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Written on Jul 1, 2015
I know these characters come from Erickson’s Bowler University series (Max’s story), but they are new to me. I like stories of old flames, that certain “one that got away” and that element the center stage in this book. It seemed both sweet and tragic that two people could love so deeply, so completely, for so long and still not be together.
The plot develops slowly, it give us a chance to know the characters well since this is the first in a series. I didn’t mind that at all and I enjoyed every word. The writing is gripping, I just wanted to keep reading and reading. The story is told in the third person from both Cal and Jenna’s POVs, which is very common for adult romance.
“Except around Jenna. Around her, he’d always lost control. Spilled his guts. She’d been everything to him once, in a way no one had been before or after. Other than his family, no one could get extreme emotions out of him. He liked it that way. It was safe and comfortable.”
Cal is hot, straightforward, quiet, a hard worker, BUT he’s also stubborn and can be really stupid. He got it in his mind that he had nothing else left to give, that he was not good enough for Jenna, that their moment had passed and that it was too late. Every time his thoughts took that path, I wanted to slap him silly!
Jenna has a clearer mind than Cal. I’m not sure why she took so long to go back, I mean – why? Anyway, I did like Jenna. I like that she loved Cal and was not afraid of her feelings and that she tried to be what Cal needed at the time without pushing too much. I love Cal and Jenna together, I like the honesty and openness of their relationship.
“But this moment… this moment could be something. He could tell her to stay. He could wrap her in his arms and tell Asher that Jenna was his girlfriend…. So he let the moment pass. And he nodded. And the he watched as Jenna’s face fell, just slightly, before she slipped out the door.”
Character development is great! Brent is a hoot! Max is very sweet and new addition Asher is a typical teenager (well, sort off). Delilah is Jenna’s friend and she’s a force to be reckoned with. I hope she find someone by the end of the series. The parents are extremely dysfunctional for sure and I didn’t forget Jenna’s brother since he’s BIG jerk.
Overall, Dirty Thoughts was a great, fun, hot and steamy read and a truly enjoyed it. I will be eagerly waiting for Bret’s story in Dirty Talk coming up this September. Should be good!
“He kept his eyes on his boots. “I know. I started thinking about all it leads to. More worried about his heart than his body, I guess.”
A chair scraped. Footsteps. Jenna’s shadow fell in front of him. What do you mean?”
He couldn’t look at her, not while he said this. “I worry about him getting attached too soon and too…” He scrambled for the word, wishing he’d just kept his mouth shut. “Permanently” … “Like us.”
This review was originally posted on Reading With ABC
