(4 / 5)

Okay, remember when I said Talk Dirty To Me was a solid summer read…..well forget that. Talk Dirty To Me is a total set up for the much better (I mean the first book was fine, just not the best I’d ever read) sequel Something To Talk About.

First, be ready for nearly two solid chapters of hardcore summarizing from the first book. Totally annoying, but well worth the wait. It’s been two months since we left Plum Orchard, and Emmaline Amos’s life has not improved. Her boys are getting bullied daily for their father’s sexuality. That father is all but non-existent when it comes to fiscally or emotionally supporting his sons. The whole town is talking about Em like she’s a hussy since she works for Call Girls. To make matters worse, Em thinks she might actually be a hussy because she really wants to get laid. Enter Jax Hawthorne. They shared a sexy stare right before Em lived the most embarrassing moment of her life. Now they’re coworkers at a phone sex company. Awkward. Still, Jax makes all the right moves. Em eventually falls for his charms, but she insists on sex with no strings. Being a single dad, Jax can live with that. Unfortunately, it’s hard to keep it simply sexual, when both Em and Jax need each other for much more.

I loved Emmaline from the first book. She was a chronic scene stealer. I am so happy she has her own book. Jax is super hot, and the good dad in him makes him super hotter. I loved his relationship with Maizy. His fierce protectiveness is endearing. Seriously, you’ll fall in love with Jax at first read. Em’s life is complicated, at least for her. She is testing out her new life as an independent, single woman. My heart broke for her as she tried to deal with her boys problems. Luckily Jax and the amazing Maizy go to bat for Em and her boys. Bottom line, this book seems like a pretty cut and dried romance, but the hero and the heroine have lots of growing to do and lots of secrets to unravel. The sex was fantastic, way more believable than the last book (these two characters at least like each other), and there’s way more of it. Em’s final confrontation with the awful Louella is totally kickass. I’m interested to see where she goes next as a villain. The super surprise at the end with Dixie is equally fab, if contrived. I may love a romance, but I adore the story of best friends falling deeper in love with each other. Dixie and Em forever!

Now I’m onto the third installment where Marybell (I always think of her as a punk rock Tinkerbell character) finds her handsome man while her past catches up to her.

(3 / 5)

I picked up Talk Dirty To Me for a quick vaca read the night before I left for Disney World. So 400 pages may not be the best choice for a week in the Happiest Place on Earth, but it definitely kept me hooked despite my week-long, utter exhaustion (and I totally finished it the day after returning home).

Dixie Davis spent her youth being the meanest girl in Plum Orchard. She lied, cheated, and manipulated her way to the top. Now, in her 30’s, she returns home broke, friendless, and heartsick. Through an unusual turn of events and her devastating debt, Dixie is forced to compete with her ex-fiancée to win a multimillion dollar phone sex company. All she has to do is bring in more new clients than Caine Donovan. It should be easy, right? Still, Caine is determined to win. Dixie’s lies broke his heart and his spirit 10 years ago, and he’s ready for a little payback. He doesn’t believe Dixie is any different than the day she rode out of town. He wants to stomp her dreams of financial solvency and send her right back to the big city where she belongs. Still, this new kinder, sweeter version of Dixie is getting under his skin. Will Caine be able to stop himself from falling head over heels in love with her, again?

Here’s the deal, the premise is totally ridiculous. (I think I say that at the beginning of every review I write.) If you can just hold on for a chapter or two, though, the story will pick right up. Dixie has no pride when it comes to making ends meet. It made me fall in love with her almost immediately. On the other hand, Caine is pretty unlikable at first. His anger borders on the psychotic. He keeps referring to “the bet” that drove them apart as the cause of his heartlessness, but you don’t get to know what “the bet” is until halfway through. It is pretty bad and makes Caine’s behavior more explainable. Still, Dixie wears his defenses down. In the end, their romance is sweet and seductive. There are a million flashbacks to Dixie’s mean girl days. Many made me laugh out loud. Still the person who really steals the show is Emmaline. She’s a supporting character in this book. Still her budding friendship with Dixie is almost sweeter than the love story. Also, Emmaline is the funniest character in the book. She uses great one-liners to poke at Dixie and Caine (aka Mr. Smexy). Her back story is painful, and I really wanted to see her get a happy ending (which she did with Dixie), too. However, I’m going to have to wait for the next book for that to happen.

Guess what’s next up on my reading list….

Bottom line, this is a solid summer read, and I’m starting Something To Talk About as soon as this is posted.