Customer Reviews

Simply Scandalous (Sensual Romance)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the second in a triology - following Logan who is a hard working public defender trying to avoid his father (a well connected judge) and his father's plans for his life. Logan doesn't want to run for political office and what better way to end his public career than to be involved in a scandal. Enter logan's sweet grandmother- who just happens to have the perfect woman for Logan--Cat, the owner of a catering company that has a shady past.

Cat and her company are hired to cater a party. Cat and Logan are thrown together by his grandmother and they have immediate chemistry. At first, Logan plans to use her but he quickly finds out that she is someone special. With some not so subtle help from his grandmother, Cat and Logan end up together.

I liked that Cat's sister and brother in law (stars of the first book) were kept in this and it introduced Grace (logan's sister) who will soon have a book of her own.

Simply Scandalous is a good book with fun characters, but be sure to read the first book before this to get the full background of the sister's story/family as it is not explained in this second novel.

I bought the three books of this trilogy all at one time. I'm sorry, but I wish that I had read at least one before I bought all of them. I could hardly read through parts of these books because they were so trite.

There were passages where Carly Phillips really grabbed my attention with her style. But the plots were just so boring. Also there were more sexual passages than I felt it needed. I felt it almost concentrated more on the sexual passages(for frustrated housewives?) rather than using the sex scenes to enhance the romance.

I don't know. Maybe it is just me. This was the kind of book I probably could have enjoyed in maybe my very early 20's.

If you are a mature woman (over 35) who has any semblance of depth - pass on this trio.

I'm jealous! This guy has a house at the beach!

Logan Montgomery- public defender and son of a prominent judge, could be the poster boy for Sinatra's "I Did It My Way." Shunning the family mansion for an uncluttered beach cabin, a lucrative position with a prestigious Boston law firm for a public defender's job, the glamour of the bright lights political public office for the simple life.

Catherine Logan - 1/2 owner of Pot Luck (w/sister Kayla from "Simply Sinful"). Remember Cat? She's the one who turned into a virtual hellcat, with the fangs and claws, if anyone so much as looked cross-eyed at her sister. Given what I'd read of Cat previously, her tamed portrayal in "Simply Scandalous" came as a big surprise. But then, one could attribute it to the power of love.

Catherine is nothing like the glamour woman people would expect on the arm of Logan Montgomery and perhaps that is her appeal to him. Cat knows she doesn't walk the same social plane as Logan and his family and holds no illusions that, despite Logan's assurances to the contrary, she and him would ever have a future together. He sets out to convince her otherwise, and Cat finds herself falling in love with him. A confrontation with the press at the worst possible time, in the worst possible place, threatens to undermine all that Logan has accomplished in his quest to win Cat's heart, not the least of which is finally standing up to his overbearing, self-centered father. Unfortunately, we are not given a chance to learn much about Logan's mother, only that in the end she helped smooth things over.

The one thing that didn't ring true for me was that Logan's granny prided herself on how well she'd taught her grandson, taking on the role of parent when his mother and father couldn't be bothered. But it bothered me that she thought nothing of conniving to use an innocent woman in a plot of scandal to discredit Logan in the eyes of his father and others who wanted him to run for public office. All of her 'cuteness' aside, I found myself disliking Granny less and less as the story went on. I would much have preferred her to take a less unpalatable path for her grandson's 'scandal.'

Overall, though, "Simply Scandalous" does not disappoint. I do suggest reading the sisters' stories back-to-back, however. Much of their family background is explained in "Simply Sinful."

Caterer Catherine Luck has had to overcome a scandalous past that she, somehow, can't seem to get away from. Logan Montgomery wants to escape the life his father wants for him, and his meddling grandmother somehow sees Catherine as Logan's way out.

During a party, Logan and Catherine are instantly attracted to each other, but Catherine keeps in mind that she is here to serve people like Logan. Logan's grandma, however, works it out by locking them together and when they finally are able to get out, it is raining infernally and Catherine must stay at Logan's house.

Little by little Catherine discovers that Logan is his own person, not a stereotypical, shallow rich guy, but just as she is falling in love with him, grandma's original plan to derail Logan's father's plans for his son works like a charm, and Catherine is left, hurt, humiliated, and angry.

Like every Blaze book out there, this is a steamy story, lots of sexual tension and hot love scenes. I liked both hero and heroine, although the "I can make your dreams come true" line sounds a little condescending to me. Catherine starts out being a little too influenced by her hormones, and not listening to her brain, but in the end, this is a good read that I can recommend.

After having read both Kayla's and Grace's stories, I thought I needed to read Logan & Catherine's. Big disappointment. On the whole, I loved the idea, just not the follow-through. The entire novel was an explanation of the reasons and feelings as to why they took a certain action. If you enjoy being a therapist and listening in, then you will probably enjoy this. Personally, I wanted to see more interaction and less explanation of the same thing over and over again (or so it seemed to me). What I liked most was getting to read more about Kayla and Kane and their relationship, which sadly wasn't what the novel's purpose was.

I enjoyed "Simply Scandalous", just because I like romance books. The love scenes were hot, but not on fire. The storyline was interesting, but very fast. Although the main characters, Logan Montgomery and Catherine Luck, were both intensely attracted to one another, I felt that their love story just shot off (excuse the pun) with out warning. This book probably would fit more into Harlequin Romance Present line of books.

If you're like me and just like to read romance novels, you will probably enjoy this one too. Just do not expect anything special from this book. The storyline follows the general formula of romance novels: the very attractive rich hero and the beautiful, decent heroine who after some semblance of resistance, falls in love. Although I must say there is a bit of a difference to the hero (Logan Montgomery) and how he deals with his family's wealth. I can't say more, or else I will spoil the story for those who are interested in reading this book.

I normally enjoy Carly Phillips novels and did like reading this book. And I must give credit to Carly Phillips as an author, because she writes novels for people like me to enjoy. Writing is a great talent in itself, but I cannot give this book, "Simply Scandalous" more than 3 stars. It is what it is - A simple romance story.

Boston attorney Logan Montgomery never wanted to run for office - his father just assumed he would follow in his footsteps. Rejecting getting ahead due to his family's money, he prefers to be a public defender and living a clutter free life. In order to derail his political career, he needs to ruin his pristine reputation quickly. And what better way than to romance a woman from the wrong side of the tracks in a very public forum... His grandmother meanwhile is trying to make sure her grandchildren are settled before she passes on (a tiresome plot device used in Phillips' "Heartbreaker" series as well).

Catherine "Cat" Luck is a caterer trying to live down her family's colorful reputation which includes prostitution and mob ties. When she meets Logan at his dad's party, she is drawn to him, but feels that they are too far from each other socially to make a go at a relationship. But Logan is not taking no for an answer. But somewhere along the way while trying to derail his bid for office, he falls for the plucky gal, though she still can't be sure of his motivations.

"Scandalous" is a good follow-up to "Sinful," but lacks the humor of the first. The next in the series, "Simply Sensual" features Logan's sister Grace.

This second installment of the Simply Series is even better than the first one! I love the interaction between Cat and Logan and I feel that the conflict between the couple is better explained and clarified than the one between Kayla and Kane in the previous novel. I also enjoy the fact that Kayla and Kane's story is continued throughout the book. I can't wait for the third installment and I HIGHLY recommend these novels to anyone... Read the first book first though, or else you'll be disappointed.

I have not read the previous book, but it didn't matter. This book stands on it's own just fine. Cat and Logan make a wonderful 'Cinderella and Prince Charming'. The best part is, Cinderella is not the only one to have her dreams come true. Logan is his own man and very strong, but also lonely. These two have more in common than they realize. Also, Emma is a hoot! Everyone should have such a loving, meddling grandmother. Very enjoyable. KCS

Having met Catherine Luck in her sister Kayla's story, it's really nice to see that Cat ends up with her own hero in Assistant D.A. Logan Montgomery. Another very enjoyable romantic novel by Carly Phillips whose characters are mature, genuine yet vulnerable individuals. It certainly doesn't hurt to have some help pushing the two together, in the form of Logan's grandmother. Knowing that Cat and Logan deserve the best will keep you cheering them on through to the end of the book.