Stripped

Stripped #1

by Jasinda Wilder

So how did I get myself into this situation, you ask? desperation. When you're faced with being homeless and hungry or taking off your clothes for money, the choice is easier than you'd imagine. That doesn't make it easy, though. Oh no. I hate it, in fact. There's nothing I'd like more than to quit and never go into another bar again, never hear the techno beat pulsing in my ears again, never feel the lecherous gazes of horny men again. Then, one day, I meet a man. He's in my club, front and center. He watches me do my routine, and his gaze is full of hunger. Not the kind of desire I'm used to though. It's something different. Something hotter, deeper, and more possessive. I know who he is; of course I do. Everyone knows who Dawson Kellor is. He's People Magazine's Sexiest Man alive. He's the hottest actor in Hollywood. He's the man hand-picked for the role of Rhett Butler in the long-awaited remake of Gone With the Wind. He's the kind of man who can have any woman in the entire world with a mere crook of his finger. So what's he doing looking at me like he has to have me? And how do I resist him when he looks at me with those intoxicating, changeable, quicksilver eyes? I'm a virgin, and he's an American icon of male sexuality. I'm a stripper, and he's a man used to getting anything and everything he wants. And he wants me. I know I should say no, I know he's the worst kind of player...but what my mind knows, my body and my heart may not. And then things get complicated.

Genres: Romance, New Adult, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Erotica, College, Adult

350 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 14, 2013

About the author

Jasinda Wilder is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of more than 100 titles including the #1 Amazon bestseller Falling Into You, the Audie Award-winning (best audiobook) Alpha, and the beloved, 17-book Badd Brothers series. She and her husband Jack Wilder have sold more than 7 million copies and have been translated into more than 20 languages worldwide. You can find them at their fairy tale cottage by a lake somewhere in Michigan with their 6 kids, 5 dogs, 2 cats, 2 bunnies, and way too many ducks and chickens.

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Reviews

[Akanksha❤ Søren♰ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I expected a lot more from this book reading the blurb. It didn't live up according to me.
This book had the capability to draw emotions out of a reader but that didn't happen. It was just like reading.. not feeling :\



The author hasn't done this book justice. The story had more potential but unfortunately it didn't live up.

The scenes in this novel weren't very ... i don't know the right word.
Its like you don't know if its actually happening or its all in her head..
Eg:- when they kissed or touched and such shit, I didn't know if it was actually happening or it was all in her head where she was thinking it up

Uptil like 20% the book was really slow paced.. then it started.
Throughout I felt like something was missing.. the book felt 'not detailed,' 'vague' and maybe also a little 'unfinished' too.
It also felt very 'Jumped.'

I don't know.. not going to say more..
I mean it was a really nice book with a story with so much potential but for ME it didn't live up.

[Lana ❇✾DG Romance❇✾ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want him to own me. I want him to do whatever he wants. I want to give in to my own shaking need and trembling desire. I want him to show me what I've never known.


So...uh...yea...Dawson was Delicious. As for the rest of the book? *long suffering sigh*
Let me just take you on my emotional journey through the tear-fest (not mine) that was this book.

First 17%:
Grey's tear count=

My thoughts about the heroine so far?

Excessively sheltered, super naive, and constantly crying heroines? Yeaaaa....not my cuppa
But it's a buddy read, so I trudge on

25% in
Grey's tear count=

My thoughts about the heroine:

The girl cries on a strong gust of wind. I mean for the love of jebus, just get your shit together. Yes things suck, bla bla fucking bla. Oh life is so tough for you, boo fucking hoo! Just enough with the damn crying. SERIOUSLY!

29% in
We FINALLY meet Dawson

Sweet mother of God but the man is delicious. Like really delicious. I have something to look forward to now. I still want to sorta kinda maybe strangle Grey. But Dawson is making it more worth my while to keep going.

47% in
Grey's tear count=
My thoughts toward Grey: Well slightly homicidal, if I'm being perfectly honest here. Between her constant and never ending crying, and running away, and woe-is-me thinking, I do have some fantasies of chocking her. What? Too much?

But Dawson, oh you delicious piece of hunky man meat. You make me keep on reading.

Pause for sporadic thought here

And what about his movies? They have sex in them. Meaning he has sex, with actresses, on screen for millions of people to see. And yet he'd come home to me and I'd kiss him and touch him and have to know that another woman just did all that, even if it was for a movie and not real emotion? Even without emotion, it would be real kisses real sex.

Seriously Grey? Fucking REALLY?!! You do realize he's a famous Hollywood actor and not a porn star, right? I'm pretty sure the sex is simulated. It's not SEX sex. It's
"SEX"

I know you're naive, but fuckin' A woman!

Right then....sporadic thought over, moving on

74% in
Dawson

I'm pretty sure I just fell in love with you! Wait let me check *looks down* YUP! Definitely love! *runs to change underwear*

77% in
Grey's tear count=

My thoughts: Why?! Why?!!! Why would you do this?!!!!


My Final Thoughts

Grey's tear count by the end of this book=

Dawson and every time he made an appearance:


Grey:



Ultimately I'll say this

If you cannot stand whiny, naive, and overly sensitive heroines...not sure if you'll enjoy this book. Grey drove me out of my ever loving mind. Dawson was the only saving grace for me in this book. The writing was great, and if only the heroine was just a little more tolerable for me, it would have made it a 5 star read for me.

I wished we got a little more for Grey and her relationship with her father. I felt it went from one extreme to another, with no explanation as to how it got to that. I really would have liked to see them deal with their issues more.

Dawson was 5 stars of delicious, Grey was 2 stars of I wish she would just shut up. So I'll average it to a 3.

That is all for my thoughts. I'm off to read me a smutty book to take my mind off of Grey and her never ending tears. I thank you.


Buddy read with SueBee and Allison :) :) :)

For more reviews visit: Dirty Girl Romance Book Blog

[Alexis *Reality Bites* · Rating 4 out of 5]

SPOILER FREE REVIEW -mature content reader discretion is advised.
4 STARS out of 5
Genre: NA Romance

Sorry ladies but Dawson Kellor belongs to ME! And I refuse to share!







Let’s Dance
Growing up in Macon, Georgia with strict parents has kept Grey Amundsen on the purity train. As the daughter of a pastor, Grey has to fight tooth and nail to get the same privileges most kids take for granted. This includes her passion for dance, something Grey excels at.




Small victories
After winning a 'yes' out of her fathers mouth, Grey can now attend dance class. This is a BIG deal too, because the little bit of freedom Grey gets is when she hangs out with her dance team members. Small victories like dance class leads to friends. Friends lead to more freedom.
Grey now has a semblance of a teenage life and she is now exposed to parties, alcohol and horny teenage boys. It also provides a glimpse for her to finally see what others think of her.

‘I’m the girl who’s off-limits. I’m the pastor’s daughter. I’m not off-limits because they respect my beliefs on marriage, or because of who I am, but because of Daddy.’

Desirable yet off limits. Let’s just say she is not pleased with how others see her.

In Grey’s senior year of high school things change in her life; one change is her passion. Film becomes her main focus as dance is put on the back burner. She knowingly begins to film a life altering..world changing experience. This eventually leads her across the country to L.A. without any parental assistance WHAT SO EVER and less then $400 bucks to her name.

Desperate times call for desperate measures
Things are good for a while until her scholarship fund runs low. After months and months of looking for a job that can cover her half of tuition Grey does something she never thought she would do. She becomes desperate and applies for a job as a stripper.

The crazy thing is... Grey's innocence plays a huge role in why she gets the job. According to her boss it somehow accentuates her sensuality. Of course the perv has no clue she is an actual virgin.



VIP
When the club she works at is rented out by some big time Hollywood actors, Grey is summoned to the VIP room and that is when she sees him.

‘There are four men in the room.
Three of them are stunningly gorgeous.
The fourth?
He’s a god of the big screen. -Grey

Dawson Kellor *le sigh*

Dawson Kellor is sex on legs! And I don’t know, maybe it’s just me but he kind of felt like a mash up of two of my fave book boyfriends. Kellan and Rush. YUM YUM! If you are not familiar with these two men you need to be. LIKE ASAP!*Snaps fingers*

Dawson was raw, primal and a TOTAL ALPHA MALE. Once he wanted Grey it was a wrap..She just didn’t know it yet.






SERIOUSLY, screw Grey. I’ll dance for you Dawson









Ok so it’s not me but Jessica Alba!LOL!


Dawson brings out all these intense emotions in Grey. Simply put, the man is irresistible.

‘And now I’ll never return from this place, for I know the taste of temptation. I’ve sinned; I’ve fallen.’

Readers will fall in love with Dawson of this I am sure. He gradually strips away the plaster in the wall that Grey uses as a blockade to keep him away. And once he has her, he does not let go.


My Thoughts
I very much enjoyed this book! I loved the shout out to the movie Fireproof, with Kirk Cameron. If you have not seen that movie I definitely think you should watch it.

I don’t think this story will be what people are expecting… I know for me personally it was different from what I was expecting and not in a bad way. I just think the synopsis is leading. Hmmm, I really can’t say much without spoiling anything though.

Writing wise there are some things that worked for me and some things that didn’t. I have mixed feelings on the flow.

Readers get a pretty in depth background story on Grey; as the story starts she is in her teens and it progresses. This really helped me understand and empathize more with her character. There are choices she makes as an adult which are a direct result of her upbringing.

I think that at times the author may have been overly descriptive with her writing or it could just be me, I don’t know. I also felt like Grey was in her own head too much, she was definitely an over thinker and over thinking results in long inner monologues.

On the flip side of that we do get good character interactions, this is mainly due to the fact that the book is a nice length.
For all those wondering you do get a HFN ending. However, surprisingly No epilogue, at least not in the ARC. Which was a bummer.


My Ratings
Characters- Sweet,sexy and lovable
Writing Style- Good but at times overly descriptive
Plot/Storyline- Good girl meets bad boy, bad boy wants good girl so he shows her what she's been missing *grins slyly*
Steam Factor- HIGH/VERY STEAMY
Overall- I enjoyed it! READ IT!

Now go forth and read. Then come tell us about it on Goodreads!

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*****************************************************************

JUST GOT MY ARC! You know what I'm reading this weekend!!!
LOVING THE SOUND OF THIS! I have yet to read anything by this author. I will however be STOPPING-PAUSING-HALTING whatever I am doing to read THIS!
The synopsis alone has me all EXCITED!!!



Can you tell?LOL!

[SueBee★bring me an alpha!★ · Rating 4 out of 5]

★★★★! Stripped, the story of a small-town sheltered girl who meets the infamous bad boy Hollywood actor & playboy, Dawson Kellor!

“In person… he’s beyond perfection. I can’t look away from him, but his beauty burns me, like staring into the sun.”

My sincerest thanks to Allison (Her review) and Lkay (Her review) for our buddy read and also to everyone who stopped by our thread to chat.

Stripped is the story of a sheltered pastor’s daughter, Grey Amundsen who after tragedy strikes heads to Los Angeles to attend USC majoring in film studies. She plugs along until her school informs her that her grant is running out of funds. If her internship at Fourth Dimension production studios continues to go well she has been promised permanent position, but she needs money to stay in school and graduate. After searching for a job for weeks she succumbs and takes a job as a semi-nude stripper. Her beauty and innocence combined with her background in dance quickly makes her the most popular stripper in the club.

One night Grey aka Gracie is requested to strip in the VIP room and when entering she spots four of Hollywood’s most famous heartthrob actors. One of them is Dawson Kellor. The attraction is instantaneous and electric. Gracie finds herself dancing just for him. Imagine her chock the next day when she arrives at her internship for the first cast meeting for an upcoming movie, and finds Dawson starring as the lead.

And so their whirlwind romance begins…. Very much a fairy tale with a movie star who can have any girl he wants zeroing in on Grey. He is determined to have her at any cost, while Grey is determined to stay hidden and in school. And both have demons in their pasts plus there is the issue of a stark difference in experience. Stripped follows Dawson’s relentless pursuit of Grey, all under the harassing eye of the paparazzi.

“I’ve always gotten what I want. Always. And I want you all to myself. I don’t want you working there anymore, and I knew you’d fight me on it, so I took the fight away from you.”

Dawson Kellor with his dreamy movie star good looks, Hollywood family background, bad boy image and fame makes for an excellent hero. And for me he is what kept the story going. Seven words to describe Dawson: candid, jaded, nurturing, controlling, determined, charismatic and flawed.

“I’m already losing myself in him, losing track of who I was and who I am and where that stops and he begins.”

Grey Leanne Amundsen aka Gracie was - though there are mitigating circumstances with her sheltered religious upbringing and tragedy that has caused her to be completely alone in the world - for most parts annoying, I just kept reminding myself that she is who Dawson wants. Eight words to describe Grey: sweet, talented, loyal, alone, lost, meek, conflicted and a “damsel in distress”.

“You exude this effortless sensuality, but it’s— I don’t know, it’s not sexual, somehow. Like, it should be, considering what you do, but it’s not. It’s sensual, this weird mix of innocence and raw beauty.”

Stripped moves along at a pleasant pace though I might have felt their romance and feelings a little too insta-love. Clearly Dawson is set on having Grey and though he is very good at expressing himself it never quite made sense to me. I did not feel the plot needed for Grey to be quite so helpless. That said Dawson’s character very much conveyed that “butterfly in your belly, I can’t believe it’s really him” feeling and it was hard not to be smitten.

Swoon-worthy hero! Interesting plot idea! Seductive setting (Hollywood)! I am glad I got to meet the Dawson Kellor!

“What do you need, baby? Tell me, so I can give it to you.”

***
Hero rating: 4.5 stars
Heroine rating: 3 stars
Sex scenes rating: 4 stars
Sex scenes frequency: 3.5 stars
Storyline concept rating: 4.5 stars
Storyline execution rating: 3.5 stars
Storytelling skills rating: 4.5 stars
Story ending rating: 4 stars
Book editing rating (5 = no edits spotted): 5 stars
************************************************
Overall rating: 4 stars

Would I recommend this book: Yes, maybe.
Would I re-read this book: Probably not.
Would I read future books by this author: Yes.

[Pavlina Read more sleep less blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 STARS

“My name is Grey Amundsen. But Grey, she doesn’t exist in here, in this slimy, smoky, sex-hazed hole. In here, I’m Gracie.”

This a story about a girl Grey who is the pastor's daughter and she was raised in a very different life...and never did what she really want..until something happened..and she decides to follow her dream..

which is dance..
She packed her bags and heads to California to college, to follow her passion..
She's determined to prove to herself that she can follow her dreams.But after while, she is realizing that she must either pay for her school or either go back and leave her dreams..



She tries to find a job...but the only job with good money is to work as a stripper..



And then she meets Dawson Kellar...the playboy Hollywood star..
The chemistry between them is intense from the beginning...and neither can explain...As they end up, they are spending more time together and go deeper...

Dawson is so adorable!!He could have anyone but he sets his eye on Grey and he doesn’t give up!!Not expecting anything in return from her, he wants to make sure she is safe and happy!!And this is why i love him!!!!
The things he does for her....mmmmm OMG!!So hot!!!




My Grey and Dawson

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars!


Grey Amundsen grew up living a very sheltered life as a pastor’s daughter. Grey’s father is very strict. He wants Grey to have nothing to do with anything he deems to be sinful or ungodly... and that’s about everything. Thankfully, Grey has her mother on her side. Grey’s mom used to dance and talks her father into letting Grey dance. Dancing is a release to Grey. As she gets older and starts to become her own person, she finds she also has a passion for film. Things take a dramatic turn in Grey’s life. She has to go to the college she wants to, follow her own dreams no matter what that means for her life and her relationship with her father.

Grey is in California going to film school. She keeps to herself mostly, works hard to get good grades. She wants to excel. After a few semesters at school, she finds herself in a bit of a bind. Something is wrong with her financial aide at school and she doesn’t have much money left. She has to get a job and pay her own way. She can’t go back to Georgia. She won’t. She will do whatever she has to do. No one is hiring. No job, no money, no school. Whats a girl to do? Well... there is one job hiring. Grey Amundsen, 20 year old virgin applying for a job to be a stripper???



Although stripping is the very last thing Grey ever wanted to do, it brings in the money she needs to continue with school and thats all that matters. It makes Grey ill doing it, but she knows it is only temporary. She is almost to graduation, she has a good internship lined up, things are on the right track for her, even if she is playing the role of Gracie at the local strip club.



The night before her internship, Grey is at work. She has a private party. There are only a few guys there. She recognizes the first few as actors, then she sees him. A big name film star, Dawson Kellor.

Dawson Kellor. My heart stops, my breath catches. I’ve seen pictures of him, I’ve seen him in his latest films. But none of that does him justice. Not even close.

Dawson appears to be a rich, spoiled, rich actor, but he sees something in Grey. When he first lays eyes on her, he knows she is different. There is something about her. The next day, Grey starts her internship and her two worlds collide.

Dawson has it bad for Grey. He is enamored with her. Grey has no idea what someone like Dawson Kellor would see in her. She is a plain jane from Georgia who strips for tuition. He could have anyone. On top of all that, she is inexperienced and she knows he is not. Dawson is a man used to getting what he wants, and he wants Grey.

“Girlfriends are a dime a dozen. I could snap my fingers and have six girlfriends, one for every day of the week and Sunday off. I don’t want that. I’ve had that. It’s boring. I want you.”

Eventually, after Grey continually pushing Dawson away, she starts to let down some of her walls and let Dawson in. All he wants is to help her, he cares about her, wants her. Desires her.

I know I shouldn’t let this happen, that I’m crossing some line I shouldn’t cross, but I won’t stop it. He’s touching me; he owns me. He knows exactly what I need, what I want, even if I don’t.


Dawson and Grey together... it was HOT.



Not only do these two have a connection, and a lot of heat between them, there is more than that. Even though they are very different people from different backgrounds, they get each other.

‘You make me feel like I’m sone one, and not because I’m Dawson Fucking Kellor, either.’

‘You make me feel alive, Grey. And... I love that feeling.’

Grey gives Dawson what he has always needed. Someone to keep him grounded, someone who actually makes him feel something for the first time in his life. Dawson was all kinds of cocky, protective, possessive, sexy, sweet and amazing. Loved this guy. He was good for Grey- she was able to be herself with him. Not the person her father wanted her to be, not the good quiet student who worked too hard to enjoy anything in life. Grey drove me a little mad at times, but she grew on me by the end of the book. I especially loved the two of them together.




A story about a young girls journey to leave her sheltered past and become her own person. I wouldn’t call this a light read, although I had a few laughs, but it wasn’t exactly heavy, I did shed a few tears. It was that good in between. Stripped wasn’t exactly what I was expecting... it’s not a bad thing, it was just a much different read than Wounded, Falling Into You, or Falling Into Us. If you are expecting the same type of story, the same type of feelings, you will be let down. But don’t let that stop you from reading. The writing is still incredible, the story was original, I enjoyed the characters, it was overall a very good read. For some reason, it just didn’t hit that 5 star mark for me like I was hoping, but I still enjoyed it and would recommend for anyone looking for a fun, sizzling hot stand alone read!(Yes, you read that right... STAND ALONE :D)

[Sara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Um.. I just..I don't know. Stripping, crying, puking, and more annoyances from a crap heroine that I wanted to throttle. I was disappointed in this book.

Not only did the heroine suck, the story was all over the place. Mostly this heroine stuttered, cried (and not just tears, full on breakdown on the floor sobbing, a lot)puked, stripped, flirted, then un flirted (yep that's what i said). She was so full of mixed signals I got eye whiplash. She annoyed me to no end.

Dawson was ok. His insta love was a bit ridiculous and he was relentless in his pursuit of her. But he was a rich super star and all so he spoiled the crap out of her. That was kinda cute. But there was also a lot of unrealistic stuff that just threw me off the story. Just wasnt my thing I guess. And Dawson, I get it. Your so hot and rich you could have a different girl every day of the week. Need you actually say that out loud??


I am a fan of Jasinda, just not of this particular book. Moving on......

[Smitten's Book Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, this book came out today. I was sooo excited to read it and I was given my ARC but only just gotten round to reading it. And it did not disappoint. You guys need to go one-click it right now.

I absolutely love Jasinda Wilder. I always love her storytelling, her characters. And this was no exception.



When I found out she was writing a book about a virginal stripper who meets a playboy movie star, I was stoked. What a brilliant premise for a contemporary romance. And I knew Jasinda would execute it fabulously.

Stripped is all about Grey Amundsen, the pastor's daughter from Georgia. She's an untouched virgin and has lived by her Daddy's rules her whole life, until she decides enough is enough. Fleeing to LA to pursue an education and career in the film industry, Grey finds herself struggling to pay her way through college. And that's when she finds herself taking a job a stripper. And if she thinks her life has taken a turn around already, when Dawson Keller walks into her strip club and requests a dance from her, he flips her world on it's axis.

"I want to kiss you whenever I feel like it. I want to tell you when you're being ridiculous. I want to make love to you. I want to fuck you. I want to hold you. I want to be yours."

I love these kinds of stories. The desirable, powerful alpha male who falls for the innocent, unworldly girl. Some readers might think they are overdone, but I can't get enough of them. There's something endlessly swoon-worthy about a strong male lead who whisks his damsel in distress off her feet. And that is exactly what Dawson does. Literally.

I really enjoyed reading Grey. I wasn't totally in love with her at first. She's prissy, a prude, naive and childlike. But it's easily forgiven, given her up bringing, and as the book progressed, I liked her more and more.

I'm the girl who's off-limits. I'm the pastor's daughter.

I loved Dawson. Totally. From the very beginning, I was head over heels.



This book introduces us to Dawson after his womanising, playboy days. When we meet Dawson, he's turned himself around and he's trying to be a better person. So we don't need to start off hating and grow to love him, we can just fall hard from the get-go. I'm pretty easy to please, really... if an author can give me a fantastic hero and have me fall hopelessly in love with them, they're well on their way to a 5/5+ star review, from me.

"You know I've put on, like, fifteen pounds of muscle since I met you? Because you get me worked up and then I can't get off on my own because if feels wrong, and I need to let it out, so I work out. You turn me on, just breathing."

And Dawson really does play the true hero. He wades in and saves our poor Grey, in every way possible. Emotionally, physically, financially... He's yummy, he's totally 'alpha', he's rich, he's successful. He's perfect. He brings her breakfast in bed, he massages her feet and he gives her a Range Rover. Men could learn a whole lot from Dawson Keller, right there!

"I'm a guy. I pee and I miss the toilet. I take shits. I eat cheeseburgers. I watch baseball and drink beer."

So, then there's the sex. Wooowwww, anyone got a fire extinguisher?! For a book about a virginal pastor's daughter, this book is loaded with scorchingly steamy sex scenes. Yeh, I loved that, too! It takes a little while for Grey and Dawson to get it together, but once they do, these two are like rabbits. But hey, wouldn't you be if a sexy movie star was trying to woo you into bed?

"You're so fucking gloriously gorgeous that I literally cannot stand it. I'm having to remind myself to keep breathing, because you take my breath away."

At the beginning, I couldn't imagine how Jasinda was going to write sexy scenes in the POV of this innocent young girl. Grey couldn't even think the word 'cock', and she never wore her skirt above the knee... I just didn't see it being possible. But she totally nailed it! It worked. And then some. And that's what makes it all the more sexy.



Grey's journey was a great read. She went from her sheltered childhood, to the what she hoped would be the glitz of LA, but was, in reality, the hardship of making it on her own. The struggles she faced as her job as an 'exotic dancer' definitely got me on side. I wanted to have her back. Where she would have seen herself as weak, she was showing strength and survival instincts. That part of story is sordid, emotional and raw.

My name is Grey Amundsen. But Grey, she doesn't exist in here, in this slimy, smoky, sex-hazed hole. In here, I'm Gracie.

And then Dawson offers her security, and you witness yet another change in her. She finds herself, finds who she wants to be, finds who she's capable of being. And he does the same, but in a different way. I loved how he nurtured her, gently, patiently coaxed her, drew her personality out, overcame her insecurities, loved and protected her and allowed her to grow. Absolutely adorable.

"You make me feel alive, Grey. And... I love that feeling."

I'm so confident in recommending all of the Jasinda Wilder books that I've read. She comes up with great, original story-lines, builds characters brilliantly, creates delicious, sexual tension, draws on passionate emotion and executes the whole thing flawlessly. Her books just seem to draw me in and make me want to put everything on hold. I adore that feeling. And Stripped is just another example of this.

What are you waiting for? Go out a buy it, ladies!



Stripped Statistics
Steam Rating (out of 5): ♥♥♥♥♥
Ending: HEA
Series: ✗
Can this be read as a standalone? Yes
Themes:
Virginal heroine
Playboy movie star
Good girl/bad boy
Warning. This book includes...
Sexual content, attempted rape, anal sex
Writing: Great

UK AMAZON: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stripped-eboo...
US AMAZON: http://www.amazon.com/Stripped-ebook/...

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[Jacqueline's Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Steamy. SEXY. Stripped. STARS!!!

Let me just put it out there.


You want damsel-in-distress? You want a sexy read? You want to cry ugly tears and laugh out of loud at the same time? You want to swoon over a book worthy boyfriend? ....


THEN FUCKING READ STRIPPED!!!




Grey is a classically trained ballet, jazz and contemporary dancer from small town Macon, Georgia. In order to pay for college, Grey becomes a stripper. Dawson is sexy, rich, super famous movie star who meets Grey at the strip club she works at. Dawson is drawn to Grey, but Grey wants nothing but to finish school and start her career.


I loved Grey and Dawson! Grey is what I call the classic and very readable Herione. I'll say it again, I LOVE the damsel in distress story line. Who doesn't want to read about a virgin stripping her way through college? Grey's situation is sad, she's broke and all she wants to do is finish school. You feel for her, especially when she's never been on her own.




Welcome to Exotic Nights, Grey, Oh, and you may a stage name.

And then there is Dawson...


Dawson is alpha male, he's powerful, rich and just freaking adorable at times too. I thought the chemistry between Grey and Dawson was great. There was an equal balance of sexual tension and tease to keep me interested. I would say there was an instant attraction when they first meet, but there's plenty of chase to keep up the friction.




And now here’s Dawson, this god, this iconic movie star, this all-too-real man, and he’s paying attention to me. As if I mean something to him. As if he wants something from me that I don’t know how to give. I don’t even know what he wants, honestly

You make me feel like I’m someone, and not because I’m Dawson Fucking Kellor, either

I could snap my fingers and have six girlfriends, one for everyday of the week and Sunday off. I don’t want that. I’ve had that. It’s boring. I want you



I kind of want to put the disclaimer out there and say this isn't like the typical Jasinda Wilder books. This isn't anything like Wounded, Falling Into You, and Falling Into Us (all I gave 5 stars) and with that said, I'm still completely happy with that. I love this direction. I can't really describe Stripped as light because it's not, yet I can't describe it as heavy, because it isn't. It's like I said before, you will cry and laugh at the same time.


If the story line interests you, read it. If you love Jasinda Wilder, read it. If you want a good read, just read it. You will be in for a treat for sure and the steam... is good.


… he’s looking at me. At me, Almost as if he’s seeing Grey, instead of Gracie, even though he couldn’t possibly know the difference.

His presence is… intoxicating. I’m drunk on his proximity. This is a dream I’ll wake up from, I’m sure. But I don’t want to

For more reviews, visit, Jacqueline’s Reads

An ARC was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

How did this get from a possible 5 star read to a 3?

Unfortunately i got more reasons than just 1.

But first...
Let me briefly tell you what it's about...






Grey is a pastor's daughter, who after her mother's death, gets really sick of her father's lifestyle and the way he controls her life. She wants to do what she wants and feels is right. So against his 'wishes' she rans off to film school in L.A.

However, money is soon running out and so she hasn't got any choice but to strip her way through collage or go back home (which is not an option).
With her beautiful body and dance moves, she soon becomes very popular at what she does...






There Grey meets the hottest movie star sex god on the planet....

“In person… he’s beyond perfection. I can’t look away from him, but his beauty burns me, like staring into the sun.”

Dawson Kellor is transfixed by the beauty of the girl he has been watching dance ever since he entered the club. He can not take his eyes off of her. She's different from others girls. All he knows is he wants her..and not just for sex.
He wants to know why there is sadness and desperation in her eyes.

But will she open up to him? Will she let him in? Will Grey fall into the world of sin, and if she will, is she going to be lost forever or can she redeem herself?






Beginning

It started off really, really well. The writing style and plot pulled me into the story that i thought would be very beautiful and inspiring.

When Grey stood up for herself, didn't let her father make decisions for her and actually said what she thought, i was all like..






I loved her then! But sadly that didn't last long.






Grey:
as i said, i pretty much loved her at the start.
But then she became more cliche, pathetic, naive and just simply stupid throughout the book.
I haven't wanted to bitch slap a character this bad since a few weeks now.
She was the reason this book ended up just 'ehh' for me.

Grey went to get the strip dance job, right?
Seeming as there is a non-touch policy, she keeps like 80% of the money she earns, and she loves dancing i did not see the big problem she constantly kept on making up.
It could have been million times worse but yet she still complains. Every time after a dance she rans to the toilet and throws up.
Even whilst dancing she sometimes cries. And i'm just like...






I understand her actions when she began doing that, but you'd think after 3 months the girl would get used to it.
NO.SUCH.LUCK.
All she does is continue on crying,crying and crying.

At that point i'm like...










Grey was such an annoying protagonist i wanted to strangle her.

Dawson:

“I want to kiss you whenever I feel like it. I want to tell you when you’re being ridiculous. I want to make love to you. I want to fuck you. I want to hold you. I want to be yours.”

He was a real sweetheart. Protective, hot, caring, thoughtful and not to mention swoon worthy! He always helped Grey and wanted to be there for her. He did these little and not so little things for her that made my heart melt.

Every time Dawson was with her and actually didn't thought her to be a pathetic little girl, i was like 'are you dumb or something?' I really don't understand how he could put up with Grey, and why he was with her.






I think he deserves someone much better than Grey.

The plot and the book in general had a LOT of potential, sadly it didn't live up to it.
I REALLY don't get why authors keep on writing about annoying female MC? What's the point?
It only takes away the full enjoyment of a book, and makes readers decrease their rating.
Seriously, just stop.

When i reached the end i was just like...






It was kind of ridiculous, cheesy, and unrealistic.
It felt like the author had no idea what she was writing about.
I was just zooming out and skipping paragraphs because i couldn't be bothered anymore. I just didn't care at that point..

Overall.






I still managed to like this book enough to finish.
It was an OK read. Could have been SO much more.

Sincerely - The Critic

[Formerly Known as Spoiler W · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

I blame me, myself and I for hyping myself up for this book. I really liked the concept and the blurb. I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. As I'm reading the book my hope plummets. It failed... BIG TIME . The story was boring, predictable and just blah. The chemistry, if there was any, between the characters...I didn't feel. The whole preachers daughther and movie star/millionare/ex drag racer/man whore...I didn't get. The "love" scenes were not the best but it wasn't the worst. The story had soooo much potential but sadly I wasn't impressed. It's not a memorable story so don't ask what happened in the book.

2.5 stars for the concept

2 stars for the delivery

*side note* I notice details in a story and one thing that bugged the shiite out of me is when the author would write...like this. And then she did it...again. I don't know how many dot dot dots there were but it was plenty to point this out.

ARC given out for an honest review

[Miriam · Rating 3 out of 5]

“You’re so fucking gloriously gorgeous that I literally cannot stand it. I’m having to remind myself to keep breathing, because you take my breath away.”

Oh, WOW! This book <3

Ever since the start of June, I have been waiting and waiting for this novel to be released. It's safe to say that I've had some very high expectations for this book. It's a very...unusual type of romance but if I thought anyone could pull off a stripper/billionare romance, it was Jasinda Wilder.

Oh, and when I said stripper? I meant that the heroine was a virginal stripper.



Yes, you've heard THAT right. A. Virginal. Stripper!

I can see those looks of disbelief right now but I don't blame you. Even I still have difficulty understanding that concept. It's just hard to imagine a person who takes off her clothes and entertain people for money is an innocent, doe-eyed virgin who flinches at contact with men.

It's really hard to imagine such a thing, but maybe that's just because I'm a very cynical person. My glass is always half empty. So that's partly one of the reasons why I expected so much from this book.

In a way, I got what I wanted. As erotica, it was very well written and very spicy.

Okay fine, that's a bit of an understatement.

The sex scenes? HOT AS HELL.

Here's a tip for anybody looking to read it in the near future, read this book in an air-conditioned room. You're going to need it. Trust me.

It was just so hawt and the chemistry was off the charts!



I finally understand the need for cold showers.

Anyway, onto the characters.

Meet Grey ,the most unbelievable heroine I've ever come across

“My name is Grey Amundsen. But Grey, she doesn’t exist in here, in this slimy, smoky, sex-hazed hole. In here, I’m Gracie.”

She is perhaps one of the worst heroines I have come across and possesses all the characteristics that I hate in a protagonist. I didn't once connect with her throughout the story. Maybe because she was so busy playing hard-to-get with Dawson and I was literally begging her to stop being so damn difficult. It was infuriating.



I mean I get it. I get it. I get that she was sheltered throughout her entire life before she came to Los Angeles. But she's been a stripper for more than two years now. You'd think she'd adapt to her special situation.

If her unwillingness and narrow-mindedness didn't piss me off, her insecurity would do the job. Her excessive insecurity was on the same level of Bella Swan from Twilight which is saying like a lot.

Who am I? Who am I, that this man loves me?
I’m not a film student, I’m not a stripper, I’m not a dancer, I’m not anyone. I’m just Grey Amundsen. But this glorious man, this near-deity…he loves me.
Why?
What am I, that he feels so strongly about me? What do I offer?

Grey Amundsen doesn't look at the good qualities and things she has to offer. Instead she continually asks herself why a god-like man (I'm not arguing with her description there) chooses to love her even though he already has provided like a hundred reasons.

And the worst thing is, it continues.

But he barely knows me, and what if he finds someone else? Someone prettier? Someone more experienced? What if he has to do a love scene and I can’t handle it? There’s no if there; I couldn’t take that. It would ruin me.
But I’m already ruined. No longer a virgin.


I feel like an impostor sometimes. Like someone will see through my disguise and point at me and laugh, and say, “She doesn’t belong here! She’s just a hick from Georgia!”

See! She doesn't stop. She just goes on and on about how Dawson is too good for her, yada yada yada. And if she's not doing that, she's thinking about how being with Dawson was sinful.

I shouldn’t love him.
But I do. And why not?
It was sin.


I stink of Dawson. I reek of his musk, his essence, his touch.

I could have understood her reasons at the start but she was thinking about Dawson like that all the time. Give me a break. Or better, cry me a river, build a bridge and get over it.

It's safe to say, me and Grey have a hate-hate relationship.

Meet Dawson

He's sexy.

He's sweet.

He's romantic.

HE'S PERFECTION.

Dawson is one of those mainstream types seen in erotica. If you compiled a checklist for him, then every box would be ticked:

1. He's a former man-whore who gave up his philandering way for Grey.

2. He's filthy rich. No, really. He could burn money at the rate that he earns it.

3. He's the sexiest guy to cross the earth.

“In person… he’s beyond perfection. I can’t look away from him, but his beauty burns me, like staring into the sun. He’s too beautiful for words, and I’m not sure what to do. My body won’t work.”

4. He'll chase after his woman, no matter how many 'Fuck Off' signals she gives him. But hey, apparently women find this hot...including me. I have no idea why though.

Usually I'm sick of reading about men like that in books. I hate those ass-holes, I just hate them. Jasinda Wilder just wrote about Dawson in such a way that I would concentrate on his good qualities rather than his minuscule bad ones.

5. He's an alpha male who likes occasionally to be "dominated" by Grey and is turned on by it. I'm not complaining though. Alpha males are sexy.

6. His eyes. Dawson's goddamned eyes. This is a negative aspect...or a positive one depending on which way you look at it. There's starting to be a trend in books like these where the guys always have "quick-changing" eyes depending on their moods.

Dawson is one such man.

The changeable beauty of his eyes, technically hazel but brownish when he’s feeling kind and soft, almost blue when he’s angry, faded moss-green when he’s raw with lust, always somewhere in between, never one shade.


His eyes are quicksilver, a changeable hazel.

I'm really confused. How the hell can eyes change to so many colours?!?!? I've never seen that before in my life. Not eyes that can change to hazel then to brown, magically transform into moss-green or start to go a little blue.



Apparently it is possible. It's not something that I'm mad about, it's just something that irked me throughout the book. And even if it did make me mad, it's just impossible for me to stay mad at Dawson.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Overall- somewhat okay storyline
- spicy sex scenes
- weak, insecure heroine
- deliciously, sexy love interest (no originality though)
- okay writing style, didn't flow that easy though

3 stars

[Angie - Angie's Dreamy Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Review was posted at Angie's Dreamy Reads

"A sensuous, erotic and breathtaking romance that breaks molds, shatters thoughts and makes you feel alive. Beautiful. Sinful. Sexy. The perfect read."
- Angie's Dreamy Reads

When I started reading Stripped by Jasinda Wilder I was expecting a hot romance. I mean look at the cover and blurb. It screams hot right? What I did not expect was a sensual, erotic and provocative read that melted my heart with love, romance and heartbreak. It was intense, beautifully written, well paced, perfectly developed and absolutely addicting. It had it all. Everything I could have wanted in a book. The characters were so beautifully crafted that the only thing you could do was savor every word and love them wholeheartedly. Honestly I was blown away by just how emotionally gripping this book was. I was only a couple chapters in and crying already. You just love Gray immediately. She is one hell of a girl. I think if you’re looking for a book that is going to steal your breath, move your heart and rock your world then THIS IS IT. I honest to God could not put it down and was INCREDIBLY sad when I read the last page. I think Jasinda Wilder books are one of my new favorite addictions. This woman's writing is absolutely stunning, clear, precise and the picture and story that is written for the reader could not be better. I loved this book. I loved this story. It’s one of my favorite reads of 2013 and let me tell you I don’t have many. This book is one that I would re-read, come back to and remember. I CAN’T wait for you all to experience this sexy, sensual and stunningly heart warming romance.

Grey is a good girl. Her father is a Baptist preacher who is overbearing and extremely strict. This has sheltered her from so many of life's everyday struggles. Being naive, sweet hearted and always doing the right thing has lead Gray to feel frustrated. Not only is she frustrated but she feels trapped, smothered and I think lonely. The way she expresses herself is through dance. She uses dance to channel all her inner thoughts and feelings. Her father allows her this one thing. He allows Gray to dance freely as long as it’s not smutty and dirty. As Gray dances something happens with her mother. Her mother who has always been the voice of reason in her life. The only one who Gray felt truly loved her and accepted her for who she is. When life strikes it leaves her at a crossroads. She has to chose between her father and a new passion that she wants to pursue. This new passion goes AGAINST everything her father has tried sheltering her from. Gray is left in a very emotionally charged situation. If she goes off and does not follow her father's orders she’ll be doing it alone. Taking the chance and pursuing her dreams Gray is left figuring out HOW she’s going to support herself. When an opportunity strikes that goes against EVERYTHING Gray has ever been taught or told she takes it. She knows there’s no going back and that her dreams mean doing what needs to be done. She takes a job as a Stripper. BUT one night EVERYTHING changes. A man, no...NOT just a man, THE MAN comes into the club and one dance is all it takes to change Grays life completely.

Gray is an absolutely STUNNING girl and not just on the outside but the inside too. She is one of the most lovely characters I have read. She makes you fall so in love with her and feel all her pain. She is strong, confident and an achiever and I loved that she never let anything hold her back from what she wanted to do. Even when Gray is scared or unsure she takes a chance. I found that to be a fantastic quality. When Gray meets Dawson her world changes and the relationship that ensues is HOT. These two characters MELTED my kindle. I swear they were flipping EROTIC. The emotional connection between them left me breathless. The kisses were sensuous and then once we got to the more intimate parts my heart was a puddle of melty goodness. I think this book has to have one of the most INTENSE, sexually charged and erotic sex scenes I have ever read. It made me CRY. It was touching, sweet and sinfully sexy. One of the best I have EVER read. It went beyond sex to the ultimate human connection which is love. It gave me what I long to find when reading a romance. Filled every void in my heart and left me DYING for more. Really is was AMAZING.

Dawson shows Gray things about love and life. He changes not only her life but his as well. Is it easy? NO but it’s beautiful, heartbreaking at times and worth the journey. I think Dawson digs deep to give this girl what she needs. He is truly more that the sexy, Hollywood bad boy. He’s broken just like Gray but in different ways. Together these two are going to ROCK your world. Their love is pure and their sex life is off the damn charts HOT. You are going to be left wanting more. I’m telling you it’s sinful.

Overall this book was BEYOND fabulous. It was the PERFECT read. She did an amazing job helping us get to know these characters. I was addicted, hooked and gripped by what I read. I wouldn’t just recommend this!! I would URGE you to read it. If you’re a romance junkie like me and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE a HOT, SEXY, EROTIC, SENSUAL tale then THIS IS IT. You are going to get something that will melt the pages off your eReader or paperback and it’ll take you with it. There is NO DOUBT that this is one of MY FAVORITE books of 2013!

My rating is 5 ++++++

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

FANFUCKINGTASTIC!!!! L-O-V-E-D IT!!


I have a brand spanking new book boyfriend and his name is Dawson Kellor! Don't even think about touching him ladies!


Grey Amundsen grew up as a preachers daughter in Macon, Ga. He suffocated her with his beliefs of sin and hell. He barely let her do anything, thinking anything outside of the Church was a sin. He didn't understand her at all. She grew to hate him for that. She had a great relationship with her mom and that was the only thing that helped her out.

Her mom was the bridge to her dad..the one that was able to help Grey be able to do the one thing that brought happiness to her sheltered life....

Dance~~~


Grey's senior year of high school, something shifted... although she loved dancing her focus became more on filming when she started taking an Introduction to Film class. She developed a passion for it and her teacher thought she had a real talent and could make a career out of it with her talent for directing. After she graduates.. heartache and a decision to finally have the life she wants lands her across the country in L.A at USC. It also eventually lands her broke, hungry, and desperate. One HELP WANTED sign later and she's a stripper.....her long legs and sweet innocent look make her the most popular dancer in no time. But she hates doing it..hates how it makes her feel.. hates it to her core. But she's got to survive somehow.....

She's a different person when she's on the stage--- she's Gracie



A private VIP room dance introduces her to Dawson....she's floored when she lands eyes on him and realizes who he is. EVERYONE know's who Dawson Kellor is. Dawson fall's for her immediately .. he can see she doesn't belong there and every instinct in him is determined to make her HIS



I absolutely loved this story....Dawson could have any woman he wanted but he wanted Grey the minute he saw her. Grey was completely overwhelmed but she couldn't fight the connection they had. Dawson was extremely protective of Grey and wasn't going to let anything come between them--not even Grey. And they were sooooooo HOT together.

His hand smooth's over my belly, over my thighs. I willingly part my legs for his touch, sinfully and wantonly spread my thighs wide as his fingers delve deep. Then his touch is slicking into my cleft and the tug is a hot jerking inside me, ropes of nerves being twisted and pulled and braided by the rhythmic, searching sweep of his fingers inside me. My hips lift high off the bed as he brings me to the cusp of explosion and then slows his touch and lets me agonizingly back down, but the pressure doesn’t relent, only builds into a weight that I cannot bear. He doesn’t offer me relief and I don’t know the language to ask him for it, because all speech has been stolen away.

LOVED this book so much, couldn't put it down from page one...I'm a huge fan of Jasinda Wilder and she proved why, again, with Stripped. She has a way of making you feel like your inside the story at times. I love how descriptive she is and leaves no little juicy detail out. And ladies.. they are juicy. Seriously DELICIOUS! But this is more than a story about a couple with amazing chemistry.. it's the story of a young woman getting out from under the oppressive thumb of her father and following her dream. It's about taking desperate measures to make that dream come true..it's about finding soul searing love blossom where you least expect it....

[Ailene♥ · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think I’m about to cry. Why do I rarely find good books these days? When I’ve read the plot of this one, I was excited. Grey Amundsen was a college student and due to financial constraints and lack of job availabilities, she succumbed to the only option of becoming an exotic dancer or a stripper. But the thing is, she’s a pastor’s daughter. She’s naïve and a virgin. One night, a high profile celebrity, Dawson Kellor, rented the whole club. He requested for a private dance. And that’s when according to Grey that she felt like Dawson really saw her… the real her (yeah, right!)… Then, they shared a kiss. The whole private dance and kissing scene were supposed to be hot but not really. The day after that, she went to the office as an intern. She was taking up a course about films and stuff. So, she’s excited that she was assigned to handle her first official responsibility and that’s to become a liaison to the main lead character of the movie remake, Gone with the Wind. And yep, to her surprise, the main character was none other than Dawson Kellor. And according to the plot that’s when things get complicated… And I so agree!

The story started out when Grey was 16 or 17. Her love for dancing and film were very much emphasized. There was an added drama about her mom dying and her dad being so strict and inconsiderate. Her character was presented for so long. I was also getting annoyed sometimes since she was acting like a kid calling her mom “Mama” and dad “Daddy”. I have nothing against that, actually. It’s just that it had been used several times and was placed in conversations and sentences inappropriately. So yeah, I was irritated.

She met Dawson when she was already 20 years old. The anticipation was high that it hadn’t really met what I was expecting. There were no sparks. No chemistry. No witty banters. Just plain old boring interactions. I didn’t even find Dawson hot. He’s rich and a celebrity. But I didn’t connect with him at all. He’s boring and he talked too much.

I thought this was a bit original. But I found so many similarities with the other books I’ve read. One example, Dawson asked Grey when was the last time she ate because he heard her stomach rumble. Grey wasn’t sure when exactly. That’s when Dawson acted possessively and called his driver or bodyguard to bring food in her dorm. After that, he left his other car for her to drive since she was just riding a bus. He also gave her money so she wouldn’t work in the strip club. He paid her tuition, her room and board. He bought the strip club so he could close it and she wouldn’t have to work there anymore. These things reminded me so much of Christian Grey. Grey also was like Anastasia Steele. She was deflowered by Dawson. And when she felt like she didn’t deserve him, she went back home to Georgia. Ana’s mom was living in Georgia and she went there to get away from Christian Grey as well.

It also reminded me of Love Unscripted. Dawson was popularly known as his character Cain Riley from the paranormal action movie, Mark of Hell. He also pointed out to Grey that he’s just like any ordinary guy taking shits and eating hamburgers. Well, that kind of humility and him being in a paranormal movie reminded me so much of Ryan Christiansen. And we could also add that Dawson also won an Oscar for Best Actor.

Believe me, a lot of the scenes here were so cliché and corny. I think it’s okay to get ideas from other books. It just really depends on the writer on how she will make it her own and make it believable and realistic. I read her other books. Those were pretty good, actually. But here, I found her way of writing a bit chopped at times. It felt like Grey was a kid narrating the story.

And yes, Grey was annoying. She was acting like a jealous girlfriend the moment she started working with him. There was insta-lust and maybe love at first sight… not believable!... The sex scenes were okay. Some were hot only because too much effort was put into them.

So yeah, obviously, I didn’t like this book… :(

[Aestas Book Blog]

NEW BOOK FROM JASINDA WILDER!!



BLURB --> So how did I get myself into this situation, you ask? Simple: desperation. When you're faced with being homeless and hungry or taking off your clothes for money, the choice is easier than you'd imagine. That doesn't make it easy, though. Oh no. I hate it, in fact. There's nothing I'd like more than to quit and never go into another bar again, never hear the techno beat pulsing in my ears again, never feel the lecherous gazes of horny men again.

Then, one day, I meet a man. He's in my club, front and center. He watches me do my routine, and his gaze is full of hunger. Not the kind of desire I'm used to though. It's something different. Something hotter, deeper, and more possessive. I know who he is; of course I do. Everyone knows who Dawson Kellor is. He's People Magazine's Sexiest Man alive. He's the hottest actor in Hollywood. He's the man hand-picked for the role of Rhett Butler in the long-awaited remake of Gone With the Wind.

He's the kind of man who can have any woman in the entire world with a mere crook of his finger. So what's he doing looking at me like he has to have me? And how do I resist him when he looks at me with those intoxicating, changeable, quicksilver eyes?

I'm a virgin, and he's an American icon of male sexuality. I'm a stripper, and he's a man used to getting anything and everything he wants. And he wants me. I know I should say no, I know he's the worst kind of player...but what my mind knows, my body and my heart may not.

And then things get complicated.

Full length New Adult Contemporary Romance:

**Mature Content Warning** 17+ for language, and adult situations. HEA ending.

RELEASE DATE: AUG 16, 2013

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is what I classify as a "feel good," light romance. It had a little bit of angst; but not so much between the couple, more from outside forces. I found it to be slightly "corny" at times when the couple was expressing their feelings to one another. There was sex in this story; but there were times that I felt the details were being described to a simple minded person. The author goes into a vivid description of what a cock looks like, and even an in depth description of a condom's characteristics. I am sorry, but when I am reading a romance novel, I would prefer not to have a lesson in what a condom's appearance is. That's just me, and it was something that lessened the couple's moment for me. On the whole the story kept me entertained; but there were definite things in the book that just didn't do it for me.

In the beginning, we learn about Grey and her life as a Pastor's daughter. She is quite sheltered, protected, and controlled by her father. Her mother on the other hand tends to soften the blow, and tries to act as the mediator between Grey and her Father. A tragic situation happens that changes the dynamic of their small family, and Grey heads of to LA to pursue her dream in film school. Of course, her father is dead set against it and warns her that she will fall into a life of sin.
A few years go by and things are becoming desperate for Grey and she turns to stripping/exoctic dancing to pay her tuition. This is extremely hard on someone innocent like Grey; but at night she turns herself into "Gracie" and does what she has to do. During a night when the club has been rented for a private party, she is faced with some thing that has never happened before...A well known actor named Dawson is watching her dance, and the sparks fly between the two of them. This may be the first time they meet; but they cross paths later on where Grey needs to work for him as his assisstant. It is only a matter of time before Dawson and Grey will give into their desire, as they both have feelings that they have never experienced before.

The love story between Grey and Dawson is quite sweet; but I did find it very cliche. The hardest part to take for me was Grey's tendency to cry at everything. The trouble was that she cried so much, that when the time came for her to be justified in crying, I was already annoyed by it. There was one situation that came up, and if it happened to me, I would have balled my eyes out too; but at that point she had cried so much that it had lessened the effect.
In saying all of this, I feel I would be comfortable rating this book a 3.5 stars. It just did not have that "WOW" factor for me. I had no problem with Jasinda Wilder's writing however, and I would for sure try out other books she has written or is going to write. I can see her going far as a writer, and I think that a lot of people will truly love this book.

[Kay · Rating 1 out of 5]

"Hey," I thought, "a romance novel about a stripper. I'm bored, this is relevant to my interests." Except the book came from a friend of mine who clearly knew it was going to be a hot ass mess, which it was, sorry. You might like it if you have a really deep affection for stories where a man appears and fixes literally everything in a helpless girl's life while also boning her senseless, but it's not really much of a convincing romance on either side.

OK, first off: the reason I read this is because I am a stripper. A real stripper, not the unsettling, mewling creature depicted in this book. Whether you agree with and approve of the existence of the industry or not, it is not very accurately presented in this at all, to the extent it affirms some damaging stereotypes. The "virgin stripper," the girl who's Not Like The Other Girls Who Deserve To Be Debased, that's harmful. Also, stupid. Like, you can be super hot in a club and make zero money because you are an annoying wet blanket who doesn't know how to hustle (which is the most important part of stripping, more than dancing or having a perfect body), and Grey is exactly that. Listen, the men can tell. I don't like every patron at the club, but I don't automatically think they're all awful monsters just because they're in a strip club. And why isn't Dawson supposed to be just as bad? He was there, too, and he's just as interested in boning Grey as the rest of them...only difference is, he's Our Hero.

Not to detour too excessively into the politics of the sex industry, but there is a lot to be said about the societal coercion surrounding stripping (and other related fields)! Would women end up in these fields if there were less of a pay gap? If we had an economy with more options for people in financial straits? If women were less objectified overall? Maybe. Probably. But this book does not actually give a shit about any of that; it's primarily interested in having us watch a pretty girl sob as she takes off her top. It's objectifying her sadness and misery as much as (or more) than her written body; she's supposed to be more appealing to us as a person and recipient of sexual attention because she's miserable and crying onstage. That's gross! P.S. It's OK to like sexual attention. It doesn't mean you don't get to define your own autonomy and sexual needs.

The author did a little nominal research into how finances work with regards to tipping and percentages and stage fees, but not a whole lot into the other aspects of stripping. Grey wears three inch heels. No one wears three inch heels. Five is an absolute bare minimum, six is preferred. There ain't nothin "hooker" about a three inch stiletto heel on a knee high boot, not in this day and age. Also, nobody in LA is charging 10 dollars for a private dance (and certainly not FIVE for a table dance) from a 20-year-old blonde white woman with natural D-cup breasts. Try 30, maybe 40 dollars. Grey's club isn't full nude, but it is consistent and accurate with California laws, in that private dances aren't supposed to involve touching. (Stripping in LA kind of blows and most of the things that make real money are now prohibited. Don't do it, go to Vegas instead.)

Grey really should have been a character I liked: we're both country girls, even have the same body type, I'm also a trained dancer since childhood, etcetera. But she is just kind of a tragic annoying victim who's waiting around to get rescued by the most unsexy 2D dude I've ever seen. I'm attracted to men, but just going "he's hot and WILDLY POSSESSIVE and rich" isn't enough for me to find a male character appealing anymore. He hits all the 50 Shades tropes of being possessive and demanding her attention and totally weirdly paternalistic about her relationship with food, though he isn't as meticulously creepy as Christian Grey. Dawson's creepy shows up when he gives her a bunch of money she'd turned down and then buys her strip club, shutting it down so she can't go back to work. Nice thought, man, except you've now also put the other employees out of work: the bartenders, bouncers, and other dancers. Or are those women less important because they aren't hapless victim strippers?

"A single tear drips free to mingle with the sweat on my upper lip.

I'm officially a stripper."

Too corny. The loving reaffirmations of how she's so sexy! But so victimized by her own humiliation! are a bit pornographic. Why do we enjoy reading about women who are being forced to do something sexual that they hate? Why do we need them to be so resistant?

I did actually like the scenes with Grey growing up, but those felt like they belonged in a different genre of book- most people will be reading this for the sex scenes. Which aren't bad, actually, and I was impressed by the fact they actually went for anal, until dude went to ass-to-vag and I screamed and flailed about how that will make the poor girl sick. Wash your dick, Dawson, if you care about her so much!

The whole thing just felt really flimsy. The celebrity name-dropping (and the moments where real-life celebs, like Morgan Freeman, were supposed to be talking) was really awkward and disruptive; it would've flowed better if she'd made people up, I think.

I actually really wanted to like this, just to be contrary, but. No. There was one scene I liked, where Grey receives a bunch of extra money from a drunk patron, and she takes it and then shares it with the other girls. That was nice of her and realistic.

Of course, that moment precedes said patron trying to rape her in the parking lot (because these bouncers are apparently not even bothering to look outside, as though part of their job isn't to watch the lot), so that Dawson can save her. Nothing like rape as romantic plot device to spice up a love story.

Most of this content does not hit my buttons. I like a different type of male lead, I suppose- so-called "alpha males," sure, but the hyper-focus on note-perfect physical beauty isn't necessary to me. That said, even if this were to my tastes, and also I were totally ignorant regarding the industry Grey spends 90% of her time crying about, I think I'd be kind of unsatisfied? It doesn't feel like the author was trying. I can tell she's not a bad writer, but maybe she lost interest in this plot or something.

P.S. Goodreads user black lamb is Satan's minion. Why.

[Allison ❤️Will Never Conquer Her TBR❤️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was offered the opportunity to buddy read this with one of my Goodreads BFF's SueBee, I jumped at the chance! I loved Ms Wilder's book The Wounded so I had high hopes for another fantastic emotional ride. I got that...but more in the form of a love/hate relationship with the book's cast of characters.

Grey, daughter to a very devout southern Baptist pastor, has lived a very isolated life. She has very few friends and her father limits most activities based on religious views. Her mother has always went to bat for her. Her love for dance was always shunned by her father but her mother paved the way to a successful dancing hobby. But when life throws Grey a pretty shitty curveball (no spoilers), she up and leaves for college at USC for hopes of being a film director someday. She has zero money and surviving on scholarship money that is soon to run out. She has no choice but to find a good paying job. Easier said than done. She eventually has to choose between moving back home or taking employment in a strip bar.. It's not total nudity....she can do this, right? It goes against everything her father has taught her but when her future is on the line, she agrees to take the job.



Dawson is a famous actor in town shooting a "Gone with the Wind" remake movie. When he and the guys stop off at a strip club for a bit of fun, he can't believe the dancer that walks into the VIP room. Making everyone leave, he requests she dance just for him....and asks her to leave her clothes on. Weeks later, when he's in a meeting for his movie, said dancer walks back into his life as his newly assigned personal assistant. She's a stripper and a college intern for this prestigious film company? He's got to have her....but there's something scared looking, something very naive about her. She doesn't belong in the strip joint and he's going to make sure she's aware she's too good for that lifestyle.



Grey is again running scared. She can't believe her two lives are crashing together. It's like one giant shitstorm. She hates stripping, literally vomits after each show...this beautiful actor must think she's a real floozy. She hates it but has no choice in the matter...strip and pay tuition...or go home to a life of a religious prison sentence.

What I liked about this book---
1- Dawson, Dawson, and Dawson. Did I mention Dawson? He's successful, rich, and uber loyal to the "Grey cause." He sees her in that strip club and knows she deserves better. Something about her draws him to her unlike all the other one night hookups he's used to. She's a huge contradiction. On one hand she's a stripper but on the other, she seems like an innocent frightened child. Someone needing support and protection. He aims to do that...and succeeds in spades!
2- Sexual chemistry and scenes were HOT and expertly captured with words. The cherry popping scene was one of the best I've ever read. It was a bit far-fetched her level of comfort and, shall we say, expertise in the sack, but nonetheless, HOLY HOTNESS BATMAN!



What drove me batshit crazy about this book-
1- Grey, Grey, and Grey. Did I mention Grey? Now I understand she's supposed to be this sheltered southern Baptist girl but come on! She cries like the whole first half of the book! Get a backbone chica! She was immature, weak, and overly dramatic. she did something early on to her dad that I was NOT down with. Very bad timing....not a wrong thing to do just very heartless timing.



2- The whole "weak, spineless girl meets uber rich billionaire that can't get enough of her" plot is overdone! Lets move on people. Dawson followed her around like a puppy, giving this perfect stranger, a stripper no less, his $135,000 luxury SUV?! Really? Who does that? He wanted her to be safe and not walk to class! Why? She blows you off, she strips for a living, tells you "this" cannot happen between you two, but you keep coming for more. Right! She didn't even "put out" for that! Just over-used and drives me NUTSO.

So I can see why there's a plethora of mixed reviews. If this wasn't a buddy read I'd probably gave up at 40% out of sheer aggravation with the heroine. I'm happy I stuck it out as I definitely feel it improved, saving my rating. But if you're NOT a fan of weak heroines, this book probably isn't for you. Overall worth the time for me, however.....

Buddy read with SueBee and Lkay.

[Patrycja · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was really excited to start Stripped and even more giddy after I dove into it and found out that it was nothing I expected it to be, because it was even better! Sexy, passionate and enjoyable Stripped is a story that stoked me. Fantastic concept with great twist plus perfect writing made me love it! What’s not to adore in sensual story of survival and love?

Grey’s a pastor’s daughter who was sheltered all her life. Never touched and kissed, completely pure, Grey was raised to believe sex is sin and world is full of perverts who are waiting on easy prey. But when her mother dies, she has had enough of her daddy’s rules and decides to pursue her dreams and career. She leaves him and goes to L.A.

Living in Hollywood is hard and quickly Grey realizes that she has no way of finishing college without job. But after months of looking she’s still jobless and her scholarship has ended. Now she has no choice but do the thing that made her ashmed and guilty.

”My name is Grey Amundsen. But Grey, she doesn't exist in here, in this slimy, smoky, sex-hazed hole. In here, I'm Gracie.”

Desperate Grey becomes a popular stripper and she hates it every minute of it. She’s great at dancing on the stage but taking off her clothes when lustful men are watching is painful and she cries and vomites, because of the guilt.

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Then she meets Dawson Keller famous actor who walks in her strip club and her live changes. Now her heart and body will find out what’s the big deal in love and sex.

Dawson! How much I loved him! His just wow. Desirable, rich and possesive he melted my heart as soon as Grey met him. I adored how caring and loveable he was toward her. Great alpha male character. His monloque swept me off my feet and made my heart ache. And the fact that sex oozes from him? It just made me want to lose my panties.

”I want to kiss you whenever I feel like it. I want to tell you when you're being ridiculous. I want to make love to you. I want to fuck you. I want to hold you. I want to be yours."

"You're so fucking gloriously gorgeous that I literally cannot stand it. I'm having to remind myself to keep breathing, because you take my breath away."

Stripped has a brillant premise that was fully used. There was nothing that was left unanswered or made this book unrealistic. This unputdownable read left me breathless and extremely satisfied. Every romance junkie will get perfect, fabulous read that will melt hearts.




More reviews on Smokin' Hot Book Blog and my Facebook Page

[Catarina · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Dancing Stars!!



Grey has a dream. She wants to be a dancer. She wants to spend her life doing what she loves the most: losing herself in the music and in the moment and simply dance.



Unfortunately, being the daughter of a very rigid and old-fashioned pastor who doesn’t agree with that kind of lifestyle, she has to go away on her own and make a life for herself with the help of nobody.
So she ends up doing something like this so she can live:



In one of those nights she meets, Dawson, famous Hollywood actor who is believed being a spoiled and rich playboy. Although he is really not, fact that he tries to prove over and over.
So is basically immediate attraction and they know that there’s something between them that neither of them can deny.
But she is a broken soul and keeps pushing him away… and he constantly tries to save her.



Altought I really like the story and how it gone, Grey is preventing me of giving a higher rating.
She is just so whining, teary and annoying!! Get a grip, girl!!
She basically spends 80% of the book doing this:



Thank God for Dawson!! He is real great (and lets not forget sexy!) and I loved every single moment that he appeared!



So, if you’re a fan of the broken heroine (although a whiny one!) and of the sexy, savior and sweet hero… you really have to read this book! ;)

[Cristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Favorite quotes:

“He’s brought me breakfast. In bed. And he’s done it shirtless.  
Women of America, be jealous.”
“I’m falling through eternity, and his touch is the fabric of that forever. His kiss is the substance of infinity.”

[CC · Rating 3 out of 5]

So based on my comments from 2 years ago ("I enjoyed it! Totally not realistic, but a sweet, fun story!") and my 4 stars I liked this. I also did not mind NA much then. Well what a difference two years make!

I still enjoyed the story somewhat. But the heroine drove me CRAZY! She cried in about every two scenes. I think she vomited in every 4. Aside from her constant crying, she was so naïve and sheltered. I cannot totally enjoy a story anymore when the heroine is that annoying.

The hero was ok. A little strange to me in his obsession for her. He was just hard to relate to.

The first 20% of the book was heroine only set up. Snoozefest and a bit sad.
The later part of the book became a total cheese-off, vs just very cheesy.
The last 15-20% should have been condensed into a brief epilogue. It was so boring and ridiculous.

If I were rating this as a new read, it would get 2 stars. Since I did give it 4 stars in the past, I am going to average them.

Safety Gang
H was a former manwhore & drug user. Had basically gotten clean over the past couple of years but he is out with friends who are using coke and has a past hook up text him and offer an eight ball and anal. GROSS!

Heroine was a sheltered preacher's daughter virgin stripper in college. Of Course!!! She went topless stripping, but never bottomless.

There is an attempted rape

They do use condoms

Death of a parent

[CristiinaReads୨ৎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story really did captivate me in every way possible...

So loving, caring, and endearing in every possible way!

[~Mindy Lynn~ · Rating 1 out of 5]

The story can be shortly summed up:

Virgin preacher daughter:

This is neither refreshing nor annoying. It’s is pretty common in these NA books. So I have become use to it with a roll of the eyes and a moving on gesture. But she is EXTREMELY NAÏVE and that I found THAT completely annoying.

Then something awful happens:

The tragedy isn’t shocking and I really wanted to feel some kind of emotion for her, but none of that happened. It was pretty obvious from the get go that it was going to happen so I think that took some of the shock out of it and then it went so quick.

Next move, L.A. to film school and some stripping:

This is followed by a lot of:

And:


Which left me:


This goes on and on which left me more annoyed then I already was.

Then she meets Dawson:


I can go either way with insta-love. It is all on how it goes down in the book. The way it’s written. I try to make myself believe it can happen, but the way it happens in this book was just too damn farfetched and I couldn’t wrap my mind around it to make myself believe it. Then once the cherry is popped there is nothing left of this story but some humping.


That pretty much sums it up for me. I didn’t care for the story. But others have really liked the book. So maybe it’s just me.

[Tough Critic Book Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

I totally have and STD...

Star ratings are like a pair of really big tits; sometimes that's all people see. As a reviewer, that makes my job really hard. Really, really hard. Readers see a a three star book and assume the worst, but by assuming not only do they christen the world an ass; they have the potential of missing out on something pretty spectactular. Stripped was a good book, but lately "good" has somehow become synonymous with "bad".

Flow with me here; my three star rating means absolutely one thing. It. Was. Good. The reason or reasons behind my three stars may be the very thing that draws you to a book. Google the word "good", and if you're still confused about my rating, you are beyond help. I think Stripped was a very well written book, and Jasinda Wilder has unquestionably earned her way onto my instant approval list. I will continue to read anything she writes; anything. I also think there's a large audience out there that is totally going to love this book, but a few of my personal preferences kept me in "like" with Stripped, not in love.

I'm a very tough nut to crack when it comes to insta-anything. I totally have an STD! Sexual Tension Disorder. Love at first sight and quick romance just isn't my thing. It's extremely hard to pull it off because I'm usually the one left not understanding the feelings.

I loved Dawson...LOVED!! He fell for Grey hard and fast. His persitence was perfectly endearing, but I didn't understand it.

Why?

Probably because I thought Grey was completely insane; totally stripping her way around the cray cray pole. It did create drama, and intesnity, and I guess I sort of understood her "outbursts" and irrationability, but it was too much. As much as it pains me to say, I didn't like Grey.

That being said, Dawson's devotion to her in spite of all the crazy made me love him even more, but it also pulled me away from the story. He possessed an unconditional devotion of someone in love, but why? I just couldn't buy someone tolerating so much push and pull, so much eye widening drama. My heart just couldn't accept that there was enough time between Dawson and Grey causing feelings to develop that were deep enough to elicit that kind of devotion. I didn't undertsand the love; I didn't feel it. Damn my cynical heart!!

None of this was Jasinda Wilder's fault because many, many readers love the idea of soul mates, but as a reader without feeling what they feel, it's hard for me to, well...feel.

The premise of this story was fantastic and the plot, entertaining, but without me being invested in the relationship I couldn't love it.

READ ON!

[JoJo - JJJ (Jo Anna) Janesko · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well what to say......... sadly I didn't really like it. I never felt like I connected with the characters. There were actually so many things I didn't like about this book. More so than I liked. I really love this author she has written some amazing books however this book didn't live up to her high standards. I wouldn't recommend it in fact I would suggest you skip it.

[black lamb · Rating 1 out of 5]

"No daughter of mine will engage in any such lewd and sinful behavior as dancing," Daddy says to me, his blue eyes blazing. "It is gross and immodest and entirely sexual. I've seen the kind of dancing those...those harlots engage in at that so-called academy. You will not attend."

OMG, y'all! I'm so excited to read this novelization of the 1984 classic, Footloose!

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Oh... oh, it's not? But... but the mom even echoes Kevin Bacon's speech later on the same page: "David danced before the Lord. The Psalms mention dancing to honor the Lord in several passages." This isn't Footloose?!



Stripped, or The Chronicles of Captain Save-a-Ho, is an adult contemporary novel about a young woman named Grey Amundsen from a hyper-conservative Baptist family in the south, who moves to LA after the death of her more permissive mother to pursue her passion for film and dance. Given that the book name-checks Footloose and Flashdance, I sort of have my suspicions that these were direct inspirations for the author. I should be upfront: I picked up this book because I read the blurb and knew I was going to hate it. A buddy of mine read it first, confirming all my suspicions and telling me that it was, in fact, worse than she had imagined. Worse? How could this be? Let's examine how!



In a lot of ways this book is pure derivative pulpy crap. It's written in first person, and like a lot of books in the first person, the protagonist, Grey, has no distinct voice - I get the impression that's not a major problem for these authors and the people who love them, where the point is less about exploring a character and more about becoming that character for some 200-odd pages. Okay, whatever, but it's still lazy and boring. The book has a lot of other lazy cliches - for instance, the bitchy skinny bleach-blonde roommate who hates Grey on sight because she, IDK, has bigger tits than her or something and also is from the south, because all us California girls are just nasty catty bitches who wear our Hollister track pants everywhere and hate all girls above a size 2. This is another book that thrives on girl-on-girl hate. Grey cannot have any female friends who are her age, only old spinsters and her dead mother - no girls are allowed to exist in this book that could possibly be a threat to Grey's beauty and sexuality.

This book is mostly centered around Grey's fall from grace, her careful-what-you-wish-for cautionary tale about debasement and redemption. She starts off the book as the pastor's daughter, the good little virgin terrified of committing a sin, but she says early on that she "like[s] feeling desired," a feeling she's unused to - foreshadowing her eventual fate. And boy, what a fate this is.

It is painfully clear Jasinda Wilder has never been a stripper. Oh, she googled it - long enough to understand basic strip club economics, how tipping works and all that. But she didn't bother to stick around to learn more than what you see on the surface. For instance: Grey is a 5' 9" 20-year-old stacked blonde girl with huge tits, and she's charging $10 for private lap dances at a Los Angeles strip club. Look... First of all, $20 is the industry standard, and this is true of southern California as well, where we are weirdly puritanical and hostile towards strip clubs. (ASK ME ABOUT STRIPPING IN SAN DIEGO.) Second, TV wants to convince you that the sex industry has more rigid standards than it does. I actually find more body diversity among sex workers like strippers and escorts than I do reflected in TV shows and magazines. You don't have to be Angelina Jolie or Megan Fox to make a good living as a sex worker - but Grey is! She should be making fucking bank, but I guess it's hard to make money hustling guys when literally all you do is crawl on stage and writhe around while sobbing and vomiting everywhere.

You think I'm exaggerating. I am not. She cries during and after every set, and every time she has to take her top off. She throws up every shift.

This book urges you to take pleasure in Grey's debasement, the way that you're supposed to take pleasure in the humiliation, fear, and terror of the women who are the subject of Lifetime based-on-a-true-story movies from the 80's and 90's. Wilder deliberately plays it up and it's obviously intended to be titillating - because anyone who works in the sex industry would never write trash like this that's so disdainful of sex workers and cares so little for them, seeing them not as people but as whores and sluts who get what they deserve except, of course, the main character, the poor virginal Grey who is a victim of her circumstances. The book pornographically lingers on depictions of Grey's terrified humiliation and submission, lewdly zooming in on her slowly unbuttoning her blouse for the first time while feeling sick and like she's about to throw up everywhere, her tits popping out of her shirt while she's being ogled by some dude. It's really, really unnecessary, and really obvious what's going on here. You're supposed to be aroused by all of this, aroused by her fear and disgust.

Grey vomits a lot in this book. It's weird. Authors like to do this thing where they have their characters stress-vomit, which is not really a thing that human beings do, not unless they already have some kind of medical issue with their stomach. It's supposed to indicate the depth of their emotion, particularly revulsion and fear, indicating that they're so out of control with emotion that they can't control basic bodily urges like not puking everywhere like a terrified turkey vulture. In this case, it's supposed to be even more of an indicator as to how humiliated and helpless Grey is, considering that vomiting is one of the grossest things you can do. I'm surprised Wilder didn't give her uncontrollable projectile diarrhea. Maybe she should see a doctor? She might have IBS or something.

I'm gonna say it: the people who like this book are people who hate sex workers. Wilder hates sex workers. She makes her opinions abundantly clear in every aspect of the narrative of this book, from the thoughts of Grey to Dawson's dialogue to the disdainful way she treats the other strippers at Grey's club, who, for the record, are all forced out of work when Dawson buys the club and closes it. Thanks, Captain Save-a-Ho! Oh, and instead of taking her to the hospital after she was nearly raped and had a head injury, he took her back to his place and her her would-be rapist murdered. THANKS, CAPTAIN SAVE-A-HO!

Anyway, of course, the point of this book is first to be aroused by Grey's disgust and shame, and then further titillated by her rescue at the hands of the love interest, Dawson Kellor. This book is basic hurt/comfort fantasy, which ordinarily is fine except it reiterates some really damaging and disturbingly popular misogynistic tropes that have become embedded in the new adult contemporary genre by books like Twilight, 50 Shades, Beautiful Disaster, and similar. After her introduction to Dawson, the book becomes a pretty standard narrative of poor girl down on her luck swept off her feet by her Prince Christian Grey. Oops, I mean Prince Charming. I mean, this book definitely isn't a repackaged 50 Shades of Grey or anything. No, this is totes a better book! If someone could explain to me exactly how it's supposed to be so much better than Shades, though, uh, that would be great, because I got nothing. At least 50 Shades, as far as I can remember, does not include a graphic rape scene specifically designed to arouse the reader.

Because here's the thing: the love interest in this book? Exact same character as Christian Grey. Exactly the same. Guys, I'd like to propose a checklist of Shitty Book Love Interests, and it goes like this:

[ ] Physically controls her because she is frequently totally out of control and would not be able to function without him.
[ ] Financially dominates her - usually by giving expensive gifts she is uncomfortable receiving and didn't ask for, putting money in her bank account without asking her, etc.
[ ] Weirdly obsessive about her food intake, either demanding that she eat (or not eat) certain foods, or forcing her to eat and yelling at her when she doesn't - even if she says she's not hungry.
[ ] Physically possessive and controlling without negotiating terms with her before engaging in this behaviour; may be controlling of her before she's even expressed interest in him.
[ ] Seriously says things like "you are mine" and "you belong to me," and means them literally - again, often before she has agreed to any kind of relationship with him.
[ ] Threatens her friends and family, whether or not he knows she knows them.
[ ] Threatens people who look at her.
[ ] Physically assaults other men who look at her, flirt with her, or touch her in a non-sexual way.
[ ] Throws tantrums when he doesn't get his way, causing property damage or assaulting other people.
[ ] Obviously meant to be a stand-in for a real-life actor - either directly compared to him or subtly implied to be.
[ ] "Burning" or "piercing" eyes. (Dawson has magical colour-changing eyes.)
[ ] Isolates her from friends and family.
[ ] Incessantly nags her for attention - will not take no for an answer.
[ ] Is convinced that he knows better than her in all ways and that her "nos" are really a "yes" she's too scared to give for whatever erason.
[ ] Is frequently compared to a drug, his influence over her is said to be so potent that she literally cannot say no to him.

It's interesting that Grey is so disgusted and horrified by all the men who grope her and watch her dance at the club, but the instant she lays eyes on this celebrity, she becomes so thirsty for dick that she throws out all her rules and is suddenly turned on and finds what she does sexy. She lets him touch her all over without complaining. Somehow Dawson is supposed to be different than all the other men, special, not seedy or disgusting or a misogynist like they are... but why? He's at this strip club too. Plus he ignores her boundaries - she says "no" and "you can't" and "I don't do extras" and yet there he is, touching her, undressing her, kissing her on the mouth, and we're supposed to find that romantic. It's not, it's gross. You can bet he's done this before with other girls. And this fucking weirdo has seen this girl for all of 2 seconds and all of a sudden he's all SOOKEH, YEW AH MAHN! at her, like, that's not romantic, that's fricking creepy, okay?

It is never addressed in the book why it's OK for him to be at a strip club with his buddies, but all the other men there are apparently disgusting pathetic slimy losers. Every single one of them is a potential rapist except Dawson. He gives some sob story about his drug addiction/player/womanizing ways, but the book never sees fit to answer a basic question: why was he at the strip club if they both hate strip clubs so much?

This book is obsessed with taking tropes of the genre and exaggerating them to comical proportions. Everything the characters do in this book is like a parody of human emotion, like I'm reading the written version of some surreal cartoon universe where nobody behaves in accordance with basic human psychology. It has fake written all over it and I'm confused and frightened at the fact that people actually loved it enough to fancast the main leads and write gushing reviews about it. It makes me afraid of the kind of messages we're sending to women, about how relationships work, about the kind of men who are desirable, and how our own sexualities function - none of which are accurately reflected in this trainwreck of a book.

I wish I could say I just don't see what people see in this book, but I do. I do. There are people who find this kind of narrative about shame and debasement arousing. Every time Grey cries and throws up (which is a lot) and Dawson sweeps in to snuggle her and wipe away their tears, people who are reading this find it titillating. It's pretty sick and endemic to rape culture, couched in language that makes it look like we're supposed to be horrified by the tragedy of Grey's situation, like there's not something sick in the obvious pleasure this book takes in describing every second of her misery, despair, and shame in excruciating detail, over and over and over. It's like having a rape fantasy. Of course you know that rape is sick and wrong and you would never ever in a million years want it to actually happen to yourself, but a lot of women have the fantasy anyway. Which, YKINMK, but don't shove it in my face or pretend like it's not what you're doing, or that it's romantic. Reading this book was like reading one long, drawn-out rape fantasy dressed up in pretty words to make it look like not a rape fantasy. There's something really sinister about this that I have a hard time putting my finger on.

As far as the actual writing, it's terrible. Like I said before, first person perspective is lazy - and Grey has no distinctive voice to justify it. The writing is amateurish and the narrative totally collapses about 70% of the way into this book when they've exchanged their I-love-yous and have their first earth-shattering orgasms with each other, where Wilder stops pretending to be writing a book of any literary merit and descends into a frothing stupor of madness while waxing poetric about this human tub of mayonaise's ding-dangle.

If I could give this negative stars, I would. This is a terrible book, the worst book I've read all year. I'm really embarrassed that I read this masturbatory fantasy the author probably wrote while imagining Henry Cavill saying all of this to her. I'm gonna go watch Dancing At the Blue Iguana or something to get the stench of this shitty book off of me.

I'll leave you with a collection of stupid-ass quotes from this stupid-ass book.

* "God...my God, why have you forsaken me? Eli eli lama sabacthani?" He pulls away from me, covers his face with his hands. Really? He's spouting Aramaic now?
* I'd been beside her bed for forty-eight hours, waiting. I hadn't moved, not once. Not to eat, not to drink, not to pee. (According to science!, not actually possible.)
* "Grey Amundsen." "Grey. Like the color? [...] Oh. Like Fifty Shades." I shrug, not wanting to admit I don't know what she's talking about.
* The last bit of the outfit - the costume - is [...] a pair of knee-high boots. Hooker boots, I've heard them called. [...] They're suede boots [...] with a spindly three-inch stiletto heel..." (As a note explaining why this is ridiculous: industry standard is 5 inches. Wilder obviously googled stripping as a career, and didn't bother to learn this.)
* A single tear drips free to mingle with the sweat on my upper lip. I'm officially a stripper.
* I'm the most popular dancer by far. All the VIP rooms request me. I do five stage sets a night, and I always pull in at least a hundred dollars per set. I charge twenty per table dance, five for lap dances, and VIP rooms start at one fifty. (I HAVE LITERALLY NEVER EVER HEARD OF A CLUB THAT CHARGES 5 DOLLARS FOR A LAP DANCE, NOT UNLESS THEY'RE RUNNING SOME KIND OF SPECIAL, WHAT THE HECK AM I READING.)
* I know for a fact Kaz will fire me in a heartbeat if he knows I'm a stripper. I watched him fire an assistant secretary when he discovered she'd stripped in college. He fired her, not for having been a stripper, but for having lied about it. I've lied about it. Not directly, but by omission. It's enough.
* Then there was an allegation of rape, and that was when Dawson vanished from the public eye for the last few years. (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
* I'm three bites into a giant bacon cheeseburger before I realize neither Dawson nor Greg has moved. They're just watching me eat. "What?" Dawson just wipes at his smile with a palm, then grabs the container beneath the one I'm eating from. "Nothing. Just...this is L.A. You don't often see girls dig into a burger like that around here."
* "Am I treating you like a stripper?" He says the word casually, as if the truth of it doesn't ripe a hole in me. "No," I can barely whisper the answer.
* He's the face of Cain Riley, hero of the Mark of Hell trilogy, a series of paranormal action-adventure/romance books that outsold both Harry Pottera nd Twilight.
* I seem to spend a lot of time terrified around this man.
* I'm helpless. I have no will left, no capacity to resist his touch, no ability to stop this.
* "...so I made that slimy fucking worm Tim an offer he couldn't refuse." [...] "Tim? Timony van Dutton?" "Yeah, that little cocksucker." (Great casual homophobia!)
* You were like an angel, trapped in hell. You couldn't have been more out of place if you tried. I watched you out on the floor, you know. And that dance on stage. You... captured them. All those poor, sweaty, greasy, miserable assholes. You were so different from the other blank-eyed, apathetic strippers you see in clubs like that.
* He's all there is. All there will ever be. I'm falling through eternity, and his touch is the fabric of that forever. His kiss is the substance of infinity. [...] His arms are like prison bars, but it's a cell I have no desire of escaping.
* The world ends in that moment [that we simultaneously orgasmed.] Lights flash and my entire existence shifts...
* His manhood is still slightly turgid.
* The entire scene after they have perfect porno sex like six times and then she runs off and sleepwalks her way through going to the airport on a plane to Georgia without knowing what she's doing and he just follows her without saying anything and then pops up behind her like SURPRISE!!! like some kind of weirdo cartoon vampire or something.
* THERE'S A WOMAN NAMED MRS. ELDRITCH
* "And the Oscar for Best Actor goes to...Dawson Kellor!" Channing Tatum claps his hands, the sound too loud in the microphone, his hands hitting the envelope. Beside him, Emma Stone claps as well, holding a smile as Dawson rises to his feet and makes his way down the aisle.
* aftER HE PROPOSES TO HER ON STAGE ON CAMERA AT THE OSCARS: "And then Morgan Freeman is beside us, tall and imposing, speaking to Dawson in that amazing voice of his. "Well, John Travolta and Rachel McAdams were supposed to be the next presenters, but you and your new fiancee here might as well do the honors.""
* "I feel so... disgusted. When I think about it, I want to throw up all over again. I hate knowing that I did that. That I was... that I let men -"
* "I have to say I'm glad you're not [stripping] anymore. It didn't suit you. You're too...good...for that lifestyle."
* I'm blind, deaf, swept away by the rocket rush and earthquake shakes and chaotic intensity [of orgasm].
* and then he baNGS HER IN THE POOPER AND THEN IN THE VAGINA IMMEDIATELY AFTER OMFG DAWSON YOU DISGUSTING CREEP THATS LITEARLLY GOING TO MAKE HER SJAIJOSI SICK WHY OWUAJ NO!!! YOU NEVER GO ASS-TO-ANYTHING!!!!!



* A spotlight shines on the edge of the dance floor, bathing a single figure: Lindsey Stirling. She lives a violin to her shoulder, pauses, and then launches into "Elements."

And that's it; I'm done. I am sorry I read this. I feel like a hate crime was committed against me.

[Zizz · Rating 2 out of 5]

To be honest, it was one star for the entire book and I added the extra star because the steamy scenes were hot.

Ever heard of the Formula Rossa Roller Coaster in the Ferrari World Theme Park in Abu Dhabi? It's the fastest roller coaster in the world that accelerates from 0-240km/hr in 4.9seconds, 0 -100km/h in 2sec. That's exactly my experience in reading this book. This practically took insta-love into new heights.

Look Jasinda Wilder writes well. It's the story progression that left a lot to be desired.

Grey is a USC film student by day, stripper by night. The latter is out of necessity to pay for tuition and living expenses having been disowned by her pastor father. It's a long story which unfortunately is laid out in full detail for us to read in the first 25% of the book.

Until one night, she meets Hollywood bigshot Dawson Keller for a private dance at the strip club where she works.

If not fainting or dizzy from a hunger spell caused by not eating enough, Grey likes to


and


But Dawson apparently saw something more than the heaving and the bawling and wants a relationship - well into um I don't know 2-3 days after his lapdance? Go figure. When he first saw her dance, he felt things (and not just the usual things men feel in a titty bar - ooooookkaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyy).

So he's

1. Feeding her

2. Chasing after her in LA traffic because she just decided to leave in the middle of a red-light

3. And saving her from rapists


Try as she might because this is totally new for her and scares her to death, Grey can't escape. She looks into his eyes and she's somehow stuck in his

(^^^^^vortex, in case you're wondering)



If only...

[SB · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to read something different so I thought I would give this book a go.

As you could guess from the title and cover, Stripped is about a young college student named Grey Amundsen who needs a job to pay for her education fees. Apparently nobody else is hiring at the moment and Grey ends up working as a part-time stripper in order to help finance herself. One day, a rich millionaire walks in and is infatuated by her dancing moves. Surprise, surprise, he is also involved in the production company she is working with as an intern, and so their relationship continues. There's also a subplot about her controlling father.

From the offset, this seems like a fun, light-hearted story but it very quickly becomes downright unpleasant. In almost every other scene Grey is crying, vomiting or lamenting about the cruel conditions of her life. I wouldn't mind this so much if it was done in a realistic manner, but only moments after an emotional scene Grey is immediately drawn into the heat of Dawson, and for some reason, he doesn't mind it. I agree that emotional support is a key part of a relationship, but it seems incredibly one-sided and got quickly tiresome. It also doesn't help that the majority of the other characters in the story are simply too unusual to exist in the real world: a perverted boss, a lustful roommate, an incredibly strict father, all in the same story. The plot relies too much on cliches and unfortunately doesn't deliver on anything new in the genre.

Furthermore, there is very little story altogether. The first twenty-percent is simply backstory about Grey's strict upbringing and her desire to be a dancer, as well as the relationship between Grey and her mother. All of this could be explained in a couple of lines here and there later in the story. Additionally, Grey is only employed as a stripper for a short time before Dawson dissolves her workplace, and for the remainder of the story the only suspense remaining is how long it will take for Dawson to pay the rest of her fees and for them to live happily ever after. The main problem for me is the fact that there is very little conflict, and while the scenes of their interaction are cute at times, at others they seem tiresome and meaningless because we don't have any risen stakes.

Overall, the story kept my interest to the end but I just don't think it all pulled together like I wanted it to. While I like the author's style and wish to pursue more of her books in the future, I'll have to pass on this one.