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46 of 49 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Warm and Breathless, January 5, 2010
This review is from: Coming Undone (Paperback)
A tattooed, Harley riding bad ass. What's not to love? Brody is the older brother to his two siblings Adrian and Erin. Nearing forty, he owns a successful tattoo shop, a nice home, and enjoys a satisfying life knowing both of the siblings he raised are settled in successful careers and happy. Surrounded by family and good friends, life is good for Brody.
Elise, a former ballerina, and now owner of dance studio, moves in across the street from Brody, hoping to establish a quiet life for her and her young daughter Rennie. She's rebuilding her life after a violent relationship with Rennie's father and hoping to escape her former in-laws who seem bent on making her life a living hell.
A freak accident brings their worlds together and they begin an amazing friendship that will eventually change their lives in ways neither of them ever expected.
Fresh off my high of reading Laid Bare I hoped that Coming Undone would be every bit as good. Well, it's not--it's even better in my opinion.
Brody is sexy on so many levels. Besides his obvious physical appeal, he's the guy you know you can count on without even asking when times get rough. He's the protector, the fixer, the gentle giant. He possesses a self assured sexuality without being cocky and just the right amount of confidence to curl your toes.
Elise is an independent, dedicated single mother who is determined to leave her past behind and create a happy, safe home for herself and her young daughter. Although she has been through hell and back, Elise is strong and seeks no pity from her friends. Young and sexy she discovers that wounds from the past have not permanently scarred her spirit or her sensual nature.
Both Laid Bare and Coming Undone are centered around families and their relationships, but I did wonder how a young child would fit into this erotic romance. Lauren Dane handled this beautifully developing the relationships appropriately, without portraying the child as an obstacle in the developing emotional relationship between Elise and Brody. Instead Rennie, Elise's daughter, captures everyone's hearts around her with her sweet honesty and sunny personality. She is truly charming.
Elise and Brody have blazing hot chemistry and waste no time in heating things up. Because both are busy business owners and Elise is first and foremost a mom who puts her daughter first, they have to be creative with their private time together. This makes for great spontaneous sexual situations and they learn to seize the opportunities as they present themselves. Translation: hot sex in a very mirrored dance studio between dance classes, hot desk sex at the tattoo shop...you get the picture. During their first unplanned sexual encounter:
"He pulled out a lone condom, checked the expiration date and breathed a sign of relief. He'd need to make a donation somewhere that afternoon when he left, to thank the universe for that luck."
For those of you who loved Todd, Erin and Ben from Laid Bare, don't worry, you haven't heard the last of them or their very interesting relationship. You'll get a small peek into their lives as they've moved from newly weds to marital bliss and yes, you even get a little encore Erin/Todd/Ben ménage bonus.
Once again, Lauren Dane weaves a sexy tale of love and romance with characters that are firmly grounded in family and emotionally sound. The sensual nature of her characters will keep you warm and breathless as you follow them through the ups and downs of discovering new friendships and finding love.
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16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Ho Hum Tale of Friends With Benefits (C+ Grade), February 10, 2010
This review is from: Coming Undone (Paperback)
Have you ever read a book that everyone really seems to enjoy, but you find yourself having the opposite reaction? This has happened to me in the case of Lauren Dane's Coming Undone. I've been a big fan of Lauren's past work and she really does write some of the best love scenes out there. But with Coming Undone, I felt something was missing. The plot didn't keep my interest because the plot came across as too ho-hum, and the fact that the two main characters use each other for the soul purpose of being each other's booty call didn't give me that feel of a sexy and smoldering romance I usually think in terms of a Lauren Dane book.
Coming Undone is a sequel of sorts to Laid Bare, which I didn't read. But I will say that I was able to catch up with the characters in a way I wasn't confused. The heroine of this tale is Elise Sorenson who has come to Seattle, Washington with her daughter Rennie where they can have a fresh start. After a disastrous abusive marriage that left her unable to ever dance ballet professionally again, Elise has hope she can live without fear. But, she still has to contend with her deceased husband's parents, especially her horrid ex-mother-in-law, who is making plans to take Rennie away from her.
What Elise doesn't count on is her tattooed, Harley riding neighbor Brody Brown, who sends wonderful shivers down her spine. It's been a very long time since she has had any sexual release with another man. She knows he is very wrong for her because of his lifestyle, but can't help but wonder what it would feel like to have Brody's goateed mouth pressed against her own. Brody is very interested in this widow, even though he thinks she would never be attracted to a man like him because he owns a tattoo shop and is constantly surrounded by a group of rowdy siblings and friends. Brody takes a big chance and admits his attraction to Elise. He visits her at her dance studio and comes out and says, "I think we should expand our friendship to friends who have sex." And since Elise would love nothing more than to have sex with Brody, she hops at the chance and they become friends with benefits.
These two engage in a hot and heavy affair where they can't stay away from one another. These two have quickies all over the place. Soon their physical attraction changes into something deeper and Brody can't help but want Elise and Rennie as a permanent fixture in his life. A big plus is his sister Erin (heroine from Laid Bare), thinks Elise and her precocious daughter would be perfect Brody. He just has to figure out a way to keep his ex-lover Raven at bay who still wants him for her own, as well as Elise's ex-in laws who harass her to the point where she thinks she'll loose Rennie forever.
Coming Undone is a very simple read, meaning there's not a great deal of action, unlike her past few books. I found myself wanting something more and something deeper to happen because the majority of the scenes had an incredible amount of interaction with many characters. There is a great amount of dialogue and scenes of everyday life that just didn't thrill me. I also wasn't turned on by the many scenes of Brody and Elise having quick sex. Their passion came across a bit too stilted and calculating for me to really enjoy.
Brody is a wonderfully written hero and Elise is well rounded, but I felt their chemistry was more tepid than hot, and their "let's rip off our clothes and go at it" love making too cool. At one point I thought Elise and Brody would be better as just friends than lovers. The only real external conflict is Elise worried about Rennie being taken away from her clichéd villainous ex mother-in-law and Brody having to deal with the rebel like Raven who feels she has a claim on him because they were lovers in the past. I waited, hoping for a big reveal or something explosive, but it never came.
There's a lack of depth and overall conflict in Coming Undone, but for those who like a read in the terms of what you see, is what you get, then this latest by Lauren Dane is for you.
Katiebabs
Coming Undone
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great sexy love story, January 9, 2010
This review is from: Coming Undone (Paperback)
Lauren Dane is amazing. First she gave us Erin, Todd, and Ben to fall in love with in "Laid Bare." Now, with Brody's story, she's made me fall even harder. There is nothing unlovable about Brody Brown. He has the looks and sexuality of a bad boy, with the heart and soul of the most sensitive and loving man ever born. While he takes charge and does everything necessary to take care of those he loves, he tries hard to keep those urges dialed down, since Elise's past with an abusive husband make his controlling behavior a hot button for her. When Elise lets herself accept that Brody really just wants to do anything to make sure she and her daughter Rennie are happy, she is better able to accept his personality and stop keeping her past from him. Elise is a strong person, even without Brody in her life, and she is determined not to become another "burden" to him. Rennie is a loving and funny little girl who makes Brody and his family fall in love with her, too. I absolutely loved this book, and I can't recommend it enough.
I was also thrilled to read more about Erin and Brody's younger brother, rock star Adrian. I hope he gets his own story soon, because he stole most every scene he was in, as far as I'm concerned. He is another honest and trustworthy and hot and fabulous man, and he deserves his own happily ever after!
The next book in the series comes out in November, and it will be the story of Ben's brother Cope and Erin's employee Ella. That one should be great, as well.
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