Saturday, June 28, 2014

Review: Over Exposed by Stephanie Julian

Over Exposed by Stephanie Julian
Series: Salon Games, Book 3
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Genre: Erotic Contemporary Romance Over Exposed Cover
ISBN: 9780425272114
Release Date: July 1, 2014
Source: Publisher
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N

When the cameras are off, the real action begins.

Greg Hicks is a Hollywood power player. For years he’s enjoyed the perks that come with being a top director and producer: the influence, the wealth…the women. But none of his many conquests have ever possessed the incredible sensuality of the young woman he once watched lose all inhibition in front of his camera.

Sabrina Rodriquez’s life is far from a Hollywood dream. Refusing to make the same mistakes as her unlucky-in-love mother, she’s focused on her first real job and avoiding all distractions, especially those of the male variety. Yet a man as compelling as Greg is difficult to ignore. And the desires he awakens are even harder to quench.

While a winter storm rages, a night at Haven Retreat leaves Sabrina’s and Greg’s temperatures rising. As Greg introduces Sabrina to the pleasures of voyeurism and exhibition, she unleashes his most decadent passions—and his creativity. But having Sabrina as a muse isn’t enough. He wants her to take a starring role in his bed…and in his heart.

A snowstorm isn’t enough to cool things down in Over Exposed! Stephanie Julian’s third Salon Games novel is fast-paced, sexy good fun. Greg and Sabrina are both easy to like protagonists. Greg has worked hard to get where he is in a cutthroat industry, but he’s burning out and needs to recapture some of the joy he found in writing and directing. Getting away from Hollywood and into Sabrina’s arms helps him find the passion he’d lost…and of course a lot more than he bargained for. Sabrina’s a breath of fresh air for Greg. She’s young and determined to succeed in the hospitality industry, but like Greg ambition isn’t the sole motivational factor in her life. The sparks that fly between them are hot enough to burn, and there’s no way Greg can resist the temptation Sabrina presents.

Greg and Sabrina are a great fit at the start, but where Over Exposed faltered was in the development of their relationship. There are quite a few ups and downs in Greg and Sabrina’s story, but almost all of them come from the fact that they simply don’t talk to each other. I honestly finished this story feeling a bit doubtful that their relationship would last because it almost seemed like it wouldn’t until the very end. While this wouldn’t have bothered me if Over Exposed were straight erotica, since it’s an erotic romance I expected a bit more of Greg and Sabrina as a couple than simple between the sheets sexiness.

Issues aside, I did enjoy Over Exposed. There’s great sexual tension between Sabrina and Greg and they had a lot of potential as a couple. The heroes and heroines from the first two Salon Games books (By Private Invitation and No Reservations) played supporting roles in Over Exposed and I liked them all enough to want to read their books. It’d be remiss of me not to also mention a new Salon Games character: Sebastian Valenti, a musician with serious sex appeal. If Ms. Julian writes a book for him I’ll be first in line to buy it. So while I felt Over Exposed didn’t seem to reach its full potential, I still liked Greg and Sabrina’s story overall and I’m looking forward visiting the infamous Salon again.


FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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