Customer Reviews

No Reservations (Black Lace)

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

 

 

The concept for this book was interesting, Dane and Hart have created two interwoven stories. The stories revolve around Kate and Dix who have to contend with Pickles, Dix's ex-wife who after ten years still thinks there is a chance they will get back together. The second story is that of Brandon and Leigh who are at his family's home and Leigh is freaking out. The two women end up in Las Vegas with the men in hot pursuit!

One of the book strengths is the development of the characters as they grow through dealing with their issues about love and life. Kate and Leigh have insecurities and vulnerabilities and the reader is able to watch the characters deal with their problems and grow from them. Same goes for Brandon. Dix was a bit more one dimensional, but for some reason, he was my favorite of the four characters.

I'm not familiar with Megan Hart's writing and his isn't one of Dane's best books, but is a good addition to their book lists.

This is the sequel to "Taking Care of Business" following the continuing romances of Leah and Brandon, and Kate and Dix, along with his interfering ex-wife Eve.

Pros: It's a good sequel with logical relationship development in keeping with the characters. You want to turn the page and see what happens. It's seamlessly and impressively edited, blending the two stories and voices really well (proofing needs work, but I nitpick). I liked the story, loved the characters (especially Brandon) and it flowed nicely. Loved the description of the Penny Pincher, the funniest writing in the book.

Cons: It had too much sex---Whoa, did I just type that? Well, some of the scenes felt a bit gratuitous, like there was a quota to fill. If the purpose of a scene is clearly to discuss Eve, for example, you wonder why they are having the conversation en flagrante delecto instead of over chocolate croissants at the Bellagio or while playing slots. Not to say there weren't lots of good sex scenes in here: New Year's Eve, the parent's basement, the dressing room were all great, and no one writes the nookie like Dane and Hart; but some of the scenes, especially in the penthouse, blur a bit and were all a little too consistently serious in tone for me. Maybe it's me, but dang, you're in Vegas, baby, throw your clothes on and stroll through the Venetian or something, you can talk at Wolfgang Puck's as well as in bed, and the food's better.

The ending after Vegas wraps up a bit too fast, but overall it's a good read, just not quite as strong as "Taking Care of Business".

Kate loves Dix but she hates his ex-wife Eve. Eve does anything and everything to make Kate's life miserable.

Kate's best friend Leah is in love with Brandon, but she's afraid of committing to him for a lot of reasons.

Eve's latest scheme and Leah finding a small velvet box tucked in Brandon's things, sends Kate and Leah fleeing to the ultimate get away destination - Las Vegas. Brandon and Dix are too stubborn and too in love to not follow their women. Some of what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, but the good that comes out of a few days indulging in everything from buffets to public sex, comes back with them, including a new sense of what the couples want and don't want. Now, if they can just get the real world to cooperate, they'll have it made in the shade.

No Reservations is full of sex, romance, a little angst, several `I love you's', a lot of talking dirty, some public sex, and two really good stories too. Anyone who could put up with a woman like Eve and not completely lose their mind or haul off and kill her is a saint in my book. Kate is the perfect girlfriend. (as far as any red-blooded male would say.) She sends Dix to strip clubs, she loves sex, she's kinky, smart, beautiful, and fun. I learned a little from her. I admire Leah and Kate's confidence in themselves and their men. Kate is adventurous and a bit wild, while Leah is intelligent and in control. And they both know how to have fun. Dix is a little gruff and Brandon is a little more reserved, but they are both really hot in their own way. While I usually like dominance in men rather than women, there is something sweet, sexy, and very sincere about Brandon's desire to follow Leah's orders. He wants what she wants. It makes them happy and it turns them on. Their relationship is very genuine. On the flip side, Dix's light dominance in bed is hot as hell. There is a lot more fun than heartache in No Reservations.

Ok so let me start out by saying I love love love Megan Hart. I haven't read any of Lauren Dane yet but recently purchased Undercover. This book could have been great but (and I hate to say this) it was just not good in my opinion. There really were too many sex scenes! Hard to believe, but true. I mean in a dressing room, a restaurant booth, a club dance floor come on what's with the public sex all the time?! It made the women a little unattractive to me, as if they weren't capable of doing anything else. Kate started getting on my nerves, she was just so mean sometimes! Leah got to the point where she was almost trying to make a statement with her whole domination thing to the point where she started to emasculate Brandon. Brandon and Dix were great, loved them. It also got very tiring how Kate and Leah were fighting their relationships so much. Frankly it was annoying. Definitely a hot book, with hot scenes, but overall an empty story filled with wishy-washy pushy women and many many sex scenes.

One other thing, which is just a pet peeve of mine. The text of the book! Replacing all the C's with S's ex. practise, and the 'ed' with 't' ex. spilt, leant and addng in U's ex. behaviour. I guess I just like a more traditional text. These words are throughout the entire book and kept catching me up on them; too distracting. Also, it seemed as if there were things missing between sentences, perhaps when it switched from on author to another. I'm not sure how it works with more than one writer, but there just wasn't a smooth transition a lot of the times. I was having to reread sentences because they just weren't making sense.

I'll read anything by Lauren Dane. I think she is a wonderful author. Megan Hart is not one of my favorites but some of her titles are worth a look. I thought the two of them together made for an excellent story. I liked this one a lot. It was a cute premise and the book was a lot of fun.

I really don't like writing all negative comments in my reviews, and I am trying to think of good things, but I'm really drawing a blank. No Reservations was a good read once you get through all the sex, but I'm just not feeling it. I can see a lot of potential for some great conflicts with Pickles (Kate's nemesis) and Mike (Leah's ex), but they were barely in the novel and I have to say I loved the scenes when she was.

Overall, No Reservations was good, but I would suggest buying Taking Care of Business and then finding this one at the library. I am really just not feeling it for some reason.

For my full review, check out Literary Escapism.