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review 2015-01-23 14:34
I had a hard time controlling myself while reading!
Impulse Control (Entangled Indulgence) (Men of the Zodiac) - Amanda Usen

Russ and Susannah's story was witty and fun.  They are forced to make a couple of TV shows for a special cooking show to boost ratings.  Hot guy and smart girl who can both cook and look great is a great idea - but not to them.

 

Russ is immediately attracted to her and calls her "Susie" to drive her nuts. Susannah just wants to get through the assignment with her dignity intact.  Drooling over him on camera is not how she planned to do that.  Russ cannot help the hots he has for her, she fits his type perfectly.

 

Out in the wild, he helps her with her self esteem and climbing a mountain.  In the home, she shows him he can have baby cravings too.  Together, they are fun and the banter is fresh and spicy!  They have sparks flying everywhere - including around the baby's high chair!

 

I loved the story and found this couple to be refreshing and totally silly.  I laughed quite a bit and was glad I read the book.  The price was right, (under a dollar) and it was a great addition to my shelf.

 

This book is part of the Men of the Zodiac series from Entangled Indulgence Books. After reading it, I want to get the other books in the series and see if they are just as great!  I give it 5/5 Kitty Paws UP!

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review 2015-01-13 14:29
Impulse Control by Amanda Usen
Impulse Control (Entangled Indulgence) (Men of the Zodiac) - Amanda Usen

This book was tons of fun and it came really super close to getting that 4th star.  I loved watching Russ and Susannah interact, it was the perfect example of an opposites attract relationship.  Their conversations were witty and their accidental touches sparked some seriously hot thinking.

My favorite parts were watching them interact in each of their respective new environments.  Susannah showed just how tough she could be hiking a mountin in freezing temperatures (you sure won't find me doing anything like that - I need warmth).  This is when things really started for the two of them - in close quarters sharing a tent it was hard to to react to each other.  I was a bit disappointed in her side of the show.  While Russ got to take her into his environment for a few days, she only seemed to get a couple hours of "domestication" on her show with him.  The story carries it a bit further outside of her show, but I really wanted to seem him try to cook and clean while chasing a kid around.

Overall, this was quite fun.  There is some silly social media and blog posts that really helped to bring their relationship to life.  I just really wanted to see Russ cook asparagus.

*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*

Source: www.bittenbyromance.com/2015/01/arc-review-impulse-control-zodiak.html
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review 2015-01-01 00:00
Impulse Control (Entangled Indulgence) (Men of the Zodiac)
Impulse Control (Entangled Indulgence) (Men of the Zodiac) - Amanda Usen Impulse Control (Entangled Indulgence) by: Amanda Usen

I received an ARC of this book for an honest review. Impulse Control is the story of two strong willed people searching for something that they never expected to find in each other. Impulse Control is the ultimate story of opposites attracting. Thrown together for the sake of their careers- Russ
has a reality show about surviving in the wild and Susie has a reality show
about being a domestic goddess/homemaker. Sparks fly from the start, but
they each feel they have to prove themselves capable of Susie surviving in the outdoors and Russ surviving in the kitchen. Along the way the main characters start to realize that there are issues they both have to work through in order to become a better person. They also manage to fall in love. Although the story started off somewhat slow the pace quickly picked up. Impulse Control is a heartwarming, entertaining fun read.
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review 2013-06-25 00:00
Into the Fire (A Hot Nights Series Book) (Entangled Indulgence) - Amanda Usen ***4.5 out of 5 stars***


I was lucky enough to get a review copy thanks to the publisher from NetGalley. This is the first book I've read from Amanda Usen, but won't be my last.

I completely fell for both Lila and Jackson from the very first chapter. The misunderstandings that take place between them only added to the chemistry they share both in the kitchen and in the bedroom.
While I love Lila and Jack as a couple, I really loved that it took Lila to make Jack see how great a chef he really is. Both Lila and Jack are so very talented in the kitchen, but Jack has never felt like he measured up to others. He comes from kitchen royalty, and is still trying to find a way to make his father proud of him. Only because of Lila does he finally see his true talent.

I love books that take place in restaurants, and I'm already counting down until I can read another book from this series. I was lucky enough to meet the author at Lori Foster’s Reader Author Get Together this year and have already bought the books in her Sexy Chef Series for my kindle. Excited for more books in the Hot Night Series in the future. For more information about the author or her books, check out her website.
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review 2013-06-24 00:00
Into the Fire (A Hot Nights Series Book) (Entangled Indulgence) - Amanda Usen So I have this problem

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I kinda sorta get irritated by the 'small misunderstanding and no communication leading to one big mess scenario' in books

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I mean...it might irritate me only slightly

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Really no big deal, it's just I read it, and think

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If I'm being honest, I began to get frustrated around the 10% mark. I almost DNF'd it 5 times. But being the masochist that I am, I drudged on, waiting and hoping that the next chapter brings with it one redeeming quality.
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Jack and Lila are about to enter a culinary compeition at the Academy. Jack is rich and heir to a restaurant empire, but he is constantly trying to prove himself to his father, and hopes the competition will be his big advantage. Lila is drowning in school loans, and desperately needs the prize money from the competition to help put at least a minor dent in her debt.

So the night of their graduation party, one thing leads to another, and they sleep together. Lila has always had a crush on the sinfully sexy chef, so of course it doesn't take much from Jack to seduce her.

In the post-coital glow, they each share their planned recipes for the competition that is to take place the next day. When Lila hears Jack's recipe,she loses faith in her own recipe idea. She then runs out on him in the middle of the night, and decides to have a last minute change to her plans in order to one-up Jack.
(Lila's insecurity and doubts is a common theme here)
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Now Jack is suffering from an insecurity of his own. He is constantly doubting his skill as a chef. When he hears what Lila plans to make, he thinks his own dish will pale in comparison. So he goes to the competition fully resigning himself to his inevitable loss.

Now here's where the fun part starts...

When he sees that Lila had a last minute change, he assumes that she lied to him the night before, to throw him off. So to spite her, he steals her originally planned recipe. Lila's last minute change doesn't pan out, of course, so she loses the competition, and holds the mother of all grudges for Jack for stealing her idea.

Now let's pause here, shall we? If Jack and Lila used the same recipe at the competition, they'd be disqualified. Lila changes her plan to a completely different dish. But yet she HATES Jack with a passion because he stole her idea, and she lost.
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Right then...moving on


Now in the middle of opening his own restaurant, Jack is in dire need to tweak his menu. He knows of only one person that fits the bill...Lila! (duh!)

Lila drove me out of my ever loving mind in this book. She had hundreds of opportunities to talk to Jack, I mean the man brought it up often enough. But, nope, she doesn't want to come off as weak. Jack makes assumptions of his own...and this just makes for one big ol mess.

Basically, we have

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Followed by Jack's idea
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Then some stuff happens
(insert opportunity for conversation here for the misunderstanding to be finally resolved)
But NOPE!
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Followed by Jack's idea
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Then some more stuff happens

(insert plenty more opportunities for conversation here)
NOPE AGAIN!!!
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Followed by Jack's idea
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This goes on and on and on and on

I should have been somewhat invested in their relationship right? But NOPE!

I would expect this sort of set up in a YA or a NA novel. But this is contemporary. Their inability to communicate continues until the very last page. I almost felt like I was reading a YA novel at times, based on their conversations.
"You need to talk to your dad, Jack. Talk, not yell."
"If you like him so much, you talk to him."

There was a resounding theme in this book. Lila doubts everything, and her response to a situation she doesn't know how to deal with is to just run away from it. Jack's idea? Use sex.

My problem with the book was with the plot and only with the plot. The writing was good, and I'd gldly read another book from this author in the future. Unfortunately this type of scenario is my ultimate hot button, and it drove me crazy.

The book ends with a perfectly cheesy HEA and they resolve all their issues, but...
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*ARC courtesy of Entangled Publishing via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

For more reviews visit: Dirty Girl Romance Book Blog
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