Romance Writers of America Golden Heart finalist A red-hot ugly-duckling love story She has a problem relaxing with men Frumpy wallflower Hannah Oliver is nearly thirty and has a serious self-image problem. Growing up in her centerfold mother's shadow and being raised by her pious grandparents has left her so self-conscious about her matronly, D-cup figure she gets tongue-tied around good-looking guys. So when Hannah discovers her fiance/employer boinking her roommate, she's not only devastated - she's unemployed.
He's got a problem fending off women Pharmaceutical CEO Jordan Calder has a huge image problem too - his professional image. Most guys would kill to be publicly proclaimed a world-class lover, but other men don't share his dark, shameful past. The only thing women have ever wanted Jordan for is what he can give them in and out of bed.
So when his grandfather drags dowdy Hannah into his office as an executive assistant candidate, Jordan hires the mousey woman on the spot. Could hypnosis be a solution? After miraculously landing her plum new position, sexually frustrated Hannah resorts to hypnosis to boost her self-confidence with men, hoping to attract another mate. Unfortunately, a post-hypnotic suggestion compels her to kiss her sexy playboy boss who she then stupidly falls for - in and out of bed. Despair induces her to use similar hypnotic principles on him - in the form of subliminal messages - to convince the man she loves that he wants a happy-ever-after with her. But as everyone knows, desperate measures and deception usually spell disaster.Genre.
4+ stars 'Curiosity killed the cat.' 'Satisfaction also brought Fluffy back.' I LOVE THIS BOOK!Don't be fooled by the cover or the title.
Yes, there's some hot sex in this book, but it's NOT a throwaway contemp-erotica. It's a thoughtful, fun, funny, smart, sexy trip into one woman's determination to accept herself, her desires, and her curvy body. You know what they say about guys. Life is all about ass for them. If they're not trying to get a piece, they're acting like one. Yeah - that kind of 4+ stars 'Curiosity killed the cat.' 'Satisfaction also brought Fluffy back.'
I LOVE THIS BOOK!Don't be fooled by the cover or the title. Yes, there's some hot sex in this book, but it's NOT a throwaway contemp-erotica. It's a thoughtful, fun, funny, smart, sexy trip into one woman's determination to accept herself, her desires, and her curvy body. You know what they say about guys. Life is all about ass for them.
If they're not trying to get a piece, they're acting like one. Yeah - that kind of smart, sexy, and funny.Hannah's mom is Cotton Candy Oliver, known for previously appearing in skin magazines for her willingness to bare all (died her pubic hair cotton candy pink, thus the nickname), lingerie/swimsuit model, product spokesperson, and B-movie bit part actress. Because her mom had her at age 15, Hannah was raised by her grandparents, who are basically against all that her mom, Candy, is for and does. So Hannah was raised to cover up her body. To not act or say or do anything that could be considered 'slutty' or off-color.Consequently, Hannah dresses like she's middle-aged, covering up her luscious, curvacious body. She doesn't wear makeup.
Hypnotic Song
She wears her hair up in a strict bun. She bakes to-die-for cookies.
Hannah saved herself for The One, her fiancee, but he turned out to be sharing himself with others, including her roommate. Even so, her sex life was nothing to speak of. Hannah's experience was very limited, to say the least; not only was her fiancee not sexually adventurous (he doesn't like going 'downtown'), he didn't even realize he'd never given her an 'O' before. Wow.So Hannah decides to do something different with her life. Since her fiancee was her boss, Hannah quits and searches for another job at Calder Pharmaceutical. They have an opening for an Executive Assistant to the CEO, Jordan Calder.
But the HR guy takes one look at Hannah and practically throws her grannie-looking self out, despite her glowing resume. Steaming mad, Hannah sits on a bench outside the Calder building and starts up a conversation with an older gentleman already on the bench. She tells him her woes and shows him her resume.
Turns out that Edward isn't just a nice old guy, he's Edward Calder of Calder Pharmaceuticals, and Jordan Calder is his grandson.Jordan isn't put out by having an Exec Asst that looks like a middle-aged woman. Hannah is very efficient, polite, and bakes the best cookies.
She has the right balance of compassion, caring, and competence. And Jordan never has to worry about coming into his office and finding Hannah lying naked on his desk, trying to seduce him. Yep, Jordan's got quite a reputation for dating around; one of his dates spilled the beans on Jordan's well-endowed self and sexual prowess after quite a few drinks at the company Christmas party. Since then, Jordan's been fending and fighting them off. His last Exec Asst, Renee, did try seducing him by being naked on his desk, then had the nerve to file a sexual harassment suit against Jordan and the company after he rejected her advances. The Board isn't ready to appoint Jordan chairman, in his grandfather's place, because of his 'behavior'. So Jordan could care less that Hannah's basically non-sexual.
It means his job is safe and his chances at the chairmanship are that much better. Besides, his grandpa Edward seems to have a 'thing' for her and her for him.But when Hannah meets Callie Harper, Jordan's friend Bryce's Exec Asst (Bryce is a VP at Calder), she learns the whole sordid tale. AND Hannah's honesty with Callie as their friendship develops leads Hannah to Callie's sister, Diana. Diana has a masters in clinical psychology, is a certified hypnotherapist, and is writing a self-help book for women on how to empower themselves.
Through her sessions with Diana, Hannah comes to realize that she's put her life and her sexuality on the back burner.Soon, Hannah is sporting a whole new attitude. And then gradually, a whole new wardrobe.
Suddenly, Jordan can't say that he only likes Hannah for her baking or her efficiency. He's falling for her mind, her personality,. Her newly discovered curvacious body.Suddenly, we realize that Jordan's got his own sexual hang-ups to overcome. And both Jordan and Hannah have to find a solution to their explosive sexual chemistry.I loved the characters, the situations, and the way they worked through everything.
I loved seeing the new Hannah, and realizing that Jordan needed his own makeover. I loved Hannah's solution to introduce Jordan to hypnosis.
I loved watching the two of them do their mating dance, trying to avoid the inevitable. I loved watching Hannah accept herself and her body - finding that makeover of hair, makeup, body, and clothes that worked for her. I loved watching the guys fall all over themselves for Hannah, and watching Jordan make an ass of himself in his jealousy.Fun, smart, and sexy. What more could you want? Best 99-cents I ever spent! I read this book because it was free on amazon. But it's definitely a worthy read!What I love most about it:- The catchy word definitions and sentence usage at the start of each chapter.- The metamorphosis of Hannah - from a shy girl with emotional baggage and psychological issues to a lady with sass, one not to mess with.- The pairing of Hannah to Jordan who also has his own trust issues.The book isn't just about love.
It tackles more on how to love yourself in order for others to love I read this book because it was free on amazon. But it's definitely a worthy read!What I love most about it:- The catchy word definitions and sentence usage at the start of each chapter.- The metamorphosis of Hannah - from a shy girl with emotional baggage and psychological issues to a lady with sass, one not to mess with.- The pairing of Hannah to Jordan who also has his own trust issues.The book isn't just about love. It tackles more on how to love yourself in order for others to love you.
I'm a firm believer of positivism, looking at the bright side and staying positive especially about yourself. How you see yourself is how you want others to see you. And this book is just an affirmation of that. Truly a great read!
I've learned a lot and I'm sure to read this again.:). I looved this boook, it had the favorite mix of everything i love in a contemporary romance. It was love-able, plain hilarious, the characters were just awesome. I did not get frustrated or annoyed with the direction of the story line, i understood all their choices and i rooted for them in every situation.I loved the heroine, she was spunky and gave has good as she got. Her moments were the best and i loved how she explored her sexuality. This book explores the theme of sexuality and how I looved this boook, it had the favorite mix of everything i love in a contemporary romance.
It was love-able, plain hilarious, the characters were just awesome. I did not get frustrated or annoyed with the direction of the story line, i understood all their choices and i rooted for them in every situation.I loved the heroine, she was spunky and gave has good as she got. Her moments were the best and i loved how she explored her sexuality. This book explores the theme of sexuality and how exactly a well endowed women is open to so much criticism and also how society view thin women with a less voluptuous body in a better light.
Every women should be comfortable in their skin regardless of the fact they have big boobs,or thick hips.I loved the transformation the characters and i loved the direction this story took.This is my first book by the author and i will continue to look out for books from her. She has made her way into my favorites shelves:)this review can also be seen on my blog. This book was fun to read, but not really what I expected.
At some points I felt the interaction between the two main characters was unrealistic. And some of the storyline that involved conflict with other characters (not related to the romance/relationship) was a little difficult to follow and confusing. I think the subplots could have been developed a little better without distracting from the main storyline.What I did love about the book is Hannah Oliver's personality and character. Not only This book was fun to read, but not really what I expected. At some points I felt the interaction between the two main characters was unrealistic.
And some of the storyline that involved conflict with other characters (not related to the romance/relationship) was a little difficult to follow and confusing. I think the subplots could have been developed a little better without distracting from the main storyline.What I did love about the book is Hannah Oliver's personality and character. Not only is she funny, but you have no choice but to admire her. It's refreshing to read a book with a character with insecurities, yet always walks on the sunny side of the street! Erotica - not to share with your mom, or teen.The story has some potential, and maybe some editing could have improved it. It has a huge feel-good factor and I did enjoy reading it.
It is tiring, however, to continuously have to stop questioning how logical/realistic some scenes were. The girl is in therapy for her shyness, but then she does it in public?! Shy people don't have sex in offices, they make sure they are private. The whole 50 shades thing of the man getting turned on by the woman Erotica - not to share with your mom, or teen.The story has some potential, and maybe some editing could have improved it. It has a huge feel-good factor and I did enjoy reading it.
It is tiring, however, to continuously have to stop questioning how logical/realistic some scenes were. The girl is in therapy for her shyness, but then she does it in public?! Shy people don't have sex in offices, they make sure they are private. The whole 50 shades thing of the man getting turned on by the woman chewing her lower lips - well if it was that easy, women would not have lower lips left to chew!
In the end, there is also a huge jump where a manager, who hated her jumped ship and came to work for her?! I am also not convinced we are talking about love here. I agree the two main characters should enter an exclusive long-term sexual relationship, but I am not sure that they love each other and should marry - I mean really! I am also not sure what purpose all the sex scenes serve in the unfolding of the story. Some of the scenes are clearly written to make up the word-count or to serve themselves. The story has some gaps, so I think the word-count could have been reached by filling the gaps in the story.That said, it was an enjoyable read and I giggled a couple of times. Wallflower Hannah has a serious self-confidence problem.
When she starts working for CEO Jordan (himself a sort of sex symbol), she decides to work on her self image, and tries hypnosis. Hannah's metamorphosis, however, seems to annoy Jordan, who has commitment issues, very much.Brilliant plot, quirky and sympathetic characters, who also were sort of realistic most of the time, and a great narration style make this a very very enjoyable read.
There is just the right mix of humour and drama.Al Wallflower Hannah has a serious self-confidence problem. When she starts working for CEO Jordan (himself a sort of sex symbol), she decides to work on her self image, and tries hypnosis. Hannah's metamorphosis, however, seems to annoy Jordan, who has commitment issues, very much.Brilliant plot, quirky and sympathetic characters, who also were sort of realistic most of the time, and a great narration style make this a very very enjoyable read. There is just the right mix of humour and drama.Although I personally think that story might have gained by being streamlined a bit (the constant to-ing and fro-ing between Hannah and Jordan got a little bit repetitive after a while), the story was never boring, and was difficult to put aside.
To see how Hannah changes from a clumsy wallflower to a self-confident person is pure entertainment; the relationship between her and Jordan is a bit hard to believe sometimes, but that does not spoil the rest of the story.Definitely a recommendation from me, and yes, I'd like to read more in this series. FrustratingThe concept of this book was interesting enough for me to start reading it however the actual book was lacking profoundly.The main characters were unrealistic and shallow. Everyone sounded more like high school age rather than adults.
Surprisingly the only character I found to be “real” was Kevin. He cheated on her admitted his failures and accepted his mistakes and the outcome.This book while very cheesy and unrealistic was still “readable “ till about 70% when Jordan started tal FrustratingThe concept of this book was interesting enough for me to start reading it however the actual book was lacking profoundly.The main characters were unrealistic and shallow. Everyone sounded more like high school age rather than adults.
Surprisingly the only character I found to be “real” was Kevin. He cheated on her admitted his failures and accepted his mistakes and the outcome.This book while very cheesy and unrealistic was still “readable “ till about 70% when Jordan started talking about his ex. This is when I rolled my eyes I had had enough and started skim reading. Okay, I know this was a Golden Heart finalist. (Actually, I didn't know that until I just grabbed that info to put together this review.
I would never have guessed.) I do understand that Ms. Kellogg is a very successful romance author.
And she even has a blurb from the Queen of Romance, Bella Andre. And yes, I read the whole book.But let me just say, this is one hot mess of a story.The characters were inconsistent in their actions and the moving forward/pulling back started to make me feel like Okay, I know this was a Golden Heart finalist.
(Actually, I didn't know that until I just grabbed that info to put together this review. I would never have guessed.) I do understand that Ms. Kellogg is a very successful romance author. And she even has a blurb from the Queen of Romance, Bella Andre. And yes, I read the whole book.But let me just say, this is one hot mess of a story.The characters were inconsistent in their actions and the moving forward/pulling back started to make me feel like a yo-yo being yanked around. I think the characters were a little too old to be acting so irresponsibly, but they needed to be that old in order to have the business experience and positions they held. The dialogue was inconsistent as well, jumping from normal to overly familiar to what I think the author meant as teasing or sassy but sometimes came off as pretty rude.Hannah's character is sweet throughout, but the idea of going from embarrassed by her own sexuality to naked on the hood of a car so quickly is a stretch.
I also felt like her backstory was a little over the top as to her inability to climax. Jordan's character was most inconsistent, with too many complicating factors in his backstory, and far too many inconsistencies in his present behaviors. And if he told himself how much he didn't deserve Hannah one more time I felt like I would rip my ereader apart.I liked the general storyline and plot, but the execution was sloppy and repetitive, with some of the scenes feeling drawn out for the sake of adding to the ultimate word count. I really wanted to like this story more, but the description 'hot mess' kept circling my brain regarding more than one scene.
As an author who struggles with some of the same issues, I totally commiserate, but this felt more like a first draft than a finished work from a bestselling author, which left me wondering how it has so many good reviews.