{Review} Bring On The Heat (Boys Of Summer #1) by Katie Rose

Adult Contemporary Romance

Expected Release August 26th 2014

The Boys Of Summer #1

240 Pages

ARC provided by publisher via Netgalley

House-sitting for a rich and famous friend has its perks, and Darcy Hamel isn't shy about enjoying them. Especially when it means scoring a ticket to an exclusive fashion show hosted by the New Jersey Sonics. An avid baseball fan, Darcy has always dreamed of meeting the team—especially the starting pitcher whose body is as hot as his fastball. But there’s a catch. The gala is by invitation only. To get behind the velvet rope, mild-mannered Darcy will have to pose as party girl Lydia Logan. Schmoozing is one of the downsides of fame, but Chase Westbrook knows how to liven up even the dullest event. And nothing spices a night up more than a beautiful socialite with a naughty reputation. What Chase doesn’t expect is a hint of sweetness beneath her sultry façade. Flirtation turns to seduction and leaves him aching for more. Chase just doesn’t know who the real Lydia is: the spoiled tease crying foul over some missing diamonds or the alluring woman making a play for his heart.

Yoohoo! *ppssst* over here! Yeah, stop staring at the gorgeous abs on that cover and let me tell you about this book, huh? Baseball and sex! You're welcome! Seriously though, Bring On The Heat looked like a good story, obviously right? Duh Hootie. It also sounded like it had a sweet story behind it. There was a whole cornucopia of deliciousness going on in this one. Sex, romance, deceit, intrigue, basically all the ingredients you'll need to enjoy this saucy romance.

This Cinderella story begins with Darcy house sitting for her glamorous socialite/heiress boss Lydia Logan. While the cat's away the mice will play right? Lydia invites Darcy to attend a gala for the Sonics baseball team she was supposed to go to but she ended up leaving town so Darcy goes instead. At the event she meets her long time crush and idol Chase Westbrook. When the handsome ballplayer displays major interest in Darcy..er I mean LYDIA, all her dreams look like they may come true. While at the party Darcy gets a little tipsy and ends up going home with Chase, passes out and leaves a pair of diamond earrings behind that cost more than yours or my life is worth. In full panic mode Darcy has no other choice but to see Chase again in hopes of getting the diamonds but he has a wild card up his sleeve and uses the earrings as bait to keep her coming back. The more time she spends as Lydia the deeper she digs the hole she's in until it threatens to bury her, Chase and Lydia together.

OH a tangled web indeed. At first I didn't know how to take this story. It started off cute and I was enjoying the flirtatious banter between Chase and Darcy (as Lydia) but then I kind of lost interest a little bit. I'm not really sure why I just put it down for about a week and read a few other things. Eventually though the nagging pull to know what happened between Darcy and Chase and the desire to see how the lies she told ended up working for her, won out and I picked it back up. I'm glad I did because I enjoyed this story. Chase and Darcy were great together. Darcy and Lydia are total night and day personalities. Darcy is the sweet, down to earth girl who feels the most comfortable in jeans and sneakers while Lydia wears Prada and other names I can't pronounce. Chase doesn't know Lydia personally but her reputation for being a party girl man eater is something he's familiar with and can't reconcile the girl in his arms with the woman from the tabloids. Chase was a sweet guy. You'd think he would be a playboy baseball skirt chaser but he just wanted someone real. To cuddle and depend on. He was serious about his craft and strives to be the best player he could be and for that he was just plain lovable. The fact that Darcy is a baseball fanatic gives the couple common ground and a sturdier foundation to build on because chick is gonna need all the help she can get when the marbles start rolling. And trust me, they do!

The heat factor in this one wasn't as high as I would have thought given the nature of that cover. I'd say you're looking at a pack of Taco Bell mild sauce in all honesty. Darcy and Chase were an adorable couple but their sex life could have used some flavor. Shower sex is great and a trip downtown was even better but I think what had me feeling this way was Darcy's innocent outlook on sex and physical intimacy. Referring to her lady business as "Down There" showed her inexperienced naivete a few times. It's not to say it wasn't endearing to her character but I would have loved to see her get a little more physical with Chase instead of him instigating it. When this couple started out they both had separate agendas in regards to using the other. Chase wanted to get an in with Lydia's grandfather who had a connection to the Yankees which would have been good for his career and Darcy wanted to fulfill a fantasy with Chase and live on the other side for a while. When Lydia comes into the picture she has her own agenda in using Chase to help her image with her grandfather and finally get her hands on her inheritance by being with a nice respectable guy. And we all know girls like Lydia, the oversexed beautiful seductresses always get their man. Having said that there was very little angst in this story. I was mildly nervous that once everything came out Chase would succumb to Lydia's charm but nothing I couldn't handle being the angst intolerant reader that I am.

Bring On The Heat wasn't a grand slam for me but it was quirky and sweet with a great romance and wonderful characters. One of the things I noticed that bothered me a little bit was the author's use of words that made absolutely no sense to what she was trying to get across. The pitcher (Chase) was labeled as "Lanky" and by definition Lanky basically means scrawny and thin. Which Chase is not, being the broad shouldered ballplayer that he's also described as being. I was confused a few times throughout. Especially the first time Chase and Darcy start to have sex, he gets it all the way in when Darcy freezes and he offers to wait until they know each other better. Didn't make sense to me. Not a total deal breaker because the way it turned out was nice. Despite having put it down the book was a fairly quick read once the establishing backbone of the story is developed. I'm glad this is a series because I'm looking forward to getting Jake's story, hopefully next. With all the Yankee talk between him and Chase I'm anxious to see what his decision will be after that heart to heart. Jake seemed like more a ladies man than Chase so that should work out to be pretty interesting. I'm kind of hoping that Darcy's friend Cara ends up hooking up with Jake but only time will tell. Cinderella meets the Major leagues in Bring On The Heat. If you want a book that has very little angst but lots of sweet romance with a little tamer sizzle then pick up a copy of this and enjoy. I certainly did!

Quotes:

A stab of jealousy went through her when a gorgeous redhead embraced him and pressed a kiss on his lips. She hadn't thought of this, that he might be here with a date. Yet why wouldn't he? The fantasy was in her head, not his! Kindle 11%

"I can't figure you out. One minute you are Lydia Logan, man-eater, sexpot. The next, you're the girl next door, the one I've been looking for my while life. How the hell do you do it?" Kindle 31%

It was like From Here To Eternity, only better. This was no movie; it was real and it was happening to her. Coarse sand cushioned her, and even though it was abrasive, it was strangely arousing, as was feeling encircled by the night overhead, the water at her feet, the heat of the man between her thighs. Kindle 60%

About The Author:

Colleen is the bestselling author of twelve historical romance novels published under the names Colleen Quinn and Katie Rose. She is the recipient of the Romantic Times Achievement Award, and the Colorado Romance Writer's award, as well as the Doug Perry award for excellence in journalism. A graduate of Temple University with a BA in Communications, Colleen lives on a lake in Medford Lakes, New Jersey, and is hard at work on her next novel.

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