Pulled Long by Christine d’Abo

Ian Long owns a coffee shop with his two sisters.  Jeff Carson is a straight guy that’s getting a divorce and has a crush on Ian.  Christine has given her reader’s another interesting read.

 Right in the first chapter, Ian goes for it.  You have to cheer Ian on – he really deserves some happiness.  Jeff is very blunt about what he’s looking for from Ian.  Ian got burned once so now he has self-esteem issues.  On their first date, they go to Maverick’s (a sex club for adults).

 Christine has them doing “truth or dare” on their first date in one of the rooms at Maverick’s.  It was a very interesting scene.  What a way to get to know each other.  Her sex scenes never disappoint her readers – can we say hot! 

 I love how Christine doesn’t make relationships easy for her characters – just like in real life.  Nothing is straightforward between Jeff and Ian.  And of course one of them has an ex.  Jeff has the type of personality where he expects answers – he’s exactly what Ian needs.  Christine shows the reader that everyone can feel vulnerable but that most families are there no matter what.  At the very end, she gives the reader a chuckle.

 You will be glad that you have read this series.  You don’t have to read any of the books, in this series, in order but at some point you have to read each one.  You won’t regret reading the works of Christine d’Abo. You’re also one step closer to reading Josh’s story.

I give “Pulled Long” 4 1/2 stars.

A Shot in the Dark by Christine d’Abo

This is the second book in the “Long Shots” series.

Main Characters:  Paige Long is part owner of a coffee shop along with two of her siblings.  Carter is a firefighter who frequents her shop.  Right away he likes what he sees and invites her to Mavericks, a local sex club.

Paige walks into the coffee shop’s kitchen to find two of her employees having sex.  Now what would you do in her shoes?  She ends up working the rest of the night shift and this guy starts to hit on her – his name is Carter.  In talking with Carter, it finally dawns on her that he is a Dom.

Her brother Ian comes to see her the next day after hearing what happened the night before.  She’s concerned about him.  Is this what leads to Christine’s third book?  Can’t wait for number 3 to come out so that I can find out the answer.

On her way back to the coffee shop, guess who she meets again.  This time in a uniform.  Don’t you just love men in uniform?  He’s also back to hitting on Paige.

One thing I love about Christine’s writing is that she sticks to her scenes.  There is no going off on tangents that don’t have anything to do with the interaction of our main characters.  Or that don’t add anything to a scene. 

Things start to happen quickly for Carter and Paige – another good thing about short stories.  They both know that they can give each other what they want.  This is what makes Carter a good Dom.  You will find that the BDSM is very subtle in this story. 

If you are more of a sensualist, this story will be good for you.  None of the sex scenes are over the top and unbelievable.  If you have an adventurous sex partner this story may give you some ideas.  And isn’t that what some of our romance/erotic novels do?  Give us ideas that spice up our lives a little.

The story ends with us wanting more.  I can’t wait to see how Christine is going to end this trilogy.  Will Ian finally be happy and find love?  This is definitely a series that you will want to read again.

I do have questions for Christine though, is Josh going to have his own story?  He seems to be a link between our main characters.  I would love to see him connect with someone.  Is Maverick’s going to show up in other books? 

I give book 2 of the “Long Shots” series 4 1/2 stars

Double Shot by Christine D’Abo

This is book 1 of Christine’s “Long Shot Series”.

Main characters:  Sadie Long owns a coffee shop and she lusts over Paul Williams.  Paul, who happens to be a good friend of Sadie’s, works at a sex club called Mavericks.  Josh Scott is Paul’s boss.

As Christine’s story opens, we see that Sadie is a shy young woman.  She goes into Mavericks looking for Paul but ends up having an interesting fantasy.  You can also tell that Sadie has the hots for Paul.  Paul wants to offer Sadie a catering job.  This is also when Sadie first meets Josh.

I loved the interaction between Sadie and her brother Ian.  I can just picture how Ian is reacting to Sadie’s artistic talent.  I love how Christine also makes reference to one of my favorite cooking shows.  It helps to give her story more reality (something the reader can relate to).  She also does a great job of showing the heat building between Sadie and Paul.

The night of the catering event, Paul finally lets Sadie know some of the fantasies he’s been having about her.  Christine also gives us a hint of what Sadie wants.  Christine also does a great job of teasing the reader by not having the sex so “in your face”.  We get to use our imaginations this way.

The story is subtle and sexy at the same time.  Plus, it’s nice to see a young woman character still have a shy side and a business woman at the same time.  The sex scenes flow very well through the story.  You don’t feel that Christine decided this was where I needed to add some sex in.  You can feel how all the characters connect together.  And, how bad can it be being “serviced” by two hot men (every woman’s fantasy).

If you have a significant other, this book will help put some spice in your love life.  It may also be a book that you would like to read over and over.  This book is h-o-t.  You will need to keep a fan handy.  This is also a short story so if you don’t have a lot of time to read and want your “love” fix, this would be a perfect book for you.

I definitely cannot wait for book 2 to come out.

I give this book 4 1/2 stars.