Why I read it: I’d heard good things about this novella, which is part of the Cosmo Red Hot Reads line from Harlequin, launched this month so I requested a review copy via NetGalley. Cake releases on September 15 but is available for pre-order now.
What it’s about: (from Goodreads) She won’t be satisfied with just one bite…
Art student-slash-bike messenger Wren Davis pursues what she wants. And what she wants now is Gregori Ivanov, rock star of the Seattle art scene. With his tattoos, piercings and sensual sneer, Gregori is the ultimate bad boy. Wren’s gotten to know the man beneath the body art, too—and it only makes her crave him more.
But Gregori loves women like he loves cake and champagne—intensely, but only for the moment. And after Wren experiences just how scorching sex with Gregori is, she’s determined to show him that just one taste won’t be enough…
What worked for me (and what didn’t): I must admit that this book had a lot more story than I was expecting. This probably says something about me more than anything, but I was kind of expecting to jump straight to the sex and for there to be not much characterisation. Something about it being a “Red-Hot Read” perhaps? I’m happy to say I was wrong. There is a story and the pair don’t just jump into bed. There’s sexual tension and flirting but the reader is given a chance to get to know the characters a bit before there is any horizontal tango-ing. There are some books which jump straight to the sex and that can work fine for me – and, it is to be noted that I requested this book even with those expectations. The story is short – about 87 pages so there isn’t a lot of time for huge backstory and character development but I thought the author used the page count cleverly to introduce two characters to me and make me believe their happy ending.
