Book Review: Wicked Weekend by Gillian Archer (Pleasure Code #1)
Format: ebook
First Published: March 12th, 2012
Source: an ARC provided by NetGalley
Genre: Romance, Erotic Romance, Contemporary Romance, BDSM
Sensuality Rating: Burning!
Synopsis (from Goodreads): Why did Lauren Vaughn introduce her sister to the man she herself was crazy about? Now Lauren is watching the happy couple at their combined bachelor/bachelorette party—while Lauren sits all alone at the bar. Until she spots a hot stranger with the telltale black handkerchief in his pocket: the signal for “seeks no-strings affair with sexy submissive.” Lauren can’t take her eyes off him. So when he comes over, she kicks her inner good girl to the curb and follows Jamie Forman to his room, where he makes her scream with pleasure all night long.
But Jamie is a complicated man. He can’t handle how desperately he wants her in his bed—and his life. It’s up to Lauren to teach him how to make all night last forever.
Review:
This [book is] purely about sex. No strings, just hot and naughty sex, nothing else. (quote from the novella)
But it isn’t. There’s more to the story than just bedroom antics – although I thoroughly enjoyed said antics.
I loved the cover. It’s playful and sexy – much like the story itself. I really enjoyed the story. It starts off with Lauren Vaughn being miserable at her sister’s combined bachelor/bachelorette party – jealous that her sister has managed to snag the man of Lauren’s daydreams and not enjoying the company of the other party guests. That is until Lauren spies a stranger with a black handkerchief in his back pocket… and a very fine behind 😉 Lauren’s been researching the dominant/submissive lifestyle online and is more than a little intrigued by handsome dom.Jamie Forman quickly introduces himself to Lauren and quick as can be, they embark in a wicked weekend that will change Lauren’s life (or at least her sex life) forever.
The story is really enjoyable. It’s spicy and addresses some of the issues that I’ve read about the lifestyle in other BDSM novels. I liked that Lauren made sure to call a friend and check in before her night with her handsome stranger (although I would have liked it if Lauren checked his ID too just to make sure he was who he said he was) – as well as getting someone to vouch for Jamie’s character – but it still felt a little too quick for me. They exchange names and before they can discuss anything else they’re involved in a full blown conversation about the lifestyle and how much Lauren knows about it. It just felt… a little too forward? But then again… this is a novella and it is just a fantasy/story. Sometimes I think I can get a little too hung up on the details. Some of the language used wasn’t my cup of tea. I don’t like it when dirty talk is too harsh or too… gritty? With that said, it fit the situation. Lauren was into it 😛
As for the characters? I thought they were really well written. Lauren was slightly socially awkward but really amusing with her inner dialogue. I was really glad to see that she managed to be more comfortable with herself and also managed to find some common ground with her sister. Jamie, the super confident and experienced Dom, endeared himself more to me as the story went on and we got to see that he wasn’t all that he appeared at the start. There was a lot of character growth despite this only being a novella. There were times when I felt that Lauren was being slightly hypocritical but I was glad to see that those issues were addressed before the end of the story. I really enjoyed Wicked Weekend. Yes, there were some things I wasn’t overly fond of but this was a steamy love story that, all things aside, was a pleasure to read.
Rating:
3.5 out of 5
Purchase book at:
Amazon (kindle version) / Carina Press (epub version)
Visit the Author’s Website by clicking HERE
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