Customer Reviews

Nauti Boy (The Nauti Trilogy, Book 1)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Lora Leigh is one of my favorite romantica authors. However, I was NOT pleased with this book. When first reading the excerpt on Leigh's Web site, I was really impatient to get my hands on NAUTI BOY! It looked like another naughty (pun intended) and forbidden love story with promising passion and loads of sex scenes!! Unfortunately, it didn't live up to its name!! So disappointing. I've read more of my share of Leigh's books, including the 1st two books in the Men of August series. Yet this one really does not compare to the August brothers. Sex scenes are pretty tame and lame. Of course, they're graphic, but not original--or titillating!!! There's no provocative dialogue either. Just the usual F and C words, but nothing that really turned me on. Shame! I know this book could have been so much HOTTER! The main characters are not very interesting and the storyline less than engaging. As one who is very familiar with her work, I've come to expect more from Leigh. Although I have 4 more chapters to read, I'm not even inclined to finish it, having no interests whatsoever in what happens between Rowdy and Kelly (or finding out who the "mysterious" stalker is).

Two-point five stars.

Kelly Benton has loved Rowdy McKay since she was a little girl. She has saved herself for the handsome Marine and plans on living a happily ever after. But, fate steps in and she is brutally attacked, leaving her shaken and scared...even of the man that holds her heart. Will Kelly ever be able to accept Rowdy's touch or reach for the safety of his arms?

Rowdy comes home to finally claim Kelly. She's all grown up and he's tired of waiting but his homecoming is not what he expects and his girl has been keeping a secret from him. What's worse. The nightmare isn't over yet, she's still be stalked by the animal that dared to hurt her. With the help of his two cousins Natches and Dawg he plans on getting the bad guy and the girl.

Ms. Leigh has once again created a good read. What kept it from being great was the fact she didn't build the suspense as to who had hurt Kelly. The end did not stop with an "Ah ha!" moment. The intimate scenes are not what loyal readers will be used to so be forewarned if you're looking for heat. This is story about two people with a past and I highly enjoy these kinds of romances. I look forward to reading the next in the McKay cousin series.

There was one thing US Marine Rowdy Mackay could always count on when he returned home on leave, and that was that Kelly Salyers' arms would always be ready to welcome him home, her eyes would twinkle at him, and that flirtatious smile she reserved for him would always be there. Now he's out of the Marines, come home with the intent of finally claiming Kelly's love, but the girl he has known all of his life is virtually unrecognizable to him. More than skittish, she is now downright frightened, hiding herself away behind frumpy clothes that nowhere resemble the sexy little ensembles she used to tease him with. Something has happened, something to change her drastically, and Rowdy is going to find out what.

Kelly has always loved Rowdy, since she was a little girl he protected from bullies at the playground. She knew he ran from her because she was too young for him, but she also knew that one day he'd come back for her. She'd saved herself for him for years, but the serial rapist that attacked her last year and continues to stalk her changed everything. Now she's unsure of herself, everyone else, and even nervous around Rowdy, whom she has always trusted with her life.

But Rowdy and his cousins, known as The Nauti Boys, rally around Kelly, pooling their skills honed in the Marines to protect her from the stalker. Kelly doesn't know what frightens her more - the stalker's continued threats, or the knowledge of what Rowdy will do to him when he catches the rapist...

I first discovered author Lora Leigh's work in April of 2006, and hungrily consumed every one of her books I could purchase since then. Although Nauti Boy, the first book in her Nauti Boys series, was previously published as an ebook, it had been pulled by then to be reworked and expanded for a print publication with a new publisher, Berkley. I have to say, I was disappointed at the time, but only because the blurb and excerpt for this book had me seriously hankering for it. I kept telling myself it would be worth the wait for an expanded story, and while the wait seemed interminable, it was definitely worth it!

Rowdy is everything I hoped for and more, strong, fierce in his love for Kelly, implacable when it comes to her protection... He is all Alpha Male, in the very best way possible, but his dominate personality is tempered with his concern for Kelly and his sensitivity towards her needs and fears. He reigns himself in to a degree, allowing her time to find her footing once again, but he forces her to face and conquer her fears, while drawing her stalker out for a final confrontation. Teamed with the other Nauti Boys, his cousins Dawg and Natches, they make a formidable group.

Although Kelly appears as a frightened bird with a broken wing in the beginning of the story, the author allows us glimpses of Kelly's former strength and spirit, which have been squashed through her ordeal, but not completely destroyed. Watching her find herself once again, becoming the woman she was before the attack, is inspiring. The reader finds themself believing that overcoming such a brutal attack might be possible for anyone with the kind of support system Kelly has, especially the support of Rowdy. Because it is obvious, even with her mother, his father, and his cousins helping her, Kelly could not begin truly healing until Rowdy's return home, until he makes it clear in no small way that the attack could never change his feelings for her. Rowdy promises not just physical safety, but emotional as well, and this allows her soul to begin healing.

The suspense plot with the serial rapist/stalker is every present throughout the story, and pushes the scenes along at a frenetic pace, although the story never feels rushed at all. Instead, the pace serves to sweep the reader up in the action alongside Kelly and Rowdy, and guarantees you won't want to put Nauti Boy down until you've finished it!

Although Lora Leigh's work with other publishers has always been great, fans can't help but be excited by her releases with New York publishers, which have pushed her to new levels, increasing the action and suspense, while never diminishing the heated romances that Leigh is so well known for. It is easy to see why she made the NY Times Best Selling list with one of her recent releases, Dangerous Games, and I won't be at all surprised to see this book make it there as well!

Series Order:
Nauti Boy (The Nauti Trilogy, Book 1)
Nauti Nights (The Nauti Trilogy, Book 2)

Spoilers ahead:
I really did not expect the sharing issue. I have read alot of Leighs other books, especially her Breeds series and really liked those. I just cannot imagine a man who loves a woman wanting to share her with his friends, family, whoever! What is wrong with monogamy and hot sex?!I expected alot of sex but that seemed really toned down to. The names got on my nerves but I guess I can deal with that. Overall I will still look for Leigh's books. Enjoyed Dangerous Games.

Rowdy McKay has been waiting for the one woman that completes him to come of age. When he comes home from the armed services after years away and finds her hurting, he refuses to wait any longer.

Rowdy McKay has watched Kelly Salyers grow, mature, and blossom into a strikingly beautiful woman. During this process from coltish girl to stunning woman, Rowdy loses his heart. After years of biding his time, Rowdy realizes that he can wait no longer. Arriving home after leaving the Marines, Rowdy expects to see a familiar, welcoming gaze; instead he discovers that the confident woman he left is now watching him with fear-filled eyes. With his protective instincts roused, Rowdy is determined to discover the cause of Kelly's terror because the only alternative is to leave her alone and that is unacceptable to this Nauti boy's way of thinking.

For more years than she can count, Kelly has adored first the boy and then the man that is Rowdy McKay. A hero worship that started out as a child's infatuation that has grown into unconditional love and complete desire. In one horrific incident, everything that Kelly wanted with Rowdy haunts her daily and her fantasies have turned into uncontrollable fears. While she wants to do nothing more than crawl into Rowdy's strong arms and stay there forever, Kelly knows that the nameless but demented man will keep coming for her until he realizes his goal - a goal that will put Kelly in the merciless control of a madman.

When I read a novel written by Lora Leigh, I expect sensuality, heat, and intrigue. I expect a book to grab me by the throat and not let go. I devoured NAUTI BOY cover to cover and this talented author delivered all of the above in spades! I was alternately squirming in my seat and then aching with compassion. Rowdy McKay had my devotion from the moment he entered his first scene. His protective instincts and abject devotion to Kelly made me fall in love with his powerful and intense character. I found Kelly just as intriguing. Despite her vulnerability, Kelly is a true fighter. Her strength in the face of such devastating circumstances had me cheering her on from the sidelines.

NAUTI BOY made me yearn for more stories about this family of naughty cousins and the women they will eventually love. I look forward to each and every novel Ms. Leigh offers! Capable of writing a variety of genres, Lora Leigh is one author I will never get tired of reading.

Sexy, virgin heroine has been in love with her stepbrother since she was younger but he thinks she's still too young for him at 23 & may not handle his sexual nature (he & his 2 cousins share women). He leaves her for one last military tour of duty & comes back to a scared heroine who now dresses in baggy clothes. After finding out that she was almost raped by a serial rapist soon after he left her a year ago, he helps her get over her sexual fears & finally claims her sexually. He & his cousins are on a mission to find the serial rapist who's still stalking heroine & their plan to trap him requires for him to believe that heroine is engaging in a menage quatre(?) with hero & his cousins. But is it only pretend?

I didn't care for this Leigh book. The heroine seems a bit too doormatty for me. Her getting over her sexual trauma by having sex with hero & foreplay sex with his cousins was not believable. Here's the heroine who's so terrified by the near-rape that she moved back with her parents, wears baggy clothes, & practically hides from people. Hero comes back & quickly asserts himself sexually on her. Yes, she was willing but she's still jumpy, especially since she feels watched & she still has flashbacks from the trauma. She is then forced to choose whether to engage in sexual sharing with hero & his cousins b/c now serial rapist is upping the ante with his presence in her life. What I see heroine do to cope with her trauma is to cling to hero more & more. So the sex scenes where she's "hungry" for hero seemed really pathetic to me. She was hungry for his love & protection. Yet he answered it with sex & orgasms. Instead of being turned on, I felt sad for heroine & upset with insensitive hero who's only thinking about his sexual urges. This book was NOT a sexy read. The romance was dysfunctional & many parts of the book seemed copied-&-pasted from other Leigh books.

Skip this one. Read Nauti Nights (Berkley Sensation) and Nauti Dreams (The Nauti Trilogy, Book 3) instead.

This book was, IMO, hotter and better than the August brothers trilogy. Rowdy touched my heart and I rooted for Kelly the whole way. The book was extremely well developed and well worth the money I paid for it.

I'll be looking forward to the rest of the series.

I love Lora Leigh. The SEALS series has withstood repeated reading without getting old, and I love the Pleasure books too. This book, not so much. I read a lot, serious literature in addition to more light and fun fare. When I opt for erotica, it needs to be erotic -- really erotic. There was only one sex scene in the book that was beyond the everyday, and that scene was not as well written as I have come to expect from Lora Leigh. Also, I really did not like the charcters at all. No one had any passion outside of their sexual relationships (or intended sexual relationships) with one another. The heroine was 23 and obsessed with her HAIR BOWS"!!! Does she have tea parties with her stuffed animals too? She was just plain icky and totally immature. The three male leads were such cookie-cutter rednecks that I expected someone to yell "play some Skynyrd for me" at the moment of truth. On a related note, our sexpot was the sister/cousin by marriage to the three leads. Ew! Bottom line, to be fun, characters in erotica, male and female, need to be smart, and sassy and strong (and unrelated to one another) and the sex needs to be really well written and creative beyond what I experience in actual life. Is that too much to ask?

After recently discovering Lora and her breed series I grabbed this book from the library this week. Needless to say although I'm a fast reader I skipped major portions of the book as the cohesion is less than stellar. For her major fans looking for great sex scenes then maybe this is it but the overall plot is poor.

After an attack the young wman is more than willing to become involved in a sex scene with the man she loves and his two cousins? What utter nonsense and a slap in the face to those who have suffered such an atrocity.

By the way the relationship is even wierder when you realize this is his stepsister and the cousins willing to share calls her mother "aunty".

This is beyond crossing the line and truly equates women to creatures willing to do anything to please their man.

After reading Hidden Agendas by Lora Leigh, which was eh, I was intrigued enough to pick up this title. The book description was interesting... and totally misleading.

The basic story seems innocuous enough: boy wants girl, thinks he's she's too young, goes away, then returns years later to fulfill their fantasies. However, there are quite a few issues with this book that bother me on a very intrinsic level.

Issue#1: Rowdy and Kelly are step-siblings. I'm sorry, but to me this reeks of incest. Even if they are not related by blood, they are still siblings.

Issue#2: Kelly has just survived a near-miss sexual assault, where a man broke into her house and attempted to sodomize her. So the first thing Rowdy does after finding out about this is make a heavy-handed pass at her. And she is okay with it. Okay, maybe I'm not a licensed therapist, but this doesn't seem right to me.

Issue#3: Rowdy - even though he loves Kelly - has always planned on sharing her with his two cousins, with whom he has pleasured many ladies. Maybe I haven't read enough Lora Leigh, because I've recently found out that a number of her books have menage themes, but if you're not expecting it, it's a huge shock, and there really should be some warning in the book description of the sexual context of this book.

As if all this weren't enough, there's supposed to be some suspense in this book featuring the man who attacked Kelly, but it really gets drowned out in all of the emotional turmoil and excessive badly written sexual scenes. If you're looking for a romance, look elsewhere. This is just bad erotica with little to no real chemistry.