Looking for a holiday themed romance? Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas...take your pick; this one covers it all.
Oh, Naughty Night! (Harlequin Blaze) by Leslie Kelly
3.5 Stars
Oh, Naughty Night! is the story of Lulu Vandenberg
and Chaz Browning, spanning from Halloween through Christmas although a large
part of the book deals with Halloween night. Lulu and Chaz were neighbors growing up, their
mothers are best friends. But there wasn’t exactly friendship between them.
Lulu was the tormenter to a rather awkward Chaz. Now as adults they are living
in the same city again and, in costume out celebrating Halloween, Lulu spots a
very grown up, head-turner Chaz and sparks fly. Only Lulu may recognize him,
but Chaz does not recognize her in her witch’s disguise. They dance, they
flirt, and the night gets risky and steamy. But identities remain guarded. When
Chaz’s sister appears on the scene, Lulu bolts before she can be discovered.
Now Chaz is looking for his mystery woman, and he becomes
even more confused when the only other girl to rival the attraction he feels
for his fantasy witch is Lulu, who he reconnects with as friends.
The story is a fun, holiday romance. While there is
misunderstanding, there is no angst. It’s a sweet, sexy, and light-hearted
read.
Can Chaz forgive Lulu’s deception? Will the other women in
Chaz’s life come between them? Or will his job separate them instead? A Christmas miracle might be just what they
need to overcome all the obstacles they know are standing between them as well
as the ones they don’t seem to realize.
I particularly enjoyed the scene where Chaz ascertains
Lulu’s deceit. It was cute, humorous, and
then eventually quite heated. There are quite a few naughty scenes to
keep the heating brewing too.
My big drawback with the story was the 3rd person
narration. I have a strong preference for 1st person POV when it
comes to romance stories. Lulu and Chaz
were both likeable, but I could have felt connected with them so
much more if it would have been told from their alternating point of views. With
a narrator telling their feelings instead of hearing it from the characters
themselves, there were just too many times that my attention veered off since I
wasn’t inside their heads.
The supporting characters are also likeable, and Lulu’s
friend’s Amelia gets her own holiday story in New Year’s Resolution: Romance,
an anthology coming in January 2015. I
can’t say my interest in Amelia was ever perked throughout Lulu’s story, but a
book on Sarah and Lawrence, Chaz’s sister and Lulu’s brother, would be
interesting.
Copy provided by NetGalley for review.
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