but when it comes to Bella he’s vulnerable and winning her over isn’t going to be an easy task – but definitely one he’s willing to take on.  While I loved the romance between Bella and Holt, I was really fascinated by Bella’s deep set jealousy of her sister and how that changes as the relationship between Bella and Holt progresses.SMOKING HOLT is a wonderful addition to the TRYST ISLAND series.  Don’t worry if you haven’t read the other titles since this story can easily be read as a stand-alone, though I would recommend reading REBOUND as well since that’s where the reader first becomes aware of the tension between Bella and Holt.  Of course all the other titles are great fun as well.REBOUNDDRAGONFLY KISSESSMOKING HOLTHEART OF ASHDEVLIN’S DAREChrissy Dionne (courtesy of Romance Junkies)