Tuesday, June 16, 2015

BOOK REVIEWS: Vipers Den (1-3) by J.B. Heller

Vipers Den: Part One Piper & Kade

 4 Stars

Piper runs an edgy beauty salon, the Vipers Den.  Kade Benson is a hunky computer geek and her brother’s best friend since high school.  Piper thinks she can’t stand him or maybe she’s jealous of his friendship with her brother, but either way the initial proposition of being his fake girlfriend is not something she’s ever coveted.

Till she gets a taste of him.
“Apparently it wasn’t so much that I loved to hate him, but more so I hated that I loved him. It was a revelation that was for sure.”
Kade has a clingy stalker ex on his tail and he needs to send her a message. He also has a long standing crush on Piper so why not kill two birds with one stone. When a fake relationship turns the tables on their real one and opens Piper’s eyes, things get steamy!
“Every thrust meant something, it told her what I couldn’t say out loud.”
This is book one in a novella series so it’s a quickie stand-alone read, but it still serves up a cute story.  Piper is a strong, independent girl, running her own businesses and not cowering at the threat of Kade’s creepy stalker.  It was refreshing to see a heroine with balls who confronts the enemy head-on rather than being a weak, scared victim of jealousy.  Kade is quite the sexy book boyfriend. He’s cooks in the kitchen and takes control in the bedroom. What more could you want?


  

Vipers Den: Part Two Pixie & Jake

3.75

Pixie Cole is Piper’s elfish stylist at the Viper’s Den but she was once Tia Malone. But the life she ran away from threatens to return the day Jake Kennedy walks into the shop.  A blast from the past, Pixie isn’t ready to face all the memories Jake evokes.  But Jake wants her back.
“We were a pair; it was destiny that pulled us apart, but it was also destiny that brought us back together.”
This second novella in the series isn’t as light-hearted as the first, and Pixie doesn’t have the brass that Piper does, although Piper and Kade do make appearances as the supporting characters this time around.  On one hand I felt like the backstory on Pixie was a little vague and yet what was hinted at probably wasn’t something I really wanted to read about so maybe it’s best that way.

There’s a little bit of a love triangle in this one, but Pixie just has to follow her heart and let go of her fears.  The question is can they take it slow.
“’Trust me when I say I would rather have you pinned against that wall, sinking my length deep inside of you, than be having this conversation.’”
Overall, a sweet story of overcoming the past, building a new life, and finding a place where you belong. 


Vipers Den: Part Three Tay & Nate

3.5 Stars

Taylor Jane Seymour, 33, is a stylist at the Viper’s Den.  Nate Summers is a nail technician there.  They’ve both had the hots for each other for years but neither has stepped up to the plate. Till now.

Now being Tay’s decision to have a baby on her own. That revelation propels a streak of possessiveness in Nate that he’s never felt before with a woman, and he’s ready to volunteer for the sperm donor job. 
“’I don’t want another man’s baby growing inside your beautiful body, I don’t want another man touching you full stop…’”
I thought Tay and Nate had a lot of initial chemistry. More so than Pixie and Jake in the previous one. Things seemed to be really heating up. 
“’You sure I can’t just slip it in right now? I can feel how wet you are for me, Tay, you’re so wet it’s seeping through your underwear.’”
But that’s where the budding romance and heat factor took a turn. Tay was so set on her “plan.” I honestly felt her “method” took away from the potential steam factor. I really wanted to see her lead more with her heart and emotions instead of trying to making it so “clinical.”  There’s was a great build-up that fizzled out and honestly made me lose interest in the story.  And while these are novellas, the ending felt a bit abrupt, the premise of the story not seen the whole way through. I hope we get more glimpses of Tay and Nate in future books, but I really felt this one should have carried them through to term. 

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