I really enjoyed Talk Me Down. It was a fun, fluffy and sexy read. Perhaps at times the actions of Molly were a bit too silly, but overall I really had a fun time reading this one. I can see Victoria going far in the contemporary world. She reminds me a bit like of Julia Harper, who also writes historical romances under another name, much like Victoria does. Also Rachel Gibson comes to mind. It was a welcomed relief to lose myself in such a book like this.
Molly Jennings has returned to her small home town of Tumble Creek, Colorado to escape her stalkerish, won't take a no for an answer, ex-boyfriend Cameron. Cameron has a way in making people agree with him and he really thinks Molly is playing hard to get and they are not really broken up. It gets so bad, that Molly has to leave Denver and return to her roots. Molly's job lets her travel because as long as she has a computer, she can work. Molly is an erotic romance author who goes by the name Holly Summers. (I think that is a great pen name) Molly keeps her career a secret because she doesn't want people to look down upon her, because most of her family and friends wouldn't have a high opinion of her work. If I were in Molly shoes, I would shout from the hills- "I write great sex! Nah Nah.". But Molly is not that self assured and probably likes the mystery she eludes.
As soon as Molly returns, she bumps into her old crush and older brother's friend, Ben Lawson. Ben is the Chief of Police in Tumble Creek. Ben acts as if Molly has the plague because their last encounter was when a barely teenage Molly caught Ben with a girl who was giving him oral sex. Both were beyond embarrassed, especially Ben. Ben keeps to himself and tries not to fuel the town's gossips because his father did something so horrible that has followed Ben into adulthood. Ben would love to get to know Molly better, but her personality and lifestyle is sure to raise some eyebrows, which Ben doesn't need. And because Molly won't tell Ben what she does for a living, he will stay away.
Ben can't keep away from Molly because it is such a small town and he loves being with her. She is bubbly, happy and makes his heart go pitter patter. This does sound strange to explain how the hero feels, but Ben is so very different from the other heroes I have read in the past. Ben blushes up a storm every time he is near Molly or she says something that shocks him. Very early on, Molly says something that doesn't just make Ben blush, but he actually puts his hands over his ears so he doesn't have to hear anymore. Can you think of any other time in another book where you have a hero doing this? I haven't, and I loved that Victoria wrote Ben like this. Ben was just too cute for words.
Molly is sick of placing her feeling aside for the Chief of Police and will use her feminine wiles to get Ben into her bed. Ben is a man after all and Molly is a woman he really appreciates. These two can't keep their hands off of each other. The make out like crazy in his car and finally when they get to the bedroom and have sex, it is really tender, sweet and hot. Molly and Ben are very happy with one another, even though Molly refuses to say she is Ben's girlfriend. Ben is the first one to say, "Yes you are my girlfriend. We are having sex and that means we are together and exclusive." I kept saying, GO BEN! Shut up Molly and just kiss him.
But as Ben and Molly try to work things out, Ben can't help but question Molly about her job and her ex-boyfriend who sends her gifts and shows up expecting to go to a party. Also, Molly thinks someone keeps breaking into her house, unlocking doors and moving things around. She still won't tell Ben what she does to make money and Ben is to the point of being fed up.
Talk Me Down had some great moments, especially between Ben and Molly. I am not just talking about their physical relationship but I loved their dialogue with one another. I had a few laughs over Ben because he ran a few job scenarios around in his head that Molly could possibly be involved with such as online sex performer and stripper. I really didn't think it was such a big deal that Molly kept her career such a secret. Her personality was of a woman who didn't really care what people thought. If she had told Ben right up front that she was an erotic romance author, he may have an initial reaction of disgust or shock, but I was led to believe he was the type of guy to get over it. I wouldn't be surprised if he was willing to act out some of her scenes from her books.
Molly was a bit silly and immature at times but she made me laugh by her internal thoughts and actions. She reminded me of a girly girl who wanted to have fun and when she wanted something- Ben, she didn't back down. Even the way she handled Cameron didn't bother me because everything she did made sense. The only thing left was to tell her older brother or Ben and they would have gone to Cameron and make him see reason. I really couldn't see that happening.
Again, I loved the fact that Victoria made Ben a middle ground hero. He was part alpha, part beta and the way he blushed was adorable. Ben is the reason to read Talk Me Down. He grounds Molly and they both bring something special to their relationship.
Talk Me Down is the perfect book for those who need some light reading and good sex. Blushing heroes and a heroine who writes great sex works for me!
Katiebabs
