Just One Night by Lauren Layne

The Basics:
Just One Night by Lauren Layne
Loveswept
Book Two in the Sex, Love & Stiletto series
Romance
Published April 22, 2014
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon.ca

Why I Picked Up This Book:

I enjoyed the first book in the series, couldn't resist the next one.




Blurb:
 
Sam Compton knows two things about Riley McKenna: She’s the only woman for him. But as his best friend’s little sister, she’s also completely off-limits. Sam shouldn’t even consider her proposition: to have a one-night stand in the name of research. But the thought of another man putting his hands on Riley is more than Sam can handle, and soon he’s agreeing to one night with New York’s resident sexpot. But Riley’s full of surprises, and what starts as “one time only” soon becomes “just one more time.” And then one more. And before they know it, Riley and Sam learn firsthand that when it comes to love, there’s no such thing as just one night.


Riley McKenna knows sex—good sex, bad sex, kinky sex. Her articles in Stiletto magazine are the publication’s most scandalous—and the most read. But when Stiletto’s fiftieth anniversary issue requires her column to get a lot more personal, Riley is forced to confront a long-hidden secret: Her own sexual experience is limited to one awkward college encounter. Now Riley is about to call in the favor of a lifetime from the one man who’s always held her heart.

My thoughts:

This book hit a lot of highlights for me in the contemporary romance genre. We've got smart, sassy people with witty banter and off-the-charts chemistry. We've got the long, slow simmer as Sam and Riley have been connected - as sister of best friend and then as friends in their own right, for ten years. 

This book was fun, but for some reason I got stuck on all the games that Riley had to play to get Sam to 'see the light' as it were. Sure, trying to make him jealous was one thing, particularly when he saw right through it, but I was a bit put off by the amount of scheming done. It would have been easier for me to read, I think, if she'd made the decision to sideline her attraction to him rather than being so deliberate and manipulative about it.

There just was something a little unequal in this relationship, tilted towards Riley's end of things. Unusual, yes, because normally I feel like the man holds all the cards. Still, the story was sweet overall, and I found the writing snappy and witty.

I enjoyed the journey these two took - trying to overcome a decade of perceptions and attitudes what not required some serious doing. 

Also, is anyone else noticing this as a trend in romance lately? People in their late twenties with very little to no sexual experience? I find it... curious.

Bottom line:

Not my favourite by Layne, this was still a pretty entertaining contemporary romance. 

3.5 stars For fans of contemporary romance, Lauren Layne