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A review by lilith_elinor
Naughty or Nice by Rachael Stewart
4.0
This book was a pleasant surprise. I saved it for close to Christmas because it's a holiday romance, and it didn't disappoint me.
Lucas is a good hero, confident and quite alpha, but not overly so, he's definitely human which is how I prefer my heroes, with doubts and vulnerabilities. He needed a family and was hurt by rejection, he was lonely, he wanted to impress Eva and craved her recognition. I like this kind of thing, it's catnip for me when the hero's strength and resilience is balanced with more vulnerable places.
Eva was also good, she's loving and kind, but she's not a doormat. She works hard, she's good at what she does and organised. She's willing to protect herself and those she loves from hurt. I really liked how she called the shots for their first encounter and told him what to do. The sexual tension is strong in this book and the sex scenes are steamy!And I agree with her, it was hot when he came in his pants.
I found Eva and Lucas' history and the way they both pined for each other moving, I felt emotionally engaged and was rooting for them. As the book progressed you could see them relax with each other and draw closer. Seeing them be affectionate was sweet and made their connection tangible. I also liked how you could see he'd always been thinking of her. They were adorable together and that epilogue was perfect, it gave me the warm fuzzies and I ended the book happy.
The story felt well told to me, the pacing was good, the writing was neat and unobtrusive. The main pair were three dimensional and the conflict compelling. The holiday bits were a nice bonus since I read it on Christmas Eve. Overall an entertaining, fast read, I'll be looking for more from this author.
Lucas is a good hero, confident and quite alpha, but not overly so, he's definitely human which is how I prefer my heroes, with doubts and vulnerabilities. He needed a family and was hurt by rejection, he was lonely, he wanted to impress Eva and craved her recognition. I like this kind of thing, it's catnip for me when the hero's strength and resilience is balanced with more vulnerable places.
Eva was also good, she's loving and kind, but she's not a doormat. She works hard, she's good at what she does and organised. She's willing to protect herself and those she loves from hurt. I really liked how she called the shots for their first encounter and told him what to do. The sexual tension is strong in this book and the sex scenes are steamy!
I found Eva and Lucas' history and the way they both pined for each other moving, I felt emotionally engaged and was rooting for them. As the book progressed you could see them relax with each other and draw closer. Seeing them be affectionate was sweet and made their connection tangible. I also liked how you could see he'd always been thinking of her. They were adorable together and that epilogue was perfect, it gave me the warm fuzzies and I ended the book happy.
The story felt well told to me, the pacing was good, the writing was neat and unobtrusive. The main pair were three dimensional and the conflict compelling. The holiday bits were a nice bonus since I read it on Christmas Eve. Overall an entertaining, fast read, I'll be looking for more from this author.