AUTHOR: EVIE HUNTER
Pages: 433
Date: 15/06/2013
Grade: 4+
Details: no. 2 Pleasures
Received from
Penguin
Through Nudge
Own
Summer O’Sullivan. It is a name and face most people know from the scandalous
headlines in the tabloids. With one broken engagement behind her, the daughter
of a self-made and very rich airline owner is known for her outrageous exploits
and scandalous adventures. But, it would appear that she is in danger and when
her father has to travel from London to America for a month and Summer refuses to spend
that time with her grandmother in Ireland, he decides to hire a
body-guard to keep her safe. To say that Summer is less than impressed with
this idea would be an understatement and she manages to get rid of several hired
minders within little or no time.
Enter Flynn Grant, a former Army Ranger with little patience for spoiled
little rich girls. Summer’s tricks won’t work with him. He may not like the
job, but since he has been hired to keep this girl safe that is exactly what he
will do. And what is more, he will do it on his terms; Summer will just have to
get used to following orders.
Unsurprisingly it is a major culture clash when these two characters
meet, but despite the anger and exasperation they ignite in each other there is
no denying the attraction between Summer and Flynn. When Summer goes a bit too
far while satisfying her curiosity it is only Flynn’s timely arrival that
prevents her from ending up in a situation she was completely unprepared for. Flynn
however is furious and this anger combined with the attraction he has been
feeling leads to a night that more than answers Summer’s curious questions and
gives them both something to think about.
A month in a remote Scottish hiding-place takes Summer completely out of
her comfort-zone and gives both her and Flynn the opportunity to discover sides
of each other that they never expected. Flynn may be on a mission and getting
intimate with his principle may be against all his rules but when the
attraction is this strong and the location this isolated it is almost
impossible not to give in to the sexual tension.
When the threat against Summer finally catches up with her it will take
a heroic effort from Flynn as well as everything she has learned in her month
in the middle of nowhere to ensure her survival. But even that may not be
enough to ensure their happily ever after.
I enjoyed this book. It is well written and Summer and Flynn are
exciting characters to read about. Not to mention that the attraction between
them and the way they handle it make this one steamy read. But, this is much
more than a work of erotic fiction. There is a real sense of danger all through
this story. The erotic scenes alternate nicely with those that explore the rest
of Summer and Flynn’s relationship and the thriller-like aspects of this book.
I liked that there was so much more to Summer’s character than the
flighty, spoiled young heiress we meet in the first few chapters. It was
wonderful to see her grow into herself and really develop. Flynn goes through
some changes as well, although his are less pronounced. I also enjoyed the
brief reference to Jack Winter and Abbie Marshall from “The Pleasures ofWinter”. Although these books are definitely stand-alone stories the mention of
Jack and Abbie’s upcoming wedding brings a little bit of continuity to this
series of books without creating the need to read them in order.
And this is one hot read. With Flynn being a Dominant with a lot of
experience when it comes to BDSM and Summer being curious about the life-style,
there is a lot of room for a good dose of steamy action. As it is I would call
this BDSM-light. There is some bondage and quite a bit of spanking but it never
gets so heavy that it might leave the reader uncomfortable. Having said that, I
have to admit that I was both surprised and intrigued by the alternative uses
that were found for both Alka-Seltzer and tiger balm in this story. Who knew?
There were a few things in this book I was less than charmed with. First of all, I had the identity of the threat
to Summer identified as soon as they made their first appearance in the story.
Also, I did get a bit fed up with the way in which both Summer and Flynn kept
on going backwards and forwards as far as their feelings were concerned. And
finally, I wasn’t convinced that this book needed the addition of Flynn’s
former submissive and her upcoming marriage to his brother. Having said that,
these were minor issues for me and didn’t stop me from thoroughly enjoying this
book. Because this is a fun, tension filled and a very sexy romance, sure to
give its reader hours of entertainment.
Size: 218KB
Date: 15/06/2013
Grade: 4+
Details: no. 2.5 Pleasures
Companion read to “The Pleasures of Summer”
Own / Kindle
Chronologically, this story is set in the middle of “The Pleasures of
Summer” and takes place during the time Summer and Flynn spend in the Scottish
highlands.
Finding themselves in the middle of nowhere with little to keep them
occupied except the sexual attraction between them – an attraction Flynn is
determined not to give in to – Summer and her bodyguard desperately need a
diversion. An opportunity arises when it transpires that some of Flynn’s
colleagues are involved in war-games with other groups of special forces on a
deserted Island off the Scottish coast. While
Flynn sees this weekend as a welcome diversion for the two of them, Summer
treats it as a second opportunity to launch operation “Defeat the bodyguard”.
“Consequences. She liked
the sound of those. The ones following her escapade in London had been spectacular, to say the
least.”
But, best laid plains being what they are, their days away with the army
don’t work out quite the way either Flynn or Summer has hoped. While Flynn
discovers that even participating in war-games won’t kill his attraction to
Summer, she finds out that maybe getting rid of Flynn isn’t her first priority
after all.
This was a short but very nice addition to The Pleasures of Summer. In fact,
I wouldn’t be surprised if this was a discarded chapter, published as a short
story, although I may well be wrong about that. Having said that, this story
could easily be read on its own strength. I’m not sure I’d advise anyone to do
that though. I’m convinced this story is more enjoyable if you are familiar
with what has happened to get these characters to this place. On the other
hand, if you need convincing before purchasing “The Pleasures of Summer”, do
read this story; it will leave you yearning for more. And more is exactly what
the main book will give you.
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