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Sweet #3
Sweet Seduction
He was the stuff erotic dreams are made of
Salon owner Julie Stanford wanted Nathan Tucker ever since she gave him his first massage. Getting paid to feel every inch of his body, stripped, oiled, and spread out in front of her. Stuff dreams are made of. But the sexy guy was oblivious to the signals she was sending; until she finished off his final rub-down with something extra. In fact, the best extra he ever had. Unfortunately, he came around too late. Now Julie's moving on.
She was everything he'd dreamed of
The woman was driving him crazy. She lit fire to his insides then ran like a scalded cat. And now she's going to someone else to have all her fantasies fulfilled? Over his dead body. He's more than willing to give her what she wants, and as soon as he pins the little minx down, he'd show her his own brand of sweet seduction.
It's all fun and games until someone falls in love.
Salon owner Julie Stanford wanted Nathan Tucker ever since she gave him his first massage. Getting paid to feel every inch of his body, stripped, oiled, and spread out in front of her. Stuff dreams are made of. But the sexy guy was oblivious to the signals she was sending; until she finished off his final rub-down with something extra. In fact, the best extra he ever had. Unfortunately, he came around too late. Now Julie's moving on.
She was everything he'd dreamed of
The woman was driving him crazy. She lit fire to his insides then ran like a scalded cat. And now she's going to someone else to have all her fantasies fulfilled? Over his dead body. He's more than willing to give her what she wants, and as soon as he pins the little minx down, he'd show her his own brand of sweet seduction.
It's all fun and games until someone falls in love.
297 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
407 people are currently reading
9641 people want to read
About the author
Maya Banks
242 books21.5k followersMaya Banks is the #1 New York Times, #1 USA Today and international bestselling author of over 50 novels. A wife and mother of three, she lives in Texas.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 611 reviews
January 4, 2023
Actual Rating 3.5 stars
I liked the book, but I have a few issues with it.
This book was way softer and lighter in comparison with the others. I personally would have liked more kink in it :P
The idea of a completely anonymous threesome with blindfold and all is extremely appealing and hot, but I think it could have been told with more excitement and in more depth.
This book felt rushed, everything happened very quickly. For the love between Nathan and Julie to be more believable to me, they needed to have had more interactions, a bit more of some kind of relationship throughout the book. It felt more like instant-lust-love in my opinion since they weren't even friends, they were just acquaintances, almost strangers; and after only a couple of sex encounters and one date they suddenly loved each other. It was hard for me to believe.
It was also hard to understand why Nathan stayed away from Julie when he wanted her so much and she kept pursuing him. Again, another not too believable element.
All that is why despite the fact that I did enjoy the book, I do believe that serious substance is missing here. It is missing more relationship, more elaboration, more conversations and more meaningfulness.
I liked the book, but I have a few issues with it.
This book was way softer and lighter in comparison with the others. I personally would have liked more kink in it :P
The idea of a completely anonymous threesome with blindfold and all is extremely appealing and hot, but I think it could have been told with more excitement and in more depth.
This book felt rushed, everything happened very quickly. For the love between Nathan and Julie to be more believable to me, they needed to have had more interactions, a bit more of some kind of relationship throughout the book. It felt more like instant-lust-love in my opinion since they weren't even friends, they were just acquaintances, almost strangers; and after only a couple of sex encounters and one date they suddenly loved each other. It was hard for me to believe.
It was also hard to understand why Nathan stayed away from Julie when he wanted her so much and she kept pursuing him. Again, another not too believable element.
All that is why despite the fact that I did enjoy the book, I do believe that serious substance is missing here. It is missing more relationship, more elaboration, more conversations and more meaningfulness.
August 11, 2022
Sweet Seduction is really sexy hot seduction. Miss Banks putting a little bit twist on the character. Instead of having man whore as usual, this time, she puts Nathan as uncertain hero. He has confidence but his confidence seems to sizzle out when it came to Julie.
Julie on the other hand is a confident woman. Full of sexuality and self confident. She smart and fun. I think I like her the most out of all the heroines in this series. The BDSM is as usual hot and very visual in great detail. I am not expecting anything less from Miss Banks. She after all is well known for her BDSM erotica.
Overall, a great book.
4 stars
Julie on the other hand is a confident woman. Full of sexuality and self confident. She smart and fun. I think I like her the most out of all the heroines in this series. The BDSM is as usual hot and very visual in great detail. I am not expecting anything less from Miss Banks. She after all is well known for her BDSM erotica.
Overall, a great book.
4 stars
October 8, 2009
Good book. After that last kink-fest book in the series (Sweet Persuasion), I can't say that I was really looking forward to this one or or if I had the will to read it if it was going to be another hard-core BDSM book. Thank God it wasn't! Not that there's no kink in this one, but thankfully no painful or humiliating BDSM moments between the H/H (although Damon and Serena appear and have their typical moment in the sun).
This one was about salon owner/massage therapist Julie Stanford and her pursuit/seduction of the object of her desire, the semi-reluctant, P.I./security consultant Nathan Tucker. Julie and Nathan have been circling each other for some time, since they met in Sweet Surrender, but Julie, no matter how many hints she drops, or how much cleavage she flashes can't get the often clueless (and tongue tied around her) Nathan to take the bait. So Julie decides it's time to move on, but before she does she figures she'll get the studly Nathan on her massage table one last time and give him a "massage" he won't soon forget! Yowza!
A bit stung by Nathan's supposed lack of interest in her, Julie decides to take matters into her own hands and fulfill some secret fantasies she has. She enlists the aid of her friend Serena's boyfriend Damon, who owns a sort of pleasure "house" (shades of "The Club" from Lora Leigh's Bound Hearts series) to find her a couple of willing, well endowed males who know their way around a female--she wants to indulge in a menage fantasy. Nothing too kinky--Julie is an anti-bdsm girl!--just your standard menage, and oh yes, she'd like to be blindfolded.
Well Nathan (who really is interested in the bold, self confident, buxom Julie--especially after the "send off" she gave him) gets wind of this arrangement, and wants to put a stop to it. His Julie with a couple of strange men who may end up hurting her? No way he'll let that happen! So he enlists the aid of his friend (and every woman's friend) Micah (who happens to be a member of Damon's club) and gets him to arrange for both of them to be the tag team in Julie's little menage fantasy. Steamy hot times follow for the rookie-at-menages Nathan, the ultra-experienced Micah, and the oh-so-pleasured Julie. And darn if the blindfolded Julie doesn't feel a connection to her "gentle lover" (Nathan). Julie's used to having fun and games and relationships that end up going nowhere, but after she witnesses a "loving" moment between Serena and Damon at the club, she starts to realize that she wants a man who looks at her like she's his sun, moon, and stars, too. She thought that Nathan could be "the one", but despite a recent date, he still didn't seem interested. Or is he?
That was about the gist of the main part of the book--will Julie and Nathan ever come together and be on the same page at the same time regarding their relationship. Will Julie let (the now willing) Nathan into her heart or will she run from him before he has a chance to "get tired of her"? Will this independant, outspoken woman have the confidence to take on a real relationship?
I grew to like Julie as the book progressed. At first she came off as rather agressive, pushy and annoying (hey, if Nathan's not interested, he's not interested!) but the more I read about her, the more I liked her. Nathan I loved almost from his cranky start. Once I found out he blushed rather easily I was charmed. He wasn't quite as sexually "worldly" as the other men in this series (although he certainly knew what to do with his equipment!) and that was a nice change of pace. He was just a decent guy and a real sweetheart.
There were a couple of side plots in this book that almost got as much time as Julie and Nathan. Faith and Gray (Sweet Surrender) hit a stumbling block in their relationship, and Maya Banks uses a couple of chapters to fix what's wrong with it. It was good to see them again, and Faith gets a lot of "girlfriend time" with Julie and Serena. It's always fun to listen in to their "talks". But what's with the calling each other "heifer" and "bitch"? I'm wondering if this is a Texas thing (where the book takes place) or just some quirk of Maya Banks? Even Nathan referred to Julie a couple of times as "that heifer"--not exactly a term of endearment in my book!
And Serena and Damon (Sweet Persuasion) get their fair share of the spotlight too, as Serena ponders whether to accept Damon's marriage proposal and is she's cut out for the submissive role in a marriage--ouside of the bedroom. They have a 'scene' at the club that supposedly shows the love they have for each other. Sorry, I still can't buy it. Not their love--just the scene as "proof".
Maya Banks also sets up the next book by dropping some big hints about the mysterious Micah, and the events in his past that made him what he is today. I'm certainly intrigued, yet a little leery, because Micah seems to be even heavier into the BDSM scene than Damon. Not too sure if I'll be up to reading that one.
All in all, a fast-paced, entertaining read with some really hot moments, some fun dialogue, a very likable hero and an almost as likable heroine. Fans of erotic romance who aren't into the BDSM scene won't find anything too objectionable about this one--to me it had some really sweet, romantic moments and a very satisfying ending. 4 stars.
Warning: This book contains explicit language and sex, including oral and anal, m/f/m menage, use of a lash (not the H/H), and use of handcuffs. Not for the faint of heart.
This one was about salon owner/massage therapist Julie Stanford and her pursuit/seduction of the object of her desire, the semi-reluctant, P.I./security consultant Nathan Tucker. Julie and Nathan have been circling each other for some time, since they met in Sweet Surrender, but Julie, no matter how many hints she drops, or how much cleavage she flashes can't get the often clueless (and tongue tied around her) Nathan to take the bait. So Julie decides it's time to move on, but before she does she figures she'll get the studly Nathan on her massage table one last time and give him a "massage" he won't soon forget! Yowza!
A bit stung by Nathan's supposed lack of interest in her, Julie decides to take matters into her own hands and fulfill some secret fantasies she has. She enlists the aid of her friend Serena's boyfriend Damon, who owns a sort of pleasure "house" (shades of "The Club" from Lora Leigh's Bound Hearts series) to find her a couple of willing, well endowed males who know their way around a female--she wants to indulge in a menage fantasy. Nothing too kinky--Julie is an anti-bdsm girl!--just your standard menage, and oh yes, she'd like to be blindfolded.
Well Nathan (who really is interested in the bold, self confident, buxom Julie--especially after the "send off" she gave him) gets wind of this arrangement, and wants to put a stop to it. His Julie with a couple of strange men who may end up hurting her? No way he'll let that happen! So he enlists the aid of his friend (and every woman's friend) Micah (who happens to be a member of Damon's club) and gets him to arrange for both of them to be the tag team in Julie's little menage fantasy. Steamy hot times follow for the rookie-at-menages Nathan, the ultra-experienced Micah, and the oh-so-pleasured Julie. And darn if the blindfolded Julie doesn't feel a connection to her "gentle lover" (Nathan). Julie's used to having fun and games and relationships that end up going nowhere, but after she witnesses a "loving" moment between Serena and Damon at the club, she starts to realize that she wants a man who looks at her like she's his sun, moon, and stars, too. She thought that Nathan could be "the one", but despite a recent date, he still didn't seem interested. Or is he?
That was about the gist of the main part of the book--will Julie and Nathan ever come together and be on the same page at the same time regarding their relationship. Will Julie let (the now willing) Nathan into her heart or will she run from him before he has a chance to "get tired of her"? Will this independant, outspoken woman have the confidence to take on a real relationship?
I grew to like Julie as the book progressed. At first she came off as rather agressive, pushy and annoying (hey, if Nathan's not interested, he's not interested!) but the more I read about her, the more I liked her. Nathan I loved almost from his cranky start. Once I found out he blushed rather easily I was charmed. He wasn't quite as sexually "worldly" as the other men in this series (although he certainly knew what to do with his equipment!) and that was a nice change of pace. He was just a decent guy and a real sweetheart.
There were a couple of side plots in this book that almost got as much time as Julie and Nathan. Faith and Gray (Sweet Surrender) hit a stumbling block in their relationship, and Maya Banks uses a couple of chapters to fix what's wrong with it. It was good to see them again, and Faith gets a lot of "girlfriend time" with Julie and Serena. It's always fun to listen in to their "talks". But what's with the calling each other "heifer" and "bitch"? I'm wondering if this is a Texas thing (where the book takes place) or just some quirk of Maya Banks? Even Nathan referred to Julie a couple of times as "that heifer"--not exactly a term of endearment in my book!
And Serena and Damon (Sweet Persuasion) get their fair share of the spotlight too, as Serena ponders whether to accept Damon's marriage proposal and is she's cut out for the submissive role in a marriage--ouside of the bedroom. They have a 'scene' at the club that supposedly shows the love they have for each other. Sorry, I still can't buy it. Not their love--just the scene as "proof".
Maya Banks also sets up the next book by dropping some big hints about the mysterious Micah, and the events in his past that made him what he is today. I'm certainly intrigued, yet a little leery, because Micah seems to be even heavier into the BDSM scene than Damon. Not too sure if I'll be up to reading that one.
All in all, a fast-paced, entertaining read with some really hot moments, some fun dialogue, a very likable hero and an almost as likable heroine. Fans of erotic romance who aren't into the BDSM scene won't find anything too objectionable about this one--to me it had some really sweet, romantic moments and a very satisfying ending. 4 stars.
Warning: This book contains explicit language and sex, including oral and anal, m/f/m menage, use of a lash (not the H/H), and use of handcuffs. Not for the faint of heart.
October 6, 2009
Genre: Contemp Erotic Romance
Series: 3rd in the Sweet Series (ongoing)
Ramblings: If you have read the previous 2 books in this series, then you know that Julie, our mouthy zaftig heroine (that is so NOT her body on the cover), has the hots for bald & goateed Nathan. She’s been trying to peak his interest by pushing her Double D’s in his face whenever he comes to her parlor for a massage. To no avail. This is their story.
When the book begins, things comes to a head. Literally. Julie is tired of chasing that lunkhead Nathan anymore so she is gonna blow him and then blow him off. Then she arranges (through Damon, the hero of Sweet Persuasion, who is some sort of Mr. Roarke from Fantasy Island there to fulfill one’s desires) to have anonymous sex with two strangers while she is blindfolded on consecutive weekends.
Guess who turns out to be one of the two men Julie has her menage with? I was surprised that Damon wasnt held more accountable for letting Nathan find out about Julie’s confidential request and becoming one of the two “strangers” when he knows that Julie wants to move on from Nathan. One of the many small details that dampened my reading experience a little, although I thought this was a good novel for the most part.
A lot of the trends that showed up in the series so far is continued here. The Sex in the City-type funny banter between the three heroines of the first 3 books is more consistent throughout, making this the most humorous book MB has ever written. There is also some good verbal sparring between the men and MB shows continuing improvement in writing from a male POV, altho Nathan calling Julie a “heifer” kinda pissed me off. As in:
Nathan’s eyes narrowed. “So you knew what she was going to do?”
Faith raised one eyebrow. “I knew she was planning something. Just not what
exactly.”
“Vengeful heifer,” Nathan muttered. (Page 19)
Fuck if his face didn’t light on fire, and the heifer [Julie:] knew it. (Page 113)
It was just as well the independent heifer learn to have him around because he
didn’t plan to go anywhere, despite her repeated attempts to shake him. (Page 232)
Um, I thought it was understood that women can call each other “heifer” or “whore” or “bitch” in an mock affectionate manner but if a man tries that with a woman, he is liable to get his face kicked in. It’s a similar principle as black people calling each other “nigger”. They may do that to each other with no foul, but a non-black person would be crazy to ever let that word pass their lips.
Also started in the first two bks and continuing here is the fact that neither of the H/Hs of the first 2 bks are married yet. The H/H (Gray & Faith) of Sweet Surrender have a misunderstanding that is reminiscent of the Marcus & Lillian misunderstanding in A Wallflower Christmas by Lisa Kleypas. In another words, it was stupid, annoying, unnecessary and took space away from the main H/H, where it belonged. (I will say tho that the scene with the pregnancy test was fresh and very well-written but since I am from the “Kill all your darlings” school, it really doesnt matter.)
There was a bit of an uproar over the nature and presentation of the BDSM when second book, Sweet Persuasion, in the series came out. Perhaps in response to it, MB writes what can be seen as a coda to Damon & Serena’s story here. The majority of the Damon & Serena scenes are the source for the BDSM elements in this book. In fact, the scene where Damon & Serena display their love in a public and BDSM manner is probably the most pivotal scene in the whole bk because Julie has her major ephipany while watching them.
And when the focus is away from Gray & Faith or Damon & Serena or, um, who were the main H/Hs again? . . . um, Julie & Nathan, there is always Micah, the future hero of Book #4 and setting up HIS story (which should be doozy and pretty hardcore BDSM from all indications). And then there are two other characters who will probably get their own stories in the future. I would guesstimate that about 35-40% of Sweet Seduction is devoted to following Julie & Nathan’s friends. When a romance author spend so much space on other storylines, it’s usually a signal that the principal H/H aren’t very interesting.
As Julie & Nathan have danced around throughout the series, so they do in this book. They never sit down and have any meaningful conversation until the last twenty pages. In the meantime, most of their connection consists of “I like your breasts”, “I like your cock”, “You’re so sexy”, and of course, the hot anonymous menage sex at Damon’s place. The latter counts for a lot, of course. :-) I must not lose sight that this IS an erotic romance, after all, and MB writes someof the hottest sex scenes in da biz.
Content warnings: Use of handcuffs, Whipping, Public sex, Anal sex, Double penetration, Menage
Grade: B
Series: 3rd in the Sweet Series (ongoing)
Ramblings: If you have read the previous 2 books in this series, then you know that Julie, our mouthy zaftig heroine (that is so NOT her body on the cover), has the hots for bald & goateed Nathan. She’s been trying to peak his interest by pushing her Double D’s in his face whenever he comes to her parlor for a massage. To no avail. This is their story.
When the book begins, things comes to a head. Literally. Julie is tired of chasing that lunkhead Nathan anymore so she is gonna blow him and then blow him off. Then she arranges (through Damon, the hero of Sweet Persuasion, who is some sort of Mr. Roarke from Fantasy Island there to fulfill one’s desires) to have anonymous sex with two strangers while she is blindfolded on consecutive weekends.
Guess who turns out to be one of the two men Julie has her menage with? I was surprised that Damon wasnt held more accountable for letting Nathan find out about Julie’s confidential request and becoming one of the two “strangers” when he knows that Julie wants to move on from Nathan. One of the many small details that dampened my reading experience a little, although I thought this was a good novel for the most part.
A lot of the trends that showed up in the series so far is continued here. The Sex in the City-type funny banter between the three heroines of the first 3 books is more consistent throughout, making this the most humorous book MB has ever written. There is also some good verbal sparring between the men and MB shows continuing improvement in writing from a male POV, altho Nathan calling Julie a “heifer” kinda pissed me off. As in:
Nathan’s eyes narrowed. “So you knew what she was going to do?”
Faith raised one eyebrow. “I knew she was planning something. Just not what
exactly.”
“Vengeful heifer,” Nathan muttered. (Page 19)
Fuck if his face didn’t light on fire, and the heifer [Julie:] knew it. (Page 113)
It was just as well the independent heifer learn to have him around because he
didn’t plan to go anywhere, despite her repeated attempts to shake him. (Page 232)
Um, I thought it was understood that women can call each other “heifer” or “whore” or “bitch” in an mock affectionate manner but if a man tries that with a woman, he is liable to get his face kicked in. It’s a similar principle as black people calling each other “nigger”. They may do that to each other with no foul, but a non-black person would be crazy to ever let that word pass their lips.
Also started in the first two bks and continuing here is the fact that neither of the H/Hs of the first 2 bks are married yet. The H/H (Gray & Faith) of Sweet Surrender have a misunderstanding that is reminiscent of the Marcus & Lillian misunderstanding in A Wallflower Christmas by Lisa Kleypas. In another words, it was stupid, annoying, unnecessary and took space away from the main H/H, where it belonged. (I will say tho that the scene with the pregnancy test was fresh and very well-written but since I am from the “Kill all your darlings” school, it really doesnt matter.)
There was a bit of an uproar over the nature and presentation of the BDSM when second book, Sweet Persuasion, in the series came out. Perhaps in response to it, MB writes what can be seen as a coda to Damon & Serena’s story here. The majority of the Damon & Serena scenes are the source for the BDSM elements in this book. In fact, the scene where Damon & Serena display their love in a public and BDSM manner is probably the most pivotal scene in the whole bk because Julie has her major ephipany while watching them.
And when the focus is away from Gray & Faith or Damon & Serena or, um, who were the main H/Hs again? . . . um, Julie & Nathan, there is always Micah, the future hero of Book #4 and setting up HIS story (which should be doozy and pretty hardcore BDSM from all indications). And then there are two other characters who will probably get their own stories in the future. I would guesstimate that about 35-40% of Sweet Seduction is devoted to following Julie & Nathan’s friends. When a romance author spend so much space on other storylines, it’s usually a signal that the principal H/H aren’t very interesting.
As Julie & Nathan have danced around throughout the series, so they do in this book. They never sit down and have any meaningful conversation until the last twenty pages. In the meantime, most of their connection consists of “I like your breasts”, “I like your cock”, “You’re so sexy”, and of course, the hot anonymous menage sex at Damon’s place. The latter counts for a lot, of course. :-) I must not lose sight that this IS an erotic romance, after all, and MB writes someof the hottest sex scenes in da biz.
Content warnings: Use of handcuffs, Whipping, Public sex, Anal sex, Double penetration, Menage
Grade: B
November 5, 2011
I’m still trying to work out how exactly to review this. So, I am going to follow my old, old advice – when in doubt – make a list! So this list. It’s going to start with a 1). Are you ready? And so we begin!
1) This book is an erotica and damn, I mean DAMN! Is this book hot! I’m serious. My favourite scene would have had to have been the first scene, like I said before damn, damn that scene left me speechless, I loved it (yeah, I’m a bit of a pervert :P).
2) The characters were awesome, I loved Julie, she was such a great female lead, I loved how she was strong, independent and strutted what she had! I also really liked Nathan. I didn’t love him like I’ve loved some of the other men in the series, but that’s not saying he wasn’t pretty awesome in himself.
3) Right. The plot. The plot was practically non-existant. Wait I take that back. It was there, just it was more like: sex then talk then sexual tension then threesome then hot date then kiss then “Blah, blah, blah” then sex then “I love you” then sex then THE END!
4) You get the point. Generally, the book was good. Three words to describe it: SEX + HOT + MORESEX = THIS BOOK!
I recommend this book to (another list):
a) Fans of Erotica novels
b) People who have read the rest of the sweet series.
c) That’s about it...
1) This book is an erotica and damn, I mean DAMN! Is this book hot! I’m serious. My favourite scene would have had to have been the first scene, like I said before damn, damn that scene left me speechless, I loved it (yeah, I’m a bit of a pervert :P).
2) The characters were awesome, I loved Julie, she was such a great female lead, I loved how she was strong, independent and strutted what she had! I also really liked Nathan. I didn’t love him like I’ve loved some of the other men in the series, but that’s not saying he wasn’t pretty awesome in himself.
3) Right. The plot. The plot was practically non-existant. Wait I take that back. It was there, just it was more like: sex then talk then sexual tension then threesome then hot date then kiss then “Blah, blah, blah” then sex then “I love you” then sex then THE END!
4) You get the point. Generally, the book was good. Three words to describe it: SEX + HOT + MORESEX = THIS BOOK!
I recommend this book to (another list):
a) Fans of Erotica novels
b) People who have read the rest of the sweet series.
c) That’s about it...
April 15, 2010
It was basically a game of cat and mouse and maybe that's why I was not blown away with Nathan and Julie. Granted Julie is a self-sufficient, independent woman, which I loved, she portrayed herself in a sense what I would consider the "woman scorned". After flirting and putting herself out there(tata's and all)to try and gain Nathan's attention (only to be ignored) Julie decides she's going to give him a "send off" he will never forget to show him what he's missed. Now Nathan is a good ole boy and he is hot for Julie but also scared as hell to make a move. There was a lot of miscommunication between them both and Julie did a lot of crazyass things in order to "protect" herself so to speak from rejection. Yes, as always with Maya Banks, there are hot sex scenes and Julie makes her visit to "The House" in search of fulfilling her desires only to discover what she finds is really not what she wants at all. There are great moments with Faith&Gray as well as Damon&Serena and frankly I enjoyed reading about the other couples progress more than I did Julie&Nathan. Nathan did have a "take charge" moment at the end which impressed me and as a result caused both himself and Julie to have a "get real" moment about their relationship. We also get a chapter toward the end that is all Micah and the demons he faces, within himself, that no one else knows. I can tell you right now from that chapter alone, Micah's story is going to be the most gut-wrenching/hardcore/emotional story of them all.
My favorite moment of Sweet Seduction was an epiphany Julie had as she witnessed Damon&Serena at "The House":
"As long as she lived, Julie would never forget this night and what seeing Damon and Serena had done to her on a primitive level. I'm done. She glanced back one more time to where Damon and Serena stood. Because now I want someone to look at me the way he looks at her."
My favorite moment of Sweet Seduction was an epiphany Julie had as she witnessed Damon&Serena at "The House":
"As long as she lived, Julie would never forget this night and what seeing Damon and Serena had done to her on a primitive level. I'm done. She glanced back one more time to where Damon and Serena stood. Because now I want someone to look at me the way he looks at her."
December 8, 2011
This series has fallen into a soap opera worthy story line. I really like that. It’s nice to read about the relationships from the prior books.
Sweet Seduction is story about Julie and Nathan. Their relationship is different from the previous ones.
Although some of the scenes in this book were outstanding, I really wasn’t impressed. Don’t get me wrong, I really like the author, Maya Banks. As with any writer, sooner or later they will create a book that just doesn’t do it for me. It happens.
In my opinion, this is that book.
Julie is a fun and exhilarating character. She is a whole lot of women covered in curves and breasts that make a man drool. After suffering through her unnoticed attentions towards Nathan, she finally decides to hell with him and moves on.
But hey, girls’ night out was sacred, and that meant nothing with a penis was going to be within ten feet.
Oddly enough, she turns to Damon and requests a two night spree of an anonymous threesome. Being blindfolded, she has no clue who her lovers are. Fun, right? And I’m so not telling!
Nathan is a sweet guy with hotness that leaves your toes tingling. Unfortunately, he’s not too bright when it comes to women. Lusting after Julie but unable to approach her, the woman who flat-out does it for him turns away and leaves him in the dust. Fed up with their opposing magnetic due to fear relationship or lack thereof, Nathan finally grows a set of balls.
“I’ve tried doing this your way,” he growled. “I’ve tried being patient, understanding, gentle even. I didn’t want to come across as some knuckles-dragging-the-ground Neanderthal because I was afraid you’d run hard in the other direction. Ha! Well, I’m done with that. This time we’re doing it my way.”
I recommend this book to adults only, and to those that have read the previous books in this series. Extreme sexual content. Mild delicious and consenting violence.
Now onto the next book! .. Sweet Temptation!
~Happy reading!
So, yesterday I couldn’t take my thoughts away from this book and the review that I wrote. I realized that it wasn’t really disapointment that I was feeling. The book really was amazing and the progression and struggles in Julie and Nathan’s relation was totally rockin’ awesome.
The book really is excellent. I suppose I was expecting a little bit more of an alternative lifestyle within it. That’s what I get
March 16, 2022
Julie solo queria que Nathan la notara, pero despues de su fracaso en que la "viera" decide darle una probada de lo que se estaba perdiendo y seguir con su vida, y si, seguir con su vida implica una sexo de fantasia con no uno sino dos hombres bien proporcionados que la traten como una diosa durante una noche. Para cumplir su deseo, habla con Damon (en novio de su amiga Serena) para que la ayude a realizarla, lo que no espera es descubrir que el amor puede ser real, y que una noche de sexo caliente y sudoroso no es todo lo que a ella le estaba haciendo falta, es la conexion y esa conexion la sentia con Nathan.
Nathan se siente atraido por Julie pero no sabe como abordarla para pedirle una cita, hasta ese dia en que ella le da la experiencia de su vida y despues desaparece, pero porque ahora no quiere nada con el. Cuando despues se entera que ella quiere una fantasia con dos hombres, decide pedirle a Damon que sea el uno de los hombres, quizas asi pueda estar en la cama de Julie y hacerle entender lo que se esta perdiendo. Pero la cosas no salen como lo tenia previsto, y su vengaza resulta en una atraccion realmente fuerte hacia Julie, quizas hasta es amor, ahora solo tiene que hacerle entender que el no esta jugando y que realmente la quiere a ella, a toda ella para el.
En este libro nos divertimos mucho con el personaje de Julie y la inocencia de Nathan, realmente conocemos poco de los personajes y aqui no nos lo aclaran mucho tampoco, pero resulta divertida la lectura. Ademas el libro se siente mas como epilogos de las historias anteriores, con un agregado de una nueva relacion, asi que realmente vemos mucho de las 3 parejas que hemos conocido hasta ahora.
En cuanto a la historia principal, lo unico que me parecio interesante fueron los dialogos, lo demas resulto demasiado cliche, cosa que he leido muchas veces, que despues de tanto tiempo no resultan entretenidas sino aburridas. Y aunque no es el mejor libro de la serie, sigo con la curiosidad de saber que va a pasar con los otros personajes, ya que todavia nos quedan Micah, Connor y Pop (que espero que tenga su libro), asi que si, continuare con la serie.
Nathan se siente atraido por Julie pero no sabe como abordarla para pedirle una cita, hasta ese dia en que ella le da la experiencia de su vida y despues desaparece, pero porque ahora no quiere nada con el. Cuando despues se entera que ella quiere una fantasia con dos hombres, decide pedirle a Damon que sea el uno de los hombres, quizas asi pueda estar en la cama de Julie y hacerle entender lo que se esta perdiendo. Pero la cosas no salen como lo tenia previsto, y su vengaza resulta en una atraccion realmente fuerte hacia Julie, quizas hasta es amor, ahora solo tiene que hacerle entender que el no esta jugando y que realmente la quiere a ella, a toda ella para el.
En este libro nos divertimos mucho con el personaje de Julie y la inocencia de Nathan, realmente conocemos poco de los personajes y aqui no nos lo aclaran mucho tampoco, pero resulta divertida la lectura. Ademas el libro se siente mas como epilogos de las historias anteriores, con un agregado de una nueva relacion, asi que realmente vemos mucho de las 3 parejas que hemos conocido hasta ahora.
En cuanto a la historia principal, lo unico que me parecio interesante fueron los dialogos, lo demas resulto demasiado cliche, cosa que he leido muchas veces, que despues de tanto tiempo no resultan entretenidas sino aburridas. Y aunque no es el mejor libro de la serie, sigo con la curiosidad de saber que va a pasar con los otros personajes, ya que todavia nos quedan Micah, Connor y Pop (que espero que tenga su libro), asi que si, continuare con la serie.
June 3, 2019
This book does not lack for hot & steamy moments.
Interesting read with lots of alpha males and smut. Gotta love it!!
Interesting read with lots of alpha males and smut. Gotta love it!!
March 10, 2010
This is the third book in the "Sweet" series that, so far, has dealt with three friends - Faith (Sweet Surrender), Serena (Sweet Persuasion), and now Julie - and since the story revisits the other characters and their relationships, you do need to read these books in order to get the most out of them.
Julie Stanford owns her own salon where she gives great massages. She's been half in love with one of her clients ever since he first walked in for a massage - Nathan, who works for Faith's father in his security business. But Nathan will barely look Julie in the eye and seems to want nothing to do with her. Taking matters into her own hands, Julie decides to do one last thing before moving on from Nathan. Giving him one last massage he'll never forget, she then sets up her dream fantasy with Serena's boyfriend Damon, who runs the House where all your secret desires can run free.
When Nathan learns from his friend and co-worker Micah that Julie's planning a completely anonymous Ménage à trois at the House, with her in a blindfold, his own frustrated wants turn to anger. Nathan may never have shown Julie in any way that he's practically obsessed with her, but no way is a strange man - or two - going to touch her and sexually fulfil her. Because of Micah's connections with the House and Damon, it's easy enough to get him and Micah to be the two "anonymous" men in Julie's fantasy.
But finally getting to be skin-on-skin and closer with Julie only makes things worse, because they're no closer outside the fantasy than they ever were. If Nathan ever wants a shot at being in a real relationship with Julie, he'll have to come out of his shell and make up for practically ignoring her for the last several months. As for Julie, a vibrant, confident and ballsy woman who goes into every relationship expecting men to get bored with her and leave her, she'll have to face her fears and learn to trust - a lesson her friends are best placed to teach her.
I started this series cautiously, and the first book wasn't great. The second was so intense and challenging I had to reappraise my opinion of Banks. This third book goes back to safer, more familiar ground, and does a very good job of showing how you can have a healthy relationship and not need any kinks or extreme sexual rituals, if that's not what you want.
There was something nagging me about Julie and Nathan and after a while I figured it out: they're bogans. Nice bogans, but bogans all the same. (If you're not familiar with this term, I can't really help you. It's too hard to explain adequately, and you'd need some cultural knowledge to really appreciate it.) It gave me a jolt, to be honest, and my natural snobbishness came out a bit. But they're far from scary bogans, and I had to remind myself that they're American, they don't have real bogans in America, so that I could get back into enjoying the story.
It's a short, quick read that spends time revisiting Faith and Serena's relationships too, which I really liked. The ending was a bit rushed, a bit oh-look-here's-the-ending-bham!-last-page-sorry! and the story overall was light on plot - but that's what you'd expect from erotic romance, which needs just enough plot to throw two characters together and that's pretty much it. The rest is made up of character development, sex, falling in love, more sex and a dawning realisation. Do I sound cynical? I don't mean it that way.
The fourth book has been set up nicely here and sounds like it'll be another intense ride like book 2, featuring Micah and the ghosts of his past. I'll be there with bells on!
Julie Stanford owns her own salon where she gives great massages. She's been half in love with one of her clients ever since he first walked in for a massage - Nathan, who works for Faith's father in his security business. But Nathan will barely look Julie in the eye and seems to want nothing to do with her. Taking matters into her own hands, Julie decides to do one last thing before moving on from Nathan. Giving him one last massage he'll never forget, she then sets up her dream fantasy with Serena's boyfriend Damon, who runs the House where all your secret desires can run free.
When Nathan learns from his friend and co-worker Micah that Julie's planning a completely anonymous Ménage à trois at the House, with her in a blindfold, his own frustrated wants turn to anger. Nathan may never have shown Julie in any way that he's practically obsessed with her, but no way is a strange man - or two - going to touch her and sexually fulfil her. Because of Micah's connections with the House and Damon, it's easy enough to get him and Micah to be the two "anonymous" men in Julie's fantasy.
But finally getting to be skin-on-skin and closer with Julie only makes things worse, because they're no closer outside the fantasy than they ever were. If Nathan ever wants a shot at being in a real relationship with Julie, he'll have to come out of his shell and make up for practically ignoring her for the last several months. As for Julie, a vibrant, confident and ballsy woman who goes into every relationship expecting men to get bored with her and leave her, she'll have to face her fears and learn to trust - a lesson her friends are best placed to teach her.
I started this series cautiously, and the first book wasn't great. The second was so intense and challenging I had to reappraise my opinion of Banks. This third book goes back to safer, more familiar ground, and does a very good job of showing how you can have a healthy relationship and not need any kinks or extreme sexual rituals, if that's not what you want.
There was something nagging me about Julie and Nathan and after a while I figured it out: they're bogans. Nice bogans, but bogans all the same. (If you're not familiar with this term, I can't really help you. It's too hard to explain adequately, and you'd need some cultural knowledge to really appreciate it.) It gave me a jolt, to be honest, and my natural snobbishness came out a bit. But they're far from scary bogans, and I had to remind myself that they're American, they don't have real bogans in America, so that I could get back into enjoying the story.
It's a short, quick read that spends time revisiting Faith and Serena's relationships too, which I really liked. The ending was a bit rushed, a bit oh-look-here's-the-ending-bham!-last-page-sorry! and the story overall was light on plot - but that's what you'd expect from erotic romance, which needs just enough plot to throw two characters together and that's pretty much it. The rest is made up of character development, sex, falling in love, more sex and a dawning realisation. Do I sound cynical? I don't mean it that way.
The fourth book has been set up nicely here and sounds like it'll be another intense ride like book 2, featuring Micah and the ghosts of his past. I'll be there with bells on!
November 23, 2021
This one was decent, as an erotica book. There really isn’t anything else going on in the story besides the sex, but that’s what most fans of erotica are looking for so I’m not going take off any stars for that. And at least this one was a bit different from the others in the series in that Nathan isn’t a Dom and Julie isn’t a Sub. It’s good to change up the formula a bit now and then.
Overall it was decent. A little strange in that even after they’d slept together, they weren’t actually together, like they would be in most romance novels. I got a little fed up with the games, though, and thought that Julie’s last-minute freak out came out of nowhere. I would have also liked to hear an explanation for why Nathan had never made a move in all the time they’d known each other. But, oh well. I did find the chapter about Micah to be interesting, though, so I’m looking forward to reading his story.
Overall it was decent. A little strange in that even after they’d slept together, they weren’t actually together, like they would be in most romance novels. I got a little fed up with the games, though, and thought that Julie’s last-minute freak out came out of nowhere. I would have also liked to hear an explanation for why Nathan had never made a move in all the time they’d known each other. But, oh well. I did find the chapter about Micah to be interesting, though, so I’m looking forward to reading his story.
March 8, 2016
3.5-4 stars
This was a pretty good story. I liked Julie and Nathan and their story was good and kept me on the edge until the end.
Julie is a strong and independent woman that owns her own salon. She's a beautiful, curvy woman that likes herself but has trouble finding men that will do the same. She's had men tell her she's too heavy and complain about her strong opinions and it's made her doubt herself in the past. Julie wont put up with that again and tends to keep her relationships with men short and under her control.
Nathan is a good guy that works for the security firm that Faith & Gray (from book #1 Sweet Surrender) both work at. Nathan is a bit of a dumb-ass when it comes to women (at least Julie) but he's a good friend and loyal.
So in book #1, Nathan ends up losing a bet and has to shave his head. Faith tells him that he'd look great with an earring in one ear and gets him to go to Julie's salon to get his ear pierced. While there, Nathan gets convinced to start doing regular massages with Julie. Julie is majorly hot for Nathan and when he comes in for the massages she tries to make her interest known. Unfortunately, Nathan seems a bit oblivious to Julie's efforts so she starts getting frustrated with her lack of success in getting Nathan to notice her. As noted in the book description, Julie ends up giving him a great and also naughty massage and then fires him as a clients, running off and making herself scarce for a while so Nathan can't find her.
About this time we find out that Nathan hasn't been blind to Julie, he's just been so afraid of making a fool of himself in front of her that he's been spending all his time around her trying not to. When Julie makes his night and then runs off not to be seen, Nathan is flummoxed and it gets even worse when he finds out that Julie is asking Damon to set her up with an anonymous menage with 2 unknown men at his club (with her blindfolded). Nathan is able to arrange for him and Mica to be the men with Julie but his efforts to engage in a real relationship with her and a bit on the weak side. Their road to a relationship is a tumultuous and long one but they do work things out and end the story starting a HEA together.
This was a pretty enjoyable story. I liked Julie...she was kind of brash and definitely nor perfect but I still enjoyed her as a heroine. Nathan was a good guy but he was such a dumb-ass when it came to relationships! I mean OMG I just wanted to slap him upside his head and tell him to get a brain! Still, he was a sweety and got his act together eventually. I will admit that I found it a bit annoying that the relationship didn't actually turn into one until the very end of the story. I liked it but I prefer to see the couple have at least some book-time where they're actually together and in a relationship. That was my only real complaint though. Overall, I liked the story and would recommend it. :)
* note - I listened to the audio version of this and the narrator did a very good job.
This was a pretty good story. I liked Julie and Nathan and their story was good and kept me on the edge until the end.
Julie is a strong and independent woman that owns her own salon. She's a beautiful, curvy woman that likes herself but has trouble finding men that will do the same. She's had men tell her she's too heavy and complain about her strong opinions and it's made her doubt herself in the past. Julie wont put up with that again and tends to keep her relationships with men short and under her control.
Nathan is a good guy that works for the security firm that Faith & Gray (from book #1 Sweet Surrender) both work at. Nathan is a bit of a dumb-ass when it comes to women (at least Julie) but he's a good friend and loyal.
So in book #1, Nathan ends up losing a bet and has to shave his head. Faith tells him that he'd look great with an earring in one ear and gets him to go to Julie's salon to get his ear pierced. While there, Nathan gets convinced to start doing regular massages with Julie. Julie is majorly hot for Nathan and when he comes in for the massages she tries to make her interest known. Unfortunately, Nathan seems a bit oblivious to Julie's efforts so she starts getting frustrated with her lack of success in getting Nathan to notice her. As noted in the book description, Julie ends up giving him a great and also naughty massage and then fires him as a clients, running off and making herself scarce for a while so Nathan can't find her.
About this time we find out that Nathan hasn't been blind to Julie, he's just been so afraid of making a fool of himself in front of her that he's been spending all his time around her trying not to. When Julie makes his night and then runs off not to be seen, Nathan is flummoxed and it gets even worse when he finds out that Julie is asking Damon to set her up with an anonymous menage with 2 unknown men at his club (with her blindfolded). Nathan is able to arrange for him and Mica to be the men with Julie but his efforts to engage in a real relationship with her and a bit on the weak side. Their road to a relationship is a tumultuous and long one but they do work things out and end the story starting a HEA together.
This was a pretty enjoyable story. I liked Julie...she was kind of brash and definitely nor perfect but I still enjoyed her as a heroine. Nathan was a good guy but he was such a dumb-ass when it came to relationships! I mean OMG I just wanted to slap him upside his head and tell him to get a brain! Still, he was a sweety and got his act together eventually. I will admit that I found it a bit annoying that the relationship didn't actually turn into one until the very end of the story. I liked it but I prefer to see the couple have at least some book-time where they're actually together and in a relationship. That was my only real complaint though. Overall, I liked the story and would recommend it. :)
* note - I listened to the audio version of this and the narrator did a very good job.
October 8, 2009
i didn't like Julie in the other 2 books and nothing really changed as we went along this one. i thought i liked Nathan alright till i kept reading about him. there is nothing wrong with him exactly but i just would have called him a wuss, rolled my eyes and walked away. there was nothing exceptional about him in any way. julie's only redeeming moment for me was her watching Serena and Damon at the club. i liked her then for about 5 mins. which may have been more because her previous attitude annoyed the heck out of me.
the bonus was that i didn't have to suffer through their "meh-ess" for the entire book. revisiting couples from the previous books and a glimpse into other characters we may see later made the eh-inducing couple worth it.
Faith and Grey had a few chapters to themselves and Faith spent plenty of time out with the girls. girl time is always fun. totally drunk at a bar with your best girl friends watching the room spin and gossiping about the men? oh yeah. been there. the conflict between Faith and Gray is something i don't quite understand. i guess everyone has moments of insecurity but she reacted in such an extreme way. good grief. it also seemed pretty much out of nowhere. out of character.
Serena and Damon also had plenty of page space. besides their usual stunning club scene we got to see them finally bring their relationship together. i understood why Serena held out so long and loved the way she overcame those reservations. i am pretty partial to them anyway.
i am a little iffy about where Micah's story is going. that can be because i remember reading that same book at least 3 times by other authors. i hope it doesn't end up going where i see it headed. i like these because they are different. if we go the lora leigh route its going to end up blurring with the rest. i do have to say i was surprised about his club visit to miami. not exactly what i thought was going to happen there.
now i want to see a book based on Cole. i think i may have fell in love with him somewhere near the second time julie paid a visit to the club.
the bonus was that i didn't have to suffer through their "meh-ess" for the entire book. revisiting couples from the previous books and a glimpse into other characters we may see later made the eh-inducing couple worth it.
Faith and Grey had a few chapters to themselves and Faith spent plenty of time out with the girls. girl time is always fun. totally drunk at a bar with your best girl friends watching the room spin and gossiping about the men? oh yeah. been there. the conflict between Faith and Gray is something i don't quite understand. i guess everyone has moments of insecurity but she reacted in such an extreme way. good grief. it also seemed pretty much out of nowhere. out of character.
Serena and Damon also had plenty of page space. besides their usual stunning club scene we got to see them finally bring their relationship together. i understood why Serena held out so long and loved the way she overcame those reservations. i am pretty partial to them anyway.
i am a little iffy about where Micah's story is going. that can be because i remember reading that same book at least 3 times by other authors. i hope it doesn't end up going where i see it headed. i like these because they are different. if we go the lora leigh route its going to end up blurring with the rest. i do have to say i was surprised about his club visit to miami. not exactly what i thought was going to happen there.
now i want to see a book based on Cole. i think i may have fell in love with him somewhere near the second time julie paid a visit to the club.
October 21, 2009
This is the third book in MB's Sweet Series about a group of very close friends and lovers who live in Houston, TX. The first two books were Sweet Surrender and Sweet Persusion (Gray and Faith and Damon and Serena). This book, Sweet Seduction, is all about Nathan and Julie.
Nathan and Julie have been chasing each other, especially Julie, since the first book. She pierced his ear and started giving him messages. Then she fell, hook, line and sinker for Nathan, but he doesn't seen interested in her in the least.
Nathan wants Julie, alot, but he gets acts like a randy teenager around her and does not know what to do. Julie is very frustrated. She wants him bad, but she is moving on. Nathan is beside himself; he does know what to do about that woman. He wants her all for himself, but finds himself having to play by her rules all the time. It drives him nuts. So, the chase begins and what a wonderful chase it is.
We get caught up on what both Faith and Gray and Serena and Damon have been doing, and they are both still unmarried, that is resolved finally, and dealing with the fall out of their own courtships. Both have issues and seem to moving toward another phase of their relationships. Good stuff!
The book sets up the next one, Micah and Angelina, Sweet Temptation, very well. One whole chapter is devoted to setting up their story. For all of your who wanted more backstory on Micah, you must read this. MB drops a bomb about his past and sets up Sweet Temptation perfectly.
Connor gets a lot of time in this one, as does Cole. We know that Connor is getting his own book; but I wonder about Cole. What role will he play in the next few books? We will see.
All in all, this is the best book of the bunch and the best book I have read this year. I got an advanced ARC of this one and I have read it 3 times. I think I will do a 4th soon. Cannot wait until Sweet Temptation!!! April, 2010.
Nathan and Julie have been chasing each other, especially Julie, since the first book. She pierced his ear and started giving him messages. Then she fell, hook, line and sinker for Nathan, but he doesn't seen interested in her in the least.
Nathan wants Julie, alot, but he gets acts like a randy teenager around her and does not know what to do. Julie is very frustrated. She wants him bad, but she is moving on. Nathan is beside himself; he does know what to do about that woman. He wants her all for himself, but finds himself having to play by her rules all the time. It drives him nuts. So, the chase begins and what a wonderful chase it is.
We get caught up on what both Faith and Gray and Serena and Damon have been doing, and they are both still unmarried, that is resolved finally, and dealing with the fall out of their own courtships. Both have issues and seem to moving toward another phase of their relationships. Good stuff!
The book sets up the next one, Micah and Angelina, Sweet Temptation, very well. One whole chapter is devoted to setting up their story. For all of your who wanted more backstory on Micah, you must read this. MB drops a bomb about his past and sets up Sweet Temptation perfectly.
Connor gets a lot of time in this one, as does Cole. We know that Connor is getting his own book; but I wonder about Cole. What role will he play in the next few books? We will see.
All in all, this is the best book of the bunch and the best book I have read this year. I got an advanced ARC of this one and I have read it 3 times. I think I will do a 4th soon. Cannot wait until Sweet Temptation!!! April, 2010.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 18, 2011
I LOVED this one. Love Julie's personality and Nathan's sweetness and innocence, even though he isn't totally innocent.
Overall this one is my all around favorite of the 1st four of the series, Micah and Angelina are right behind them.
Overall this one is my all around favorite of the 1st four of the series, Micah and Angelina are right behind them.
April 23, 2012
I'm a bit on the fence about this book. I didn't dislike it or like it really, just found it rather average and lacking in a few areas.
Series Note:
Third book in Banks's "Sweet" series, an erotic BDSM based series. You could probably read this one on its own, but there's a lot of references to the other books, active involvement of those characters so you might be lost on those areas if you don't read them in order.
Summary:
Julie Stanford has wanted Nathan Tucker since she first set eyes on him. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to really know she's alive, at least as a female interested in him. So she decides to give him a massage he'll never forget and then move on. To her own secret fantasies.
Once Nathan realizes he'd played things too cool with Julie and that she's moving on from him and going to a sex club to have her secret fantasy fulfilled, he's livid. No way will someone else touch HIS woman. So he sets about fulfilling her fantasy himself.
Both are working at cross-purposes and will have to open the lines of communication if they hope to build a relationship.
Review:
This book wasn't quite what I was expecting it to be. After the first 2 books being very heavy D/s & BDSM stories, with book 2 making me a bit twitchy, I thought this one would be more of the same. But it's more of a straight up erotic romance with a kink factor. I didn't dislike it being that way, but at the same time, it's a bit ill-fitting for the established theme of the series. But that's not why I'm on the fence about this book.
What didn't particularly work for me about this book was it's lack of balance. The focus of the book is the developing relationship between Julie and Nathan, with a solid side dose of the trials and tribulations of the couples from the first two books, along with a small dose of the hero of the next book. And the ways those various aspects were written came off unbalanced to me.
By that, I mean that the majority of the scenes involving Nathan and Julie revolved around sex. Until the end, they don't have a whole lot of non-sexual interaction. At the same time, you got some very nice scenes involving the other two couples, Faith & Gray and Serena & Damon. Scenes that involved problems in their relationships, how they deal with them, where they're headed, etc. And you get a scene with Micah, hero of the next book, giving you some background knowledge. These scenes revolving around the side characters are very emotionally based, scenes that draw you in to the characters and the relationships. While the scenes with Nathan and Julie were very sexual. They don't communicate much until the end, don't develop an emotional bond. It makes their relationship come off as rather superficial. I was more interested in the relationships of the other characters because of the lack of emotional depth with Nathan and Julie. That was disappointing from an author who usually tells very well-rounded erotic romances.
I'm not saying that the scenes with the side characters should have been cut down or out because I found them to be engaging to read, but they had a bit of a dominating affect on the story. It took time and emphasis away from the relationship between Nathan and Julie when they weren't getting any focus on the emotional development of their relationship. I wanted more for them.
And I'm not sure I particularly liked Julie and Nathan. Julie just tweaked me the wrong way at times in the story, and Nathan...I'm not sure how to describe it...he's supposed to be a badass Alpha but he doesn't tend to come off that way. There was something I found rather timid about him. And I didn't like that character type for a male character in this series. So not entirely liking these two didn't help my enjoyment of the series.
There were things I liked about the book, like the scenes with the secondary characters. And the friendship between Julie, Serena and Faith is nicely done. There are some hot sex scenes...maybe a few too many, though, since I skimmed a few when it got to be too much.
The book on the whole just came up short for me, which is unusual for a Maya Banks book. I tend to really enjoy her stories. But I didn't hate this one. Just found it fairly average because it came up short in some critical areas for me. But Banks still tells a story well so it kept the book from sucking.
WARNING, this book contains: explicit sex, explicit language, oral sex, anal sex, m/f/m threesome, blindfolds, a scene with other characters involving whipping. I think that's it for this one.
Series Note:
Third book in Banks's "Sweet" series, an erotic BDSM based series. You could probably read this one on its own, but there's a lot of references to the other books, active involvement of those characters so you might be lost on those areas if you don't read them in order.
Summary:
Julie Stanford has wanted Nathan Tucker since she first set eyes on him. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to really know she's alive, at least as a female interested in him. So she decides to give him a massage he'll never forget and then move on. To her own secret fantasies.
Once Nathan realizes he'd played things too cool with Julie and that she's moving on from him and going to a sex club to have her secret fantasy fulfilled, he's livid. No way will someone else touch HIS woman. So he sets about fulfilling her fantasy himself.
Both are working at cross-purposes and will have to open the lines of communication if they hope to build a relationship.
Review:
This book wasn't quite what I was expecting it to be. After the first 2 books being very heavy D/s & BDSM stories, with book 2 making me a bit twitchy, I thought this one would be more of the same. But it's more of a straight up erotic romance with a kink factor. I didn't dislike it being that way, but at the same time, it's a bit ill-fitting for the established theme of the series. But that's not why I'm on the fence about this book.
What didn't particularly work for me about this book was it's lack of balance. The focus of the book is the developing relationship between Julie and Nathan, with a solid side dose of the trials and tribulations of the couples from the first two books, along with a small dose of the hero of the next book. And the ways those various aspects were written came off unbalanced to me.
By that, I mean that the majority of the scenes involving Nathan and Julie revolved around sex. Until the end, they don't have a whole lot of non-sexual interaction. At the same time, you got some very nice scenes involving the other two couples, Faith & Gray and Serena & Damon. Scenes that involved problems in their relationships, how they deal with them, where they're headed, etc. And you get a scene with Micah, hero of the next book, giving you some background knowledge. These scenes revolving around the side characters are very emotionally based, scenes that draw you in to the characters and the relationships. While the scenes with Nathan and Julie were very sexual. They don't communicate much until the end, don't develop an emotional bond. It makes their relationship come off as rather superficial. I was more interested in the relationships of the other characters because of the lack of emotional depth with Nathan and Julie. That was disappointing from an author who usually tells very well-rounded erotic romances.
I'm not saying that the scenes with the side characters should have been cut down or out because I found them to be engaging to read, but they had a bit of a dominating affect on the story. It took time and emphasis away from the relationship between Nathan and Julie when they weren't getting any focus on the emotional development of their relationship. I wanted more for them.
And I'm not sure I particularly liked Julie and Nathan. Julie just tweaked me the wrong way at times in the story, and Nathan...I'm not sure how to describe it...he's supposed to be a badass Alpha but he doesn't tend to come off that way. There was something I found rather timid about him. And I didn't like that character type for a male character in this series. So not entirely liking these two didn't help my enjoyment of the series.
There were things I liked about the book, like the scenes with the secondary characters. And the friendship between Julie, Serena and Faith is nicely done. There are some hot sex scenes...maybe a few too many, though, since I skimmed a few when it got to be too much.
The book on the whole just came up short for me, which is unusual for a Maya Banks book. I tend to really enjoy her stories. But I didn't hate this one. Just found it fairly average because it came up short in some critical areas for me. But Banks still tells a story well so it kept the book from sucking.
WARNING, this book contains: explicit sex, explicit language, oral sex, anal sex, m/f/m threesome, blindfolds, a scene with other characters involving whipping. I think that's it for this one.
August 18, 2015
Ok, this one SUCKED!
He BLUSHES, he has NO self confidence, he has no guts to ask a girl out! Come on - this is supposed to be a romance (erotic!) novel, not a geek convention! If I wanted to read about losers i'd go look for them in real life!
She is all over him even though he is clearly not interested (according to the vibes he's giving out), she gives him a blowjob (which he tried to fight off), constantly reminds the readers that she is fat but is ok with it (if that were so, you wouldn't need to mention it a million times!), goes off to have a threesome with two random dudes...
The friends are all into kinky sex - bondage, bdsm, mastery/slavery, sex clubs, sharing wives with other men, humiliating/whipping women in front of the other club members, etc... I find it highly unrealistic that the whole group of friends (who did not meet through this lifestyle!) are ALL into same kinky stuff!
The girlfriends all call each other names (bitch, cow/heifer, etc...) and affectionately swear at each other ! ALL THE TIME!
We find out more about Faith/Gray - they seem the most normal out of all the couples, yet even they are weird... He buys a house (that they can't afford) without consulting her?! She doesn't get to participate in picking their dream home?! And he decorates it himself?! Okkkk...... Then they dodge a pregnancy bullet and claim that they might be ready for kids in about 5 years or so... Ummm - i'm imagining these people being in their mid 30's... No offense - but when are you planning on having kids!? In your 40's?
Serena/Damon are getting married and they celebrate this by him publicly whipping her in front of the whole club... (Julie sees this and is jealous because nobody loves her like that! She is "moved to tears by this display of love and devotion". Really?! Really?!?!?!?!?! Ok - he whipped her and came on her a*s and this is a display of love and devotion?! WOW!)
Anyways, back to Julie/Nathan (oh yeah, this book is about them!), there is really no real or valid conflict here! Nathan acts uninterested in Julie, won't call her, won't date her, won't sleep with her, unless it's anonymously at the club, where she can't tell it's him!!!... Yet he tells his friends that he practically already loves her and thinks she is the one for him! Dude?! Grow a pair!!! So this whole book is practically about her chasing him and him pretending he's not interested, but lusting after her in secret! NOT COOL!
Finally - when they get together and he proposes to her - she RUNS AWAY! She chickens out and runs away! After all this chasing and throwing herself at him - she runs away after she's got him?!
Of course, he gets her back, but overall - it was a BLAAAAAAH story!
He BLUSHES, he has NO self confidence, he has no guts to ask a girl out! Come on - this is supposed to be a romance (erotic!) novel, not a geek convention! If I wanted to read about losers i'd go look for them in real life!
She is all over him even though he is clearly not interested (according to the vibes he's giving out), she gives him a blowjob (which he tried to fight off), constantly reminds the readers that she is fat but is ok with it (if that were so, you wouldn't need to mention it a million times!), goes off to have a threesome with two random dudes...
The friends are all into kinky sex - bondage, bdsm, mastery/slavery, sex clubs, sharing wives with other men, humiliating/whipping women in front of the other club members, etc... I find it highly unrealistic that the whole group of friends (who did not meet through this lifestyle!) are ALL into same kinky stuff!
The girlfriends all call each other names (bitch, cow/heifer, etc...) and affectionately swear at each other ! ALL THE TIME!
We find out more about Faith/Gray - they seem the most normal out of all the couples, yet even they are weird... He buys a house (that they can't afford) without consulting her?! She doesn't get to participate in picking their dream home?! And he decorates it himself?! Okkkk...... Then they dodge a pregnancy bullet and claim that they might be ready for kids in about 5 years or so... Ummm - i'm imagining these people being in their mid 30's... No offense - but when are you planning on having kids!? In your 40's?
Serena/Damon are getting married and they celebrate this by him publicly whipping her in front of the whole club... (Julie sees this and is jealous because nobody loves her like that! She is "moved to tears by this display of love and devotion". Really?! Really?!?!?!?!?! Ok - he whipped her and came on her a*s and this is a display of love and devotion?! WOW!)
Anyways, back to Julie/Nathan (oh yeah, this book is about them!), there is really no real or valid conflict here! Nathan acts uninterested in Julie, won't call her, won't date her, won't sleep with her, unless it's anonymously at the club, where she can't tell it's him!!!... Yet he tells his friends that he practically already loves her and thinks she is the one for him! Dude?! Grow a pair!!! So this whole book is practically about her chasing him and him pretending he's not interested, but lusting after her in secret! NOT COOL!
Finally - when they get together and he proposes to her - she RUNS AWAY! She chickens out and runs away! After all this chasing and throwing herself at him - she runs away after she's got him?!
Of course, he gets her back, but overall - it was a BLAAAAAAH story!
October 1, 2009
Julie is a very strong woman who knows exactly what, or better said who she wants. She’s stubborn as hell and doesn’t want to back down. Her ideas are sometimes a bit over the top but she makes them come true nonetheless. Julie runs from one extreme into the next but she won my heart with her sassy attitude and her witty comments. She’s a very reliable person and full of love for her friends. She has character, a very strong one and men seem to be afraid of it. But who is Julie to change herself for men. She doesn’t want to cower in front of one. She knows her goals, doesn’t quarrel with herself, just starts going for them.
Nathan is a real sweetheart. I know men hate to hear that but he really is. He’s caring and never short of a helping hand. There's just one tiny problem: He wants Julie but he’s to shy to do something about it. He feels like a little teenage boy every time she’s near him. He has to find a way to get past this or he will lose her completely. And this would be unacceptable for him. He can be stubborn too.
But when Julie tries to get him out of her head all bets are off. She goes straight for her biggest fantasy and Nathan will do anything to prevent that or better to participate.
Sounds naughty and it definitely is- in a very good way. LOL
Nathan crosses his own limits just to make Julies dreams come true and how sweet is that. I love that man.
Yeah I know it’s not necessary to say but the scenes between the sheets are great as ever but no real surprise because Maya wrote this book and she knows how to make the pages sizzle.
The relationship between the two is slightly different in comparison to the first two books but in my opinion it suits them. I loved the way Maya developed the connection between Nathan and Julie while still getting all the subplot smoothed inside the story. I never lost focus on the main action but was also really intrigued about what happens to everyone else- and there's a lot happening in this book. The groundwork for Micah’s story is so good that I already started counting the days till his book is released(188 days *sigh*). Great book about love and friendship with a good amount of witty and funny comments.
4 1/2 of 5 stars
Nathan is a real sweetheart. I know men hate to hear that but he really is. He’s caring and never short of a helping hand. There's just one tiny problem: He wants Julie but he’s to shy to do something about it. He feels like a little teenage boy every time she’s near him. He has to find a way to get past this or he will lose her completely. And this would be unacceptable for him. He can be stubborn too.
But when Julie tries to get him out of her head all bets are off. She goes straight for her biggest fantasy and Nathan will do anything to prevent that or better to participate.
Sounds naughty and it definitely is- in a very good way. LOL
Nathan crosses his own limits just to make Julies dreams come true and how sweet is that. I love that man.
Yeah I know it’s not necessary to say but the scenes between the sheets are great as ever but no real surprise because Maya wrote this book and she knows how to make the pages sizzle.
The relationship between the two is slightly different in comparison to the first two books but in my opinion it suits them. I loved the way Maya developed the connection between Nathan and Julie while still getting all the subplot smoothed inside the story. I never lost focus on the main action but was also really intrigued about what happens to everyone else- and there's a lot happening in this book. The groundwork for Micah’s story is so good that I already started counting the days till his book is released(188 days *sigh*). Great book about love and friendship with a good amount of witty and funny comments.
4 1/2 of 5 stars
October 12, 2014
I didn't think that this book was as good as the first 2 in this series.
What I didn't like about this book was how crude and rude Julie was. Often times she came across so abrasive that I wondered why any man would be interested in her. She was even like that to her friends. And don't even get me started about her calling everyone a heifer! I hate it when people call each other that.
What I did like about the book was some of Julie's actions. I loved it when she finally decided to get Nathan worked out of her system. Her massage of him was perfect! I also loved that she decided to act out a fantasy of hers.
Some things that I had issues with was that Julie wasn't mad when she found out Nathan and Micah's secret. She was so blase about it, I would have been steaming. Also, the 3 girls went out for girl's night, proceeded to get so drunk they all were literally on the floor. But the next morning she manages to have extremely active sex????? I don't think so. She would have been more likely spending the day worshiping at the alter of the porcelain god.
Overall it was nice to see more within this group. The little glimpse we got of Micah makes me very intrigued to learn his story and to read is book!
What I didn't like about this book was how crude and rude Julie was. Often times she came across so abrasive that I wondered why any man would be interested in her. She was even like that to her friends. And don't even get me started about her calling everyone a heifer! I hate it when people call each other that.
What I did like about the book was some of Julie's actions. I loved it when she finally decided to get Nathan worked out of her system. Her massage of him was perfect! I also loved that she decided to act out a fantasy of hers.
Some things that I had issues with was that Julie wasn't mad when she found out Nathan and Micah's secret. She was so blase about it, I would have been steaming. Also, the 3 girls went out for girl's night, proceeded to get so drunk they all were literally on the floor. But the next morning she manages to have extremely active sex????? I don't think so. She would have been more likely spending the day worshiping at the alter of the porcelain god.
Overall it was nice to see more within this group. The little glimpse we got of Micah makes me very intrigued to learn his story and to read is book!
July 14, 2017
Julie Stanford is a strong, independent woman that is very sure of herself. Julie has wanted Nathan Tucker ever since she gave him his first massage. Getting paid to feel every inch of his body, stripped, oiled, and spread out in front of her only Nathan doesn't take notice and she is tired of wanting. Julie goes to Damon Roche owner of the House from book two in this series about making her dreams to true she wants two men totally there for her pleasure. These two MCs are my favorite couple they have some very funny scenes and when he finds out that Julie wants a menage Nathen hits the roof. This was a really good book and my favorite of the series and although I would have love to read about more action with these two this book was about friendships and relationships girlfriends who confide everything to one another and rely on each other for support. Guy friends who are drinking buddies who depend on each other to keep them sane with their female problems I found that this book was well written with no errors in grammar or spelling. I would recommend this series to anyone who likes reading about hot alpha males and the women who love them.
January 17, 2015
Ik leerde Maya Banks haar boeken kennen kort nadat de Vijftig Tinten-hype begon. Waar ik deze bekende boeken best wel eens ontspannend vond, was de ‘Ademloos’-trilogie de eerste serie in dit genre die ik met plezier las.
Ondertussen heeft Maya Banks al meer dan vijftig boeken in dit genre gepubliceerd. De Verleiding-serie is de tweede die in het Nederlands werd vertaald. Waar de eerste twee boeken van deze serie wel meevielen maar niet me even zeer konden overtuigen dan haar ‘Ademloos’-trilogie, deed dit boek dat weer wel.
De fantasieën van Julie Stanford mogen dan niet op mijn Bucket-lijst staan, toch las ik dit boek erg snel uit. Het was dan ook erg leuk om te zien hoe zowel Julie als Nathan elkaar tot waanzin leken te drijven. Doorgaans is dit niet echt mijn ding, maar in dit boek was het grappig uitgewerkt.
...
Mijn volledige recensie kan je hier terugvinden.
Ondertussen heeft Maya Banks al meer dan vijftig boeken in dit genre gepubliceerd. De Verleiding-serie is de tweede die in het Nederlands werd vertaald. Waar de eerste twee boeken van deze serie wel meevielen maar niet me even zeer konden overtuigen dan haar ‘Ademloos’-trilogie, deed dit boek dat weer wel.
De fantasieën van Julie Stanford mogen dan niet op mijn Bucket-lijst staan, toch las ik dit boek erg snel uit. Het was dan ook erg leuk om te zien hoe zowel Julie als Nathan elkaar tot waanzin leken te drijven. Doorgaans is dit niet echt mijn ding, maar in dit boek was het grappig uitgewerkt.
...
Mijn volledige recensie kan je hier terugvinden.
September 28, 2014
Pues esta historia me quedo debiendo... No tengo queja en cuanto a los personajes... como mencione Julie me encanta, en cuanto a Nathan no fue woow pero se defiende; creo que fue la trama la que me dio algo de flojera, aun así los diálogos fueron buenos, más los de Julie con Serena y Faith jajaja y las bromas que le gastaban a Nathan.
Esta vez las escenas hot no fueron alusinantes de como me tiene acostumbrada Maya, lo que más disfrute de este libro fueron las pequeñas partes de Serena y Damon, porque obviamente ellos siguen siendo mi pareja favorita... aunque ahora que vi que sigue el libro sobre Micah, bueno veo el panorama peligroso.
El libro fue de cierta manera divertido, y aunque hasta ahora ha sido el que menos me ha gustado, se tiene que leer ya que contiene detalles importantes sobre las historias anteriores y las futuras.
Esta vez las escenas hot no fueron alusinantes de como me tiene acostumbrada Maya, lo que más disfrute de este libro fueron las pequeñas partes de Serena y Damon, porque obviamente ellos siguen siendo mi pareja favorita... aunque ahora que vi que sigue el libro sobre Micah, bueno veo el panorama peligroso.
El libro fue de cierta manera divertido, y aunque hasta ahora ha sido el que menos me ha gustado, se tiene que leer ya que contiene detalles importantes sobre las historias anteriores y las futuras.
April 19, 2010
I absolutely loved this one too!! Julie and Nathan played a little too much cat and mouse, but I love them anyway. I also really enjoyed revisiting Gray and Faith and Damon and Serena, I loved that they also had their own little stories going on! Not to mention like all the books in this series it was HOT, HOT, HOT!! Getting ready to settle in and begin Micah's story!!
March 7, 2017
The third installment was good. I enjoyed the heat of passion. I might expect too much, but building upon the characters from the previous books, this one felt like another HEA chapter. I feel myself assuming which character gets their HEA next. I want more conflict and tension. Maybe my erotica eyes are becoming accoustomed to the light of this genre. Anyone have an opinion?
October 5, 2009
4 ½ stars – Contemporary Romance/Erotica/Ménage
October 29, 2017
read this a long time ago and it is easy to dive back into. Love Ms Banks writing style, characters and stories. plenty of action and a great romance
September 8, 2014
if i could i would put 10 stars on this one!!
JUST WONDERFUL!! <3
i loved every second of it and my stomach was constantly hurting from laughing!!! ;)
I ADORED NATHAN!!! <3 <3
JUST WONDERFUL!! <3
i loved every second of it and my stomach was constantly hurting from laughing!!! ;)
I ADORED NATHAN!!! <3 <3
August 21, 2015
In my opinion, this was a sad 2.5 rating. Had to struggle to finish this one. Didn't hold my interest. I felt I was reading a instruction manual in how to have a successful threesome.
February 17, 2016
1.5 Stars – Heroine ruined the book for me.
November 28, 2016
4.5 stars!!! Julie has been in lust with Nathan that doesn't know Julie exists well after a blow job that Nathan will never forget Julie decides to have an anonymous threesome and the fun begins....
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