ARC Review: Close Enough to Touch by Victoria Dahl

I hate to say it but I wan't the biggest fan of this book. Not that I disliked it, but it was just okay to me. After reading Dahl's last series I had very high expectations going into this book. I guess I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up. Both the hero and the heroine got on my nerves. They were both just so whiny about everything in their lives that after a while it just became annoying to keep reading.

Cole whines about not being able to be the cowboy that he is. He was injured a year ago and may never be able to ride again. I get that, I understand his dilemma, my problem is that is all he thinks about. Well that, and the time he left for two months to go off to Hollywood. To me it felt like all Cole does throughout the whole book is harp on his past. I just thought his affliction to anything Hollywood was over the top. But despite his whiny attitude, I did enjoy Cole. I liked that he was a gentleman.

Grace is makeup artist who is down on her luck and out of money so she decides to try to make a go at it in Wyoming. Grace begins living on a ranch that her aunt owns and hopes to save enough money that she will be able to move on to Vancouver in a few weeks. I don't know what it was exactly, but I just never was really able to warm up to Grace. She's hard, mistrustful and is constantly pushing everyone around her away. I just wanted her to stop being so closed off with everyone and to accept that there are people who are genuine and nice.

As for the relationship between Cole and Grace, I never understood it. I guess I felt like the feelings they both felt were superficial because in the book it didn't come off as if they truly cared for one another. Yes, I believe they were both attracted to each other, but I never felt like there was any romance between them. Grace is so closed off and Cole hides from anything Hollywood that it just felt like a relationship filled with hooking up. They are continuously having these random one night stands that never really lead to anything else. Then all of a sudden I am supposed to believe that they love each other. It just didn't come across like that to me at all. I think that the relationships Grace and Cole were experiencing with everyone around them was more believable than their own.

Don't get me wrong, by no means did I hate this book. In fact I rather enjoyed certain parts of it and found the book engaging and hard to put down. I loved all of the secondary characters we are introduced to and I can't wait to read more with them. I just wasn't the biggest fan of the romance between Grace and Cole. I will say though, that some of their scenes together was very sexy.

All in all, this was an okay read for me. It succeeded in keeping my attention and I'm definitely intrigued to see where this series is going to go from here.

**ARC copy provided by NetGalley**

Purchase: 
| Amazon | Kindle | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository |

ARC Review: Real Men Will by Victoria Dahl

It's always the quite ones that are the most freaky, which was definitely the case with Eric and Beth. Six months ago Eric Donovan had incredible one-night no strings attatched sex with Beth Cantrell. So incredible that he hasn't been able to forget her or the steamy night they spent together. When Beth shows up unexpectedly at the Brewery, Eric can't believe his eyes. He's excited to see Beth but there is just one problem. Beth thinks he's his brother Jamie. When Beth does find out the truth, she is beyond upset. It brings back feelings of rejection she felt as a teenager. Did Eric only sleep with her because of a bet? Was it a joke between him and his brother?

Even though Beth is hurt, she still can't stop thinking about Eric. When she slept with him six months ago he awakened something in her that she's only felt with him and she just wants to experience that feeling again. She decides that maybe they should have another one night stand. Then one night turns into another and another, until they both find themselves in a relationship neither saw coming.

When these two come together, no one or anything else seems to exist. They are just so focused on one another and the sexual feelings that they bring out in each other. Let me tell you these two were muy caliente together. Sex on tables, on the floor, against the office wall, in restaurants, they just couldn't keep their hands off of each other.

 But This book was just so much more than a coming together for Eric and Beth. This book was quite serious compared to the past two and at one point had me in tears. Both are vulnerable and are dealing with a lot of issues and demons that they have been carrying with them for years. Both are just trying to figure themselves out and what they really want to do with their lives while trying to figure out what they want from one another. They both seem to be singularly focused on the other and can't think of anything but the other, but Beth can't trust Eric and Eric just isn't ready for their relationship to be public. He just wants everything to be between the two of them.

Beth and Eric were just so good together. I felt like they both seemed to bring out the best in the other and seemed to help each other with their personal demons. They were able to be themselves with one another. They both put of this persona that they know what they are doing and they don't need anyone else's help, which is just so far from the truth.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book. I'm actually quite sad to say goodbye to the Donovans. I feel like they've become family and I've really enjoyed reading about their lives. I honestly wish there were more books in this series. I'm not ready to say goodbye. I am so glad that I stepped outside of my comfort zone and picked up these books. They have become some of my favorites of the year and definitely made me realize that contemporaries can be good too.

**ARC copy provided by Netgalley**

RATING:

ARC Review: Bad Boys Do by Victoria Dahl

Oh how I loved this book! It was so good and I honestly couldn't put it down. I am completely in love with the sexy kilt wearing Jamie Donovan, and I adored him and Olivia together.

When we were first introduced to Jamie in Good Girls Don't, we met someone who's the family bad boy and seems as if he doesn't really want to grow up and accept any responsibilities. That was definitely not the case in Bad Boys Do. Here we see sexy and charming Jamie trying to atone for all of his past indiscretions. He knows that in the eyes of his family, he's just a screw-up that can't do anything right and Jamie hates that they think that. Jamie has a lot of ideas for upgrades and remodeling at the Brewery and just wants to be more than the charming guy that wears a kilt and everyone flirts with. So Jamie starts taking restaurant developing classes at the local university in the hopes they will finally take him seriously and start letting him take on more responsibilities.

Olivia Bishop is still adjusting to life as a divorcee after a year of being separated from her cheating ex-husband, Victor. At the persistence of her friend Gwen, Olivia agrees to attend a book club meeting at the local brewery where the woman show up to ogle and flirt with hottie bartender Jamie Donovan. Olivia is immediately attracted to Jamie but she seems him as nothing more than a younger guy who probably sleeps around with lots of different women and parties too much. Imagine her surprise when she gets to her class the next day and sees Jamie as one of her students.

Jamie is attracted to Olivia and likes that she is smart and intelligent and looks so sexy in her cardigans and glasses and really wants to date her. Olivia, being a few years older is very hesitant and really doesn't know what to expect from Jamie. She can't deny that she is attracted to him in a sexual way and that they have some serious chemistry. They both begin to teach each other the things they specialize in. Olivia, is helping Jamie put together a portfolio for the remodeling of the Brewery and Jamie is helping Olivia to be more fun.

Watching these two on their adventures was so much fun. They are both so hot together. We were able to see that yes, Jamie is charming and fun to be around, but that there is so much more to him. He is still trying to deal with a lot of mistakes from his past and it nearly broke my heart to see how everyone continued to treat him as the screw-up. I was rooting for him from page one.

Olivia was really refreshing to read about. She has so many emotions and it was great fun watching her learn to live and have fun. Her and Jamie were seriously way hot together and I found myself fanning my face more than once after reading one of their encounters. Especially the scene with the mirror.

I honestly couldn't put this book down. It was so good and I just wish it was longer. I really wanted to see more of Olivia and Jamie. They really were so cute together. As for the next book in the series Real Men Will, I can't wait to read Eric's story. I'm kind of on the fence with him and not sure what to expect. He was kind of a jackass towards Jamie so I really want to see how he redeems himself in my eyes.

**ARC copy provided by Netgalley**

RATING:

ARC Review: Good Girls Don't by Victoria Dahl

I won't lie. I'm not the biggest fan of contemporary romance. In fact, I stay away from them completely. With this book I just felt like I should give it a chance. I am a big fan of Victoria Dahl's historical romances and I have read them all. In fact I devour them. Now I've known for awhile that she also writes contemporaries, but since I don't read that genre I've never paid them the least bit of attention. Then I started following Victoria on Twitter and she cracks me up. Sometimes her posts have me in tears from laughing so hard because they are just so funny. Another thing, everyone is always telling me how great her contemporaries are. So when I was on NetGalley browsing and came across her ARC for Good Girls Don't, I figured, "Hey, why not?" I am so glad that I decided to give this book a chance.

Good Girls Don't is unlike any contemporary romance that I've ever read before. It's story is realistic and believable, has a cast of great characters, and there are no endearments like "Baby" and "Honey" inside. I found myself continuously turning the page wanting to know what was going to happen and then becoming sad when I finished the book. I just didn't want it to end. I felt a bond with this story and it's cast of characters. I can't wait to pick up not only the next in this series but all of the contemporaries by Victoria Dahl that I so foolishly passed up before.

**This was an ARC copy provided by NetGalley**