Pleasure In The Pages: Happy Birthday!

It’s Brooke’s twenty-first birthday and she’s celebrating at a hot Manhattan night spot. But when her bitchy friend Kimber throws down a coming-of-age gauntlet, she feels obliged to take it up – and hit on the ‘James Bond type’ at the bar. He’s a businessman from London, England, named Gavin McClain and Brooke has no clue as to the kind of man with whom she’s tangling. Will the evening turn into a scary rite of passage, or will it be the sexy night of her young life? The answer is quite possibly … both.

So, let me start by saying that I very much disliked this character from the previous books. I thought he was a dirt bag and I had NO patience for him. Even though I didn't like the character per se, I didn't mind the books. He is one of those characters that you want to kick in the balls really hard and walk away with a smirk of satisfaction on your face.

With the above said, I started to read this with a bit of trepidation thinking it was going to be like the previous books. To my surprise, it was not. *GASP* - Say what?! Oh yes! Mr. Malden left me speechless with this one. I was waiting for all of the douchebaggery that is Gavin McClain and his antics, but it never came. I would even dare say he turned Gavin into a likable character. The end did make me chuckle because he did throw the "usual" Gavin temperament in, but it was done in a gentle way.

Brooke has just turned 21, has a new tattoo (yay her!) and has gone out with her friends for a little fun. Kimber, the bitch of the group, gets them into a very posh venue. Brooke gets a peek at Gavin whom she can't keep her eyes away from all night, and Kimber dares her to go up to him. She takes the bet and instead of going up to him, she makes a bee line to the bar (which was pretty funny, as I would probably do the same damn thing!). Gavin ends up going to the bar to order a new drink and that's when Brooke makes a play for him. He, of course being the asshole that he is, turns her down and she practically had to play the "pity card". It works. He takes her back to his hotel room and what happens there is beyond HOT! I won't spoil the book for you and tell you what happens while in the room, but in true Jake Malden fashion, it had me squirming in my seat. He tends to do that a lot. LOL!

Ok, so if you want a SERIOUSLY hot read, with lots of sex and down right dirty fun, this one is for you! Buy now, and thank me later!!

For all of the reasons above, I am giving this book my 5 star rating, and it's well deserved. The writing is superb, and the story is down right sexy and fun.