Review: Indulge yourself in Temporary Bliss!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 28, 2013
I was given a copy of Temporary Bliss for an honest review*Temporary Bliss threw me for a loop.  It starts out as a very intense, troubling book.  Makenna (Mac) Lewis is young, naive and totally in love with her scumbag boyfriend, Beau Gregory.  She leaves her family and friends behind to move with him and soon realizes he's not the good guy she though he was.  He's unfaithful and abusive.  Mac wants out.  One explosive evening proves to be a turning point for her and she manages to leave him.  Broken and lost, Mac is rescued by her best friend Kate and moves back to her hometown Chicago, Illinois.  Fast forward four years, Mac is working as an ICU nurse for Northwestern Hospital.  She is happy and is blissfully uncommitted to three very hot, but completely different guys.  Each give her what she thinks she needs--uninhibited, no strings attached sex.  Mac's whole plan is thrown for a loop when she meets Daniel Winters on the Chicago L-train on her way home from work.  This chance encounter throws Mac's friends with benefits plan on it's head.  Can Mac keep her longing for Daniel at arms length while ignoring her heart?Temporary Bliss is my version of a "wham, bam, thank you ma'am" type of book.  It's an interconnected stand alone read.  It's my favorite type of novel. I found BJ Harvey's writing style very easy to read and you ease right into the story.Makenna Lewis's character surprised me.  The prologue had me thinking Temporary Bliss was going into a very dark direction.  I was surprised to see that it didn't go there.  BJ does a fantastic job stetting up a strong back story.  We firmly understand the reasons why Mac feels the way she does about men and relationships.  Straight up, Mac is playing the field like any cock sure man.  It's not a very popular idea to have a woman sexually sure of herself in most romance novels.  Most of the time, those type of characters are villainized.  BJ is completely unapologetic for Mac's behavior.  I like that a lot!Daniel Winters character had me swooning from his first encounter with Mac.  He's that tall, dark, delicious man in a three piece suit you drool over.  I like that he's confident, but not cocky.  And I adore that he communicates so well with Mac.  He seems to read her so well and it always upfront with his thoughts and actions.  What I adore about him the most is his patience with Mac.  He senses that she isn't ready for commitment, so he waits for her.  He really is the super perfect guy, hence the nickname "Superman" Mac bestows on him.The secondary characters in Temporary Bliss have a lot of depth.  You really get to know any enjoy Mac's best friend, Kate.  She is Mac's "rock" and is "a little spit fire" herself.  The petite red-haired Kate is there for Mac through thick and thin.  I also enjoyed getting to know Noah the "Walking Dildo", Sam the Dominate, and Zander the carefree flirty stripper.  Even though they were just Mac's "boy toys", BJ treated them with honesty and insight.  You see their personalities emerge and you like them.  I hope we see more of them in future BJ Harvey books.The sex scenes in Temporary Bliss are hot as hell!  Each of Mac's hook ups have their own sexual specialty, allowing BJ to indulge you in all the different and sexy ways to read hot sex scenes.  Submissive sex, down and dirty workplace sex, public exhibition sex, and good old-fashioned, deep in love sex--you get it all!The angst keeps you on edge, but without going over the top.  For me, if the angst and drama tie me up in knots, I can't finish reading in one sitting.  Temporary Bliss has the right amount to keep you wanting to see what happens next even as all your housework piles up on you and your family is begging to be fed.  Your invested in the story until the very end.Temporary Bliss meets all my romance novel needs--a heroine who is damaged but still strong and independent, a completely swoon worthy male character who is strong enough to take on woman with issues, a great supporting cast, and blistering hot sex!  I give Temporary Bliss by BJ Harvey 4.5 out of 5 stars!Dee McGee - Booze, Bookz, and Bad Boyz