I snagged an ARC of this when it was offered on FB (thanks, Chris) and got to reading. Three erotic short stories with a bit of romance? Sign me right up!

I love Chris Scully's stories. Until September still ranks high on my list of excellent books, and while Do Not Disturb isn't so much about the romance as it is about the erotic bedroom exploits, it delivered what it promised - a great fun time! All three stories take place at the same small hotel.

In Watch Me, we meet Win, a night audit clerk who works the overnight shift, and Lucas, his colleague, who works the shift before him. Win is also dealing with his father's Alzheimer's and the realization that he'll have to put him in a home sooner rather than later. Lucas is a bit younger than Win and flirts shamelessly with almost everyone he meets.

The author introduces her characters easily and gives the reader information about them by weaving it effortlessly into narrative and dialogue. And quickly sets up the plot - Win spilled coffee on his suit jacket which necessitates borrowing Lucas' jacket which leads him to find a handwritten note in the jacket pocket which leads him to a website which lets him see something he never expected. Win is also a jealous ass and a bit stupid and a bit closeted, so not only did I get some erotic scenes, but also some real plot. I adored Lucas, who seemed steadfast and not a pushover, and I liked Win well enough to forgive him his stupid jealousy. Written in the first person, past tense, this was a lovely little amuse-bouche.

In Wedded, we meet Dave, married for 25 years, who's sitting in the hotel's bar and just took his wedding band off his finger. He's thinking about Pat, his spouse, and how things with Pat have gotten a bit boring in the sheets after so many years of marriage. He loves Pat, there's no doubt, but he's also in need of a bit of excitement. And the tall and broad-shouldered guy Dave is ogling in the mirror above the bar looks like he might fit the bill to bring back some spice into Dave's life.

While this little ditty is written in the 3rd person, present tense, which fits the mood of the story perfectly, the author again effortlessly weaves in sufficient information about Dave (and Pat) to make him seem like a real person with real desires and needs. Dave is about to embark on a clandestine meeting in one of the hotel's rooms. There's a twist to the story at the end, one which I saw coming, but I didn't mind that at all. What I enjoyed especially was how well the author brought across her characters' almost breathless excitement - super hawt too!

In Wanted, we are introduced to Evan who nearly died in a mall shooting and is now determined to check one huge thing of his bucket list - having sex with a man. See, Evan realizes he's at least bi-curious. Sex with girls is fine, but there's something about a hot, sweaty man. One Craigslist ad later, and Evan is at the hotel bar hoping to meet up with Graham, who answered his ad.

Except Graham is expecting to meet his sister, not another guy, and things are a bit awkward for a little while, and seem to derail before that train has even left the station. Eventually, they do end up in the room Evan has reserved and bi-curious is curious no longer - he's all in.

What I really liked about this story is that throughout their encounter, the two men share more than just bodily fluids. They talk. They confess. They're open and honest, and their connection grows by leaps and bounds. I would LOVE to see more of them, even if it's just a novella. I think there's potential here. Lots of it. How they meet is unconventional, sure, but their story has only just begun. This short is written in the 3rd person, past tense.

Three very different stories, with three very different couplings, all connected by a common thread. In each, the author gave me something to like about her characters and a reason to take a cold shower. What's not to love?


** I received a free copy of this book from its author. A positive review was not promised in return. **

Di solito non amo particolarmente leggere romanzi in lingua originale (un po' per le mie scarse competenze e un po' per la mia TBR infinita che già per i libri italiani è immensa) ma in questo caso ho deciso di fare un'eccezione essendo "Do Not Disturb" il secondo volume della trilogia di A.J. Torre dedicata a Deanna Madden e sequel di "La ragazza del 6e", essendo stato pubblicato nel 2014 dalla Book Me ed essendo ahimè passati quasi due anni dalla pubblicazione del primo romanzo, per evitare di ritrovarmi l'ennesima trilogia interrotta ho deciso di correre ai ripari, armarmi di dizionario e buttarmi nella lettura.

Questo secondo volume riprende a raccontare la storia di Deanna poche settimane dopo la conclusione del primo romanzo. Ritroviamo quindi la nostra protagonista intenta ad approfondire la relazione con Jeremy ed è proprio grazie al ragazzo che Deanna inizia, seppur per poco, ad uscire di casa. In questo volume vediamo quindi approfondita la relazione tra i due, mentre nel primo c'erano stati purtroppo pochi momenti di contatto qui fortunatamente potremmo finalmente assistere alla nascita vera e propria della loro relazione e soprattutto alla sospiratissima prima volta tra i due anche se per questo... devo dire di essere rimasta mooolto delusa, per tutto il primo libro e un po' anche per questo secondo abbiamo dovuto "sopportare" le descrizioni di come la Cam girl Jess intrattiene i clienti spingendoci quindi a scene erotiche descritte anche abbastanza dettagliatamente quindi... perchè cavolo la relazione tra Jeremy e Deanna che aspettavamo con ANSIA è relegata alla fine del libro, in pochissime paginette? Non è affatto giusto! Non possiamo leggere pagine e pagine sul lavoro di Jess e poi ritrovarci al punto cruciale e puff... tutto finito in 6 pagine... forse meno...Spero l'autrice rimedi nel prossimo volume regalandoci più scene erotiche/romantiche tra i due... il mio lato fangirl le esige!!

Vista la scelta di curare molto di più il rapporto tra i due protagonisti viene di conseguenza dato meno spazio al mondo virtuale in cui Jess (pseudonimo usato da Deanna sul web) si esibisce come Cam Girl riducendo le scene in cui la giovane intrattiene i vari clienti rendendo di fatto almeno per me il libro più scorrevole e leggibile. Non che non abbia apprezzato certe descrizioni nel primo libro, Alessandra Torre è molto abile a descrivere scene erotiche senza cadere nel volgare ma... dopo un po' di tempo il tutto rischiava di diventare monotono e considerando che il primo libro era tutto un "Arriva un cliente, Jess si esibisce" e stop... sono contenta ci siano stati meno riferimenti a questi incontri in chat e più scene di "vita reale"

Oltre a Jeremy e Deanna rincontreremo anche Mike, amico hacker della ragazza e suo cliente, sarà proprio Mike una delle vittime di un nuovo nemico che la Cam Girl dovrà affrontare. Anche in questo romanzo infatti Deanna non se ne starà proprio tranquilla e riuscirà ad attirare l'attenzione di Marcus, uomo violento da poco uscito di prigione che dopo essere stato gelidamente bloccato da Jess deciderà di vendicarsi sulla ragazza e ahimè anche sui suoi amici motivo per cui ancora una volta la nostra Deanna dovrà intervenire per salvare la situazione e questa volta anche tutelare le persone che ama. Rispetto al primo romanzo ho trovato questa svolta thriller meno noiosa e meno non sense, nonostante sia matematicamente impossibile ritrovarsi come clienti 2 assassini di fila per lo meno in questo capitolo le motivazioni che spingono sia Marcus che la protagonista ad agire hanno un senso, mentre nel primo, beh la scelta di intervenire a caso per salvare una ragazzina a caso che Deanna non aveva neanche visto in faccia non aveva molto senso, se non per far evolvere la trama, qui l'autrice si è sforzata di motivare l'azione dei personaggi e aggiungere uno svolgimento più credibile all'intera vicenda

Proprio grazie all'ennesimo pericolo nella vita di Deanna possiamo vedere l'umanità della ragazza e approfondire un po' anche il rapporto con l'amico Mike, inutile dire che AMO Mike e sono stata contentissima di vederlo più attivo e non ridotto allo schiavetto di Jess inutile anche esprimere la mia felicità di non vederlo morto, per un momento ho avuto paura che Marcus lo avesse proprio ucciso e il mio cuore si è spezzato a metà, fortunatamente Alessandra non è così cattiva, si è solo limitata a farmi perdere 1 anno di vita e basta XD

Insomma questo libro mi è proprio piaciuto, fortunatamente sono riuscita a leggerlo facilmente non essendo troppo complicato.

Ho amato Deanna in questo volume se nel primo era un po' più... noiosetta (?) qui il suo cambiamento, il suo atteggiamento, tutto mi è piaciuto per non parlare di Jeremy, quanto ho amato Jeremy, non avete idea, è così dolce nei confronti dell'ormai fidanzata e si... è ormai entrato nella tipologia di uomini che vorrei assolutamente avere al mio fianco. Questo volume è stata una vera scoperta, di solito i sequel tendono un po' a peggiorare e considerando la trama, il fatto che si parla di una ragazza che vive reclusa nel suo appartamento temevo di ritrovarmi un copia e incolla del primo libro tra incontri in chat e pochi sviluppi, per fortuna Alessandra Torre è riuscita a scuotere la vicenda regalandoci un romanzo interessantissimo e molto più bello e godibile rispetto al primo, molto più scorrevole e interessante. A questo punto spero con tutto il cuore che la Book Me non si sia dimenticata di questa trilogia e semplicemente abbia deciso di metterla a riposo per riprenderla magari a fine anno, ho sentito che è in sviluppo un film sul primo libro e questo mi fa ben sperare, che magari venga ripubblicato il primo libro con l'uscita del film e magari anche i seguiti, lo spero proprio perchè sarebbe un vero peccato, tutti quelli che hanno amato il primo libro dovrebbero avere l'opportunità di leggere questo sequel! Ovviamente dopo questo leggerò anche il terzo in quanto sono curiosissima di scoprire quali avventure potrà vivere Deanna sperando ci possa essere magari un approfondimento sulla storia di Jeremy (che alla fine conosciamo poco) o su cosa abbia spinto la madre di Deanna ad uccidere la sua famiglia, insomma spero ci siano nel prossimo volume flashback/approfondimenti che purtroppo speravo di trovare già in questo secondo romanzo ma ahimè non ho trovato.

Detto questo vi stra consiglio non solo questo libro ma anche il primo se non lo avete ancora letto, consigliato se amata il romance/erotico/thriller anche se questo secondo libro perde un po' la componente erotica e... alla prossima recensione ^_^

Inizio: 15 luglio
Finito: 23 luglio

Voto: 4.5 stelline

Consigliato: Si <3

Bellissimo, in questo volume viene approfondita la storia tra Jeremy e Deanna e abbiamo la possibilità di approfondire la conoscenza di Mike, uno dei pochissimi amici della donna, ho adorato questo romanzo, l'ho preferito al primo, continua ad essere thriller e erotico allo stesso tempo aggiungendo qualche sfumatura di romance.. bellissimo e perfetto :D Vale "solo" 4 stelline e mezza per la deludentissima scena della prima volta di Deanna e Jeremy, avrei voluto qualcosa di più approfondito e non una scenetta buttata a fine libro... un vero peccato...
Rimane comunque consigliatissimo insieme al primo romanzo della trilogia

Dane Connelly is obsessed with his best friend’s (Jared “Jed” Golden) fiancée, Annabelle. We originally met this trio in the first book of the series, and three books later we learn that Dane continues to frequently participate in an M-F-M menage with the pair. He loves both Jeb and Annabelle, not romantically but as close friends, and he hasn’t found another woman who interests him like Annabelle.

Talia Driscoll is a career-driven event planner, who is organizing Jared and Annabelle’s upcoming nuptials. She is hiding a long-kept secret about her family that no one, not even her closest friends Annabelle, Kate, and Sabrina, know. Whatever it is, it keeps Talia from making close ties to any man. So when she feels an itch for some hot lovin’, she knows playboy Dane will do just fine for a one-night stand.

Oh Dane, poor Dane. I immediately fell hard for this sexy man who is emotionally confused and has so much love to give, as he watches all his best friends each find love and pair off. He knows he doesn’t love Annabelle or Jed as more than good friends and is aware that his relationship with them is preventing him from moving on with his own life. Not that he’s looking for any sort of romantic relationship, but with the pair getting married, he recognizes it’s time to move on. I love that he’s so self-aware and confident, making him a three-dimensional character rather than just another rich playboy. Yet when it comes to Talia, he has an edge of uncertainty as he gives her all of himself. It is refreshing to see the male lead putting himself out there without assurances that the female lead will reciprocate. 

Because the author does such a good job developing Talia’s character as a closely-guarded, self-reliant woman, I didn't connect as deeply with her as I did with Dane. Tally has valid reasons to keep her secrets, and her fear of any sort of relationship with Dane is well-founded. Knowing how difficult it is for her to let down her guard makes the times she does all the more rewarding. Additionally, knowing that her secrets would eventually have to come out created a level tension to the overall story. I really enjoyed Dane and Tally as a couple. Tally is perfect for Dane and knowing she's one of Annabelle's best friends added an edge of uncomfortable tension that kept me reading, worried yet hoping for the best.

The eroticism of the overall story kicks up a notch in Do Not Disturb with the reintroduction of the Salon - a private sexual playground for Dane, Jed, and others. While the book isn’t overly sex-heavy or crazily kinky, there is some exhibitionism and light bondage. There was even a “sex” party the night before the wedding, which had me on edge. First, because it is shared from Talia's POV, and she's excited yet apprehensive about what will happen. This translates well onto the page emotionally, giving the scene an easy tension. However the fact that Talia is unaware of Dane’s sexual relationship with Annabelle makes the entire scene over the top. I was apprehensive, worried what would happen when/if she finds out. However, overall, the scene is erotically charged and probably the most sexual of the series. The only slightly off-putting part for me was the introduction of several members at the Salon, which felt like the author setting up future books. It just felt like the wrong place/time to meet these people and learn about their problems, when we haven’t met them in previous books.

Overall, Do Not Disturb is a highly sensual and erotic love story, rounded out by a well-developed ensemble of characters and a captivating, tension-filled storyline. My biggest complaint is that the book was over before I wanted it to end. I enjoyed watching Dane fall hard and fully embrace his feelings for Talia. Do Not Disturb could be read as a stand alone; however, the entire Salon Games series is simply wonderful, and the fact that we meet Dane in the first book, By Private Invitation, I highly recommend readers start at the beginning. Regardless of where you begin your journey, Do Not Disturb is one of my top reads for 2015.

My Rating:  A, Loved It

Originally posted at That's What I'm Talking About

Review copy provided by publisher

Before I get throng-fucked by fans, you should know that I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in the Deanna Madden series. I'm not a "hater". I truly wanted to enjoy this book. I liked the idea of a cam-girl who has locked herself away from the world due to her homicidal tendencies. I didn't see it going past one book (oddly enough, the author admits in the afterword that she didn't either), but was still looking forward to the sequel. I knew this was a one-trick pony, but I ignored my gut instincts and plunged in anyway.

First and foremost, I must bitch about the cliched bad guy. Marcus is your average rich fuck who likes beating and raping women. He goes to prison for a while, and then is released and put on house arrest. The first half of the book is a literal countdown to the day when he can come and go as he pleases. I've seen this character in episodes of Dexter, CSI, Law and Order, and even an episode of Murder She Goddamn Wrote. I'm sure Sherlock Holmes once took on this archetype.

Secondly, Deanna is a true and utter bore this time around. The sexual content is tepid and, at times, completely laughable. I actually chuckled out loud during several of the supposedly "hot scenes", scenes that seem to have been written by a thirteen-year-old boy who just found out what the word "cunt" means.

Thirdly, there's this major build-up going on throughout the book only for the action to fizzle and die like a dud firework. The fuse is lit, and its burning away. It reaches the tube where the black powder is stored and then... PFFffftt. The end of this book is about as satisfying as farting and filling your pants with something akin to chocolate pudding. Such a let down, and embarrassing for everyone involved.

Last but not least, I'll leave you with a quote from the book. I rarely ever quote, but this line was so laugh-worthy and awkward that I had to stop reading and post about it:

"This beautiful creature with the balls of a giant."

Listen, I know what the author meant, but that line... that line is fucking hilarious. Yes, Deanna is gorgeous and brave, but all I could picture was a unicorn with a hefty sack a'swinging 'tween its legs. To and fro... back and forth... SWANG DAT BASKET, HUMPTY!

In summation: This is well-written cliched garbage. Torre says in the afterword that she prefers this book to the first one. I guess it's true what they say: Your own farts smell the best.

Final Judgment: Like reading Dexter with Cinemax After Dark playing in the background.