Customer Reviews

Sex By The Numbers (Harlequin Blaze)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I can't stand heroines who are afraid of their own sexuality and who HAVE TO READ BOOKS in order to know how to tempt a guy and will wait FOREVER for the guy to make the move. These heroines are usually the SNVL's(Stupid Naive Virgin Ladies, pronounced "SNIVELS") or SNNVL's(Stupid Naive Near-Virgin Ladies) heroines. And usually the hero is a slut-hero who'll bed anything with a skirt and STEP ALL OVER the heroine and take her for granted with his experience and many past or current mistresses. This book is not like that among a few other good Blaze books.

***[[My definition of SNVL's and SNNVL's -- SNVL's: SNVL's are not confident about their sexuality, not confident about seducing a guy, let alone sleeping with one, wait FOREVER for the guy to make the first move, don't know what to do in the bedroom and just lie in bed like a shocked turtle and let the guy take over, don't know how to prevent conception and are "surprised" by their pregnancy later on, their self-esteem is so bad they'll accept any arrogant slut "hero" who beds anything in a skirt as long as he's a milionaire and handsome, can't tell the difference between "Mr Right"(long-term love) and "Mr Right Now"(guy you ONLY want to sleep with), don't know about sexually transmitted diseases or the fact the slut-guy may have bastard kids all over the place from the other women he's been with, etc. -- SNNVL's: SNNVL's may have a little sexual experience but not much and are pretty much like SNVL's and can't get over being dumpted or cheated on and so it's "traumatic" for them to move on to other guys.]]

Here, the heroine IS CONFIDENT about herself and how she can attract guys and what she wants in a guy. The heroine is a former stripper who worked her way to being a boring but talented forensic accountant but when a company is in trouble and the owner gets his loyal handsome traveling controller-in-training hero to hire her as his "executive assistant" to find out who's embezzling from the company, it's all on auto-pilot and she's in control. She's afraid of being spotted in the company so the hero has her disguise herself but he doesn't know she was a stripper and she comes in dressing as a trashy, flashy bimbo secretary who attracts all the horny bozo guys in the office including horny honorable him. It's a great story. Most times when she teases him sexually, he tries not to show it even though he's got it bad for her.

I like how the author makes sure the hero isn't taking the heroine for granted---the hero, Dane, doesn't assume he's "God's Gift To Women" like a lot of romances have with their slutty heroes. No, Dane is worried later after they have great sex about whether she's been seeing anyone else and he tries to "casually" ask her when she was baiting him before about possibly having a hot date (as her alias, bimbo Cherry.) Dane also doesn't make the first move on her---she does, for business reasons, of course!!(wink, wink) In and out of bed, he really cares about what she feels. He cares more about whether she's having a better orgasm than he is and treats her so gently and caringly throughout the book except when she wants him to talk erotically dirty to her and when she keeps initiating sex between them. The heroine is really wonderfully confident. When the spoiled crude rude owner's son rips Dane for kissing his subordinate bimbo secretary Cherry and placing the company in danger of being sued for sexual harassment, Dane lets Keely know that they can only be professional at work and not mix business with pleasure, but Keely doesn't fall in line and do as he says. She's got her own mind and lets him know she still wants him in and out of the office and he can't resist her and so he breaks his own rules in the office and she gives him great sex in his private company bathroom.

I also like the fact that Dane is genuinely attracted to Keely HERSELF underneath the Cherry disguise -- even during sex, he knows it's Keely he's attracted to and not Cherry like when he wants to feel her REAL hair and not her fake Cherry red-haired wig or when Keely teases him during sex with her Cherry secretary personality, he gets angry and reminds both of them that it's HER, Keely, he's having sex with and not Cherry whatever.

I loved this book so much I bought it as a keeper book for my library.

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Other great blaze books with experienced sexually and professionally confident talented career heroines and worthy heroes:

Nancy Warren- Indulge (5 stars) She has SOME other great blaze and non blaze non-Harlequin books with heroes you'd care about, preferably post-2005, anything before that year has lousy, uncaring egocentric slut-heroes

Dawn Atkins - At Her Beck and Call (5 stars) Great hero and heroine, like Sex by the Numbers

Julie Elizabeth Leto - The Domino Effect (4 stars)

Susan Kearney - Bordering On Obsession (5 stars) She's got other great books Great hero and heroine, like Sex by the Numbers

Kathleen O'Reilly - Beyond Breathless (3.5 stars) Hero and Heroine are really not 5 stars, both self-centered but the situation and characters are interesting

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Non-Blaze Non Harlequin:

Sasha White - Sexy Devil (5 stars) She's usually got great hot reads

Bonnie Edwards - Midnight Confessions I and II (5 stars)

Renee Bernard - Madame's Deception, A Lady's Pleasure (5 stars) Normally, I hate SNV (Stupid Naïve Virgins) and SNNV (Stupid Near-Naïve Virgins) but these heroines are pretty daring with sex

Noelle Mack, Jess Michaels - 2 great erotic authors with great heros/heroines

Keeley Davis is a CPA, but many would be surprised by how she made her money to get through school. Now she has been hired to find out who is stealing money from a local well-respected investment house. She hadn't counted on her contact at the firm to be uber sexy business hot shot Dane Weiss. All of her non-accountant parts quiver for him and it will make this task harder, as she needs to keep her thoughts on her job and off Dane.

Dane can't believe that the plain woman he met at the coffee shop is the same tart who shows up as his assistant. When he asked her to spice up her wardrobe he never thought she would go this far.

When one thing leads to another and the two become intimate will they be able to keep the affair light or is more than the accounting puzzle drawing them together? Might there be love in the air?

Sex By The Numbers is an erotic and fast paced look into the world of a prestigious Chicago investment firm as well as upscale strippers, and what they want for a future. I was definitely entertained by the writings of Ms. Donovan as usual but I do not think Sex By The Numbers was her strongest writing yet. That being said if you are looking for a fast paced, fun and entertaining read (and smokin' hot) than Sex By The Numbers will nicely fit that bill.


Tanya
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Former stripper turned accountant, Keeley Davis was hired to conduct a fraud examination at a friend's company, but in order not to sound the alarm to the culprit, who might know her, she sexed up her image in her position as the personal secretary to Dane Weiss, who was hired for the same purpose. From the start, when Dane first saw her in her frumpy attire, the two had the hots for each other and working closely as they did only made sure they could do nothing but give in to their attraction.

This book is a joy to read, being well-written, and Ms. Donovan's voice is engaging and fun and sexy, with humor appearing in several places in the book. The same can be described for her characters and their attitudes toward sex and life. No sexually repressed/falsely modest heroine here. Hey, it's a Blaze after all, and moreover, Keeley was a former stripper.

Oh, regarding that Blaze comment. It's been my impression that Blaze stories are hot, well, way hotter than a Presents or Superromance, for example. But I guess I've made the mistake of thinking the story's not so much romantic as sexy. Well, this book is both romantic and sexy. Back to Keeley, she wormed her way into my heart and you can really feel her chemistry with Dane. Their relationship is how I imagined a true love relationship is like--lovers taking joy in each other's presence.

Dane is also one sweet and romantic hero. Many times during the story, I find myself wishing I was in Keeley's shoes! The things he said...wow, guaranteed to make a woman feel cherished and wanted. How could you not love a guy who said something like this to you: "You've haunted my dreams since we met, and I wake up to find reality even better."

I also love her cast of supporting characters, notably Lacey and Dane's mom. Lacey, Keeley's sister, is down-to-earth and sensible. I especially like the scene wherein she talked some sense into Keeley. However, I like Dane's mom even better. Though she only had two lines in the entire story and appeared only toward the ending, I love her warmth and ready acceptance of the girls. Wish I have a mother-in-law like that!

This is an excellent follow-up story to Bare Necessities (Harlequin Blaze). I really liked Dane - actually, he was delicious. :-) Marie Donovan is on my must-read list from now on.