Meet Amy Parker and Justin Garrett, two brilliant, fiercely competitive legal eagles working their way to the top at the Los Angeles law firm where they are both employed. Amy is a junior partner and Justin’s superior. She has been employed longer at the firm than he and has worked extremely hard for 8 years toward earning a senior partnership. Justin is 5 years younger than Amy and “hit the ground running”, after being employed 3 years previously. He is rapidly making his way up the ladder at the law firm and considered to be the “golden boy”. Needless to say Amy harbors some jealousy with respect to Justin’s accomplishments.
There is a magnetic sexual attraction between Amy and Justin, however she is known as the “ice queen”, all business, wearing conservative suits and never letting her guard down. Amy however, has secret sexual fantasies and desires that are bubbling to the surface, and she been in a long sexual drought. She feels extremely frustrated and finds herself having erotic daydreams concerning Justin more and more, but refuses to become involved with professional associates at the law firm.
As the book opens Amy and Justin are on a corporate jet flying from Los Angeles to Hawaii to close a divestiture for one of multimillionaire mogul Mitch Magruder’s companies. While Mitch is a secondary character in this novella he plays a key roll in the relationship that develops between Amy and Justin.
Christmas in Hawaii, can you think of a more fabulous place to spend the season with two drop dead gorgeous men? I sure can’t. (lol) But according to Amy Parker esq. the four days she is spending there with Justin and Mitch is about business and nothing more. Little does she know, Justin has accidentally read an email she sent to her best friend where Amy has described her most private naughty, kinky, sex fantasy. Justin is very intrigued and very turned on, and decides he is going to gift Amy with a special ‘present’ during their Christmas ‘business trip’.
The setting for this novella is breathtaking, Hawaii is my favorite place in the world and I could see the sun setting over the ocean and hear the waves lapping on the shore. The love scenes between Amy and Justin are HOT, HOT, HOT and there is a ménage scene Jaci penned into this story that is incredibly erotic.
I wouldn’t say there is an antagonist per se in this story, however the conflict arises from within Amy herself. As her professional persona and need for success wars with her fear about what will come from her involvement with Justin, her ‘subordinate’, and a ‘competitor’ surfaces, let me put it this way; it does not make for, “smooth sailing”. Amy is also convinced Justin’s motive for bedding her is to use her to climb to the top of the law firm.
Mitch Magruder is an incredibly sexy 40 something surfer athlete who is a powerful business entrepreneur. There is however a gentleness and kindness about Mitch that makes him a memorable character, one a reader wants to know more about.
Unwrapped is an entertaining, sweet, and funny erotic romance novella that I would highly recommend. It is a short read and has all the ingredients you look for in great sexy story.
In “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Writing Erotic Romance”[1], Jaci Burton is quoted and explains the popularity of erotic romance novellas in this way: “I believe the appeal of the erotic romance in novella format stems from busy women searching for a quick, hot, emotionally and physically satisfying love story. They not only can read an entire story in one sitting, but a novella allows them to enjoy several of their favorite erotic romance authors in one book, or to try out new authors without investing a ton of money in buying a more expensive single author title they may not like.”
IMHO Jaci is quite correct and ‘Unwrapped’, is a stellar example of this type of a story.
FYI: I have cited the reference for, “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Writing Erotic Romance”, which is an excellent source of knowledge for author’s writing romance novels. (Again, IMHO)
[1] Alison Kent, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Writing Erotic Romance (Toronto: Penguin Group (Canada), 2006), p. 19-20
Mitch Magruder is a rich, successful, and wildly popular surfer and entrepreneur, always on the lookout for the next big wave or the next great deal. So when he’s home for the holidays, Mitch jumps at an opportunity to build one of his famous hotels right on the white sandy beach of his hometown in Ft Lincoln Beach, Florida.
I Think This Story Sounds Yummy Don’t You?
Also Please Note:
BOOKSIGNING!
If you live anywhere near the Tulsa, Oklahoma area, Jaci Burton will be signing books at the Grand Opening of the new Books-A-Million on Saturday, November 15th.
Details below:
Who: Jaci Burton, Michelle Bardsley, Dakota Cassidy and Shayla Black/Shelley Bradley
When – Saturday, Nov 15th, 2008 at 1 p.m.
Where: Books A Million, 7404 S. Olympia Ave. Tulsa, OK 74132
Highway 75 and 71st St South in the Tulsa Hills Shopping Center.
Sadly I live about 1200 miles away from Tulsa so the trip is highly unlikely – lol.
Once Again Jaci’s Website Is: www.jaciburton.com
Lea!
I love your reviews – and thanks for adding me to your blog list. I’ve added you to mine so expect me to visit often! {:-D
Hawk(e)
Thank you Hawk!
Jaci’s books are really great!
Best Regards
Great Review Lea!
I haven’t had a chance to read a Jaci Burton novel. While my impulse buying shows that I have a couple of her more recent titles in my TBR pile, I’ve yet to dive in. Based on your review though, I think I may need to move her books up in line though.
Hi VampFanGirl:
I enjoy Jaci’s work very much, she is very creative in that she seems to enjoy writing stories in different genres.
If you like your reading spicier I wouldn’t suggest Dare To Love or Nothing Personal. Unwrapped is very good, I also really enjoyed Wild, Wicked and Wanton and the anthology book Exclusive. However, read WWW first because the short story in Exclusive is a sequel.
Thanks for dropping by! Your reviews are GREAT by the way.
L