Viva Las Bad Boys! [Paperback]

HelenKay Dimon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2006

Jack McAllister is looking to get lucky on his vacation, and the jilted bride sitting at the slot machine next to him just might be his answer. Getting her up to his room is a breeze. Ditto getting her out of that formal, white dress. Laying eyes on her investigator's license...also surprisingly easy. Laine Monroe isn't a bride at all. The pretty blonde P.I. has been hired to catch Jack in a compromising position. Lucky for her, Jack's all too willing to compromise...Jenna Barrister didn't become Director of Human Resources by being a pushover. So why is her first task - firing playboy super-chef Zach Jacobs - proving so hard? He's a bad boy, a rules breaker who has enjoyed one guest too many, and he needs to go. But when the lights suddenly go out in the hotel, Jenna's resolve crumbles and so do her inhibitions. She wants to experience the heat, and the sexy, rebellious chef knows just how to turn it up...With his easy charm and roguish smile, Alex Mitchell thinks he has the Berkley Casino Assistant Manager position all wrapped up - until Caroline Rogers walks through the door in her perfect business suit. The competition is on with each side equally determined to best the other. As the stakes get higher, their mutual attraction deepens. Now, as the Casino faces its first blackout, Alex and Caroline are ready to indulge in a competition of a different sort, where the winner definitely takes all...

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...a charming, explosive anthology...one you don't want to miss." -- Sinclair Reid, Romance Reviews Today

"...three tales of sensuality and passion that will leave her fans wanting more." -- Angel Brewer, Romance Junkies

"A perfect book to tuck into a beach bag, fans all but certainly won’t be disappointed." -- Sandy Coleman, All About Romance

"Dimon has a clever way with humor and sexual tension, and the simultaneous timelines of the stories are ingenious." -- Romantic Times, August 2006

From the Back Cover

Welcome to Vegas’s hottest spot—the Berkley Hotel and Casino—where a trio of bad boys are more than happy to put the "sin" in Sin City…

JACKPOT Jack McAllister is looking to get lucky on his vacation, and the jilted bride sitting at the slot machine next to him just might be his answer. Getting her up to his room is a breeze. Ditto getting her out of that formal, white dress. Laine Monroe isn’t a bride at all. The pretty blonde accountant is playing P.I. to help a client she's sure Jack conned out of his money. But now that she's got him in a compromising position, she finds he's all too willing to compromise…

PLAYER'S CLUB Jenna Barrister didn’t get to where she is in the business world by being a pushover. So how exactly did she end up here, playing corporate babysitter to playboy super-chef Zach Jacobs? This is one MBA who isn’t falling for his "speak naughtily and carry a big spatula" routine. But when the lights suddenly go out in the hotel, Jenna’s resolve crumbles. She wants to experience the heat, and the rebellious chef knows just how to turn it up…

TWO OF A KIND As the casino faces its first blackout, Assistant Manager Alex Mitchell figures there are worse places to get stranded than in the soon-to-open spa with a mysterious and sexy guest. Hey, what happens in the massage room, stays in the massage room. Travel reviewer Caroline Rogers has road-tested plenty of places, but she’s never had a steamy, four-star experience like this one. She should confess her secret, but who knew mixing business and pleasure could be this much fun…

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Kensington (August 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0758214766
• ISBN-13: 978-0758214768
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,748,882 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

By day I'm a divorce lawyer specializing in unhappy endings. One day, during a particularly difficult string of cases, a former co-worker handed me a romance novel with the promise of a much-needed escape and a happy ending. I've been reading - and now writing - romance ever since.

My first release, the novella HARDHATS AND SILK STOCKINGS in the Kensington Brava anthology WHEN GOOD THINGS HAPPEN TO BAD BOYS with Lori Foster and Erin McCarthy, was an Amazon, B&N and Borders bestseller. My first single author anthology, VIVA LAS BAD BOYS!, earned rave reviews and was a bestseller on Amazon and at B&N. Both books are available on Amazon and at other bookselling outlets.

My first single title, YOUR MOUTH DRIVES ME CRAZY, is a July 2007 Kensington Brava release. Check back here for more details. You also can visit me at www.helenkaydimon.com for updated information and some chit chat on my blog.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great dialogue makes a good anthology, November 30, 2006

By 

Jane Litte "Jane at DearAuthor.Com" (US) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Viva Las Bad Boys! (Paperback)

As a general rule, I find anthologies dissatisfying. This collection, however, was like a breath of fresh air through the stale anthology shelf.

Viva Las Bad Boys is set, well, in Las Vegas, of course. It features three stories that take place at the The Berkley Hotel and Casino, a premiere luxury destination on the Strip. All three stories feature great dialogue with funny and smart exchanges between the hero and heroine. The last story didn't really live up to the standards set in the first two but not by too much.

I hesitate to say much about the stories because I don't want to spoil the fun reveal that takes place while reading. Jackpot features a jilted bride and a man jilted by his business partner. Not all is what it seems. This is a deception story and what makes it work is that the character being deceived doesn't mind because initially their encounter is all about the sex. When it grows into something more, the characters are savvy enough to realize when someone is actually trying to hurt them and when they are trying to help. The Big Mis would have been an easy way to pad the story but the author avoided that dreadful trap and ended with a strong, believable HEA. B for this entry.


Player's Club showcases a different type of heroine: one who is self aware. She was devoted to her job, but also recognized that she had power as a woman. This is so rare in books these days, particularly contemporary ones. The heroine is a consultant hired by the hotel to reform the bad boy cook. The heroine catches the bad boy chef in a compromising situation and the way in which she deals with that scene is hysterical. No stammering, no blushes, just cool, calm manner which caused the hero to feel quite awkward. The heroine and chef engage in a steamy game of one upmanship (perfect for a Vegas themed book) wherein both end up winning. B for this one too.

Two of a Kind portrays a jet set hotel critic and Alex Mitchell, the hotel's manager. The two of them get stuck in the casino's spa when the blackout takes place. TOAK is another deception story wherein the hotel critic hides her identity from Alex. Alex doesn't find out until late and his accusations against the critic were valid. I liked this story less as it seemed to be a bit disjointed and I didn't find the quick resolution to the couple's problems believable as I did in the previous two. C+ for this one.

Overall, this was a good anthology with great dialogue, good humor and belieavable HEAs. Based on the first two novellas, I can't wait for the single title: Your Mouth Makes Me Crazy.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fun lighthearted romps, August 2, 2006

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Viva Las Bad Boys! (Paperback)

"Jackpot". At the Berkley Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Jack McAllister hopes to score with the jilted bride sitting next to him at the slots. However, he hits the big time until up in his room, he observes Laine Monroe's private investigator's license. Instead of under the covers, she is undercover seeking to find proof Jack is womanizing.

"Player's Club". The hotel's newly appointed Director of Human Resources Jenna Barrister's first major task is to fire playboy super-chef Zach Jacobs for carousing with the guests. However before she can complete the distasteful task a power outage leads to Zach teaching Jenna how to turn up the heat without cooking.

"Two Of A Kind". Alex Mitchell feels strongly he earned the casino's assistant management position, but first he must outshine rival Caroline Rogers. She feels the same way relishing the all out competition to top her top challenger for the job she covets. Neither relishes the attraction between them as that leaves each feeling vulnerable and the blackout insures both learn the meaning of consensus.

These three "Bad Boy" tales are as always fun lighthearted romps this time with women rolling the dice and taking a chance on love.

Harriet Klausner