Wednesday, 14 February 2018

Between the Studs by Brigham Vaughn - Release Day Review


Length: 33,511 words (Novella)

Genre: MMF Poly Contemporary Romance

Buy Links: Amazon |  Kobo | iTunes | PayHip | Scribd | Smashwords

It will also be available on Barnes & Noble

 Between the Studs on Goodreads:


Blurb

After a busy and successful year at her bakery, divorcée Aimee Lucas decides to splurge on a bathroom renovation. The owner of Lucas’s Fine Cakes and Pastries is tired of lackluster Valentine’s Days, so she’s looking forward to a solo celebration this year. Why bother with a mediocre date when she can relax in a tub with a glass of wine?

Joshua Ward and Matt Mitchell co-own a construction company, but there’s a bit more to their partnership than they let on. Although both men have caught the eye of many a homeowner, they never mix business with pleasure.

When Aimee hires J&M Construction to remodel her bathroom, she never expects to find a date. Much less two.

As the project continues, Aimee, Matt, and Josh find themselves drawn to one another. Matt and Josh are happy together, but they’re looking for a woman to be their third, and it quickly becomes clear Aimee might just be whom they’ve been searching for.

With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, they all have decisions to make. Can Matt and Josh broach the subject without losing their customer? And will Aimee decide she just wants a fling with the hunky contractors, or is it time for her to take a leap of faith on something more?

Excerpt

Paula nodded knowingly when Aimee finished. “They’re totally into you! I definitely didn’t get any cozy chats with them over coffee or flirtatious banter.”

“Yeah, but both of them? I mean, are they just hedging their bets? Figuring I’ll choose one or the other?”

“Maybe.Maybe not though. They could just be into that.”

“Into what?” Aimee’s eyes got big as she realized what Paula meant. “Oh. You mean …?”

“Mmhmm.Maybe they like gettin’ it on together with a gorgeous woman.”

Threesomes. Well that wasn’t something Aimee had ever considered. Well, there had been the one time in college where she’d sort of ended up in bed with a couple, but she hadn’t been into the girl enough to go down on her and it had involved a lot of drunken fumbling. It had been sort of hot though, she mused.

But two guys? That was something altogether different. And this was no college experimentation. She was a grown adult for goodness sake. She owned a house and a business. She couldn’t really be thinking about it. Could she?

“You’re thinking about it, aren’t you?” Paula teased.

“No!” Aimee protested. But Paula’s arched eyebrow and the disbelief etched on her face prompted her to clarify. “I mean, yes, I’m thinking about what you suggested but not because I’m considering doing it.”

“Why not?”

Aimee sputtered. “Because that’s crazy! And so not me.”

“When was the last time you got laid?”

“Way too long ago,” Aimee admitted. “But come on, I can’t just answer the door tomorrow in lingerie and fuck me heels and say ‘hey boys, wanna fuck me?”


 Review

Between the Studs is a wonderful read. It gave this reader exactly what she wanted from a poly romance.

For starters, we’re meeting three wonderful characters. The whole story is told from Aimee’s perspective, which makes sense because the whole poly idea is new and scary to her. But through her eyes we get to fully appreciate Josh and Matt; and boy is there a lot to appreciate. Not only are they, as the title implies, total studs, they are also funny, charming, thoughtful, considerate, and incredibly sexy.

I so enjoyed Aimee’s journey from just enjoying having the two men in her house while they worked on her new bathroom, to cautious flirting, through a few doubts, to a night of out-of-this-world and mind-blowing sex. And then, just when you think that Aimee has found her happiness, the novelty of it all combines with her personal insecurities and… Let’s just say I wanted to slap her at that point. Not because her feelings, doubts, and reasoning didn’t make sense, but because I couldn’t stand her potentially throwing away the best thing that had ever happened to her.

Of course, the fact that her initial decision upset me so much, only proves how invested in the story and the characters I’d become by that point in the story. And the process she has to go through to get over her insecurities and reach the point where she is willing to follow her heart, even if it does mean taking a leap of faith, is exactly what makes this novella so much more than an erotic short. Because while this novella certainly is incredibly sexy, it is also the story of one woman who had been left once too often, finding the courage to embrace life again. And while I can’t deny thoroughly enjoying the sexy times between Aimee, Josh, and Matt, it was the rest of the story that made this book unputdownable for me.

I have to warn you though; Aimee’s baking plays a star role in this story and I have to admit the descriptions of her creations had my mouth watering. This may be one of those books you shouldn’t read while hungry J

If you’re in the mood for a well written, charming, very sexy and delightful story this Valentine’s Day (or any other time of the year), I highly recommend Between the Studs.



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