Devon’s review of Slow Hands
by Leslie Kelly
Contemporary Erotic Romance released by 1 Jun 08
Slow Hands first caught my eye because it shares a title with my favorite song of the past five years or so. The blurb grabbed my attention as well, although it featured one of the hoariest setups in TV movies and romance: the bachelor auction for charity. I live a decidedly suburban mom existence, but I have never heard of one of these happening in real life. I was a bit nervous, because the whole plot seemed to hinge on a Big Misunderstanding (pretty much guaranteed groanworthy). But the ice princess/regular Joe pairing piqued my interest. Would Slow Hands deliver, despite my misgivings?
Slow Hands was exactly what a Blaze should be: a fun, sexy read that one can polish off in an evening and be happy afterwards. I really enjoyed the characterization in this one. Maddy was indeed an ice princess, hiding a passionate side. It was understandable given her experiences and crazy family members. But she never seemed humorless, quite the opposite. Ms. Kelly pulls off the witty banter well, without it ever seeming forced or overdone. Jake Wallace was a good foil for Maddy—an open-hearted, decent guy who really wants her. I enjoyed Jake’s pursuit of Maddy, and their chemistry was hot.
Some readers may be annoyed by the plot, which hinges on a case of mistaken identity. There were a couple of times where I rolled my eyes, because it was hard to believe that Maddy wouldn’t have said something to Jake. But then, Kelly did something I wasn’t quite expecting. Jake becomes aware of Maddy’s misconceptions but chooses not to enlighten her. Again, some readers might not like his actions during this part of the book, but I didn’t mind, because I thought Maddy kind of deserved it with her behavior. And Jake just really wanted to convince her to love him.
Slow Hands was a fun read. My one previous read by Leslie Kelly was a DNF, but this book revealed a deft hand with the humor. There can be a fine line between amusing and corny and clichéd. In this book, the heroine and hero always remained likeable and sympathetic, despite their not always likeable behavior. The plot could have been super annoying, but held my interest and amused me. I am definitely going to seek out the sequel, Heated Rush, which takes place concurrently.
Grade: B-
The Summary:
This is Maddy Turner’s lucky day. The civilized society girl just bid on sexy rogue Jake Wallace at a charity bachelor auction—and won! But Maddy knows Jake’s dirty little secret. And it should keep her from trying out her new boy toy. Too bad she can’t stop herself from indulging in raw, quite uncivilized sex all the same….Jake Wallace is utterly bewitched by Maddy—and utterly bewildered. How can this tantalizing woman melt so rapturously under his ministrations one moment, then turn into a haughty queen the next? He’s determined to get to the bottom of Maddy’s agenda. One slow, delicious inch at a time…
Read a excerpt here
