Customer Reviews

Impulsive

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The Hero in the latest HelenKay Dimon novel, Impulsive, made his first appearance in Holding Out For a Hero, which I loved. Eric, I thought, really got the shaft in HOFaH, so I was pleased to see him get a chance at his HEA. He is an up and coming prosecutor running for District Attorney, with an eye on the Governor's Mansion at some future point. As noted, he meets Katie at Deana (Eric's former fiancee) and Josh's wedding. By meet, I mean has sex with. Nameless, anonymous sex with a stranger. While running for public office. I get that Eric was at an emotional breaking point. I get that the whole DA thing is a small, local race. I even agree that single candidates for public office have every right to expect their private lives to remain private. Having said that, none of the above worked for me on any level, which kind of put the spin on my enjoyment of the book.

Eric is a terrific hero, confident and very self contained. He has an iron grip on his emotions. While reading Holding Out For a Hero, I felt so bad for him. He was so obviously hurting over the loss of Deana, yet trying to do the right thing, trying to let go. Eric got to me in that book, and he got to me in Impulsive, as well. (Even with the questionable choices) When he catches Katie in lie after lie, and then even more half truths and lies of omission, he keeps trying to rationalize her behavior. Granted, some of her untruthful behavior was a misguided attempt to protect him, but how can he ever trust her?

Katie is a 25 year old who is still stuck in an arrested development stage. She does not display a great deal of maturity. Katie lives with her older sister, Cara, and works to help Cara build her catering business. Cara is a sanctimonious type who insists on reminding Katie continuously of her past transgressions. I have to believe this constant revisiting of the past is not helping Katie move on. Katie does seem to care for Eric, but between the lying and the jumping to conclusions, I didn't really see a lot of relationship development except for the sex. By the end of the book, she gets over her irrational jealously of Deana and stands up for herself to the bad guy.

Most of the relationship was spent with them fighting and then seeking each other out to get back together. By the time Eric finally lost his cool, I was not opposed to the idea of him dumping Katie and trying to find another woman with whom he would not have to jump through mental hoops to justify his attraction.I liked Katie for what she was, but I didn't like her as a heroine.She was too immature.

Ms. Dimon spelled out quite clearly that Katie did not believe she was good enough for Eric so she was pushing him away before he could dump her. I read the words, but it did not translate in the story. Their relationship reminded me of a teenage romance. Eric is 37. He is confident, in control. To be baited into a push/pull, manipulative trap of a relationship such as this, well, it just didn't ring true to me.

The saving grace is that Ms. Dimon is a great writer. Just because I did not particularly like the direction the story took does not mean I can't appreciate the writing. She writes spectacular dialogue, and her secondary characters are fleshed out well. I loved Seth, although I was sorely disappointed with his love interest, as well.

I would heartily recommend any of Ms. Dimon's other titles, and this was by no stretch a bad book. I just couldn't relate, unfortunately. YMMV.

This fantastic romance author is back, and back with a vengeance. As always, I can trust Ms. Dimon to deliver a wonderfully fast-paced story filled with the sensuality that all us women are looking for in real life. From the first paragraph, Katie Long's life made me want to toss this whole daily grind thing away, and head to Hawaii where her day was being spent in brilliant sunshine surrounded by the fresh scents of saltwater, pikake, and the aftershave lotion of the most amazingly handsome man she'd ever met.

Katie Long was catering this wedding as a favor to her beloved sister, Cara. Now Cara is a wonderfully strong sibling who has just started her new catering company in order to provide for her daughter Ashleigh. Cara's husband left them dangling and alone, and Cara is doing her absolute best to change their lives for the better. Now, Katie was mostly a screw-up throughout her lifetime, so she is definitely trying to be a better person and work very hard to help Cara and her beloved niece. What Cara doesn't know, however, is that Katie is actually working undercover at this wedding, trying to get the "scoop" on Deputy Prosecutor Eric Kimura who is a guest, and a man readying himself to run for office. You see, the people who hired Katie want with all their might to dig up some dirt on the "vanilla" prosecutor in order to have him star in his opponent's campaign commercials. Or...at least, that's what Katie thinks.

The wedding event that Eric shows up at is the wedding of his longtime girlfriend, Deana, who dumped Eric because he refused to "pull strings" in order to save one of her family members from prison. Today, she's marrying a DEA agent that Eric knows, and all he wants to do is disappear into the night because of how absolutely uncomfortable he feels. Of course, he only came in the first place so that he could prove to the "cameras" and the voters that he has no hard feelings - a real stand-up guy who wants their vote. But not only does Eric want to leave, he can feel the slight anger that still dwells in his soul that Deana caused when she walked out on him. With the fire burning, he finds himself in the embrace of a young, beautiful waitress dressed in catering garb, allowing him to savor her tasty treats.

What begins as a half-hour fling soon turns into a budding romance that has more red herrings and sinister characters surrounding it than any other relationship on record. Not only does Eric not know the reality behind Katie's first meeting with him, but he also doesn't realize that his campaign is about to be sabotaged.

This novel was not only filled with the sweet, sensuality that Ms. Dimon is known for, but the story, itself, was extremely fun to read. Watching Katie try to figure out how she went from spy to the woman that's being spied on; to watching Eric try to determine whether the person out to destroy his career is friend or foe, makes this one extremely hard to put down. Any fan of romance, adventure, intrigue, or mystery will truly find themselves engrossed by the end of page one. And you will, most definitely, wish right along with me that Katie's fantasy was your reality. Enjoy!

Until Next Time,
Amy

Working with her caterer sister at a wedding reception, Katie Long never guessed she would find herself intimately connected with Prosecuting Attorney candidate Eric Kimura. Keeping a close eye on Eric at the wedding reception of his former fiancee is not one of Katie's finer moments, but she desperately needs money. She doesn't know who, but someone was willing to pay for info on Eric's actions and reactions at the wedding and reception, and Katie was in a position to accommodate. Eric wants to explore the possibilities of a relationship with Katie, but she's keeping a secret that could tear them apart before they have an opportunity to see what the future could hold.
Eric knows his every move at the reception is being dissected. His run for the office of Honolulu's Prosecuting Attorney in the upcoming election has put him under the microscope. Meeting Katie is a real bright spot in the harried confusion that his life has become. As Eric and Katie are getting to know each other, his campaign is taking hit after hit with rumors and scandalous accusations about him and his former fiancee.
HelenKay's characters are wonderfully flawed with just enough imperfections to keep them real. Katie and Eric are no exception. Katie was more than a little lost when her parents died and she made some poor lifestyle choices. Eric knows about her mistakes and sees through them to the real Katie - and he likes what he sees. Katie's sister and her baby girl are crucial to Katie's story. The three may seem a little vulnerable, but they possess an underlying strength that bonds them. Eric has friends and family who are extremely protective of him and his professional reputation. Eric knows image is important to all candidates but realizes that he wants Katie in his life too badly to allow her to continue to hold her secret.
I highly recommend IMPULSIVE to all contemporary romance readers. If you've read HelenKay's work before, you already know what an amazing storyteller she is. If you haven't read her work, IMPULSIVE would be an excellent place to start!

IMPULSIVE is Book #5 in HelenKay Dimon's fantastic bestselling Men Of Hawaii series for Kensington Brava releasing November 2010. In Oahu, Hawaii, deputy prosecuting attorney, Eric Kimura is putting on a brave face by attending the wedding of socialite, Deana Armstrong to DEA agent, Josh Windsor even though it still hurts to see his ex-girlfriend marry someone else. Eric is hurt over Deana choosing Josh over him when they seemed so well suited but realizes that prosecuting her nephew for murdering his parents and getting a conviction greatly factored into the demise of their relationship. So Eric decides to drown his hurt in sex not alcohol by having a quickie in the estate hall bathroom at the wedding with a sexy long-legged caterer, whose name he doesn't even know. The next day Eric feels bad for having anonymous but terrific sex with a perfect stranger and does some investigating on who the blue-eyed beauty is and decides to meet her to just apologize and then leave. He discovers Katie Long is only 25 to his 37 and works for her single mother sister, Cara's catering business. However, when Eric sees Katie his good intentions go out the window and they end up having hot sex again. Little does Eric know that meeting Katie at the wedding was no accident since Katie had been hired to get close to Eric and see if there is still something going on between him and Deana that could ruin his chances for getting elected as the District Attorney. Deana is greatly attracted to the Japanese-American prosecutor and doesn't know if he just wants sex with her or a possible relationship even though she has a checkered past. She immediately refuses to spy on Eric again but it could already be too late for a future together. IMPULSIVE may start with impulsive steamy lovemaking between two strangers, who seemingly have nothing in common, but soon proves that opposites can definitely attract and make a perfect match. Contemporary romance fans will love this latest offering in HelenKay Dimon's Men Of Hawaii series and have them eagerly anticipating the next installment.

It's not often I read a book where the sex scene between hero and heroine starts on page 1... and they only met a few minutes before. I thought this was probably a bad sign, that the book was going to turn into one of those all-sex-no-plot stories - but it wasn't.

My only real niggle with the book was, unfortunately, this initial sex scene. The rest of the book explores how hero Eric Kimura, a Deputy Prosecutor and all-round good egg, finds himself drawn to former wild child Katie Long, a woman with secrets and who is probably bad for his political ambitions. However, it just seemed far too much out of character for Eric to behave as he did at the beginning of the book with an unknown woman - despite it being a rather emotional time for him as he is attending the wedding of his former girlfriend. None of his subsequent behaviour really shows that he is the sort of chap to do this so, although you don't know this when starting the book, it sat oddly on my mind as I progressed through the story.

Once the reader gets past this rather anomalous start, the book goes from strength to strength. Eric seeks Katie out to check she won't derail his political ambitions with a kiss-and-tell story but somehow their connection continues. They are very different - mismatched in age, background, wealth, experience, power, race, everything really - and yet the reader is carried along with the story as they try to make sense of each other and all those differences. Much of the book consists of scenes just between the two of them where they talk about different things but with a fair amount of humour.

There's more to the plot, including some negative stuff about Katie that I feared could become rather drawn-out, but no, the author kept it sensible. The setting was Hawaii, but this different location didn't particularly come through in the book - there was little in the way of Hawaiian feel to the story and it could in fact have been based anywhere. It was a book that I very much enjoyed and I found both hero and heroine, despite their differences, people that I cared about.

Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book © Helen Hancox 2011

Impulsive by HelenKay Dimon is one book to read to warm up the cold winter nights.

Katie Long is trying to put your wild ways behind her. She needs money to go to school so she takes a job working undercover. Her assignment is to watch Deputy Prosecutor Eric Kimura at his ex's wedding and to report back any suspicious activity. Katie didn't plan on Eric being the hottest man she had ever seen. Their tryst in the hotel bathroom can prove unwise for both of them.

Eric Kimura needed to put his feelings for his ex behind him. He figures seeing her marry another man should take care of that little problem. But he comes across an even bigger problem in caterer Katie Long. Their one night keeps replaying in his mind and he must see her again, just to see if it was the real deal.

Katie can't believe a man like Eric would have any interest in someone like herself. If he finds out their first meeting wasn't as spontaneous as it seemed he will never forgive her. But Katie can't stop seeing Eric he makes her feel like no other man has ever in her life.

Eric has always been focused and driven. He is determined to achieve his goals with no scandal to upset his future. There is someone out there bound and determine to do just that. Will Eric trust that it wasn't Katie once he finds out the truth?

Impulsive story sizzles throughout. Eric and Katie though from different worlds compliment each other and bring out the best in each other. The underlining tension of the spy in their mist adds another compelling layer to a delightful story. HelenKay Dimon's story are always well written and have characters that have you falling in love with them. I am looking forward to this authors next delightful book.

HelenKay Dimon gives new meaning to "smoking in the boys bathroom" in her latest novel Impulsive and she wastes nooooo time getting right to the action...like page 1.

Katie Long had a simple job to do at the wedding of Deana Armstrong & Josh Windsor (Holding out for a Hero)...well besides helping her sister cater the wedding of the century. Keep her eye on the prize that is Eric Kimura, ex-hubby of the blushing bride and report back on his activities. Sounds like a simple enough task to make a little extra cash on the side except Katie didn't count on the physical chemistry that ignited between her and the hunky Deputy Prosecutor. Hot sex in the bathroom had definitely not been in the job description.

Eric Kimura was going to put all the rumors to rest once and for all and show everyone that he was well and truly over his ex-wife Deanne. What better way to prove it than by attending her wedding to her DEA agent hubby. The last thing he expected was the hot quickie in the bathroom with one of the catering staff.

On the surface Katie and Eric are not what I would consider a match made in heaven. First of all Katie is much younger, by like 12 years than Eric. She's barely out of her wild child years, had a brush with the law, has always been considered a screw-up by her sister and is just starting to get her life on track. Eric on the other hand is older, more mature, established in his successful career and has decided to run for the position of Prosecuting Attorney.

Considering that Eric was running for a public and high ranking position, I found the quickness with which these two engaged in hot anonymous sex a little foolhardy. In Eric's position he should have realized that his life was about to be dissected, bisected and probed while his every move was examined under a microscope. Hooking up with the hired help could have derailed his political ambitions before they even got off the ground. Having said that one only has to scan past and current headlines regarding political figures and their penchant for inappropriate sexual encounters to know that - men are men - they aren't always thinking with the big "head".

Katie didn't think that when she agreed to play I Spy on Eric that she would ever see him again but he had different ideas. As her feelings grow and their relationship blossoms, Katie knows she needs to come clean about her part in their supposed first "meeting" before it blows up in her face. Someone inside Eric's camp however has other plans for Katie "aka their inside source" and isn't about to let her quit without a fight or take her down in the process.

When he truth comes out, who will Eric believe? Can he get over Katie's betrayal and the betrayal of someone close to him? Do these two have more between them then hot sex to sustain their relationship? All these questions and more, plus a great story can be answered...don't delay...be Impulsive...buy this book now!

Katie Long was supposed to just watch Deputy Prosecutor Eric Kimura at his ex's wedding. Instead she had the hottest sexual encounter of her life with him. Eric isn't usually the impulsive type, but when he meets Katie, he cannot keep his hands off her whenever they are in a room together. When his campaign comes under attack, can he maintain his smooth control or will one woman bring him to his knees and end his career forever?

Impulsive by HelenKay Dimon is a scorcher that had me at page one. I personally loved the way the always-able-to-find-trouble Katie could make the smooth, cool, calm, and collected Eric lose his control and bring out the animal in him. Katie is known in her family as the black sheep. She always finds trouble, even when she isn't looking for it. She was hired to watch Eric at the wedding and see if she could find dirt on him, but she ends up being taken in by the sexy prosecutor and not doing her job. Eric went to his ex's wedding to prove he was over her. Well he did prove to himself he was over his ex, but now he cannot get enough of Katie. He just has to convince her to see him again. He is willing to do anything to be with her, but will the truth about Katie and why she was at the wedding tear them apart?

This book has angst, humor, and hot sex, all of which kept me turning the pages and wanting more. This is my first HelenKay Dimon book and will not be my last. I hope to read many more steamy stories from this author in the future.

Impulsive by HelenKay Dimon
Contemporary Romance -Nov. 1st, 2010
4 Stars

I really enjoyed this contemporary romance set in the beautiful backdrop of Hawaii. The description of the culture, places, and people are so realistic that it took me back to a tropical paradise I was lucky enough to visit a few years ago. This story follows the life of Kate Long, a free spirited woman who is finding herself throughout the novel. She isn't too sure about her future and is precariously living each day while helping out with her sister's catering business to make some money while aspiring to go college. On one of these catering gigs, she meets Deputy Prosecutor Eric Kimura.

It is instant attraction, and what is supposed to be a one time event in a hotel bathroom turns out to be a lot more than both of them bargained for. Amidst running a campaign, dealing with judging Japanese parents, ex-wives, and getting sabotaged, Eric and Kate impulsively take a chance on love.

I really liked this book because it dealt with relationships with really time-relevant issues such as discrimination in interracial relationships (Eric is Japanese) and Katie is all American. I think the internal sabotage on the campaign trail was also interesting because it seemed pertinent. I also enjoyed how Eric is still friendly with his ex-wife, Deana, and reading about how Katie and Eric deal with the `ex' issue.

All in all, I thought this book was well written. If you like relate-able contemporaries, I would highly recommend it.

Reviewed by Sophia from the Bookaholics Romance Book Club

In Oahu, Hawaii, deputy prosecuting attorney Eric Kimura attends the wedding of his former girlfriend Deana Armstrong to DEA agent Josh Windsor although it is killing him inside even as he rationalizes his successful prosecution of her cousin for killing his parents hurt his chances. Still the Japanese-American politician is running for public office and should know better; but cannot resist a tryst in the hall's bathroom with the caterer providing the food at the wedding. Eric wants more of her, but she is a dozen years younger than his thirty seven and her personal history would impede his election chances if she became known.

Katie used to be an out of control party animal who is trying to change. She feels remorse over the bathroom sex but it felt different this time. However, Katie knows she must behave if she is to help her single mom sister with her catering business and raising her young niece. However, surveillance conducted on Eric leaks the encounter to the media. Eric blames Katie for setting him up while she just wanted to make a few bucks and accuses him of being shallow.

This direct sequel to Holding Out for a Hero is an engaging Hawaii romance starring two people who with good recent reasons distrust relationships. Although doing it in a public bathroom is inanely stupid even for a politician and a woman used to stepping into it, fans will enjoy this character driven contemporary.

Harriet Klausner