20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Small Town Romance That Makes You Smile (B Grade), January 26, 2009
I really enjoyed Talk Me Down. It was a fun, fluffy and sexy read. Perhaps at times the actions of Molly were a bit too silly, but overall I really had a fun time reading this one. I can see Victoria going far in the contemporary world. She reminds me a bit like of Julia Harper, who also writes historical romances under another name, much like Victoria does. Also Rachel Gibson comes to mind. It was a welcomed relief to lose myself in such a book like this.
Molly Jennings has returned to her small home town of Tumble Creek, Colorado to escape her stalkerish, won't take a no for an answer, ex-boyfriend Cameron. Cameron has a way in making people agree with him and he really thinks Molly is playing hard to get and they are not really broken up. It gets so bad, that Molly has to leave Denver and return to her roots. Molly's job lets her travel because as long as she has a computer, she can work. Molly is an erotic romance author who goes by the name Holly Summers. (I think that is a great pen name) Molly keeps her career a secret because she doesn't want people to look down upon her, because most of her family and friends wouldn't have a high opinion of her work. If I were in Molly shoes, I would shout from the hills- "I write great sex! Nah Nah.". But Molly is not that self assured and probably likes the mystery she eludes.
As soon as Molly returns, she bumps into her old crush and older brother's friend, Ben Lawson. Ben is the Chief of Police in Tumble Creek. Ben acts as if Molly has the plague because their last encounter was when a barely teenage Molly caught Ben with a girl who was giving him oral sex. Both were beyond embarrassed, especially Ben. Ben keeps to himself and tries not to fuel the town's gossips because his father did something so horrible that has followed Ben into adulthood. Ben would love to get to know Molly better, but her personality and lifestyle is sure to raise some eyebrows, which Ben doesn't need. And because Molly won't tell Ben what she does for a living, he will stay away.
Ben can't keep away from Molly because it is such a small town and he loves being with her. She is bubbly, happy and makes his heart go pitter patter. This does sound strange to explain how the hero feels, but Ben is so very different from the other heroes I have read in the past. Ben blushes up a storm every time he is near Molly or she says something that shocks him. Very early on, Molly says something that doesn't just make Ben blush, but he actually puts his hands over his ears so he doesn't have to hear anymore. Can you think of any other time in another book where you have a hero doing this? I haven't, and I loved that Victoria wrote Ben like this. Ben was just too cute for words.
Molly is sick of placing her feeling aside for the Chief of Police and will use her feminine wiles to get Ben into her bed. Ben is a man after all and Molly is a woman he really appreciates. These two can't keep their hands off of each other. The make out like crazy in his car and finally when they get to the bedroom and have sex, it is really tender, sweet and hot. Molly and Ben are very happy with one another, even though Molly refuses to say she is Ben's girlfriend. Ben is the first one to say, "Yes you are my girlfriend. We are having sex and that means we are together and exclusive." I kept saying, GO BEN! Shut up Molly and just kiss him.
But as Ben and Molly try to work things out, Ben can't help but question Molly about her job and her ex-boyfriend who sends her gifts and shows up expecting to go to a party. Also, Molly thinks someone keeps breaking into her house, unlocking doors and moving things around. She still won't tell Ben what she does to make money and Ben is to the point of being fed up.
Talk Me Down had some great moments, especially between Ben and Molly. I am not just talking about their physical relationship but I loved their dialogue with one another. I had a few laughs over Ben because he ran a few job scenarios around in his head that Molly could possibly be involved with such as online sex performer and stripper. I really didn't think it was such a big deal that Molly kept her career such a secret. Her personality was of a woman who didn't really care what people thought. If she had told Ben right up front that she was an erotic romance author, he may have an initial reaction of disgust or shock, but I was led to believe he was the type of guy to get over it. I wouldn't be surprised if he was willing to act out some of her scenes from her books.
Molly was a bit silly and immature at times but she made me laugh by her internal thoughts and actions. She reminded me of a girly girl who wanted to have fun and when she wanted something- Ben, she didn't back down. Even the way she handled Cameron didn't bother me because everything she did made sense. The only thing left was to tell her older brother or Ben and they would have gone to Cameron and make him see reason. I really couldn't see that happening.
Again, I loved the fact that Victoria made Ben a middle ground hero. He was part alpha, part beta and the way he blushed was adorable. Ben is the reason to read Talk Me Down. He grounds Molly and they both bring something special to their relationship.
Talk Me Down is the perfect book for those who need some light reading and good sex. Blushing heroes and a heroine who writes great sex works for me!
Katiebabs
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic contemporary debut!, May 1, 2009
My curiosity always gets peaked when a historical romance author pens a contemporary romance. Not because I wonder if they can write contemporary - after all, they live in contemporary times - but I wonder how their writing voice differs in the new genre and if I'll like it as much. Such was the case with Victoria Dahl's new contemporary romance, Talk Me Down. I thoroughly enjoy her historical voice and can now say that I am more than pleased with her contemporary voice!
After ten years, Molly Jennings is back in town. It really wasn't a tough decision to leave behind her nice Denver loft and active social life and return to small-town Tumble Creek, Colorado -- having a crazy, stalker ex-boyfriend that wouldn't leave her alone pretty much clinched it. That and the fact that said crazy ex-boyfriend virtually killed her muse. You see, Molly has a secret: she's a bestselling author of erotic fiction. And since Molly can accomplish her job from anywhere, she moves into the house that her aunt left her when she died and tries to gain back some much needed inspiration. She gets that and more in the form of Ben Lawson, her brother's best friend and the long-time object of her fantasies.
Police chief Ben Lawson doesn't care for scandal or gossip. He has had enough of that in his past and lives his life to avoid it. When Molly Jennings moves back and starts openly flirting with him, he certainly doesn't encourage her attention. Ben doesn't date women who live in Tumble Creek because living in a small town causes too many complications if it doesn't work out. But Molly is relentless. The more Ben tries to avoid her, the more he can't seem to resist her. And when someone starts threatening Molly, Ben figures there is no better way to protect her than to stay as close to her as possible.
Talk Me Down is such a fun book! Molly and Ben are vibrant, genuine characters that came to life on the pages. Molly is outgoing and gregarious despite having grown up constantly compared to her perfect older brother. Having dealt with vicious gossip as a teenager, Ben is very reserved and likes his privacy. Needless to say, when these two get together, the sparks fly! I laughed so much while Ben was trying to figure out exactly what Molly does for a living and kept guessing at who the villain was. Add to that some notable secondary characters (one of which I hope gets her own book very soon) and you've got an exciting, fresh new talent in the genre. Talk Me Down contains just the right amount of humor, suspense, romance and smoking hot love scenes! Ms. Dahl hits a homerun in her contemporary debut and I can't recommend this one enough!
Andrea
Romance Novel TV
4.5 stars
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Contemporary is Saved!, April 20, 2009
This has to be the best contemporary romance novel that I've read this year! I am so excited that Victoria Dahl is just beginning her career, because she is fabulous. Talk me Down is fast, hot, and funny. Molly and Ben are compelling characters. Molly is sassy, funny, and (gasp) sex-positive. Ben is not only smart and sexy, but insightful and thoughtful. This one is definitely a keeper! Enjoy!
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