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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
I wouldn't say Lori Foster did wrong here but this one just wasn't for me
Lori Foster’s Don’t Tempt Me is a great contemporary romance. She manages to capture the reader’s attention with not one storyline but two and keep you interested the entire time.
Honor Brown is new in the neighborhood and Jason Guthrie, her new neighbor, is having doubts on if she can renovate her new house on her own. He offers his help and she refuses each time but will take any advice he has to offer. Soon it becomes apparent that she does need some help especially when her house becomes the target of vandalism. Honor soon realizes that sometimes it’s not a bad thing relying and trusting on others, especially when they care about you.
Lexie, Honor’s best friend, knows how hard it is to break down Honor’s walls, so while Jason works on getting Honor to trust him, Lexie’s sights turn to Jason’s friend Sullivan. Lexie is the party girl, the one who isn’t afraid to try things and tell people what she thinks. Sullivan owns a MMA studio and with a focus on kids. Lexie and Sullivan are an unlikely pair but when near each other, sparks fly. Sullivan soon realizes that there might be more to Lexie than just a party girl.
Both couples will need to lean on each other and not be afraid to trust the one another.
Honor Brown is new in the neighborhood and Jason Guthrie, her new neighbor, is having doubts on if she can renovate her new house on her own. He offers his help and she refuses each time but will take any advice he has to offer. Soon it becomes apparent that she does need some help especially when her house becomes the target of vandalism. Honor soon realizes that sometimes it’s not a bad thing relying and trusting on others, especially when they care about you.
Lexie, Honor’s best friend, knows how hard it is to break down Honor’s walls, so while Jason works on getting Honor to trust him, Lexie’s sights turn to Jason’s friend Sullivan. Lexie is the party girl, the one who isn’t afraid to try things and tell people what she thinks. Sullivan owns a MMA studio and with a focus on kids. Lexie and Sullivan are an unlikely pair but when near each other, sparks fly. Sullivan soon realizes that there might be more to Lexie than just a party girl.
Both couples will need to lean on each other and not be afraid to trust the one another.
Sweet, heartwarming and fun. This is one my favorite Lori Foster stories yet. I loved everything about it. I love that the story moved quickly. It kept me interested the entire time. The couples were perfect. Love their chemistry and their banter. Loved everything about this story. I thoroughly devoured this book. Can't wait to read more from this author.
Lori Foster is alway s a good go to author for me and this one didn't disappoint. I love that Honor was a strong woman buying her first house on her own and trying to fix it up herself. She is over her head in some areas and her neighbor Jason is offering his assistance. While Honor has to battle some family issues she stays strong.
I liked the dynamics between Honor and Jason and even the side story of her best friend Lexi and neighbor Sullivan. Lexi at the martial arts studio connecting with the kids pushed Sullivan to take her serious even with her party girl image.
I loved the small town living of the town and wanted to move in myself. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I liked the dynamics between Honor and Jason and even the side story of her best friend Lexi and neighbor Sullivan. Lexi at the martial arts studio connecting with the kids pushed Sullivan to take her serious even with her party girl image.
I loved the small town living of the town and wanted to move in myself. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Having never read a Lori Foster romance before, even though a few of her older ones are on my TBR list, I’m not sure if my issues with this book are due to her general writing style, or are just unique to this book.
This is definitely a contemporary romance in the vein of a Kristan Higgins, or a Jill Shalvis (but not as cutesy), but honestly felt more like a New Adult romance to me. Even though our main characters are all in their late twenties and early thirties, Honor comes across as naive, young, and inexperienced in life - and not in a good way.
Her “big secret”? Not much of one. Her “trust issues”? A wee bit overdone. Her family? Also overdone. Jason has nothing to him - he has no flaws. He's just a perfect, hunky, home-repair dude who loves his family, and fixing things, and his neighbours. In comparison to Jason, Honor comes across as needy, whiny, and undeserving. She's just not a strong character.
The mini-sub plot involving Lexi and Sullivan could have made a good story on its own, but was relegated to second place in favour of the less interesting characters of Honor and Jason. This overly long novel would have been far more palatable as a novella.
What really bothered me were the actions of the men around Honor (and Lexie, but less so with her). They are your quintessential take-charge romance heroes, but to me often moved past the invisible line of “alpha” and over to “alpha-hole.” Frankly, if any person I had just met “tipped my chin up” I would NOT be pleased. So, why this action is considered ok in a contemporary is beyond me, and why Honor puts up with these actions (and more) is astounding.
Frankly, most of these characters were two-dimensional stock-romance characters, and the overall story wasn’t unique or well done. At times this book felt like the text version of an Abercrombie and Fitch commercial; everyone is very buff and tanned and beautiful, and they all frolic in proscribed and clichéd ways.
I was looking forward to a light, easy, fun contemporary and just ended up frustrated at the characters instead. I don’t think I’ll be trying any of Lori Foster’s others now.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
This is definitely a contemporary romance in the vein of a Kristan Higgins, or a Jill Shalvis (but not as cutesy), but honestly felt more like a New Adult romance to me. Even though our main characters are all in their late twenties and early thirties, Honor comes across as naive, young, and inexperienced in life - and not in a good way.
Her “big secret”? Not much of one. Her “trust issues”? A wee bit overdone. Her family? Also overdone. Jason has nothing to him - he has no flaws. He's just a perfect, hunky, home-repair dude who loves his family, and fixing things, and his neighbours. In comparison to Jason, Honor comes across as needy, whiny, and undeserving. She's just not a strong character.
The mini-sub plot involving Lexi and Sullivan could have made a good story on its own, but was relegated to second place in favour of the less interesting characters of Honor and Jason. This overly long novel would have been far more palatable as a novella.
What really bothered me were the actions of the men around Honor (and Lexie, but less so with her). They are your quintessential take-charge romance heroes, but to me often moved past the invisible line of “alpha” and over to “alpha-hole.” Frankly, if any person I had just met “tipped my chin up” I would NOT be pleased. So, why this action is considered ok in a contemporary is beyond me, and why Honor puts up with these actions (and more) is astounding.
Frankly, most of these characters were two-dimensional stock-romance characters, and the overall story wasn’t unique or well done. At times this book felt like the text version of an Abercrombie and Fitch commercial; everyone is very buff and tanned and beautiful, and they all frolic in proscribed and clichéd ways.
I was looking forward to a light, easy, fun contemporary and just ended up frustrated at the characters instead. I don’t think I’ll be trying any of Lori Foster’s others now.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
I did really like Jason and how much he supported Honor and understood that even though she was pushing him away at first it didn’t mean she wasn’t interested, she just had a lot going on. Lexie was also a really great friend so that was nice to see the bond between the two women. And Colt was definitely a sweet and enjoyable young man. I felt cheated out of Sullivan and Lexie’s relationship. We hardly see any of it as Honor and Jason are really the main couple. At first Sullivan was so resistant to the image of a party girl that Lexie gave off. As the reader we see so little their time together I just found it hard to believe they were in love so quickly.
Although I love Colt’s character he is nothing like a 17 year old boy, at least not the teenagers I’ve met. He bonded really fast with Honor and this just seemed a little too easy, but not a big deal especially because he was so sweet. Foster also gave us plenty to wonder about with both Hogan and Nathan as future heroes in the next book.
Although I love Colt’s character he is nothing like a 17 year old boy, at least not the teenagers I’ve met. He bonded really fast with Honor and this just seemed a little too easy, but not a big deal especially because he was so sweet. Foster also gave us plenty to wonder about with both Hogan and Nathan as future heroes in the next book.
Jason Guthrie is great at fixing and building anything and is helping his widowed brother and nephew who are living with him. He is a busy man, but when Honor Brown moves into the rundown house next door he can't help think that she is in over her head when it comes to fixing it back up. Honor is determined to do everything on her own and no matter how much Jason wants to help, she declines. Honor has a strong desire to be independent and do everything herself, including running herself ragged working, fixing up her house, and taking care of her sick grandfather. Jason finds himself wanting to be the person that takes care of Honor and knock down the walls she's built around herself.
Sullivan Dean lives across the street from Honor and Jason and has a fascination with Honor's best friend Lexie. Sullivan is a martial arts instructor that helps troubled children, and also his main priority. Sullivan sees what Lexie shows on the surface that she is a party girl, which is something that he avoids, but sees what's she's hiding when she signs up for his class. Lexie has a big heart and understands troubled children because she was always there for Honor when they were growing up. Sullivan can't seem to stay away from her.
Don't Tempt Me is a great read, you watch two people that are polar opposites fall in love and how they are always there for each other. Honor's family expands to include Jason, Hogan, Sullivan, Nathan, and Colt and of course Lexie. With this story I laughed, cried, and rooted for Jason and Honor to get their happily ever after. Sullivan was tougher for me to like since he seemed so aloof, but once we were able to see him in his element I could see his potential as well. I really hope we are able to see more of Hogan and Violet as well, I loved their chemistry. And I wanna try Hogan's ribs!!
Received ARC in exchange for honest review.
Sullivan Dean lives across the street from Honor and Jason and has a fascination with Honor's best friend Lexie. Sullivan is a martial arts instructor that helps troubled children, and also his main priority. Sullivan sees what Lexie shows on the surface that she is a party girl, which is something that he avoids, but sees what's she's hiding when she signs up for his class. Lexie has a big heart and understands troubled children because she was always there for Honor when they were growing up. Sullivan can't seem to stay away from her.
Don't Tempt Me is a great read, you watch two people that are polar opposites fall in love and how they are always there for each other. Honor's family expands to include Jason, Hogan, Sullivan, Nathan, and Colt and of course Lexie. With this story I laughed, cried, and rooted for Jason and Honor to get their happily ever after. Sullivan was tougher for me to like since he seemed so aloof, but once we were able to see him in his element I could see his potential as well. I really hope we are able to see more of Hogan and Violet as well, I loved their chemistry. And I wanna try Hogan's ribs!!
Received ARC in exchange for honest review.
Reading a Lori Foster book is just like eating your favorite comfort food, it gives you all the comfort and leaves you feeling completely satisfied. I don't know if I missed it when reading the blurb or wasn't paying attention but this book has two HEA's!! It was a double wammy of comfort food. Reading Lori Foster is a no brainer, however I think this book just moved into my top 3 favorite romance novels.
Let's start with the first character we meet... Honor. I am completely obsessed with her character. The trauma in her background combined with her inability to actually depend on someone else made her so complex. You realize from the get go that she doesn't like to ask or accept help when offered. The only person she has ever had to depend on is Lexie and one other family member. Honor has decided to buy her own house to move closer to the people she loves. She picks a fixer upper in an older neighborhood. Little does she know she has some of the hottest neighbors around. Plus these super hot manly neighbors love to help her!! When she ask's Jason to put on a shirt it's priceless I laughed so hard.
Jason is so unbelievably patient with Honor. At first he didn't understand why she didn't want his help with remodeling since that is what he does for a living. Jason slyly set it up for his nephew Colt to help Honor when she needed it. I love how he just waits for her to ask him for help. It's so small at first, then she asks for help with bigger and bigger things. He slowly starts to understand why she is so reserved on asking for help. Especially after he finds out why she leaves the house at all hours, especially in the middle of the night. Jason is an all around good guy and I think his calm temperament helps Honor's uptight temperament. They are perfectly flawed for each other.
Sullivan comes off as so secretive.. I love how you don't even meet him right away. He doesn't have time to be involved with anyone. Sullivan is to busy trying to make his martial arts school a success while helping the less fortunate kids. Then he randomly meets Lexie by helping her carry in a plant to Honor's house. He's trying to keep his distance but something about the carefree in your face Lexie is appealing to him.
Oh Lexie how lovely you are! She comes off as an over the top kind of gal. Says what she wants when she wants, which of course seems to rub Sullivan the wrong way. I adore how she has Honor's back no matter when or why. She's so flirty with all the guys in the neighborhood but never crosses any lines until she meets Sullivan. It was so appealing how Lexie put on a big front that she didn't care how other people saw her but underneath it all it really mattered what they thought.
All of the characters in this book had great depth. Even the "side" characters like Colt and Violet. I just wanted to pick them apart and see what made them tick. I really hope to see more of them soon! All in all I would highly recommend this book!!
Thank you to HQN books and Lori Foster for the ARC for my honest review.
Let's start with the first character we meet... Honor. I am completely obsessed with her character. The trauma in her background combined with her inability to actually depend on someone else made her so complex. You realize from the get go that she doesn't like to ask or accept help when offered. The only person she has ever had to depend on is Lexie and one other family member. Honor has decided to buy her own house to move closer to the people she loves. She picks a fixer upper in an older neighborhood. Little does she know she has some of the hottest neighbors around. Plus these super hot manly neighbors love to help her!! When she ask's Jason to put on a shirt it's priceless I laughed so hard.
Jason is so unbelievably patient with Honor. At first he didn't understand why she didn't want his help with remodeling since that is what he does for a living. Jason slyly set it up for his nephew Colt to help Honor when she needed it. I love how he just waits for her to ask him for help. It's so small at first, then she asks for help with bigger and bigger things. He slowly starts to understand why she is so reserved on asking for help. Especially after he finds out why she leaves the house at all hours, especially in the middle of the night. Jason is an all around good guy and I think his calm temperament helps Honor's uptight temperament. They are perfectly flawed for each other.
Sullivan comes off as so secretive.. I love how you don't even meet him right away. He doesn't have time to be involved with anyone. Sullivan is to busy trying to make his martial arts school a success while helping the less fortunate kids. Then he randomly meets Lexie by helping her carry in a plant to Honor's house. He's trying to keep his distance but something about the carefree in your face Lexie is appealing to him.
Oh Lexie how lovely you are! She comes off as an over the top kind of gal. Says what she wants when she wants, which of course seems to rub Sullivan the wrong way. I adore how she has Honor's back no matter when or why. She's so flirty with all the guys in the neighborhood but never crosses any lines until she meets Sullivan. It was so appealing how Lexie put on a big front that she didn't care how other people saw her but underneath it all it really mattered what they thought.
All of the characters in this book had great depth. Even the "side" characters like Colt and Violet. I just wanted to pick them apart and see what made them tick. I really hope to see more of them soon! All in all I would highly recommend this book!!
Thank you to HQN books and Lori Foster for the ARC for my honest review.
Lori Foster’s Don’t Tempt Me is a story about learning to accept the love you deserve.
Honor has lived most of her life trying her damnedest to need people as little as possible. Her parents abandoned her and the grandfather who lovingly took her in, try as he might, could not fill that void. Honor learned that people eventually leave her, so she has to do without them at all costs.
Jason has a lot of love to give and he is not afraid to take responsibility. He knows what it is like to have others rely on him. With his older brother Hogan and his son Colt coming to live with him after Hogan loses his job, Jason steps up and takes care of them, providing not only a place to stay but a safe outlet for their confused emotions. Jason is more than capable of loving the people who need him the most, and it is this open and honest love that he offers to Honor.
Honor, not wanting to give in to any of her vulnerabilities, vehemently resists all of Jason’s advances. She eventually accepts him as a friendly neighbour, but it takes much longer for her to accept him as her lover.
Lori’s writing is beautiful in the way it makes the internal struggles of all the characters plain. It makes them real and makes the story about more than the eventual (and predictable) Happily Ever After. We see Honor dealing with her family troubles and it makes us sympathetic towards her. We see Jason having to accept his new role as the leader of his own family, and it adds nuance to his intentions with Honor. These are real people having relatable struggles, something which has not been done too well in other romance novels that I have read.
I appreciated Honor’s resistance to burdening others with her life’s problems because I also don’t know how to ask for help. I would rather figure something out on my own, as Honor tries to do with her grandfather’s illness, than expose my problems and weaknesses to others. I don’t want them to think of me as needy. However, I am also aware that asking for help is sometimes the only way to get out of a sticky situation, whether it is at work, with friends or family or in other relationships. It takes Honor much longer to realise this.
Recognising that Jason is not the worst person she could let into her life, Honor starts to open herself up to him. But each time she lets her guard down she immediately chides herself for “entangling” Jason in her chaos. There is a constant back and forth; part of Honor wants to be with Jason but the more insistent part says she shouldn’t throw all her problems on his shoulders. (Even though they are definitely broad and sturdy – why else would he eschew wearing shirts around the house they way he does?)
Jason, in turn, has to learn to offer his help to Honor in a way that she will accept. He has to assure her that he doesn’t want to take over, he only wants to be there for her when she needs him. This was interesting because it was a new way of answering the damsel in distress question: Jason had to accept that, while Honor definitely needed help, companionship and love, she did not need a hero to swoop in and save her. She needed to come to the realisation that she could – and should – accept love for herself in her own time, on her own terms.
That being said, Honor’s insistence on holding onto her pain and keeping others at a distance for most of the book became frustrating. Long after her friend Lexie has established that she is available and ready to help, and while Jason is making a concerted effort to prove himself to Honor, she is still sure that letting other people into her life is a recipe for disaster. But Jason does not back down and when he starts being more assertive about helping Honor, but she still tries to control how he fits into her life, I wanted to grab her by the shoulders and make her listen: “Let this good man love you, girl!” Her struggle with accepting good love felt a little heavy-handed.
Another thing that Lori does well is sex scenes. Each time Jason and Honor get together, things are hot: Jason is sensitive and pays attention to what Honor needs; Honor gives herself the freedom to enjoy everything that Jason has to offer. It does get tricky at a few points when it appears that both of them are using sex as a substitute for a couple of important conversations, but they make up for those misguided moments by the end of the book.
The end, where Jason makes a declaration that he and Honor should get married – as opposed to a proposal – was a little jarring. Of course, at that point there is no reason for them not to get married, but I felt it could have been implied instead of plainly stated. It felt too much like adding more “happy stuff” on top of a perfectly good situation that could have been left alone. But maybe that’s just because I have strange feelings about marriage.
Overall, I really like this book! I would absolutely be up to read Lori’s other stories about the Guthrie brothers.
Honor has lived most of her life trying her damnedest to need people as little as possible. Her parents abandoned her and the grandfather who lovingly took her in, try as he might, could not fill that void. Honor learned that people eventually leave her, so she has to do without them at all costs.
Jason has a lot of love to give and he is not afraid to take responsibility. He knows what it is like to have others rely on him. With his older brother Hogan and his son Colt coming to live with him after Hogan loses his job, Jason steps up and takes care of them, providing not only a place to stay but a safe outlet for their confused emotions. Jason is more than capable of loving the people who need him the most, and it is this open and honest love that he offers to Honor.
Honor, not wanting to give in to any of her vulnerabilities, vehemently resists all of Jason’s advances. She eventually accepts him as a friendly neighbour, but it takes much longer for her to accept him as her lover.
Lori’s writing is beautiful in the way it makes the internal struggles of all the characters plain. It makes them real and makes the story about more than the eventual (and predictable) Happily Ever After. We see Honor dealing with her family troubles and it makes us sympathetic towards her. We see Jason having to accept his new role as the leader of his own family, and it adds nuance to his intentions with Honor. These are real people having relatable struggles, something which has not been done too well in other romance novels that I have read.
I appreciated Honor’s resistance to burdening others with her life’s problems because I also don’t know how to ask for help. I would rather figure something out on my own, as Honor tries to do with her grandfather’s illness, than expose my problems and weaknesses to others. I don’t want them to think of me as needy. However, I am also aware that asking for help is sometimes the only way to get out of a sticky situation, whether it is at work, with friends or family or in other relationships. It takes Honor much longer to realise this.
Recognising that Jason is not the worst person she could let into her life, Honor starts to open herself up to him. But each time she lets her guard down she immediately chides herself for “entangling” Jason in her chaos. There is a constant back and forth; part of Honor wants to be with Jason but the more insistent part says she shouldn’t throw all her problems on his shoulders. (Even though they are definitely broad and sturdy – why else would he eschew wearing shirts around the house they way he does?)
Jason, in turn, has to learn to offer his help to Honor in a way that she will accept. He has to assure her that he doesn’t want to take over, he only wants to be there for her when she needs him. This was interesting because it was a new way of answering the damsel in distress question: Jason had to accept that, while Honor definitely needed help, companionship and love, she did not need a hero to swoop in and save her. She needed to come to the realisation that she could – and should – accept love for herself in her own time, on her own terms.
That being said, Honor’s insistence on holding onto her pain and keeping others at a distance for most of the book became frustrating. Long after her friend Lexie has established that she is available and ready to help, and while Jason is making a concerted effort to prove himself to Honor, she is still sure that letting other people into her life is a recipe for disaster. But Jason does not back down and when he starts being more assertive about helping Honor, but she still tries to control how he fits into her life, I wanted to grab her by the shoulders and make her listen: “Let this good man love you, girl!” Her struggle with accepting good love felt a little heavy-handed.
Another thing that Lori does well is sex scenes. Each time Jason and Honor get together, things are hot: Jason is sensitive and pays attention to what Honor needs; Honor gives herself the freedom to enjoy everything that Jason has to offer. It does get tricky at a few points when it appears that both of them are using sex as a substitute for a couple of important conversations, but they make up for those misguided moments by the end of the book.
The end, where Jason makes a declaration that he and Honor should get married – as opposed to a proposal – was a little jarring. Of course, at that point there is no reason for them not to get married, but I felt it could have been implied instead of plainly stated. It felt too much like adding more “happy stuff” on top of a perfectly good situation that could have been left alone. But maybe that’s just because I have strange feelings about marriage.
Overall, I really like this book! I would absolutely be up to read Lori’s other stories about the Guthrie brothers.
3.75 stars. a little tedious at times because the heroine was so insecure in everything, but a really great beginning to a new series and I love the double couple theme for these romances.