Naked by Megan Hart

I almost always use a blurb from Goodreads or Amazon to summarize the story then just jump into my thoughts. But check out these two different blurbs for the book. The first is from the summary on NetGalley:

No strings. No regrets. And no going back.

I didn't think he wanted me. And I wasn't about
to get involved with him, not after what I'd heard.
Sure, Alex Kennedy was tall, dark and unbearably
hot, but I've been burned before. When I solicited
him to model for my erotic photography book,
I didn't expect such a heated, passionate photo
session. And now that we've crossed that line,
our bodies aren't the only things
that have been exposed.

But I can't give my heart to a man who's so...
unconventional.

His last sexual relationship was with a married couple.
It's enough that my ex-fiancé preferred men, I can't
take that chance again no matter how much my body
thrives on Alex's touch. I can't risk it, but I can't resist
it, either.

Alex can be very convincing when he wants something.

And he wants me.

This second one comes from Megan Hart's website:

No strings. No regrets. And no going back.

I didn’t think he wanted me. And I wasn’t about to get involved with him, not after what I’d heard. Alex Kennedy was tall, dark and unbearably hot, but I’ve been burned before. Maybe it was stupid of me to offer but he needed a place to crash and I needed to pay the rent, but now he’s my tenant…with benefits. And now that we’ve crossed that line, I can’t seem to find my way back.

But I can’t give my heart to a man who’s so…unconventional. His last sexual relationship was with a married couple. It’s enough that my ex-fiancé preferred men, I won’t take that chance again no matter how much my body thrives on Alex’s touch. I can’t risk it, but I can’t resist it, either.

Alex can be very convincing when he wants something.

And he wants me.

The first blurb really misses the mark especially this bit:

When I solicited him to model for my erotic photography book,
I didn't expect such a heated, passionate photo
session. And now that we've crossed that line,
our bodies aren't the only things
that have been exposed.

First off, she doesn't solicit him for an erotic photography book, in fact she mentions that is not the kind of photography she normally does. There was one really hot scene in which Olivia does photograph Alex but this blurb got it totally wrong. Anyway, I found that quite interesting that the one sentence in the NetGalley summary could be so off the mark. The blurb from Megan Hart's website is definitely a better representation of the book.

I read Tempted, where Alex is one of the three main characters, before reading Naked. While Megan Hart's website says all the books can be read stand alone, I would highly recommend reading Tempted before reading Naked. Because Naked is written from Olivia's perspective and she has no knowledge, until the end of the book, of Alex's involvement with a married couple, it helps to have his background story. You have a little more insight to his character.

I thought this was a pretty sweet book for being erotica. I haven't read much erotic though so I don't really have anything to compare it to. I guess after reading Tempted which was a little more emotionally draining this one seemed downright romantic. I know that many of Hart's other heroines aren't always lovable, or even likable for that matter, but I really liked Olivia. Alex has been through so much that you really just want him to get his happily ever after.

I found it interesting that Olivia seemed fairly accepting of Alex's bi-sexuality in light of her past relationship where her fiance lied to hear about his sexuality and, ultimately cheated on her with another man.

Overall, I really enjoyed Naked. Olivia and Alex's relationship felt believable and felt like it progressed naturally. Megan Hart definitely has a talent for writing true to life characters intermingled with tantalizing love scenes. I'm looking forward to reading more of Hart's back-list!

Rating:

Naked will be available August 1, 2010 from Harlequin Spice.

Disclosure: I received this as a digital ARC through NetGalley. I did not receive any compensation for this review.

Tempted by Megan Hart

I had everything a woman could want.
My husband James. The house on the lake. My life. Our perfect life. And then Alex came to visit.

The first time I saw my husband's best friend, I didn't like him. Didn't like how James changed when he was around, didn't like how his penetrating eyes followed me everywhere. But that didn't stop me from wanting him. And surprisingly, James didn't seem to mind.

It was meant to be fun. Something the three of us shared for those hot summer weeks Alex stayed with us. Nobody was supposed to fall in or out of love. I didn't need another man, not even one who oozed sex like honey and knew all the secrets I didn't know, the secrets my husband hadn't shared. After all, we had a perfect life. I loved my husband.

But I wasn't the only one.

So I have to say the blurb for this book and it's sequel, Naked, which I read via Netgalley and will be reviewing soon, are both kinda off the mark. When I read this novel I didn't get the feeling that Anne didn't like Alex the first time she saw him, yes she appeared uncomfortable about this long lost friend of her husband's that she knew so little about and with the way James changed around him. But I NEVER got the impression she didn't like Alex, in fact I thought she was pretty much immediately attracted to him. Anyway, that's my little quibble with the blurb.

Tempted is my first foray into erotica. I was a little apprehensive, I wasn't sure what to expect or how I would like it. It was afraid it would be a literary version of porn: all sex, no plot. I've read some reviews of Hart's other books and was intrigued. They sounded like really gripping, intense reads. When I saw Naked available on NetGalley I wanted to read it but knew this book came first and had Alex in it. It's not necessary to read Tempted first to enjoy Naked but Tempted really gives you a background on what happened between Alex, James and Anne and helps the reader understand Alex better in Naked. So I would highly recommend picking this up before reading Naked.

I'm really glad I gave Tempted a chance. It's hot, it's sexually and emotionally intense. It's sweet and sad all at the same time. It's not a light read, which, I gather, not many of Hart's books are. However, I'm now a bona fide Hart fangirl and have also picked up Deeper and Stranger and intend to get her entire backlist! Yay for trying something out of my comfort zone and finding an amazing new-to-me author!

Rating:
One side note: there was a short conversation between Alex, James, and Anne that really disturbed me because of it's perceived (at least by me) glamorization, or at the very least acceptance of, child sex slavery. However, I intend to discuss/analyze this very brief conversation in the novel in a separate post. (Read it here.)

Disclosure: I purchased this book. I did not receive any compensation for this review.