Helpful Score: 3
I've read all three in this series... Talk Me Down, Start Me Up, and this one (Lead Me On). It is hard to choose a favorite... I loved them all. This one has a good story line which involves getting over things from the past- it was well done, although I do agree that the heroine does seem to hesitate for quite a long time about making a commitment! I really like Victoria Dahl's contemporaries... she has an easy-to-read writing style, and her characters are very likable. Her books are steamy without being "over-the-top descriptive", and I like how her characters' passion seems believable. Her books are definitely not for someone who likes a "chaste" romance, but if you like a little heat, you'll like her books! I will definitely look for anything new she comes out with, and I'm going to have to check out her Regency-style romances now.
Helpful Score: 2
This book was a fun read. There were many times I was smiling or frowning rolling my eyes. As one other review said, there are times when you want to kick the main character Jane but owns her opinions, right or wrong and while she has her reasons, she doesn't make excuses. She was an appropriate man and while I don't share her issues with tattoos she is certainly not alone in her bias opinions (in the book or the real world). It was a quick read and hard to put down.
Helpful Score: 1
Hot read about a quiet, prim and proper Jane Morgan. Jane is torn between keeping her image and showing her true bad girl side especially after she meets the very yummy Chase. The third book revolving around people in the area of Tumble Creek, Colorado.
Helpful Score: 1
Summary:
Raw, animal magnetismâ¦
â¦is a big red flag to prim and proper office manager Jane Morgan. After a rough childhood with a mother who liked her men in prison-jumpsuit orange, Jane changed her name, her look and her taste for bad boys. So why is she lusting for William Chase with his tattoo-covered biceps and steel-toed boots? The man blows things up for a living!
She gives herself one explosive, fantasy-filled night with Chase. The next day it's back to plain Jane and safe men.
But when her beloved brother becomes a murder suspect, it's Chase who comes to her rescue. And Jane discovers that a man who's been around the block knows a thing or two about uncovering the truthâ¦.
First things first, *head meet table*. I am kicking myself utterly for not reading anything of Victoria Dahl's before. I have her other two novels 'Talk Me Down' and 'Start Me Up' but I just hadn't gotten around to reading them, I am an idiot. Now, this books is HOT, like volcanic hot, nuclear hot, just dang hot. While reading this book I felt like I was curled up on the couch watching my favorite go-to film; I felt like I knew the characters and the place, it was wonderful. Chase is SUPER sexy, I wish he lived here and I could steal him away from Jane. *fans self*. I adored this book from page one and will absolutely buy any and everything else Victoria Dahl writes. This book was awesome! I am just in utter awe of Ms. Dahl's ability to turn a story into something so perfect, and I usually don't even read contemporary romance. Still in shock....*runs to bookshelf for more*
Received from: Received one copy from Netgalley and the other I purchased
For more information or for purchasing visit Victoria Dahl's webpage.
Raw, animal magnetismâ¦
â¦is a big red flag to prim and proper office manager Jane Morgan. After a rough childhood with a mother who liked her men in prison-jumpsuit orange, Jane changed her name, her look and her taste for bad boys. So why is she lusting for William Chase with his tattoo-covered biceps and steel-toed boots? The man blows things up for a living!
She gives herself one explosive, fantasy-filled night with Chase. The next day it's back to plain Jane and safe men.
But when her beloved brother becomes a murder suspect, it's Chase who comes to her rescue. And Jane discovers that a man who's been around the block knows a thing or two about uncovering the truthâ¦.
First things first, *head meet table*. I am kicking myself utterly for not reading anything of Victoria Dahl's before. I have her other two novels 'Talk Me Down' and 'Start Me Up' but I just hadn't gotten around to reading them, I am an idiot. Now, this books is HOT, like volcanic hot, nuclear hot, just dang hot. While reading this book I felt like I was curled up on the couch watching my favorite go-to film; I felt like I knew the characters and the place, it was wonderful. Chase is SUPER sexy, I wish he lived here and I could steal him away from Jane. *fans self*. I adored this book from page one and will absolutely buy any and everything else Victoria Dahl writes. This book was awesome! I am just in utter awe of Ms. Dahl's ability to turn a story into something so perfect, and I usually don't even read contemporary romance. Still in shock....*runs to bookshelf for more*
Received from: Received one copy from Netgalley and the other I purchased
For more information or for purchasing visit Victoria Dahl's webpage.
Helpful Score: 1
I enjoyed all 3 in this series and it's tough to say which is my fave. I did start to get a bit weary of Jane's hesitancy with Chase, but in the end, it was an enjoyable read.
Helpful Score: 1
If you've read the previous book "Start Me Up" you'll recognize Jane as Quinn's ultra professional secretary. She's just as organized and cool as she seemed in the last book, but now we get a little insight into what makes her tick.
Chase is working with Quinn on a residential project and meets Jane when he goes to the office. He hits on her as a whim but Jane turns him down. He ends up giving her his business card in the hope she might change her mind and give him a call. When Jane gets a little tipsy out with a friend she ends up giving herself an early birthday present and gives him a call.
Jane was an interesting character. Her snobbery and prejudices made her a little hard to like, but the way that she owns up to her views and admits they're not valid made it easy for me to sympathize with her. She had a really hard time growing up and started acting out as soon as she hit puberty. At the time she didn't care what she was doing or what people thought, but after she changed her life she hid who she used to be and didn't want to be involved with anyone or anything that might associate her with the kind of girl she used to be.
The author definitely didn't spare Jane from her mistakes growing up. Her actions were described but they were never excused. It was up to the reader to decide their own opinion of it. I cannot think of a single other heroine I've read with a past quite like this. I loved that the author a chance and didn't sugarcoat Jane. I really liked her character and appreciated what she was able to build after having sunk so low.
Chase was a less in depth (though no less endearing) character. Even though he had a past of his own and issues with his dad he was a much more stable adult. He moved past the problems that he had in life and became comfortable in his own skin. I was pretty surprised about Chase and Jane's past association. How hard to be around someone who hasn't just heard about your worst but has seen it in person. I was glad they were able to move past it.
Chase and Jane were pretty perfect together. They really seemed like they fit together. I liked that Chase finally drew the line and wouldn't let himself be used anymore. I liked that he was able to indulge her wild behavior but also able to help her finally move past her low opinion of herself. This book really did a good job illustrating that you can't judge a person by how they look on the outside. I loved every time Chase popped up with another fact about himself that made Jane feel foolish for her assumptions.
I do have to mention one thing that bothered me though. What was the deal with everyone thinking that someone with a tattoo had to be low class? I totally understand Jane's view on it, and she admits that she has issues that make her classify people like that, but what about everyone else? When Jane starts having issues Quinn immediately jumps to some pretty harsh conclusions about Chase that seem to be based on how he looks. Also when Ben (hero of "Talk Me Down") meets him at the end it makes mention of him reacting to the tattoos. Where exactly are they living that tattoos are only on criminals and poor/low class people? I just find it odd that everyone in the book seems like they would be shocked if a rich person in a suit flashed a tattoo.
Great book and I can't wait to read another by this author!
Chase is working with Quinn on a residential project and meets Jane when he goes to the office. He hits on her as a whim but Jane turns him down. He ends up giving her his business card in the hope she might change her mind and give him a call. When Jane gets a little tipsy out with a friend she ends up giving herself an early birthday present and gives him a call.
Jane was an interesting character. Her snobbery and prejudices made her a little hard to like, but the way that she owns up to her views and admits they're not valid made it easy for me to sympathize with her. She had a really hard time growing up and started acting out as soon as she hit puberty. At the time she didn't care what she was doing or what people thought, but after she changed her life she hid who she used to be and didn't want to be involved with anyone or anything that might associate her with the kind of girl she used to be.
The author definitely didn't spare Jane from her mistakes growing up. Her actions were described but they were never excused. It was up to the reader to decide their own opinion of it. I cannot think of a single other heroine I've read with a past quite like this. I loved that the author a chance and didn't sugarcoat Jane. I really liked her character and appreciated what she was able to build after having sunk so low.
Chase was a less in depth (though no less endearing) character. Even though he had a past of his own and issues with his dad he was a much more stable adult. He moved past the problems that he had in life and became comfortable in his own skin. I was pretty surprised about Chase and Jane's past association. How hard to be around someone who hasn't just heard about your worst but has seen it in person. I was glad they were able to move past it.
Chase and Jane were pretty perfect together. They really seemed like they fit together. I liked that Chase finally drew the line and wouldn't let himself be used anymore. I liked that he was able to indulge her wild behavior but also able to help her finally move past her low opinion of herself. This book really did a good job illustrating that you can't judge a person by how they look on the outside. I loved every time Chase popped up with another fact about himself that made Jane feel foolish for her assumptions.
I do have to mention one thing that bothered me though. What was the deal with everyone thinking that someone with a tattoo had to be low class? I totally understand Jane's view on it, and she admits that she has issues that make her classify people like that, but what about everyone else? When Jane starts having issues Quinn immediately jumps to some pretty harsh conclusions about Chase that seem to be based on how he looks. Also when Ben (hero of "Talk Me Down") meets him at the end it makes mention of him reacting to the tattoos. Where exactly are they living that tattoos are only on criminals and poor/low class people? I just find it odd that everyone in the book seems like they would be shocked if a rich person in a suit flashed a tattoo.
Great book and I can't wait to read another by this author!
Helpful Score: 1
WOW - I think I found my new favorite book in the series. "Talk Me Down" was good, "Start Me Up" even better, but this topped them both. Jane (or Dynasty) grew up the daughter of a prison groupie; even after her mother settles down, she rebels until she does something that scares even herself and straightens herself out - too much. Now Dynasty has changed her name to Jane, works as a secretary, stays away from her dysfunctional family, and would NEVER consider seriously dating a guy like Chase. With his rough-n-ready attitude, tattoos, and shaved head - he is everything she hoped to leave behind. But he grows on her, and he can see past everything she hides. And when she needs his help to save her brother from prison, she realizes that maybe he's worth the risk. Definitely a must-read.
Helpful Score: 1
I was really hoping this book can save my opinion of Dahl because when I read the first book (Talk Me Down), I thought I had found a hilarious, fun new writer to read. Well, very much like the second book it was a bit of a disappointment. It wasn't a horrible book. It was a quick and easy read. As a standalone I would have liked it more but not in lieu with the other two in the series. The three books were just too similar (girl wants a fling and fights agaist a real relationship but still gets more at the end). In series, I really don't want a cookie cutter theme with just little changes here and there. I ended up feeling like I could have just read one of the books and that would have been enough.
I really liked both characters and I liked the fact that it wasn't a mystery to solve like the other two but a court case. In fact, I think I was more into the court case then the romance.
The romance got old after a while because Jane treated Chase so badly. At least it was consistent in Chase's character to be forgiving since he has been codependent most of his life. Jane also had the same self-esteem issue as Lori from the second book (I'm not good enough for anyone attitude). It was redundant since I read in in the other two novels.
One great save for the book was Jane's relationship with her family. I thought Dahl did a really nice job of presenting both sides of the picture and the way Jane went about gaining resolution was beautifully done.
If you have never read Dahl, you would probably like this book (or if you don't mind reading the same thing over and over again). Otherwise, it wasn't bad if you have nothing else to read but not so great that you have to go out and get it right now.
I really liked both characters and I liked the fact that it wasn't a mystery to solve like the other two but a court case. In fact, I think I was more into the court case then the romance.
The romance got old after a while because Jane treated Chase so badly. At least it was consistent in Chase's character to be forgiving since he has been codependent most of his life. Jane also had the same self-esteem issue as Lori from the second book (I'm not good enough for anyone attitude). It was redundant since I read in in the other two novels.
One great save for the book was Jane's relationship with her family. I thought Dahl did a really nice job of presenting both sides of the picture and the way Jane went about gaining resolution was beautifully done.
If you have never read Dahl, you would probably like this book (or if you don't mind reading the same thing over and over again). Otherwise, it wasn't bad if you have nothing else to read but not so great that you have to go out and get it right now.
Victoria Dahl is a master of the hot romance... so erotic without losing the wit and charm of a romance. I find myself blushing one minute and then laughing out loud the next. The characters are engaging and realistic and the decisions they make are honest and truthful for the place and time. I am not usually a huge fan of most of this genre, but Ms. Dahl has made me look a little harder for the gems.
Her Tumble Creek series is a wonderful glimpse into the secret lives of a few of the locals. I only wish a real place this cool existed!
Her Tumble Creek series is a wonderful glimpse into the secret lives of a few of the locals. I only wish a real place this cool existed!
very sexy writing. I love all her books
I just really didn't like this book very much. I thought the main female character was just a horrible person, totally self absorbed and not at all worthy of the guy- who was great. I totally felt like he should have moved on. I mean, really, why would u stay with someone who told u that u werent good enough for her?
Raw, animal magnetism is a big red flag to prim and proper office manager Jane Morgan. After a rough childhood with a mother who liked her men in prison-jumpsuit orange, Jane changed her name, her look and her taste for bad boys. So why is she lusting for William Chase with his tattoo-covered biceps and steel-toed boots? The man blows things up for a living!
She gives herself one explosive, fantasy-filled night with Chase. The next day it's back to plain Jane and safe men.
But when her beloved brother becomes a murder suspect, it's Chase who comes to her rescue. And Jane discovers that a man who's been around the block knows a thing or two about uncovering the truthâ¦.
She gives herself one explosive, fantasy-filled night with Chase. The next day it's back to plain Jane and safe men.
But when her beloved brother becomes a murder suspect, it's Chase who comes to her rescue. And Jane discovers that a man who's been around the block knows a thing or two about uncovering the truthâ¦.
I liked this one...the 3rd book by this author. I enjoyed the first one, not the second one as much, but enjoyed this one. It has much more development of the main character, steamy hot romance steams, and an actual storyline that ties in nicely. Great book!
Good story. Love her writing.
Trashy! I couldn't even finish it.
