Nikki’s review of She Did a Bad, Bad Thing by Stephanie Bond
Contemporary romance published 1 Jul 07 by Harlequin Blaze
Jane is a professional in the area of make-up and dress but she doesn’t use her skills on herself. She considers herself plain and feels like she’s making a fool of herself if she tries to pretend otherwise. She dresses so as to not draw attention to herself and focuses on making others beautiful.
Then the condo next door is bought by the very handsome Perry. His ultra-sexy self is hard enough to deal with. Add in his ultra-sexy “friend”, obviously “with benefits”… benefits she has to listen to twice through the wall… who parked in her spot and Jane has had enough. Even a Plain Jane should be able to go home after work and watch her favorite TV show. But after confronting this pair of beautiful people she overhears some nasty comments they make and is devastated.
Have you ever stuck your foot in your mouth? Ever said something mean about someone and then found out they heard? Perry was angry and a little drunk that night but when he found out he’d hurt Jane he was sick over it. He decides to make it up to her, somehow, but she doesn’t want anything to do with him.
If you’ve read Stephanie Bond you already know this author puts you in the people’s lives. I felt how Jane just wanted to get home and watch her show and forget everything. How she felt a little giddy when it was about to start. She was real to me just a few pages in.
I felt so bad for Perry, too. Most all of us have been there. Yeah, he asked for it but he felt so bad. I felt like he redeemed himself nicely. He did seem to change his mind about her looks a bit too radically and quickly but I could let that go.
The end seemed rushed. There isn’t a plain resolution to the problem that has come up with the old friend. Even though I could assume how it would go, it would have been nice to have a few more pages telling about it. Aside from that this book is just fun and sexy. Stephanie Bond writes just what I want in a Blaze.
Grade: B+
What would you do if you hit the jackpot?
Just once, mild-mannered Jane Kurtz wished she had the nerve to go for what she wants. And she really wants her neighbor, bad boy Perry Brewer. But he’s totally out of her league…until she wins the lottery and decides, once and for all, to change her life. So she heads out to Vegas for the ultimate bad-girl makeover! Poor sexy Perry won’t know what hit him!
The woman’s driving him crazy! Perry’s been trying to get Jane’s attention for days, with no luck. Now she’s all alone in Vegas and, well somebody’s got to look after her. What’s a decent guy to do? But after he sees Jane in all her new naughtiness, there’s no way he’s going to be able to stop at just looking…
Such an eeeevil looking duckie. Great review, tho and I have this one so I can’t wait to read it.
I loved the other books I’ve read by her, “Nobody’s Fool” in the Fool For Love anthology and Too Hot To Sleep.
I would like to submit my review I wrote on Stephanie Bond’s book SHE DID A BAD,BAD THING for Romance Junkies.com I rated her fantastic story 4.5 blue ribbons out of 5. Stephanie you are terrific writer!
-REVIEW-
Would you change your looks if you were average looking and wanted to attract the attention of your handsome neighbor? Jane Kurtz does just that. She unexpectedly wins the lottery and impulsively decides to head to Vegas for a wild weekend and a beauty makeover. What fantastic surprises await her in Vegas?
Jane Kurtz is just an ordinary looking woman and very talented at making others look beautiful. She works as a makeup artist for a talk show, Just Between Us. No one seems to remember Jane’s name and she attributes it to being so plain looking. Why just this morning the celebrity she was working on asked her why she did not make herself look pretty if she had the talent to make others look so beautiful. Jane was dumbstruck.
Liza, Jane’s best friend, helped start the talk show but left after a huge argument with Eve. The three of them used to be best friends and played the lottery regularly. They had their favorite six numbers that they played each time. When Liza left, Jane and Eve kept her number out of respect for her. As more employees were hired on, they added three more people to the group to play the lottery.
Eve teases her on whether she has a hot date tonight because it has been months since her boyfriend, James, has broke up with her. Jane wishes she had that special someone. Lately, she has been feeling rather restless. Is it the fact that she has no man in her life? Her last boyfriend dumped her and told her that she was dull. His comment really upset her.
Jane drives home to her apartment building. She notices that her new neighbor’s car is parked next to her spot while a little red sports car is parked in her spot. Angry, she heads up to her new neighbor’s apartment. As the door opens, she is stunned at the sight before her. A half-naked man with the most amazing body and striking good looks stands there. Jane blubbers about the parking mix-up. He introduces himself as Perry Brewer and Jane introduces herself. He apologizes and turns to tell his girlfriend that she needs to move her car. Wow! What she would give to have a man like that! Later that evening she hears thumping and screaming next door. They are making out. Just great! She marches over to his apartment and raps loudly on the door. Perry opens the door half dressed and she tells him to keep the noise down.
Afterward, Jane goes out on her deck with a glass of wine to soothe her nerves. A high concrete wall separates her deck and Perry’s deck. While lounging on her deck, she hears Perry and his girlfriend come out onto their deck. She quietly listens while Perry mentions what a mousy looking neighbor he has living next to him who probably never had wild sex in her life. The rude comment cuts right through to Jane’s heart. She bursts into tears, dashes inside, dropping her wineglass in the process. Perry hears the tinkling of glass. Oh no, his new neighbor, whatshername, overheard his thoughtless comment. He wonders if he should go over and apologize, maybe tomorrow.
The next day at the studio the show’s topic is how to release your innermost wild child. Jane is entranced as that day’s guest talks about it. It seems that the message was intended just for her. After that shows segment ends, Eve calls Jane into her office and closes the door. Jane wonders what Eve has to tell her that is so important. Eve rummages through her purse trying to locate her ticket and tells Jane that they won. Jane wonders if she heard right. They won? Eve tells her that they won the lottery, thirty eight million dollars. They are millionaires!
Jane wonders what she will do with her life. Today’s show about releasing your inhibitions surfaces in her memory. That is it! She excitedly makes plans to go to Vegas and have a wild weekend. She needs to change herself if she wants to attract the opposite sex. What lies ahead in Jane’s future? Does she get the man of her dreams? Does Perry apologize to Jane about his careless remark? What wild things happen during Jane’s weekend in Vegas? What problems lie ahead for Jane and Eve after winning the lottery?
Stephanie Bond writes an amazing love story filled with excitement, hope, and passion. Jane is an average looking woman who wins the lottery. After her amazing makeover, she discovers some interesting things about herself. Perry is a stunning, handsome man who has foot in the mouth syndrome but deep down is a loving, caring person. The story line moves fast as Jane wins the lottery and heads off to Vegas. Her weekend is an exciting one filled with many fun surprises and stuff that only dreams are made of. I fell in love with the story because it has so much hope that dreams can come true. The sex scenes were so steamy I had to turn my fan on to cool myself off. There are also tense scenes as Jane and Eve have problems after winning the lottery. I couldn’t put the book down until I found out how it all ended. Stephanie Bond’s novel, SHE DID A BAD, BAD THING is a tremendous tale of hidden desires and dreams that is delightfully risqué and full of charm.